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 MegaBoost Accelerator Information
Features Installation Frequently Asked Questions User Guide Troubleshooting Spyware Status Mac Guide
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Overview of MegaBoost Accelerator (SlipStream 6)
2. Download and Installation Help
3. Using MegaBoost Web Accelerator
4. Using Other Web Browsers:
5. Product Details
1. Overview of MegaBoost Accelerator
Will MegaBoost Accelerator speed up everything I do on the web?
MegaBoost Accelerator accelerates most text and graphics on web pages associated with typical web surfing. With MegaBoost Accelerator you will notice a significantly faster experience when you visit web sites and send and receive your e-mail. MegaBoost Accelerator will not currently accelerate file downloads such as music files, software, Windows updates, or streaming video or audio media unless they are downloaded via FTP.
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How fast is MegaBoost Accelerator?
The amount of acceleration will vary but with MegaBoost Accelerator you will notice a significantly faster experience when you visit web sites, send and receive email, and perform many other web-based activities.
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What other features does MegaBoost Accelerator include?
MegaBoost Accelerator offers the following value-added service in addition to speeding up your web and email usage:
- Pop-Up Blocker - block annoying pop-up advertisements while surfing!
- Banner-Ad Blocking - Stop the ads, and surf faster!
- Integrated Diagnostic Support Tool
- FTP Acceleration - Accelerate FTP file transfer!
- Privacy Manager - Provide a more secure browsing environment!
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How does MegaBoost Accelerator work?
MegaBoost uses patented acceleration, compression and network optimization to enhance the online experience for dial, broadband and wireless subscribers, while significantly reducing bandwidth requirements. MegaBoost uses adaptive data compression, combined with caching and network optimization, to streamline text, graphics, Flash- and Web-based emails, including attachments.
NOW!Imaging, included in MegaBoost, further enhances your browsing experience, enabling you to view higher resolution images and increasingly image-rich pages faster. Fully usable Web pages appear almost immediately, while the images on the page then quickly and progressively reach maximum quality as users view the page.
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Will I benefit from using MegaBoost Accelerator?
If you have dial-up connection and visit websites (of course you do), you will experience a significant degree of acceleration using SlipStream. Websites will appear on your screen very quickly making your surfing experience much more enjoyable.
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What types of content does MegaBoost Accelerator speed up?
MegaBoost Accelerator significantly speeds up web page access. To achieve this speed up, proprietary lossless compression is applied to text, html, xml, javascript and style sheets. Proprietary image compression is applied to gif images, jpeg images, png images, and Flash content.
MegaBoost also accelerates email traffic (POP3 and SMTP) using lossless compression.
MegaBoost accelerates file downloads over FTP. MegaBoost does NOT speed up file downloads over file sharing programs, streaming audio/video and HTTPS (secure web sites).
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How does MegaBoost's solution compare to DSL or cable modem?
MegaBoost used on a dial-up connection provided by US Netizen Internet Access is much faster than ordinary dial-up, but is slower than most DSL or Cable connections. MegaBoost is not broadband Internet service; it is high speed dialup Internet service.
MegaBoost is an affordable software-only solution designed to significantly enhance Web access over low-speed (less than 200 kbps/second) connections. By contrast, DSL and cable modems provide high-speed Internet connectivity using hardware solutions that work with special telephone or cable lines.
The price for DSL or cable modem is significantly higher than MegaBoost Accelerator. In addition to the higher price, many areas simply do not have DSL or cable Internet service available.
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What are the privacy implications of using MegaBoost Accelerator?
Personally-identifiable Information on Acceleration Servers
If you have a high level understanding of how Acceleration works, you may be concerned that the Accelerator could be used to track your browsing activities in a way that could violate your privacy. We recognize that your privacy is very important, and therefore we have implemented the Acceleration Service so that personally-identifiable information cannot be easily tracked or easily derived from data within our server infrastructure. When your Accelerator client software connects to our infrastructure, it identifies itself using a unique client ID. Our infrastructure has a database of client IDs that are authorized to receive acceleration, but that database does not contain any personally-identifiable information associated with the IDs, such as your name, address, or email address. Further, we have designed all of our server logging features in such a way that no single log contains a direct record of the Web sites visited by specific clients. Personally-identifiable information regarding browsing activities is subject to the Privacy Policy and can be derived from information logged only by applying special post-processing.
Personally-identifiable Information on Your Computer
The Accelerator client software that resides on your personal computer introduces the same sort of privacy risk as your browser software does. Your browser stores temporary files on your computer's hard drive. These files are sometimes collectively called your "browser cache". It is possible for someone with sufficient expertise to use the information in your browser cache to determine what Web sites you have visited. For this reason, your browser software includes commands that allow you to delete its temporary files. The Accelerator client software also stores temporary files on your computer's hard drive in the "MegaBoost cache". Those files could also be used to determine what Web pages you have visited, so MegaBoost Accelerator includes a command (on the Accelerator menu's Options dialog) so that you can delete those temporary files at any time.
Accelerator Client/Server Communication
The Accelerator client software does not transmit any historical record of your browsing activities to our servers other than non-user-identifiable summary timing and compression information, and diagnostic information. Such information is used solely for overall system performance monitoring and quality assurance.
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What is the difference between MegaBoost and Slipstream?
MegaBoost is a branded version of Slipstream accelerator software. MegaBoost is virtually identical to Slipstream SP 5.0 with ImageNOW! which is the latest available version.
MegaBoost is faster than Slipstream versions 3 and 4 due to the optional ImageNOW! compression technology. For pages with GIF and JPEG graphics, the most common graphics formats in use on the Internet, MegaBoost will outperform Slipstream 5.0 without ImageNOW!
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2. Download and Installation Help
Why can't I open the MegaBoost Accelerator installation file after I download it?
It is possible that the file extension ".exe" was somehow lost from the MegaBoost Accelerator installation file. You can easily check and, if necessary, remedy this situation. Here's how:
- First, find the installation file you downloaded. Unless you changed the name during the installation process, search for that. Use the Window's Start menu: Start -> Search -> For Files and Folders...
- When you find the file, select it. The full name of the file should be visible.
- If the ".exe" extension (without quotation marks) is missing, add it. Click on the filename and use your mouse to add the extension ".exe"
- You should be able to double-click on the file right in the Search Results window to start the install.
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How long will it take to download MegaBoost Accelerator?
Depending on the speed of your modem and the processing speed of your computer, downloading will take between 8-15 minutes. For example, a modem operating at 48kbps (kilobits per second) will download MegaBoost Accelerator in about 8 minutes using a recent-vintage computer. Running the install on your computer takes a minute or less.
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3. Using MegaBoost Web Accelerator
How can I tell if MegaBoost Accelerator installed, active, and enabled on my computer?
If MegaBoost Accelerator is installed and active on your computer a small accelerator icon will appear in the Windows taskbar area (near the system clock). If the Accelerator is active while you are surfing the Internet, the accelerator icon will constantly change images. Try accessing a Web site and you should see the icon flashing as web pages load. If you are able to surf the Internet but do not see the icon changing, there are several possibilities:
- You are accessing a Web site or other content that MegaBoost Accelerator does not speed up. If you are not sure what content can be accelerated, Click Here for details on what MegaBoost Accelerator does and does not accelerate.
- MegaBoost Accelerator is currently disabled on your computer. If you see red lines around and over the icon, it means that the Accelerator is disabled.
- MegaBoost Accelerator or other software on your system may require special configuration. To review the list of currently incompatible software or software that may require special handling, Click Here.
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How do I start MegaBoost Web Accelerator?
MegaBoost Web Accelerator is launched automatically every time Windows starts. You do not have to launch it manually.
A MegaBoost Web Accelerator icon appears in the Windows system tray to show that it is operating in the background.
If the program was terminated, you can start it up by going to your "Start Menu" "Program Files" "MegaBoost" and selecting the program from there.
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How do I uninstall MegaBoost Accelerator?
Open the "Start Menu". Open "Settings". Open "Control Panels". Finally open "Add/Remove Programs". Looks for the MegaBoost client and remove it from there.
IMPORTANT: If you are using a browser other than Internet Explorer or Netscape with MegaBoost, you will need to manually reconfigure the proxy settings for the respective browser after uninstalling or stopping MegaBoost Accelerator in order to continue using the Internet. See below for further details.
Restoring a Browser's Proxy Address and Port Number
If you are using a browser besides Internet Explorer or Netscape when you stop or uninstall MegaBoost Accelerator you will need to reset proxy settings to their original values (or no values). Until you do this, you will likely not be able to access the Internet. Consult your browser's documentation for information on how this could be done.
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4. Using Other Web Browsers:
Can I use MegaBoost Accelerator with Firefox?
Yes. MegaBoost Web Accelerator works with Firefox 1.5 or later. Make sure that you install the Firefox extension when you install MegaBoost Web Accelerator. Once MegaBoost Web Accelerator is running, start the browser and browse as you normally would. No user intervention is required since MegaBoost Web Accelerator operates in the background.
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Can I use MegaBoost Accelerator with Chrome?
Yes. MegaBoost Web Accelerator works with Chrome. You must uncheck the NOW!Imaging box to work with Chrome.
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Can I use MegaBoost Accelerator with other browsers such as Opera?
Yes. MegaBoost Accelerator works with any web browser that allows you to specify an HTTP proxy. You must set the HTTP proxy host to "localhost" or "127.0.0.1" and set the port number to the same local listening port as the one in your MegaBoost Web Accelerator settings. Its default value is 5400. Please refer to the "Troubleshooting" link for detailed information.
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5. Product Details:
How do I use Internet Explorer with MegaBoost Accelerator?
Start Internet Explorer and browse as you normally would. MegaBoost Accelerator is launched automatically every time Windows starts. It operates in the background to accelerate your web connection. No user intervention is required.
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Where can I get product information on how to use MegaBoost Accelerator?
Please visit the "Using MegaBoost Accelerator" section for detailed information on using the product and discovering its useful features.
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Where do I go if I have problems with MegaBoost Accelerator?
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Does MegaBoost Accelerator speed up email?
Yes. MegaBoost Web Accelerator can reduce the amount of time it takes to send and receive email. MegaBoost Web Accelerator accelerates email automatically without any user intervention, so you can use your mail program exactly as you normally would. It is compatible with any POP3/IMAP/SMTP client including Outlook Express, Eudora, Pegasus, Opera Mail, Mozilla Mail, and Netscape Mail. Email acceleration is enabled by default.
Webmail is accelerated because it is standard html.
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Does MegaBoost Accelerator speedup my secure (HTTPS) transactions such as my web-banking?
MegaBoost Accelerator does not accelerate secure transactions. Secure web sites will continue to work at normal speed by bypassing the acceleration component.
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What operating systems or platforms can MegaBoost Accelerator be installed on?
Windows Operating Systems:
- Windows 95b w/ Winsock2
- Windows 98
- Windows 98SE
- Windows Millennium Edition (Windows ME)
- Windows 2000 Service Pack 4
- Windows XP
- Windows XP Service Pack 2
- Windows Vista
Web Browser:
- Internet Explorer 5.0 (or later)
- Netscape 8.0 (or later)
- Firefox 0.9 and later
- Mozilla 1.4 and later
- Opera 8.0 and later
Macintosh Operating System:
Macintosh will be supported in the near future.
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What system requirements are necessary to use MegaBoost Accelerator?
The recommended system requirements are a Pentium PC 200MHz with 64MB of RAM and at least 11 MB of hard-disk space. Pretty much any Windows-based computer built in this century.
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How do I use other browsers with my Web Accelerator?
Netscape Navigator is automatically configured to use the MegaBoost Accelerator. Use Netscape as you normally would.
For other browsers such as Opera and Firefox, MegaBoost Web Accelerator works with any web browser that allows you to specify an HTTP proxy. MegaBoost should automatically detect your browser and ask you if you want it configured for acceleration. If it is not automatically set, you must set the HTTP proxy host to be "127.0.0.1" and the port number to be the local listening port of the MegaBoost Client (5400 by default). Consult your browser's documentation for information on how this can be done.
What types of Web content does MegaBoost accelerate?
MegaBoost Web Accelerator significantly speeds up web page access. To achieve this speed up, proprietary lossless compression is applied to text, html, xml, javascript and style sheets Proprietary image compression is applied to gif images, jpeg images and Flash content.
MegaBoost also accelerates email traffic (POP3, IMAP and SMTP) using lossless compression. Note: MegaBoost does not accelerate US Netizen mail as this requires a secure connection (HTTPS).
New! MegaBoost now accelerates FTP transfers in passive mode. MegaBoost does NOT speed up other file downloads (including file sharing programs), streaming audio/video and HTTPS (secure web sites).
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Are ad blockers, popup stoppers, personal firewalls and other utilities compatible with MegaBoost Accelerator?
MegaBoost is compatible with most ad blockers, popup stoppers, personal firewalls, and other utilities. In some cases, minor configuration either of MegaBoost or other products is needed. In other cases, MegaBoost is not compatible.
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Does MegaBoost Web Accelerator speed up email access?
Yes, MegaBoost automatically accelerates your email traffic (POP3 and SMTP) for all popular email clients such as Eudora, Outlook, Outlook Express and Netscape Mail. Other email clients should work transparently as well.
Note: MegaBoost does not accelerate US Netizen mail as this requires a secure connection (HTTPS).
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System Requirements
Below, please find the suggested and minimum system requirements beyond the basics of an analog modem, a telephone line, and an active Internet connection.
MegaBoost Accelerator can be installed on any of the following operating systems:
- Windows 95b w/ Winsock2
- Windows 98
- Windows98SE
- Windows Millennium Edition (Windows ME)
- Windows NT 4.0
- Windows 2000
- Windows XP
- Windows Vista
MegaBoost Web Accelerator requires at least Internet Explorer 4.0 and Netscape 4.0 or any later version of either browser.
Note that the MegaBoost Email Acceleration component requires Windows 98 and above, and that the MegaBoost Pop-up Blocker component requires Internet Explorer 5.0 and above.
Newer versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer are available free of charge through Microsoft.
For Windows 95 users: Currently, Microsoft does not permit Windows 95 users to install Internet Explorer 6 or greater, however, Internet Explorer 5.5 is available.
The recommended system requirements for MegaBoost Web Accelerator are a Pentium 200MHz with 64MB of RAM and at least 5MB of hard-disk space.
Internet connection line speed in Kbps (kilobits/second)
Minimum: 14.4 Kbps
Maximum: 200 Kbps
Regardless, MegaBoost Web Accelerator will work within your current system configuration to provide you with the best content acceleration.
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I travel. Does MegaBoost Accelerator work anywhere I use my PC?
Yes. If you are accessing the Internet through a dial-up connection in the U.S. and Canada and your system conforms to MegaBoost Accelerator system requirements you should be able to get an accelerated Internet experience, if you are dialing numbers from the same ISP.
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Why is MegaBoost Web Accelerator disabled immediately after it launches?
Please make sure that you have configured MegaBoost Web Accelerator properly; this includes the correct username, password, server name, and server port number. It is also important to check if you have a valid Internet connection. This issue might also be caused by the High Speed Auto-Detection feature. MegaBoost Web Accelerator might be disabled once an active high speed connection, such as DSL or cable modem, is detected. If the problem persists, please contact us for further assistance.
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