Quicktime and our Software

Plus....Solving Audio, Video, & Animation Problems related to Quicktime when running multimedia software

Solving Quicktime installation problems

A tech support article from Neil MacQueen, Sunday Software

View our list of Recommended Christian Software
 

A Note to our Vista and Windows 7 Customers:

Here is a brief list of some of the programs in our catalog for which you'll need to download the latest free version of Quicktime from www.quicktime.com  --rather than use the version which comes on the CD.

  • Ilumina Bible
  • Abraham & Sarah
  • Ten Commandments
  • Prodigal Son
  • Good Sam
  • Awesome Bible Stories
  • Kid Pix
  • Life of Christ

  • Actual Reality

View these titles at www.sundaysoftware.com/software.htm

If one of these programs keeps prompting you to "install Quicktime" at startup, then read the "Problem Solved" article at the bottom of this page.

Yeah, we created a program named "Jesus in Space" !
www.sundaysoftware.com/jesus

Here's what you need to know about Quicktime and our Software:

Quicktime is a multimedia player which many multimedia software programs EXPECT to find on your computer in order to run their animations, videos and menus.

Quicktime may not be pre-installed on your system. Thus, you need to download the latest version of it from www.quicktime.com

The older program you have purchased may come with an earlier version of Quicktime. It may or may not try to self-install on your system. You want the very download latest version of Quicktime to avoid any potential media errors. If your older program keeps trying to install it's older version of Quicktime, read our solution.

If the computer you are using it on is not connected to the internet, you can download the Quicktime player as a standalone file and burn it to a CD or copy to a flash drive. Then take it to the computer where you need it and run the installer. Select the standalone player download option at quicktime.com.

If you have Windows Vista or Windows 7, you need to download the latest version of Quicktime for your computer in order for animations/videos to run in some of our software. It's free from www.quicktime.com If afterwards your older program keeps trying to install it's older version of Quicktime, read our solution.

If you have Windows Vista or Windows 7 and do not have the latest version of Quicktime installed, the software program you are installing may try to install the version of Quicktime which it has on the CD. This may be an older version that is not compatible with your latest operating system. You need the latest free version of Quicktime.

[For Example: You buy a Windows 7 computer and try to install our Abraham & Sarah CD, or Ilumina Bible DVD, or HolyLand 3D CD. But those CDs may not have come with the latest tweaked version of Quicktime for Windows 7 (why? because Apple is always updating Quicktime). Solution: Install the latest free Windows 7 compatible version of Quicktime from quicktime.com ]

Most multimedia programs look to see if you already have Quicktime installed. If the version of Quicktime on your computer is older than the version that came on the CD, the CD's installer may prompt you to install a copy from the program's CD. However, many CDs come with older versions of Quicktime, and not the latest version available.

WHY? Rather than remaster the CDs with the latest version of Quicktime everytime Apple tweaks/fixes Quicktime, developers EXPECT that you will know to go to www.quicktime.com and download the latest version. If your older program keeps trying to install it's older version of Quicktime, read our solution.

IF you run into a problem on Vista or Windows 7 with one of our older programs that doesn't recognize you have the latest version of Quicktime installed and keeps trying to install its earlier version of Quicktime, then you will need to follow the instructions at the bottom of this page to correct the Quicktime installation problem.

Quicktime is made by Apple and comes in both Windows and Mac versions --for free. There is a "pro" version you can buy, but you don't need to buy it. Just download the free version.

Sometimes Apple bundles Quicktime with iTUNES. You can select to just download Quicktime without iTunes.

The latest version of Quicktime WILL RUN programs designed for earlier versions of Quicktime. Meaning....Quicktime version 7 is backwards compatible with versions 4, 5, & 6. See the exception below.

 

 

Some older* programs were designed for Quicktime 2.1, and come with QT 2.1 on the CD. While Quicktime 7 was backwards compatible with versions 4,5 & 6 of Quicktime, the latest versions of Quicktime cannot run media made for Quicktime 2.1 (something odd in that code) 

THUS, when you are using an older program made for Quicktime 2.1, you need manually install Quicktime 2.1 FROM THE CD. 

And YES, you can have both the latest version of Quicktime AND Quicktime version 2.1 on your computer.  Look on the CD's files for a file named qtinstaller or qt32.exe.

These older but still good programs include:  Noah and the Ark, Life of David, Daniel (and all other CDs from the Interactive Kids Series of CDs).

And.... one program in our catalog, Pathways Through Jerusalem, requires version 2.0 and not 2.1. 2.0 is on the CD.

 

AN IMPORTANT QUICKTIME INSTALLATION TIPS:

  1. If Quicktime asks "would you like to search for other versions installed on your system" (or something like that) always tell it "No" or "Skip."
     

  2. If you are installing version Quicktime 2.x on a Vista or Windows 7 system, you must select "Skip" on the install menu when version 2.x installer asks you if you want to search for other versions.

    If you select "yes" the Quicktime 2.x installer will lock up in Vista and Windows 7.
     

  3. NEVER let Quicktime DELETE older versions of itself. Quicktime installation will ask you if you'd like to search and destroy older copies of Quicktime. Never let it do it. In all my years of saying "no" or "skip".

  4. If you must delete Quicktime and want to perform a clean install, you'll also need to uninstall two Apple support utilities. See the uninstall notes at the bottom of this page.

Which version of Quicktime do you have?

Open up your Windows Control Panel. You should see one or both icons:

  --Versions 6/7 logo

--Version 2.1 required for some older programs, and oddly enough, it will run in XP/Vista/Windows7

As mentioned above... you can have the latest version and version 2.1 installed on the same computer.

GENERAL QUICKTIME SUPPORT

Here are a few common Quicktime problems and their solutions

Slow playing animations or related audio problems are a common technical support inquiry, especially on older equipment. Most multimedia programs that have video and animation use a program called Quicktime to play them back on your computer. It's free from www.quicktime.com  It usually comes with the software. It has settings you can adjust to work best with your sound and video drivers. It has many different versions. It can also be buggy. Here are some of the common problems and the solutions to them.

Slow playing or stuttering videos/animations...

The #1 reason an animation or video will stutter is low system resources, ie, low system ram and low video ram. Make sure you have all other programs turned off, such as anti virus software. Make sure you don't have programs "hiding" in the background eating ram. That's a common problem too. Type msconfig in the Windows RUN box and click the StartUp tab to see what's loading up at start-up, (in other words "eating ram").

Check out our article about how to determine what type of videocard or graphic chip you have and how much videoram you have.



 If you are running a program which uses QuickTime and experiencing audio break-up, snapping, hissing, popping, etc.,

Solution 1: Change the SOUND OUT properties in your Quicktime control panel.

The Quicktime control panel is found in the Windows Control Panel.

Make sure you open up the BLUE Q icon, and not earlier 2.0 versions which use a Black Q icon.

What's the issue? Quicktime doesn't like every possible sounddriver on the market. Fortunately, Quicktime and Windows leave you with alternatives.

If you still experience sound problems and have Windows ME or older PC:

Adjust the size of the sound buffer QuickTime uses -doing so in the Quicktime control panel. Larger buffers reduce the chance of drop-outs, but increase latency for interactive uses of sound.

Adjusting the size of the Sound Buffers

1. Open the Control Panels window.
2. Open QuickTime Settings.
3. Select the Sound Out panel.
4. Select the WaveOut or DirectSound device
(Depends on your computer configuration.)
5. Click on the Options button at the bottom of the control panel.
6. Adjust the settings
7. Test the movie you were experiencing problems with.
8. Keep adjusting the settings until the audio problem is corrected.

DirectSound Settings

The size of the sound buffer is set in milliseconds. Increase the buffer size until the drop-out is corrected.

WaveOut Settings

There are two numbers to adjust, the number of buffers and the size of each buffer in milliseconds. Adjust the number of buffers until any drop-outs are corrected. If you hear a stuttering, increase the individual buffer size until the stuttering is corrected.

You can also try adjusting the voice/sound playback rate to 22mhz. The default is 44mhz sound. 22k will sound just fine in many applications and the lower data rate going through your card will help your card stay up with the multimedia.

Garbled Sound, Hissing Sound, Sound too rapid, Sound drop-out....

Tends to to happen with older Windows 98/Me/XP computers and older versions of QT.
Find the QT control panel  by clicking your Windows Start pearl, then CONTROL PANEL, then QUICKTIME ...and follow the suggestions given in the following discussions:

Possible changes to the Quicktime control panel to get rid of sound problems in Quicktime videos.

Change "sound out" from "directsound" to "wave out."

Alternatives if the above doesn't work: Locate and double-click the QuickTime icon. A window titled QuickTime Settings will appear. In the drop-down menu at the top of the window, select Sound Out. In the Choose a device for Playback drop-down menu, select Wave Out. In the Rate drop-down menu, select 44.100 Khz. In the Choose a Device for Playback drop-down menu, click Directsound. In the Rate drop-down menu, select 44.100 khz. Close the QuickTime Control Panel, and restart your computer.

If the voices are still too fast, repeat the procedures above, adjusting the rates to 48.000 khz. Restart.

Please note: Part of the problem may be that your sound drivers need updated and you may need the latest version of DirectSound from Windows. Both of these are free.

If you still have some crackling/stuttering in the voice file/animation, try setting the RATE seen in the Quicktime Control panel from 44mhz to 22mhz. This worked for me on one of my computers.

Director Error, Black Screen at opening of program, such as Good Sam CD

Many programs open with a videoclip/animation. Some computer drivers don't get along with some video codecs or Quicktime. Fortunately, Quicktime has some adjustments you can try. Double click the Blue Q icon in your Control Panel, click Advanced, and select GDI safe mode and see if the problem goes away.

MISC. TIPS using/installing Quicktime

New versions of Quicktime come like clockwork as Apple tries to tweak the program to fix bugs. You can download the latest free version of Quicktime from http://www.quicktime.com. Perhaps this will solve your problem. Vista really needs the latest version of Quicktime to be on the safe side.

NEVER let Quicktime DELETE older versions of itself. Quicktime installation will ask you if you'd like to search and destroy older copies of Quicktime. Never let it do it. In all my years of saying "no" to this process, it has never caused a problem. I suspect this "search and destroy" feature is a marketing issue --they want their later more "controlling" versions to control your software --and take over your icons.

Please note: Quicktime 4, 5, and 6 are not backwards compatible with the 2.0 series. MOST older Christian software prior to 1999 used Quicktime 2.0 and still require it to be installed on your harddrive. If that program's videos/audios stop working, reinstall quicktime off the CD. You CAN have multiple versions of Quicktime on your computer.

We have encountered some odd Quicktime errors that can ONLY be solved by uninstalling all versions of Quicktime and then REINSTALLING from the oldest first that you need (2.0 series). Make sure you uninstall Quicktime using the Windows Add/Remove Programs feature.

Quicktime 3.0 was generally considered "flawed" and should be deleted. Install Quicktime 7. It runs 99% of software designed for QT 4, 5, and 6, and is Vista compatible.

You may encounter SOME OLDER programs which require their particular version of Quicktime version 2.x to run their animation/video. Pathways Through Jerusalem CD in our catalog is one such program. It must have it's 2.0 version of Quicktime installed.

A small percentage of newer computers are encountering quicktime issues related to the installation of current Quicktime installs, and previous versions of Quicktime in Vista and Windows 7. The problem isn't common, but it does happen and is solvable.

Quicktime UN-install, RE-install Problem Solved!  

Understanding what's going on...

Some older applications, such as our Abraham and Ten Commandments CDs, search your system at installation or startup of the older program to see if you have Quicktime installed. If it didn't find a newer version of Quicktime on your system, the application offers to install the version found on the disk you purchased. This was a typical practice in years past.  If the installer doesn't find the version they expect, they prompt you to install the version of Quicktime on the CD.

Problem is....

If you were running this older CD on a newer system such as Vista and Windows 7, the older program's Quicktime installer may not be able to discover that you have Quicktime 7+ already installed on your system. Why? Because somewhere along the line Apple made changes to how Quicktime identifies itself to older versions of Quicktime and older installers/applications, and Windows Vista/7.

So each time you tried to run the Ten C's program, for example, its embedded installer went into a loop and kept prompting you to install Quicktime 5 from the CD.  And Quicktime 4/5/6 don't work on Vista or Windows 7.

(Note: Lots of older programs work on Vista and Windows 7, including many older programs that have Quicktime videos in them designed for older versions of Quicktime, such as, QT 2.1, or QT 4/5/6.   In some cases with older software, you MUST have version 2.1 installed on your computer for that older program's Quicktime videos/animations to work. The strange thing is that Quicktime 7.4 and higher, which is fully Vista and W7 compatible, can run all Quicktime videos made for Quicktime versions 4, 5, and 6. But QT7 can't run Quicktime videos made for Quicktime 2.1.  So you must have Quicktime 2.1 installed on your newer systems to handle some older software. A good example of an older program made with QT 2.1 is Life of David CD. So it's weird... technically QT2.1 isn't fully compatible with Windows 7, but it must be installed so your older quicktime videos can still be run. Go figure.)

"The answer" is to "UN-install all versions of Quicktime,

...AND UN-install both Apple Software Update, and Apple Application Support utilities.

then REBOOT,

and then install Quicktime from the older program FIRST,

Finish the installation of your application and exit the program (making that program think it installed quicktime  and stop nagging you,

THEN.... install the latest version of Quicktime from Quicktime.com!

WHY? 
These uninstall steps let the older program 'see' that and older version of Quicktime was installed (because it installs the older version where your older program expects to see it) --and then it will stop bugging you to reinstall. Then you need to install Quicktime 7, which contains instruction for your OS to take over from the older version of Quicktime when the Ten C's application (or any older program) wants to run a Quicktime video on your system. 

To say it another way: These steps fool the OS and the original older program's installer/startup file to continue on without searching for Quicktime (because it sees the older QT's installation files which it expects to see) but when Quicktime 7 will take over

The Problem is that Quicktime installation/download ALSO includes the Apple Software Update and Application Support utilities. So simply uninstalling Quicktime doesn't get rid of these supporting apps (it should! ...but Apple didn't make it that way). THEREFORE, THESE OTHER APPS MUST ALSO BE UN-INSTALLED when you are cleaning your system of all previous versions of Quicktime.

If you don't un-install these QT related utilities, then the re-install of Quicktime won't solve your problem.

You will see both the Apple Update and Apple Application Support files listed the control panel when you click "Programs and Features" in the Windows Control Panel (this is the same window where you can select "uninstall" to get rid of a program).

Note: If Quicktime asks "would you like to search for other versions installed on your system" (or something like that) always tell it "No" or "Skip."

 

Copyright Neil MacQueen & Sunday Software, www.sundaysoftware.com

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