About
Us

Kiddix Platform - System Requirements

Q: I heard the Kiddix Platform is an operating system, what does that mean?
A: The Kiddix Platform is built on the Linux operating system.  For the end user this means that our platform is installed alongside other operating systems (ie. Microsoft Windows) on your PC, creating a completely separate environment for your children.

This separation is a distinct advantage of our software, as it creates a brickwall between your children's computing environment, and your data that is stored elsewhere on the computer.  It also allows us to build deeper layers of security that are difficult to bypass.



Q: I heard the Kiddix was built on Linux.  What is Linux?
A: Kiddix is built on the Linux, a open source operating system that has been growing in popularity since the early 90's.  We chose to build Kiddix on Linux and open source software due to their superior security track record.

The typical Windows-based PC is constantly bombarded with hundreds of thousands of viruses and malware each time the computer connects to the internet, and the problem only grows when inexperienced users, like children, use the computer.  Linux configurations typically are immune to the viruses, spyware, and malware found on most PC's.  Kiddix also incudes additional protections to keep your installation safe and secure.



Q: What distribution of Linux is the Kiddix Platform based on?
A: We chose to build our platform on Gentoo Linux.  We chose Gentoo due to its high configurability and portage package management system.

Q: Is Kiddix CIPA compliant?
A: Our web filtering software is built on the open source software package Dansguardian.  CIPA is more than a technology standard, as mentioned on the Dansguardian homepage: "Becoming CIPA compliant is a multi-step procedure that involves creating written policies, having open meetings for public input, technology planning and applying a technology protection measure. DansGuardian meets all of the requirements necessary for implementing a technology protection measure."  Additional information can be found on the Dansguardian website faq.

Q: What is your return policy?
A: We aren't able to offer returns on the downloadable Kiddix ISO's sold though our website (as processed by Paypal, Amazon, & Google Checkout).  We appologize for any inconvienience.

We do offer limited return policies for our Kiddix PC and Kiddix Platform CD-ROM products.

For Kiddix PC customers, refer to the instructions and terms on this form.

For Kiddix Platform software CD-ROM customers, refer to the instructions and terms on this form.

Please note:
If you are returning do to a technical issue it is essential to contact Kiddix Support for help before submitting a refund request or we will be unable to honor your request.

Q: Can I resell my Kiddix license?
A: No.  If you have purchased a copy of Kiddix through our website or through a 3rd party, it is not authorized for resale, as we want to ensure each customer receiving our software has an up-to-date, untampered, and authorized copy of the software.

We do allow authorized resellers to sell Kiddix software and products.  If your organization is interested in becoming an authorized reseller, contact us.

Q: Installation - Option 1 or 2: Which is right for me?
A: Plese refer to this page.

Q:  I downloaded the Kiddix ISO, now what?
A:  To install Kiddix you will first need to burn the ISO to a CD-ROM.  Most cd burning software will have an option that reads "Burn Image", "Burn ISO", or "Record CD from image".  You will want to select this option to properly burn the image to disk.  You will know if you have prepared your Kiddix CD-ROM properly if it shows multiple files and directories after burning.  If it only shows the single 700MB ISO file, then you will need to prepare the CD-ROM again, using the "Burn Image" option on your cd burning software.

After you have prepared your Kiddix CD-ROM, follow these instructions to install Kiddix on your computer.

Q: How do I "boot off the Kiddix CD-ROM" to begin installation? 
A: Plese refer to this page.


Q: Where is the Kiddix PC Quickstart Guide located?
A: Click here to download the instructions.


Q: Can I install the Kiddix Platform next to Windows Vista?
A: Yes.  As of February 14, 2008 we began shipping the Kiddix Platform version 1.0.19 that has full support for Windows Vista.

Customers who have ordered before this time should follow the Windows Vista Installation Guide found on our support site.


Q: Can I install the Kiddix Platform next to Windows 7?
A: We have not done any official testing with Windows 7, and have no plans to do so for the time being.  We have read reports from customers that have had success installing next to Windows 7.


Q: How do I uninstall the Kiddix Platform?
A: Several options are available:

• If you installed Kiddix using Install Option 1 (ver. 1.0.19 or greater) you can simply uninstall Kiddix using kiddix-uninstall.exe found in C:\kiddix.  This program will remove Kiddix from your harddrive and restore the Windows bootloader to it's previous state.
  
• If you installed Kiddix natively using Install Option 2, the easiest way to remove Kiddix from your hard drive is to use the uninstaller found on the Kiddix Platform install CD-ROM.  The uninstaller will restore your boot process to how it was before the installation of the Kiddix Platform.
  
  After the boot process has been restored you can safely delete and reallocate the space taken by Kiddix.  Windows users should use the Disk Management utility found in the Control Panel (under Administrative Tools).  Linux users should use QTParted or a similar application to reallocate partitions.

Q: During installation I receive the error, "Extended record needed (1048 > 1024), not yet supported!  Please try to free less space.

A: This error sometimes occurs on hard drives that are highly fragmented.  To install Kiddix a few options are available:

1. Prior to installing Kiddix, run a defrag of your hard drive, inside your computers main operating system (e.g. Windows XP).  Consult your operating system's instructions for additional information on defragging.
   
   
2. Select less room on your hard drive for the Kiddix installation.
   
   
3. If you intend to only use Kiddix on the computer you may wish to format your hard drive.  This option will delete all data on the disk, and must be performed outside of the Kiddix installer.
   
   (Please note: The Kiddix Installer will never delete any data on your hard disk.)
   

Q: I have used Install Option 1 - Windows Install and when I  try to start Kiddix it freezes at "Preparing system for boot..." 
     
A: When Kiddix is installed using the Windows Installer it is essential that Windows is properly shutdown (using Start->Shutdown or Start->Restart) each time you want to boot into Kiddix.  To fix this problem simply restart Windows and shutdown.  If this does not remedy the issue, you need to run the CHKDSK utility found in Windows.

This is necessary so we can safely access the Kiddix installation that is stored inside Windows.

The following instructions will help your run CHKDSK on Windows XP:

"The disk check could not be performed because the disk check utility needs exclusive access to some Windows files on the disk.  These files can be accessed only by restarting Windows.  Do you want to schedule this disk check to occur next time you restart the computer?"
 
Press the "Yes" button here as we want to run these on the next boot.

Q: When booting off the Kiddix Platform CD-ROM it freezes on "Initializing the Kernel"
     
A: This usually occurs when there is a hardware incompatibility on bootup. Booting the cd with the nosplash option will remove the graphical splash and show what the error exactly says.  Kiddix Support should be contacted for further help.

Q: When booting into Kiddix I see the error message "Error 17: File not found.  Press any key to continue..."
     
A: This error will typically occur when you have opted to use our Windows-based install option, and you have not completed installation of Kiddix on your computer.  Continue to follow the directions in the Kiddix Quickstart guide to complete installation.

If you have had a working version of Kiddix on your computer, and it stopped working and displays this error message, it likely means that the files stored in C:\kiddix have been damaged or deleted.  If this occurs, you may need to uninstall Kiddix and begin installation again.

For reference, the full error message may look like this:

Q: Why is the display on the monitor slow?
     Why do application windows take a long time to repaint?
     Why do 3D games run slowly?
A: Have you run the configure monitor utility found in the Parent View (under the "Customize System Settings" icon?  The generic Kiddix Platform setup uses a video driver named 'vesa' that works on almost all PC's, but may be slow to respond.  It is important to run the configure monitor utility to take advantage of your computer's video hardware.



Q: After selecting configure monitor Kiddix doesn't show any graphics, instead I see a lot of text and a prompt at the bottom the the screen that says:


A: A problem occurred while attempting to configure your video and monitor settings.  To restore the Kiddix Platform to the original video settings do the following:

• At the login prompt type your parent username (ie. parent, mom-and-dad, etc...) and press enter when done.
• When prompted for your password please type it and press enter when done (you will not be able to see the text entered).
• You should now see a 'command prompt'.
• Type 'sudo restore-display' without quotes and press enter to restore the video setting to the original default.

Q: My monitor says "Out of Range" or a similar message.
A: Some monitors, especially LCD panels, may not be able to display portions of the startup/shutdown messages.  If you see this message and they disappear it is normal.

If this message is constant or your screen remains black, ensure your monitor and video card are capable of handling either the 1280x1024 or 1024x768 resolution that is required by the Kiddix Platform.  Most monitors on the market today can handle either of these settings.



Q: Sometimes right before the Kiddix login screen an odd image or distorted picture appears on the screen.
A: Most users will never experience this, however in some cases, when your display settings are changing to show the login screen, miscellaneous data is found in memory, and may result in random images appearing on the screen.  Nothing displayed is part of the Kiddix system, and any images shown are artifacts from another operating system that was once on the computer.

Q: The kids desktop has frozen or just displays the background without icons.  What should I do?
A: If the Kiddix desktop freezes, the best way to solve the issue is to either reboot the machine or immediately log out.  To log out of any users account, press ctrl+alt+backspace at the same time.  This will bring you back to the login screen.  If you need to power off the machine at anytime, press and hold the power button for 5-10 seconds.

Please note:  On some laptops, if you press the power button and release it before the machine has a chance to power down, the machine may suspend to disk.  If the machine is suspended to disk, the next time it is powered on it will resume exactly where it was suspended -- in this case with the frozen desktop.


Q: The application's 'X' button doesn't work  How do I close it?
A: Certain applications and games override the X button, not allowing you to close it in the traditional manner.  Often the way to quit such an application is the hit the Escape (esc) key, until you back out of the menus that close the application.



Q: I put a cdrom/usb stick in the drive but I can't see the icon?
A: As of Kiddix version 1.0.42 (released April 2009), when a CD-ROM or USB stick is inserted in the computer, an icon should automatically appear on the left bar on the kids desktop.  Earlier versions of Kiddix will use the filemanager to display device icons.  If are using an earlier version of Kiddix, either update to the latest version, or try pressing the reload button on the filemanager toolbar a few times until the device appears.




Q: I see the error "Cannot talk to Klauncher." when trying to open the filemanager.
A: A permissions problem is not allowing you to view your files.  This sometimes occurs when another user on the system has mounted a CD-ROM, and has not ejected it before logging out.

Sometimes a simple login and logout of the user will fix the problem.  If another user did mount a CD-ROM, login as that user and eject the CD-ROM.  If none of these options work a simple reboot of the machine often fixes the problem.

Experts may also want to try the following option.  The lock on Klauncher can be removed by deleting the files .DCOPserver* and .ICEauthority in the users home directory.  Delete these, log out, and log back in.



Q: How do I immediately log out of my account?
A: Press ctrl-alt-backspace.  This is helpful if a problem has occurred preventing your from logging out.

Q: I set up a Gmail account for my child, but the Kiddix Email application can't download any messages.
A: Have you enabled POP access for the Gmail account?  More information can be found on the Google homepage.

Q: Does the Kiddix Email application support my child's webmail account?
A: Maybe.  Kiddix Email is a local email client, and therefore requires either a POP or IMAP accessible email account.  Certain webmail services like Gmail offer POP or IMAP access for free.  Check with your email provider for more information.

When your child accesses their email through a webmail client, it bypasses the Kiddix Email client entirely, including the restrictions you have placed on the account.  If you only want your child to access their email though the Kiddix Email client, the best solution is to configure the built in web filter to block access to the webmail homepage.

Q: When launching the web browser on the kid desktop I receive an error connecting to the proxy server.
A:  Sometimes on new installations this error will occur if the proxy server (used for web filtering) was not able to restart itself properly after configuration.  Typically a reboot of the machine will fix this issue.

Advanced users might also want to restart the proxy server manually by entering the following commands into the xterm window in the Parent View:

Q: I don't hear any sound output inside Kiddix.
A: Most Kiddix applications have some type of sound effects.  If you don't hear any sound when inside Kiddix, there are a number of things to check.

• Verify that your speakers are plugged in and the volume adjusted to an audable level.
  
• Verify that your speakers are plugged into the correct sound output connector on the back of your PC.  The sound output jack is typically a light green color.
  
• Verify that the sound volume is raised in the kid desktop.  The volume control is found at the top of the kid desktop, and will typically look like a small speaker.
  
• As part of installation, Kiddix attempts to unmute several audio channels that are needed to hear sound playback.  It could be that a necessary channel was not unmuted for your particular hardware. To correct, log into the Parent View, then:
  
• Left click anywhere on the parent desktop to bring up the Parent View extended options menu.
  
• Select the choice xterm
  
• In the xterm window type the command:  alsamixer   (and press enter)
  
• Alsamixer allows you to raise and lower each audio channel for your hardware.  Use the arrow keys to move volume up and down.  If a particular channel has the letters [MM] under the volume bar, it means the channel is muted.  Press m to unmute the channel.  Press esc to exit alsamixer.

Q: I don't see a driver for my particular printer make/model.
A: Kiddix includes a wide variety of printer drivers by default.  If your exact make or model printer is not listed in the printer configuration utility, it is recommended to choose a selection that is similar to your printer.

For example, if your printer is an HP Laserjet 5300, a good choice might be the HP Laserjet 5000 or 5200 models.

Q: I have set up a printer, but printing doesn't seem to work in some applications.
A: If printing works in some applications and not others (e.g. TuxPaint), it is likely that you have not set a default printer.

To correct, log into Parent View, and start the printer configuration utility.  Right click on your configured printer and select the option "Make Default".  When a printer is selected as default the icon will display a check mark.

Q: How do I configure a wireless network?
A: To configure a new wireless network follow these steps:

• Log into the Parent View and go to the Networking tab in the System Settings Utility
• Click on the button that says "Configure Wireless Networks (new)"
• In the new window that pops up, press the button Scan, to scan for new wireless networks in your area.
• Double click on the network you wish to connect to
• The next window that pops up will allow you to configure specific network settings, such as a WPA or WEP key.  WPA passphrases should be entered into the PSK field, while WEP keys can be entered in the key0 - key4 fields.  Options not detected for your particular network will be greyed out.
• When you have completed the configuration of your network, press the add button to add the network to the list.
• Kiddix has also been configured to connect to any open wifi access point by default.  If you wish to disable this option, click on the Manage Networks tab to remove the blank entry.  You can also remove or edit settings for any configured network from this tab.
  

Q: How does my child connect to the wireless internet?
A: Wireless networking can be set up as part of the initial Kiddix installation and configuration, or at a later time using the Networking tab on System Setting utility, found in the Parent View.  Users with a version of Kiddix updated to 1.0.49 (released 8/20/09) or later will find a new tool that allows for wireless network setup by clicking in the button "Configure Wireless Networks".  The older tool "Launch Wireless Assistant" is also available.

If no wireless device is found, please ensure that the adapter is plugged into the machine properly.  If the device is still not found it likely means that the drivers for your particular device are not included as part of the default installation of Kiddix, and the drivers must be manually installed.

After you have confugured a wireless network, it should connect automatically to your network on each boot.  If the connection isn't made automatically,  your child will be able to connect to a wireless network in range by clicking on the wireless icon found on the top bar of their desktop.


Q: Why isn't my wireless connecting?
A: If you can see your wireless access point through the "Wireless Assistant" application found in the Parent View, the machine is properly setup to access your wireless network.

Sometimes you may see a Connection Failed message in Wireless Assistant when attempting to connect to your access point.  If this occurs, double click on your access point to try to connect again.

If you continue to see a connection failed message, the following may be a problem:

• If you use WEP or WPA, ensure the correct encryption key has been set
  
• If you use MAC address filtering, be sure to add the wireless card's MAC address to your routers access list.  Consult your router's documentation for further information.
  
• Your wireless card may not be supported by our software.

To see where the problem may be occurring, one recommended approach is to access your router and turn off WEP, MAC address filtering, and turn on the broadcast of your ESSID (network name).  If you can connect you should try turning these features off/on one by one to see where the problem is occurring.


Q: Can you recommend a wireless adapter for use in Kiddix?
A: Many wireless adapters work out of the box in Kiddix, and still other work after the proper drivers are installed.  However, if you are interested in a new wireless adapter that works out of the box with Kiddix, we suggest the BELKIN USB 2.0 Wireless G Network Adapter - (Model # F5D7050).

For our customers convienience this device can be purchased directly through our online storefront.


Q: Does Kiddix support static ip addressing?
A:Kiddix doesn't support static ip addressing at this time.  Users knowledgable about Linux and networking may be able to modify the default configuration to allow for static ip addressing, but this approach is not supported.  DHCP networking is supported.  If you are unsure if your network uses static up addressing or DHCP, it is likely that you are using DHCP.




Q: Kiddix isn't detecting my wireless adapter.
A:If Kiddix reports that it cannot detect any wireless network card installed in your system, and your adapter is internally installed / plugged in and turned on, it is likely that Kiddix doesn't include a driver for your wireless card by default.  It is possible with a variety of wireless adapters to install your card by using the Windows driver (a.k.a. INF file).  To install the drivers for your wireless adapter using this method, unpack the Windows drivers for your wireless adapter, and use the dialog box found in the Networking tab of the System Settings tool to select and install the associated INF file.  If you have a choice of drivers to install, choose the Windows XP driver.