Are ad blockers, popup stoppers, personal firewalls and other utilities compatible with Texas Communications Accelerator?

Texas Communications Accelerator is compatible with most ad blockers, popup stoppers, personal firewalls, and other utilities. In some cases, minor configuration either of Texas Communications Accelerator or other products is needed. If you do not see your product on the list, don't worry in most cases it will work and no special configuration.

Yes. Deleting your browser's temporary files -- often referred to as "cache"

1. Click on the Texas Communications Accelerator icon in the taskbar (blue propeller icon near the clock)
2. Select Disable Texas Communications Accelerator from the pop-up menu.
3. Hold down the Ctrl key and click Refresh in the Internet Explorer window. [Netscape users, just click Reload.]

• The Web site is being updated at the same time you request the page. Try re-visiting the Web page after a couple of hours.
• There might be a more long-term problem with the Web page.
• Microsoft has confirmed a problem with Internet Explorer versions prior to Explorer 5.5 with Service Pack 2 (case #Q281197). Although Texas Communications Accelerator recommends Service Pack 3, if it is inconvenient to upgrade a temporary solution to this problem is to refresh the page by clicking Refresh on the Internet Explorer toolbar, or by clicking Refresh on the IE View menu to retrieve the redirected URL and display the missing image. For additional information regarding this problem, please visit Microsoft's Product Support Services Web site located at: http://support.microsoft.com

IMPORTANT: If you are using Netscape, Mozilla, or Opera, you will need to manually reconfigure the proxy settings in the browser after uninstalling or stopping Texas Communications Accelerator in order to continue using the Internet. See below for further details. If you are a subscriber wishing to cancel your subscription to Texas Communications Accelerator, please call us at 979-775-6239 to cancel the service.

Uninstall Texas Communications Accelerator

1. Click on Start --> Programs--> Texas Communications Accelerator
2. Click on Uninstall Texas Communications Accelerator

Alternatively, Texas Communications Accelerator can be uninstalled using the Add/Remove Programs in control panel. Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs.

Restoring the Browser's Proxy Address and Port Number Netscape, Mozilla, or Opera
These instructions are for restoring Netscape's original proxy settings after uninstalling Texas Communications Accelerator. These instructions generally apply to Opera and Mozilla.

1. Click on the Netscape Edit menu and select Preferences...
2. Click on the mark next to the Advanced category or simply double-click on Advanced.
3. Click on Proxies.
4. If there was a proxy address in use prior to installing Texas Communications Accelerator, [Netscape 4.7 only: click View... first] enter that address and port number. Otherwise click "Direct Connection to the Internet".

Other helpful information:

• Texas Communications Accelerator 5-MinuteTroubleshooting Guide, click here.
• How do I redownload Texas Communications Accelerator, click here.

• If you receive a message to activate your subscription or trial subscription has ended,  click here
• If you downloaded Texas Communications Accelerator but it did not install, click here
• If you cannot open the Texas Communications Accelerator file, click here  
• If you do not see the small Texas Communications Accelerator icon in the taskbar near your system clock, click here
• If you cannot surf to Web pages, click here
• If you do not see alternating arrows on the Texas Communications Accelerator icon when you surf, click here
• If Texas Communications Accelerator was working, then the icon disappeared or stopped accelerating, click here
• If you have questions about degraded graphics after installing Texas Communications Accelerator, click here
• If Diagnostics fails, please send email with the results to  Customer Support
• If you need to know how to download or update Texas Communications Accelerator, click here
• If you are looking to see if your other software on your PC is compatible with Texas Communications Accelerator, click here
• If none of these apply, please run Diagnostics and system information and send an email with the results to  Customer Support.

I received a message to activate my subscription  

If you see the message activate now, it means that your subscription is not activated yet. Contact Texas Communications at 979-775-6239 to activate now.

I downloaded Texas Communications 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 tcaccelerator.exe and open it to begin the installation. If you cannot locate the file, download it again. (http://www.tconline.net/programs/tcaccelerator.exe)  

I cannot open the Texas Communications 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 Texas Communications 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.

I do not see the small Texas Communications Accelerator icon in the taskbar

First see if Texas Communications Accelerator was successfully installed. Click Start, then Programs. Do you see Texas Communications Accelerator? If you do not see Texas Communications Accelerator in the menu, it is not installed.

If you do see it, you may have some firewall software running that is prevents Texas Communications Accelerator from loading until you register Texas Communications 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.

I do not see alternating arrows on the Texas Communications Accelerator icon when I surf  

As part of the acceleration process, Texas Communications 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 Texas Communications Accelerator is working.
5. You can verify that Texas Communications Accelerator is working when:
6. The Texas Communications 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 Texas Communications 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.

AOL

• Texas Communications Accelerator does not work with the AOL.

Texas Communications 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 Texas Communications 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 Texas Communications Accelerator. Configure Norton Internet Security 2004 to not monitor port 8080. Click here for steps.

Why am I seeing degraded graphics after installing Texas Communications Accelerator?

Texas Communications Accelerator accelerates the downloading of Web page images by first pre-compressing the graphics they contain. This is just one of many techniques that Texas Communications 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. If you uninstalled Texas Communications Accelerator and you need to remove degraded images from your browser cache, click here.

Yes. Texas Communications Accelerator works well with Netscape 4.7 or later. However, you'll first need to make some simple changes to your Netscape browser Preferences, specifically proxy server settings.

Obtaining Texas Communications Accelerator's Port Number First, you need to determine the proxy port number that Texas Communications Accelerator is using.

1. Click the small blue Texas Communications Accelerator icon (located in the taskbar by the system clock).
2. Click Options...
3. Click Advanced...
4. Note the port number.
5. Click OK.

Setting Netscape's HTTP Proxy Address and Port Number

1. Click on the Netscape Edit menu.
2. Select Preferences...
3. Double click on the Advanced category.
4. Click on Proxies.
5. Click View [Netscape 4.7 only]
6. Make sure that the "Manual proxy configuration" radio button is selected.
7. Click in the HTTP Proxy area and enter the word "localhost" without the quotes.
8. Click in the HTTP Port area and enter the Texas Communications Accelerator port number
9. Click OK and test. You should see arrows over the Texas Communications Accelerator icon as you surf Web pages.

Important: If you stop using or uninstall Texas Communications Accelerator, you will need to reset the Netscape proxy settings back to their original values.

• The first question will asked if it OK for PropelAC.exe to act as a server. You can answer "No" to this question since Texas Communications Accelerator only needs to act as a server for connections originating inside your computer. However it is important to check the box which says, "Remember this answer".
• Next ZoneAlarm will ask "PropelAC.exe want to access this Internet. Is this OK?". This question will not come up until you begin accessing the Internet using Texas Communications Accelerator. For this question you should answer "Yes" and also check the box "Remember this answer" in order for Texas Communications Accelerator to operate properly.

1. Select the Tools menu.
2. Select the Preferences... menu option.
3. Double-click on Connections.
4. Click Proxy.
5. Under HTTP Proxy Options select the "Use proxy" radio button.
6. Make sure the proxy address is set to localhost. Make sure the Ports setting adjacent to the proxy address matches that in use by Texas Communications Accelerator. The default Texas Communications Accelerator port number is 8080.

Yes. Configuration of Opera is needed before it can be used with Texas Communications Accelerator.

Obtaining Texas Communications Accelerator's Port Number First, you need to determine the proxy port number that Texas Communications Accelerator is using.

1. Click the small blue Texas Communications Accelerator icon (located in the taskbar by the system clock).
2. Click Options...
3. Click Advanced...
4. Note the port number.
5. Click OK.

Setting Opera's HTTP Proxy Address and Port Number

1. Click on the Opera File menu.
2. Select Preferences...
3. Click on the label for the Network category (the fourth from last choice)
4. Click the button labeled "Proxy Servers."
5. Make sure that the "Use Automatic Proxy Configuration" checkbox at the bottom is unchecked.
6. Check the "HTTP" checkbox at the top. Leave the checkboxes for the other listed protocols (HTTPS, FTP, etc.) unchanged.
7. In the HTTP Proxy area enter "localhost" (without quotation marks).
8. In the Port area enter the Texas Communications Accelerator port number.
9. Click OK.

Yes Texas Communications Accelerator will work in a Local Area Network, Wireless Network, peer-to-peer, or with Microsoft Internet Connection Sharing (ICS).

Texas Communications Accelerator needs to be installed on each PC that needs acceleration. You can share one subscription with other computers on the network but only one computer will receive acceleration at a time. If you need the computers accelerated at the same time, each computer needs to have it's own subscription.

No special configuration is needed for Texas Communications Accelerator to work.

Yes, testing indicates that you can use Texas Communications Accelerator and AdSubtract together by adjusting a few settings in your browser and in AdSubtract. Click here for details on using AdSubtract + Internet Explorer with Texas Communications Accelerator.

Follow these steps to check the Texas Communications Accelerator proxy port number:

1. Click the small blue Texas Communications Accelerator icon (located in the taskbar by the system clock).
2. Click Options...
3. Click Advanced...
4. Note the port number. You will need this number to configure Netscape, Opera, or Mozilla to work with Texas Communications Accelerator.
5. Click OK.

Like Texas Communications Accelerator, AdSubtract uses a local proxy server. In order to use Texas Communications Accelerator on a system running AdSubtract, some minor changes to preferences are needed.

The following steps allow you to "chain" Texas Communications Accelerator and AdSubtract proxy settings together for use with Internet Explorer. Although there are a number of steps, each takes only a few moments to accomplish.

Configure Internet Explorer

1. Click on the Texas Communications Accelerator Icon and choose "options" then "advanced" and make sure that Texas Communications Accelerator is set to "only accelerate connections without proxy conflicts"
2. From Internet Explorer select Tools -> Internet Options--> click on the Connections tab.
3. Select the connection you are using (typically from the Dial-up settings list -- it may already be selected).
4. Click Settings... 
5. Make sure that the "Use a proxy server for this connection" checkbox is checked. If not, do so.
6. Click the Advanced... button. 
7. Make sure that the proxy address for HTTP is set to 127.0.0.1. If the proxy address is missing or is some other value, change it to 127.0.0.1 (AdSubtract may have automatically changed this setting at some point to "AdSubtract" -- that is fine.) Make sure that the port number is set to 4444, AdSubtract's default proxy server port number. If the port number is missing or different, change it to 4444.

Configuration Changes to AdSubtract 

1. Double-click on the AdSubtract icon in the taskbar (near the system clock).
2. Click on the Proxy tab. Make sure that the checkbox "Use next-hop HTTP proxy server" is checked. If not, do so. 
3. Set the HTTP Proxy to "localhost" (without quotation marks).
4. Set the port number to the Texas Communications Accelerator proxy server port number. By default this number is 8080, but it may be different on your system. 
5. Make sure that the checkbox "Use an AOL proxy" is not selected. 
6. Click OK.

Verification

You can verify that both AdSubtract and Texas Communications Accelerator are working together when: 

• The Texas Communications Accelerator icon (blue propeller near the system clock) shows moving arrows when you browse the Internet.
• The diagnostic test provided with AdSubtract succeeds. Double-click on the AdSubtract icon (yellow circle near system clock). From the Main menu click the Test Filtering button and follow the screen instructions. Re-Enabling AdSubtract After Stopping Texas Communications Accelerator

Important: Texas Communications Accelerator is run in the background at all times. If you stop or uninstall Texas Communications Accelerator, you will get a message indicating that you need to change your Internet Explorer HTTP proxy setting. However, since the proxy setting is pointing to AdSubtract, you actually do not need to alter the browser settings. Instead, re-enable AdSubtract after stopping or uninstalling Texas Communications Accelerator by following these steps: 

1. Double-click on the AdSubtract icon (in the taskbar, near the system clock). 
2. Select the Proxy tab.
3. De-select the "Use next-hop HTTP proxy server" checkbox. 
4. Click Apply, then OK.
5. Verify using the diagnostic test provided with AdSubtract.
6. Double-click on the AdSubtract icon.
7. From the Main menu click the Test Filtering button and follow the screen instructions.

Yes. Some configuration of Mozilla is needed before it can be used with Texas Communications Accelerator.

1. Click on the Mozilla Edit menu.
2. Select Preferences...
3. Click on the Advanced item
4. Click Proxies
5. Make sure that the "Manual proxy configuration" checkbox at the bottom is checked.
6. In the HTTP Proxy area enter "localhost" (without quotation marks).
7. In the Port area enter the Texas Communications Accelerator port number (by default 8080, but this number may be different on your system. Click here for instructions on verifying the Texas Communications Accelerator HTTP proxy port number).
8. Click OK.

Does Texas Communications Accelerator work with cell phones used as data modems?

Yes Texas Communications Accelerator will work with most 2.5G and 3G Wireless Data-enabled phones connected to a laptop. Acceleration up to 12X has been measured.

• First, find the installation file you downloaded. Unless you changed the name during the installation process, search for "tcaccelerator". Use the Window's Start menu: Start -> Search -> For Files and Folders...
• When you find the file, select it. The full name of the file should be visible.
• If the ".exe" extension (without quotation marks) is missing, add it. Click on the filename and add the extension ".exe"
• You should be able to double-click on the file right in the Search Results window to start the install.

• Amount of data required to display a Web page. If you haven't already done so, try a higher Graphics Acceleration setting such as Level 4 or 5.
• Connection speed, which can vary significantly even when you are using the same ISP and dialing in to the same phone number.
• Available memory (RAM), which can vary depending on the number of applications you are running. Even though Texas Communications Accelerator can run with very little available RAM, acceleration benefits can be further optimized if you have plenty of free RAM available.

• The mouse-over. The quickest/fastest way to determine the amount of acceleration you are getting is to move your mouse over the Texas Communications Accelerator icon. A small pop-up will appear telling you that Texas Communications Accelerator is enabled and reporting the average speed up you are getting.
• Performance meter. Click on the Texas Communications Accelerator menu and choose Performance Meter and Test Page... In addition to displaying your average speed-up, you'll also see your effective speed in kbps (kilobits/second) based on Texas Communications Accelerator's compression of text and graphics.
• Performance Test Page. You'll also find a button that will take you to the Texas Communications Accelerator Performance Test Page (PTP).
• Enable/Disable Texas Communications Accelerator. You can use the Disable Texas Communications Accelerator menu command to turn off Texas Communications Accelerator for an hour or two of surfing, then turn it back on and use it for a similar amount of time.
• Independent verification. Numion provides a "stopwatch" for timing page loads as well as many other interesting timing tools:
  To use the Numion stopwatch to test Texas Communications Accelerator:
  1. Choose Disable Texas Communications Accelerator from the Texas Communications Accelerator menu
  2. Go to the Numion StopWatch page
  3. Enter the URL of your choice to be measured
  4. Click Start StopWatch
  5. Write down the results
  6. Enable Texas Communications Accelerator
  7. Time the same URL
  8. Compare the results.
  Try the test several times. You can also experiment with clearing your browser cache and the Texas Communications Accelerator cache.
• Numion has another interesting test involving popular Web sites:
  1. First, disable Texas Communications Accelerator
  2. Go to the Numion home page
  3. Click on the Yourspeed button
  4. Choose a location (or the world)
  5. Click Start!
  6. Write down your results
  7. Enable Texas Communications Accelerator
  8. Run through steps 2-6
  9. Compare the results

Is Texas Communications Accelerator properly installed?
If Texas Communications Accelerator is installed on your computer a small blue propeller-like icon will appear in the Windows taskbar area (near the system clock).

Is Texas Communications Accelerator active?
If Texas Communications Accelerator is active while you are surfing the Internet, the Texas Communications Accelerator icon will appear as opposing white arrows flashing over the propeller. Try accessing a Web site. You should see the icon arrows flash as Web pages load.

Is my Texas Communications Accelerator subscription active?
Contact Texas Communications at 979-775-6239 to verify your account is active.

Click here for Technical Support contact information.

1. The order in which Internet Explorer, WebWasher, and Texas Communications Accelerator programs start is not important.
2. From Internet Explorer select Tools -> Internet Options. Then click on the Connections tab.
3. Select the connection you are using (typically from the Dial-up settings list -- it may already be selected). Click Settings...
4. Make sure that the "Use a proxy server for this connection" checkbox is checked. If not, do so. Then click the Advanced... button.
5. Make sure that the proxy address for HTTP is set to 127.0.0.1. If the proxy address is missing or is some other value, change it to 127.0.0.1
6. Make sure that the port number is set to 8080, WebWasher's default proxy server port number. If the port number is missing or different, change it to 8080.
7. Right-click on the WebWasher icon in the taskbar (near the system clock). Then click on "preferences".
8. Make sure that the checkbox "Client" is checked. If not, do so.
9. Set the HTTP1 Proxy to "localhost" (without quotation marks). Then set the port number to the Texas Communications Accelerator proxy server port number. By default this number is 8080, but it may be different on your system. Click here for instructions on verifying the Texas Communications Accelerator HTTP proxy port number.

• The Texas Communications Accelerator icon (blue propeller near the system clock) shows moving arrows when you browse the Internet.
• The WebWasher icon changes to blue when surfing and encountering filtered content. To test WebWasher, you can go to the WebWasher test page at:
  
  http://www.webwasher.com/en/products/wwash/testpag1.htm
  
  If you do not get the above results:
  
  
  • Double-check the changes you made and the settings you verified.
  • Reboot and verify settings. Then retest Texas Communications Accelerator and WebWasher, as described above.

  Important: Texas Communications Accelerator is designed to be able run in the background at all times. If you stop or uninstall Texas Communications Accelerator, the proxy settings changes you made to Internet Explorer will be lost. For this reason it is suggested that if you want to use Texas Communications Accelerator with WebWasher that you not disable or stop Texas Communications Accelerator. If you do so, you will need to reset the proxy address and port in the browser.

  Here's how to re-enable WebWasher after stopping Texas Communications Accelerator:
  • Double-click on the WebWasher icon (in the taskbar, near the system clock).
  • Uncheck the Client checkbox.
  • Click OK.
  You can verify that WebWasher is working by going to the WebWasher test page.

There are two software applications that may cause this problem.

Zone Alarm Pro

Zone Alarm Pro, a product from Zone Labs. This will result in pages only partially loading and then stopping ("timing out"). This issue has been fixed by Zone Labs. Please upgrade to Zone Alarm Pro version 4.5.xxx.xxx or later.

Norton Internet Securities

If you're running Norton Internet Securities 2004, you will need to make a change.

1. Click on the NIS 2004 system tray icon and choose "Norton Internet Security" from the top of the list.
2. Click on "options" at the very top
3. Click on the "firewall" tab
4. Under "HTTP port list" find the number "8080" in the list, highlight it and click on the "remove" button.
5. Click "ok"

This is a bug with Norton Internet Security 2004, early versions of Norton Internet Security 2003 works with no problems.

If you are using Internet Explorer, simply move your mouse over an image on a Web page and right-click. You'll see that two new options are available:

Refresh Page with Full Quality.
Refresh Picture with Full Quality. When your mouse is over a graphic.

If you select one of these options, Texas Communications Accelerator will replace the compressed graphic image with an original quality version. When the Texas Communications Accelerator icon arrows stop moving, the new image is in place.

The right-click options are not available in Outlook, Netscape, Opera or Mozilla. Please follow these steps.

1. Click once on the small blue propeller icon located near your system clock. Select Disable Texas Communications Accelerator
2. Hold down the Ctrl key and click on the refresh icon on the browser toolbar. The compressed graphic image will be replaced with an original quality version.

In Outlook use the Save As command to save the file in HTML format to your desktop, then double click it to view in your browser. Once in your browser, you can use the Refresh With Full Quality right-click commands.

Note:

• When you first install Texas Communications Accelerator, it is necessary to close and then restart IE in order to have the Refresh Page and Refresh Picture right-click menu options available.
• If you want to save the original quality of an image to your hard drive you will first need to refresh the original quality.
• If you wish to change the graphics quality setting, click on the small blue propeller icon located near your system clock and select options.
• If you uninstalled Texas Communications Accelerator and you want to remove the degraded images, click here for details.

If you have specific Web pages you do not want accelerated and therefore always see original image quality follow these instructions.

Microsoft Internet Explorer

1. Go to the specific Web page. Right-click on the Web URL in the browser address bar and select copy.
2. From Internet Explorer select Tools --> Internet Options. Then click on the Connections tab. Select the connection you are using. Click Settings...
3. Click the Advanced... button.
4. Click in the Exceptions box, right-click and select paste.
5. Click OK
6. Clear your Browser and Texas Communications Accelerator Cache.

Why are images still degraded after I uninstall Texas Communications Accelerator?

In order to speed up web browsing, web browsers are designed to download parts of web pages and store them locally on your machine in an area called "cache" all so known as temporary files. When you visit the same page for a second time, the browser speeds up display time by loading the parts of the page locally from your cache instead of downloading from the Web site. As a result it will use degraded images from your cache. To remove these degraded images so the browser will load new ones from the Web site simply delete your browser cache.

If you are still using Texas Communications Accelerator you will also need to delete the Texas Communications Accelerator cache. You can do so by clicking on the small blue propeller icon near your system clock, click on options, click on Temporary Files, click on the Delete Files.. button.

Internet Explorer

1. Select "Tools --> Internet Options..." from the main menu
2. You should be on the "General" tab
3. Click on "Delete Files" button

Netscape

1. Select "Edit > Preferences..." from the main menu
2. Change to the "Advanced > Cache" section
3. Click on "Clear Memory Cache" and "Clear Disk Cache" buttons to clear memory and disk cache

Why don't I see the Texas Communications Accelerator icon after I installed Texas Communications Accelerator?

This problem is due to one of a couple of factors:

1. Texas Communications Accelerator was downloaded but not installed.
2. You may have Personal Firewall software installed preventing Texas Communications Accelerator from launching or providing acceleration.

Texas Communications Accelerator installed?

Click on Start--> Program. Do you see Texas Communications Accelerator? If you don't see Texas Communications Accelerator but you have downloaded it. Click on Start--> Search or Find and search for a file called "tcaccelerator". Locate the file and open it. This will start the installation.

Do you have Personal Firewall software installed?

If you find the instructions below to be incorrect for your version please let us know and we will update the information.

• Zone Alarm by Zone Labs
• Norton Personal Firewall 2003
• Norton Internet Security
• McAfee Personal Firewall

Zone Alarm

1. In your Windows desktop, click on Start>Programs> Zone Labs.
2. Select "Zone Alarm Pro". The ZA icon appears in your system tray near the clock.
3. Right-click on the ZA icon and choose "restore". This will bring up the Zone Alarm Control Panel.
4. On the right hand side, click on "Programs". You will now see a list of program names. You want to scroll down the list until you see "PropelAC.exe" in the list.
5. To allow access to the Texas Communications Accelerator program, click on each question mark in the row next to PropelAC.exe and choose "allow" from the menu. Once you have changed them all to "allow", you should have green check marks in place of the question marks.
6. Close the ZA control Panel.
7. Start Texas Communications Accelerator if it is not running. Go to Start> Programs> Texas Communications Accelerator and choose "Start Texas Communications Accelerator". You will now see the Texas Communications Accelerator Icon appear near your system clock.

Norton Personal Firewall 2003

When you first install and run Texas Communications Accelerator, you will receive several security warnings. One warning in particular will have the title, "Program Control" along with "Medium risk - PropelAC.exe is attempting to access the Internet. What would you like to do?" Below this, it will give you the default setting of "Block" in a pull down menu. To allow access to Texas Communications Accelerator, you must change this to "Permit" and then click "OK". This message will come up a few more times and you need to perform the exact same steps on each one.

If for some reason, you have blocked "Access to Texas Communications Accelerator" and are not able to surf the Internet after installing Texas Communications Accelerator, you will need to manually configure access to Texas Communications Accelerator. To do this, perform the following steps:

1. Right click on the Norton Personal Firewall Icon in your system tray near the clock.
2. From the menu, click on "Norton Personal Firewall". This will open the Norton Security Center.
3. Click on "Personal Firewall".
4. On the right hand side of the window, click on "Configure".
5. Click on the "Program Control" tab.
6. Scroll down the list of programs and select "PropelAC.exe".
7. Click on "Block All" in the pull down menu and change it to "Permit All"
8. Click on "OK".
9. Start Texas Communications Accelerator if it is not running. Go to Start> Programs> Texas Communications Accelerator and choose "Start Texas Communications Accelerator". You will now see the Texas Communications Accelerator Icon appear near your system clock.

Norton Internet Security 2003

When you first install and run Texas Communications Accelerator and you have Norton Internet Security 2003 installed, you will receive several security warnings. One warning in particular will have the title, "Program Control" along with "Medium risk - PropelAC.exe is attempting to access the Internet. What would you like to do?" Below this, it will give you the default setting of "Block" in a pull down menu. To allow access to Texas Communications Accelerator, you must change this to "Permit" and then click on the "OK" button. This message will come up a few more times and you need to perform the exact same steps on each one.

If for some reason, you have blocked "Access to Texas Communications Accelerator" and are not able to surf the Internet after installing Texas Communications Accelerator, you will need to manually configure access to Texas Communications Accelerator. To do this, perform the following steps:

1. Right click on the Norton Internet Security icon in your system tray near the clock.
2. From the menu, click on "Norton Internet Security". This will show you the Norton Security Center.
3. Click on "Personal Firewall".
4. On the right hand side of the window, click on "Configure".
5. Click on the "Program Control" tab.
6. Scroll down the list of programs and select "PropelAC.exe".
7. Click on "Block All" in the pull down menu and change it to "Permit All".
8. Click on "OK".
9. Start Texas Communications Accelerator if it is not running. Go to Start> Programs> Texas Communications Accelerator and choose "Start Texas Communications Accelerator". You will now see the Texas Communications Accelerator Icon appear near your system clock.

McAfee Personal Firewall Plus

When you first download and install Texas Communications Accelerator, you will get a security warning from McAfee Personal Firewall in a red window entitled, "Application wants to Access the Internet". "The program PropelAC.exe is requesting to access the Internet. Do you want to allow it?" In the section below, the option, "I want to ..." gives the choices of:

• "Grant Access"
• "Block All Access". 

Select "Grant Access". If you choose "Block All Access" you will not see the Texas Communications Accelerator icon appear and your cursor will display an hourglass flashing on and off. You will still be able to connect to the Internet and access menus; however, you will be unable to browse any web sites. You will need to manually configure access to Texas Communications Accelerator. To do this, perform the following steps:

1. Right click on the McAfee Security Center icon and choose "Personal Firewall" from the menu.
2. Choose "View Applications" from the sub-menu.
3. In the list of applications, select "PropelAC.exe".
4. Under "Change Permission to..." Click on "Allow Full Access".
5. Close the McAfee Security Center window.
6. Important! Restart Texas Communications Accelerator. Go to Start> Programs> Texas Communications Accelerator and choose "Start Texas Communications Accelerator". 
7. Now try browsing to a few different web sites and you should be successful. Once you are able to browse the Internet using MS Internet Explorer, go to the Start> Programs> Texas Communications Accelerator and choose "Start Texas Communications Accelerator". You will now see the Texas Communications Accelerator icon near your system clock. Try browsing to different web sites and you should see the arrows moving back and forth on the Texas Communications Acceleration icon indicating acceleration.

Why do I get the error: Page Not Found?

Microsoft XP multiple users

The current version of Texas Communications Accelerator will only work with XP Administrator accounts. Restricted or limited users need to disable Texas Communications Accelerator to surf. Texas Communications Accelerator will soon release a new version of Texas Communications Accelerator that will accelerate restricted or limited users. Meanwhile you can change the account to have Administrator rights.

Browser Configuration

As part of the acceleration process, Texas Communications 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 this is not configured correctly in your browser you may receive this error.

Click here if you received this error after uninstalling Texas Communications Accelerator

Cannot surf after installing Texas Communications Accelerator?

Internet Explorer

1. Click on the small blue propeller icon and select Options, then click on the Advanced... button write down the port number. Click cancel.
2. From Internet Explorer select Tools -> Internet Options. Then click on the Connections tab. Select the connection you are using. Click Settings...
3. Make sure that the "Use a proxy server for this connection" checkbox is checked. If not, do so. Then click the Advanced... button.
4. Make sure that the proxy address for 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.
5. You can verify that Texas Communications Accelerator is working when:

The Texas Communications Accelerator icon (blue propeller near the system clock) shows moving arrows when you browse the Internet.

Netscape

1. Click on the small blue propeller icon and select Options, then click on the Advanced... button write down the port number. Click cancel.
2. Click on the Netscape Edit menu and select Preferences...
3. Double click on the Advanced category.
4. Click on Proxies.
5. Click View [Netscape 4.7 only]
6. Make sure that the "Manual proxy configuration" radio button is selected.
7. Click in the HTTP Proxy area and enter the word "localhost" without the quotes.
8. Click in the HTTP Port area and enter the Texas Communications Accelerator port number (by default 8080, but you should verify this as described above).
9. Click OK. Try accessing your favorite Web sites; your Internet experience should be accelerated.

Software Applications

MacAfee Privacy Service

There is a bug in earlier versions of MacAfee Privacy Service that can interfere with applications using proxy settings causing Web pages to not load. Please update to MacAfee Privacy Service version 4.0.1.24 and above or Security Center 6.0 and above.

Zone Alarm Pro

Zone Alarm Pro, a product from Zone Labs. This will result in pages only partially loading and then stopping ("timing out"). This issue has been fixed by Zone Labs. Please upgrade to Zone Alarm Pro version 4.5.xxx.xxx or later.

Norton Internet Securities

If you're running Norton Internet Securities 2004, you will need to make a change.

1. Click on the NIS 2004 system tray icon and choose "Norton Internet Security" from the top of the list.
2. Click on "options" at the very top
3. Click on the "firewall" tab
4. Under "HTTP port list" find the number "8080" in the list, highlight it and click on the "remove" button.
5. Click "ok"

This is a bug with Norton Internet Security 2004, early versions of Norton Internet Security 2003 works with no problems.

Cannot surf after uninstalling Texas Communications Accelerator?

Internet Explorer

1. From Internet Explorer select Tools -> Internet Options. Then click on the Connections tab. Select the connection you are using. Click Settings...
2. Make sure that the "Use a proxy server for this connection" checkbox is not checked.

Netscape

1. Click on the Netscape Edit menu and select Preferences...
2. Double click on the Advanced category.
3. Click on Proxies.
4. Click View [Netscape 4.7 only]
5. Make sure that the "Manual proxy configuration" radio button is not selected.

My performance was great, but has slowed down recently. What can I do?

Note: This FAQ is useful if your performance was good at one time, but has slowed down. If you have not seen any performance improvements since installing Texas Communications Accelerator, click here

There may be several factors that are impacting performance. This information will help you quickly isolate the cause of your slow performance. Simply follow the steps below.

1. Is Texas Communications Accelerator active on your computer?  If Texas Communications Accelerator is installed and active on your computer, a small blue propeller-like icon is visible in the Windows taskbar area near the system clock. As you surf Web pages, this icon changes to alternating arrows as Texas Communications Accelerator accelerates the content. Click here  if you do not see the icon. If you see the icon try surfing to several popular Web pages. Click here if you do not see the Texas Communications Accelerator icon or alternating arrows.
2. Other applications may be taking CPU or network resources from your dial-up connection. Please confirm that you are not downloading files, and that you do not have unnecessary browser windows open, as well as any unnecessary applications, streaming media, email, or chat windows open. Ensure that your computer is free of viruses. Any of these things can cause slow CPU and network performance, which in turns impacts acceleration performance.
3. Run Texas Communications Accelerator Diagnostics. To run Diagnostics, click the small blue propeller icon in the Windows taskbar and select the Diagnostics option. Click Run Test. Do not run this test while downloading files.

Diagnostics runs an eight-part test. The Diagnostics should pass, but if any of the steps fail, click the help button for recommendations. If there is no obvious remedy, you should select the System Info test located in the Diagnostics menu. Then click Copy Log to copy the diagnostic and system information to your clipboard. Right-click to paste this information into an email message and send it to Customer Support.

If the Diagnostics passes, review these steps.

Step 3 of Diagnostics - Testing your Internet connection for packet loss...
This step measures packets of data sent to and received by Texas Communications Accelerator in minimum, maximum, and average time (in milliseconds). In effect, this step measures the quality of your phone connection from your house to the phone company. The quality of your phone line can change over time. Things like poor connections, bad telephone company equipment, or bad residential equipment can cause problems. Lost packets must be retransmitted and therefore cause degradation of your Internet performance. If your packet loss is above 5% or the average round trip time is greater than 500 ms reconnect to the Internet and run Diagnostics again. If the problem persists, we recommend that you talk to your local phone company and report the problem. 

Step 4 of Diagnostics - Determining current line speed...
The quality of phone service may vary in different countries. Check with your phone company to see what you can expect.

Connection speeds will vary depending on your:

• Modem speed
• ISP modem speed
• Distance from central office
• Quality of phone line from the phone company
• Internal phone wiring

Based on user feedback, we have seen most modem connection speeds in the US range from 28 Kbps to 42 Kbps. Anything above 42 Kbps is excellent, anything below 28 Kbps is considered poor. See the suggestions below to improve line speed.

• Did you add any new telephone equipment to your phone line, such as a fax machine, phone, another modem, online gaming equipment, or alarm system? Other hardware may impact your ability to get an acceptable baud rate. Anything you can do to reduce other equipment on the same phone line will improve signal strength and quality. Temporarily disconnect the device, connect again and see if the baud rate improves.
• Because wall jack outlets and phone cord connections are made of copper or other metals, they are subject to corrosion. Try a new phone cord and plug it into another jack if one is available.
• Use a dial-up access number close to you. The distance to the phone number you are dialing may affect your connection speed. Basically, the closer you are, the fewer the number of switches or repeaters your signal may have to go through before arriving at its destination. Your ISP may add phone numbers that are located closer to you. Check with your ISP.
• If you are using a modem that is under 56 Kbps, upgrading to a faster modem will likely give you better connection speeds.

Click here to learn how to measure Acceleration performance.

Will Texas Communications Accelerator speed up downloading files from file-sharing programs like Kazaa?

Texas Communications Accelerator is designed to speed up downloading files when they are initiated through the browser. It will not speed up downloading files through other programs like Kazaa.

Does Texas Communications Accelerator speed up online games and reduce ping and lag time for Interactive games?

Texas Communications Accelerator will speed up your Web surfing, but not your online games. Click here for complete list of items that are accelerated.

Yes. However, you will need to make a change to We-Blocker see steps below:

1. Obtain the Proxy port used by Texas Communications Accelerator. Click the small blue propeller icon near your system clock.
2. Select Options, Advanced. Write down the port number.
3. Click the We-Blocker icon We.
4. Select Master Controls, and enter the password. Click OK.
5. Select the System Settings tab.
6. Select the Network tab.
7. In the Proxy Settings frame, select the check box for We-Blocker is behind a
   proxy server.
8. Enter localhost in Proxy Server IP address and enter the Texas Communications Accelerator port number (such as 8080) in the Proxy Server HTTP Port.
9. Click Save and Close.

Does Cookie Crusher work with Texas Communications Accelerator?

Yes. However, you will need to make a change to Cookie Crusher. See the steps below:

1. Click the small blue propeller icon and select Options, Advanced. Write down the port number. You will need this later. Click Cancel.
2. From Internet Explorer, select Tools, Internet Options. Click the Connections tab. Select the connection you are using. Click Settings.
3. Select the Use a proxy server for this connection check box. Then click the Advanced button.
4. Make sure that the proxy address for the HTTP port address is set to 127.0.0.1, and the port is set to 5555. Click OK.
5. Right-click on the Cookie Crusher icon located in the corner of the taskbar near the clock. Choose Show from the menu.
6. On the left side of the Cookie Crusher control panel window, click Configuration and select Chain to the following proxy server.
7. In the box directly below, enter localhost. In the port number area to the right, enter the Texas Communications Accelerator port number, usually 8080
8. Close the Cookie Crusher control panel and start browsing.
9. You can verify that Texas Communications Accelerator is working when the Texas Communications Accelerator icon (blue propeller near the system clock) shows moving arrows when you browse the Internet.

Does Norton Internet Securities work with Texas Communications Accelerator?

Yes, however if you're running Norton Internet Securities 2004, you will need to make a change.

1. Click on the NIS 2004 system tray icon and choose "Norton Internet Security" from the top of the list.
2. Click on "options" at the very top
3. Click on the "firewall" tab
4. Under "HTTP port list" find the number "8080" in the list, highlight it and click on the "remove" button.
5. Click "ok"

This is a bug with Norton Internet Security 2004, Norton Internet Security 2003 works with no problems.

Does Texas Communications Accelerator work with Internet Explorer?

Yes. Texas Communications Accelerator works well with Internet Explorer 5.0 or later. No changes are necessary for Internet Explorer to work with Texas Communications Accelerator. However if you cannot surf after you installed or uninstalled Texas Communications Accelerator follow the steps below to make sure the IE browser is configured correctly.

Cannot surf after installing Texas Communications Accelerator?

1. Click on the small blue propeller icon and select Options, then click on the Advanced... button write down the port number. Click cancel.

2. From Internet Explorer select Tools -> Internet Options. Then click on the Connections tab. Select the connection you are using. Click Settings...

3. Make sure that the "Use a proxy server for this connection" checkbox is checked. If not, do so. Then click the Advanced... button.

4. Make sure that the proxy address for 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.

5.You can verify that Texas Communications Accelerator is working when:

The Texas Communications Accelerator icon (blue propeller near the system clock) shows moving arrows when you browse the Internet.

Cannot surf after uninstalling Texas Communications Accelerator?

1. From Internet Explorer select Tools -> Internet Options. Then click on the Connections tab. Select the connection you are using. Click Settings...

2. Make sure that the "Use a proxy server for this connection" checkbox is not checked.

Why do I get the error "tcaccelerator.exe is not a valid Win 32 application" after downloading the Accelerator file?

This error is rare and occurs when the size of the file that was downloaded is smaller than the size of the original source file. This problem is usually caused by the modem dropping data packets or by an interruption during the file download. To correct this situation, locate the file tcaccelerator.exe. Delete the file and download it again.

Why do I get an error "could not open install.log file" when I uninstall Texas Communications Accelerator?

It appears that one or more files were removed from the Texas Communications Accelerator directory. To correct this problem, reinstall Texas Communications Accelerator. You can try to locate the file tcaccelerator.exe on your system and open it or you can download it again from your account.

To uninstall Texas Communications Accelerator, click Start -> Programs -> Texas Communications Accelerator -> Uninstall Texas Communications Accelerator.

Does Proxomitron work with Texas Communications Accelerator?

Yes. First you will need to make some changes. Proxomitron uses a local proxy and 8080. You need to first confirm that your browser is configured for port 8080 then change the port on the Texas Communications Accelerator and configure Proxomitron for the Texas Communications Accelerator port.

Internet Explorer

1. From Internet Explorer select Tools -> Internet Options. Then click on the Connections tab. Select the connection you are using. Click Settings...
2. Make sure that the "Use a proxy server for this connection" checkbox is checked. If not, do so. Then click the Advanced... button.
3. Make sure that the proxy address for HTTP port address is set to "localhost" (no quotes) and the port is set to 8080. Click OK and exit it out.
4. Click on the small blue propeller icon and select Options, then click on the Advanced... Change the port to 8081 and click apply.
5. Right-click on the Proxomitron icon in the system tray and select the control panel. Check the "use remote proxy" box.
6. Click on the proxy button and type in localhost:8081
7. Click "ok".
8. You can verify that Texas Communications Accelerator is working when: The Texas Communications Accelerator icon (blue propeller near the system clock) shows moving arrows when you browse the Internet.

Netscape

1. Click on the Netscape Edit menu and select Preferences...
2. Double click on the Advanced category.
3. Click on Proxies.
4. Click View [Netscape 4.7 only]
5. Make sure that the "Manual proxy configuration" radio button is selected.
6. Click in the HTTP Proxy area and enter the word "localhost" without the quotes.
7. Click in the HTTP Port area and enter port 8080. Save changes and exit out.
8. Click on the small blue propeller icon and select Options, then click on the Advanced... Change the port to 8081 and click apply.
9. Right-click on the Proxomitron icon in the system tray and select the control panel. Check the "use remote proxy" box.
10. Click on the proxy button and type in localhost:8081
11. Click "ok".
12. You can verify that Texas Communications Accelerator is working when: The Texas Communications Accelerator icon (blue propeller near the system clock) shows moving arrows when you browse the Internet.

Why do I get an error Invalid win32 application when I try to install Texas Communications Accelerator?

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.