Following is an explanation of what has caused Netscape to stop downloading newsgroups. Click here to skip this fascinating explanation and move to just tell me how to fix it.

The Problem:
The TPG Internet News server is called dnews. If for some reason dnews has to be rebooted, which happens occasionally, it re-numbers the news articles of all newsgroups from the begining starting at 1. Netscape, like most news programs, remembers the number of the last news message it has downloaded on each list you are subscribed to. So, Netscape is looking at the numbers of the news articles on the server and comparing them to the number of the last message it downloaded from that newsgroup. If the number of the last item downloaded is greater the numbers of the articles on the dnews server then Netscape thinks that it has already downloaded it and won't download it "again".

The Solution:
What you need to do is to get Netscape think that the number of the last message it downloaded was 1.

Here's how to do it:

• Rename Netscape's news server .rc file. To do this
  • Open My Computer
  • Double click on the hard disk where the Netscape program files are stored to open it (usually C:)
  • then open the Users folder
  • then open the folder for your username
  • then open the News folder
  • In there you will find there is a file called dnews.rc. Click on the dnews.rc file with the right mouse button and select Rename from the drop down list. Rename the file fred.txt
  • Delete everything in the News folder other than fred.txt
• Now open Netscape and go to the Messenger window. DON'T close all the other windows, leave them open. Right, now open Netscape.
• Close Netscape.
• In the News folder should now have a new dnews.rc file in it well as a new fat file and a new Folder in it called host-dnews.tpg.com.au.
  • Delete the dnews.rc file.
  • Double click on the fred.txt file and Windows will open it in Notepad
  • You will see to the right of the newsgroups listed a listed range of numbers. Like this example:
    
    alt.string.tangled 1-2304
    alt.string.jute.knots 1-480000
    
    Change this so that the range is 1. So that it reads:
    
    alt.string.tangled 1
    alt.string.jute.knots 1
    for all your news groups
    
    
  • When you have finished editing fred.txt save the document as dnews.rc
  • Now close Notepad.
• Open Netscape and go to the Messenger Window. You should find that if you click on the little plus button next to where it says dnews it should show all your newsgroups and if you click the newsgroups themselves Netscape will download all the headers.