RedCruise

eCruiser FAQ

How can I uninstall eCruiser?

Click on Windows "Start" button, select "eCruiser" among the list of "All Programs," and click "Delete eCruiser." Black window appears for seconds, which automatically disappears, and it's all done.

Be sure to do the above action after you exit eCruiser.>>How to exit eCruiser



In case eCruiser is not included in "All Programs," we suggest that you make it not to appear on your desktop automatically from next time you switch on your PC. In order to do this, open the Settings window, click on the "Preference" tab, remove the checkmark on the checkbox of "Automatically activate eCruiser when you switch on your computer," and click "OK" to close the window.


How can I exit eCruiser?

If you just want to remove eCruiser temporarily from the desktop screen, just click on the "Close" button on eCruiser. If you want to remove from the task tray on the right hand side bottom, click on the eCruiser icon in the task tray and click "exit eCruiser."

When do headlines and photos displayed in eCruiser updated?

eCruiser accesses to the xml (RSS) files of target websites every 60 minutes. So if the xml files are updated constantly, headlines or photos you see on eCruiser are updated every 60 minutes. But not all the xml files are necessarily updated constantly. The frequency of the xml file updates tends to depend on the frequency of website contents updates.

How can I update eCruiser? (1. automatic update)

Occasionally, eCruiser is updated for adding more features, improving usabilities, or shooting bugs. There are two ways to update, automatic or manual. All eCruiser are basically designed for automatic updates, so manual updates are backup options in case automatic update failed in some cases.

When some new features are added for eCruiser, a dialogue saying "The new version of eCruiser has just been released. Do you want to update now?" pops up automatically. In this case, please click "OK" on the dialogue window to update your eCruiser. (It is free of charge.)

In some PC or network environment or other, there are some cases that the dialogue doesn't appear, or automatic update doesn't work correctly. In these cases, please try manual update.

How can I update eCruiser? (2. manual update)

If you fail to update automatically, or if you are not sure if your eCruiser is the latest version or not, please try the manual update.

In order to update manually, open the Settings window and click on the Preference tab on top. Then, click on the button "Check if my eCruiser is the latest version," and follow the instructions.

How can I subscribe to my favorite blogs and websites with eCruiser? (1. Drag & Drop of RSS icons)

There are many channels preset in eCruiser, but they are not the only contents you can enjoy with eCruiser. You can subscribe to your favorite blogs and RSS-enabled website contents to eCruiser to check the latest information of all of your favorite contents in a single interface.

Almost all blogs as well as increasing number of websites nowadays provide icons which indicate RSS feeds. You just drag the icon and drop it on eCruiser ticker. When the process is successfully done, dialogue indicating "Just Added!" pops up, so please click "OK" to complete.

Not all RSS icons are in same creative design, but there are some typical styles. So once you become accustomed to it, it is not difficult to identify them.

How can I subscribe to my favorite blogs and websites with eCruiser? (2. "Add To eCruiser!" button)

You can subscribe to your favorite blogs or website contents also by using the "Add To eCruiser!" button. This is very convenient because you can plug your favorite RSS feed to eCruiser by clicking on a dedicated button on the browser.

The "Add To eCruiser!" button is set in your browser (IE). When you open your browser, you will generally see the button among the tool bar, which usually positioned in the upper part of the screen.

If you can't find the button, use the browser's menu bar and proceed as follows: "view" - "tool bar" - "link." Then the button will appear. If you still can't find the button, your tool bar may be locked. In this case, go "view" - "tool bar," check OFF the "Lock the Toolbars," look for "Links" button in the tool bar space, move the "Links" button to a broader space, and the "Add to eCruiser" button may appear.

In order to subscribe to your favorite RSS feed, just click on this button when you are at blogs or RSS-enabled websites. In order to do it right, look for "RSS" or "XML" icon, click on the icon, and then click on the "Add to eCruiser!" button.

How can I make my original creative design skins for eCruiser?

You can make your original creative design skins for your eCruiser if you know how to operate image processing software like Adobe Photoshop or other.

[STEP 1]
Make a folder. The folder name you assign will be the skin name.
[STEP 2]
Make image file in GIF with in 600px*166px for eCruiser ticker skin. Make Settings, My Page, Photo, and Close buttons. The background part you make in RGB=255,0,255 will be transparent.
[STEP 3]
Make skin.ini --- You can make alterations to the positions of the five buttons and two kinds of colors as follows.
setting_button=103,393,113,426
articlelist_button=103,430,113,463
exit_button=71,460,77,466
link_button=103,318,113,353
photo_button=103,356,113,390
font_color=0,0,0
bg_color=243,244,245
alpha=255
"font_color" means the color (RGB) of the headline text.
"bg_color" means the color (RGB) of the headline-text display part. "alpha" is for transparency. 0 is completely transparent, and 255 is not. The headline-text-display part is positioned approximately 95-457px (x=vertical), and 79-97px (y=horizontal), so you cannot alter the position of the headline-text-display part. The four numbers for each of the five buttons (settings, article_list, exit, link, photo) are: y=left top corner, x=left top corner, y=right bottom corner, x=right bottom corner, all in pixels. Please note that "link_button" is basically for direct link to the website you originally downloaded eCruiser from (but this is not always the case).
[STEP 4]
Make thumbnail image in 285px*50px bitmap file. The thumbnail for display in the Skin Selection part of the Settings window.
[STEP 5]
Put into the folder (you made in Step 1) the three files you made in Steps 2, 3 and 4, and locate the folder in "C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Local Settings\Application Data\eCruiser\skin" And you will see your original-design skin in the Skin Selection.

When I click on headlines on eCruiser, I want to open relevant webpages not by IE but by other browser. How can I do this?

eCruiser automatically uses default browser of each PC when a user clicks on headlines or photos. So, please set your favorite browser as default browser.

Can I use eCruiser smoothly in my office's LAN environment with proxy servers?

If your office's LAN environment uses proxy servers, there may be a case that you are blocked to browse outside webpages when you click on headlines or photos displayed on eCruiser. In this case, if you set your browser's Internet option's LAN settings not to use proxy servers for local IP addresses, the problem may be solved.

(Settings example in IE)

Dialog pops up saying "Failed to load the skin." How can I solve this problem?

First of all, make sure that you are connected to Internet without fail. If you are connected, click on the displayed text "Connect to Internet first, and click here. Will try to load the skin again," as instructed. If your eCruiser still, even after that, looked gray without skin, close the eCruiser once, and re-start it or re-boot the PC itself all over again. The cause of this may possibly comes from Internet connection delay or security software's firewall features.