Important Notice For Users Of AOL
AOL software often installs with a setting which will cause web graphics to download very blurry or distorted. Unless the setting is changed, many company logos, photo scans, backgrounds, etc. will appear to be of a low quality or even corrupt. I personally contacted AOL tech support to find out the cause of this problem. They were most helpful and provided some simple instructions to solve it. The process should take 2 - 3 minutes to complete, but will make a huge difference in how you view the World Wide Web with AOL's browser.
Instructions below are for Windows 95 and Windows 3.1. Mac users will need to contact AOL tech support @ (800) 827-3338 for instructions.
Instructions for Windows 95/98/Me
(You may want to print these instructions before starting the process).1. Sign on to AOL,
2. Click the Globe icon to open the World Wide Web Browser.
3. Above the Address Window, find the "prefs" button and click(It's located between the "Search" and "Home" buttons in AOL version 3.0). This will open a window with a heading of "AOL Internet Properties". At the top of the window, there are areas to choose from(such as "General", "Security", "Content", Programs", "Advanced" and "Web Graphics"). Click on the "Web Graphics" tab.
4. The box that says "Use Compressed Graphics" should NOT be checked. Uncheck that box if it is checked. (Some versions have a box that says "Use Uncompressed Graphics" instead. If so, the "Use Uncompressed Graphics" box should be checked.) . Click OK.
5. Again, Above the Address Window, find the "prefs" button and click(It's located between the "Search" and "Home" buttons in AOL version 3.0). This will reopen "AOL Internet Properties".
6. This time choose "General"(under AOL Internet Properties). There is a section about "Temporary Internet Files". It says that "Pages you view on the Internet are stored in a special folder for quick viewing later". Click the Button that says "Delete Files". (If you've browsed the web for a period of time and have never done this before, it may take a minute or so for all the files to be deleted.) Click OK.
7. Close the Web Browser (You shouldn't have to sign off, but you do have to close the browser before the new settings will take effect. In a small percentage of computers, it will be necessary to sign off, then re-sign on before the Browser will begin to download the graphics properly. )
8. Now, Click on the globe again to reopen the browser.
If you're graphics are still blurry, check the "Web Graphics" setting again and be sure that the "Use Compressed Graphics" box is not checked, or that "Use Uncompressed Graphics" is checked. If your setting is correct, you'll need to sign off of AOL and re-sign on( a small percentage of computers will need to do this). If your setting is still incorrect or you haven't deleted the files in the "Temporary Internet Files" Folder, you'll have to repeat the process or you will continue to view blurry or unclear graphics from the Web.Another alternative is to download
or
.
After you sign on to AOL, just open your Microsoft or Netscape browser to view the World Wide Web.
Click
the "Back" button on your browser to return to the previous page.