Frequently asked questions

Which applications does hopster support?

hopster works with the following applications:

• AOL Instant Messenger
• Cloudmark SpamNet
• ICQ
• iMesh
• Internet Explorer 5
• KaZaA Media Desktop
• Miranda
• mIRC
• MSN Messenger
• Windows Messenger
• Trillian
• Yahoo Messenger (see note below)
• any other application that supports the SOCKS protocol

hopster knows how to configure many applications automatically.

In fact, hopster works with any application that supports SOCKS5 proxy servers, even when it's not listed here. We've seen it work with Telnet clients, FTP programs, and many apps that we've never heard of. Cool, isn't it?

How do I use ICQ, Miranda, {any other application}

From your application's menu, find the Settings (or Preferences) dialog, look under "Network" or "Proxy" or a similar setting, and configure as follows:

What can I do if an application doesn't support SOCKS?

There is an excellent freeware program called freecap which adds SOCKS support to any application.

I can't get Yahoo! Messenger to work with hopster

The problem with Yahoo Messenger is that Yahoo decided to block proxy servers that run on the same computer as Yahoo! Messenger. Technically, hopster acts as a proxy server and since it runs on your computer, it won't work.

There are two options to get it to work, though:

One is using freecap - a free program that adds SOCKS support to any application.

Another option would be to use a different messaging applications, such as Miranda (http://www.miranda-im.org) or Trillian (http://www.trillian.cc).

Both are really excellent products. They are free and work with hopster.

I'm having problems configuring Trillian.

In some cases, hopster is not able to configure Trillian properly. You can still configure Trillian manually. Please click here for details.

Is hopster illegal?

No. But you better ask for permission from your employer, school, faculty, or IT departmen to use it on your computer / network.

Why isn't hopster free?
Why is hopster "so expensive"?

hopster is not free because we have to pay for the internet traffic; and we've invested much time and energy to develop the software. Computers, internet connections, office space,...we don't get these things for free either, and yes, programmers need to eat, too :-)

What's the difference between the demo and the paid version?

There are two differences between the demo and the paid version. The DEMO version

• displays ads
• limits the download speed to approx. 4 kb/second
  (which works pretty well for Instant Messaging)

Is hopster "Spyware"?

No. hopster is Spyware-free. No personal information about you is collected at any time. Please see our Privacy Policy at http://www.hopster.com/about/privacy

When you visit the web page of one of your advertisers, we append a short tag at the end of the URL to let them know you're coming from hopster. So, if you visit http://www.cheapstuff.com - we append e.g "?hopster", and cheaperstuff.com knows you've seen our ads. We do NOT know your name, address, nor do we know what you buy, when you buy, why you buy, etc.; actually, we don't care at all :)

How much speed do I gain with hopster PLUS?

About 50 times the speed of the free version - the same speed you're experiencing when you browse the web with a DSL/Cable connection.

I really hate these annoying ads!
How Do I remove the advertising window?

They pop-up while you chat or download, and they go away automatically when you've finished downloading or chatting. Yes, they are annoying.

The ads help us pay the cost of our internet connections.

You can sign up for hopster PLUS, our high-speed service. Or purchase the ADFREE option. Pricing and other information is available at http://www.hopster.com/order

But I don't have a credit card...

We can also process cash, check, money order and Paypal payments. Please contact support at hopster.com for more information.

My Proxy settings are set up correctly, but Kazaa never connects

Connections are significantly slower if you haven't signed up for hopster PLUS. It can take up to 30 seconds or longer until Kazaa can establish a connection. Please be patient.

I have signed up for hopster PLUS, but I am still getting slow download speeds.

What's is important to understand is that the actual transfer speed depends on many factors; if you're getting slow downloads, it is very very likely that the remote computer you are connecting to can not send the files faster... Most Cable or DSL lines are optimized for fast downloads to their computer, but slower uploads from them.

Fortunately, most file sharing applications provide something like a Bandwidth or speed indicator. In Kazaa, that would be the "Bandwidth" column on the Search results screen; other applications do provide similar information, possibly under a different name.

To increase your download speeds

• Select those files with the highest "Bandwidth" indicator
• Download files that are shared by many users; more sources means more speed.

It really makes a big difference.

Technical Support

If you have any further questions, please send e-mail to support at hopster.com

We receive a lot of e-mails daily, so please allow up to 48 hours for a response. (paying users get priority respones).

How to get technical support quickly

We really want and like to help you and get hopster to work on your PC. Your support request is important feedback to us, as it helps us improve the product in the future. That's not the usual blah-blah - we mean it. The more feedback we get, the better. A better product means more happy users and less tech support :)

There's a few, simple tricks, though, that really make our lifes easier and help us find your answer more quickly.

• Please describe your problem as detailed as possible.
  "It isn't working, please help" is like calling a doctor and saying "It hurts, help me". There is no generic "it hurts" pill, and there's no generic "This-will-work" answer.
  
• Describe, describe, describe
  Describe what hopster did or did not do.
  Did you get any error message? And if so, please send the exact message (not "it said something like....")
  What happened?
  
• We are your friends
  Yes - we're on your side. And we love to hear from hopster users. In fact, we like friendly people so much that we even have many hopster users on our MSN buddy lists; they can contact us anytime and they get instant responses.