Slow Connection with NetZero HiSpeed - Windows98

Most likely, your connection to NetZero HiSpeed is being dropped due to line noise. Today's modems claim to be "56k," but they really only have a maximum speed of 53 Kbps under ideal line conditions.

Regular telephone lines were only designed to handle speeds up to 9600 bps, but are tricked into going higher thanks to compression technologies. Unfortunately, this makes the higher speed connections (above 9600bps) more sensitive to line noise, and when the noise begins to exceed a modem's handling capacity, the modem will try to lower its speed to maintain a connection. In extreme situations, the modem may not connect at all.

Another thing to remember is that NetZero HiSpeed does not increase connection speeds in the regular sense. If you normally connect to NetZero at 33kbps due to line noise, signing on with NetZero HiSpeed will still connect you at 33kbps. You should, however, notice a difference during your online experience with NetZero HiSpeed, since Web pages are cached and graphics are compressed to help pages load faster.

To deal with line noise, you can take several steps:

1. Make sure the line noise is not caused by a line splitter or other telephone device. Try connecting your modem directly to a wall jack.
2. Check your voice line for static. Pick up your phone and dial 1, then listen for pops, clicks, or static. If you notice line noise, call your telephone company to try to improve the line.

Slow connections may also occur due to:

• High network traffic
• Incorrect modem settings

If you are still experiencing slow connections while using NetZero HiSpeed, please try the following:

A. Disable modem compression

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and select Control Panel.
2. Double click the Modems icon.
3. Click once on the modem that is installed to highlight it and click Properties.
4. Click the Connection tab.
5. Click the Advanced tab at the bottom right.
6. Uncheck Compress data.
7. Click OK.
8. Click OK and close the Control Panel.

B. Adjust your image quality settings

1. Right-click the NetZero HiSpeed speedometer icon in the System Tray at the lower right of your screen (or click on the word NetZero HiSpeed on the NetZero HiSpeed toolbar) and select Settings.
2. Adjust the slider on the Settings screen. The further to the left, the slower the acceleration. The further to the right, the faster the acceleration. Please ensure that you move the slider to the fastest acceleration.

Please note that this will increase your speed to its maximum, it will lower the quality of pictures you view on the Web.

If, at any time, you would prefer to see an original, uncompressed image on a Web page you visit using NetZero HiSpeed, right-click the image and select Show Original Image on the menu that appears. Please note that in Internet Explorer 5.0 and 5.5 browsers, this option may not work with all images.

You can also choose to display all of the images on a page without compression. To do this, right-click any image and select Show All Original Images in the menu that appears. This option works with all images in all browsers.

C. Adjust your browser settings (Internet Explorer)

If you are using Internet Explorer, try the following:

1. Open Internet Explorer, go to the Tools menu, and select Internet Options.
2. In the Temporary Internet Files section, click the Settings... button.
3. Make sure Check for newer versions of stored pages is set to Automatically.
4. In the Amount of disk space to use for your temporary Internet files, make sure the slider is set to a level that allows efficient storing of pages on your hard drive. You should try to allow at least 500 MB, depending on the size of your hard drive.
5. Click OK and OK to exit.

D. Keep using NetZero HiSpeed

Be sure to continue using NetZero HiSpeed regularly for a few days - the service will improve its efficiency with prolonged usage.

If you are still experiencing slow connections, click here for further troubleshooting steps.

An infected computer is often slower and more prone to errors and crashes. Norton offers three levels of protection:

• Norton AntiVirus protects your computer against infection from online threats like worms, viruses, spyware, Trojan horses and more.
• Norton Internet Security provides all the features of Norton AntiVirus plus protection against phishing scams, hackers, and identity theft, as well as Parental Controls to help keep your family safe.
• Norton 360 is the ultimate in PC safety. Norton 360 to protects your PC against online threats (including viruses, phishing, and identity theft), optimizes your system for peak performance, and protects your files with automated backup.