In this 1999 MetroByte episode, host Scott Rigby is joined by internet consultant Courtney Pulitzer to field live viewer calls about common computer problems. The first caller, Michael, asks which browser plug‑ins are essential and how to keep them up‑to‑date. Courtney recommends the core plug‑ins (Shockwave, QuickTime, RealPlayer), suggests checking Netscape’s homepage and directory sites such as Yahoo for current versions, and warns against installing untested plug‑ins that can destabilise a system. Scott adds that many plug‑ins auto‑update, but users should periodically check for updates. The second caller, Paula, reports that her Windows 95 installation now only boots into Safe Mode after a driver reload. Scott and Courtney advise that the quickest fix is to reinstall Windows, possibly after contacting 800‑tech support, rather than spending weeks troubleshooting driver issues. Both callers win an After Dark Games Package as a prize. The episode blends technical advice, cautionary best‑practice tips, and light‑hearted audience interaction.
Questions this video answers
The core plug‑ins are Macromedia Shockwave, Apple QuickTime, and RealPlayer. Check Netscape’s homepage or directory sites like Yahoo for current versions, and many plug‑ins will auto‑update; otherwise, check for updates roughly every two months.
The quickest solution is to reinstall Windows 95. You may also call an 800‑tech support line for assistance, but a full reinstall is recommended to avoid spending weeks troubleshooting driver issues.
Chapters
Hey, I'm Scott Rigby. Welcome back to MetroByte. This is the part of the show where we try to impart some small piece of our wisdom to you, the home viewer, so that you can have a more fulfilling life and a lovely computer experience. And to help me impart this wisdom, because I don't have a whole heck of a lot of it myself, is Courtney Pulitzer, internet consultant extraordinaire. Courtney, welcome to the show.
Thank you very much.
It's great to have you here.
Thanks, it's great being here.
We're going to take a call first. We've got some calls coming in before we get to some of the email questions that we've gotten. The first call is from Eric from East Islip. Eric, you there?
Hello?
Hello?
This is Michael from East Islip.
Oh, Michael from East Islip. Well, I'm sorry. Sorry, Eric was in a previous life.
How are you, Michael?
Fine, fine. What's your question?
My question— well, Kirsten partially answered it earlier, but let me expand on it then.
How many top—
what are the top plugins that we really need, and how can we be sure to always be up to date on them? Every time I go to another website, it says you need a plugin that's not optimized for this program, or you need a newer version of it. How can I make sure I've got the top 5 plugins and that I've got the latest version of them all the time?
Yeah, that is an excellent question. We did talk a little bit about that, but Courtney, you want to take a crack at that? What, what do you like to recommend?
Well, you start with the basic ones like Macromedia, um, Shockwave. I've found that Netscape's homepage actually will have a listing of, you know, up-to-date plugins because they usually incorporate them, or people are designing them to use with their browser. So that's another good area you can look at. And you can also always take a look at directory sites like Yahoo or The Mining Company, and sometimes they'll have a listing of, um, you know, under like Internet, Computers, Software, Plug-ins, and you can find, um, new ones that way and things that are up to date.
Yeah, and I would also— what I would tell people like Michael when they're asking these questions is be very careful. There are lots of companies out there that are putting plug-ins out in the marketplace. You don't want to overwhelm your computer, and if plug-ins aren't properly tested, they can cause problems and crashing. The 3 that we demonstrated, the QuickTime, the RealPlayer, and the Shockwave, really can get you to a lot of stuff. There are others out there, but make sure they're from reputable companies.
Yeah, definitely.
That's another main thing I want to mention. In terms of updates, sometimes the plugins will update automatically. Other times, I would say if you go back once every 2 months to look for updates, but most of the times they will actually tell you, they'll send you a message that it needs to be updated. Listen, Michael, we want to let you know that as a result of answering your question on the air, you've just won one of these. That's right, it's the lovely—
Yay!
There's cheering. It's the After Dark Games Package. It's fabulous. I'm going to try to steal this, before I leave the studio tonight, because I'd like one and they won't give it to me. But congratulations. So, uh, so we have a call now coming in from Stratford, Connecticut. Stratford, uh, who's on the line?
Paula.
Paula, hi.
Hi, how are you?
Good, how are you?
Well, I'll be happier if you can answer this question.
Well, we're going to do our darndest.
I think you will.
What's your question?
Uh, I had trouble with my Windows package. I reloaded it and now it will only boot up and Safe mode, and it's not a good condition, I don't think.
Ah, I see.
When you say you had trouble with your Windows package, I think it's a driver problem.
I see. Did you do— what, what was the last thing you did before you discovered that you were in safe mode?
The last horrible thing I did, um, I thought that one of the drivers was not working correctly, so I reloaded it. Okay, but I had reloaded Windows 95 prior to that, like a Okay, we're going to have to answer this one very quickly.
What I would suggest doing is you might have to go back and simply reinstall your Windows software because otherwise you could spend a long time trying to sleuth out exactly what the problem is. So I would recommend, uh, we don't have a lot of time, but that'd be, that'd be the best place to kind of, uh, solve the problem. Otherwise you could spend literally weeks of your life trying to figure this out. Yeah, is that what you would recommend?
Definitely. And you might want to, um, call like the 800 tech support line just to See, they might have some more time obviously than we have to help you troubleshoot, but most likely you'll probably have to reinstall the software.
Yeah, that's right. Paula, you're a winner. You're going to get this lovely, like I said, this After Dark package.
Wow!
Thank you very much. So there's your applause.
Oh, we're applauding everything.
We all love you here. Thank you. Even if your computer doesn't work, at least you'll have a good time. Courtney, thanks for being on the show. Paula, thanks for calling. We're going to see you next time on MetroByte. Take care.
