IMPORTANT NOTE: The information in this document IS NOT SUPPORTED by Monterey Bay Internet. We WILL NOT be able to help you with this configuration on the phone, and do not guarantee in any way that it will work for you. THIS PROCEDURE IS FOR ADVANCED USERS ONLY.
Windows 95 Dialup Networking supports a software compression protocol known as "STAC". This protocol is more efficent than the V.42bis or MNP5 protocol that your modem supports, and can also result in lower latency connections, which is very useful if you are playing online games. This compression protocol is supported by all of our digital modems.
To enable STAC compression, you there are a few things you must do on your computer.
First, make sure you are using the correct driver and .inf files for your modem. If your Modem Control Panel shows your modem as a "Standard" modem type, this procedure will not work. You should also install the Windows 95 Service Pack 1, which you can get from Microsoft's web site. It is not required, but it is also a good idea to install the Dialup Networking Upgrade 1.2 while you are at it. Make sure you follow ALL of the instructions on Microsoft's web site. We will NOT be able to help you with any problems caused by installing this software; you will need to contact Microsoft or a computer professional for help.
Next, you must disable the compression built into your modem. Go to the Modem Control Panel, select your modem and press Properties. Select Connection, then Advanced, and deselect the "Compress Data" box. Press OK twice, and then Close to close the modem control panel. If the Compression box is not available, you will not be able to use this feature without detailed knowledge of your modem.
Finally, you need to enable STAC compression in your Dialup Networking connection. Open My Computer, then Dialup Networking, and click ONCE on the MBAY.NET connection that you use to connect to us. Press the RIGHT mouse button, and select Properties. Select the Server Types button or tab, and check Enable Software Compression. The only other box checked on that screen should be TCP/IP. Press OK to close both windows.
Your Dialup Networking is now configured for STAC compression. It is currently difficult to tell if STAC is actually enabled, but you can check on the Connection Info page in our Utilties directory, and if your Compression Protocol is listed as "None", STAC may be enabled. If it says V.42bis, it is definately NOT enabled.
One test you can do is to download test files from our FTP server at ftp://ftp.mbay.net/pub/test. These files contain exactly 1 megabyte of data. The tesfile.compressed file contains pre-compressed data, which will transfer at the same speed with and without compression enabled. The testfile.uncompressed file is highly compressable, and should transfer MUCH faster than the precompressed one. Download both of them and compare the time it takes to transfer each. The uncompressed file should transfer at least 5 times faster than the compressed file; we have seen speeds as fast as 80K/sec in test connections.