Desktop tool issues
If you have a problem that isn't covered below then complete the feedback form on the main website to report it. Don't forget to leave a valid email address where you can be contacted.
topStart up issues
Please ensure that you have the latest version of the tool installed as some older versions had start up problems that have now been fixed.
You must have Java installed in order to run the tool. The tool requires Java Runtime Environment version 1.5.0 (also known as JRE 5.0) or higher. On Windows, if the tool cannot find a suitable version of Java when it tries to start you will be prompted to run your default browser and then taken to the official site where you can download and install the latest version. Alternatively you can download a local version of Java, which is used just by the tool.
If you have any other start up issue then make a note of any error messages that may appear and use the feedback form to report your problem. Don't forget to leave a valid email address where you can be contacted.
Your browser doesn't show the results
When the validation is finished your browser should start up and display the results. If this doesn't happen, first check that 'Hide results' in the Options menu has not been accidentally selected. If it has then unselecting this option should resolve the issue.
Otherwise try using the 'Last Results' button. If this doesn't work either then it's likely that none of your browsers are set as the 'default'. You can correct this for popular browsers as follows:
Windows/Mac: If Firefox is your preferred browser then open it and go to the 'Tools' menu and select 'Options' then 'General' and you will find an option which allows you to set it as the default browser.
If Internet Explorer is your preferred browser then open it and go to the 'Tools' menu and select 'Internet Options' then 'Programs' and tick the box that says that IE should check to see if it is the default browser. Then restart IE and you will be prompted to confirm IE as your default browser. In either case then try running the Total Validator Tool again.
Linux: Edit the script 'totalvalidatorpro/default_browser.sh' and check that it points to your preferred browser. As an additional check if you simply run this script without any parameters then your browser should just start up normally.
If you are still having problems then navigate to the folder you installed the tool into and double-click on TotalValidator.html. This should launch your browser and display the results.
Screenshots are not appearing
In the Pro desktop tool you can request screenshots of the starting web page. Two browser windows should appear, one with the validation results, and one that connects to the online service to generate and display the screenshots. If you only see the window with the validation results, then it's likely that your browser has been configured to reuse the current window for all new requests and so the online service window is overwritten by the validation results.
You can confirm this is the case by selecting the 'Hide results' option in the Options menu. The validation results will now not appear and so shouldn't overwrite the screenshots. If this is the case you will have to reconfigure your browser so that it opens a new window with each request, or you can keep the 'Hide results' option checked and use the 'Last Results' button to view the validation results at your leisure. An alternative solution is to send the screenshots by email instead with the added advantage of a local copy for easy reference.
If Firefox v2 is your default browser then open it and go to the 'Tools' menu and select 'Options' then 'Tabs' and ensure that the 'New pages should be opened in' option is set to 'a new window' or 'a new tab'.
Authentication issues
If you are using the Basic or Advanced desktop tools then there are no options available to allow you to authenticate yourself to either a web server or a proxy server.
If you are using the Pro desktop tool and you still can't authenticate yourself to either a web server or a proxy server, then please check that you are using the authentication options correctly (especially for Windows/NTLM authentication). If you still have problems then complete the feedback form on the main website to report them.
Another error message is displayed
Many error messages are self explanatory and you should correct whatever the problem is.
If you have a message that doesn't make sense then make a note of it and complete the feedback form on the main website to report your problem. Don't forget to leave a valid email address where you can be contacted.