Absolute Fretboard - Frequently Asked Questions

Wrong email address Occasionally people mistype their email address in the order form. If you think this happened to you, write us and we'll fix it and resend the email to the right address.
Undeliverable email It may happen that although your email address is correct, your mail server rejected our email. For example, some AOL accounts are configured to reject any email coming from non-AOL addresses. In other cases, some mail servers apply sweeping filters against junk email but these filters sometimes cause loss of genuine email. Make sure your account has no problems receiving email, then inform us and we'll send it again.
The email is still on the way. Although in most cases email is delivered within a few seconds, in some rare cases it may take some minutes or even hours. So, wait a little. If the email still doesn't come, there may be some other problem, so write us and we'll fix it.

In any case you can always write us at support@absolutefretboard.com and we'll make sure you get your software as soon as possible. TOP

I downloaded the program but I cannot install it

There can be a few causes, and here are the solutions:

Incomplete download. It may have happened that your download was interrupted before you received the whole file. In this case delete the installation file and download it again. (If you suspect an incomplete download, compare the size of the file your downloaded with the file size displayed in the download page)
Changed file name. Perhaps you or the browser changed the original installation file name. In this case, if the download was otherwise normal, simply rename the file as displayed in the download page.
Network installation. You cannot download the file on one machine and install it on another through a network connection. Copy the installation file to the local hard drive and install it from there.

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The installer asks for Disk 2 when I try to install.

You didn't download the file completely. Delete the file you downloaded and start over. Check that the size of the file you receive is the same as written in the download page. TOP

I don't hear any sounds

AFT uses MIDI to play guitar and bass sounds, and MIDI is included in practically every sound card. If you cannot hear sounds, here are a few pointers:

Speakers/headphones cables, volumes and connections. Make sure they are OK. Try playing some other sound file on your computer to verify.
MIDI device engaged. Only one program at a time can use MIDI. If there's another program running which uses MIDI, then AFT can't produce sounds. Programs like WinAmp, Media Player, etc. may be holding the MIDI device, so try closing those other programs and try again.
Volume/mute settings. Open the Windows mixer (or other mixers you may have installed) and make sure that the "playback" volumes sliders of MIDI, FM Synth, WAVE, and Master Volume are open enough. Make also sure these devices are not muted. AFT itself has a volume slider, so check that it is also open enough.
Windows MIDI settings. We noticed that while Windows 95/98/ME/XP automatically install MIDI correctly, Windows NT often requires that you enable MIDI yourself. If necessary, check the "Multimedia" component in the Windows's Control Panel.
Sound card settings. Make sure your sound card is installed properly. Try playing some other sound file on your computer to verify.

If you're still having problems, try playing some MIDI file (*.MID) and then some WAV file (*.WAV) on your computer, to understand whether the problem affects all sounds, only MIDI, or only AFT. If you write and explain the problem in detail, we'll try to help you more. TOP

The program window does not fit in the screen

The program window has a starting size suitable for screen areas of 800x600 or larger. If your computer has lower display settings the program window may not fit. In this case you can press the [ALT] + [SPACE BAR] keys and then select "Maximize", which will result in the program window exactly fitting the screen area. Of course, if your graphic hardware allows it, you might also want to enlarge the screen area. To do that, go [Start] -> [Settings] -> [Control Panel] -> [Display] -> [Settings] -> [screen area] TOP

I see strange colors on the fretboard

Your display is probably set for 256 colors mode only. AFT uses high quality fretboard images which require High Color (16 bit) or better.

Technically speaking, the fretboard image uses a lot of different colors, subtle shades of brown, yellow, etc., and in 256 colors mode there are just not enough colors available, hence the distorted image. When you use "High Color" settings the image will look again as it was meant to be, as realistic as possible.

To set your graphic card properly, go [Start] -> [Settings] -> [Control panel] -> [Display] -> [Settings]
At the bottom left you should see the "colors" settings. Set it to "High color (16 bit)" or "True Color (24 bit)" in order to enjoy the best image quality, not only in AFT, but also with other programs. TOP