Windows 98 connection tips

Getting connected with Windows 98's Connection Wizard

By Rose Vines

First tings first
Setting up your internet connection
Setting up an e-mail account
Setting up a newsgroup account
Using your new connection

Windows 98 makes it easy to get connected to the Internet with an Internet Connection Wizard that steps you through the process. The Connection Wizard goes all the way through creating a connection, setting up your e-mail account and setting up a newsgroup account. The latter two are optional, but you won't be able to send or receive e-mail without setting up an account and you'll find newsgroups are well worth using too.

Before you do anything, check in the Online Services folder. This contains shortcut setup routines for major online services. If you use one of the services listed in the folder, click its icon and follow the directions -- you won't need to follow the steps listed here. If you're using another Internet Service Provider (ISP), follow the steps below.

In this article, we're assuming that you are using an ISP for your connection and that you are not connected to a local area network (LAN) in your office. If you're on a LAN, talk to your LAN administrator about how to create a connection.

Setting up your Internet connection
The Windows 98 Connection Wizard simplifies the process of setting up your Internet connection. To start the Wizard, locate it by opening the Start Menu, selecting Programs, and then Internet Explorer. Select the Connection Wizard option.

If you can't find it on your Programs Menu, you can locate it by opening the Start Menu, selecting Find, and then Files or Folders. In the Find File dialog box type icwconn1.exe in the Named: box and click the Find Now button. Once you've located the program, double-click it to run it, and then follow this step-by-step procedure:

1. The Connection Wizard steps you through creating an Internet Connection. If you haven't yet selected an ISP, you can choose from a list of referral ISPs by selecting the first option in the initial Connection Wizard dialog box, clicking Next, and then following the on-screen directions.

If you've already selected an ISP but haven't yet set up your connection, select the second option, "Help me set up my computer to connect to this account" and then click Next.

2. In the next dialog box choose the first option to connect via an Internet Service Provider and then click Next.

3. Select Connect Using My Phone Line in the next dialog box and click Next.

4. In the Dial-up Connection dialog box, click Create A New Dial-up Connection and click Next.

5. Type the access number your ISP gave you in the next dialog box. If the access number is a local number, make sure there is no tick in the box labelled Dial Using The Area Code And Country Code. Click Next.

6. In the next dialog box, type in your user name and password. These should have been supplied to you by your ISP. Your password will appear as a string of asterisks to prevent it being seen by anyone else in the room. Click Next.

7. In most cases, that should be sufficient information to establish the connection, and you'll be able to click No in the Advanced Settings Dialog box and then click Next.

If, on the other hand, you need to adjust the advanced settings, you will have to make sure you have all the appropriate information from your ISP. This includes:

Whether you have a SLIP or PPP connection.
What, if anything, you need to type to log on to your service.
Your IP address (if it's not assigned automatically).
The DNS Server Address (if it's not assigned automatically).

Don't worry about what each of these means -- just make sure you have the information necessary to move step-by-step through the dialog boxes in the Advanced Options section.

8. You can then complete the process by giving your new connection a descriptive name in the Dial-Up Connection Name dialog box.

Once you've completed setting up these advanced options, give your new connection a descriptive name in the Dial-Up Connection Name dialog box.

The next dialog box asks if you'd like to set up your e-mail account. You can so no at this point, and no to setting up a newsgroup account and do this later, but it's much easier to do it all in one process. So, let's proceed.

Setting up an e-mail account
By setting up an e-mail account you'll be connected to a mail service that can deliver mail internationally in a matter of seconds. To set up your account, continue using the Connection Wizard after setting up your Internet connection:

1. Click Yes in the dialog box asking if you want to set up an e-mail account and then click Next.

2. In the Internet Mail dialog box, select Create A New Internet Mail Account and click Next
.

3. In the next dialog box, type your name as you'd like it to appear on e-mail you send, and click Next.

4. In the Internet E-mail Address dialog box, type your e-mail address in the box provided. This is almost always your user name followed by an @ symbol followed by your ISP's domain name. For example, if your user name is jane_doe and your ISP's domain name is ozemail.com, your e-mail address will be jane_doe@ozemail.com. If you're unsure, contact your ISP's technical support line. Once you've typed in your e-mail address click Next.

5. You need to supply the e-mail server names. These are the names of the computers used by your ISP to handle all e-mail. Your ISP should have provided this information for you. Fill in both the incoming and the outgoing mail server names (sometimes the names will be identical) and then click Next.

6. When you collect or send e-mail you need to sign on to your ISP's mail server. Almost always your mail logon is identical to your general ISP username and password, so you'll type them in this dialog box, and then press Next. If you need a different user name or you need to use Secure Password Authentication your ISP should have provided this information.

7. Finally, give your e-mail account a descriptive name. Click Next to proceed on to creating your Internet News account.

Setting up a newsgroup account
Internet Newsgroups allow you to exchange ideas and information with others who share similar interests. Think of them as electronic bulletin boards, accessible from anywhere around the world. There are tens of thousands of newsgroups on an amazing range of topics. Your Internet Service Provider will, most likely, provide access to many thousands of these groups. To set up a newsgroup account, continue using the Connection Wizard after completing your e-mail setup:

1. Click Yes in the dialog box asking if you want to set up an Internet News account, and press Next.

2. Select Create A New Internet News Account in the next dialog box and click Next.

3. In the Your Name dialog box, type the name you'd like to appear at the top of any newsgroup messages you create and then click Next.

4. When you place a message on a newsgroup, other participants may choose to reply to the group as a whole or reply to you privately (or both) via e-mail. So type in your e-mail address (the same address you used when creating your e-mail account) and then press Next.

5. Just as your ISP needs a mail server to handle e-mail traffic, it also needs a news server to handle the flow of information to and from newsgroups. In the Internet News Server Name dialog box type the name of your ISP's news server (this should have been supplied to you by your ISP). Usually you won't need to log on separately to your news server, but if you do your ISP will have provided this information, and you'll need to select the My News Server Requires Me To Log On box and fill in the required information. Click Next to continue.

6. Give your news account a descriptive name and click Next.

7. The next dialog box asks if you want to set up an Internet Directory Service. You can skip this step, so click No and then Next to display the final dialog box.

8. You've completed setting up your Internet connection and e-mail and news accounts. Click the Finish button to close the Connection Wizard.

Using your new connection
You've created a new Internet connection, now how do you use it? The easiest way is to open your Web browser: it will automatically use this new account you've created. Similarly, if you open your e-mail program or newsgroup reader, it will use the new account settings you've created.