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Getting connected to the Internet isn't hard. Most Internet service providers (ISPs) provide software to set up your connection automatically. But you can connect in a few different ways, and you'll encounter a few different technologies. You might also need to tinker around with some settings to get things working just the way you want.
Set up a new ISP Internet connection
1. Choose Start --> My Network Places.
2. In the resulting window, click the View Network Connections link.
3. In the resulting Network Connections window, in the Network Tasks pane, click the Create a New Connection link.
4. In the New Connection Wizard dialog box, click Next.
5. In the resulting dialog box, accept the default selection of Connect to the Internet, and then click Next.
6. In the resulting New Connection Wizard, select one of the following three options to set up a new ISP account:
• The Choose from a List of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) option allows you to quickly set up MSN or choose from a list of other ISPs. Making this choice leads you to the Internet Connection Wizard, where your choices vary depending on the service provider you select.
• If you have all the information about your ISP account and want to enter it manually, Set Up My Connection Manually is the choice for you.
• The Use the CD I Got from My ISP option is pretty obvious. If you have a CD, whether an ISP sent it to you or you picked it up at the supermarket, select this option to activate the setup instructions for that ISP.
7. Click Next and follow the instructions to finish setting up your ISP connection.
Note that you need to select the type of connection (for example, cable modem or dial-up) and create a user name and password for your new account during this process.
In many cases, if you have a disc from your ISP, you don't need to follow these steps at all. Just pop that CD into your CD-ROM drive, and in no time a window appears and gives you instructions for setting up your account.
Set up a dial-up connection to an existing ISP account manually
1. Choose Start --> My Network Places.
2. In the My Network Places window, click the View Network Connections link.
3. In the Network Connections window under Network Tasks, click the Create a New Connection link.
4. In the New Connection Wizard dialog box, click Next.
5. In the resulting dialog box, accept the default selection of Connect to the Internet, and click Next.
6. In the resulting dialog box, select the Set Up My Connection Manually option, and click Next.
7. In the Internet Connection dialog box, select the Connect Using a Dial-Up Modem option.
8. In the Internet Account Information, enter this information:
• Your ISP's name
• The ISP's dial-up phone number
• Your user name and password
• Whether this is the default connection
• Whether to use firewall protection for this connection
9. When the final wizard dialog box appears, click Finish to create the connection.
Share an Internet connection on a network
1. Choose Start --> My Network Places.
2. In the resulting My Network Places window, click the View Network Connections link.
3. In the resulting Network Connections window, click a connection to select it, and then click the Change Settings of This Connection link.
4. In the resulting EarthLink Properties dialog box (the name of the dialog box is the name of your Internet service provider), click the Advanced tab.
5. Select the check box labeled Allow Other Network Users to Connect through This Computer's Internet Connection.
If you want to dial this connection automatically when another computer on your network tries to access it, select the Establish a Dial-Up Connection whenever a Computer on My Network Attempts to Access the Internet check box.
If you want other people on your network to control the shared Internet connection by enabling or disabling it, select the Allow Other Network Users to Control or Disable the Shared Internet Connection check box.
6. In the Internet Connection Sharing area of the EarthLink Properties dialog box, in the Home Networking Connection, select any adapter that connects the computer that shares an Internet connection to other computers on your network.
7. Click OK twice to save the shared connection settings.
Configure a TCP/IP connection
1. Choose Start --> My Network Places.
2. In the resulting My Network Places window, click the View Network Connections link.
3. Click the connection that you want to set up and then click Change Settings of this Connection.
4. In the resulting EarthLink Properties dialog box (the name of the dialog box is the name of your Internet service provider), display the Networking tab.
5. On the Networking tab, in the This Connection Uses the Following Items area, select the Internet Properties (TCP/IP) option, and then click the Properties button.
6. In the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box that appears, allow addresses to be assigned automatically by selecting the Obtain an IP Address Automatically option, and then clicking OK twice.
Although you can enter addresses manually in the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box, you should let them be assigned automatically. Then if there's a change in your setup, you don't have to go in and manually modify addresses. This also saves you the hassle of having to manually configure certain settings, such as the Domain Name Service, which implements the Domain Name System (DNS). Don't want to worry about such techie things? Who does? That's why you should just let addresses be assigned automatically.
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