Technical FAQs: Browser Issues

Technical FAQs: Browser Issues

Which browsers and computer systems work best with ProShares.com?

How can I tell which browser I'm using?

How do I upgrade my browser?

What are cookies and why must my browser accept them?

How do I reset my browser to accept cookies?

What are temporary Internet files and how can I delete them?

Which browsers and computer systems work best with ProShares.com?

Not all browsers or computer systems work equally well with our site. For best results, we recommend the following:

Windows users

We recommend running Windows 98 or higher and using one of the following browsers:

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher.
  • Netscape 7.1 or higher.
  • Firefox 1.0 or higher.
  • AOL 9.0 or higher.

Macintosh users

We recommend running Mac OS X 10.1 or higher and using one of the following browsers:

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.2.3.
  • Netscape 7.1 or higher.
  • Safari 1.0 or higher.
  • Firefox 1.0 or higher.
  • AOL 10 for Mac OS X.

Many browser-related questions are answered in the Help menu in the browser toolbar at the top of your screen.

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How can I tell which browser I'm using?

To find out which browser and version you're using:

Windows users

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer. Click Help in the toolbar and select About Internet Explorer.
  • America Online. Click Help at the top of your AOL screen and select About America Online.
  • Netscape. Click Help in the toolbar and select About Netscape, About Navigator, or About Communicator.
  • Firefox. Click Help in the toolbar and select About Mozilla Firefox.

Macintosh users

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer. Click the Explorer menu in the upper-left corner of your screen and select About Internet Explorer.
  • America Online. Click the AOL menu and select About America Online.
  • Netscape. Click the Netscape menu and select About Netscape, About Navigator, or About Communicator.
  • Firefox. Click the Firefox menu and select About Mozilla Firefox.
  • Safari. Click the Safari menu and select About Safari.

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How do I upgrade my browser?

You can download browsers for free directly from the manufacturers' websites. Be sure to choose the version that matches your computer's operating system and follow the instructions carefully. If you have technical problems, contact the manufacturer for support.

Microsoft Internet Explorer

America Online

  • Windows users: Go to keyword "Browser."
  • Mac users: Go to keyword "Upgrade."

Netscape

Firefox

Safari

  • Mac OS X 10.2 or higher users: Click your Apple menu and choose Software Update, then run the updater to get the latest version of Safari.

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What are cookies and why must my browser accept them?

A cookie is a tiny piece of information we ask your browser to store and remember. If your browser doesn't accept cookies, you won't be able to view your account information online.

ProShares.com uses 2 types of cookies:

  • Session cookies. These cookies are temporary and are deleted when you shut down your browser, when you log off, or after your computer is inactive for 45 minutes. These cookies let us know that you have logged on, and they allow us to maintain your privacy as you move from page to page. They also act as timers, logging you off after prolonged inactivity to prevent unauthorized account access.
  • Permanent or persistent cookies. These cookies are stored on your hard drive and are read by your browser each time you visit our website. They are used to remember which investments you entered in your Watch List [capability coming soon].

Important notes:

  • We use cookies only when alternative means are not practical or available.
  • We disclose all uses of cookies on this page.
  • We do not use cookies to gather demographic or personal information for marketing purposes. We will not share information in our cookies or give others access to it—except to help ProShares better serve your investment needs. For example, we use cookies to support website enhancements that involve the participation of third-party vendors; in such cases, we restrict the use of cookies to protect your privacy.
  • We limit the size of our cookies to 4 kilobytes. (It would take about 20 million cookies to fill a 2-gigabyte hard drive.)
  • You may receive multiple cookies during each visit to ProShares.com. For example, when you navigate within a secure area, temporary cookies may be created each time you leave a page.

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How do I reset my browser to accept cookies?

Internet Explorer

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.x for Windows
  1. Click Tools from the Internet Explorer menu, and select Internet Options.
  2. Click the Privacy tab.
  3. Make sure you are not set to "Block all cookies.”
  4. Click the Edit... button at the bottom of the window. (If you are using Windows XP Service Pack 2, click the Sites… button instead.)
  5. Type "ProShares.com" into the address box and click Allow. You should see ProShares.com listed as "always allow." Click OK at each window to close it.
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x for Windows
  1. Click Tools from the Internet Explorer menu, then select Internet Options.
  2. Click the Security tab.
  3. Click the Default Level button.
  4. Click OK.
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.2.3 for Mac OS X
  1. Click the Explorer menu, then click Preferences.
  2. Under Receiving Files, select Cookies.
  3. Change the "When receiving cookies" option to "Never Ask" and click OK.

America Online

  • America Online (AOL) 9 for Windows
  1. Click the Settings button in your AOL toolbar.
  2. Click Internet [Web] Options.
  3. Click the Internet Explorer Settings link on the right. The Internet Options window will open.
  4. If you see a Privacy tab, follow the cookies instructions for Internet Explorer 6.x for Windows. If you don't see a Privacy tab, follow the Internet Explorer 5.x for Windows cookie instructions instead.
  5. Once you've changed the settings and closed the Internet Options window, you can close the various AOL windows by clicking the X in the top right corner of each window.
  • America Online (AOL) X for Mac OS X
  1. Click the AOL menu, then select Preferences.
  2. Click the WWW icon in the left menu.
  3. Click the Cookies tab at the top.
  4. Click the radio button for Enable All Cookies and click OK.

Netscape

  • Netscape 8 for Windows
  1. Click Tools in the browser toolbar, then select Options.
  2. Click the Privacy category.
  3. Scroll down and click Cookies.
  4. Make sure the "Keep Cookies" menu is set to "until they expire" and click OK.
  • Netscape 7 for Windows or Mac
  1. Click Edit in the browser toolbar, then select Preferences. (Mac OS X users, click the Netscape menu, then select Preferences.)
  2. In the Privacy & Security section, click Cookies. (If you don't see that option, click the arrow symbol next to Privacy & Security.)
  3. Select Allow all cookies and click OK.

Firefox

  • Firefox 1.x for Windows or Mac
  1. Click Tools in the browser toolbar, then select Options. (Mac OS X users, click the Firefox menu, then select Preferences.)
  2. Click the Privacy category.
  3. Scroll down and click Cookies.
  4. Make sure the "Allow sites to set cookies" checkbox is checked.
  5. Make sure the "Keep Cookies" menu is set to "until they expire" and click OK.

Safari

  • Safari for Mac OS X
  1. Click the Safari menu, then choose Preferences.
  2. Click the Security tab.
  3. Make sure "Accept cookies" is set to "Always."
  4. Close the window by clicking the red button in the top left corner.

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What are temporary Internet files and how can I delete them?

When you visit a website, your computer stores tiny pieces of data from the site so that its pages will display faster during return visits. Most computers store such files in a cache file or a folder called Temporary Internet Files. Occasionally the files can become corrupt or outdated and need to be deleted.

To clear your browser's cache (temporary Internet files), follow these steps:

Internet Explorer

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x or higher for Windows
  1. Click Tools in the browser toolbar, then select Internet Options.
  2. In the Temporary Internet Files section, click Delete Files, then click OK in the Delete Files window.
  3. Click OK again.
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.23 for Macintosh
  1. In the Explorer menu, click Preferences.
  2. Select Advanced.
  3. Click Empty Now.
  4. Select Once per session and click OK.

America Online

  • America Online 9 for Windows
  1. Click the Settings button in your AOL toolbar.
  2. Click Internet [Web] Options.
  3. Click the Internet Explorer Settings link on the right. The Internet Options window will open.
  4. In the Temporary Internet Files section, click Delete Files, then click OK in the Delete Files window.
  5. Click OK again.
  6. Once you've changed the settings and closed the Internet Options window, you can close the various AOL windows by clicking the X in the top right corner of each window.
  • America Online X for Mac OS X
  1. Click the AOL menu and choose Preferences.
  2. Click the WWW category in the left category list.
  3. Click the Display tab.
  4. Click Empty Cache Now, then click OK.

Netscape

  • Netscape 8 for Windows
  1. Click the Tools menu in the browser toolbar, then select Options.
  2. Click the Privacy category.
  3. Scroll down to Cache and click the Clear button next to it.
  4. Click OK to confirm, then click OK again to close the window.
  • Netscape 7.1 or higher for Windows or Macintosh
  1. Click Edit in the browser toolbar, then select Preferences. (Mac OS X users click the Netscape menu, then choose Preferences.)
  2. Under the Advanced category, click Cache. (If you don't see that option, click the "+" or arrow symbol next to Advanced.)
  3. Click Clear Memory Cache and Clear Disk Cache. (Some versions may not have both buttons.)
  4. Select Once per session and click OK.

Firefox

  • Firefox 1.x for Windows or Mac
  1. Click Tools in the browser toolbar, then select Options. (Mac OS X users, click the Firefox menu, then select Preferences.)
  2. Click the Privacy category.
  3. Scroll down to Cookies and click the Clear button.
  4. Click the OK button to confirm, then click OK again to close the window.

Safari

  • Safari for Mac OS X
  1. Click the Safari menu, then choose Empty Cache….
  2. Click Empty to confirm. For best results, quit Safari and re-launch it.

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