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Stay Connected 3.1
By: Ken Herbig

Do you have a problem with your internet connection being dropped if you go away from your computer for more than 10 to 15 minutes? I have been experiencing this problem for the past month or so.

I would go downstairs to have dinner for less than a half hour. When I came back, my dial-up connection would be lost. At first, I chalked it up to a poor connection. But then it began to happen more often and in less time. I noticed that it was happening more in peak usage hours than it did late in the evening. I was really getting annoyed with my Internet Service Provider.

I decided to take my own advice and try a program that I have been asking you folks to review. ( Stay Connected 3.1 ) It is a downloadable Shareware Program that is fully functional and has a 21 day trial period. At the end of that time, if you use the program, you should register it.

The program comes in a Zip file, so you will need an unzip program such as WinZip to install it. I installed it from within WinZip with no problems at all. It also installs its own help file and an uninstall program along with it.

The program setup was very simple. It has two types of setup options. If you are new to computing, you can use the Setup Wizard that easily walks you through the process. If you are a person who wants more control over the setup, you can use the Advanced Configuration option.

When the program is started it puts an icon on your task bar. Once you are on line, you activate it by left clicking it once or you can choose to have it start automatically.

What it does is connect to different web sites that are already programmed into it. It does this all in the background, so you never even know that it is happening. In this way it tricks the ISP into believing that you are actively surfing the web, so they won't disconnect you.

The company states that it will work with most internet providers, including AOL & NetZero.

When you install the program there is an option to use a dialer that comes with the program. I chose to stay with the Windows dialer. I like the fact that it gave me an option instead of just installing it. (I like choices!)

I am very pleased with the program so far. It is a pleasure to go away from the computer and when I come back, still be connected.

Hardware Requirements: Pentium Class processor or above, 8 MB RAM or above, at least 4 MB of free hard disk space

Software Requirements:
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT or Windows 2000;
Any form of dial-up networking capability
Internet connectivity via your local Internet Service Provider
Also supports AOL, NetZero.

Cost: $19.95

inKline Global, Inc.
http://www.inKlineGlobal.com


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