Resources

PBS Kids

As a mother of an eight-year-old and a two-year-old, I am well acquainted with PBS Kids. In fact, the PBSKids.org Web site is a favorite in our household. While my eight-year-old regularly plays online PBS Kids games, I had never heard of an actual PBS Kids game CD so I was curious about your question.

PBS Kids Games

I searched the Internet hoping to find “PBSkids Game Too” and “PBSkids Game Two” with no luck. I did find a Web site that sells PBS Kids game CDs with titles such as Sky Heroes, Jay Jay Earns his Wings, Caillou’s Thinking Skills, Baby Skills, and Story Books, but I did not find any titled “PBS Kids Game Too” or any variation of that title.

Further research showed that Brighter Minds Media is the publisher of such titles, so I went to the Brighter Minds Web site where I found even more PBS Kids products, primarily books. The Games link on this site sends you to Beanstalkgames.com which has a kids section filled with PBS kids characters like Diego, Dora, and Bob the Builder. Demo versions of the games are available as are downloaded copies for a fee.

PBS Kids Games Online

While I came up short and was unable to find the title PBS Kids Game Too, I recommend the PBS Kids Web site. Here, your kids can play dozens of games featuring all of their favorite PBS characters for free. Choose games featuring Dragon Tales, Caillou, Curious George, Clifford, the Bernstein Bears, Jay Jay the Jet Plane, the Teletubbies, and many more.

PBS Kids Play!

The PBS Kids Play! site is a subscription based Web site dedicated to educational games for preschoolers. This educational game program costs about $10 per month which can quickly add up over time.

PBS Kids Sprout Games

Younger kids will enjoy the online games offered by PBS Kids Sprout Online. You can search by Sprout character or by type of game.

If the PBS Kids Game Too is an older game, you might check auction sites such as eBay. In the meantime, I hope your kids enjoy some of these alternative online PBS Kids games.

Are you using a router? If so, try connecting it directly to the modem to troubleshoot any router issues you might be having. I’m not sure how you’re setup, so I’m going to take this one step at a time to see if there is something that was missed. Follow these steps to troubleshoot your Ethernet connection.

1. Pull the plug on the router, modem and PS3. Now reconnect everything in this order - modem, router then PS3. See if the connection is working now.
2. If you still have no luck, try opening up all ports in the router.
3. Make sure that the port that you plugged the cable into is lit up and green.
4. Turn off the power to the router for about 30 seconds. Then power it up again and make sure the Internet light is lit and green.

DNS Error Fix

Are you getting a DNS error? If so, take these steps:

1. On the PS3, go to Network Settings and select Internet Connection Settings.
2. Choose Custom and then Wired.
3. On WLAN, select Enter Manually and enter the SSID from the back of the router. Also enter the WEP if you have one.
4. Now select Automatic on the IP address setting.
5. On DHCP host name, select Do Not Set.
6. On DNS setting, choose Manual. Type in: Primary DNS - 4.2.2.2, Secondary DNS - 4.2.2.3
7. For Proxy server, select Do Not Use and on UPnP select Enable.
8. Now see if you can connect.

Hopefully, you found some useful information in these steps. There is a Playstation video tutorial for setting up an Ethernet connection step by step that may help you troubleshoot where the problem is coming from. If you’re still having problems after you have done all of this work, you can contact the PlayStation Customer Service by calling 1-800-345-7669. I hope you can get up and gaming online soon!

The best thing to do in this situation is to uninstall MSN and then do a reinstallation of the program. If that doesn’t work for you, you can also try a system restore, which is particularly helpful if the update is something that was done recently.

Repair MSN
First, you can try to repair the program. Close MSN. Now go to Start and then Control Panel. Find Add and Remove Programs. Find Windows Live Essentials or Windows Live Messenger depending on the version you have installed. Click on Remove and then on Repair. You will see a utility wizard - let it run and then sign in again and see if anything has changed.

If the repair doesn’t work, you should probably uninstall MSN and then reinstall it on your machine. First, go to Start and then Control panel and find Add and Remove Programs. Find the Windows Live Essentials and choose to Remove it. Once you’ve removed it manually, you should probably use the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility. This program from Microsoft will clean up any remaining parts of the installation that manually removing missed. Once you have completely removed MSN from your system, you can go and reinstall MSN from the website.

System Restore

System restore is a utility on your computer that basically takes you back in time to a point where your system was working. It won’t harm your data, but anything you have installed after the restore point you choose will be gone - this is perfect for our purposes because you don’t want the update on your system. This is why it is good to use if it is something that has happened recently. To use System Restore:

1. Go to Start and then All Programs.
2. Choose Accessories and then System Tools.
3. Click on System Restore. You will see a Welcome Screen.
4. Choose “Restore my computer to an earlier time” and click Next.
5. You will see a page where you are asked to select a restore point. Pick a date that is just before you did the MSN update.
6. Confirm the date and click Next. The computer will reboot and you will see a Restoration Complete page to know that it worked.

Once you have removed the update that has caused the problem, your MSN should be working fine. You can try the update one more time, just have these methods handy in case you need to use them again.

I’ve seen a lot of issues on the web regarding this particular update. In January of 2009, Microsoft released a security update that patched three vulnerabilities in Windows clients and servers. It does seem to interfere with ISOs, so it basically comes down to how important this issue is to you. There are a few things you can try first, but if you really feel strongly about using your ISO files, then you may have to roll the system back to a point before the update (and you may have to hurry - your system restore may only be set for 90 days prior).

Magiciso

If you were successfully using Magiciso, find Magic Disk in your program list and right click it. Choose Properties and then the Compatibility tab. Select “Run this program as administrator”. Now click Enter and exit out of the window. See if it will recognize your files now.

Virtual Clone Drive

I haven’t used this personally, but they have been saying good things about Virtual Clone Drive, which works pretty much the same as daemon-tools or Alcohol 120%. It is said to support Vista, but like the issues that are happening with Magiciso, I’m not sure if it will work with the latest update. It’s worth trying, as the update is already on your computer.

System Restore

If you really want to use these files, you can roll your system back to how it was before you updated Vista. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be an option to remove it where you can normally remove installed updates, so your best bet will be to do a System Restore, and hope that you have a restore point that is set for just before you did the update. To do a System Restore, go to the search box and type in Restore and it will come up as the first option on the list. When you see the Restore Window, you will want to choose the option that allows you to choose a different restore point than the most recent one it will default to. Confirm you restore point and the follow the directions. This won’t affect your data or files, but it will affect anything that has been installed on your computer after the restore date.

Hopefully, one of these will work for you and you won’t have to cart your CDs around in the future.

Problems with Java and Pogo are usually solved easily. You are going to have to do a bit of troubleshooting, however, in order to find the right solution to your problem. Try each of the strategies listed below until you get the problem fixed.

First Time Java Installation

The first step is to reinstall Java onto your computer, even though you’ve done it several times. Make sure that all previous versions of Java have been completely uninstalled so that we can be sure of a clean installation.

Enable Java to Load in Pogo Games

Once you have completed the installation of Java, you need to enable it on your computer in the Web browser so that it will work when you attempt to use it with Pogo games. Follow the directions listed here, making sure that you pick the directions for the browser that you will be using on the computer.

Direction to Enable Java in Internet Explorer

1. Open “Internet Explorer.”
2. Select “Tools.”
3. Navigate to “Internet Options.”
4. Click open “Advanced.”
5. Click off the box in front of “Java.”
6. Click on “Security.”
7. Select “Custom Level.”
8. Click the box in front of “Scripting of Java Applets” and enable it.
9. Click “ok.”

Direction to Enable Java in Mozilla Firefox

1. Open Mozilla Firefox.
2. Navigate to “Tools.”
3. Select “Options.”
4. Click to open “Content.”
5. Click the box in front of “Java.”
6. Click “Exceptions.”
7. Type in the following: http://www.pogo.com./
8. Click “allow.”
9. Click “ok.”

Enable JavaScript to Load

JavaScript, which is different from regular Java, also needs to be enabled to load if you want to use it with Pogo games. It’s a simple matter of making a few changes in your web browser. Follow these directions for Internet Explorer:

1. Open “Internet Explorer.”
2. Select “Tools.”
3. Navigate to “Internet Options.”
4. Click “Security.”
5. Click “Custom Level.” You will find this near the bottom.
6. Scroll through the list until you locate “Java permissions” and select “High safety.”
7. Click to enable “Java Scripting.”
8. Click “ok” and click “ok” again.
9. Restart your browser.

Depending on your version of Internet Explorer, you may need to scroll until you find “Active Scripting” in which case, you’ll need to change it from Disable to Enable.

Follow these directions for Mozilla Firefox:

1. Open Mozilla Firefox.
2. Navigate to “Tools.”
3. Select “Options.”
4. Click to open “Content.”
5. Click the box in front of “Javascript.”
6. Click “Exceptions.”
7. Type in the following: http://www.pogo.com./
8. Click “allow.”
9. Click “ok.”

Check Your Java Installation

Once you have followed the steps above, you can visit the following link at Pogo.com, in order to determine whether or not your Java installation is installed properly and functioning properly: Java Plug-in Test.

Pogo Toolbox

The Pogo toolbox includes a number of helpful tools that you can use to troubleshoot problems that you are having with Pogo games. You can find it on the left-hand side of this page: POGO TOOLBOX. You can use it whenever you have other issues to check with Pogo.

If you have recently installed any updates to your operating system or web browser, then it is quite likely that some of your settings have changed. If this is the case, then a few simple changes and everything should be working once again when you attempt to log into games. I am assuming that you reinstalled your Java application. If you did not, you need to do so because this program is used by quite a few online games.

Clear the Internet Cache

Computers can be temperamental sometimes and this is when it is important to clear out the Internet cache. The problem could be an issue with past page views and this step should clear it up.

Check the Following Settings

Even if you previously had all of these settings taken care of, you need to check to make sure that they did not revert back to a setting that does not allow you to access your gaming websites. This scenario can occur if you have recently updated your operating system or web browser.

Check that pop up blockers are not enabled for the websites that you wish to access. You can either disable popup blockers completely or set exceptions for those sites that you visit.

Check the security settings for your browser. It probably needs to be set at medium rather than high in order to enable you to access games.

Upgrade to the Newest Version of Java

Make sure that you have the latest version of Java since this application is typically used by a number of gaming websites in order to run their games. The Java application often undergoes upgrades in an effort to keep up with technological changes so it is always a good idea to check periodically for new updates that you can install on your computer.

Upgrade to the Newest Version of Adobe Flash

You might also want to update your Adobe Flash Player since this application is also used quite a bit with gaming websites.

Run a Thorough Scan for Spyware and Viruses

On the off chance that your computer is infected with some type of spyware or virus, run a reliable anti-spyware/anti-virus application on your computer to remove any malware that exists. Make sure that you update your anti-spyware/anti-virus application before running it. If you don’t have a program to use, I can recommend Anti-Virus Plus.

Clean Up the Computer

Make sure that you have sufficient memory on your computer since gaming is often a resource hog. Clear out any old files, documents, pictures, programs, etc that you no longer need or use. Run a reliable registry cleaner or defrag the hard drive yourself. Run the “chkdsk” utility to clean up the hard drive.