Updated: May 9, 2006

The information contained in this document will help you understand more about your system and how the internet operates. If you do not read all of this document, you may not be able to identify where your system is improperly configured. This document will show you how to:

1)    make sure your operating system is up-to-date;
2)    make sure your browser is up-to-date;
3)    properly configure your browser.

Please read all sections – yes, it's a long document but there's a lot of good information here.

Contents

1. Statement of Purpose
2. General
3. Computer
4. Operating System
5. Browser
6. Browser Plug-Ins (ActiveX™, Java™, etc.)
7. Miscellaneous
8. Active Software
9. Browser Settings

1. Statement of Purpose

This document is intended as a guideline for users to determine if their system is able to properly access this website. Additionally, recommended browser settings are included along with diagnostic steps to follow for problem resolution.

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2. General

If you are reading this, you probably have at least the minimum hardware and software requirements. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) must permit full browser-enabled web access (free, email–only providers like Juno™, and non-computer access points like WebTV™ are not sufficient). The access speed is up to you, but you will have less stress and a more satisfying internet experience with the fastest connection speed you can afford (service costs for DSL and cable modems are reasonable and you might consider upgrading, but standard dial–up modems of 28K and 56K will work, just a lot slower).

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3. Computer

If your computer is configured with less than the below–listed items, you might consider upgrading to a newer machine:
– Pentium™II-grade processor at 1GHz or better (newer-generation processor and faster processor speed equates to better performance)
– 128MB RAM (more RAM equates to better performance – RAM is the volatile system memory that the computer uses to process functions – it is not the same as the storage capacity of the non–volatile hard drive)
– free hard drive storage space of at least 100MB (most newer computers have standard hard drive storage capacity of 40GB and more – a GB (GigaByte) is 1000 MB (MegaBytes))
– a broadband connection to the internet (although dial-up will work, higher connect speed means pages "paint" faster – the performance of the server in sending the pages is not affected by your connect speed, but your experience will be more enjoyable using a DSL or cable modem)

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4. Operating System

We are not inherently biased towards the Windows™ operating system – it is just that most of our users have it on their computer. If you use a Macintosh™, as long as you are aware of what makes it tick, then you can skip this section.

Microsoft has provided an easy path to keeping the Windows™ environment up to date. By going to the http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com website, and selecting the Product Update link, users are able to ensure that their operating system has the latest bug fixes and patches from Microsoft – all of which is geared toward making the computing experience as trouble–free as possible. If you have not visited this site, we recommend that as the first step in resolving any website access issues. (Microsoft also provides links to updating Office™ products from this page as well, or go to http://office.microsoft.com.)

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5. Browser

Although our website is not graphics–intensive, the browser must be capable of processing graphics. We cannot support every browser that is in existence and still maintain a fast and efficient website. The following list would be a good place to start:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer™ 6.0
• Mozilla Firefox™ 1.0
• Apple Safari 1.3.2
• Opera 8.5
• Netscape Navigator™ 8.1
• AOL™ Explorer 1.2

It is recommended that users upgrade to the latest versions as soon as practical. Use of other non–standard browsers is not supported.

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6. Browser Plug-Ins (ActiveX™, Java™, etc.)

In order to view a blank questionnaire form, you must have Adobe Reader(tm) installed on your machine. To get Adobe Reader(tm), go to the Adobe website and look for the free download of the reader.

One note to be aware of: if you attempt to view the blank questionnaire form and it doesn't display, it's probably because you have a pop-up blocker enabled in your browser. Some program installations (toolbars, search engines, desktop accessories) will actually install a pop-up blocker as part of their processing. You may or may not be aware that your browser has one installed. The good thing is that most pop-up blockers allow you to specify which websites to exclude and by adding our site to that list, the blank form will display properly. Check your installed programs list to see if a pop-up blocker is installed.

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7. Miscellaneous

It probably goes without saying, but we'll say it anyway: If you have had "weird" things happening on your computer (hard drive problems, or icons that "disappear", or your email was working yesterday, but isn't today, etc.), you should get your system checked by a qualified "mechanic". Computers are tools and occasionally need tuning. If you are capable of doing this yourself, so much the better. However, the specter of viruses and worms and things that go bump in the night looms large for all of us on the internet – a little common sense and some preventive maintenance will go a long way. One more thing, when's the last time you checked the date/time on your machine? A simple thing of making sure your computer is in the 21^st century could make all of the difference.

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8. Active Software

The performance of your system is affected by what software is running. Internet–specific software such as ad suppressors and firewalls as well as general security programs like virus checkers all impact how your system functions. This is a "passive" website – we do not (at this time) require the storage of any information on your local machine, but we do require in–memory storage (cookies) to identify who we are "talking" to while you are logged on (refer to specific browser settings below for details). In the future, upgrades to this site may include personal settings that we store on your local machine that will speed the logon process and allow for personalization of how the pages are presented (including section positioning, content, display colors, etc.).

We recommend that all systems have a virus checker (Norton Anti–Virus™, McAfee™, and AVG™ are three that come to mind) actively scanning for viruses. This site does not need to download anything on a regular basis, and therefore a virus checker is not needed for accessing our website (we do have to download and install an ActiveX™ control or Java™ applet, depending on your browser, for you to view the blank questionnaire form – refer to specific browser settings below for details). The running of anti–virus software has not been shown to be a problem with this site.

Ad suppressors (like AdSubtract™) interfere with the flow of data coming from our server to your browser. Because the software scans each and every piece of data for advertisement "tags", the display of the page is delayed (albeit only slightly). When an advertisement tag is identified, the software discards the data until it encounters the "closing" tag, thereby not displaying the ad on your page. Our website currently does not use advertisement tags (although it may be helpful and beneficial to our users to do so in the future), therefore an ad suppressor does nothing for you. However, depending on the settings for the ad suppressor, communication to and from our server may be altered and the proper functioning of this site would consequently be inhibited. At this time, we require that all ad suppressor software be disabled when accessing our website.

If your system is configured with a firewall (because you are on a company network requiring it, or if you have a personal firewall), it must allow access to in–memory variables as a minimum. Depending on the settings, this site may not function properly if the firewall does not permit it.

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9. Browser Settings

1. "Enable Java" and "Enable JavaScript" must be turned on.
2. "Enable all cookies" must be turned on. You may set your browser to "Warn me before storing a cookie" to force a prompt every time a cookie is requesting to be kept. If you need more information, please view the help feature in your browser.
3. The value for the "Temporary Internet Files" or "Cache" section should be set to "Every time I view the page"
4. If you are using IE select the "Security" and click the "Custom Level…" button. Under the "ActiveX controls and plug–ins" section at the top, set the "Download signed ActiveX controls" value to "Prompt", the "Run ActiveX controls and plug–ins" value to "Enable", and the "Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting" to "Enable". The other two (2) parameters should be set to "Disable".

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