Setting up Dial-Up Networking

Intended For Windows Me Windows 98 Windows 95

Jump to:

• What You Need
• Drivers
• Configuration
• Considerations
• Troubleshooting
• More Information

What You Need
Here a list of information you need to get from your ISP (Internet Service Provider) before you can use Dial-Up Networking. If you don't yet have an ISP, see the Special Considerations section for some tips in selecting one.

• A local phone number (make sure it is a local number and supports the highest speed of your modem).
• Your username and password.
• The domain name of your ISP (usually company_name.com).
• My Internet Access supports PPP :
• Any Windows-compatible modem of at least 14,400 baud, installed and functioning. Make sure it's configured correctly by double-clicking on the Modems icon in Control Panel.

Installing Drivers
Take the following steps to insure you have the proper drivers installed:

Part 1:

• Double-click on the Add/Remove Programs icon in Control Panel.
• Click on the Windows Setup tab, highlight Communications in the list of components, and click Details.
• Make sure you have a checkmark next to the Dial-Up Networking component. If not, check it now, and press OK; you'll be asked to restart your computer at this point.

• Double-click on the Network icon in Control Panel.
• You'll need the following network components installed:
  • Client for Microsoft Networks
  • Dial-Up Adapter
  • TCP/IP
  • File and printer sharing for Microsoft Networks (optional)
• If you don't have any or all of these installed, click Add... to add them to your list. Notes: TCP/IP is known as a "protocol," and File and printer sharing is known as a "service." All of these components can be found by selecting "Microsoft" in the "Manufacturers" list.
• Note: if you have other adapters installed, such as a network card, make sure TCP/IP is installed for the dial-up adapter.
• If you made any changes here, you'll have to restart Windows.

Configuration
Once you've obtained the necessary information, and have installed the correct drivers, you can configure Dial-Up Networking to work with your ISP.

• Double-click on the Dial-Up Networking icon in My Computer.
• Double-click on Make New Connection, if you don't already have one.
• Enter a name for this connection (it doesn't really matter), and select the correct modem from the list.
• Click Configure, to make sure your modem is configured correctly. Set the maximum speed to 57,600 for 14.4 modems and 115,200 for 28.8 or faster modems. You might want to turn up the volume until you're sure the connection works. Make sure Only connect at this speed is not checked, and click OK when you're done.
• Click Next, and then type in the phone number obtained from your ISP.
• Click Next, and then Finish.

   

• Then, right-click on your new connection, and select Properties.
• Choose the Server Types tab, and turn off all of the options below except for Enabled software compression and TCP/IP.
• Click TCP/IP Settings..., select assigned by server.
• Click Ok and Ok again.

   

• Double-click on the connection to connect!

Special Considerations
Since there are so many different kinds of connections, it can be difficult to get Windows to work with your particular circumstances. Here are some tips for non-standard connections:

• Scripting - some connections have a complicated login procedure, requiring you to complete the following steps:

  
  Part 1:

  • Double-click on the Dial-Up Networking icon in My Computer.
  • Right-click on your connection, and choose Properties.
  • In the Connect using portion, click Configure, and then click on the Options tab.
  • Turn on the Bring up terminal window after dialing option, and click OK to close all the windows.
  • Start your connection by double-clicking on the connection icon.
  • After you've dialed, a window will appear, allowing you to type any necessary commands. You must contact your ISP to obtain any special login procedure.
  • Write down all the prompts you see (noting all capitalization since everything is case-sensitive), as well as all commands you type.
  • Once you've determined your exact login procedure, enter your commands into a text file, and save it.

  
  Part 2:

  • Script Syntax - see Chapter 7 of the book for details.

  
  Part 3:

  • Double-click on the Dial-Up Networking icon in My Computer.
  • Right-click on your connection, and choose Properties.
  • Choose the Scripting tab, click Browse, find the text file you just created, and click Ok.
  • Click Ok to save your changes. Once you have it working, you'll hopefully never need to do this again!

   

• SLIP - although less commonly used than PPP, and not as well supported, a SLIP connection is possible with Windows. You'll need to download SLIP and Scripting for Dial-Up Networking.

   

• Multiple Connections - if you have more than one phone number for your account, or more than one account, you can add additional connections using the configuration instructions above (see part 2). When you've added another icon to Dial-Up Networking, right-click on it, and select Properties. Click Server Type, and then TCP/IP Settings to change the settings for each individual connection. If you do set up multiple connections, make sure that you specify the settings here instead of in Control Panel - just clear all your DNS, gateway, and IP settings in Control Panel so that Windows will use the settings in your individual connections.

   

• Call Back - if your ISP uses a call-back procedure (where another machine calls your computer to connect), try these suggestions:
  • Obtain and install Trumpet Winsock for Windows (not a true 32-bit application, but it uses a 32-bit dll layer so all of your 32-bit winsock applications will work). Follow the included installation instructions, but in your Windows directory, rename WINSOCK.DLL to WINSOCK.MS, and in your Windows\System directory, rename WSOCK32.DLL to WSOCK32.MS.

   

• Commercial Services - if you use Compuserve, or another non-internet commerical service, you might be able to use Dial-Up Networking with it as long as you have an Internet icon in Control Panel.

   

• Selecting an ISP - if you don't yet have an Internet Service Provider, or your university is about to kick you off their system, here are some things to look for:
  • No hourly rate - hourly rates are a rip-off, plain and simple. Some ISPs give you a few free hours per month; don't settle for less than 50 (they go quicker than you think). Many providers now sell a flat-rate service (no hourly charges whatsoever) for around $20 per month.
  • Local Number - don't let the phone company profit from your internet access. If you dial a local number, you can still connect to anywhere in the world, but not on your dime (see the previous tip).
  • Private Provider - dealing with a small, local provider (look in the phone book) will probably mean lower rates, as well as better service and support. Unless you travel frequently and need local access around the country (or the world), forget the national providers and their proprietary software.

   

• Troubleshooting
  If your connection (or any of your Internet applications) don't work, or you're experiencing poor performance, the problem could be caused by any number of things. Here are a few possibilities:

   

• If you were using another Internet dialer previously (such as Trumpet Winsock), check the following:
  • Make sure you don't have any other winsock stacks in your path (specified in AUTOEXEC.BAT).
  • Search your entire system for files named WINSOCK.DLL, and delete or rename any copies that aren't dated 5/11/98 (the one that comes with Windows) or 4/23/99 (the one that comes with Windows Second Edition). If you can't find one with one of those dates, then you'll have to retreive it from the distribution CD.

   

• It could an ISP problem:
  • Dial the number manually with your telephone and see if you hear beeps on the other end, and not an answering machine, a busy signal, or a Chinese restaurant.
  • The information obtained from your ISP is incorrect - make sure all your IP addresses are correct, and check your settings for typos. Make sure you hit Add when necessary after entering IP addresses.
  • If your ISP doesn't support standard PPP, you might need to configure a login script - contact your ISP's technical support for details and assistance.
  • Make sure your ISP account is actually functioning - it can take up to several days after you subscribe before you can use your account.
  • If all else fails, contact your ISP for help - since many folks use Windows, they'll probably be able to diagnose and solve the problem easily. Some ISP's require special settings!

   

• Don't rule out hardware problems:
  • Make sure your modem is turned on, functioning correctly, and configured correctly by using HyperTerminal to connect to the same number. Note: if you don't use a true Windows communications program, you're not testing the modem configuration!
  • If you're connecting, but not at a satisfactory speed, try replacing the phone cord.
  • Try restarting Windows to see if that helps, and make sure there aren't any other programs trying to use your modem or communications port.
  • If all else fails, you'll have to contact the manufacturer of your modem for technical support and possibly a driver or bios update.

   

• If things are just too slow:
  • Try specifying a value of 576 for your MTU (especially for ISDN connections) - an indicator of this problem is if communications seem to halt temporarily every few minutes. See Change the MTU and RWIN Settings in Dial-Up Networking for more information.
  • Newer drivers (obtained from the manufacturer of your modem can improve performance.
  • Noisy phone lines can slow connections because your modem is spending more time with error correction; try replacing your phone cables.
  • Test your throughput by transferring a binary file (text files aren't a reliable indicator, due to compression). After you've done the math, you should experience about 1.6 kilobytes/second with a 14,400 connection, 3.4 kilobytes/second with a 28,800 connection, and 14 kilobytes/second with an ISDN connection.

  More Information

• Get an Annoyances book for an entire chapter on networking. Improve performance and reliability of your connections, and resolve networking annoyances!
• See Internet Connection Sharing to use a single DUN connection from two or more networked computers.

Written by: Annoyances.org
Last updated: Saturday, August 11, 2001