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I've forgotten my password, what do I do?
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If you have forgotten your password,
click here,
and we will email you a new one.
Please note that for security reasons, the email
will only be sent to the email address that is currently
registered for the user name.
If you have forgotten your user name,
click here,
and we will send you email listing all
user names we know about that were registered with your email address.
If you try to retrieve your user name or password in this manner but
never receive any email from us, the problem may be that your email address
has changed since you registered with us.
Note that user names and passwords are case sensitive,
and some punctuation characters (including .,-_)
are significant.
If you continue to have trouble logging in, send mail to
MapMaster@MapsOnUs.com.
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How much does your service cost?
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www.MapsOnUs.com is a free service.
If you would like to add a link from your web site
to our service, this is also free.
You can even select an image from our
image gallery.
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Can I reprint a map for use in a publication?
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Due to licensing restrictions, we cannot authorize reprint
or reproduction of any of our services.
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Can I put a map on my web page?
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Due to licensing restrictions,
we cannot authorize you to put a map image
directly on a web page.
However, you can add ``map of'' links
to your (non-commercial) web pages.
When someone clicks on that link,
they will go to our site,
and see a map that you have selected.
The easiest way to create the url
is to use our regular site to create the map you want,
and then use the ``Mail It'' link to mail the map to yourself.
The mail will give you a url that will recreate the map
as you saw it, including markers, labels, scale, etc.
You can then use that url as the anchor for your own ``map of'' link.
For more information, see the documentation,
http://MapsOnUs.switchboard.com/doc/makemap.html.
- Why are my maps off to the right of the screen?
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Some browsers (like the America Online browser, Prodigy browser, and
older versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer)
do not support the tables that are used in displaying Maps On Us.
We recommend downloading
Netscape
Navigator
or
Internet
Explorer.
If you cannot switch browsers, then
click here
to switch to a version of Maps On Us which may look
better on older browsers.
- My home or office address is not recognized!
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Our map and yellow pages data contains millions of streets and
addresses, but it is not perfect.
Occasionally, your home or work address will not be recognized by Maps On Us.
However, you can still set your home or work address marker.
Draw a map of the town or city without specifying a street address.
Then zoom in until you see the correct location clearly.
Below the map, you will see "Map-Clicking will" followed by a menu.
Change the option in this menu to "Set Home" or "Set Work".
Then, click on the map where your home or office is located.
Now, you will be able to draw maps and plan routes
using your Home Address Marker and Work Address Marker.
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You tell me to fill in the ``Email'' field,
but there is no such field!
- This appears to be a bug in Netscape 4:
under some conditions, if a form entry box or a menu
does not fit within the width of your browser's window,
Netscape 4 deletes it
instead of giving a horizontal scroll bar.
The most obvious example of this browser bug
occurs with the email field
on our register page.
We are trying to work around this.
For now, if a form element seems to be missing,
please widen your browser's window, or use a smaller font size.
- Why can't I print my map or route?
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If you are having printing problems, please check the following:
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If you are have trouble printing the Route page,
click on the ``use alternate format'' link
that's above the turn-by-turn directions.
It will not look as nice, but is more likely to print.
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Make sure your hard disk has plenty of free space.
Many browsers save the printer commands on disk before printing.
For a long route, that can take as much as 10 megabytes.
- If you are using an HP Laserjet 5 printer
on Windows 95 with Netscape 2.0,
then there is a known bug with printing graphics.
Hewlett-Packard has
documented a workaround,
but the best solution is to switch to Netscape 3.0 or higher.
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Be sure you wait until your browser has completely loaded the page.
This is particularly important on the Route page.
(In some versions of Explorer,
if you can click on the ``Print'' button while the page is still loading,
it will only print what it has loaded up to that point.)
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If you are using a monochrome printer, you may
want to change the map to ``BLACK & WHITE'' before printing.
There is a ``BLACK & WHITE'' button to the right of the map.
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If you are having other printing problems,
we recommend downloading the latest versions of
Netscape
Navigator
or
Internet
Explorer.
While we hate to pass the buck,
please remember that we do not control printing;
your browser and operating system do that.
If your browser displays the page properly,
but cannot print it,
then the problem must be in your browser
or your printing software.
All we can do is try to work around known bugs.
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Are there any browser restrictions?
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We try to support as many browsers as possible,
and when necessary, we work around browser bugs.
However, we have not been able
to solve the following problems:
- Internet Explorer 3.0 and 3.01:
- These browsers seem to work when drawing maps,
but fail when you plan a route.
We suggestion that you switch to Explorer 3.02.
- Internet Explorer 4.0 Beta:
- Earlier versions of Explorer 4.0 -- particular ``Beta 2'' or ``4.0b2'' --
hang on some requests.
We suggestion that you switch to Explorer 3.02,
or to a more recent version of Explorer 4.0.
- Netscape 4:
- Under some conditions, if a form entry box or a menu
does not fit within the width of your browser's window,
Netscape 4 deletes it
instead of giving a horizontal scroll bar.
We are trying to work around this.
For now, if a form element seems to be missing,
please widen your browser's window, or use a smaller font size.
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What is the difference between Fastest Route, Shortest Route, etc?
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Normally, a Fastest route will take the minimum driving time
(assuming legal speeds on interstates),
a Favor Highways route will be the easiest to follow,
a Shortest route will be the shortest distance,
and an Avoid Highways route will favor local roads over highways.
However, because of the size of the routing data,
we have to use heuristics when planning routes
(i.e., we find ``close to optimum'' routes rather than optimum routes).
As a result, sometimes a Favor Highways route
will be slightly faster than the Fastest route.
This is particularly true for routes longer than about 100 miles.
Also, for routes longer than about 100 miles,
a Shortest or Avoid Highways route
will not consider local roads.
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Why are there no maps of non-USA locations?
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At this time, we do not have non-USA mapping data.
We hope to add maps of other countries in the future.
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I would like to know if a particular road is open.
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Please contact the applicable state department of transportation.
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Why do I get "stuck" on a page?
-
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If you're using Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer:
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Please check your browser's Cache
Preferences settings. In Netscape, they're under
the Options menu. If the Verify Document option is Never, change it to
Once Per Session.
-
If you're using another browser:
-
If you're having strange problems -- in particular, if you click on a
button and ``nothing happens'' -- please use
Netscape
Navigator
or
Internet
Explorer.
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Why does my browser give a ``Bad Request'' error?
-
Versions 3.01 or 3.00 of Internet Explorer sometimes give the error message
``Bad Request:
Your browser sent a query that this server could not understand.''
This appears to be a bug in early versions of Explorer.
If this happens to you, we recommend that you switch
to Explorer 3.02, Explorer 4, or Netscape.
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Why should I register?
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The advantages of registering:
- When you return, we will remember your profile (your address markers, your favorite places, your last map, your last route, etc.).
- You can access your profile from anywhere in the world.
- You can share travel information with other people.
- You can plan routes longer than 1,500 miles.
The disadvantages of registering:
- You will have to remember your user name!
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What is done with my registration information?
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This information helps us in developing new features and offering services
that are of benefit to you, the customer.
All personal information is kept in strict confidence.
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How do you calculate the travel time of the routes?
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The travel time is based on an estimated average speed for each road type.
For example, we assume you can average 55 mph on US highways
and 20 mph on residential roads.
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How do I establish a link?
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We welcome links!
If you want to create a general link to our site, use
http://MapsOnUs.switchboard.com
as the url,
and you can select an image from our
image gallery.
If you want to create a link to a custom map -- for example,
a ``click here for a map of my house'' -- the easiest
way is to create the map as you like it,
then use our ``Mail It'' page to mail that map to yourself,
and use that url for your link.
For more information, see our
directed map drawing documentation.
One warning, though:
do not use the urls that your browser displays.
Those urls will not work reliably.
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When all else fails:
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If you still have problems or questions after reading the above FAQ,
you can send mail to
MapMaster@MapsOnUs.com.
