Skype is a little piece of software that lets you talk over the Internet to anyone, anywhere in the world for free while viewing each other on your computer screens. This presentation describes one of several ways to set up and use Skype.

Video Conference Calls with Skype are FREE

Skype promises that the basic functionality of Skype like computer-to-computer calls will be free forever for non-commercial use {Skype-to-Skype calls will always be free}

Some features and products of Skype require a paid subscription or pre-payment. Once you use the free services it is easy to add and use other Skype Products.

Skype video calls are encrypted and are totally secure.

Some of us remember the old party-line telephones where others could listen in. Even with your cordless phones it is possible for neighbors to eavesdrop. With Skype your calls are Totally Secure Communications

Skype also comes in many languages. You can change the language of Skype by going to: Tools > Change Language

Skype is extremely Easy To Use! With Skype, there is no difficult hardware or software configuration. You won’t have to work to use Skype; Skype will work for you!

Skype video calls advanced design let's you call the whole world from nearly all kinds of network configurations without having to compromise your security!

Your Basic Computer Requirements for using Skype!

A personal desktop or laptop computer on Windows 2000, XP or Vista. A high speed Internet connection, Cable, DSL (i.e. not a dial-up), A webcam, a microphone (some webcams have a built in microphone), Speakers attached to your computer.

Laptops, headsets, Mac Computers; >Many laptops have built in speakers, some have built in webcam.

If you are concerned with the audio being overheard you can use a headset with microphone.

(BTW: To use Skype for Mac OS X, {Macintosh computer with G3, G4, G5,} or Intel processor (Mac OS X v 10.3.9 (Panther) or newer). visit http://www.skype.com/help/guides/skypeformac/gettingstarted/

Installing a Webcam on your PC can be done before or after installing Skype. Your webcam most likely came with a software CD enabling installation of the webcam. Place the CD in the PC and install the software.

Webcams have a USB cable which connects the camera using any of the the computer's USB sockets (ports). Here's a picture of webcam and cable: http://www.explainthatstuff.com/webcam2.jpg

Many computers will automatically recognize that you plugged the webcam in and it will tell you there is a new device on the computer.

If your webcam has a built-in microphone plugging the camera in also connects the microphone.

If you are using a headset and microphone wait until you have installed Skype.

You may download Skype from http://www.skype.com .

After you download Skype a Setup Wizard will appear and guide you through the rest of the installation.

Sign up for a Skype Name

you will need to have Skype installed to register and get a Skype Name .You must have a Skype Name. The Setup Wizard will guide you through establishing name and password. 12Pick (i.e. choose) your Skype nameThis may be your name or a Nickname (alias)This your name on Skype that your contacts use to Skype you..A Skype name might be: XcccccYvvvvvvvvNote: no spaces

You will need to register a correct e-mail address in case you forget your password.You must create a Skype name that is at least 6 characters long and without spaces in between, such as JohnSmith or John_Smith or John123 etc. Your Skype name must start with a latin letter [a-z]If the name is already in use the screen will tell you. Go back and Try again with a different name

Selecting a strong password is important to your security and ensuring that no one can access your Skype account.A password must be at least 4 characters long, and may contain symbols or numbers. You should come up with a password that's easy for you to remember but almost impossible for someone to figure out.

You are not allowed to enter your Skype name as your password.Use a combination of letters [a-z], numbers [0-9], and symbols [- _ @ , .] to make your password more difficult for others to guess. Also remember your password is case-sensitive, another option to remember when thinking of a good password is to have a mix of upper and lower case letters.

You are not allowed to enter your Skype name as your password.However you can use a system for selecting passwords. Spell your first name backward, add on a reminder word, end with a familiar number.Mary becomes yram reminder word SKYPEadd on your street number (example 125 center st)PW = yramSKYPE125You can reuse passwords many times

With your webcam, microphone and speakers connected, now you can Skype.The PC Audio (volume controls) are located in PC control panel along with camera and skype.Check that your Speakers are plugged in and volume turned up. (or if using a head set plug it in).

Allow Skype to install cookies on your machine so you won't need to login and provide a password every time you use Skype. The cookie will tell them you are a registered user.

Cookies are also subject to a number of misconceptions, mostly based on the erroneous notion that they are computer programs. In fact, cookies are simple pieces of data unable to perform any operation by themselves. In particular, they are neither spyware nor viruses, despite the detection of cookies from certain sites by many anti-spyware products.

Activate the Skype program. Make an initial call to the Skype Test service. It is an automated service that you call and it calls you back so that you know you are ready to Skype. Make your first Skype video callSelect your friend's Skype Name and press the big green call button.

You can log in from multiple computers with Skype. (i.e. You can use PC’s at multiple locations)Skype now stores all your contacts on their servers so there is no need to re-add contactsJust make sure that the newest version is loaded on all the computers you use and Contacts will be automatically saved.

Question: I don't have a microphone or headset. Can I still use Skype?You can watch the video-call by using the video portion and use your land line telephones for voice.However, to get most enjoyment from Skype purchase a webcam with microphone or headset so that can make free calls to your friends and colleagues on PC's with Skype.

Helping others to enjoy video conference calls with Skype Buy a inexpensive San Disk brand Cruser memory stick which has Skype pre-installed.http://u3.sandisk.com/tour/swf_no_wave/tour_en.aspSet up the webcam and Skype and save on the Cruser stick.Simply mail the Cruser to them to use on their PC or laptop by plugging it into a USB socket.Always take a moment when starting Skype to go to the help button and install any upgrades available.

If you lost your password. You can retrieve it. Contact www.skype.comIf you have forgotten your password then the only way to gain access to your account is to have a new password token sent to the e-mail which you have registered with Skype.If you entered an email address when you registered for Skype, you can request a new password by filling out this form after which a password token will be e-mailed to you.Please note that the token is valid for 6 hours from the time of generation.The email you receive will contain a link to our secure website where you can then change your password using the token.

Didn't receive the password token to your email inbox? Your password token may have been sent to your Junk Mail folder. Please check your Junk Mail folder.If the password token was not in your e-mail Inbox or your Junk Mail folder then please check if your issue could be one of the following:You did not give Skype your email address when you registered with Skype.You gave Skype incorrect email address when you registered with Skype.You registered with Skype using a different email addressIn any of these cases - if you have purchased Skype Credit or any other paid services from Skype then let us know by contacting Skype Customer Support and we will try to verify your account using your billing information.If you did not enter your current email address, you will have to register again as a new Skype user.

Skype contact on-line notices
I don't want to be notified every time someone comes online, how do I turn it off?You can change your online notification settings by going to Tools -> Options -> Notifications.Uncheck the box "comes online" to disable this notification.

Known issues and possible problems.
Why does your Internet Explorer crash when trying to open links like Help or Share Skype with a Friend?There are lots of browser plug-ins that can make Internet Explorer crash in similar situations. There is no instant repair to the solution, although removing toolbar applications and plug-ins usually helps to solve this problem.

One-way soundOne-way sound is when one person in a call can't hear the other.This may occur for a number of reasons:- Wrong sound device settings: If you can't hear the person you are calling or vice versa your sound device settings may not be configured correctly. Check your microphone is not muted. Some microphones have buttons to mute/un-mute. Check your volume. Everyone in the call should check their device settings and make sure they can hear other sound on their computers (eg playing music). check Skype Troubleshooter. Finally, you can try disabling Skype’s sound device auto adjustment. Do this from Skype by clicking Menu > Tools > Options > Sound Devices – uncheck the box: Enable automating sound-device setting adjustment.

On the same screen, check that the Audio In and Audio Out devices are set to the ones you actually use. Low bandwidth internet: One-way sound can be caused by the caller having low internet bandwidth, eg dial-up connections, satellite connections (that use dial-up or GPRS for upload) or low-priced ADSL packages.- Personal firewall software: Some personal firewalls may block Skype's access to the Internet Due to the way these firewalls are designed, blocking usually happens after you have upgraded Skype. This may mean you can't connect, have poor call quality or one-way sound. Check your personal firewall settings and allow Skype to make outgoing connections and accept incoming connections (sometimes called Act as server).

Other Known issues and possible problems. -- Other people affecting the network: If you use Skype within a corporate network, one-way sound may be caused because someone else in the network is affecting internet connectivity. It's quite hard to work out if this is the case, and if it is the problem, there's not a lot you can do about it. However, contacting your system administrator for help is a good idea. Robotic sound / words cut off / delay The main reason for robotic sound, dropouts in sentences and delay is bad network performance. Skype is built to be adaptive and to provide the best call quality in all network conditions. Skype also monitors the network performance during a call and shows an alert (two yellow phones next to the time counter on Call Phones tab) with an explanation of what might be affecting your call quality.

For firewall settings please see Skype firewall guide. --- Processor (CPU) performance: You or the person you're talking to might have problems with video call quality when you're running a lot of programs at the same time. Try closing some of them to speed up your computer. Video calls have recommended system requirements of a minimum 2.5GHz processor, 512 MB RAM and using Windows XP or higher. If you are using a laptop, you may have problems with video calls when in power saving mode. Change your computer to AC power or switch your computer to maximum performance.- USB limitations: You may not be sending great video because you’re using other USB devices. Try disconnecting them or try connecting your webcam to an alternative USB port. If you have connected your webcam via a USB hub, consider changing to a direct USB connection on your computer to improve video quality.