Technical FAQs


This list is meant as a resource for E-Gate users to diagnose some commonly found problems and how to fix them. If you are not able to resolve your problem with the following, please call us at 778-996-2102 and ask for tech support, or send an email to support@alphatrade.com.

Pink Sheets Legend

BW — Bid Wanted
OW — Offer Wanted
Unpriced — Market Maker is interested in the stock but has not given a price and size

Some stocks will not have a best bid and ask. To display the best bid and ask there must be two Market Makers with priced orders. If they're unpriced, BW or OW, the best bid and ask will be blank.

Which browsers work best with the E-Gate tools?

All of the major browsers work with E-Gate, though some better than others. For Internet Explorer, we recommend using IE 5.0 or higher. For Netscape, we recommend using version 7.x. We do NOT recommend Netscape 8.x. For Firefox, we recommend using 1.x. For AOL, we recommend using 9.0. For Mac users, we recommend using Safari or Firefox. Both will utilize the latest apple implementation of java. We do NOT recommend using Internet Explorer on a Mac as Microsoft has discontinued support for that product on a Mac and it uses an outdated version of java.

How do I know if my browser has a recent version of Java?

If you are running the recommended browser version listed above and are still experiencing problems with applets not functioning properly or freezing, please check to ensure that you have a recent version of Java installed in your browser. To check your version number in Internet Explorer, click on Tools in the browser window. If it says Sun Java Console on that menu, click on it. In all browsers, when you are using a java applet such as E-Gate, it should place a java icon near your clock in the lower right corner of your screen. Right click that icon and select Open Console. Once you have opened the Java Console, please read the first line. It will provide the java version number. We recommend using Java 1.5.0 or higher. If you have an earlier version, you can upgrade to the latest version at www.java.com . Click Download Now to start the download process.

I have a MacIntosh. Will E-Gate work on my computer?

Yes, but only with OS-X as the operating system. The java used in Mac Classic is over 5 years old and is not being support by Mac anymore. This version of java no longer supports the way we are compiling our applet. The only way to get the latest java environment on a Mac is to use OS-X. We recommend using the Safari or Firefox browser in OS-X.

My menu remains a gray box after I log in. What do I do?

This can be caused by several factors. The thing to do in this case is clear your browser's cache. In Internet Explorer (IE), click on Tools>Internet Options>Delete Files>Delete All Offline Content. Close and re-open IE and log in again.

Note: to confirm that this is the problem, you will see this message in the Java Console (Please see the question above re: Java Virtual Machine to find out how to enable the Java Console):

    Error loading class: com/alphatrade/applet/ListApplet
    java.lang.LinkageError: Class already defined in the context of this loader: com/alphatrade/applet/ListApplet
    java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: com/alphatrade/applet/ListApplet
      at com/ms/vm/loader/URLClassLoader.loadClass
      at com/ms/vm/loader/URLClassLoader.loadClass
      at com/ms/applet/AppletPanel.securedClassLoad
      at com/ms/applet/AppletPanel.processSentEvent
      at com/ms/applet/AppletPanel.processSentEvent
      at com/ms/applet/AppletPanel.run
      at java/lang/Thread.run

Also note that using a link in your favorites to launch the E-Gate menu may cause this problem. It is recommended that you always log in from the front page of the AlphaTrade site, and not through a link to the menu.

My menu is red. What do I do?

This means your browser does not have a Java Virtual Machine installed to run Java applets. Use the following link to install Sun's Java Plugin: www.java.com/en/index.jsp

My menu does not appear at all. What do I do?

First, check the task bar at the bottom of your screen for a button that says "E-Gate". This means you already have a menu open, and this will prevent a new menu from appearing if you log in. Second, check to see if you are running any sort of Pop-up blocker software. These pop-up blockers think our menu is a pop-up ad and block it from appearing. Either disable the pop-up blocker before logging in, or set that program to allow ads from www.alphatrade.com. Most pop-up blockers have an Allow feature.

Why is my Portfolio Manager blank when I open it?

This is likely due to a problem connecting to the database when you logged in. Please close your menu and log in again. This should correct the problem.

When I enter a symbol into the charting applet, a chart never shows up and I can't close the applet. What do I do?

There are two possible causes for this problem. First thing to do is check your virtual machine version number. It is likely that you have an old version of the VM and it is causing your browser to misinterpret the applet's commands. Please see the Q&A at the top of this FAQ for instructions on how to check your VM release number and how to update it.

I opened my Portfolio Manager and all of the data is N/A. What could be causing this?

This could be the result of a couple possible scenarios. The first thing to do is check at the bottom of your PM to see if it says "Firewall Detected" next to the Real Time Quotes message. If so, you are likely behind a firewall and our service for users in this situation is not recognizing this correctly. Please call us at 778-996-2102 if you have this message and the N/A's do not resolve into data within a minute or so.

If there is no "firewall detected" message, this could be a result of a lag between our servers and our feed provider at the moment you opened the PM. Please wait to see if the data fills in. It should fill in within 20 seconds or so as the server re-sends your quote requests.

The Level 1 info (Company Name, Last Trade, Volume, etc.) on my Level 2 screen is blank. Is there something I can do to fix this?

Yes, there is. This is most likely caused by an older version of the virtual machine in your browser. Please see the section at the beginning of this FAQ for instructions on how to upgrade the VM.

If the data is there but all N/A, please refer to the question above for possible causes and what to do. It's most likely the same thing.

I would like to print a screen shot of one of the applications. How do I do this?

The charting, TS&Q, Portfolio, Option Chain and Investments applet have a print function on its right-click menu, but for all of the rest, here are some instructions on how to do it. To Print the Level 2, Portfolio Manager and Quote Grid please follow these steps. Click-on the window you wish to print so that it is in front of any other windows open at the time. Then press the "Alt" and "Print Scrn" buttons on your keyboard at the same time ("Alt" is by the space bar and "Print Scrn" is to the right of the "F12" button). This saves the window image (screen shot) in your clipboard and you will not see anything change on the screen when this happens. The next step is to open your Paint application. First click-on "Start" then "Programs" the "Accessories" and then "Paint". Once the Paint application is open click on "Edit" and then "Paste". A message will pop-up saying, "The image in the clipboard is larger than the bitmap. Would you like the bitmap enlarged?" Click "Yes" and the screen shot will be displayed for you to print. The last step is to click on "File" and then "Print".

What is the recommended and optimal system configuration to run the E-Gate system?

Please click here for information regarding the optimal system configuration to run the E-Gate system

The E-Gate tools are light enough that a 56K modem user should have no troubles using the system. We've even had the tools running on a 19.2K wireless modem! However, a broadband connection such as DSL or cable improves your access to the Internet substantially and will reduce any latency during peak market periods.

Another component of your system that you should make sure you have enough of is memory (RAM). This is the effective working space of your computer. The more RAM you have, the more it can do at one time. Most computers come with at least 64MB of RAM these days, and this is sufficient to run E-Gate properly, but you can never have too much RAM. Having 128MB or even 256MB can help make sure you avoid slowdowns using your computer, especially if you run a large number of applications at the same time. This is especially important if you participate in chat rooms during market hours. Chat rooms are memory intensive and running these with E-Gate may cause problems. More memory will help reduce any problems.

Is there anything I can do to make sure that my browser and computer are running in top form while using browser-based applications such as E-Gate?

You certainly can. Without getting too technical, these are some tips to help make sure your system runs in peak form while using E-Gate:

  1. Clear your browser's cache regularly. Your browser keeps a copy of every page you visit on the Internet. This is supposed to make pages that you view regularly load faster. However, it tends to pick up a LOT more stuff than is necessary. We recommend you clear your browser's cache at least once a week. To do this, click on Tools on your browser's menu items. Select Internet Options, and click on the "Delete Files" button. Check the "Delete All Offline Content" option and click OK.

    Note: You can set your browser to do this automatically every time you close it. Under the Internet Options window, select the Advanced tab. Scroll down to the Security section, and place a check mark next to "Empty Temporary Internet Files when the browser is closed". As well, see the instructions above about setting your web browser to check for a new version of the site every time it visits the page.

  2. Clean out the files that step 1 missed. While the above step is a handy feature that Microsoft built in, it doesn't quite do the job. There are literally thousands of files still kept in your Temporary Internet Files directory. Many of these are garbage and can be safely deleted. Click on Tools in Internet Explorer and select Internet Options. This should default to the General tab. Click the Settings button in the middle of the page. In the Settings tab click on "View Files". It is not unusual to have over 5,000 files here. Many are .GIF, .JPG or image files. These are simply the pictures or images from every web site you've been to. Banner ads are especially nasty for leaving files here. Just highlight all of these files and delete them by pressing CTRL-A on your keyboard and hitting Delete.

    Note: You may want to leave any cookie files from sites that you visit often. Web sites use these files to recognize you, so you don't have to log in or provide a user name. Some cookies come from sites you don't visit or from banner ads and you can delete these, but you may want to keep the ones from your favorite sites.

  3. Enable the Windows Maintenance Wizard. This is an automatic program that will perform handy maintenance tasks for you, such as de-fragment your hard drive, delete unnecessary files and look for errors on your hard drive. It's a good idea to perform these tasks regularly and this wizard makes it easy. Under the Start menu, go to Programs>Accessories>System Tools. You should see the Maintenance Wizard there. Select this and run through the standard set up. Select a time of day when you will not be using your computer for this to occur and that's it. Make sure you leave your computer on at this time of day, otherwise the Wizard won't do its job.

Is there anywhere on the site that gives a beginner's level tutorial on how to use E-Gate?

As a matter of fact, there is. We have just created a Flash demo that shows people how to use E-Gate. This is simple enough for computer beginners to follow along with. Click Here to run the demo now!

If you're comfortable with using your computer and have some specific questions about a particular E-Gate tool, please click on the product name in the left side menu for tips on how to use the tool.

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