If, when loading the chat room, the blue loading bar appears for a very long time, and the chat room applet never comes up, the following may help you to immediately resolve the problem. This problem is also associated with very slow page loading using Firefox, and slow eMail sending/retrieval using Thunderbird.

The following solution applies to Windows Vista users only.

Important Update: Recent network modifications and upgrades have all but eliminated this issue. Most users should no longer experience this issue, nor should they have to disable TCP auto-tuning as instructed below. Should you continue to experience this issue using Windows Vista, we recommend ensuring that you've downloaded the latest patches and upgrades for Windows Vista, and ensure that any network hardware (modems, firewalls, etc..) are Windows Vista compatible.

The Windows Vista TCP Stack has been re-written. The following solution appears to correct many internet-related issues with Windows Vista, and seems to resolve the problem. There should be no negative effects from performing the following; but we have provided you with instructions for undoing this should you feel it necessary.

Part I: Disable TCP Autotuning

1. Click the Start (Windows Logo) icon
2. Select 'All Programs'
3. Select 'Accessories'
4. Right-Click on 'Command Prompt'
5. Click 'Run as Administrator'
6. A dialog box will ask you to confirm. Click the 'Continue' button to proceed.
7. Type: netsh interface tcp set global autotuning=disabled
8. Press 'Enter'
9. The message 'Ok.' should appear.
10. Type: exit

Part II: Empty your Java Cache

1. Visit http://www.addonchat.com/demo.html
2. The Java icon will appear in your task icon list in the lower-right hand corner of your screen
3. Right-click the Java (coffee-cup) icon and select 'Open Control Panel'
4. Under 'Temporary Internet Files', click 'Settings'
5. Click the 'Delete Files...' button
6. A window titled 'Delete Temporary Files' will appear. Make sure all options are checked and click 'OK'
7. Click 'OK' to exit the 'Temporary File Settings' window.
8. Click 'OK' to exit the Java Control Panel

Part III: Empty your browser's cache

1. Clear your browser's cache. Visit http://support.addoninteractive.com/index.php?action=kb&article=2 for complete instructions.
2. Shut down all instances of your web browser.

That's all. You may now try to load the chat applet. If you have any questions regarding this procedure, please let us know.

This issue is likely to work itself out in the near future as future updates of Windows Vista and Java are released to the public -- once these updates have been released, your users will not be required to go through the above procedure.

If, for any reason at all, you need to undo the above procedure, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start (Windows Logo) icon
2. Select 'All Programs'
3. Select 'Accessories'
4. Right-Click on 'Command Prompt'
5. Click 'Run as Administrator'
6. A dialog box will ask you to confirm. Click the 'Continue' button to proceed.
7. Type: netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal
8. Press 'Enter'
9. The message 'Ok.' should appear.
10. Type: exit