What are the minimum system (hardware/software) requirements for using ESPN.com?
What can I do to increase the speed with which I access your site?
I bookmarked to a page within your service and now it does not work. Why?
Answers
WHICH BROWSERS DOES ESPN.COM SUPPORT?
CAN I LINK TO YOUR SITE?
HOW DO I MAKE ESPN.COM MY START UP PAGE?
ESPN.com is committed to supporting 4.0+ browsers, although 3.0 versions are mostly supported. We recommend using a 4.0 browser, as they are faster at certain operations, more reliable, and support more features that ESPN.com uses.
14.4+kbps modem (we recommend 28.8 )
8 MB RAM (we recommend 16 MB)
Netscape or Internet Explorer version 3.0 (we recommend 4.0+)
We support Windows 95/98/NT, Mac OS 7.5+, and various UNIX operating systems.
Turn your graphics off--an option most browsers provide. This will significantly reduce the download time of graphics-rich pages by displaying only their text. (Some browsers--such as Netscape 1.1 or above--allow you to defer image loading until after the text has displayed. While this doesn't improve overall speed, it does offer the text while images download.) Generally, you will find that we try to minimize the size of our graphics to reduce download time.
Clear your disk and memory caches. Also, check your memory cache setting to ensure it's no greater than 25 percent of your computer's total RAM.
Close any applications you are not using to increase the amount of RAM available to your browser.
Decrease your browser's verification frequency. If using Netscape, for example, set your cache preferences to verify one time per session, as opposed to every time you retrieve a page.
Note: Your Internet access provider may pass through many nodes before it is able to contact ESPN.com's servers. Unfortunately, as the number of nodes increases, your page retrieval rate will suffer incrementally.
Windows Media Player
The Windows Media Player allows you to play Windows Media, .avi video, and .wav sound files. These formats are used for much of ESPN's audio and video programming. The latest Windows Media Player can be downloaded free from Microsoft.com:
QuickTime
Apple offers the movie (.mov) viewer QuickTime which is needed to view movies in the .mov format. We recommend downloading this free from Apple:
ShockWave
You'll also need ShockWave to run certain features on ESPN.com. We recommend downloading this free from MacroMedia:
Clear your cache. This will force your browser to retrieve the most recent version of that document from its source on the network. For information on how to clear your cache, see question number 7.
Increase your browser's document verification frequency. For example, if you are using Netscape, select Verify Documents Every Time in Cache and Network Preferences. Please note that this may affect your navigation speed.
Note: If none of these suggestions is effective, your Internet access provider may be caching documents on its own server. In this case, you may not receive an updated document until the next time your Internet provider clears its cache. Documents that have not been accessed since the last time the cache was emptied will be current. You can call or email your Interent access provider to suggest that they increase the frequency with which they update their cache.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 - To clear the cache in IE 3.0, go to the 'View' pull down menu. Click on 'Options' and then the 'Navigation' tab. Next, click on the 'Clear History' icon. Click 'yes' to clear your cache.
Netscape 4.0 - To access the cache menu, click on 'Edit' on the top tool bar. Move your cursor down to the selection marked 'Preferences' and select 'Network Preferences'. A menu with several selections will appear. Double click on the 'Category' marked 'Advanced', which will in turn display several options, one being for cache. Select the 'Cache' option and click on both buttons,
'Disk Cache' and 'Memory Cache'. Make certain you click 'OK' when Netscape prompts you with a message asking you if you want to remove disk/memory cache files. After you clear both disk and memory cache you can exit the 'Preferences' menu.
Netscape 2.0/3.0 - Netscape 2.0/3.0 browsers all have the same set up and menus for disk and memory cache. To clear the cache, go to the 'Options' pull down menu on the tool bar. Scroll down to the 'Preferences' selection and you will be presented with a tab menu with several choices. Click on the tab marked Cache. Click on both buttons, 'Disk Cache' and 'Memory Cache', and then access the Web.
The instructions that follow are for the Windows version of Netscape. If you have any more questions about using your browser, please consult your software's help manual or your software's technical support.
If you would like to add a bookmark to Netscape for the Web page you're currently viewing, simply go to the Bookmarks pull-down menu at the top of your screen and select Add Bookmark.
To use the bookmark, go back to the Bookmarks menu in Navigator. You'll notice that a new selection has been added to the Bookmarks menu item. Clicking on the new item will return you to the Web page you just bookmarked--in this case, ESPN.com's home page.
Microsoft Internet Explorer
The instructions that follow are for the Windows version of Internet Explorer. If you have any more questions about using your browser, please consult your software's help manual or your software's technical support.
To add an Internet Explorer Favorite, simply go to the Web page you'd like to add to your Favorites list. Once the page has loaded, go to the Favorites pull-down menu at the top of your screen, and select Add To Favorites. You will then see the Add To Favorites window. The title of the page you've selected will automatically appear in the text field at the bottom of the window. To add the page you've selected simply click Add.
To access the Favorite site, go back to Internet Explorer's Favorites pull-down menu at the top of your screen. You'll notice that a new selection has been added. Clicking on the new item will return you to the Web page you just selected as a Favorite--in this case, ESPN.com's home page.
Here is the policy about link requests as stated in the Terms of Service Agreement :
Except as ESPN/Starwave Partners doing business as ESPN Internet Ventures ("EIV") may authorize elsewhere, non-EIV web sites may display the ESPN.com logo provided above. By downloading the Logo to your web site, you agree to be bound by these Policies:
You may only display the Logo on your web site and it must always be an active link to
the ESPN.com home page at http://www.espn.com.
You may not modify or alter the Logo in any manner or distort its appearance.
Your Web page title and other trademarks or logos must appear at least as prominently as the Logo. You may not display the Logo in any manner that implies sponsorship, endorsement, or license by EIV.
You may not display the Logo on any site that disparages EIV or any affiliated company of EIV or any of their products or services, infringes EIV intellectual property or other
rights, or violates any state, federal, or international law.
These Policies do not grant a license or any other right to EIV's logos or trademarks.
EIV reserves the right at its sole discretion to terminate or modify permission to display
the Logo at any time.
EIV DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, RELATED TO THE LOGO, INCLUDING WARRANTIES AGAINST INFRINGEMENT OR TITLE.
Please go to the following page for instructions:
Start-Up Page Instructions
If other people can access the site, it may be a problem with your Web page cache. Clear your cache and then try reloading the site again. For instructions on how to clear your cache, see question number 7.
Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) may have a problem with their servers. Try accessing other pages, and if the problem persists, contact your ISP.
Occassionally the server generating our pages goes down. Be patient. We have engineers on call at all times to resolve problems such as these.
Here are procedures for changing the screen resolution in Windows 95, 98 and NT :
Start by...
Click on the "Start" menu on the bottom left hand corner of your screen
Select "Settings" and then "Control Panel"
Double click on the "Display" icon
Click on "Settings" tab
Click and hold down the left mouse button on the selector in the "Desktop Area" section. Move the selector to the left or the right to decrease or increase desktop size respectively.
Next, continue with the operating system you are using below...
NT:
Click the "Test" button at the bottom of the window.
A window will ask you if you want to try the new settings. Click "OK."
Wait 5 seconds as a test bitmap is displayed.
A window asks if the test bitmap was displayed properly. Click "yes" or "no."
Click the "Apply" button in the bottom right corner.
Now the new settings are applied.
95, 98:
Click the "Apply" button in the bottom right corner.
A window asks if you really want to resize the desktop. Click "Yes"
The desktop will resize and now a window appears asking if you want to keep those new settings.
Click "yes" or "no" or you can wait about 15 seconds and the old settings will be restored.