Questions about WinAura

 

  1. I get the message " No Handplate Connected" when I start WinAura.

    First verify that the handplate is indeed plugged into a serial port and that WinAura’s setup screen shows a dot next to the entry for the port that the handplate is connected to.

    When you turn on the computer, Windows sends characters out the serial port. This confuses the handplate. Turning the hand plate off and on will reset the hand plate. Then click Retry or restart the program.

    You should start the computer and let it get to the desktop before turning on the handplate. If you have to restart, turn off the handplate and turn it back on when you get to the desktop. If you are using a USB to serial adapter, be sure its software is installed and configured correctly. There probably are settings to tell the adapter which com port to emulate. COM1 or COM2 are the best choices. If you have an internal modem in the machine, check its configuration to see which com port assignment it is using and avoid that one when configuring the adapter. If nothing works when connected to the USB port, check the USB configuration in the BIOS.

    I’m using V3.0. I know the handplate is powered up and connected. I click "Retry" and get the same message.

    It sometimes takes up to three tries to get the handplate started. When the No Handplate message comes up turn the handplate on, click "Retry" and if the message comes up again, click "Retry" again. The latest (after 1/00) versions of WinAura start this way. Older versions require that you exit WinAura (Press the Escape key), turn off, then on the handplate, then restart WinAura. The proper startup procedure is to power up the computer with the handplate OFF, wait for the Windows desktop to appear, then turn ON the handplate, then start WinAura.

    Verify that the handplate is hooked up to COM 1. While WinAura is supposed to be able to find the port the handplate is on, sometimes it can’t. If the handplate is connected to COM 2, you may have to click the spot in the startup screen to select COM 2.

    Can I test the handplate without WinAura?

    Yes. There are two ways. If you have an Interactive I disk handy, use it as follows:

    After you start your computer put Interactive 1 floppy disk in your A: drive, click the Start button in the lower left corner of your screen, then go up and click on "Programs", then select "MS-DOS Prompt". When you see C:\Windows, type A: and press return. When you see A: on the screen type AUTOEXEC and press enter. This will bring up the Interactive I program. If the hand plate is plugged into COM 1 it should work. Interactive I will give an error message if it cannot talk to the handplate. Place a hand on the plate and Interactive I will show your aura. When finished press the Escape key at the upper left of keyboard. Then follow the instructions on the screen.

    Alternatively, you can use a terminal program such as Hyperterminal, Procomm, or Crosstalk. Hyperterminal comes with Windows. It should be under Start: Programs: Accessories: Communications. If it’s not installed on your system you can install it from the Windows 98 disk that came with your computer. Set your terminal program up for 9600 Baud, 8 bits, no parity, one stop bit, and no handshaking. Select "Direct to COM [whichever COM port the handplate is on] Turn off, then back on, the handplate.

    Press your Caps Lock key, then press the "A" key. You should get back a line of numbers. Put your hand on the plate and hold down the "A" key. The handplate will keep sending lines of different numbers. If you can’t get these tests to work, repeat on another computer. If things still don’t work contact us at the address at the end of this document.

  2. After I enter my settings in the Setup screen and click "OK", I get a box asking me to choose my video capture driver.

    This happens when WinAura thinks it wants to use a camera driver that isn’t installed properly or doesn’t work with WinAura. If you’ve installed other camera software besides the one that you’re using with WinAura, remove it if you’re not using it with another program. We’ve seen this a few times when there is more than one video driver installed. Using the Multimedia control panel to disable the unneeded (for WinAura) driver seems to fix this. When you need to use the other driver, just re-enable it.

    Whenever you start WinAura, look at the Camera Driver selection in the Setup screen and be sure it is set for your camera. It has a habit of changing itself, especially if there is more than one video capture device (camera) driver installed. We recommend that you disable or remove unneeded video capture device drivers with the Multimedia control panel.

  3. Sometimes I see black garbage for a moment over the person’s face instead of an aura.

    This is a problem some computers have. With WinAura V. 3.0 we think we have got this fixed. If you have V. 1.7, contact us and ask for an update to V3.0. or V4.0. In V3.0, be sure you have your screen colors set to 256 Colors. As of late 2003, this seems to have been cured.

  4. My system sometimes reports "Can’t find Dongle" or "Dongle count has reached

    Zero." I know there’s a good dongle attached.

    This most often happens when you have the printer and the dongle in the same parallel (printer) port. Try seeing whether it matters if the printer is on or off when you turn on the computer or when you start WinAura. If this doesn’t help, try getting an add-on parallel port card and installing it in your computer. If you have a choice, set it for SPP and plug the dongle into it. Then plug the printer into the original printer port. Consult the printer’s user manual about the proper port setting, SPP, ECP, or EPP. Some printers are picky about this. The dongle, on some computers, may need to be on its own port, set to SPP. Whatever port the dongle is plugged into, WinAura should find it.

    If your computer has two USB ports, ask us for a USB dongle and try using that. If your computer is not shut down properly it may switch USB ports on you. If this happens just switch the camera with the USB dongle. Sometimes this works. Remember to always quit all open applications before shutting down the computer.

    The printer port’s SPP/EPP/ECP settings are changed in the BIOS setup screens. Consult the user instructions that came with the computer.

  5. In the WinAura printout, especially in the 7-chakra mode, the colors mentioned in the text don’t agree with the colors appearing in the picture.

    This was sometimes seen in V1.7. We have improved the technology to eliminate this problem. Please contact us for an updated version of WinAura. If you are running V3.0 of WinAura and see this problem, uncheck the "Active Aura" option in the startup screen. (Under the "Aura Sensor Box" selection under Input.)

  6. I have received a WinAura update disk. How do I use it to update my software?

    You must first remove the old version before installing the new one.

    Open the Control Panel folder. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.

    Scroll through the list to find WinAura. Click it once to hilight it. Click the Add/Remove button. If you get a window asking if you want to remove the "Shared Library" files, click "No to All".

    Place the WinAura update disk in your CD-ROM drive. Find the WinAura folder, look inside for the folder for the version you wish to install, and run the installer. The Installer has an icon that looks like a computer with an open box of disks nearby. Its name is Installer.exe. Some computers, however, will not show the .exe extension.

  7. After I change the screen image sizes a few times with the F1, F2, and F3 keys the video freezes and the subject’s image on the screen doesn’t move anymore.

    This may be caused by a limitation in Windows. Instead of using the F-keys, use the mouse to click the small blue sizing buttons at the upper left on your screen. These work correctly. This situation appears to be corrected in V4.0.

  8. The video image of the subject is very grainy or the colors have a "paint-by-number" look.

9. I got the upgrade to WinAura 3.0. The aura is supposed to move and it doesn’t.

  1. When I place my hand on the handplate the video image of me on the screen goes to solid black. (or I get an error message)

    This is usually caused by the computer being incompatible with WinAura or the WinAura software, sometimes by corrupted video camera software, or more than one video capture driver installed in the system. First, look on the WinAura startup screen in the video section (in the middle of the screen). See that the driver for your camera is selected under "Camera Driver". Click the triangle and see if other drivers are available. WinAura sometimes likes to change drivers by itself so, if you don’t need the other drivers, you can remove or disable them with the Multimedia control panel.

    Try using the viewer utility in the camera’s own software. To find the 3Com home connect viewer click Start, then select "Programs." Now click "3Com PC Camera Utilities." Select "3Com VidCAP" from the pop-out menu. You should be able to see your camera video on the screen. If this fails, use the Add/Remove Programs control panel to remove the camera software, then reinstall it according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Remember that many cameras are to be disconnected from the computer while you install their software. Check the directions for your camera. Now verify camera operation with its own viewer utility.

    If you get this far and then WinAura still gives you the black video when you put your hand on the handplate, contact us and ask for an update. We think we have this fixed. We have never seen this problem in WinAura V4.0

    Note: The following is quoted from the website for the Dazzle video capture device.

    Dazzle is a parallel device and has many of the support issues that parallel cameras have, so this info is quoted here. While this discussion is directed to Gateway systems the interrupt issue holds true for others as well.

    Some Gateway systems may come with a Ensoniq or Creative Labs sound, video and game controller that is interfering with the parallel port when attempting to capture video. One solution is to prevent them from sharing the same IRQ (interrupt).

    1) Double-click on System in Windows Control Panel.

    2) In System Properties, click on Device Manager tab.

    3) Double-click on "Sound, video and game controllers"

    4) Look for "Ensoniq Audio PCI", double-click on it.

    Note: Your Gateway may show "Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audio PCI 64V". If so, follow the same procedures from step 4 to end.

    5) Click on the Settings tab, in the Configuration section, uncheck

    "Allow LPT Interrupt Sharing".

    6) Exit out of Device Manager, reboot your system, then reinitialize Dazzle Amigo.

    Note: You may also apply the same debugging routines to other systems that have the Ensoniq sound card or any other generic sound card. Please check with your system vendor for details.

    We are compiling a list of cameras that do and don’t work with WinAura and working to bring WinAura into compatibility with as many as possible.

    As of this writing the list is as follows:

    Compatible:

    3Com HomeConnect USB or "PC Digital Webcam." Excellent camera, one of the best. This camera is now made by Inside Out Networks. Contact Vivid Communications at 888 862-3292 and order the Watchport V.

    Creative Video Blaster Webcam II USB. Decent, I didn’t like the image quality as well as the HomeConnect. This may be getting hard to find.

    Note: Creative also made a "Creative Webcam Pro III". While the Webcam II worked with WinAura, whatever they did to turn the II into the III fixed that. The II worked, the III does not.

    Intel PC Camera Pro Pack: A very good camera, comes with good software, but doesn’t like WinAura V3.0. Works excellently with WinAura V4.0 No longer made.

     

    Unknown compatibility with Winaura 4.0, incompatible with V3.0

    Logitech (various models): We’ve had reports of folks using Logitechs with WinAura but I tried two models with no luck. I wasn’t impressed with the image quality either.

    If you have a Logitech, please try it and advise us of your results.

  2. I get an error message saying "Capture device already in use"

    This can be caused by Windows or the camera driver software getting confused about which USB port the camera is on. USB devices should "enumerate" themselves to their ports when the computer starts up or when they are plugged in. Sometimes they don’t. If this port confusion is happening, you will also get an error message when you start the camera’s own software. If this happens, quit all applications, then shut down. Unplug the camera, and restart. Let the system boot to the desktop, then shutdown. Plug the camera into any available USB port and restart. You may see the system messages advising you that the system has found new hardware and is installing its software. Let it proceed. This will often clear this problem.

    If you have two USB ports on your computer, try to always use the same one, the one you first connected the camera to when you installed it.

    The above also holds true for USB printers. However, we have seen a case where installing the USB printer driver put the system out of action. (Ctx laptop, Hewlett-Packard printer) We have another system (Compaq Presario desktop, Epson Stylus 900 printer) that works flawlessly with the printer on the USB port. Until further notice, use the parallel interface on printers. If you want to test your printer’s USB option, be prepared to reinstall Windows if things don’t work out. Since the advent of Windows XP, USB has become much better behaved.

    	Note Windows 95B was the first to support USB. It didn’t work well. If you are going to be using a USB camera or printer, please install Win98 or XP. If you still have trouble with USB printers, do a Win98 Live Update (Be sure you can get on the Internet, then choose Windows Update from the start menu, install any suggested Critical Updates, then any other system stuff. You don’t need to update Internet Explorer to use WinAura.)

  3. How do Warranty points work?

13. When I start WinAura I get a message saying "Error 9 Subscript out of range."

  1. I use both WinAura and the Interactive programs. The aura colors reported by the two programs don’t appear to agree. Why?

    WinAura and Interactive were designed for different purposes and are supposed to act differently. Interactive was designed to be used in active energy work sessions where the energy worker needs instant feedback about what the aura is doing. Therefore the program is very responsive to fast and subtle changes in the subject’s energy and the display changes rapidly. WinAura, however, was designed for making aura photographs and for preliminary and fast evaluation of the aura. Its output is more smoothed. If you observe someone with Interactive, note what the colors usually tend to look like, then observe the same subject with WinAura, WinAura will agree with the basic trend that Interactive shows.

  2. Everything works until I print. Then the subject’s video image freezes up. I have

    to restart the computer to get going again.

    We’ve seen this when the computer’s printer port wasn’t configured as recommended by the maker of the printer. It was a Canon BJC 6000 (an excellent printer) and the instructions for this printer tell you to go into the BIOS and set the printer port mode to ECP. We had left the port set to Bi-Directional. After this was corrected the camera continued to work after printing. The computer’s user manual should tell you how to use the BIOS.

    16. I think the printing quality could be better, especially with snapshots.

    WinAura V4.0 produces much better image quality, both on screen and printed, than does V3.0. If you haven’t upgraded, consider doing so. Contact us for details.

    If you have V4.0 there are a few things to watch out for.

    Be sure you have your screen colors set to 24-or 32-bit in the display preferences:settings tab. WinAura will work at 16-bit but printing quality will suffer.

    Be sure your camera resolution is set at 640 X 480. While running WinAura, double-click on your picture and a camera configuration dialog will appear. Set the resolution to 640 X 480, and 24-bit color. WinAura V4.0 is supposed to change automatically to 640X480 if you choose Medium or Large view and to 320X240 if you choose Small view. Sometimes it won’t and you have to change it yourself.

    Set up the printer correctly.(The following example is based on the Epson printers, others are similar) Click WinAura’s Printer Setup button. There are several panels to the printer properties. You want the paper size to be 8 ½" X 11". This may have to be set in more than one properties panel. If you see a slider marked "Speed >> Quality", set it to Quality. If you will be printing snapshots you want the media type to be Photo Paper, and the Mode to be Photo Enhanced. You won’t have to change these settings to print on plain paper. If you will not be doing snapshots you can set the media type for plain paper and the mode to Auto.

  3. When I start WinAura I see a violet aura on the screen even though I haven’t put my hand on the handplate.

Disclaimer

This device and the software are not intended to indicate or diagnose physical problems or any illness. Please contact your physician, health care provider or therapist for consultation before beginning any treatment. This program is meant as a self-help and monitoring tool for experimental use only and is not intended to replace competent medical or psychological counseling and treatment under any circumstances.

At the same time, Aura Imaging recognizes the importance of assuming responsibility for your own spiritual health and well-being. We suggest that you continue to take an active role in maintaining your personal spiritual health and well-being. This program is intended for use as a tool for personal exploration.

Using this program indicates you are in agreement with the above terms.