System Requirements
Compatible browsers:
To use our Web applications, you’ll need a browser that supports 128 bit
encryption technology. Browsers supporting this encryption technology include:
- Using a PC: Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher, or Netscape 6.1 or higher, or FireFox
- Using a Macintosh with OS8 or OS9: Netscape 6.1
- Using a Macintosh with OSX: Netscape 7.1 or Safari (Mozilla also has a
browser dedicated to the Macintosh format named Camino. It is based on the
Firefox architecture and should also work.)
If you need to upgrade your Netscape or Internet Explorer, use the links below
to download the most recent versions of these browsers for free.
Browser settings:
Check the following settings on your browser:
- Your browser must have 128-bit encryption. Encryption is the ability of
the browser to scramble the contents of a Web site so that no one else can
see the information being entered. Our Web applications need 128-bit encryption
to operate properly.
- Your browser must be set to accept “session” cookies. Cookies
help the application work on your computer. Our application only uses session
cookies, so they are deleted as soon as you exit the application.
- Your browser should be set to refresh every visit to a page. Because the
screens within our Web applications could change slightly at any time, it’s
best to have your computer set to refresh on each visit to a page to ensure
that you re always seeing the latest version.
- Make sure that the cache is set to a high enough level.
- If you have a firewall server, it must be set to allow you access to this
site. Some companies have a firewall server that protects their computers
from invasion and leaks. Depending on how your firewall server’s settings
are applied, it could hinder your use of our Web applications. Please contact
your IT staff to adjust your firewall’s settings.
-
You must be set to use SSL 2.0 and SSL 3.0 security. SSL = Secure Socket
Layer, a high-level method of making sure the data you’re transmitting
is kept safe and secure. In order to ensure that you have a Secure Socket,
please make sure all latest Windows Updates have been run.
- If you are connecting to our Web applications via cable modem, you may
encounter problems accessing the site. This is usually due to a firewall.
Please contact your service provider or system administrator to adjust your
firewall settings.
- If you have Speed Band (AOL Optimized, Earthlink Accelerator, etc.), please
disable this feature while you are in our system.
- Try using a different browswer than you are currently using.
Checking your browser settings on a PC:
Internet Explorer
- Click on “Help” at the top of the browser screen. Then click
“About Internet Explorer”. The version must be 5.0 or higher.
The cipher strength is listed just below the version and should say 128 bit.
- Click on “Tools” at the top of the browser screen. Then click
“Internet Options”.
- To check how often you are refreshing pages: Select the “General”
tab and click the “Settings” button. “Every visit to the
page” should be selected.
- To check for accepting cookies:
- For IE version 5.0: Select the “Security” tab, click on
the “Internet” symbol, and click “Custom level”.
Scroll down to the section called “Cookies”. “Enable”
should be selected.
- For IE version 6: Select the “Privacy” tab, click on the
“Advanced” button. Either “Accept third party cookies”
or “Always allow session cookies” should be selected. To change
the setting, click “Override automatic cookie handling”.
- To check for security level: Select the “Advanced” tab. Scroll
down to the section titled “Security”. Make sure that “Use
SSL 2.0” and “Use SSL 3.0” are selected.
- To check for firewall or LAN settings: Select the “Connections”
tab, and click on “LAN Settings”. If any of the following options
are checked, you may experience difficulty using our Web applications depending
on how your firewall is set. Talk to your computer expert to have this reviewed
and adjusted if necessary.
- Automatically detect settings.
- Use automatic configuration script.
- Use a Proxy server.
If you have Microsoft Windows XP and have installed Service Pack 2 and you
are running Norton Anti-virus with the firewall engaged, you will be unable
to access our site, as well as most other secure sites. In order to find a way
to alleviate this situation, please go to Change Windows Firewall Settings and
read the available information regarding how to disable the Windows firewall. If you have the Windows Live Toolbar with Microsoft Phishing filter installed you will need to uninstall it and reboot your system.
Netscape
- Click on “Help” at the top of your browser screen. Then click
“About Navigator”. The version must be 6.1 or higher (version
6.0 should not be used as it has known flaws).
- Scroll down to the “RSA” icon. If it says “RC-2-CBC”,
then it has 128 bit encryption and will be fine for our Web applications and
most other similar Web applications.
- Click on “Edit” at the top of your browser screen. Then click
“Preferences”, then “Advanced”.
- To check how often your browser is refreshing pages: Select the “Cache”
category on the left under “Advanced”. Make sure that “Every
time” is selected at the bottom of the page.
- To check for accepting cookies: Make sure “Accept all cookies”
is selected.
- To check for firewall or LAN settings: Select the “Proxies”
category on the left under “Advanced”. If either “Manual
Proxy configuration” or “Automatic Proxy configuration”
are checked, you may experience difficulty using our Web applications.
Using a Macintosh
Mac users running OS 9.x and earlier should install Netscape 6.1 or higher
Mac users running OS X should install Netscape 7.0 or higher
Macintosh using OS9.2 and Netscape 6.1
- Open browser
- Pull down the “Apple” menu and click “About Netscape
Navigator”
Look for the statement “This version supports U.S. security with RSA
Public Key Cryptography.” This means it has 128 bit encryption. RSA,
RC2 or RC4 = 128 bit encryption.
- Click on “Edit” then “Preferences”
- Select “Cache”
- Set the page to “Always” update
- Clear the cache
- Set the cache size to the maximum allowed (512 MB).
- Select Cookies from menu on left side of pop-up
- Make sure cookies are enabled.
- Select Security from menu on the left side of pop-up
- Make sure that SSL 2.0 and SSL 3.0 are enabled.'
Macintosh using OS X and Netscape 7.0
- Open browser
- Pull down the “Apple” menu and click “About Netscape
Navigator”
Look for the statement “This version supports U.S. security with RSA
Public Key Cryptography.” This means it has 128 bit encryption. Cipher
strength RSA, RC2 or RC4 = 128 bit encryption.
- Click on “Edit” then “Preferences”
- Select “Cache”
- Set the page to “Always” update
- Clear the cache
- Set the cache size to the maximum allowed (512 MB).
- Under “Privacy and Security, select “Cookies”.
- Make sure “Enable all cookies” is selected”
- Under “Privacy & Security” select “SSL”
- Make sure that SSL 2.0 and SSL 3.0 are enabled.
Using AOL
The default setting is to always look at the stored copy of Internet pages
from the hard drive. This means that once you have trouble with a page or see
the “technical difficulties” message, you will always see that old
page. This may cause problems for you in our Web applications.
To see a fresh version of a page, each time you get to a new screen, click
on the “Reload” symbol at the top of your browser or on your keyboard
press the “CTRL” and “R” keys at the same time.
If problems still exist, close out AOL and use Internet Explorer or another browser to file.