Bunker: can i set it up/ how do i set it up so i dont get URL messages from people i don tknow?
Raider: ah :)
Raider: this is possible
Bunker: how is it done then pls
Raider: takes a little time - but it is easy - ish - with practise
Raider: bottom righthand corner of ICQ
Raider: is a button "ICQ"
Bunker: aye
Raider: when you click here - there is an option - "preferences"
Bunker: ok then what
Raider: within preferences - there are many options - including security
Bunker: thnx m8 i see it
Raider: you can go through all these options customizing your ICQ
Raider: it is very useful. Check it all through. it is great in here ....
Bunker: hehe ok will do buddy
Raider: cool - have fun - useful settings in here ...

This is a conversation frequently held. ICQ is a great tool - and I can no longer live without it. You can SMS for free - and send URL's to mates. However -with anything successful - people will meddle. Unwanted mail is annoying - but by "tweaking" your settings you can cut this out completely!

Spend a little tiem setting your own ICQ up so it acts how you want it to.

If something annoys you with ICQ - chances are you can stop it. Good Luck. Raider

Connection speeds - and ways to speed your connection (Originally from a question on the comlink).

A 56 K BIT modem will allow a maximuim speed of 56 / 8 BITS = 7KBS (K BYTES a second) download speed.

They play with the words BIT and BYTE. There are 8 bits in a byte. So you must divide it to get the DL rate that they measure in KBS.

I normally only got 4KBS. Then maybe 5 or 6 with a better ISP, or down to 2kbs with a 24/7 service.

This can be because of noise on the line, because of too many phones and connections inside the house (EG try plugging the modem directly with no phones into the first telephone socket in the house).

So then software can take up your bandwidth. That is why - even with a fast connection - i have nothing running when playing games.

So - no ICQ, Iexplorer pages or email. I have seen ICQ take up 5KBS of bandwidth on my HSI. No Quicktime, RealPlayer or auto update services. If i press CTRL ALT DEL, there is basically nothing running. Nothing. Antivirus and Firewall are obviously acceptable.

There is nothing better than a re-instal to help clear any rubbish out the background. If you installed your operating system over a year ago, you play games and are using the computer a lot, and are haing problems, a re-instal will remove whatever the problem is (virtually).

Unfortuantely - it then depends on the ISP. The cheaper the service, the more modems they connect to their bandwidth. With HSI, I expect no more than a ratio of 50:1, and some offer 20:1.

So - with HSI - (not ISDN - which i personally am not a fan of - but some people have no choice) 128kb services can provide 128 / 8 = 16KBS download speeds. 512kb download speeds can provide 64KBS download. These are guides. It depends on everything between your computer and where you are going. So - it will only go as fast as the slowest link.

Just to add complete confusion - of course you have TWO speeds. Download (to you) and upload (From you). So a 512/128 service recieves at 64KBS but sends at 16KBS. This matters when you host a game. I know some ISP's (very few) offer 256 / 256 KBS services. THis is a true gamers conn, and should make a wonderful server - because the send / recieve rate is the same. Even if people connect to it at 128KBS - multiple people will share 256kbs = 32KBS instead of 16KBS. this is a big boost. But more is the upload rate of 32KBS instead of 16KBS. If that makes any sense.

I know someone who has a 1024 kb line (1M) - but the upload is 96kb. This is great for browsing and downloading - but not good for games.

Satelites have a huge delay as the signal is transferred 4 miles up - and 4 miles back down - before anything else is done withteh signal. THis creates a delay. The speed might be 40M! - but in reality it is useless for games, and can still have delays to FIND things (not to DL them).

Finally - it is where you contact to (as previously mentioned). China have erected a firewall around every internet connection to the country - which if you believe what the newspapers say. This will of course slow international connections. This you can do nothing about.

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