Can I use my existing dial up connection, or will I have to remake the connection?
TurboNet will work with your existing dial up connection. If you need assistance setting up a dial up connection, please contact your local ISP.
Note: TurboNet will work with your existing dial up connection as long as your ISP uses Windows standard dial up networking and does not use proprietary dial up. If it uses a proprietary dial-up, follow instructions that are in the TurboNet Read Me Documentation that installs with the product.
Does America Online work with TurboNet?
Although TurboNet works with virtually every browser available, recent programming changes made by AOL to its Version 8.0 browser preclude web accelerators, including TurboNet, from delivering speed benefits to (some) AOL users. TurboNet works with AOL versions 6.0 and 7.0 as well as in certain other scenarios.
We believe that there are many cost-effective access and browsing alternatives to AOL that, in combination with TurboNet, deliver the capabilities, quality of service and turbocharged performance that today's Internet users demand.
Does TurboNet use static or dynamic TCP/IP addresses?
The connection between your PC and the ISP must have a TCP/IP address in order to be a “member” of the Internet community. This is true regardless of whether TurboNet is being used or not.
TCP/IP addresses are assigned to each computer in one of two ways,statically or dynamically.
A static TCP/IP address is one where the address is more or less permanently assigned to your connection. Each time that you connect to the ISP, your address will always be the same. This is typically used if you are running a server and people on the Internet need to be able to be able to find it. The way in which they find it is by its address that therefore must always be the same.
A dynamic TCP/IP address is one where the address is given to your connection on a temporary basis, typically for the duration of your connection. This is most typical of a dial-up connection where an ISP has a “pool” of addresses and you are assigned one of those addresses from the pool. A dynamic address is nice in that it also provides a natural level of security for your computer. Since each time you connect you receive a different TCP/IP address, it is hard for a hacker to know which address belongs to your computer.
As far as TurboNet is concerned, the connection between your computer and your ISP can use either a dynamic or a static TCP/IP address. The type of address is immaterial, so long as you do have a TCP/IP address.
Can TurboNet take advantage of "Call Waiting"?
Yes. In order for TurboNet to offer an advantage for users with Call Waiting capabilities on their telephone line, they must be using modems that support the Call Waiting function.
How Call Waiting Works Today…
In its most basic sense, Call Waiting allows a person to be notified that there is an incoming call when they are already using the phone line for another purpose.
In the case of Internet usage, Call Waiting would allow a person to be surfing the Internet, and still be notified that a call is coming in. When the incoming call is picked up, the Internet connection is dropped. While inconvenient, especially if downloading large files, the point to be made is that “you won’t miss a call”. After completing the voice call, the user would then need to manually re-establish the connection to the Internet.
How does TurboNet's Shared Cache help?
A cache server collects copies of information that can be immediately available if required again. In the case of Internet access, having information stored locally in a cache means that time is not wasted going out to the Internet to retrieve information a second (third, fourth, etc.) time. Caching itself is not a new concept, in fact most browsers provide caching. Cache servers however bring caching into a shared environment where its usefulness is dramatically increased.
Typically, cached information is stored on a First-In, First-Out (FIFO) basis. This means that as newer information is added to the cache, the oldest information is pushed out if additional space is required. Intelligence is also built in to an Internet cache server so that the date and time of the information stored within the cache can be compared to the date and time of the information available on the Internet. This ensures the freshest copy of the information will always be presented to the user.
With TurboNet’s Shared Cache versus no cache, you can expect to see performance increases of up to 300% (as found in independent studies). How about other proxy/caching servers? They also provide a benefit over not using a cache. However, that same independent study found that TurboNet's Shared Cache is the highest performing cache when compared against those found in other proxy servers.
I can't connect using TurboNet Software, but I can connect with just a regular dial up.
Make sure all the dial-up settings are correctly entered. If the dial-up works with TurboNet shut down, then it would seem to be an issue with TurboNet. Again, the first thing to check is the proxy settings. Make sure they are set to go through TurboNet. Also make sure you have your line 1 set up to the correct dial-up account that you are trying to use. It should not be set to (None). If you are unsure of the correct settings, contact your local ISP, and they can assist you in checking your dial-up configuration.
How do I uninstall TurboNet?
TurboNet provides an uninstall capability to remove the software. Directories and registry settings that were created/modified during the Setup process will be removed. This uninstall capability is available either by the TurboNet uninstall feature or the standard Windows Add/Remove Programs utility in the Control Panel.
To uninstall TurboNet from Start Programs, simply follow these steps:
1. Make sure that TurboNet is not running.(No crome orb in the bottom right hand corner)
2. Go to Windows / Start / Programs / TurboNet / Uninstall TurboNet.
3. Click on Uninstall TurboNet.
4. When the uninstall setup screen appears, click on uninstall TurboNet.
5. This will remove TurboNet from your pc.
To uninstall from the Windows Control Panel, follow these steps:
1. Click the Windows Start button and select Settings|Control Panel.
2. Double-click on the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel.
3. Find the entry for the specific TurboNet product that you want to uninstall from the list box displayed by the Add/Remove Programs application. Highlight your selection by clicking on the appropriate program to remove.
4. Click the Add/Remove… button at the bottom of the dialog box. You will be asked to verify that you wish to remove the selected program. If appropriate, click “Yes”. This launches an application to remove TurboNet from your PC.
NOTE: You may receive a message indicating that all components could not be removed from your system. This typically indicates that Windows has some of TurboNet’s .DLLs loaded in memory. The next time that you restart your computer, the uninstall process will have been completed.
Can I stop TurboNet from terminating my ISP connection?
By default, on connections using Dial-Up Networking, TurboNet will disconnect if it detects that there has been no activity on the connection for a period of 10 minutes. This is a configurable option that is set in TurboNet’s Connection Settings. You can increase the amount of time that the connection must be idle before TurboNet will disconnect or you can disable this option entirely.
One further note is that your ISP may also have a limit on the amount of idle time or total connect time that they allow. If this is the case, no matter what you have configured within TurboNet’s Connection Settings, the ISP can terminate the connection as they deem appropriate.
Does TurboNet support Internet content control?
Yes. TurboNet supports two commonly used Internet content control systems. Both “PICS”, the Platform for Internet Content Selection, and “VCR”, the Voluntary Content Rating system, are supported by TurboNet.
In addition, TurboNet provides a site-blocking feature that allows you to define a list of sites that will be filtered from view. Alternatively, TurboNet can be set up to only allow access to the sites that you specify in this list.
What does the "Speed Test" button do?
The Speed Test button launches your web browser and connects you to a special web site where the TurboNet Speed Test is run. A web page will be loaded into your browser showing two sample banner ads, a .JPG graphics file, a .GIF graphics file, compressible text and highly compressible text – all elements that might comprise a standard web page. As these elements are retrieved, the TurboNet Speed Test calculates how long it takes to retrieve these elements.
Once the web page has been fully displayed, you will be shown your results. If you would like to see what your performance to the same web page on the same connection would be without TurboNet, press the “Retest without TurboNet Optimizations” button. Upon completion, the TurboNet Speed Test will show you your “multiplier” – that is, how many times faster your connection is with TurboNet verses without.
Do I have to give up my current ISP?
No. TurboNet is not an Internet Service Provider (ISP), and therefore does not replace your current ISP. You continue to use the same Internet service in the same way that you have been using it. Regardless of whether it is a local ISP or a nationwide ISP such as Earthlink, AOL or MSN, TurboNet will work with it. Even the “free” ISPs such as NetZero and Juno work fine with TurboNet. Whatever you use to connect you to the Internet, TurboNet will help you to browse faster on it.
What is a "Firewall"?
In its most basic definition, a firewall is a barrier between your PC and the Internet. Regardless of whether you are using a dial-up or a broadband connection such as cable or DSL, the moment you connect to the Internet, your PC becomes vulnerable to attack. This is due to the fact that your PC becomes “registered” on the Internet with its own unique address called a TCP/IP address. Using this address, unscrupulous individuals on the Internet can get into your computer to get at your resources and/or data – unless of course you are running a firewall.
To best understand the firewall, a brief understanding of TCP/IP addresses and TCP/IP ports is required. This is most easily accomplished with an illustration. Let’s assume that your PC is an apartment building – a large building with many people, each living in their own apartment. If someone wanted to send a package to one of these people living within your apartment building, they would have to specify the postal address that gets the package to the proper building in the proper town. The postal address equates to the TCP/IP address. Now that the courier is at the correct building, he needs to deliver the package to the appropriate person within the building. For that, they read the apartment number off of the delivery label on the package. The apartment number equates to TCP/IP port numbers.
To summarize, your PC has a unique TCP/IP address that allows it to be found on the Internet. Within that TCP/IP address, there are many TCP/IP ports – in fact there are 65,535 TCP/IP ports.
A hacker or other individual looks for the easy target. They start by running a program called a “port scanner” or “port probe”. This program simply tries to communicate with a TCP/IP address to see if a computer responds. If so, the port scanner then begins trying each of the 65,535 TCP/IP ports at that TCP/IP address looking to see if one is “open”, the equivalent of an unlocked door. If found, the port scanner program alerts the hacker so that they may then try to come though this open door and look around or cause trouble.
Can TurboNet's Site Blocking feature block banner ads?
Yes. As part of TurboNet’s Content Control features, a capability exists to instruct TurboNet to refuse requests to certain Internet URLs. This capability, called “Site Blocking”, is ordinarily used to prevent users from accessing pornographic or unproductive sites.
Site Blocking does not interrogate the content of any site, it simply denies access to that site. Therefore, something as common as banner advertisements can also be blocked. Let’s say that you frequent a particular web site. The delays in receiving the web page due to the receipt of banner advertisements can be annoying. You can provide a list of the banner advertisement URLs to TurboNet and have them blocked from retrieval. You will note that you will have an ‘x’ placeholder where the banner advertisement would have been, but you will have received your web pages in less time.
Using TurboNet’s GETSITES utility (available on the TurboNet CD or from TurboNet's web site), or by viewing TurboNet’s activity log, you can create a list of sites that have been visited. From this list, locate the banner advertisements and cut them to the Window’s clipboard. You can then paste them into the SITES.TXT file that is used by TurboNet’s Site Blocking facility.
Bring up the Site Blocking dialog box and select the checkbox “Use Web Site Blocking”. You can review and/or add to the file SITES.TXT from this dialog box as well.
What does the "Connection Options" do?
TurboNet will configure itself to work with the way that you use the Internet. In order to do this, TurboNet needs to know the type of web browser you use and your method for connecting to the Internet. During Setup, you answered these questions already. If your environment has changed since then, the Connections Options allow you to update TurboNet with this information.
What does TurboNet's "cache" do?
TurboNet keeps copies of frequently visited web pages (both text and graphics) locally on your PC in an area called a “cache”. This allows for near instantaneous display of a web page that you had recently visited since it only needs to come from the cache rather than being pulled across the Internet from the original web server.
Unlike some products, TurboNet is extremely careful to follow the Internet standards to make sure that if the contents of a web page in your local cache is older than the one available on the web server, the version from the web server will always be retrieved. This insures that you are always looking at current information.
TurboNet has a two phase First-In, First-Out (FIFO) cache, part located in your PC’s RAM memory for super-fast access, and part located on your PC’s hard disk. The FIFO nature of the cache means that if the space allocated to the RAM cache fills up, then older data (images and web pages) is moved down into the disk cache/ This allows newer data to always be placed into the RAM cache as it comes in. If the disk cache fills up, then older data is thrown away. This FIFO feature insures that you don’t use up all of your RAM or disk space.
The TurboNet Network contains numerous caches with features similar to those described above. Having both a local cache in TurboNet on your PC as well as caching on the TurboNet Network increases the odds that your requested web page can be delivered much faster to you without the need to go all of the way to the web server.
Explain what the TurboNet Ultra Secure Firewall settings mean.
The following information will help you to use the Ultra-Secure Firewall feature.
Enable Ultra-Secure Firewall – if enabled, TurboNet will protect your PC from receiving unsolicited inbound access attempts.
[DEFAULT: enabled]
Enable remote support – if enabled, TurboNet’s Technical Support staff can view/change settings in your copy of TurboNet to help you resolve an issue that you have reported. It should be noted that nothing else on your PC is accessible to TurboNet’s Technical Staff other than your copy of TurboNet and its settings. If this option is disabled, even TurboNet’s Technical Support staff will be unable to access your PC.
[DEFAULT: enabled]
Port Definitions – this is a list of the TCP/IP ports that have been opened on your PC for unsolicited inbound access. The Port # column shows the TCP/IP port or range of ports that you have assigned to the specific port definition. The Port Name column is the name that you have assigned to the specific port definition.
What do I need to get started with TurboNet?
Before installing TurboNet, you need to ask yourself one simple question: Can I connect my PC to the Internet and surf the web with a web browser?
If your answer is:
“Yes” – then you are ready to install TurboNet and make your web browsing faster than it ever has been before.
“No” – then you should not install TurboNet yet. Since TurboNet enhances web browsing over your Internet connection, there is little sense to installing TurboNet until you are sure that you have a functioning Internet connection. If you do not yet have an Internet access account, contact an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to get one. The ISP will assist in getting your PC connected to their service using your dial-up modem, DSL modem or other device.
Explain the "System Settings" screen.
TurboNet System Settings allow you to configure the interaction of TurboNet with Windows. The available settings are:
Run at system startup – if enabled, TurboNet will be automatically started when Windows starts. This insures that when you are surfing the web, TurboNet will be available to speed up your access.
[DEFAULT: enabled]
Startup minimized – if enabled, TurboNet will start up and run in the Windows System Tray so that it does not take up any space on your Windows Desktop. If you wish to see the Status console, simply click on the TurboNet icon in the Windows System Tray and select “Open Status Console”.
[DEFAULT: disabled]
Always on top – if enabled, when the Status console is open, it will remain visible at all times by sitting in front of any other applications running on your Windows desktop. This is useful if you wish to see the Status console while you are using your web browser.
[DEFAULT: disabled]
What is "Today's Daily Log" all about?
As you use TurboNet, a log of your activity is created. This can be used in the event that you encounter a problem and need technical assistance.
Each day, TurboNet starts a new Daily Log, and saves the previous Daily Log in your TurboNet folder with a name such as 04-21-03.LOG (using the format mm-dd-yy.LOG). After a Daily Log has been kept for three days, it will be automatically deleted from your PC.
How do I correct an" IKernel.exe 0x00163b60" error in Win XP?
Ikernel Application Error Instruction at 0x771c741a
Problem
When installing software on a Windows XP machine with service pack 1 and Windows XP Hotfix Q328310 applied, the following error might occur:
The instruction at "0x00163b60". The memory could not be "read". Click OK to terminate the program. More Information The Window XP Hot Fix Q328310 conflicts with the InstallShield Professional engine because a call to the Win32 API FreeLibrary does not execute as expected.
Fix
1. Go to the Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 329623 download page. 2. Click on the Download link on the right side of the page. 3. To install the download, read the Instructions at the bottom of this page.
The above fix should address the issue, however, there may be some cases when this will not work. If this is the case, there is another workaround which involves temporarily uninstalling the problematic Windows XP Hotfix. The following steps explain how to uninstall the Windows XP Hotfix Q328310.
1. Click Start > Control Panel.
2. Choose Add or Remove Programs.
3. Select the entry that reads Windows XP Hotfix (SP2) Q328310.
4. Click Remove.
5. Click Next to begin the Windows XP Q328310 uninstall wizard.
6. Select Yes, when prompted with a warning asking if you want to continue.
7. Click Finish.
8. The system automatically reboots.
9. Try installing the application, the error should not occur.
It is not recommended to uninstall any Windows XP Hotfix, however it may be necessary to successfully install the application. It is very important to remember to reinstall the Windows XP Hotfix after the installation has completed successfully. The following steps explain how to reinstall the Windows XP Hotfix Q328310.
1. Click Start > All Programs > Windows Update.
2. On the left hand side under WIndows Update expand Pick updates to install.
3. Select Critical Updates and Service Packs.
4. Find the entry titled 328310: Security Update
5. Make sure that this item has been selected (i.e, the Add button is disabled).
6. Select Review and install updates.
7. Click the Install Now button to reinstall the Windows XP Hotfix Q328310.
Do I need to install any new hardware?
No. TurboNet works with whatever you use to connect to the Internet today. Even if you have a ten year old dial-up modem, if you can still get to the Internet using it, TurboNet will work with it. Dial-up modems, DSL modems, cable modems – they all work with TurboNet. Nothing new to buy, no new hardware to install – what could be easier?
What is "Ad Blocking"?
It is not uncommon to see many advertisements displayed that have nothing to do with the web page that you are visiting. These advertisements, commonly called “banner ads” are not only annoying, they can also dramatically slow down the delivery of the actual web page that you want to see. This is due to the fact that the banner ads are often delivered from “ad servers” located somewhere else on the Internet rather than from the server that you are trying to visit.
TurboNet provides an Ad Blocking feature which stops a great many of these ads from slowing you down. Here is how it works: When the web page that you are retrieving requests additional graphics, TurboNet looks at the name of the web server and compares it to your list of “known” ad servers. If it is in this list, then TurboNet will not retrieve the requested graphic. In its place, TurboNet will insert a clear or white image so that your browser thinks it received what it had asked for.
TurboNet even comes with a starter list of known ad servers. Since new ad servers go online every day, the TurboNet’s Ad Blocking feature is designed to allow you to easily add servers into the list. If for some reason, you feel that TurboNet is blocking information from a server that you want to receive, you can quickly and permanently remove the server’s name from the Ad Blocking list.
You will be amazed at the performance gained by using the Ad Blocking feature. Of course, you may also enjoy the side benefit of not having to see those annoying ads.
How do I minimize TurboNet?
In order to be effective, TurboNet just needs to be running – it does not need to be in front of you taking up space on the Windows Desktop. Since the TurboNet System Tray icon shows the current state (Enabled, Disabled or Waiting) by mirroring the Status Orb, you can tell what TurboNet is doing simply by glancing at the Windows System Tray (as shown below).
You can have TurboNet run minimized by clicking on the “X” button on the Status Console. This removes TurboNet from the Windows Desktop and leaves it running in the Windows System Tray. Alternatively, from TurboNet’s Options Console, you can choose “Startup Minimized” and click OK. This causes TurboNet to automatically run minimized in the Windows System Tray when it starts up.
If you click on the TurboNet icon in the Windows System Tray, you will be presented with a pop-up menu. This menu contains commonly accessed functions. Notably, you can open the Status Console from here.
Explain TurboNet's three "Status Console" states.
By default, TurboNet’s Status Console is displayed when it is running. There are three possible “states” that TurboNet may be in. These are described in more detail below.
Waiting – TurboNet is in the “waiting” state when it is running and waiting for an Internet connection. You should connect to the Internet in whatever manner you had done prior to installing TurboNet. TurboNet will detect the Internet connection and transition itself to the Enabled state (described below).
Visually, you will notice the chrome Status Orb with a blinking maroon lightning bolt. The TurboNet icon in the Windows System Tray mirrors the look of the Status Orb. The Status indicators (with the exception of the Firewall) are red.
Enabled – TurboNet is in the “enabled” state when it has detected your Internet connection and has established a connection to the TurboNet Network. It is now able to provide you with a faster web browsing experience.
Visually, you will notice the chrome Status Orb with a green lightning bolt. The TurboNet icon in the Windows System Tray mirrors the look of the Status Orb. The Status Indicators are green. If TurboNet is actively processing a request from your browser, the Status Orb and System Tray icon will rotate.
Disabled – TurboNet is in the “disabled” state when you press the Disable button. When in the disabled state, TurboNet is not providing any performance enhancements to your web browsing, although you are still protected by TurboNet’s firewall.
Visually, you will notice the red Status Orb, and the disabled (grayed out) Status Indicators. The TurboNet icon in the Windows System Tray mirrors the look of the Status Orb.
The only time you should use the Disable feature is when connecting to a web site or service which does not support the browser’s “Proxy Server” function. Since TurboNet utilizes that feature to communicate with the browser, you cannot have TurboNet enabled while visiting those sites.
Press the Enable button to return to the Enabled state.
What is "Site Blocking"?
If you have children, it is hard not to worry about what they might see when surfing on the Internet. Most web browsers offer some assistance by supporting a standard known as the Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS). This relies on the creators of web pages to put a hidden “tag” into their web pages to denote the type of content that it contains. Unfortunately, not all web site operators use these tags, so it is possible that undesirable content may find its way to your browser. Further to that, the use of PICS relies upon the web page being retrieve to your PC so that it can be examined looking for these tags. Retrieving a web page only to decide not to display it is a waste of time and bandwidth.
TurboNet offers a feature to augment the PICS support in your browser. It is a Site Blocking list – a list of sites that you want to prohibit users on your computer from accessing. Here is how it works: When a web page is requested by your browser, TurboNet looks at the name of the web server and compares it to your list of “known” sites to block. If it is in this list, then TurboNet will not retrieve the web page. In its place, TurboNet will display a page indicating that the requested site has been blocked.
In addition to blocking offensive web pages, TurboNet’s Site Blocking has a distinct speed advantage over the method used by PICS. TurboNet stops the request for a web page before it ever leaves your PC. This eliminates the wait to retrieve the page only to find it should not be displayed. This also keeps your bandwidth available for the web pages that you do want to see. This makes Site Blocking yet another of TurboNet’s performance boosting features.
What is "mouse-over help"?
If you need a quick hint on virtually anything within TurboNet’s user interface, all you need to do is to move your mouse pointer over the item. You don’t even have to click on the item, just point at it for a moment or two and a pop-up Help window will appear with a brief explanation. After several seconds, the pop-up Help window will disappear. For more in-depth Help, use the “?” at the top of the TurboNet Status or Options consoles.
What does the "X" button do in the "Options" window?
The Close button closes the current TurboNet window. If you are on one of the Options windows, the “X” button closes the Options window and returns you to TurboNet’s main window. If you are on TurboNet’s main window, clicking the “X” button closes the main window leaving TurboNet running in the Windows System Tray (the area in the bottom right-hand area of your Windows Desktop. It is important to understand that the “X” button does not exit TurboNet, it just closes the main window. Therefore, TurboNet will continue to provide its performance benefits to you – you just don’t have to look at the main window.
If you decide you wish to exit TurboNet, this can be done by clicking on the TurboNet icon in the Windows System Tray and selecting Exit from the pop-up menu.
What is the "Options" button for?
The Options button displays the Options console. From there you can select the type of options that you want to review and/or change. This includes choices such as General Options, Performance Options, Ad Blocking, Site Blocking and more. While on any of the Options consoles, you can click the “?” button to get Help specific to the options you are reviewing.
