Introduction

After you've successfully installed Netscape Navigator Dial-Up Edition and run Account Setup Wizard, you're ready to explore with Netscape Navigator. To get started, use this book to find the following information:

• This Introduction explains your Internet connection in simple terms, and tells you where you can find more information.
• Chapter 1 gets you started using Netscape Navigator to explore the World Wide Web.
• Chapter 2 provides information on controlling your dial-up connection.
• Chapter 3 contains tips, techniques, and troubleshooting information.

For information on installation and setup, see Installation and Setup Guide.

How does Netscape Navigator Dial-Up Edition connect me to the Internet?

Let's start with discussing the Internet itself, and then we'll explain how Netscape Navigator Dial-Up Edition puts it all together for you. Think of the Internet as a vast collection of computers, all linked together to share information. Different computers do different jobs--some send and receive email, some coordinate newsgroups, and others store documents. In order to share information, these computers have to share a common language.

To place your computer directly on the Internet, you'd have to learn a complex computer language, buy expensive hardware, and spend lots of time. Instead, you can use your phone line to connect to a special computer that's already on the Internet. Once you connect to such a computer, you can access other computers on the Internet.

Companies called Internet service providers have special computers on the Internet that allow phone line connections (called "dial-up" connections). Service providers charge you for the Internet access they provide (usually a monthly fee, and sometimes for every hour that you're connected). If you don't already have a service provider, Netscape Navigator Dial-Up Edition will help you choose and sign up with one.

Your end of the world

See "What about my modem?" in Installation and Setup Guide for more information on your modem.

To make your dial-up connection work, you also need a modem. Your computer uses a modem to translate information going back and forth over the phone line. A modem is a separate little box (or a special card inside your computer) that connects your computer to the phone line.

Your modem needs special software, called a dialer, to control it. The dialer tells your modem to dial your service provider's phone number. When the service provider's computer answers, the dialer provides some information about who's trying to connect (in this case, you), and establishes a connection between you and your service provider. See "Controlling your dial-up connection" on page 27 for more information.

The world beyond

Once you're connected to a service provider, you use Netscape Navigator to explore the World Wide Web. While the term "Internet" refers to the actual physical network of computers (their cables, hard drives, connections, and so on), "World Wide Web" describes what you're really interested in--all the information that's out there. Documents on the Web (called pages) are stored on Internet computers all over the world. Page authors link their pages to other pages, and other authors link pages to still more pages, and so on, creating a web of information.

For more on using Navigator, see Chapter 1.

With Netscape Navigator installed on your computer, you can quickly and easily jump from one Web page to the next, and view Web pages with a rich array of graphics and formatting.

Users on a local area network

If you're on a local area network (LAN), you should talk to your network administrator first. Ask about the best way for you to connect to the Internet; you might be able to connect using your LAN, rather than a dial-up connection with a service provider.

In Windows 95 only, if you do use a dial-up connection and you're on a LAN with MS-TCP/IP and a network adapter, you might have conflicts with your DNS configuration. Talk to your network administrator about it, and see "DNS configuration in Windows 95" in Chapter 3 for more information.

How does Netscape Navigator Dial-Up Edition help me put
this all together?

Just to summarize, your Internet connection has the following components:

• Phone line
• Modem
• Dialer software
• Internet service provider
• Netscape Navigator

It sounds like a lot, but with Netscape Navigator Dial-Up Edition, all you have to provide is a phone line and modem. After you install Netscape Navigator Dial-Up Edition and run Account Setup Wizard, the components of your dial-up connection will all work together.

What are the computer requirements?

Before installing Netscape Navigator Dial-Up Edition, you must

1. Install your modem (if you haven't already)
2. Have Windows 3.1, 3.11, or Windows 95 installed
3. Make sure your hardware meets these requirements:

• IBM-compatible 486 or better
• Modem 14.4K bps or faster
• CD-ROM drive
• 256-color or higher color resolution
• 8 MB of RAM
• Hard-disk space:
  Windows 3.1: 6 MB (and an additional 5 MB recommended for
  disk caching)
  Windows 95: 10 MB

How do I get help?

You can get the following additional information.

About this book

The following conventions help you use this book.

• Depending on what type of system you use--Windows 95, Windows 3.1, or Windows for Workgroups 3.11--Netscape Navigator Dial-Up Edition varies slightly. This book is designed to address all users. Because instructions are the same for Windows 3.1 and Windows 3.11, both systems are covered under "Windows 3.1" headings and references in this book.
• This book uses the | character to separate menu commands. Instead of saying "Choose Exit from the File menu," this book shortens it to "Choose File|Exit."
• Boldface type is used for button names and menu choices.
• Text in capital letters is used for all file names and directories.
• This book sometimes refers to directories where Netscape Navigator Dial-Up Edition is installed. For the sake of simplicity, this book references default installation directories. If you install into directories other than the default, you should know that the default root directory is C:\NETSCAPE, and that other directories (such as DIALER and SYSTEM) are installed off of this directory (for example, C:\NETSCAPE\DIALER and C:\NETSCAPE\SYSTEM). You can apply instructions in this book to your directories as appropriate.

What's next

• The next chapter, "Exploring the Internet with Netscape Navigator" gets you up and running Navigator. It also gives you a brief tour of the Navigator window, and shows you how to do some basic tasks.
• Chapter 2, "Controlling your dial-up connection," shows you how to change your dial-up settings and use dialer software.
• Chapter 3, "Tips and techniques," contains tips, techniques, and
  troubleshooting information. The chapter contains two sections: one for Windows 95 users and one for Windows 3.1 users.