If you do not get a box that asks for you to select "Practice" or "Test" when you hit the button above, you probably have a pop up blocker turned on. See below for more information.

This game uses Javascript. It has not run successfully on most computers using Firefox. When you click the button above, it determines your browser. There are two versions. One is for Internet Explorer. The other is for Netscape 4 (or older), which used to be the Mozilla client. If the game doesn't run in your browser, please use one of these two browsers. Thank you.

Problems with Pop-up Blockers

Popup blocking software is getting more and more popular these days. Many websites use popups to make money. These popups are quite annoying, so many people install programs that will block popups from opening. This seems like a great idea, but these programs often block useful javascripts too.

Rainbow Matrix is an example of a beneficial implementation of Javascript. It uses javascript the same way that popup ads do. When you have popup blocking software installed, you may not be able to access test mode or set options within the game. Some popular pop-up blockers include:

• Windows XP Service Pack 2
• Pop-up stopper
• Yahoo! Companion/Toolbar
• Google SearchBar
• Norton Internet Security
• Stop-sign
• E-Anthology Manager
• Comet Cursor
• Search Bar
• AdZapper
• Zone Alarm
• plus many more....

Disable Pop-Up Blockers

In Rainbow Matrix, the game mode, instructions, email configuration, email submission, and even the game itself all opens up in a new window. Some pop-up ad blocking software will treat those new windows as pop-ups and block them. If you click on the button above, and the game comes up but does not offer you a choice of "Practice" or "Test", or the game does not come up at all, the cause is most likely a pop-up blocker. You will need to disable it in order to play the game. Or, you might try using another browser, for instance Netscape. Sometimes pop up blockers are installed on IE and not on others.

Here are some directions for disabling some of the more popular pop up blockers:

Many pop-up programs will let you temporarily disable them by clicking on the System Tray Icon.You can right click on them to disable and re-enable them later. Netscape 7.1 and Mozilla 1.x have a built in pop-up blocker that that lets you pick which sites to allow pop-ups from.

If you have installed Windows XP Service Pack 2, it includes a popup blocker that may interfere with Rainbow Matrix.

Internet Explorer 6 (on Windows XP service pack 2)
The version of IE 6 included in the Service Pack 2 version of Window XP has a built in pop-up blocker.

To allow pop-ups for a particular site you need to add that site to a list:

From the 'Tools' menu select 'Pop-up Blocker > Pop-up Blocker Settings...'
In the Pop-up Blocker Settings dialog box, type "mccsc.edu" in the "Address of Web site to allow" text box, and then click "Add". Also enter "chemistrygeek.com" in the Allow box, and click "Add".

Click here to learn more about the IE 6 pop-up blocker...

Google Toolbar
You can disable pop-up blocking for a particular site by simply clicking the pop-up blocker button on the Google toolbar after you reach this page. It usually tells the number of pages blocked on the button itself.

Click here to learn more about the Google pop-up blocker...

Norton Internet Security
To disable Pop-up blocking:

Open Norton Internet Security.
Double-click 'Ad Blocking'.
Disable 'Turn on Pop-up Window Blocking'.
Click 'OK'.
Restart your computer.

Other pop-up blockers
These include: Netscape 7, the Yahoo Toolbar, and the MSN Toolbar. These follow a similar procedure to that for Internet Explorer 6 where you add the site (e.g. corporate.youdecide.com) to a list of trusted sites.

Some programs require that you remove them. Some of these programs, like E-Anthology/ Stop-Sign, are often installed by file sharing programs like Kaaza or Bear Share. You may want to remove them anyway, since they are using your system resources.

How to Remove the programs

If you are sure you want to remove one of these programs instead of disabling it, you can remove it using Windows' Add/Remove Program tool. Here's how.

• Click on the Start Button > Settings > Control Panels > Add/Remove Programs

• Look for the name of the program installed (i.e. AdFilter)

• Select the program name and click Remove

• Follow any instructions you are given, then close the Control Panels