The symbiotic loader is an optional feature designed to reduce K-Meleon's load time. The loader accomplishes this by preloading portions of K-Meleon into memory when the operating system starts. This reduces the amount of time it takes for the rest of the browser to load when a user actually starts the browser. The loader can be configured to four different settings that use an increasing amount of memory.
The loader is an optional component that can be included when you install K-Meleon. When you reach the Installation Options window in the Setup process, the default setting for the K-Meleon loader is not to install. Check the box next to K-Meleon loader (for faster startup times) in order to install the loader with K-Meleon. A short-cut to the loader will automatically be copied to your Startup folder during K-Meleon's installation so it will run every time that Windows starts. If you do not check the box at that point and later decide to install the loader, you will have to reinstall K-Meleon to enable the loader.
The loader is active if the K-Meleon icon appears in the System Tray. To access the configuration settings, right-click on the K-Meleon icon and select Config. Use the slider to select the level of preloading that you wish to use and click on OK to save your change.
The higher the level of preloading that you select, the more memory that K-Meleon will use to to preload components. However, the higher levels of preloading will provide you with a much quicker response when you click on the System Tray icon or any icons on the Desktop or Start Menu.
The loader supports 4 levels of preloading. The default level is Fast. These Preload Configurations include:
Setting Preload Component(s) None Don't preload any components Fast (Default) Preload Browser Engine Faster Precreate Window Preload Browser Engine Extreme Preload Start Page Precreate Window Preload Browser Engine This is only recommended if you use a simple, text based, start page.
When you exit K-Meleon, the browser window will close. However, portions of the browser will remain in memory, based on your setting, until the browser is used again or you exit Windows.
To disable the loader, complete the following steps:
1. Right-click on the K-Meleon Loader icon in the System Tray located in the lower right-hand corner of your screen. 2. Select Exit. 3. Delete the short-cut to the K-Meleon Loader from the Startup directory in Windows.
K-Meleon does not recognize changes in the menus, accelerators or plugins until the browser is exited. Because K-Meleon is always loaded into memory by the loader, any changes in the menus, accelerators or plugins will not be recognized until you completely close the browser and exit the loader.