Introduction
Welcome!
IOLS MegaSPEED uses software provided by Propel
called "Propel Accelerator". Generally speaking getting started with Propel
Accelerator is easy and automatic.
Following installation, the product is running
and ready to speed up your Internet experience.
However, if you are using a browser other than Internet
Explorer, some additional configuration is
necessary. This Help file is primarily
designed to help users of such browsers get
started with Propel Accelerator.
You will also find Help useful if you are having
Internet connectivity problems after installing Propel
Accelerator.
Please note that most technical and other
information about using Propel Accelerator
is available online:
Starting
Propel Accelerator
When
you install Propel Accelerator it
will automatically become active. If you see a small
blue propeller-like icon in your Windows
taskbar (near the system clock), Propel Accelerator
is active.
This icon:
-
Tells you that Propel Accelerator
is running, ready to accelerate your Internet
experience whenever you want to surf.
-
Tells you the state of Propel Accelerator
on your system: enabled, disabled, actively
browsing, not enabled due to a high-speed
connection, free trial ended, or Propel
Acceleration ServiceTM
temporarily unavailable.
-
Provides access to the Propel Accelerator
menu.
If Propel Accelerator is installed
but you do not see the Propel Accelerator
icon in the taskbar, it is not active and not
accelerating your Internet experience. You can
make it active from the Windows Start
menu:
Start
-> Programs -> {Propel Accelerator
program group} -> Start Propel Accelerator
Propel
Accelerator Icon and Menu
Note:
The Propel Accelerator icon and
menu system are fully described in the online
document Using
Propel Accelerator. A brief description
of the Propel Accelerator menu is
provided below in case you are not online.
|
Menu
item
|
Purpose
|
|
About
Propel Accelerator...
|
Provides
version and update information.
|
|
Enable
/ Disable Propel Accelerator
|
Changes
the state of Propel Accelerator
from enabled to disabled (or
vice-versa). Use this to test the
effectiveness of Propel Accelerator
(try it with, then without).
This menu command is also useful if you
have Internet connectivity problems and
you want to eliminate Propel Accelerator
as a possible source of the problem.
|
|
Performance
Meter
|
The
Performance Meter provides information
on the cumulative Web page access speed,
both with and without Propel Accelerator.
After some use, you will also see the
overall amount of time you saved during
prior days of use of Propel Accelerator.
|
|
Options...
|
Provides
the ability to change the level of
graphic compression used by Propel
Accelerator. Options also
allows you to adjust the amount of disk
space allocated to Propel Accelerator.
Several Advanced options are also
available.
|
|
Diagnostics...
|
Provides
the ability to view system information
and to test your system's connectivity
to the Internet. For details please see Checking
Diagnostics.
|
|
Help...
|
This
local Help file. When you are
connected to the Internet additional
information is available from the
on-line reference Using
Propel Accelerator.
|
|
Quick
Tour...
|
Provides
access to the Propel Accelerator
two-minute tour.
|
Supported
Browsers
The
following table identifies Web browsers that
need to be configured to use Propel Accelerator.
Click on your browser for additional details
including configuration, if necessary.
Propel
Accelerator and Internet Explorer
No
changes to IE should be needed. Simply start
browsing. In the unlikely event that you do
experience problems connecting to the Internet
after installing Propel Accelerator,
Click
Here.
Propel
Accelerator and Netscape
Some
changes to the Netscape browser Preferences are
required if you want to use Propel Accelerator
with Netscape. See Checking
and Changing Proxy Settings for Netscape, Opera,
and Mozilla for details.
Other Browsers (Including Opera and Mozilla)
You
should be able to get an accelerated Internet
experience through any modern browser Using
Propel Accelerator. See the next section for
detailed instructions.
Checking and Changing
Proxy Settings
Note:
If you just want to try Propel Accelerator
without having to get involved with proxy
settings, you can use Propel Accelerator
with Internet Explorer. No proxy changes are
needed and IE should already be set up to work
with Propel Accelerator. There are
some additional graphic acceleration options
available to IE users, as well. You'll still be
able to continue to use your default browser, it
just won't be accelerated until the proxy
address and port number are set.
Although Internet Explorer and browsers based on
IE such as browsers from AOL, CompuServe, and
SBC Yahoo! account for the great majority of
browsers in use, there are many other Web
browsers. The most popular of these is Netscape.
Other highly-regarded PC browsers include Opera
and Mozilla.
However, if you are using a non-IE browsers, you
will need to change some Preference settings in
your browser. This is necessary because Propel
Accelerator creates and uses what is
called a "proxy server" on your
computer to accelerate Web traffic to your
computer. Changing preferences is a one-time
activity that only takes a couple of minutes.
Determining Propel
Accelerator's Port Number
By
default, Propel Accelerator uses 8080
as its HTTP proxy port number. However another
number may be automatically substituted if a
conflict is detected. You can also manually
change the Propel Accelerator
proxy port number as long as that number matches
the HTTP port number in your browser.
Follow these steps to check or change the proxy
port number that Propel Accelerator
is using:
1.
Click the small blue propeller-like
icon in the taskbar, near the system clock.
2.
Click Options...
3.
Click Advanced...
4.
Note the port number.
5.
Optionally enter a different port number
in the range of 1025-65535.
6.
Click OK.
Note:
The Advanced options choice of accelerating all
connections or just connections without
conflicts only applies to IE-based browsers.
Setting Your
Browser's Proxy Address and Port Number
Next,
you'll need to locate your browser's
configuration section (often called Preferences).
For example, Mozilla locates Preferences
under the File menu. Then you want to
find the location where proxy settings can be
adjusted.
The following instructions apply to Netscape.
Proxy configuration for Opera and Mozilla
browsers is similar.
1.
Click on the Netscape Edit menu.
2.
Select Preferences...
3.
Click on the mark next to the Advanced
category or simply double-click on Advanced.
4.
Click on Proxies.
5.
Make sure that the Manual proxy
configuration radio button is selected.
6.
Click View [Netscape 4.7 only].
7.
In the HTTP Proxy area enter localhost.
8.
In the HTTP Port area enter the Propel
Accelerator port number (by default 8080,
but this should be verified, as described
above).
Resetting Your
Browser's Proxy Address and Port Number
Here are the specific instructions for resetting
your proxy address and port number using
Netscape.
1.
Click on the Netscape Edit menu.
2.
Select Preferences...
3.
Click on the mark next to the Advanced
category or simply double-click on Advanced.
4.
Click on Proxies.
5.
If there was a proxy address in use prior
to installing Propel Accelerator,
[Netscape 4.7 only: click View... first]
enter that address and port number. Otherwise
click Direct Connection to the Internet.
6.
Click OK.
Changes
are effective immediately.
Checking and Changing
IE Proxy Settings
Propel
Accelerator normally takes care of
checking and changing Internet Explorer proxy
settings for you. However, in rare cases,
Internet Explorer proxy settings may need to be
checked or changed:
1.
With the Propel Accelerator
running and enabled, click on the Tools
menu.
2.
Select Internet Options...
3.
Click on the Connections tab.
4.
Select the connection you are using and
click Settings (if you are connecting via
a Local Area Network, click the LAN
Settings... button.)
5.
In the Proxy Server section make sure
that Use a proxy server for this connection
is checked.
6.
Click on Advanced... in the same
section.
7.
Under HTTP: the proxy address
should be set to localhost.
8.
Set the HTTP port number to the exact
port number used in Propel Accelerator.
9.
Click OK several times to exit the
Tools menu.
Changes
are effective immediately.
Deciding Which Connections To Accelerate
In the Propel Accelerator Advanced
Settings window, Internet connections with
and without proxy setting conflicts are
displayed. Two options are available:
If
you choose Accelerate all connections,
even connections with potential conflicts will
be reconfigured to be compatible with Propel
Accelerator. This means that the Propel
Accelerator proxy settings will be
substituted for whatever settings may exist for
that connection.
Accelerating connections that have proxy
conflicts may or may not work. A good approach
is to look at the list of incompatible
connections.
-
If
you are not using any connections identified
as having potential conflicts with Propel
Accelerator, choose the only
accelerate connections without proxy
conflicts option.
-
If
you want to try accelerating connections
that have proxy conflicts with Propel
Accelerator, choose the Accelerate
all connections option. If another
software program is using a proxy for
acceleration or other such services,
substituting the Propel Accelerator
proxy settings may allow you to accelerate
your Internet experience.
Note that if your Internet connection is
dependent on another proxy (such as a
firewall), accelerating that particular
connection will most likely not be
successful. (You can restore your IE
browser-based system to the previous proxy
setting by selecting Stop Propel
Accelerator from the Windows Start
menu.)
Start
-> Programs -> {Propel Accelerator
program group} -> Stop Propel Accelerator
Resolving
Internet Access Difficulties
The
following topics should be helpful in the
unlikely case that you installed Propel Accelerator
and have temporarily lost the ability to browse
the Internet:
Checking
Your Internet Connection
Propel
Accelerator can only work when you are
actively connected to the Internet. Here are
some basics to consider:
-
Is
your modem on and ready? (If you are unsure,
refer to your modem or system manual.)
-
Has
your dial-up connection timed out?
-
Are
you connected to your ISP?
-
If
you are using Netscape, Mozilla, or Opera, is
your HTTP proxy set up to working with Propel
Accelerator?
-
Is
your ISP connecting to the Internet?
-
Is
the particular site you are trying to view
available?
Before
concluding that you don't have Internet access,
try several URLs (Web sites addresses) that you
expect are nearly always available. Examples
include: google.com, microsoft.com, amazon.com,
or yahoo.com. If that is unsuccessful, you may
want to disable
Propel Accelerator and
re-trying these sites.
Checking Your System
Propel
Accelerator may not install if certain
minimum requirements are not met. The following
table shows suggested and minimum system
requirements beyond the basics of a phone line,
an analog modem, and an available and active
Internet connection.The second column in the
table suggests how to check your system. (As
noted, many of these values are available from Propel
Accelerator Diagnostics.)
|
System
Compatibilities and Requirements
|
Specifics
|
How
to Check for Requirement
|
|
Internet
Service Provider (ISP)
|
|
Ability
to access the Internet through a browser
prior to installation of Propel Accelerator.
|
|
Browsers
|
Internet
Explorer 5.0 or later
|
Help
-> About Internet Explorer
|
|
|
Netscape
4.7
|
Help
-> About Communicator
|
|
|
Netscape
6.0 or later
|
Help
-> About Netscape
|
|
Intel-based
Pentium PC or the equivalent
|
|
Click:
Start
-> Programs -> Accessories ->
System Tools -> System Information
Look for: X86...
|
|
Operating
system:
Windows 98, NT 4.0, 2000 (SP3
recommended), ME, XP
|
Without
Propel Accelerator
|
Click:
Start
-> Programs -> Accessories ->
System Tools -> System Information
Look for: Windows 2000 or another
supported operating system in the System
Summary section next to OS Name.
|
|
|
With
Propel Accelerator
|
Propel<
Accelerator Diagnostics menu :
System Info
Look for: Microsoft Windows 98 or
later.
|
|
Disk
space:
At least 25 MB (135 MB recommended for
optimal performance)
|
Without
Propel Accelerator
|
Click:
Start
-> Programs -> Accessories ->
System Tools -> System Information
-> Components -> Storage ->
Drives
Find the drive where Propel Accelerator
is installed (by default C:)
Look for: Free Space greater than
25 MB (0.025 GB)".
|
|
|
With
Propel Accelerator
|
Propel
Accelerator Diagnostics menu :
System Info
Look for: free disk space greater
than 25 MB.
|
|
System
memory (RAM:)
At least 32 MB (64-128 MB recommended
for optimal performance).
Memory requirements and needs are tricky
due to needs of different operating
systems and the number and size of
application you typically run. At a
minimum try to have more than 8 MB free
after opening your browser, 32 MB or
more free for optimal performance.
|
Without
Propel Accelerator
|
Click:
Start
-> Programs -> Accessories ->
System Tools -> System Information
Look for: Available Physical Memory
of at least 8,000 KB.
|
|
|
With
Propel Accelerator
|
Propel
Accelerator Diagnostics menu :
System Info
Look for: Free physical memory
greater than 8 MB.
|
|
Internet
connection line speed in Kbps
(kilobits/second)
Minimum: 14 Kpbs Maximum: 200 Kbps
|
Without
Propel Accelerator
|
There
are a number of Web sites that offer
tests of Internet connectivity speeds.
Here are two we recommend:
|
|
|
With
Propel Accelerator
|
Diagnostic
test 4 measures current effective line
speed. Look for a value approximately
between 14 and 220 Kbps. (Note:
High-speed Internet connections (above
200 Kbps) are not accelerated.
|
Checking
Diagnostics
Diagnostics
can help you identify problems you are having
accessing the Internet when running Propel
Accelerator. When running Diagnostics be
sure that you are not running any other Internet
processes (such as downloading a large file), as
this will cause erroneous results.
To start Diagnostics, follow these steps:
1.
Click the Propel Accelerator
icon (the small blue propeller-like icon
near the system clock).
2.
Select the Diagnostics menu
option.
3.
Click Run Test.
An
8-part diagnostic test will run. In all cases,
if a test fails repeatedly and there is no other
specific remedy, you should run the System
Info test, then contact your ISP or reseller
of Propel Accelerator for further assistance.
Details of each diagnostic test follow:
1.
Checking system resources. The
amount of available and used disk space and
memory (RAM) is reported.
For disk space:
o
Pass:
"Disk space is OK."
o
Fail:
"Warning: It is recommended that you have
at least 256 MB free disk space to get full
benefit from Propel Accelerator."
o
Suggested
action: Free some disk space on your system or
consider obtaining a larger hard disk. (In some
cases, defragmenting your hard disk can improve
overall performance of applications, including Propel
Accelerator.)
For memory (RAM):
o
Pass:
"RAM space is OK."
o
Fail:
"Warning: It is recommended that you have
at least 8 MB free RAM space to get full benefit
from Propel Accelerator."
o
Suggested
action: Run fewer programs or add more memory
for your system. For optimal results, try
running Propel Accelerator with 32
MB or more available (free) RAM.
2.
Testing basic Internet connectivity.
Your connection to the Internet and DNS (Domain
Name Service) is tested.
o
Pass:
"Internet connectivity has been
verified."
o
Possible
failure conditions:
-
"Your
Internet connection seems to be down." This
message indicates an inability to establish a
simple connection to any of a set of known good
Internet addresses. Suggested action: See
Checking Your Internet Connection.
-
"Your
Internet connection seems to be blocked from
normal Web browsing." One condition that
might cause your computer to be unable to access
the Web is if you are behind a firewall that
requires you to access the Internet through a
proxy server (sometimes used in corporate or
educational firewalls). Suggested actions:
-
If
you have an available Internet connection that
is not behind a firewall, switch to that
connection and retry.
-
If
you have a personal firewall, disable it
temporarily and retry. If that fixes the
problem, you will probably be able to use the
firewall in conjunction with Propel Accelerator
after identifying Propel Accelerator
to the firewall as a service that needs access
to the Internet. Some firewalls allow you to
enter the product name. See the documentation
for the firewall you are using for details
regarding allowing local services access to the
Internet.
-
Finally,
if you are on a local area network (LAN) check
your network configuration and/or contact your
system administrator.
-
"You
may have a DNS problem. Please retry after a few
minutes." DNS stands for Domain Naming
Service. DNS allows you to access numeric
Internet addresses using alphabetic addresses
such as www.propel.com. Since DNS-related
problems can be temporary, it is suggested that
you retry in few minutes.
3.
Testing your Internet connection for
packet loss... Measures packets of data sent
to and received by Propel Accelerator
in minimum, maximum, and average time (in
milliseconds).
o
Pass:
"Packets: Sent = NN, Received = NN,
Lost = NN (NN% loss)".
[Example: Sent = 20, Received = 20, Lost = 0 (0%
loss).] Significant packet loss represents
either a problem connecting to your ISP,
Internet routing issues, or a modem/phone line
problem.
o
Fail:
"Packet loss test FAILED."
-
1-4
packets lost: It appears that there is
occasional packet loss on your Internet
connection. This level of packet loss, while not
normal or optimal, usually does not have a
significant impact to your Internet performance.
-
5-10
packets lost: It appears that there is
intermittent packet loss on your Internet
connection. This can be caused by a poor quality
phone line, a bad connection, or temporary
problems with your ISP or somewhere on
the Internet. Try running Diagnostics several
times. Lost network packets must be
retransmitted and thereby cause degradation of
your Internet performance. If the problem
persists, try reconnecting to your ISP.
-
10-19
packets lost: It appears that you have a bad
connection to the Internet. Comments under 5-10
packets lost (above) apply.
-
20
packets lost: The packet loss test is not
working properly. Either you have a very bad
connection to the Internet or, more likely, your
ISP may be blocking the specific type of
Internet activity that is used to measure packet
loss. If Web browsing seems to be working
normally, then you can probably ignore this
result. If not, then most likely you have a bad
connection and should try reconnecting to your
ISP.
o
Further
suggestions:
-
Propel
Accelerator in general and Diagnostic
results in particular can be affected by other
running Internet processes such as file
downloads, playing Internet radio or video, or
file sharing. For maximum acceleration benefits,
please consider temporarily eliminating these
activities when using Propel Accelerator,
especially when running Diagnostics.
-
If
your ISP provides more than one dial-up
number in your area, try another number. This
can often make a significant different in terms
of line quality and connection speed.
4.
Determining current line speed... Propel
Accelerator sends some specific data to
your system and measures the speed with which it
was received. The effective line speed in
kilobits/second (Kbps) is reported.
o
Pass:
"Measured speed in NN.NN Kbps.
(Example: 33.43 Kbps)
o
Fail:
"Line speed test FAILED. Note: High-speed
connections are not accelerated." If your
actual line speed is greater than 200 Kbps (a
fast dial-up modem is 56 Kbps; often expressed
as 56K), Propel Accelerator will
be automatically disabled.
Another reason why the line speed test might
repeatedly fail is if content filtering,
parental controls, or a privacy manager is in
place which restricts access to the Propel
Network. See Readme
for details.
Note that some ISPs pre-filter content in a
matter which could also cause this test to fail.
Generally speaking, in the U.S. pre-filtering is
a service you would pay for and be aware of.
o
Suggestion
actions:
-
If
the test fails because you are on a high-speed
connection, try again when you are connected via
a slower (less than 200 kbps) connection.
-
If
parental controls are in place, temporarily
disable them to see if this is causing the
problem.
-
If
a privacy manager or local firewall is in place,
temporarily remove or disable it to see if this
is causing the problem.
5.
Looking for Propel Acceleration
Service... An attempt to locate the Propel
Acceleration Service is made.
o
Pass:
"Service found at accelerator.popsite.net."
o
Fail:
"Problem locating Propel Acceleration
Service at accelerator.popsite.net:7797."
(Note: Port 7797 is used by the Propel
Acceleration Service to access the
Internet.) This condition can occur if the
Service is unavailable or if a firewall is
preventing your computer from accessing the
Service.
o
Suggested
action: Retry in a few minutes; if problems
continue, check (or ask your system
administrator to check) to see if your local
firewall is blocking Internet access through
Port 7797.
6.
Connecting to Propel Acceleration
Service... Verifies that the Propel
Acceleration Service can successfully
identify and communicate with your machine.
o
Pass:
"Connecting to Propel Acceleration
Service using Client version (number) ee.ff.gg.hh."
"Connection accepted" is reported.
o
Possible
failure conditions:
-
The
authentication method used by your ISP or
reseller has not authenticated this computer to
be accelerated. Please contact your ISP or
reseller.
7.
Advanced diagnostic tests, for use by
your ISP or reseller if needed... Text and
graphics acceleration tests are performed. All
the tests involve sending data from the Propel
Accelerator Network to your system.
o
Tests
A-D send text data (words) to your system. Test
A is with Propel Accelerator
active, Test B is without Propel Accelerator
active. These two tests are then repeated.
o
Tests
E-H send graphics data (an image file) to your
system. Test E is with Propel Accelerator
active, Test F is without Propel Accelerator
active. These two tests are then repeated.
The time it takes to receive each test is shown.
It is unusual for tests 1-6 to succeed and test
7 to fail. If this happens, please run
Diagnostics again before contacting your ISP or
reseller.
8.
Graphics Acceleration setting: n
(1-5)
Reports the level of graphics acceleration you
are currently receiving, with Level 5
representing the maximum. You can adjust the
level of graphics acceleration using the Propel
Accelerator menu Options command.
See Using
Propel Accelerator (online reference)
for details on adjusting graphics acceleration
for individual images, pages, and overall.
Disabling
Propel Accelerator
If
the steps above do not restore Internet access:
1.
Click the Propel Accelerator
taskbar icon menu (small blue propeller-like
near the clock).
2.
Select Disable Propel Accelerator....
When disabled, a red circle will appear over the
Propel Accelerator icon.
3.
Using your browser go to a highly
available site such as google.com,
microsoft.com, amazon.com, or yahoo.com.
If you now have Internet access:
o
Open
the Propel Accelerator icon menu.
o
Select
Enable.
4.
Try accessing another highly available
site. If t
