One of the best benefits of having Internet service is to take advantage of hundreds of free software you can download on your computer. Whether you are looking for a photo editor, Internet browser, antivirus software, or game, chances are, you’ll find dozens of options online to pick from. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Choosing your download. When you download software, there are several things to keep in mind. For example, some software may conflict with your currently running software. If you already have antivirus software, you may not be able to install another one without uninstalling the program you already have. Also, not all software programs are helpful. If it is actually disguised malware, you’re computer and your privacy will be put in jeopardy. Research the product for ratings and reviews before you decide to download it. Try downloading it from a safe site, like download.com, where experts have tested and reviewed the product and individual users have given them ratings and reviews.

2. Initiating the download. When you click on a link to download a program, you will probably be asked if you would like to save or run the file. If you click save, you will be asked where you would like to save the file and then proceed to download. After it completes, you can open the installation file from where you saved it. If you click run, the download will choose a place to save the file, like a “Downloads” folder somewhere in your system files. As soon as the download completes, it will immediately begin the installation process. You should click save so that you will know where to find the download, in case the installation gets interrupted, or you decide to let the file download while you are away from the computer. Also, if you know where the installation file is, you can rerun it you want to reinstall the program later.

3. Installing the download. This part should be fairly easy. You will be given step by step instructions and be asked to click next, check “I agree” to the terms of service, etc. Pay attention to each step! You need to know what it is doing. For example, many free downloads will ask if you would also like to install a toolbar or search provider for you. These “extras” are space and bandwidth-consuming annoyances that you don’t need! All you have to do is uncheck the box next to “Install x toolbar” or “Add y feature” to continue your installation without installing the annoying extras.

4. Back up your installation files. Any time you download a new program or an upgrade, you should save the installation file for later reference. Once you have successfully installed the program, move the installation file to an external hard drive or flash drive. You should have a drive where you back up all your personal files anyway, so make a folder that says “Installation files” and keep the files here. This way, if anything happens to the program in the future and it needs to be reinstalled, you will know exactly where to find the file, and you won’t have to take the time to redownload it. Also, in the event that your computer would have to be replaced or your operating system reinstalled, you’ll have the files necessary to quickly reinstall the programs you used before onto your new computer system.

If you pick the best software for your computer, avoid unnecessary extras, and keep the installation files in a safe location, you will be able to use your software efficiently and easily.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net. Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles!

Software usually comes in three forms: 1, pre-installed on your computer, 2, on a CD—either a performance program (like Microsoft Word) or the driver software that came with new hardware (like a modem), or 3, as a download from the Internet. Let's explore these individually:

Preinstalled Software

When you buy a computer, there is an operating system (usually Microsoft Windows) and several programs already installed. Typically, these would include a word processor and other tools and applications, like Word pad, Solitaire, etc., and an Internet browser like Internet Explorer. All the software that makes you're computer function and runs hardware is system software. All the programs on the All Programs list is application software.

Some programs come preinstalled, usually as a marketing tactic, and use system resources by starting up every time you turn on your computer, like Windows Messenger and sometimes a free trial of Norton Antivirus, or some other security software. Of course, just because these programs are installed doesn't mean you have to use them. You should probably uninstall anything you won't use to avoid using your system resources.

CD Software

Since software is basically just a complicated string of digital codes, the only way to physically buy it in a store is to buy a CD with the code stored on it. You then put the CD in your computer and install the program to use it. The majority of software programs (including the ones in the other categories) can be bought on a CD. Office tools, games, music players, security packages, and photo-editing programs are all typical software applications that are often purchased in stores. This is probably the most expensive route, but if it didn’t come preinstalled on your computer, it is usually worth it.

The best reason to buy software on a CD is because you can always reinstall it from the CD. Software can become corrupted, lost, or damaged after it was installed. Or worse, your computer could crash and you would have to reinstall everything back onto it. Having the CD means you can always reinstall the programs, or install it on a different computer in a matter of a few minutes.

Drivers are another type of CD software. All hardware is useless until it has the correct software that will make it be recognized by your computer's system software. When you buy a new printer, modem, or other attachable hardware, you are always prompted to install something from a CD. This is the driver. Most manufacturers will also list free links to download drivers in case you lose the CD, or the CD becomes damaged or outdated.

Downloadable Software

The Internet is one of the best and easiest ways to obtain software. You can download almost anything from the Internet, and much of it is free. There are antivirus and other anti-malware programs, browsers, games, photo/video editors, word processors and other office tools, etc. Download.com is one of the best places to find free downloads. Most people download programs because it is easier and cheaper than finding and buying it from a store. Sometimes tools and programs can be downloaded to troubleshoot hardware issues (like a corrupted driver), find and remove malicious software, and perform maintenance tasks, like scanning your computer or cleaning up unnecessary files.

You must be careful with Internet downloads, as some of them are disguised malicious software. Research a program before you download it if you're not sure that it's legitimate. You should be able to find reviews of the download fairly easily by doing a Google search for that program name.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net. Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles!

When you get a dial-up service, perhaps one of the most frustrating aspects of a slower connection is that few antivirus programs are simple enough to download and update themselves on dial-up. But you still have to have an antivirus program! So what can you do?

Fortunately, there are several antivirus programs that appeal to dial-up users not only for their simplicity, but because they are free!  You don’t have to pay a cent to download and install these programs. They install updates of new malware threats, etc., and scan your computer for viruses, just like subscription antivirus programs. The most popular of these free programs is AVG Anti-virus, the Free Edition, and Avast Anti-virus.

So why are these programs free? Well, the free programs are very basic, and these companies do offer subscription versions of these programs (and recommend you to upgrade, of course!). Also, you will probably not get technical support (at least, not live) with these programs, nor will you often be able have a free installation CD to be shipped to you from the company.

These free programs aren’t as all-inclusive as an expensive subscription program that covers every imaginable aspect of Internet and computer protection. However, these large paid programs will not only take up a large amount of space on your hard drive, but they also might not download the installation files and updates it requires to work properly on your dial-up connection.

Many of these programs’ updates takes up to 6 or more hours on a dial-up connection. This is most likely never going to download at all, because most dial-up services drop your connection after 4 or more hours because of a maximum online time regulation. Even if your ISP had no such regulation, dial-up connection can drop a connection unexpectedly for other reasons, like problems with the modem or phone line. Of course, then you would have to restart your download, and the whole hassle would take days and you would not be sufficiently protected in those times.

Download.com has ratings, reviews, and descriptions of a plethora of free downloads where you can compare and install various free antivirus programs. You can run a search for “free anti-virus programs” to see all the available anti-virus programs. On the home page, if you scroll down to the heading “Most Popular Downloads”, you’ll see the two free anti-virus programs listed above.

If you do want to download AVG or Avast, you should probably just go straight to download.com, because the websites of these programs will actually redirect you to download.com anyway.

It is usually possible to download free antivirus programs with most dial-up connections. It is also possible that the initial download could take several hours or require several attempts. If you have too much trouble, you may need to quickly download the installation file to a flash drive at work, a restaurant, or the library using their broadband connection. Then you can take the file home and install it on your computer in a few minutes.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles!

Mozilla Firefox, the second most popular Internet browser, is free to download and compatible to Windows, Mac, and Linux computers. Firefox was one of the first browsers to have tabbed browsing, which has become standard for most browsers.

Firefox at first glance looks similar to Internet Explorer and is very easy to use. It features tabbed browsing, private browsing, history, and many options you would find on Internet Explorer. The following features are used on some other browsers but are worth mentioning. You will not find these features on Internet Explorer.

* Bookmarks, known on IE as “Favorites”, can be created with just one click on the star icon in the address bar.

* Tabs can be dragged into a separate window with your mouse.

* “Password Manager” offers to remember (or never remember) password information that you are entering on a website (also, instead of an intrusive pop-up like on other browsers, this feature displays briefly under the toolbars, in that way being more of a helpful option than an intrusive one).

* Links to downloads open the “Download manager” that displays your downloads' names and progress, and saves them for later reference. You can pause and restart downloads, and, when it is complete, simply double-click it from the list to run the installation.

Firefox is probably best known for having more than 6,000 customization options! Some of these features (known as add-ons) would be unavailable or automatically integrated on your Internet Explorer browser. The only problem with that is, if you don't want the features, they're download on the browser anyway. This is why Firefox is much faster to download—you can pick the options you want later!

These 6000 add-ons can be viewed from the Firefox homepage, or by using the Add-ons Manager in your Firefox browser. Sometimes Firefox will notify you when an add-ons is necessary to load certain parts of webpages. Most of the add-ons, however, are just fun or techy features that will change the look of your browser or add a cool accessory that could come in handy while surfing online. Here is a brief snippet of the wide variety of add-ons available for the Firefox browser:

• “Personas” are different “skins” for your Firefox browser. You can find thousands of themes celebrating your favorite music, movie, cause, etc! Change your skin everyday if you want!

• “Read it Later” is a great way to save a website, but not get it mixed in with your long-term bookmarks. You can access them offline, and check them off when you've read them.

• “WOT”--a.k.a. Websites Of Trust—this feature will help keep you safe from harmful websites.

• “Yoono” sidebar is a quick way to stay constantly updated on your social networking outlets, like Facebook, Twitter, and instant messaging.

Firefox is continually improving and increasing it's add-ons, as well as speed and security technology. Firefox 3.5.3, is faster and safer than before and is now available to download for free. You can read all about security and speed features and improvements, browse add-ons library, and download Firefox on your computer at firefox.com.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles! 

Bits and bytes are measurements of data, but they differ in their size and what they measure. Understanding what these terms are will help you understand how your computer stores information and how your Internet connection speed effects you. One way to tell them apart is the case in which they are written. When abbreviating bits and bytes, a “b” (small case) is a bit, and “B” (upper case) is a byte, therefore, “kb” is kilobit and “KB” is kilobyte (note: the case of the letters before the b are insignificant).

A bit (b) is the smallest measurement of data that can be stored on computers or transferred by Internet services. Bits represent information with a binary coding system made up of only 1's and 0's (bi means two, i.e., two numbers). When bits are arranged and stored in sequences of 1's and 0's, they are translated by computer programming into words, pictures, and other data.

Usually, when you hear the term “bits”, they are measuring transfer rate, or how much information can be transferred in a certain amount of time. Internet connection speeds are measured this way, for example, “bps” is bits per second, the amount of bits that can be downloaded or transferred in a second. Since bits are so small, most connection speeds are measured in thousands of bits per second.

When measuring transfer rate for Internet connections, 1 kilobit (kb) = 1000 bits, 1 megabit (mb) = 1000 kilobits. Say you connect with dial-up at 34.4 kbps. That means 34.4 kilobits or 34400 bits can be downloaded per second to your computer. Say you connect with DSL at 6 “megs” aka mbps. You can download 6 megabits, or 6000 kilobits, or 6,000,000 bits per second.

A byte (B) is 8 bits strung together. Remember, bits store information based on a binary system and are arranged in sequences. These sequences are in sets of 8 and called bytes. It takes many bytes sequenced together to create documents, images, programs, and commands for your computer. When measuring sizes of files, programs, and capacities of drives, you use bytes. Like bits, byte are often noted in larger quantities, like kilobytes, megabytes (megs), and gigabytes (gigs).

Many people assume a kilobyte is 1000 bytes, etc., but this is not true. When describing capacity (size or storage size of computer elements), bytes are measured by the same binary system that code bits. Therefore, “kilo” = 1,024 (or, 2^10) instead of 1000. A kilobyte (KB) is 1,024 bytes, and a megabyte (MB) is 1,024 kilobytes. A gigabyte (GB) is 1,024 megabytes.

A Microsoft Word document is usually about 30 KB in size. An picture, like clip art is typically about 100 KB, and photos are often much larger. A CD typically has a 700 MB (or 716,800 KB) storage capacity. You can buy computers with a hard drive (main storage unit) capacity of 500 gig (or 524,288,000 KB).

Don't forget, 1 byte is 8 bits. An Internet connection (like transfer rates or download speeds) is measured in bits, and 1 kilobit is 1,000 bits. Storage capacity (like disk space and file sizes), it is measured in bytes, and 1 kilobyte is 1,024 bytes.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles! 

Trying to describe the connection speed of dial-up is difficult. You're using 56K modems, but it's not really 56 kilobits per second. Here's an in-depth explanation of dial-up speeds and what they can accomplish.

Basic Web Surfing. Most webpages will load with dial-up. How long it will take depends on almost a dozen factors. For example, in the last ten years, many more websites are using multimedia technology (videos, music, animations) that are difficult to load on even the best dial-up connection. However, compression technology and other techniques in graphic and web design are improving, making webpages easier to load than before. Some websites have a simple layout view that you can choose if you are on a dial-up connection. Many website will load the prominent features first, then all the pictures and backgrounds. If you see the link or form you were looking for, you don't have to wait for the entire page to load to click or type on it.

Many Internet services, software programs, and browsers that offer tools to help you load webpages faster. You can probably use a combination of these three that will work best for you. These will not change your actual connection speed (measured in kilobits per second, or kbps), but compress webpages or use different loading techniques.

Most dial-up connection speeds are about 28-50 kbps. If your connection is less than 28, you may need to check with your ISP, phone company, and local computer technician for ways to improve your connection, if possible. Assuming you have a typical connection, here are likely loading times for three websites, without acceleration:

• Google.com-On a dial up connection, this page should load in about 5-7 seconds.

• Yahoo.com-This page is much busier, so it would take 35-45 seconds on dial-up. Keep in mind, however, you can begin searches and click on links as soon as they appear, so you rarely need to wait for the entire page to load.

• CNN.com-This site is heavy with text, headings, and images. Using a dial up connection, the home page should load in about 3 minutes.

Downloads. The difference in connection speeds are most visible for downloads. Accelerators can't change download speeds and, on dial-up, every kilobit counts. Smaller downloads (about 1-10 MB) are usually not a problem. If you download a 3 MB song, for example, on a 50 kbps dial-up connection, it take about 8-10 minutes, or 15-20 minutes on a 28 kbps connection.

Firefox 3.5 is the latest version of Mozilla's free browser. It is 7.6 MB, which would take just over 20 minutes on a faster dial-up connection, or about 45 minutes on a slower. If you get disconnected occasionally because of line noise, etc., you may need to make several attempts to download programs that are longer than 2 hours.

Large downloads, like an anti-virus program or major software upgrades are sometimes not possible with dial-up because most dial-up providers have automatic disconnect at 4 hours. The free version of AVG 8.5, for instance, is 63.1 MB. On a good dial-up connection, that would take over 3 hours; on a 28 kbps connection, nearly 6 hours. A download larger than 40 MB would probably not ever download on a 28 kbps connection. You can often download large programs like these to another computer (like the library or your laptop on a public wireless connection) and transfer the installation file to your computer later. Read more about ways to improve your downloads on dial-up or how to calculate download times.

Video/Audio Streaming. Live streaming, like a radio station's website, YouTube, and many interactive multimedia sites are not going to work on dial-up. In some cases, you can play a short video or audio clip if you wait an hour or more to load it. If you need to attend live web seminars or classes, or want to play online games, movies, or music in real time, dial-up will simply not be satisfactory. However, if you need an Internet connection to surf the web, check your email, play small flash games, and pay bills, dial-up will be fine. The money you'll save might make waiting a little easier.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles! 

If you're stuck on dial-up, you probably are open to anything to make it go a little faster. More and more websites now play colorful flash programs and stream audio and video clips that are sometimes impossible for dial-up to load—or at least not any time soon. Here are a few things that may help you maximize your online experience.

Minimize surfing. Keep your browsing to one, maybe two windows at a time. While your email homepage is loading, you can log into your bank account or read a news article. Depending on what you are trying to do, one window may work better. Close any tabs and pages that you are not using to avoid using any unnecessary bandwidth.

Use shortcuts. Create favorites or bookmarks of the pages you visit frequently to minimize extra clicks and load times. Some welcome screens and advertisements give you a "skip" or "close" link so you don't have to sit through it every time. Click the stop button at the top of the browser if don't need the whole page. If you see the link of the page you want, you don't need the rest of the website to load before clicking the link.

Manage necessary updates. Your anti-virus or Window's updates programs will automatically download updates as soon as you connect to the Internet everyday—unless you have changed the settings. Schedule updates at a time that you aren't trying to view web pages, or connect to the Internet half an hour before you are ready to start using it to give the updates a chance to finish.

Eliminate unneeded processes. Some programs like Windows Messenger or a weather forecaster are often set to automatically connect every time you go online. You can change the options in these programs not to start until you prompt them to connect to avoid using bandwidth to start programs you won't be using.

Download later. When you're checking your email, you don't want to compete with the bandwidth it takes to download a program or large update. Save the file to a location you will be able to find later. Let large downloads run overnight or when you're away from home, then install them later. If possible, save large downloads to a flash drive or directly to your laptop while you're at the library or a coffee shop with free wireless service. This will take much less time and can be transferred to your home computer later. Read more about ways to improve downloading on dial-up.

Clear browser data. For every web page you open, your Internet browser saves files, cookies, history, etc. These enable you to click on the forward and back button, or save data you enter on a form or log-in page. Eventually, your browser can get bogged down with all that saved information. You should clear your stored files, cookies, and history every six weeks or months, depending on how much you surf on a daily basis. If you use Internet Explorer, click Tools, then Internet Options. You will see the options to delete stored data here. If you are using Firefox, click Tools, then Clear Private Data.

Try a new browser. If you are like the majority of Internet users, you probably surf the web with Internet Explorer. There are many other browsers to choose from. Most of them free to download and are compatible with most websites. Each browser has different compression and page loading technology that may be faster for you. Some browsers come with accelerators and other features that would be helpful to you. The three most popular browsers next to IE are Mozilla's Firefox, Google's Chrome, and Opera. Each of these are free downloads and their website has helpful information to get the most out of them.

There are other changes to your computer and hardware that can improve your connection speed. Check with your local computer technician for ways to get the computer itself to run faster or call your ISP provider for suggestions, equipment, or upgrades that can affect your surfing speed.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles! 

An email client is a program on your computer that aides you in handling your email. The email client connects to the Internet, logs into your email provider's site, and downloads your email for you to read, reply to, store, or delete. You also have options to save contacts, and set up folders of saved emails to keep them organized. Email clients have multiple preferences and settings, like the following:

• Specify how often you want to check for new messages

• Set up multiple email accounts, the download from one or all of them

• Adjust how long to keep trying to download before a timeout message appears

Email clients typically download emails using two types of incoming servers. POP3 is the most typical server type. POP stands for Post Office Protocol, and 3 is the latest version used. Typically a POP server will connect, download all your messages one at a time, delete all the messages from the server, and disconnect. If you set up folders and organize messages and contacts using a POP3 server, these changes do not affect your mail server settings.

The other incoming server type is IMAP, Internet Message Access Protocol. IMAP downloads a copy of the messages from your server, and changes you make to them and your folders will be applied to the server settings. Essentially, you are interacting directly with your server, but also have the option of reading and composing emails offline. This protocol is usually available on most email clients, but not very many mail servers support it.

Outlook Express is the most popular email client, because it is automatically included in Windows computers. To set up your email account in Outlook Express:

1. Click Tools at the top of the page.

2. Click Accounts.

3. On the right side of the window, select Add > Mail...

4. The first field asks you to enter your name or whatever you want others to see when they receive an email from you. Typically, you would enter your name or your email address, but a nickname or other title would work as well, e.g., “Grandma Betty” or “Mr. Ransom”.

5. Click Next.

6. Type your email address.

7. Click Next.

8. Choose your incoming server type (usually POP3) and enter the incoming and outgoing mail server addresses. You can usually find these online or by calling your mail provider. They must be correct or you will not receive mail.

9. Click Next.

10. Your account name should already be filled in automatically. Type your password if you want it to be saved on your computer.

11. Click Next.

12. Click Finish.

Your ISP or mail provider should have step by step instructions similar to these on their website. There may be additional settings that you have to change from your mail account properties in order to send and receive messages. If you have Window's Vista, the Outlook Express program is called Window's Mail, and the setup process is very similar.

There are other email clients that you can use. Microsoft Outlook very similar to Outlook Express. It has a more professional layout and has options like a calendar and task list, which makes it ideal for business and professional use.

Other popular mail clients, most of which are free to download, include Mozilla Thunderbird. Thunderbird 2 allows you to tag messages with different colors for easy organization and features a find bar to search for keywords in old messages quickly.

IncrediMail is a fun multimedia favorite with emoticons, 3D effects, and sound effects to accompany your email handling and sending. Starfish Family Mail features multiple ways to keep emailing safe for kids and is easy to use. Eudora is popular for its handling of spam. Pegasus Mail is a stable and secure email client. You can search online for many more popular email clients and comparisons of them to find one that meets your needs.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles! 

There are several common misconceptions about dial-up connection speeds. For example, even if you are using a 56K modem, you are unfortunately not really connecting at 56 kbps. Because of physical limitations and FCC regulations, the highest connection speed possible on dial-up is 51-53 kbps. Most people connect at about 24-48 kbps (kilobits per second).

When you first get connected on dial-up, you should get a pop-up in the lower right corner of the screen telling you your connection speed, e.g., “You are now connected at 32.4 kbps.”

If you don't see a pop-up, you can also check your connection speed while you are connected. From your control panel, open your Network Connections window and double-click the icon for your dial-up connection. Your connection statistics should show in that window and the speed will be listed first.

Once you determine your speed, you can determine download times. However, you must first understand units of measurement and conversion rates. When measuring transfer rate (ie., how many bits can be downloaded per second) of Internet connections, the size increments are 1000. Therefore, a kilobit is 1,000 bits, and an megabit is 1,000 kilobits, etc.

Storage capacity on hard drives and cell phones, etc., and sizes of files or software programs, etc., are measured in bytes. This is not to be confused with bits. A byte is 8 bits strung together. Bytes are notated with a capital B, and bits with a small b. Therefore, a “kb” is a kilobit and a “KB” is a kilobyte. Bytes are always in size increments of 1,024 since they use the binary counting system used to store information on computers. Therefore, a kilobyte is 1,024 bytes, and a megabyte is 1,024 kilobytes, etc.

Since all Internet downloads are measured in bytes (webpages, files, pictures, and programs), you have to do a little math to understand how quickly dial-up (measured in bits per second) can download it. Remember, a byte is 8 bits, and one KB is 8 kb! First, multiply the file size in kilobytes by 8 to convert the file to kilobits. Then, divide it by the number of kilobits per second your connection will transfer.

For example, if you want to know how quickly a 500 kilobyte (KB) file (perhaps a picture that was emailed to you) will download on a 40 kbps connection, first convert the file to size in bits. 500 kilobytes (KB) = 4,000 kilobits (kb). Then divide the bits by 40 kbps. 4,000 kilobits / 40 bits per second = 100 seconds, or almost two minutes.

Larger downloads are often measured in MB's, which means you have to convert them to KB's before you can convert them to kb's. 1 MB = 1,024 KB = 8192 kb. 1 MB on a 40 kbps connection would download in 204.8 seconds, or just over three minutes.

A song is usually about 3 MB, so it would take about 10 minutes. If you downloaded a large program like Adobe Reader, which is 35.7 MB, the download time would be about 2 hours on a 40 kbps connection.

The actual download time will be close to your calculation, however, your connection speed can change while you are connected if your modem has to adjust its speed to accommodate line noise. Your download times may also be longer if other processes on your computer are using your Internet connection, such as automatic updates or web-surfing while you wait. Minimize your online activity during a download and check with your local computer technician for ways to eliminate bandwidth-consuming processes faster downloads. Read more about increasing your download times on dial-up.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles! 

Dial-up Internet depends on several factors to both establish and maintain a connection. There are 5 factors that contribute to your connection speed. Therefore, improvements made to these factors could greatly increase your connection quality and speed. Here's how each of these factors can effect your connection speed:

Your modem. Dial-up has changed greatly from the time it was first developed. The most recent and widely used model of dial-up modems is the 56k modem with a V.92 standard. The maximum download speed is up to 56K, but several factors affect your actual connection speed. The V.92 version features faster start-up time (establishing the connection), faster uploading speeds, and Internet call-waiting (the ability to put the Internet on hold if you get an incoming call while you're online). Most computers (even as far back as Windows 98) have a 56K modem by now, but not all computers have the V.92 standard. You may be able to greatly improve your connection speed by switching to V.92 if you don't already have it. You should definitely upgrade to a 56K modem if you are using anything older.

Your phone cord setup. Do you have multiple configurations of phone cords and splitters running through your house? You may be sacrificing the quality of your Internet connection. An ideal set up would be one short (less than 4 feet) phone cord going straight from the phone jack in the wall to your computer. A splitter or a cord longer than 5 feet increases your chances of having slower connections or disconnects. You may need to reevaluate your setup to check if any changes can be made. Many computer's modem port has another outgoing port directly beside it labeled “phone”. Instead of using a splitter, plug your phone cord going to your telephone into the “phone” port in the back of your computer, to give your modem the most direct connection.

Your interior phone lines. If the telephone cord wiring in your house is damaged or aged, they may need to be replaced. Also, if it runs too close to florescent lights or electrical appliances, you are much more likely to experience line noise that can slow your connection speed. Frequent humming or static on the phone line will inhibit the modems from hearing the analog signal they use to transport information. If possible, plug a telephone to the jack at the source outside your house. If the line is clear there, you know the static is coming from wiring issues inside your house.

The exterior phone line. If the line noise is still evident outside your home, your phone company may need to repair or replace the phone lines going to your house. Also, the greater the distance you are from the telephone company's central office, the more susceptible you are to slow or dropped connections. This is why rural homes have slower or no dial-up service in their area.

The access number. Your ISP provides the access number that your modem dials to reach their modem and establish a connection. Occasionally, a slow connection, busy signal, or dropped connection is due to a network outage on the access number you are using. You should ask your ISP for several access numbers for your area so you have a few to choose from if one of them stops working well. Also, check with your phone company if the access numbers are local. This not only helps establish a better connection, it also keeping you from stacking up long distance charges!

While there are some things that simply cannot be helped, there are improvements that can be made. Keep in mind that your connection speed is only one factor in how quickly you can access websites and download files. Check for tips online, call your ISP, or see your local computer technician for ways to improve your computer's speed and browse faster online.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles!