Are you having trouble chatting in our rooms? Some symptoms can include, inability to log on, and frequent disconnections from the room. Due to the nature of the internet and the way computers work, some disconnections are inevitable. Sometimes though we see chatters having far more trouble then is reasonable. Our server was selected for its ability to respond quickly and so far we have had very little trouble with it. In deciding to set up these rooms we purchased the latest (4.3) version of e-chat. Although this Chat room is fundamentally the same as many other chat rooms that exist on the net, there are some important differences. Mostly these differences lay in security.
Researching the reason for frequent disconnections or an inability to connect at all, has led me to the conclusion that e-chat hates the Proxy Server Setting used by many ISPs. (What is a Proxy Server?) Computers function on the net just fine without a proxy server, and chat sites that deliver content in real time actually function better without it. We can not take responsibility for what happens to your computer as a result of making the changes suggested. The change has worked on many computers that I have tested but if you are in doubt you should contact your ISP explaining the problem.
The following contains instructions on how to remove the proxy server setting from your computer.
Choose your Browser:
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Removing the Proxy Server setting from Internet Explorer.
1) Open Internet Explorer in the normal manner
2) Click on Tools and then Internet Options as in fig1.
fig1.
3) Note the new box that opens as per fig2.
fig2.
4) Click on the Connections tab as per fig2. above
5) What you see here is shown in fig3. below
fig3.
6) If you have more than one connection ensure that the connection you are using now is highlighted, if necessary clicking once on the connection name will highlight it.
7) Click on the Settings Button, what you see here appears in fig4. below
fig4.
8) **WARNING** before clicking on anything here, WRITE DOWN your existing proxy server settings. If necessary click on the advanced button and write down and write them all down. Once you have written down any existing proxy server settings, remove the tick from the box "Use a proxy server" as indicated by the arrow in fig4. above.
9) Click on OK then OK again, then close Internet Explorer and restart it. That should be it! Happy chatting!
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Removing the Proxy Server setting from Netscape Navigator
1) Open Netscape Navigator
2) Click on Edit and then Preferences as per fig1. below
fig1.
3) The new box that opens should look like fig2. below
fig2.
4) Click on the little plus symbol at the left hand side of the word 'Advanced' as per step 1 in fig2. above.
5) now click once on the word 'Proxies' as per step 2 of fig2. above
6) If you have a spot beside the area 'Manual proxy configuration' click on the view button, and WRITE DOWN your current proxy configuration
7) Change the spot to 'Direct connection to the Internet' as per step 3 in fig2. above
That's it! Close and restart Netscape Navigator. Happy Chatting!
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So what is a 'Proxy Server' anyway?
As you are no doubt aware the internet is basically a whole series of computers that are linked together. A proxy server is a computer provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) through which all your signals travel as you 'surf the net'.
Our Problem comes about because the Proxy server remembers where you have been recently and if you go back there it feeds you the content it has remembered (cached) instead of the real content.
For a web page who's content doesn't change, this makes the page load slightly faster and eases the load on the internet in general.
BUT
A chat page by its very nature is always changing, therefore the proxy server's attempts to feed you 'cached' (previously remembered) content, result in an error on the chat page. For security the chat page actually checks that you indeed have the latest content. Therefore it is necessary to remove the proxy server setting (Take this computer out of the chain) to view constantly changing Content.
As of October 2001, the-ingathering uses the latest version of e-chat (v4.3) This version has increased security checks that mean it is the first version to interfere with the proxy server setting.
** There is something else you should know about Proxy Servers **
When you use a proxy server, all your internet traffic is routed through the proxy server. Both inbound and outbound. This means that when a person or website tries to check on where you are (yes this is possible to a limited extent) You appear to have come from the proxy server and not your real IP address. This means in effect that the proxy server functions loosely as a firewall (not a very good one though). Removing the proxy server setting means that you no longer have this anonymity or protection. It is a trade off for those who are worried about security. In my own personal opinion I would rather rely on a personal firewall such as zonealarm to protect my computer.
