SKYPE External Program problems

[dude]

I am having a major problem with SKYPE that may affect the production of further AwesomeInternviews.

I use an external program that records audio from both sides of my SKYPE conversations. I am supposed to allow other programs to access SKYPE to make it work. The external program 'PrettyMay' (ok, ok a Chinese company) support and SKYPE's so-called support pages both say I have to authorize it on the Tools - Options - Advanced page as in the red circle below. Problem is, my window shows everything but the circled option. It doesn't appear at all. I have the latest 6.1 Version of SKYPE

Last weekend, I had to move my entire recording mixer, including mike and headset to another room where my laptop is set up just to record the AwesomeInterview with Chris James. Yep, you got it... PrettyMay works on the laptop but not on the desktop where my audio editing and console are located. I cannot get any response from SKYPE - Microsft bought them out and you know what that means. PrettyMay maker's keep sending me the screen shot below.... solly clazy amelican... no speakee engrish! FYI laptop runs Win7 64-bit Home and desktop Win 7 32 bit pro.

Has anybody had a smilar problem and can you offer a solution?

Thanks,

Mike

[Camy]

Does it require Java? If it does I'll bet your java is set to update automatically - newly released versions of java often seem to, quite happily, break programs. If it does use java then check the version your working laptop uses and match it on the non-working computer.

Of course if it has nothing to do with java then kindly ignore the above.

[dude]

Doesn't appear to be a PrettyMay or late version of SKYPE probem... I had saved the SKYPE Series 4 install from a couple of years ago and when I just installed it, found the same problem... the enable other programs option is absent...

It's got to be Windows 7 something has happened... and I hate to face the option of reinstalling the OS.

BTW, Java version on desktop is more recent than that of the laptop, but don't see any connection.

I've been struggling with this daily for almost ten days!

[DesDownunder]

The whole chat/video Internet experience has deteriorated since around the time Skype was bought by Microsoft. It isn't just Skype or Windows 7; XP exhibits the same problems.

Additionally, Google's video/chat has become almost unusable since they introduced Hangouts.

Screen-sharing is now painful and the sound becomes garbled, or echoes.

Skype has problems with Firewalls even, it seems, if they are switched off. I have just updated to V 6.1 during which it said it couldn't find a link. What was that all about?

Some time ago, Skype help advised me to uninstall Skype and this is not for the fainthearted. According to Skype, after uninstalling the main Skype program, I then had to remove the registry references, and all the firewall references...all 50 of them. Then I could reboot and reinstall Skype. This all happened a year or two ago and I still have problems but they seem to be unrelated to the reasons I had to uninstall Skype.

As for Google, it was all fine until they introduced Hangouts.

It's almost like these programs work fine when they are introduced and then someone decides to 'improve' it with features no one wanted, or access which is so convoluted that no one can work out how to use it. The fact that the connection becomes unusable seems to be ignored by Skype and Google. I have also seen the same problems on video interviews recorded by major TV and Internet outlets.

At present I am looking at another program called Teamviewer which has a free version which, would do me fine if I could only understand how to get it working. I have no idea if this is a solution to the problems. You can find Teamviewer here. You will probably not want the remote access feature so just don't select that. Choose the online meeting one.

Just to add to the nightmare, my webcam can never remember its own settings and I have to reset the controls each time I use it or I look like I am living in a coal mine without lighting. I'm so glad I don't have anything better to do.

[colinian]

How about using Google Voice? It supports call recording. Take a look at http://support.google.com/voice/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=115082&ctx=cb&src=cb&cbid=-p9sshjfi9h7c&cbrank=0. You can record your calls all inside of Google Voice so there's no external programs needed.

Colin

[Camy]

BTW, Java version on desktop is more recent than that of the laptop, but don't see any connection.

I use a screen/voice recorder that is written in java and worked happily. When java automatically updated to its newest version the screen/voice recorder failed. Now, I'm not saying that running the same version of java as you have on the laptop (that works with skype/prettymay) will definitely sort the problem out ... but it might.

Or, as Colin suggests, try Google Voice.

[Bruin Fisher]

I wonder whether the reason you don't see the function you're looking for on the Skype Options page is because Skype now integrates with Windows security settings, and you have your security level set too high to allow this? Try lowering your Windows Security settings (somewhere in Control Panel, depending on your Windows version - I can't be more specific, I'm running Linux) and then see if the function reappears.

[Hoskins]

Try opening Skype as an administrator. Right click the Skype icon, and select "run as administrator". That elevates the program above normal privileges (even if you are an administrator already, your privs are still not truly top dog) and may allow more options to show up.

[dude]

Guys... thanks for your suggestions.

Colin says:

How about using Google Voice? It supports call recording. Take a look at http://support.googl...fi9h7c&cbrank=0. You can record your calls all inside of Google Voice so there's no external programs needed.

Google Voice is basically a voip to landline or vice versa system. I already have a telephone coupler and can record from a telephone line. I did this with Cole's Interview but it suffers from lack of broadcast quality.. at least on one side. The interview with Camy, though done over thousands of mile with SKYPE, was broadcast quality. That's what I'm seeking.

As Bruin points out... Microsoft - which bought out SKYPE has it's own agenda in folding MSN/Messenger users into SKYPE and pays even less attention to customer service.. than SKYPE did, if that's possible.

Thanks for the suggestion, Hoskins of opening SKYPE as Administrator but I've done that as part of my assortment of attempted fixes from the first day... to no avail. The only customer service rep who tried to help me was Jacky Fu at PrettyMay, but he's apparently out of suggestions as well and haven't heard from him in more than 24 hours.

I will probably have to set up the laptop to do the interviews. I do have a second mixer and need only to get another usb-sound card to interface it.

Thanks to all who tried to help. I'll stick with it, though, as I'm stubborn as hell!

[dude]

voilà !

Problem was found in the Win 7 registry where the API for Skype was disabled. Changing a value from '1' to '0' solved the problem immediately. All is working now... thanks for all your input. Stubborness pays off.

Now to seek my next AwesomeInterview victim...

Mike

[Camy]

Bravo, Mike! You is de Dude.