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WDIFL is obviously
graphic intense. To get the full benefit of the graphics (photos)
here we suggest some viewing tips.
First and foremost, a good video
card is a must for getting the full impact of WDIFL or any site
that has photos. This
website is graphic intense and enhanced for 1024 x 768 resolution set at True Color (24 or 32 bit) using the latest versions of Netscape or Internet
Explorer. (a good video card and DSL or cable modem will help
a lot!)
Windows Users: "Setting Colors". Click on
Start, click on Settings, chose Control Panel.
Click on Display, choose Settings. Choose True
Color (24 bit) or True Color (32 bit). While you're
here, you might want to reset your "Screen Area". Windows
default is 800 by 600 pixels (minimum for viewing this site).
If you slide the arrow up to 1024 by 768 pixels and commit that
setting you will gain desktop area and see a lot more of every
Webpage you visit. (If you're vision impaired, leave the default).
If your resolution is set to anything larger than the default
- move it UP to at least 800 x 600. When done, you may
have to readjust the contrast and brightness on your monitor
to suit your viewing taste.
For Windows users:
* Clicking on the Start
button
* Select Settings
* Select
Control Panel
* Double click on Display
*
The Display Properties window opens up
* Click
on the Settings tab at the top of the window
*
Take note of original resolution
* Move the screen
area bar by dragging it to the desired resolution.
For MAC users:
* Click the colored apple
in the top left corner
* Choose Control Panels
* Choose Monitor and Sound
* Take
note of original resolution
* On resolution, use
the drop down selector to set your resolution.
NOTE: - If
you haven't done so already, go to your local computer store
and get the free CD with the latest upgrade for AOL - this will
solve many of your problems out of the gate. If you want to fix
your older version - read on.
AOL Users: We strongly recommend you use Internet
Explorer or Netscape to browse our site. The internet browser
that comes with the AOL software may have trouble working with
plug-ins (such as Windows Media Player), which will cause problems
with some of our features. You should connect to AOL as you normally
do, then open Internet Explorer or Netscape separately. This
will not cost you any extra from AOL or our site.
Internet Explorer is installed
with most Windows operating systems and can be opened by clicking:
Start > Programs > Internet Explorer
AOL users: AOL thinks they are doing you a favor
by installing a graphics limiter in their browser. True, graphics
will load faster but they look terrible. To see what the photos
on WDIFL really look like follow the steps below:
Click on My AOL, then
click on Preferences, Click on WWW, click on tab
marked Web Graphics. Make sure the box marked "use
compressed graphics" is not selected, if there is
a check mark in the box, click on it to remove it and then click
on Apply at the bottom of the window.
Also under the Preferences
section is a tab marked Graphics, set maximum disk
space to use for online art to 200 megabytes.
Since AOL
has more problems than any other ISP - here are some more tips
for increasing its performance:
Below is a quick list of a few
things every Windows and AOL user should do at least once a month.
If you like, you can print this, and keep it near your computer.
If you suspect that your computer may be experiencing some difficulties,
these steps should be run immediately. Detailed descriptions
on these maintenance procedures are included below.
A. EMPTY YOUR AOL CACHE
B. BACK UP YOUR ADDRESS BOOK, FAVORITE PLACES
AND PERSONAL FILING CABINETS
C. CLEAN UP THE
HARD DRIVE
D. DEFRAGMENT YOUR HARD DRIVE
E. RESOURCES ON AOL
F. RESOURCES
& UPDATES AT MICROSOFT.COM
A. EMPTY YOUR AOL CACHE
NOTE: Sometimes browsing the
web gets a little sluggish. Deleting the web cache or stored
files can make a big difference. Below are the steps on how to
do that. Remember that you can do all of this through the toolbar
at the top of the AOL screen.
1. Click on MY AOL on the AOL
toolbar, then select PREFERENCES.
2. Select WWW from the options in the sidebar on the left (it's
the second from the top).
3. Click on DELETE FILES, located on the right side of the preferences
window, then click on OK.
NOTE: Although you may see the
spinning beach ball for a few seconds, if there are many files
being deleted, you may not see any obvious signs of activity.
Rest assured, it is working.
B. BACKING UP YOUR ADDRESS BOOK,
FAVORITE PLACES AND PERSONAL FILING CABINETS
NOTE: The Organize folder contains
all the Address Book entries, Favorite Places, and Personal Filing
Cabinet (PFC) information. If you make a copy of the Organize
folder, and save it somewhere other than the AOL Folder, you
can always restore your Address Book, Favorite Places and PFC
should the originals develop any problems. You can also put a
copy of the Organize folder on a disk and move it to a new computer.
1. Double-click on your My Computer
icon.
2. Double-click on the C: Drive.
3. Double-click on the AMERICA ONLINE folder.
4. Single-click on the Organize folder to highlight it, click
on EDIT on the menu, then select COPY.
5. Click on EDIT on the menu, then select PASTE.
NOTE: This will make a folder called Copy of Organize, which
will contain backups of the files you need. It will also contain
copies of several database files, which can get rather large,
and are automatically created by the AOL software. Continue with
the steps below to remove them.
6. Double-Click on the Copy of Organize folder.
7. Click the folder named Cache.
8. Click on File on the menu, then select Delete and answer Yes.
NOTE: Now you can move the "Copy of Organize" folder
to a safe place such as the desktop, or ZIP disk.
8. Close all open windows by clicking on the X in the upper right
hand corner of each window.
C. CLEAN UP THE HARD DRIVE
All sorts of programs place files
on your hard drive. Some are temporary files a program neglected
to clean up, others are copies and logs of changes made to your
system by programs such as Scandisk, and still others accumulate
as you surf the Internet. What do you do with all these files?
Windows 98 has a wonderful applet
called the Disk Cleanup Utility. This utility, found in the Start/Accessories/System
Tools folder, will help you rid your hard drive of useless space
wasting files. The applet is configurable and will let you specify
standard types of files it should delete, such as .TMP, .OLD,
.BKU, or any file type you supply. It will also clear your Internet
cache.
NOTE: For Advanced Users - the
advanced feature ties into the system, allowing you to remove
unwanted Windows component and to uninstall applications that
have registered themselves with Uninstall routines. With the
Disk Cleanup Utility, finding needed disk space will be a snap.
D. DEFRAGMENT YOUR HARD DRIVE
Disk Defragmenter rearranges files, storing each file in a block
of contiguous space on the hard drive, thus improving read and
write time to the disk. You can use Disk Defragmenter with any
hard drive or floppy disk that is attached to your system. You
can even use the Disk Defragmenter with hard drives that have
been compressed with DriveSpace.
To defragment your hard drive:
1. Open My Computer and right-click the icon for the drive you
want to defragment.
2. Choose Properties from the shortcut menu.
3. In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.
4. Click Defragment Now.
Disk Defragmenter looks at your
drive and tells you what percentage of its space is currently
fragmented. If the percentage is low, the program lets you know
that you don't need to bother defragmenting at this time. Of
course, you can go ahead and defragment anyway if you want to.
E. RESOURCES ON AOL
If you have any questions about America Online, please refer
to Keyword: HELP which will take you to our online technical
support.
You can also access the Microsoft
on AOL area where you can post on message boards, enter Windows-specific
chat rooms, and find other great information.
You can access this area by going to Keyword: Microsoft.
F. RESOURCES & UPDATES AT
MICROSOFT.COM
The Windows Update Manager Web Site is a valuable, centralized
web-based resource that gives registered Win98 users easy access
to the latest drivers, operating system files and more. This
user friendly website also allows you to take advantage of product
assistance with up-to-date information and answers to many "how-do-I-do?"
and "how-do-I-fix?" questions.
Once you have signed on to AOL
do the following to check for updates to your Windows 98 system:
1. Minimize America Online
2. Double click the Internet Explorer Icon (usually a blue 'e')
3. From the menu click on Tools and then click on Windows Update.
4. Follow the on screen instructions to update your Windows 98.
Microsoft technical support representatives
can also be reached at:
Standard Support: 1-425-635-7000 Internet Explorer Support: 1-425-635-7123
If you require more help or have
additional questions please feel free to take advantage of our
online One-on-One help and/or online help files.
Now that you've jumped through
more of AOLs hoops, here's another tip. Find another ISP. Every
area has several reliable hassle free ISPs who will give you
great service without the con. Yep, AOL is probably the greatest
fraud ever perpetrated on the web surfing American public. Their
#1 - absolute function is information gathering. Your name, credit
card yada yada. They make a TON of money not only selling your
information but also bombarding you with all those irritating
ads etc. The browser they use is Internet Explorer (IE) - yep,
good old Bill Gates. They have no stand alone programming. Do
yourself a huge favor and stop being a sheep. Check out your
local ISPs.
If DSL, cable or wireless modems
are available in your area we suggest you lose your archaic phone
modem and step up to high performance web surfing. With DSL for
example, buy the time you look at the first photo on a WDIFL
page, read the caption, the other 50 plus images will already
be loaded. You'll kick yourself for not getting high speed internet
sooner!
This
website is graphic intense and enhanced for 1024 x 768 resolution set at True Color (24 or 32 bit) using the latest versions of Netscape or Internet
Explorer. (a good video card and DSL or cable modem will help
a lot!) |
