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AOL USERS REPORT TWO PROBLEMS:
[1] Graphics and / or images appear dark, black, and murky-looking; sometimes graphics and / or images have dark horizontal bands across them; sometimes graphics and / or images do not appear at all. AOL utilizes their own proprietary 'compression' software which takes .gif and .jpg image files, and 'squeezes' them into smaller sizes (part of that compression is to convert these standard image and graphic files to .art files). This compression software alters a website's image files, often rendering them unviewable.
[2] Website updates do not register on a timely basis. AOL 'caches' webpages internally (on their servers) in their proprietary compressed format to 'speed up' Internet access for its users. The first AOL user of the day to access a particular website provides the website files (pages, text, images) which AOL then stores internally. Subsequent AOL users visiting the same site access that first user's information, not the actual webpages and graphics on a particular website. (If a site is updated mid-morning, AOL users won't see those changes until AOL refreshes their cached files – later in the day or the following day.)
THE SOLUTION:
Both issues can be solved when AOL users 'turn off' the compression feature. With the compression turned off, AOL users will directly access the websites and graphics (and not use the AOL 'cached' webpages or AOL compressed images).
| Instructions for changing the compression setting for AOL. Your particular version may be slightly different. Note that you do NOT have to be connected to AOL to do the following – when the LOGON screen appears for your user ID and password, just proceed to the following: |
| 1. |
At the top/middle of your AOL screen, look for the "MY AOL" icon. Click on the icon. AOL 6.0 users click on "SETTINGS". |
| 2. |
A menu will appear. Click on "PREFERENCES". |
| 3. |
A box will appear containing multiple blue icons. Look for the blue icon with a large yellow 'W' in the center, and a "WWW" underneath ("INTERNET PROPERTIES"). Click on the icon. |
| 4. |
Options will appear, as will some tabs. Click on the tab labeled "GENERAL". |
| 5. |
Toward the center "TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES" will appear. Click on the "DELETE" button. (This will clear out all of the old images out of the 'cache' file which is stored on your hard drive. Wait – this may take a few seconds...) |
| 6. |
Look for the tab labeled "WEB GRAPHICS" and click on that tab. |
| 7. |
Click on the check mark next to "USE COMPRESSED GRAPHICS". The presence of a checkmark in that box means the 'compressed graphics option' is turned 'on' in your machine, and that is the default setting when you install AOL. You want to turn that option 'off' by having the check mark box be blank / empty. In AOL 6.0 select "Never Compress Graphics". Click the "OK" button to close the window. |
| 8. |
Exit out of AOL as you normally do. Then re-enter AOL, and go to our homepage to see if the problem has been solved. |
Following is a link to AOL where they explain this: http://webmaster.info.aol.com/
On the left side menu on that page, click on 'Graphic Info' and on the next page, click on 'AOL Compression' ...or you can go to the specific webpage which describes the AOL image compression at: http://webinfo.aol.com/article.cfm?section=2&article=13.
Users experiencing these problems are running AOL version 4.0, 5.0 or 6.0 for Windows 95/98 (AOL utilizes Microsoft's Internet Explorer versions 4.0, 5.0 or 5.5 web browser). Weblinks below note that these problems also occur with other versions of AOL, including versions for Apple Macs.
Note to Microsoft's Internet Explorer users of version 4.0, 5.0 or 5.5: This problem is not caused within the Microsoft browser software. The 'compression' that causes this problem is unique to AOL and runs on top of the Microsoft web browser.
Other websites note this problem and also have instructions on how to turn off AOL's image compression.
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,57988,pg,3,00.asp
http://attila.stevens-tech.edu/alumni/browser_compatibility.htm
http://www.sinnettbuilders.com/AOL-Users.htm
http://internationalbusinesscouncil.org/browser_compatibility.cfm
http://www.electric-weddings.com/html/aol.html
http://www.shomler.com/aol_disc.htm
http://www.3dphoto.net/stereo/text/aol_users/aol_disclaimer.html
http://www.afterimagegallery.com/aol.htm
http://www.safran-arts.com/aol.html
http://www.ghh.com/html/aol_image_compression.html
http://www.baileymyers.com/aol.htm
http://www.macresource.com/mrp/contributions/1998/6_18.shtml
Taken from: http://www.surfnetinc.com/chuck/aol.htm (last updated August 10, 2001)
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