How to Connect to the Internet in Windows 95/98

ID: Q138789

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows 95
  • Microsoft Windows 98

SUMMARY

This article lists the steps to configure Windows 95/98 to connect to the Internet using Dial-Up Networking. Please read the entire article before you start configuring Windows.


MORE INFORMATION

Windows 95/98 has built-in support for connecting to an Internet provider using a PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) or SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) account. SLIP support is available with the CD-ROM version of Windows 95/98, the CD-ROM Extras for Windows 95 upgrade, and the Internet Jumpstart Kit component of Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95.

Getting Started

To connect to the Internet, you need a PPP or SLIP account with an Internet provider. You also need the following information from your Internet service provider:
  • User name


  • Password


  • Local access phone number


  • Your host and domain name


  • DNS server IP address


  • Authentication technique (whether or not a terminal window is used)


Your Internet service provider may also supply you with an IP address and an IP subnet mask. These optional items are needed only if your provider gives you a dedicated IP address to use every time you dial in.

How to Set Up Dial-Up Networking

Before you set up your Internet connection, make sure Dial-Up Networking is installed. To do so, click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and see if a folder called Dial-Up Networking is available.

If you have a Dial-Up Networking folder, go to the "How to Install the TCP/IP Protocol" section below.

If you do not have a Dial-Up Networking folder, add Dial-Up Networking by following these steps:
  1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double- click the Add/Remove Programs icon.


  2. On the Windows Setup tab, click Communications (do not click the check box), and then click Details.


  3. Click the Dial-Up Networking check box to select it, and then click OK.


  4. On the Windows Setup tab, click OK.


NOTE: SLIP is included in the Admin\Apptools\Dscript folder on the Windows 95 CD-ROM. If you are using the floppy disk version of Windows 95 and want to use SLIP support, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base for information about the availability of SLIP:
ARTICLE-ID: Q135315
TITLE : CD-ROM Extras for Microsoft Windows 95 Upgrade

If you plan to use a SLIP account to connect to an Internet service Provider in Windows 95, perform the following steps to install SLIP support:

NOTE: You do not have to perform these steps if you are using Windows 98. Windows 98 installs SLIP support by default.
  1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double- click the Add/Remove Programs icon.


  2. On the Windows Setup tab, click Have Disk.


  3. Insert the appropriate disk or CD-ROM, and then point to the folder that contains SLIP.


How to Install the TCP/IP Protocol

Once Dial-Up Networking is installed, follow these steps to install the TCP/IP protocol:
  1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double- click the Network icon.


  2. On the Configuration tab, click Add, click Protocol, click Add, click Microsoft in the Manufacturers box, click TCP/IP in the Network Protocols box, and then click OK.


  3. If you want to connect only to the Internet, you need only the following network components:
    
      Client for Microsoft Networks
      Dial-Up Adapter
      TCP/IP
    To remove a component, click the component, and then click Remove.

    NOTE: You can have additional protocols bound to the dial-up adapter if you need them for connection to other Dial-Up Networking servers.


  4. Once the necessary components are installed, click OK, and then restart your computer when you are prompted to do so.


NOTE: You do not need to configure any TCP/IP settings at this time. Instructions for configuring these settings is included later in this article. The default TCP/IP settings are as follows:
  • IP address set to Obtain An IP Address Automatically


  • WINS Configuration set to Use DHCP For WINS Resolution


  • Installed Gateways: None


  • DNS Configuration set to Disable DNS


How to Create and Configure a New Connection for PPP Accounts

NOTE: If you have a SLIP account, please go to the "How to Create and Configure a New Connection for SLIP Accounts" section below.
  1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Dial-Up Networking.


  2. If this is the first time you have used Dial-Up Networking, the Welcome To Dial-Up Networking Wizard appears. If the wizard does not appear, double-click Make New Connection and follow the instructions for creating a Dial-Up Networking connection.


  3. Once the connection is created, an icon appears in the Dial-Up Networking folder that you can double-click to connect to the Internet.


If your Internet service provider requires you to manually log in to your PPP account after you have connected, you must enable the necessary support. Perform the following steps to enable this support:
  1. Right-click the newly created icon in the Dial-Up Networking folder, and then click Properties.


  2. On the General tab, click Configure.


  3. On the Options tab, click the "Bring up terminal window after dialing" check box to select it, and then click OK.


  4. On the General tab, click Server Type.


  5. Click "PPP: Windows 95, Windows NT 3.5, Internet" or "PPP: Internet, Windows NT Server, Windows 98" in the Type Of Dial-Up Server box, and then click the TCP/IP check box in the Allowed Network Protocols area to select it. The TCP/IP selection allows for a quicker connect time after dialing your Internet service provider. The other options are not relevant to connecting to the Internet.


  6. Click TCP/IP Settings.

    To use resources on the Internet you must enter your DNS server address. You can also enter your IP address if your Internet service provider supplied you with a fixed IP address.


How to Connect to Your PPP Account

  1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Dial-Up Networking.


  2. Double-click the Dial-Up Networking icon you created in the section above.


  3. In the Connect To dialog box, enter your user name and password, and then click Connect.

    If you clicked the "Bring up terminal window after dialing" check box earlier, a terminal window appears in which you enter your login information. After you enter your user name and password, click Continue. The order in which you log in and the information you have to provide may vary for your Internet service provider. Please contact your provider if you have any questions about the login procedure.


After the Connected To dialog box appears, you are connected to the Internet.

How to Create and Configure a New Connection for SLIP Accounts

NOTE: If you do not have a SLIP account, you do not need to perform the steps in this section.
  1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Dial-Up Networking.


  2. If this is the first time you have used Dial-Up Networking, the Welcome To Dial-Up Networking Wizard appears. If the wizard does not appear, double-click Make New Connection and follow the instructions for creating a Dial-Up Networking connection.


  3. Once the connection is created, an icon appears in the Dial-Up Networking folder that you can double-click to connect to the Internet.


  4. Right-click the newly created icon in the Dial-Up Networking folder, and then click Properties on the menu that appears.


  5. On the General tab, click Server Type.


  6. Click SLIP: UNIX Connection in the Type Of Dial-Up Server box, and then click the TCP/IP check box in the Allowed Network Protocols area to select it. The TCP/IP selection allows for a quicker connect time after dialing your Internet service provider. The other options are not relevant to connecting to the Internet.

    NOTE: If you have a CSLIP (compressed SLIP) account and you are running Windows 95, click "CSLIP: UNIX Connection with IP Header Compression." Your Internet service provider can tell you which type of SLIP account you have.


  7. Click TCP/IP Settings.

    To use resources on the Internet you must enter your DNS server address. You can also enter your IP address if your Internet service provider supplied you with a fixed IP address.


How to Connect to Your SLIP Account

  1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Dial-Up Networking.


  2. Double-click the icon you created earlier. In the Connect To dialog box, click Connect.


  3. After modem negotiation, a terminal window appears in which you enter your login information. After you enter your user name and password in the terminal window, you should receive a message from your Internet service provider informing you of your IP address for the session. Most providers use a message such as "Your IP address is" or "SLIP session from ###.###.###.### to ###.###.###.###" where the second set of numbers is your IP address.

    The order in which you log in and the information you have to provide may vary for your Internet service provider. Please contact your provider if you have any questions about the login procedure.


  4. Make a note of your IP address, and then click Continue.


  5. Confirm your IP address in the SLIP Connection IP Address dialog box by entering the IP address noted in step 4, and then click OK.

    If you are not sure what your IP address is, please contact your Internet provider and ask how to determine your IP address for your SLIP account.


Advantages of PPP Over SLIP

If you have a SLIP account, you may want to investigate the possibility of obtaining a PPP account. PPP accounts are faster, offer error correction, may not require you to use the terminal window to log in, and do not require you to manually enter your IP address.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you experience problems connecting to the Internet:
  • Make sure your server type is correct. For example, if you have a PPP account, make sure the server type is set to PPP, not SLIP or CSLIP.


  • If you have a SLIP account, make sure you enter the correct IP address when you are prompted to do so during the login process.


If you experience problems after you connect to the Internet:

  • If you use a SLIP account and you can successfully ping another computer but you cannot use Winsock programs to connect to Internet resources, change the server type from SLIP to CSLIP (or from CSLIP to SLIP).


To make sure your Internet connection is working properly, ping a known IP address by typing the following command at an MS-DOS prompt

ping <IP address>

where <IP address> is a known IP address such as the Microsoft FTP server (207.46.133.140).

If you can ping a known IP address successfully, basic TCP/IP connectivity is functioning properly. Next, try to ping the Microsoft FTP server using "ftp.microsoft.com" instead of its IP address. To do so, type the following command at an MS-DOS prompt:

ping ftp.microsoft.com

If this works, your DNS settings are functioning properly.

Glossary

Domain Name Service (DNS):

Sometimes referred to as the BIND service in BSD UNIX; a static, hierarchical name service for TCP/IP hosts. A DNS server maintains a database for resolving host names and IP addresses, allowing users of computers configured to query the DNS to specify remote computers by host names rather than IP addresses. DNS domains should not be confused with Windows NT networking domains.

For example, issuing the "ping ftp.microsoft.com" command goes to the DNS server you specified, looks up the IP address for the site, and then pings that IP address.

Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP):

An industry standard that is part of Windows Dial-Up Networking to ensure interoperability with remote access software from other vendors. It allows you to use the IPX, TCP/IP, and NetBEUI protocols over a standard telephone line connection.

Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP):

Another industry standard that is part of Windows Dial-Up Networking to ensure interoperability with remote access software from other vendors. Unlike PPP, SLIP works with only one protocol. Windows works with TCP/IP over a standard telephone line connection.

Password Authentication Protocol (PAP):

This is an authentication method that can be used when connecting to an Internet service provider. It allows you to log in without having to use a terminal window. Using PAP, passwords are sent over the circuit in text format, which offers no protection from playback.

Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP):

This is another authentication method that can be used when connecting to an Internet service provider. It also allows you to log in without having to use a terminal window. However, it does not send passwords in text format and is more secure than PAP.

For additional information about the Internet and Windows 95, please view the Internet.txt file that is included with Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95.

Additional query words:

Keywords : dun win95 win98
Version : WINDOWS:95
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbhowto


Last Reviewed: February 17, 1999
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