Exec-PC Multiuser BBS 414-964-5160 (Telenet direct 414161) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (Please pass this file on to other BBS systems. We want to see Telenet's PC Pursuit service grow, and it needs everyone's support!) NOTE: This file is in reverse chronological order. The latest hints and news appear at the start of the file. If you want to read the story as it unfolds, start at the end of the file and read to the top. The following directions are for Telenet subscribers (PC Pursuit or other Telenet users) who want to access Exec-PC via our direct connection to the Telenet network. If you do not already have an account established with Telenet (see below), then you will not be able to use our direct connect. PC Pursuit is a Telenet service that costs $25 per month. It gives you UNLIMITED long distance data access all over the U.S. It is an excellent deal! Call Telenet at 800-835-3638 for details. PC Pursuit is also described in the file PURSUIT.ARC which is available for download from the Exec-PC BBS system, free area number 3. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 01-27-88 Announcement: (Please watch for updates to this info!) There have been a number of improvements and discoveries in the use of our direct connect and in the use of Telenet in general: NEW EXECPC ID ON TELENET: The older info in this document tells you to use 414161 as the ID for accessing Exec-PC on Telenet. You can now use our new mneumonic on Telenet. Instead of 414161 use: EXECPC (instead of 414161) This is easier to remember than the numeric sequence, and when you see it in a script file for automatic logon to our system, you can more easily identify our system because "EXECPC" is much more descriptive than 414161! WE ARE EXPANDING: The Exec-PC Telenet direct connect has become too busy, so we are expanding. We will add 60% more ports on the Telenet link in the first week of February. Thanks for your support! DOWNLOAD AND UPLOAD PROBLEMS WITH MNP ERROR CORRECTING MODEMS: Later in this document we discuss the problems in using the US Robotics 9600 HST modem when calling Telenet with MNP error correcting working. You usually will experience aborted file transfers. We offered the stopgap solution of turning MNP off, and this has worked for most people. There is another fix that allows you to use MNP! As described on page 420 of the September 29, 1987 issue of PC Magazine, some intelligent modems watch for a special control character that will force them into their command mode. Xmodem, Ymodem and other protocols will probably include this character in the data stream they are transmitting. This could force your modem into the command mode, stopping the flow of data, and possibly aborting your modem connection. To avoid the problem, you must turn OFF your modems "Escape to command mode" feature. On Microcom modems you can either put the modem into Hayes compatible mode, which does not look for the command escape code, or you can give the command SEO to disable the feature. Other intelligent modems should have a command or switch setting to disable the feature. Please refer to your modem owners manual, or call the modem manufacturer for help. BUSY OR REJECTING? As detailed below, the Exec-PC direct connect to Telenet will sometimes give the response "REJECTING" when you try to hook in via Telenet. This usually means that all of our ports are busy. We have had Telenet modify their connection to us so you will usually get the proper "BUSY" message, although on occasion you might still see the "rejecting" message. In most cases, the "rejecting" status still means our ports are busy and you should keep trying. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 12-30-87 Announcement: IMPORTANT: If you try to access the Exec-PC direct connect address on Telenet and you get the message "414 161 REJECTING", that means all of our direct connect ports are busy. Just keep trying. We will try to have that "REJECTED" message changed to something more logical, like "BUSY", or "FULL, try again"! A SPEED TRICK: Tired of the slow echo on a Telenet connection? Do you go crazy trying to delete typos when the slow echo has you backing up too much or too little? There is an easy fix - go to Exec-PC's TOP:OTHER::USER PROFILE menu and change DUPLEX to HALF. Then, on your communications software, set it so it will provide a local echo. Your software might call this 'local echo' or "half duplex". The echo of typed text will then be instantaneous. Also, you will be doing a favor for other Telenet users, since you will not be tieing up the Telenet network as it labors to provide an echo of data for each of your keystrokes. File transfers will be much faster if everyone is nice enough to use local echo in order to ease the strain on the network data transfer. 2400 BAUD CALLERS: There is an important difference for calling at 2400 instead of 1200. When you call Telenet at 2400 baud you should have your parameters set to 8 data bits, NO parity and 1 stop bit. IMPORTANT HINT: When you establish the connection with Telenet, you should not hit the old carriage returns as you do at 1200 baud. Instead, enter an ampersand ("@") followed by the letter "D". Then hit a carriage return. This tells Telenet you want your 2400 baud connection to use the 8N1 parameters. USR 9600 HST AND OTHER PROBLEM MNP MODEMS: Many people have NOT been able to establish a 2400 baud connection with Telenet that will allow successful file transfers. The most likely culprit is your MNP modem. If you have a modem that is establishing a MNP error correcting connection to Telenet, try turning off the error correcting option in your modem. Yes, it is an expensive feature that you think you should use all the time, but the MNP feature seems to be a problem in many modems, mostly showing its worst side during file transfers, when you need MNP the most! We have received the most complaints of this problem from callers using the US Robotics Courier 9600 HST modem. To fix the problem, just turn off MNP when calling Telenet, and hope for some ROM updates from US Robotics! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 12-25-87 Announcement: (Please watch for updates to this info!) We have some updates as to what will and will not work for logging on via our direct connect if you are a PC Pursuit user. The following is now the latest method for using your PCP id and password for accessing Exec-PC: 1. Log onto Telenet and get to the "@" prompt. 2. Enter the following: C 414161,yourid (If the above fails, try just 414161,yourid ) "yourid" means your current ID on Telenet as a PC Pursuit customer. 3. Telenet will then prompt you for your password. Enter your PC Pursuit password. 4. If all went right you will see "414 161 CONNECTED" 5. Hit a few carriage returns and Exec-PC will come to life. If there are any updates to this, they will be posted to this file. If the above method of logon does not work for you, please try the two other methods outlined below. If those methods also do not work, please contact Telenet customer support at 800-336-0437. If they cannot help you, please contact Jeff Demere or Joe Kocsis at Telenet at 312-953-9460. If they cannot help you, I don't know who can, since they are the ones I pay my money to for Telenet access! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 12-23-87 Announcement: (Please watch for updates to this info!) The Exec-PC direct connect to Telenet is now working, plus it includes 2400 baud access! It still needs a little fine tuning, but you Telenet users can now access Exec-PC directly, without the use of any trick modem commands. If you use PC Pursuit, do the following: (IF THIS METHOD DOES NOT WORK FOR YOU, THEN TRY THE ALTERNATE METHOD SHOWN BELOW.) 1. Log onto Telenet like you usually do. 2. At the Telenet "@" prompt, enter the following command: C 414161,id,password Where "id" is your PC Pursuit ID, and "password" is your PC Pursuit password. 414161 is Exec-PC's current address on Telenet. We will soon have an easier address such as EXECPC. We will announce it here. 3. You will now be connected to Exec-PC. Hit a few carriage returns to get Exec-PC rolling. [ALTERNE METHOD: At Telenet "@" prompt, enter: ID id (Telenet will then ask for your password) Now at the "@" prompt, enter just the number 414161 You will be connected to Exec-PC. Hit a few carriage returns.] If you are not a PC Pursuit user but you have access to the Telenet network, you may access our network in a similar way using the 414161 network address. RESTRICTION: - Current setup ALWAYS thinks you are calling at 2400 baud. The first estimate of a file download duration may be innacurate at any speed, but after your first download it will be accurate. Bob Mahoney, Exec-PC Multiuser BBS 414-964-5160 (Telenet direct 414161)