MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator Guide

User guide for MidwayNet Express and Express x2
This section will familiarize you with the features of MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator Version 5.0 and later.

Need further assistance? Please feel free to contact us for product information or feedback.

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MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator launches automatically each time you start Windows. It operates in the background to accelerate your Internet connection. No user intervention is required.

If MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator is not running and you need to launch it manually, an icon titled "MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator" is located in the Windows Start Menu under the MidwayNet Express or Express x2 folder (as shown below).

If MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator is running, the MidwayNet system tray icon will appear in the Windows system tray (as shown below).

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Once launched, the MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator icon will remain in the system tray (as shown below).

In general, there will be no need to change the settings during web browsing. You can use the user interface to change settings, access the Privacy Manager, view the connection status, and check the acceleration statistics. To access the user interface features, click on the MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator icon in the system tray (shown above). A pop-up menu will appear (shown below), providing access to all the features of the product. Selecting and single-clicking any of the menu items will access that particular feature.

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Your username and password information is located under the Connection tab. To set the username and password:

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The image quality setting changes the quality of images that appear in your MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator. The higher the quality you select, the longer it will take for the image to load. For slower Internet connections, it is recommended that you lower your image quality. This slider can be adjusted anytime while browsing.

You can easily obtain original image quality for a particular image (See "Getting Original Image Quality"), so don't be overly conservative about lowering your image quality setting.

Note: The following information applies only when browsing with Internet Explorer 5.0 or later, Firefox 1.0 or later, Mozilla 1.7.3 or later and Netscape 7.2 or later.

If you would like to request the original quality image while browsing, simply right click on the desired image within your Web browser and select "Show Original Image" from the menu (shown below).

If you want to see the original quality version of all images on the current page, simply right click on any image within
your Web browser and select "Show All Original Images" from the menu (shown below).

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When MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator is launched it automatically connects. Occasionally, you may need to stop or start MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator manually.

If you want to manually disconnect MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator, click on the MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator system tray icon to access the pop-up menu. Select the menu item "Stop MidwayNet Express or Express x2".

The icon that indicates MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator is disabled will appear on the system tray (shown below).

If MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator is stopped and you want to start it manually, click on the MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator system tray icon to access the pop-up menu. Select the menu item "Start MidwayNet Express or Express x2".

The icon that indicates MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator is disabled will now be replaced by the enabled icon (shown below).

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Note: MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator will automatically launch again the next time you reboot your computer.

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You can view the acceleration statistics and how they change dynamically using the Statistics dialog.

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You can view your MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator's overall performance using the Performance dialog.

From this screen you can view the size of the original (uncompressed) data transferred through MidwayNet Express or Express x2, the actual (compressed) size of the data, and your savings ratio. For example, a savings ratio of 4.00 means that the actual data that has been sent is 1/4 the size of the original data due to compression.

Also, this window displays the speed of your connection and the estimated amount of downloading/uploading time that has been saved by using MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator. Note that these two features are only available when using a dial-up connection.

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Normally, the connection settings that are set during installation do not need to be changed. If your ISP provides new connection settings, you will have to change the preset ones using the "Settings..." dialog.

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Bypassing MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator for Selected Sites

If you wish to bypass MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator for certain Web sites (e.g. Web sites on your local corporate intranet), then simply select the "Features" tab in the "Settings..." dialog and click on "Proxy Exclusion" (see below). You have two options for bypassing sites:

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MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator can accelerate Flash files. The degree of compression is based on the Image Quality setting.

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MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator can block many graphical advertisements that appear on various Web pages (i.e. ad banners). Enabling this feature will prevent these ads from being downloaded and displayed in your Web browser. Thus, the Ad-Blocking feature will reduce the time taken to download Web pages.

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AutoUpdate will inform you of any major or minor software upgrades to the MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Service. By default, you will be notified of all software upgrades.

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MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator can prevent pop-up windows and floating Flash advertisements from appearing while you browse the Internet. This behavior is enabled by default, and no user-intervention is required. However, you can disable these features at any time.

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A limited number of Web sites require pop-ups to function correctly. MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator allows you to specify a "White List" of sites where pop-ups will not be blocked.

You can add sites to the White List within the Pop-Up Blocker dialogs (which is shown above) or within Internet Explorer.

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You can also see a list of all pop-ups that were blocked. This information is useful if you suspect a Web site is not functioning properly because pop-ups are being blocked.

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If you contact MidwayNet for technical support, the support personnel may request that you send a diagnostics report to them. The diagnostics report contains system information, such as your MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator settings and connectivity, which will allow MidwayNet to provide further assistance.

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Support Information User guide for MidwayNet Express and Express x2 This section will familiarize you with the features of MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator Version 5.0 and later. 1. Using MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator Launching MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator Accessing User Interface Setting Username and Password Information Changing Image Quality Settings Starting and Stopping MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator Closing MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator 2. Accessing MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator Advanced Options Viewing Acceleration Statistics Viewing Performance Settings Changing Connection Settings Bypassing MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator for Selected Sites Accelerating Flash Blocking In-page Advertisements Updating Software Pop-up Blocker Changing Pop-Up Blocker Settings Manipulating Pop-Up Blocker White List Accessing Pop-Up Blocker Log Help Running Diagnostics Tool Getting Technical Help from Support Website Accessing Product Version Information 3. Uninstalling Uninstalling MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator Need further assistance? Please feel free to contact us for product information or feedback. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Launching MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator launches automatically each time you start Windows. It operates in the background to accelerate your Internet connection. No user intervention is required. If MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator is not running and you need to launch it manually, an icon titled "MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator" is located in the Windows Start Menu under the MidwayNet Express or Express x2 folder (as shown below). If MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator is running, the MidwayNet system tray icon will appear in the Windows system tray (as shown below). [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Accessing User Interface Once launched, the MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator icon will remain in the system tray (as shown below). In general, there will be no need to change the settings during web browsing. You can use the user interface to change settings, access the Privacy Manager, view the connection status, and check the acceleration statistics. To access the user interface features, click on the MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator icon in the system tray (shown above). A pop-up menu will appear (shown below), providing access to all the features of the product. Selecting and single-clicking any of the menu items will access that particular feature. [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Setting Username and Password Information Your username and password information is located under the Connection tab. To set the username and password: Click on the MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator system tray icon and select "Settings..." from the menu. Please refer to the User Interface section of the product guide for detailed instructions. Click on the "Connection" tab. Enter your username and password in the fields provided. To avoid having to do this each time you connect, ensure that the "Save password" box is checked. To save your settings, press "OK". The changes will take effect the next time MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator is restarted. [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Changing Image Quality Settings The image quality setting changes the quality of images that appear in your MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator. The higher the quality you select, the longer it will take for the image to load. For slower Internet connections, it is recommended that you lower your image quality. This slider can be adjusted anytime while browsing. You can easily obtain original image quality for a particular image (See "Getting Original Image Quality"), so don't be overly conservative about lowering your image quality setting. Click on the MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator system tray icon. Select "Settings..." from the pop-up menu. Please refer to the User Interface section of the product guide for detailed instructions.. Select the "Image Quality" tab. Use the slider to adjust the Image Quality settings. Press "OK" to save the settings. Getting Original Image Quality Note: The following information applies only when browsing with Internet Explorer 5.0 or later, Firefox 1.0 or later, Mozilla 1.7.3 or later and Netscape 7.2 or later. If you would like to request the original quality image while browsing, simply right click on the desired image within your Web browser and select "Show Original Image" from the menu (shown below). The original quality image will appear in place of the lower quality image. If you want to see the original quality version of all images on the current page, simply right click on any image within your Web browser and select "Show All Original Images" from the menu (shown below). [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Starting and Stopping MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator When MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator is launched it automatically connects. Occasionally, you may need to stop or start MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator manually. Stopping MidwayNet Express and Express x2: If you want to manually disconnect MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator, click on the MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator system tray icon to access the pop-up menu. Select the menu item "Stop MidwayNet Express or Express x2". The icon that indicates MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator is disabled will appear on the system tray (shown below). Starting MidwayNet Express or Express x2: If MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator is stopped and you want to start it manually, click on the MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator system tray icon to access the pop-up menu. Select the menu item "Start MidwayNet Express or Express x2". The icon that indicates MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator is disabled will now be replaced by the enabled icon (shown below). [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Closing MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator To close MidwayNet Express and Express x2 Web Accelerator: Click on the MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator system tray icon and select "Exit" from the pop-up menu. MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator will disconnect and close. Doing this will not close any open Web browser windows. Note: MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator will automatically launch again the next time you reboot your computer. [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Viewing Acceleration Statistics You can view the acceleration statistics and how they change dynamically using the Statistics dialog. Click on the MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator system tray icon to access the pop-up menu. Please refer to the User Interface section of the product guide for detailed instructions. Select "Statistics..." to display the Statistics summary dialog. Click "Reset" to reset the statistics. This can be done at anytime (even while browsing) without affecting MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator's performance or operation. Click the "Details" button to view more detailed statistics (see below). The following table provides a description of the statistics that are displayed: Original Data: Size of the original (uncompressed) data. Actual Data: Amount of compressed data that has been sent by MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator. Savings Ratio: Factor of reduction in data. E.g. A savings ratio of 4.00 means that the actual data that has been sent is 1/4 the size of the original data due to compression. Text-based: Statistics regarding compression of text-based content. Graphics: Statistics regarding compression of graphical content. Others: Statistics regarding compression of content that is neither text nor graphical. Upstream: The total amount of original and compressed data uploaded. [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Viewing Performance You can view your MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator's overall performance using the Performance dialog. Click on the MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator system tray icon to access the pop-up menu. Select "Performance..." to display the Performance dialog. Please refer to the User Interface section of the product guide for detailed instructions. Click "Reset" to reset the statistics. This can be done at anytime (even while browsing) without affecting MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator's performance or operation. From this screen you can view the size of the original (uncompressed) data transferred through MidwayNet Express or Express x2, the actual (compressed) size of the data, and your savings ratio. For example, a savings ratio of 4.00 means that the actual data that has been sent is 1/4 the size of the original data due to compression. Also, this window displays the speed of your connection and the estimated amount of downloading/uploading time that has been saved by using MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator. Note that these two features are only available when using a dial-up connection. [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Changing Connection Settings Normally, the connection settings that are set during installation do not need to be changed. If your ISP provides new connection settings, you will have to change the preset ones using the "Settings..." dialog. Click on the MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator system tray icon to access the pop-up menu. Select "Settings...". Please refer to the User Interface section of the product guide for detailed instructions. Click on the "Connection" tab. Click on "Advanced...". Change the "Remote Server Hostname" and "Server Port" to the ones that MidwayNet provided to you. In most cases, it is unnecessary to change the "Local Listening Port". Press "OK" to close the "Connection" dialog box and save your new connection settings. These settings will be changed after you restart MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator. [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bypassing MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator for Selected Sites If you wish to bypass MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator for certain Web sites (e.g. Web sites on your local corporate intranet), then simply select the "Features" tab in the "Settings..." dialog and click on "Proxy Exclusion" (see below). You have two options for bypassing sites: If you have already defined a proxy exclusion list in your Web brower, select "Use browser's proxy exclusion settings" to configure MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator to exclude these sites as well. You may also "Specify a proxy exclusion list" by selecting this option. In the given text field, list all the Web sites, separated by semiculons, that you wish to bypass MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Acceleration. Stop and then start MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator. Note: Some versions of Netscape do not support the wildcard () operator. [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Accelerating Flash* MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator can accelerate Flash files. The degree of compression is based on the Image Quality setting. To enable Flash acceleration: Click on the MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator system tray icon and Select "Settings..." from the pop-up menu. Please refer to the User Interface section of the product guide for detailed instructions. Select the "Features" tab. Check "Macromedia Flash". Press "OK" to save the settings. [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blocking In-Page Advertisements MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator can block many graphical advertisements that appear on various Web pages (i.e. ad banners). Enabling this feature will prevent these ads from being downloaded and displayed in your Web browser. Thus, the Ad-Blocking feature will reduce the time taken to download Web pages. To enable or disable the Ad Blocker: Click on the MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator system tray icon and select "Settings...". Please refer to the User Interface section of the product guide for detailed instructions. Select the "Features" tab. To enable ad blocking, check the "Ad-Blocking" box. To disable ad blocking, uncheck it. Press "OK" to save the settings. [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Updating Software AutoUpdate will inform you of any major or minor software upgrades to the MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Service. By default, you will be notified of all software upgrades. To manually update MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator: Open the "Settings..." dialog. Please refer to the User Interface section of the product guide for detailed instructions. Click on the "Update" tab. Select "Update Now" to upgrade to the latest version. Note that the button is disable if no update is available [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Changing Pop-Up Blocker Settings MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator can prevent pop-up windows and floating Flash advertisements from appearing while you browse the Internet. This behavior is enabled by default, and no user-intervention is required. However, you can disable these features at any time. To enable or disable the Pop-Up Blocker: Click on the SlipStream Web Accelerator system tray icon and select "Pop-Up Blocker...". Please refer to the User Interface section of the product guide for detailed instructions. Select the "Options" tab. If you would like to be notified when a pop-up is being blocked, check "Notify blocked pop-up by PC speaker beep". To enable the blocking of floating Flash advertisements, check "Block Floating Flash-Ads". To disable pop-up blocking for all sites, uncheck "Enable PopUp Blocker". Press "OK" to save the settings. [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Manipulating Pop-Up Blocker White List A limited number of Web sites require pop-ups to function correctly. MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator allows you to specify a "White List" of sites where pop-ups will not be blocked. Click on the MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator system tray icon and select "Pop-Up Blocker...". Please refer to the User Interface section of the product guide for detailed instructions. Select the "White List" tab. Use the "Add", "Remove" and "Remove All" buttons to manipulate the White List. Press "OK" to save the settings. To add sites to the White List: You can add sites to the White List within the Pop-Up Blocker dialogs (which is shown above) or within Internet Explorer. Right click on the page while browsing within Internet Explorer. Select "Add to Whitelist" from the menu to add the current site to the White List. [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Accessing Pop-Up Blocker Log You can also see a list of all pop-ups that were blocked. This information is useful if you suspect a Web site is not functioning properly because pop-ups are being blocked. Click on the MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator system tray icon and select "Pop-Up Blocker...". Please refer to the User Interface section of the product guide for detailed instructions. Select the "Logging" tab. [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Running Diagnostics Tool If you contact MidwayNet for technical support, the support personnel may request that you send a diagnostics report to them. The diagnostics report contains system information, such as your MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator settings and connectivity, which will allow MidwayNet to provide further assistance. To create a diagnostics report: Click on the MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator system tray icon to access the pop-up menu. Select "Help" > "Diagnostics" to display the Diagnostics dialog. Click on "Create Report". Launch your email application, compose an email, paste the results into the email (the results have already been copied to your clipboard), and send it to MidwayNet. [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting Technical Help from Support Website To get more information on MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator and troubleshooting, please visit our support Website. You can access our support site by clicking on the system tray icon and selecting "Help "> "Support Website". [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Accessing Product Version Information To view the product version information: Click on the MidwayNet Express or Express x2Web Accelerator system tray icon to access the pop-up menu. Select "Help" > "About" to display the About dialog (see below). [Top] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Uninstalling MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator Under the Windows Control Panel, select "Add or Remove Programs". Select MidwayNet Express or Express x2 Web Accelerator and click Remove. The uninstaller will launch and guide you through the uninstallation procedure. [Top]