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Section 1. Overview This section describes the overall structure of the Notmad product to give you a solid basis for understanding all of its functionality and features. This also includes a discussion of device and operating system compatibility.
The Notmad package is composed of two main groups of software components: the Notmad Manager core, and a set of applications that run on top of that core. This set includes the primary Notmad Explorer interface, Notmad Xtreamer web access, and TrueStream playback to 3rd party MP3 software. The following sections describe the role of these components.
The Manager is the core component of Notmad that detects, connects, and communicates with your Nomad device. Notmad Manager must be running for Notmad Explorer to work. For that reason, the Manager is started at Windows boot-up and we recommend that you leave it running for easy access to your Nomad. The one exception to this is the MuVo Edition of Notmad Explorer, which does not need the Manager and does not install it. But the Manager is an integral part of all the other Notmad Explorer Editions. Notmad Manager provides the underlying functionality for all the application-level aspects of the Notmad package, including the main Notmad Explorer interface, Notmad Xtreamer web access, and TrueStream playback to 3rd party software. When you're not using Notmad, the Manager consumes very little resources and stays out of your way. In light of Notmad Explorer's tight integration with Windows, the presence of the Manager, we've found, is the best way to ensure stability and ease-of-use. When you try to exit Notmad Manager, you will get a warning dialog saying as much. If you wish to disable this warning dialog, enable the "Do not ask to confirm when existing Notmad Manager" option on the General tab of the Notmad Manager Options dialog. Notmad Manager appears as icon(s) in the "systray", which is the area on the right side of the Windows Taskbar at the bottom of your desktop:
Each icon represents a different Nomad device model. We'll explain each of the icons in detail in Section 2, but for now, note that if you right-click on any icon, you'll bring up the Notmad Manager menu:
The menu contents will vary with the device model, but every menu will always have at least these items at the bottom:
When Notmad Manager is running, it is listed as "notmgr.exe" in Windows Task Manager.
Notmad Explorer is the part of Notmad that is actually integrated into Windows Explorer. Notmad Explorer communicates with your Nomad device(s) through the Notmad Manager and it is the main user interface with which you'll interact.
The screenshot above shows a typical Notmad Explorer window. Its various functions are described in detail in Section 3. When Notmad Explorer is running, it is listed as "explorer.exe" in Windows Task Manager.
Notmad Xtreamer provides web-based access to Jukebox devices. Using Xtreamer, you can browse your Jukebox through a web interface and stream and download contents. Xtreamer supports local and remote access across a LAN or the Internet. The main Xtreamer page looks like this:
Notmad Xtreamer can be accessed through any standard web browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. Xtreamer is discussed in detail in Section 10.
TrueStream is a feature of Notmad Explorer that lets you stream music from your Nomad and play it through your favorite MP3 software such as Winamp. This makes it easy to enjoy your Nomad music through your computer's sound system without having to hook up extra cables when you dock your Nomad to your computer. Section 6 describes TrueStream in detail.
Notmad Explorer currently supports the following Nomad devices:
People often confuse the original "Nomad Jukebox" with the "Nomad Jukebox 2". The most common mistake is thinking that a 20GB "Nomad Jukebox" is a "Nomad Jukebox 2". It is not. Creative delineates its models by features, not capacity. Therefore, a 20GB "Nomad Jukebox" is still a "Nomad Jukebox". Look carefully at the lettering imprinted on your actual Nomad device to tell what model it is. The "Nomad Jukebox C", as far as Notmad is concerned, is the same as the "Nomad Jukebox". The "C" is a marketing designation only; the "C" retail package omits some accessories (such as headphones and extra batteries) while the original non-"C" package does not. The Jukeboxes themselves are identical physically and functionally. Notmad Explorer currently runs on:
Because Notmad Explorer is integrated with Windows Explorer, your Windows "shell" must be of a certain version to work properly with Notmad. To check, just look at your Internet Explorer version using the "About Internet Explorer" item in its "Help" menu. As long as IE is 5.0 or higher, your Windows shell will have everything Notmad needs to run. Note that you don't have to use Internet Explorer as your normal browser, or even to use Notmad Xtreamer; it just has to be installed. If you use Windows Media Audio (WMA) files, you'll need to have Windows Media Player (WMP) 7.0 or higher installed for Notmad to be able to read tag information. If you only use MP3 files, you don't need WMP. Although Notmad also runs on the server versions of Windows 2000 and Windows XP (aka Windows Server 2003), some users have reported some issues with the Creative drivers (not related to Notmad) on these platforms. Our guess is that the Creative drivers are only certified for single-user versions of Windows (a reasonable limitation), and so may have some bugs with the server versions. That said, you might not run into any issues at all. But if you have a choice, and all other things are equal, a non-server Windows is a safer bet. Once in a while someone will ask if Notmad runs on Windows NT4. Although Notmad probably runs fine on NT4, the point is moot because without USB or Firewire support, NT4 can't even connect to your Nomad in the first place. It is time to upgrade your OS! :-) | |||||||||||||||||||
The Notmad OmniTome 
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