Sonic.net Accelerator FAQ (Windows)

The questions and answers presented here address potential problems with the Windows version of the Sonic.net Accelerator.

Questions Listing

1. I downloaded Sonic.net Accelerator but it did not install
2. I cannot open the Sonic.net Accelerator file
3. I do not see the small Sonic.net Accelerator icon in the taskbar
4. I do not see alternating arrows on the Sonic.net Accelerator icon when I surf
5. Sonic.net Accelerator was working, and then the icon disappeared or stopped accelerating.
6. Why am I seeing degraded graphics after installing Sonic.net Accelerator?
7. How does Sonic.net Accelerator work with Firefox?
8. Does the Sonic.net Accelerator require Sonic.net service?
9. Does the Sonic.net Accelerator include spyware?
10. To download or update Sonic.net Accelerator, click here
11. If you are looking to see if your other software on your PC is compatible with Sonic.net Accelerator, click here
12. If none of these apply, please run Diagnostics and system information and send an email with the results to  support@sonic.net.

Answers Listing

1. I downloaded Sonic.net Accelerator but it did not install

   When you clicked the Download Now button, you were prompted to open or save the file. If you saved the file, after the download completes, you need to locate the file propelsetup.exe and open it to begin the installation. If you cannot locate the file, download it again. Log into your account and select the link to download Sonic.net Accelerator.

2. I cannot open the Sonic.net Accelerator file

   If you get an Invalid win32 application error when you try to open the file, you need to delete the file and download it again. The file was not completely downloaded, which caused the file size to be smaller than the original source file.

   If you see a box with a list of applications to open the file, it's possible that the file extension .exe was somehow lost from the Sonic.net Accelerator installation file. You can easily check and add the .exe if needed. Right-click on the file and select rename to add the .exe file extension.

3. I do not see the small Sonic.net Accelerator icon in the taskbar

   First see if Sonic.net Accelerator was successfully installed. Click Start, then Programs. Do you see Sonic.net Accelerator? If you do not see Sonic.net Accelerator in the menu, it is not installed. Click here for download instructions.

   If you do see it, you may have some firewall software running that is prevents Sonic.net Accelerator from loading until you register Sonic.net Accelerator with the personal firewall software. Click Start, then Programs to see if you have personal firewall software installed on your system. Click here for firewall configuration instructions.

4. I do not see alternating arrows on the Sonic.net Accelerator icon when I surf

   As part of the acceleration process, Sonic.net Accelerator uses a proxy server on your computer. A proxy server is a local program that manages Web traffic to and from your browser. The proxy server is configured in your browser. If the proxy server is not configured correctly in the browser, you may not be able to browse. See the steps that follow to check the configuration.

   • Internet Explorer

     1. Click the small blue propeller icon and select Options. Choose the Advanced tab. Write down the port number. Click Cancel.
     2. From Internet Explorer select Tools -> Internet Options. Then choose the Connections tab and select the connection you are using. Click Settings.
     3. Select the "Use a proxy server for this connection" check box if it is not already selected. Then select the Advanced tab.
     4. Make sure that the proxy address for the HTTP port address is set to "localhost" (no quotes) and the port is set to the port number found in step one. Click OK. Now test to see if Sonic.net Accelerator is working.
     5. You can verify that Sonic.net Accelerator is working when:
     6. The Sonic.net Accelerator icon (blue propeller icon near the system clock) shows moving arrows when you browse the Internet.

   • Netscape

     1. Click the small blue propeller icon in the taskbar and select Options. Then choose the Advanced tab. Write down the port number. Click Cancel.
     2. Click the Netscape Edit menu and select Preferences.
     3. Double-click the Advanced category.
     4. Click Proxies.
     5. Click View [Netscape 4.7 only]
     6. Select "Manual proxy configuration" if it is not already selected.
     7. Click in the HTTP Proxy area and enter the word "localhost" without quotes.
     8. Click in the HTTP Port area and enter the Sonic.net Accelerator port number (by default, the port number is 8080, but you should verify the number as described previously).
     9. Click OK. Try accessing your favorite Web sites; your Internet experience should be accelerated.

5. Sonic.net Accelerator was working, and then the icon disappeared or stopped accelerating.

   This problem may be due to a couple of factors:

   • You may have personal firewall software installed that is preventing Sonic.net Accelerator from launching or providing acceleration. Click here for configuration steps.
   • ZoneAlarm can cause partial or incomplete page loads. This issue has been fixed by Zone Labs. If you are using ZoneAlarm, please upgrade to ZoneAlarm Pro version 4.5.xxx.xxx or later.
   • Norton Internet Security 2004 will shut down the port associated with Sonic.net Accelerator. Configure Norton Internet Security 2004 to not monitor port 8080. Click here for steps.

6. Why am I seeing degraded graphics after installing Sonic.net Accelerator?

   Sonic.net accelerates the downloading of Web page images by first pre-compressing the graphics they contain. This is just one of many techniques that Sonic.net Accelerator uses to improve Web page load time. By default graphic images are delivered to your Web page in slightly compressed form that balances speed of delivery with graphics quality. In some cases you may notice a degraded graphic and want to see the original quality. Click here if you would like to view an image or Web page with original quality. Click here if you would like understand how to permanently adjust the image quality. If you uninstalled Sonic.net Accelerator and you need to remove degraded images from your browser cache, click here.

   To see what various image quality settings do, please see our Accelerator Image Samples.

7. How does Sonic.net Accelerator work with Firefox?

   1. Open Firefox
   2. Open the Tools menu and select Options
   3. In the General category, click the Connection Settings button
   4. Select "Manual proxy configuration"
   5. Enter "localhost" as the HTTP proxy, on port 8080

8. Does the Sonic.net Accelerator require Sonic.net service?

   Yes. A Sonic.net account with dial-up access in good standing is required to use the Sonic.net Accelerator.

   Note: The Sonic.net Accelerator requires a login name and password. The login name must be for a Sonic.net account with dial-up access. Add-on email accounts and hosting-only accounts will not be able to authenticate with the Accelerator.

9. Does the Sonic.net Accelerator include spyware?

   No.