No. EarthLink Accelerator doesn't require any special hardware or equipment. However, there are a few system requirements that are required in order to get the best experience while using this software. View the answer to the next question to see what the system requirements are.

The minimum system requirements are as follows:

PC System Requirements:

• Operating System: Windows 98 or later
• RAM: 128 MB
• Browsers: Internet Explorer 5 or later, Firefox, Mozilla, Opera

Mac System Requirements:

• Operating System: OSX 10.2 or later; 10.4 on Intel Mac
• RAM: 128 MB
• Browsers: Internet Explorer 5.2 or later, Safari 1.2 or later, Firefox, Mozilla

EarthLink Accelerator is included on the EarthLink Access Software that you were given upon signing up for EarthLink's dial-up service. If you no longer have the CD, you can download the software on EarthLink's website.

If the software installed properly, you will see an Accelerator icon in your system tray (located at the bottom-right corner of your desktop). If the software did not install properly, there will be a submenu item that will say Install EarthLink Accelerator. Select it and follow the directions on the screen to install.

If EarthLink Accelerator is not already running, you can start or restart the program from the Windows Start menu select: Start -> Programs -> {EarthLink Accelerator folder} -> Start EarthLink Accelerator.

EarthLink Accelerator speeds up the delivery and presentation of Web pages using a combination of compression and caching of text and graphics data, both at the PC and through the EarthLink Network. The result is a dramatic improvement in performance when you browse using a dial-up connection (or the equivalent). The benefits are especially pronounced when you are viewing dynamic HTML pages which are used by most popular Web sites.

EarthLink Accelerator improves delivery speeds for almost everything that's Web-based.
 

Select Performance Meter & Test Page from the EarthLink Accelerator menu. Here, you will find statistical data drawn from the browsing you have done over time. You'll also be able to run an Acceleration Test from the Performance Meter window. This testing tool allows you to exactly measure the amount of time it takes to load some popular Web pages with and without EarthLink Accelerator. Or you can use any Web address (URL) you choose.

It is good to keep in mind that EarthLink Accelerator only works on slow connections (200 Kbps or lower). If you have a firewall on a dial-up connection, it's possible that EarthLink Accelerator will work, depending on whether or not the firewall uses its own proxy server. If it does, then you may not be able to use EarthLink Accelerator with that connection. Running Diagnostics from the EarthLink icon menu will indicate whether you are successfully accessing the Internet through EarthLink Accelerator from your current connection. Chat with a representative if you have any questions about EarthLink Accelerator being compatible with your computer's firewall.

VPNs provide remote users with secure access to corporate Intranets. VPN traffic is usually encrypted. For this reason, EarthLink Accelerator will not speed up Web pages accessed over VPNs. However, EarthLink Accelerator automatically allows non-accelerated surfing of VPN pages. When EarthLink Accelerator is accessing VPN pages, a yellow triangle (similar to a yield sign) appears on the EarthLink Accelerator icon in the task bar to let you know that EarthLink Accelerator is temporarily unavailable. If you experience problems using a VPN connection when EarthLink Accelerator is active, chat with one of our representatives to get you up and running.

EarthLink Accelerator is designed to automatically start every time you start your PC. Thus, whenever you use your browser to access the Internet, EarthLink Accelerator will be available. If you need to start your computer without EarthLink Accelerator, follow these instructions:

1. Go into Advanced Options and de-select the Launch EarthLink Accelerator at Start-up checkbox.
2. Restart your computer.
3. Once your computer has fully booted, press Start, {EarthLink Accelerator program group}, and Start EarthLink Accelerator.

In the case of a significant upgrade, you will automatically be notified through your browser that a new version of EarthLink Accelerator is available. You can also confirm anytime that you have the most current version of EarthLink Accelerator by clicking on the EarthLink Accelerator icon, selecting About EarthLink Accelerator, and then clicking Check for Update.

The faster the acceleration, the lower the image quality. There are five graphics acceleration settings:
 

1. Minimum Speed (Highest Image Quality)—Maintains original image quality
   
2. Low—Reduces image quality very slightly
   
3. Medium—Reduces image quality slightly (default setting)
   
4. High—Reduces image quality moderately
   
5. Maximum Speed (Lowest Image Quality)—Reduces image quality significantly
   

Important: We recommend Medium because it improves your surfing speed significantly while only slightly reducing image quality. When using this setting, EarthLink Accelerator typically increases your experience between two and three times that of regular dial-up.

If you would like to maintain your original image quality, you can set the graphics setting to Minimum Speed and still surf significantly faster than regular dial-up.

Note: If you are using any setting besides Minimum Speed and wish to improve the quality of a graphic, you can hover over the graphic, right-click the mouse, and choose Refresh Picture with Full Quality, or you can select Refresh Page with Full Quality to improve the quality of all the graphics on the page at once

EarthLink Accelerator optimizes your dial-up connection but it is not comparable to DSL and cable Internet.

Not at all. EarthLink Accelerator automatically detects when you are on a high-speed connection (such as DSL or cable) and becomes inactive during those times. You may also notice a message that you aren't getting acceleration due to the use of a high-speed (greater than 200 kbps) connection.This allows you to switch back and forth between dial-up and high-speed Internet access without having to stop or otherwise adjust EarthLink Accelerator.