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TECHNICAL HELP

Results help and advice

(CNN) -- To present compelling election results, CNN.com is utilizing more advanced Web technologies. The following are tips and advice on how to fully enjoy CNN.com's presentation.

Latest results

First, refresh often to get the latest results, either by clicking the Refresh button in your browser or clicking the Refresh button located in the Election Essentials bar at the right of all CNN.com election results pages.

Screen resolution

To provide room for the Election Essentials bar, we expanded the width of the standard CNN.com Web page. If the resolution of your computer monitor is set to 800x600, you should change it to at least 1024x768 to view an entire results page in a browser window.

To change the resolution in Windows, click on the Start Menu select Settings and then select Control Panel. In the Control Panel folder, click on Display to open Display Properties. Choose the Settings tab at the top and then use the sliding bar to reset your screen resolutions.

Macintosh users should click on the Apple Menu and select System Preferences. Once the preferences are open, click on Displays under the Hardware section. Once that panel is open, the Display tab has the list of resolutions supported by your monitor. Choose 1024x768 or higher.

Flash 6

To use the Election Essentials bar and view hundreds of maps showing results by county, you must have Flash 6 installed on your computer. If you do not have Flash 6 or higher installed, you will be able to view the election results but will not see the maps or be able to use the Election Essentials bar.

To upgrade Flash or to download the latest version, go to Macromedia's Web site and download the free Flash player.

Macromedia Flash

Browsers

CNN.com's election results pages are designed to work with nearly all Web browsers and are optimized for browsers with the Flash 6 or higher plug-in installed. The only browsers we do not recommend are Netscape 4 for all platforms and the Macintosh version of Internet Explorer. You still will be able to view the election results but the page will not work properly in those browsers, which are no longer supported by Netscape or Microsoft.

Macintosh users can choose from a number of browsers, including Apple's own Safari, Netscape, OmniWeb or three Mozilla variations, including Mozilla, Firefox and Camino.

Netscape | Safari | Mozilla | OmniWeb

Poll countdown clock

At the top of the Election Essentials bar is a poll countdown clock, which counts down the time remaining until the next round of poll closings. This allows users to know when the next round of results will begin to come in and keep track of poll closings in key states. Because the poll closing countdown clock is running off the time on your computer, it may not exactly match the official poll-closing clock. To ensure a closer match, we recommend that you synchronize your clock to a network time server.

Windows XP users can do this by double-clicking on the time at the lower right in the Taskbar, which opens the Date and Time Properties window. Select the Internet Time Tab and check the "Automatically synchronize with an Internet time server" box. That sets your clock to synchronize with Microsoft's network time server or you can enter your own time server if you have one.

To do this in Windows 2000, click the Start menu, select Settings and click Control Panel. Double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Services. In the list of services, select Windows Time. Then click on the Action menu and select Start to synchronize with Microsoft's network time server.

If you are using an older version of Windows like Windows 98 or Windows ME, you must install a third-party program to use a network time server. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the official timekeeper for the U.S. government, has more information on its Web site.

NIST Internet Time Service

Macintosh users can do this by clicking on the time in the upper right-hand corner of the Finder menu bar. In the dropdown menu that appears, choose Date & Time, which opens the Date & Time section of System Preferences. Choose the Date & Time tab and check the "Set Date & Time automatically" box. Your clock will then synchronize with Apple's network time server or you can enter your own time server if you have one.

ZIP code lookup

In the Election Essentials bar, there is a feature that allows you to follow all the statewide and congressional races in your ZIP code. This feature uses a browser-based "cookie" to recognize your races and keep them loaded into the Election Essentials bar. However, since it is browser-based, you will have to reset it if you access CNN.com's election results on a different computer.

If you sign up for CNN.com's Member Services, you can keep track of up to 20 races. Unlike the browser-based "cookie," signing up for Member Services allows us to keep track of your race preferences no matter what computer you are using to view election results.

More help

If you have a question or are experiencing any kind of difficulty with CNN.com's results pages, let us know by sending an e-mail to election.help@cnn.com.

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NOTE
• All Times Eastern Standard
• CNN will broadcast a projected winner only after an extensive review of data from a number of sources. Details about CNN's projection process
* The poll closing countdown clock runs off the time on your computer. Your computer may not exactly match the official poll closing clock. To ensure a closer match, try synchronizing your clock to a network time server. Technical help and advice
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