Windows Me Networking and the Internet in my opinion
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Written by Robert on February 28, 2008 – 12:48 pm
Windows Me offers the Home Networking Wizard to set up local connections and the Internet Connection Wizard to help you establish a connection to the Internet. In previous versions of the Windows 9.x family, you had to manually configure your network card and install necessary protocols and clients through the Network applet in the Control Panel. This can all still be done the same way, but the Home Networking and Internet Connection Wizards will accomplish all of this for you, including setting up and installing necessary protocols for features like Internet Sharing. All of the protocols handled by Windows 9.x are supported in Windows Me (e.g., NetBEUI, TCP/IP, etc.) and are handled the same. First, we will take a look at the steps necessary to create an Internet connection in Windows Me. Creating an Internet connection can be started in several ways. You can: Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > Communication > Internet Connection Wizard, Go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Internet Options, then open the Internet Properties applet and choose the Connections tab and then the Setup button. If you do not currently have an Internet connection setup, you can simply start an instance of Internet Explorer to start the Internet Connection Wizard. From Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options, and then select the Connections tab, followed by the Connect button. You will start the Internet Connection Wizard, which will guide you through the process of starting a new Internet connection. From this applet, the first three options will be: I want to sign up for a new Internet account (My telephone line is connected to my modem). This option dials you into Microsoft’s Referral Service using your modem, then gives you a list of recommended ISPs to set up a new account. You are led through several screens of data entry—everything from credit card information to address/zip code for local dial-up numbers. At the end, you will have an established Internet account. I want to transfer my existing Internet account to this computer. (My telephone line is connected to my computer.) This option is for those who already have an existing service or who are signing up with a service not listed on Microsoft’s Referral Service page.
To do this, you will need all of the information provided by the ISP for that particular account (e.g., dial-up phone numbers, user names, passwords, POP and SMTP information for your mail account, etc.). I want to set up my Internet connection manually, or I want to connect through a Local Area Network (LAN). Both this and the previous option are identical in nature in terms of the steps you will have to complete. Should you choose one of these last two options, the process will continue on as follows. You will be prompted to choose if you connect through a phone line and a modem; click Next. The next screen will ask you to enter the telephone number for your ISP. (Make sure you uncheck the box for “Dial using the area code and country code” if it is not necessary in your area.). Most ISPs do not require you to enter static or specific DNS or IP addresses. However, should your ISP require it, you can click on the Advanced tab to enter these numbers. Click Next to continue. Enter your username and password in the appropriate fields, and click Next. Enter a name that you wish to associate with this particular connection. This should be something that you can easily identify; it does not necessarily have to be the name of the ISP. Click Next to continue.
You are now prompted to set up an e-mail account. Click Yes and Next to continue.Should Windows find an existing e-mail account, you are prompted to either edit that account or set up a new one. Choose “Create New Internet Account” and click Next to continue. Enter your display name in the appropriate field (the name that will be attached to all outgoing e-mail that you send). Click Next to continue. Enter the e-mail address for sending/receiving e-mail messages. Click Next to continue. This screen will have you fill out your incoming mail server type (usually POP3), as well as enter your POP3 (IMAP or HTTP) server name and your SMTP server name. Click Next to continue. You will be prompted for your user name and password. Enter these then click Next to finish to process. Essentially, what you have done by using the ICW (Internet Connection Wizard) is avoid having to set your TCP/IP and dial-up networking settings manually (and installed Dial-Up Networking, had it not been installed previously). Should you need to edit the settings or set up a new dial-up connection, you can do so from the Dial-Up Networking folder located at Start > Settings > Dial-Up Networking (which is possible if your ISP requires you to change settings due to connection failure). Dial-up networking is handled exactly in the same way as it is for the rest of the Windows 9.x family. Again, it can be found at Start > Settings > Dial-Up Networking. From there, you will have access to any previous connections or the ability to create a new one. If you are modifying an existing connection, right-click on it from the Dial-Up Networking folder, and click Properties. Dial-up networking handles standard modem connections, ISDN connections, and null-modem connections between serial ports. From the General tab, you can choose from the following:
General tab. You choose the phone number to dial, whether to use an area code and country code when dialing, or choose a different modem for the connection from the drop-down menu. (Click the Configure button to open the Properties for the selected modem, and edit them if necessary.)
Networking tab. TCP/IP, NetBEUI, and IPX/SPX Compatible protocols can be easily selected/deselected, and you can choose to specify an IP or DNS address. Security tab. Modify your username and password. Check mark the box if you want your Internet connection to connect automatically and log on to network options.
Dialing tab. Select/Deselect the default Internet connection, retry settings (in case of a failed connection), and idle disconnect settings. You can actually change the default Internet connection much more easily by going to Internet Explorer > Tools > Connections, and choosing which connection should be the default from there.
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