Lifestream Support:

Error - Lifestream won’t install or play on my system.
Solution - Lifestream is an older game and will not work on Windows Vista or 7.

Error - Video sequences don't play, I can hear the audio of the sequence but see no visuals, or I receive the following error when a movie sequence is about to play:  Error while attempting to play the following video file: <filename.avi>. Automation Error. Unspecified Error.
Solution - Lifestream requires the Xvid video codec to play.  When installing Lifestream, you are asked if you want to install the codec.  Uninstall Lifestream and reinstall it, choosing YES when asked to install the Xvid codec.  If you already have the Xvid codec installed, then a possible conflict may occur if you also have DivX installed on your system.  If this is the case:  uninstall DivX, uninstall Xvid, uninstall Lifestream, restart your computer, and then reinstall Lifestream and Xvid.  Your problem should be solved!

Error - At the end of Chapter IX (9), the game crashes when videos begin playing.
Solution - This is, by far, the single most frequent error report I get!  Installing a newer version of Xvid fixes this error.  First, uninstall Xvid from your system.  Then, download the latest version of Xvid from here.  Reinstall Xvid, restart your computer, and then play Chapter IX.

Error - In Chapter III (3), the peg puzzle does not work.
Solution - The peg puzzle, along with a handful of others in the game, uses Adobe Flash.  If you are having trouble getting this puzzle to work, then you simply need to install the Adobe Flash player, which is completely free and available via download here.

Error - The game's sound is garbled, dialog is missing or gets cut off, or I receive an error message saying that my audio card is already in use by another application, even though nothing else is open.
Explanation #1 - Certain sound cards that are built into a computer processor are incapable of playing multiple tracks of audio at once.  As a result, when two applications both attempt to use the sound card at the same time, a crash results.  Currently, the only known sound card that is incompatible with Lifestream is the SoundMax brand of card.  Unfortunately, there is no known fix at this time.  As a result, we have listed the SoundMax sound card as incompatible in the system requirements of Lifestream.
Explanation #2 - Make sure that your system meets the minimum requirements for Lifestream.  Low-end systems may experience garbled audio.

Error - I receive the following error message:  Error executing script. Make sure that the global variables do not have names that are reserved by the engine. The Scripting Engine returned the following error message: Invalid character.
Solution - Your PC’s native language is not English.  This can cause a conflict with Lifestream's scripting engine.  To fix the problem, switch the native language to English.

Error - When video sequences play, they appear either darker than the game itself or extremely bright.
Solution - On some systems (mostly nVida-based cards), DirectX (a vital Windows component) interferes with the Xvid codec, which drives this game's video sequences.  As a result, the video sequences appear either a shade or two darker or much brighter than the rest of the game.  To solve this, follow these steps:
1. Right click on your desktop and choose PROPERTIES.
2. Choose the SETTINGS tab.
3. Click the ADVANCED button.
4. Choose the tab that lists your graphics card.
5. On the left, choose COLOR CORRECTION.
6. On the Color Correction page, click on the dropdown box right below the words "Apply color changes to:". Choose Overlay.
7. Click the RESTORE DEFAULTS button.
8. Go to the dropdown box again and switch it to ALL. Your screen will turn super bright.
9. Click the RESTORE DEFAULTS button once again.
10. Click APPLY and then click the OK button.

Error - The background music is too loud, and I cannot hear what characters are saying!
Solution - On some systems, this has been known to occur.  To fix it, follow these steps:
1.  Open your computer's Control Panel.  This can be accessed by going to the Start Menu, choosing Settings, and then choosing Control Panel.
2.  Choose Sounds and Audio Devices.  Double-click to open that window.
3.  Click the Audio tab.
4.  Click the Advanced button in the Audio Playback category.
5.  Click the Performance tab.
6.  Change the Hardware Acceleration tab to Basic.
7.  Click OK.
8.  Restart your computer.
After this, the volume should work properly!  Please note that, after finishing the game, you may want to change the Hardware Acceleration tab back to what it was prior to making this change.