AOL usually compresses graphic files when it downloads them via a dial-up modem. Ukairshows photos have already been compressed. AOL's extra compression reduces the quality of the photos severely, causing tidemarks or ghosting around parts of the picture.

To avoid this, you have to set your AOL preferences to stop compression. Exactly how you do this depends on your version of AOL. In AOL 9 (even if you are not on-line) you go to Settings, then Internet Properties. In the bottom half of the next window, set the radio button to 'never compress' and save. If you were on-line, you have to come out of the browser and then go in again for the change to take effect.

Your browser will read from your computer any photos or other graphics that you have already downloaded, so if you have already downloaded some AOL compressed pictures, you will need to clear them from your hard drive and download them again to get the benefit. You can do this from the 'Internet Explorer Settings' link in AOL's Browser Settings window or from 'Internet Options' in Windows Control Panel. In either case, make sure the 'General' tab is clicked and then press the 'delete files' button in the 'Temporary Internet files' section. Whilst there, you can click the 'settings' tab in the same part of the window and choose the appropriate button to make sure that you get the latest page every time you go on to a web site.

If you go online using AOL and then use a different internet explorer to do the browsing, you will still need to clear any compressed pictures previously downloaded by AOL.

All of this applies to pictures downloaded by AOL from other sites, not just ukairshows.