Test Internet Speed
Is your Dial-Up actually connecting at 56K? How fast is your Broadband connection?
Do your web pages open slower than you expect they should? Are you wondering whether you are getting the connection speed promised by your Internet Service Provider? You can answer your questions by running an Internet Speed Test. Just click on McAfee's Internet Connection Speedometer . All you need to do is look at where the red arrow is pointing on the speedometer image. It will show you whether you are connecting at Dial-up speeds (28K - 56K) or Broadband speeds (500K and higher).
If you are receiving the computer speed you are paying for from your Internet Service Provider but some web sites seem to open very slowly compared to others, this is likely due to the way in which the slow web site was developed. Not all web sites were developed to 'load' quickly on your computer. Read more about this in our article on Web Accessibility. Learn to turn-off images to improve your internet speed in the next section below.
Improve Your Internet Speed by Turning Off Images
Web sites that use lots of graphics and videos will be very slow to load, if at all, with slower internet connections. You can turn off these graphics and other multimedia features in your web browser so that the text on those web pages load more quickly. However, the web site may not be as useful with the multimedia features turned off. Some, but not all, web sites are built to function properly with images on or off. To turn off the features, go to your web browser's menu bar and follow these directions:
Internet Explorer: Select 'Tools', then 'Internet Options', and then click on the 'Advanced' Tab. Scroll down to the section called 'Mulimedia' and uncheck 'Show Picture' and 'Play Animations' to turn off the features. You will see some other options that you can experiment with but the two we have mentioned should be all you need. Click 'OK'. You must then close and then restart Internet Explorer. See Internet Explorer's Accessibility web site for additional help.
Firefox: Select 'Tools', then 'Options', and then click on 'Content'. Uncheck the box which says 'Load Images Automatically'. Click 'OK'. There is no need to close and then restart Firefox. See Firefox's Options Window Help screen for additional help.
Safari: Select 'Edit', then 'Preferences', and then click on 'Appearance'. Uncheck the box which says 'Display images when the page opens'. Close the screen. There is no need to close and then restart Safari.
Help Others & Good Luck
Our goal is to make you comfortable using the ever expanding internet. We especially want to reach out to online beginners and let them know it is not too late to get started. As more services, especially free ones, move online, we believe it is important that everyone learn the basics for navigating the internet. Think of a family member or friend who may find this web site helpful and forward it to them today. We wish you Good Luck and an Enjoyable Journey on the Internet.
ShopWithTrust.com also provides easy access to trusted retailers. We keep things simple for you by only listing stores with a long history of name recognition. We would like to be your one stop source for online shopping with stores like Macy's, Target, Walmart, and Best Buy. Thank You and Best Wishes.
