Thank you for downloading WebSpeedReader. WebSpeedReader is a powerful tool for browsing, searching, and reading the Internet, but because it works differently from other browsers, it is important that you read the tutorial to gain the most benefit from it. The tutorial has a table of contents and is all on one page, so it can be read just like a book. Be sure to print and read Quick Help (Menu: Help ► Quick Help; keyboard: Shift+F1) first, then go from there. This will help you get started quickly, however, you should also read the tutorial, which covers many more features of WebSpeedReader. You can read a section each time you start WebSpeedReader. However, it wouldn’t take very long to read the whole thing in one sitting. A good way to learn is to read the section on that topic just before you use it, so that if you want to fill forms, then read about forms in the complete Help file (Help ► Help & Tutorial | F1).

Previous Versions of WebSpeedReader: If you have installed a previous version of WebSpeedReader that is much older than the current version, you should delete the WebSpeedReader directory in the Application Data folder BEFORE installing the new version. Each user will have a different one, and each one will have to be deleted. Otherwise, it could lead to subtle bugs that would be difficult to overcome. A typical location for this folder on Windows XP, for instance, would be

where you need to substitute <your username> with your actual username, which, in many cases, may be Owner. You will also want to keep backups of this folder—in fact, the whole Application Data folder, because important program information created by the user is kept there.

Form Submissions: If you click on a submit button to submit a form, and it does nothing, then you must change a security setting. Select Tools ► Internet Options , click on the Security tab, then click on the Custom Level command button near the bottom of the form. Scroll down to nearly the bottom of the Security Settings form, and select Enable for the Submit nonencrypted form data. Don't select Prompt because, although WebSpeedReader uses Internet Explorer for the rendering engine, it doesn't automate Internet Explorer, and thus, can't prompt you for the submission. Besides, you probably wouldn't want to be prompted for every form submission, since the vast majority of form submissions are nonencrypted. Only those websites using the https protocol are encrypted. However, there is very little risk in submitting nonencrypted form data. Statistically, it is highly unlikely that anyone will capture your data. If the information is vital, then the website should use the https protocol which is secure. You can easily tell if the website is using the protocol just by looking at its URL in the address bar. It will look something like this: https://www.example.com/. Note the "s" after the "http". This is the secure protocol. Most forms aren't encrypted because the information usually is not vital. A good example is doing a search on Google.com. Even if someone tried to go through the hassle of capturing your form submission, they would only know what term was being searched for. They wouldn't know who you are, or any other personal information; just what is submitted in the form. To maintain absolute security, don't submit any personal information to any website that isn't using the https protocol. Submitting nonencrypted form data is the same whether you are using WebSpeedReader or Internet Explorer, or any other browser, for that matter, because this is dictated by Internet standards.

Adobe Acrobat Reader and PDF Files - WebSpeedReader, like Internet Explorer, has the ability to load PDF (Portable Document Format) files in a browser window just like HTML files. The files, however, are actually displayed by a plug-in, which runs the Adobe Acrobat Reader in the browser window. However, you can have all PDF files loaded directly into the Acrobat Reader program unchecking Edit - Preferences - Internet - Display PDF in Browser in the Adobe Acrobat Reader, Version 6. In Version 5, you uncheck the same box in Edit - Preferences - Options. After the first PDF file is downloaded, this will load Acrobat Reader, and give it focus. You can switch back to WebSpeedReader, and continuing reading. If you click on more PDF documents, then each will be loaded in the same instance of the Reader program, but keeping all of the documents in memory.

The advantages to loading PDF files in the Reader directly, rather than in the browser window, is that you have more options available for PDF files, and WebSpeedReader will not hang if the Acrobat Reader displays a dialog box in a hidden browser window. The disadvantages are you have to wait until the PDF document downloads completely before clicking another link, and when it does, the Acrobat Reader will grab the focus. This is true for each and every PDF link that you click. If you click on another link before the PDF file is downloaded completely, the download will be canceled. You will know it has been downloaded completely when the Acrobat Reader grabs the focus.

Viewing PDF documents in WebSpeedReader - If you want to view PDF documents in WebSpeedReader, then you should check Display PDF in Browser and uncheck the following boxes, all under Edit - Preferences menu in the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Under the Startup section, uncheck Display Splash Screen and Show Messages and automatically update. Under Updates section, select Check for Updates Manually, and uncheck Show Auto-Update confirmation dialog and Display notification dialog at startup. If you don't do this, Acrobat Reader may display dialog messages when it is first loaded, and cause WebSpeedReader to hang if it is from a hidden window, which it will be in most cases. Keep in mind, also, that if you use keypad navigation, the navigational keys will not work when a PDF document is loaded. You will have to use the function keys or the mouse. The main advantage to viewing PDF files in WebSpeedReader is that you can click on any number of links, whether PDF or not, and each will download in the background for instant viewing later on.

Important Alert about AI RoboForm - AI RoboForm is a well-regarded forms managing software for managing forms and passwords in web pages for Internet Explorer and various other browsers that use Internet Explorer. When AI RoboForm is running, which is indicated by its icon in the taskbar, it can greatly slow down some operations in any browser using Internet Explorer, including WebSpeedReader and Internet Explorer itself, at least in Windows XP; operations that seem to be affected includes trying to select text with the mouse, and right-clicking for the context menu. The effect seems to be contingent on the size of the page. The delay in pages 50K or larger is noticeable. The larger the page, the greater the slowdown. This has been tested in Window XP with AI RoboForm 6.0.8, which, according to its website, is currently the latest version. This effect can be eliminated by unloading AI RoboForm (click its icon in the taskbar, then select Exit). To prevent its startup when Windows starts,  click its icon, select Options, and uncheck Show RoboForm Icon in Taskbar on Windows Startup at the bottom of the General tab. The slowdown may be related to the active searching for forms on each web page, and may be ameliorated with different optional settings. Read AI RoboForm's help for more information.

Files: WebSpeedReader requires various files in order to run properly. If any of these files are missing, you can go to http://WebSpeedReader.com/WhatsNew.htm, and download the latest upgrades. These upgrades, which are much smaller than the original downloads, will copy the missing files in the appropriate directories.

Various Versions of WebSpeedReader: there are 2 different versions of WebSpeedReader, one for Windows 98 and ME, and another for Windows 2000 and XP. The version for Windows 98 and ME can be run on any version of Windows 98 or above, but also requires Internet Explorer 5.5 or above. If Internet Explorer is an earlier version, you can update it by going to Microsoft's site at http://microsoft.com. There are also upgrade versions of WebSpeedReader which are much smaller downloads than the full program. If you downloaded AND INSTALLED the original WebSpeedReader, but want to get the XP version, just download the upgrade at http://WebSpeedReader.com/Browser/wsrUpgradeXP.zip. This will take less than a minute even on a 28.8K connection, but you have to run the full setup program for the Windows 98 version first, before you install the upgrade. This will install the basic Windows files that WebSpeedReader needs to run. Most versions of Windows already have these files, but the setup will make sure that they exist, and that they are the most recent versions. Before you install the upgrade, you must make sure that WebSpeedReader is not running.

Go to the WebSpeedReader Home Page at http://WebSpeedReader.com/ for the latest links and the latest editions of WebSpeedReader, particularly if you downloaded this, but installed it much later. There will probably be a newer version of WebSpeedReader. This page also lists the main features and has screenshots of the program. Check out what’s new, here: http://WebSpeedReader.com/WhatsNew.htm. Also check this page if you encounter any bugs. Bug fixes are frequently posted to this page.

If you have any problems or suggestions, please send email to support@webspeedreader.com. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Put WebSpeedReader in the subject line.

Thank you

William C. Spaulding
PerMaximumSoftware