Q: How can I delete/uninstall the Flatulator? Windows keeps telling me "the file is in use" and won't let me delete it!

A: Windows will not let you delete the Flatulator because it is running hidden in the background. You must kill the first instance before you delete the file. See the question "How do I shut down the Flatulator?" below for instructions on how to kill it.

Q: How do I shut down the Flatulator?

A: Since the Flatulator runs invisibly, there are only two ways to shut it down:

Here's the rationale for #2: if the Flatulator is run a second time with command- line switches, I assume it is because the victim is inadvertently running it on himself. In that case, we do not want the Flatulator to suddenly appear and reveal itself to the victim. Therefore, the second instance will simply and quietly NOT RUN. However, if it is run again without any command-line switches, I assume you are running it on purpose and you are trying to get the Options Window -- so that is what you get.

Q: How/where do I type in command-line switches?

A: There are several ways to run a program with command-line switches:

1. The "Run..." command from the Start Menu

   Click the Start Button, and select "Run..." (usually the 3rd option from the bottom). In the space provided, type the full path to the Flatulator with command-line switches.

   Example: "c:\my documents\flatulator.exe" /o

   The quotes are absolutely necessary if the path contains a space. Remember to keep the command-line switches outside of the quotes, like the example above.

2. From the MS-DOS Prompt (or Command Prompt - same thing, different name)

   Same as the Run command above, just with a bigger window that you must manually close :)

3. Create a shortcut to the Flatulator and add the command-line switches to the end of the Target.

   I will not explain here how to create a shortcut. There are many ways - you can read about them in Windows help. Once you have the shortcut, right-click on it and select Properties. Add the command-line switches to the end of the line in the Target area.

4. The Address area in your browser (Internet Explorer only)

   In the Address area of Internet Explorer, type the full path to the Flatulator executable with command-line switches, but do not use quotes. If you put the quotes in, Internet Explorer will think you are searching for it on the Web. I haven't tried this with Netscape.

5. Find some freeware/shareware program that allows you to run programs with command-line options.

   This seems like overkill to me - downloading and installing one program to run another. I'm just trying to list all the options here for you.

Q: Is there a 16-bit (Windows 3.x) version available?

A: No. The Flatulator is 32-bit only, requiring Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000, or XP.

Q: Does the frequency number mean every X number of minutes?

A: No. The frequency is the percentage chance each minute the Flatulator will fire. Read the frequency like this: "Every 60 seconds, there is a {frequency}% chance the Flatulator will fire." To be more technical, the Flatulator has a built in timer that fires every 60 seconds. When the timer fires, the Flatulator thinks of a random number between 1 and the 100. If the random number happens to be your frequency number or lower, you will hear a sound. So if you put the number "100" as your frequency, it will flatulate every 60 seconds (i.e. every 60 seconds there is a 100% chance it will flatulate). If you put "50" as the frequency, every minute there is a 50% chance of it sounding off, and if you put "5" as the frequency, every minute there will be a 5% chance it will flatulate, etc...

Q: Can I change the options while the Flatulator is running?

A: Absolutely. Just run the executable again *without any command-line switches* and the Options Window will appear. You can then adjust the options to your liking. Click the "Go!" button to continue running the Flatulator with the new options, or click the "Cancel/Exit" button to shut it down completely.