High
Speed Internet With Your Existing Phone Line!
What Is v.Blast?
v.Blast
is an exciting new technology brought to you exclusively by Mount Vernon Net.
By installing our software, your Internet experience will be accelerated, up to
five times,
with no other changes to your computer! You don’t need to pay for a cable modem
and high-speed Internet service --this service works with your existing phone
line and MVN Internet connection.
How Do I Get It?
To
add v.Blast to your Internet connection, simply call Mount Vernon Net at
244-6868, or stop by our office on
Is There A Monthly Fee?
No! There is a one-time fee of $25.00 for the
v.Blast software, but after that, it’s yours for life.
How Does It Work?
There
are two key components: compression and caching. Compression means that Web pages and email can often be “squeezed”
to a smaller size. Smaller files can be downloaded to your computer more
quickly, and v.Blast uses a number of patented compression techniques. Caching means that copies of
frequently-visited Web pages are stored locally; instead of having to retrieve
these files from remote sites, they can be quickly loaded from the v.Blast
server here. A few hundred milliseconds may not seem like much, but it adds up!
All this is done transparently and securely – it “just works.”
What Else Do I Need?
The
v.Blast software requires Windows 98, Windows Millennium (ME), Windows 2000, or
Windows XP. In addition, you will need about 10 MB of free hard disk space, and
a CD-ROM drive to install the software. Last, you need an Internet connection
from Mount Vernon Net. (The software will not work with other Internet service
providers.)
How Do I Install The
Software?
First,
close any running programs on your computer.
Then,
just insert the v.Blast CD in your computer’s CD-ROM drive. The installer
should start automatically. (If it doesn’t, open My Computer, browse to the
CD-ROM drive (usually drive D) and double-click on setup.exe to start the installer.)
The
installer will ask a few questions, and ask you to agree to the software’s
license agreement. When it’s done, your computer will restart. After that, the
v.Blast software is installed and ready to go!
Using The Software
The
v.Blast software will load automatically when you start the computer.
When
running, there will be a “V” icon in the System Tray (usually, the Tray is in
the lower right corner of the screen, near the clock).
Left: The v.Blast logo (it’s the
third icon from the left).
Right: the icon changes to a whirling
tornado when your Internet connection is in use.
That’s
all there is to it! Internet traffic will automatically be optimized.
Advanced Settings --
Graphics
One of the things v.Blast
does to improve your Internet experience is graphics compression. Basically,
some graphics are reduced in quality, so they can be loaded faster. If you’re a
graphics guru, though, you may not want the images to be modified, or you may
want to fine-tune the graphics settings.
When
you first install v.Blast, the software defaults to “highest speed.” Many users
might prefer to sacrifice a little speed for better image quality, though.
Right-click
on the v.Blast icon in the System Tray. A menu will “pop-up” (like the one
shown to the right). You can adjust the
graphics acceleration settings by clicking on the appropriate picture. (You may
have to exit and restart your Web browser for this change to take effect.)
You
can also disable graphics acceleration entirely, if you choose, by unchecking
“Accelerate Graphics”.
The
OFF/ON checkbox lets you disable v.Blast entirely. You should never need to
disable v.Blast.
You
can view the “complete” v.Blast Interface by clicking “Open.” Normally, you
should never need to do this, but some customers might want to “peek under the
hood.” There, you can choose to enable or disable acceleration for certain
types of Internet traffic, perform basic diagnostics, and see traffic
statistics.