Non-technical preloader question

Actually two questions…

  1. How large of a file should you make a preloader for? I’ve got a Flash file that results in a 368K swf file. I made a preloader for it, but on a fast connection, the preloader moves so quickly that it almost looks worse than just having a second or two lag before the animation starts.

  2. Okay, so this is a little technical, but is there anyway to know if you’ve coded the preloader properly? Like I said, mine runs so quickly, but there is still a little lag in different parts of the animation. I went through several tutorials, but they were almost all based on just putting a large jpg in Frame 2 on a timeline and preloading in Frame 1. My animation has several discreet parts that are all laid out on one timeline with buttons that trigger jumping to another part of the timeline. Again, the preloader animation goes so quickly… So yeah, how can you be sure you’re actually preloading the swf properly.

Thanks in advance