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“When loading a Puzzle, Word, Trivia, or Casino game, I get a Java error, or a small rectangular box with colored shapes appears instead of the game, or the game simply fails to load”

Install or update Sun Java

This game requires the latest version of Java to run. The majority of Windows 2000 and Windows XP systems do not have Java preinstalled. Additionally, if you are running Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher, you will need to update your version of Java.

To learn how to obtain to the latest version of Java, go to the following Microsoft Product Support Services Knowledge Base article. (See the “Java Runtime Solution” section.)

http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/java/

Important Note:  Microsoft cannot vouch for the security and reliability of solutions offered by other companies. Additionally, once you install this software, you need to verify the installation to initialize it.

Once you install this software, you need to verify the installation to initialize it. After the software installation, do not close the Sun Java download page, as the installer will need to verify that Java is working properly on your system.  This process may take several minutes. Once the messaging on the website indicates that Java has been successfully initialized on your system, you should be able to play these games with out errors.

Give the game time to load

Some MSN Games may take time to load due to the size of the game file. The wait time can be several minutes, or more for users with slower connections like dial-up accounts. Wait a few minutes to see if the game is still loading.

If the game is taking an extremely long time to connect, close all windows and try the game again.

Empty Temporary Internet Files

Windows temporarily stores (caches) Internet files on your system in the Temporary Internet Files folder. If this folder is full or files within it become corrupted, the game may have problems loading. Periodically emptying this folder can improve the performance of your Internet browser. To learn how to empty the Internet cache, click:

Empty Windows Temporary Internet Files

Enable Internet browser options to play the game

Most commonly, a game will not load if your browser has disabled Java in Security Settings. The quickest way to enable Java is to reset your computer system’s Security Settings to the default system settings. To learn how to reset your computer system’s Security Settings, just click:

Enable cookies in the Internet browser settings

After adjusting Internet Security Settings, make sure Java is enabled in Advanced Settings.

Step 1

Click Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. In Windows XP, click Start and then Control Panel. If the Control Panel window is empty, click View all Control Panel Options in the left section of the window to show all the icons.

Step 2

Double-click Internet Options. In Microsoft Windows XP, you may need to click the Network and Internet Connections icon before clicking Internet Options.           

Step 3

Click the Security tab.

Step 4

In the Security level for this zone section, click Custom Level to open Security Settings.           

Step 5

In the Reset custom setting section, change the Reset to: option to Medium or Medium-low.

Step 6

Click Reset.

Step 7

Click OK to close the Security Settings window.

Step 8

Click the Advanced tab.

Step 9

Scroll down to Java VM.

Step 10

Check Java logging enabled and Java console enabled. If the game freezes, uncheck JIT compiler.

Step 11

Click OK to close the Internet Options window.

Step 12

Next, close all windows, including this Internet browser window.

Step 13

Once you complete these steps, open a new Internet browser window and try accessing http://games.msn.com again before following the next step.

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