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Online access can be very slow during hours of peak usage, usually 6 p.m. to midnight, Eastern Time. Minimize waiting time by dialing in early in the morning or late at night. Normal working hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) are busier, but still less hectic than the evening. Traffic also varies by day. For some reason, most services are busiest on Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Most online services charge by the hour, so reducing your connect time can result in big savings. A fast modem is the best option, but there are other factors to consider.
A modem link is only as fast as the slowest modem in the chain. Find out if your online service offers high-speed connections in your area.
Determine whether faster access is worth it. Some services charge more for high-speed connections. Calculate whether the reduced connect time offsets the higher per-hour charge.
Consider how you work online. If you spend a lot of time downloading files, you'll see greater benefits from a faster connection. The faster you can move data through the modem, the better. But if you spend most of your time reading messages, fast access may not matter. After all, you can only read so fast, no matter how quickly your modem delivers the text.
Try accessing your service via the Internet rather than local phone numbers. CompuServe, America Online (AOL) and the Microsoft Network (MSN) also allow you to connect to them via the Internet. If your computer has either a dial-up or a direct Internet connection, this alternative access method may be faster, more reliable and more economical. WinCIM (CompuServe's Windows-based interface program) and WAOL (the Windows-based interface program supplied by AOL) support the Winsock standard, which means they can use WINSOCK.DLL to automatically make their Internet connection.
Users of older telecom programs can make the Internet connection too, with a nifty shareware program called COMt. COMt simulates a Hayes-compatible modem connected to a serial port but actually uses WINSOCK.DLL to connect your program to the Internet. COMt, from Performance Designs, costs $15.95 and is available from the WinMag Online areas listed on page 18.
Whenever possible, avoid reading mail and messages, and composing replies, while online. Instead, download batches of e-mail and forum messages. Catch up on your reading once you've logged off.
Learn how to make a high-speed AOL connection at Keyword Highspeed. AOL serves most regions at 9600 bps and 14,400 bps and now has several 28,800 bps sites in operation.
Keep up with AOL's newest features by making sure your WAOL is current at Keyword Upgrade. The latest version is 2.5, which includes the World Wide Web browser. The program and download connect time are free.
WAOL's built-in decompressor can't spot a corrupted or incomplete file. If your download failed, WAOL blindly attempts to decompress it anyway. AOL's Download Preferences default is to delete downloaded archives after decompression. To keep your archives, disable WAOL's autoremoval option by selecting Set Preferences from the Members menu, then click on the Download button on the Preferences window. Remove the checkmark in the box labeled "Delete ZIP and ARC files after decompression."
Set your favorite places in the Go To menu by selecting Edit Favorite Places from that menu. Add your own description of each forum in the left-hand column and the forum's keyword in the right-hand column. When you're done, click on Save Changes.
AOL has made it easy to obtain credit for time spent on failed downloads and other problems. Go to Keyword Credit and indicate the time you were connected, the type of problem you encountered and how much connect time was lost.
Download large batches of files and set up the system to automatically log you off AOL when the job's done. When browsing through files, select Download Later rather than Download Now. When you're ready to start downloading all the files you've selected, go to the Download Manager from the File menu. You'll see a dialog box like the one in Figure 6. Press Start Download and once downloading has started, it will continue until it's finished or you press the Cancel button. Place a check mark in the box labeled Sign Off After Transfer, and WAOL will automatically log your account off once the downloads are complete.
CompuServe/WinCIM
Lost some important data? Just GO PCFF and try the PC File Finder. Double-click on any of the search criteria (Keyword, Submission Date, Forum Name, File Type, File Extension, File Name and File Submitter), provide the requested information, then double-click on Display Selected Titles.
Did you lose your connection to CompuServe right before that 2MB download finished? You can get credit for time spent during a failed download by sending a message to CompuServe customer service. Enter GO FEEDBACK.
Are you using the latest version of WinCIM, CompuServe's graphical interface? Periodically check the download forum at GO WINCIM, where you can find the latest version.
Experiment with posting messages and uploading and downloading files. Veteran users at CompuServe's Practice Forum (GO PRACTICE) are ready to help at no charge.
Get some sleep while your computer does all the dirty download work with WinCIM's Mark & Retrieve feature. When you see an interesting file, click on Mark instead of Retrieve. When you're finished browsing, select Retrieve Marked from WinCIM's Library menu. Place a check mark in the box labeled Disconnect when Done, then click on the Retrieve All button.
WinCIM allows you to mark and retrieve forum messages and e-mail, allowing you to download text and read it offline at your leisure. But there are several alternative programs that are even better. If you really want to cut costs but not convenience, check out these programs:
CSNav (CompuServe Navigator). To download, GO CSNAV.Price: $20, including $10 usage credit.
NavCIS Pro for Windows. To download, GO DVORAK.Price: $69; a limited-capability version, called NavCIS SE, is free.
TapCIS. To download, GO TAPCIS. Price: $79. This is a DOS program, but will run under Windows.
Create shortcuts to your favorite MSN areas with drag-and-drop. To create a shortcut to an MSN item, drag the folder from the MSN window to your desktop. For some reason, MSN doesn't allow you to drag and drop for message shortcuts. Instead, right-click on the message's entry in the folder's message list, then select Create Shortcut from the pop-up menu that appears.
MSN provides toolbars that put the service's most commonly used features at your fingertips. Unfortunately, the toolbar option is turned off by default. To turn it on, click on the Tools menu from any MSN window containing a menu bar and make sure Toolbars is checked.
As you explore MSN, don't forget your right mouse button. Clicking it while pointing to various icons and text will cause context-sensitive pop-up menus to appear. You can even right-click on the tiny MSN icon that appears near the right end of your taskbar, next to the time of day. This icon's pop-up menu contains several of MSN's most common tasks, including Send Mail, Find, Go To MSN Central, Go To Favorite Places, Go To specified folder and Sign Out.
Check out the properties of the various folders and other items you find for all sorts of interesting information. To display properties, right-click on the item you want to investigate, then select Properties from the pop-up menu.
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