Introduction
Connect, Reconnect & Redial, and Disconnect from the Net easily, quickly,
and even automatically. Forever Connected is the ultimate MS Dial-Up
Networking enhancement. With it you can: Dial the net with just one
click, redial and reconnect without any user interaction, and then disconnect
from the Net with one more click. And since the Forever Connected
icon stays in the tray whether you are connected or not, starting and stopping
the internet is always quick & painless. FC offers all this and more,
in a highly customizable package.
Installation
This program can be installed and run from any directory on your computer.
I suggest putting it in its own directory under c:\program files.
Wherever you choose to put it, you will probably want to make a shortcut
to it, to make it easier to find. Put the shortcut either on the
desktop, or on the start menu. I recommend using the desktop..
If FC tells you that a DLL is missing when you try to run it you
will need to read the following. Otherwise, you are finished installing
the software.
This program requires two support files, MFC42.DLL and MSVCRT.DLL.
Together, these files can take up over a megabyte, which means you don't
want to download them unless you have too. Since many programs require
these two files, it is highly likely that you already have them. If you
don't, you have two options as to how to download the files:
A small download (600k), which requires that you copy the DLLs to the
windows\system directory
Main
site | Alternate
site | Alternate
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sites...
A larger download (1700k), which includes a setup program that does
all the work.
Main site
| Alternate
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site | More
sites...
Operation - Quick Start
Just run the program. Online help is included directly in the dialog,
and explains every step you must take in detail to setup the program, and
get started using it.
Operation - Advanced Tips
This program works in tight cooperation with the Microsoft Dial-Up Networking
software. In order to make the best use of FC, you will need to make
sure that Dial-Up Networking is fully set up. These are useful tips, whether
you choose to continue to use FC in the future, or not, so I strongly suggest
you read them.
Dial up scripting
You should not have to enter your user name and password every time you
connect to your ISP. If you do, then you need to use dial-up scripting.
If you have the original copy of MS Windows, you will want to download
a newer version of Dial Up Networking, such as DUN, 1.2. While
FC will work with DUN 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2, you should upgrade to 1.2 or 1.1,
since those releases fix several problems with Dial Up Networking,
and have a very good scripting facilities. You can download a newer
DUN from backoffice.microsoft.com/downtrial/moreinfo/win95pptp.asp
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Creating a script. If you do not have a script for Dial Up Networking
(often your ISP will provide you with one), then you can make your own.
Either edit one of the example scripts, making it fit the requirements
of your ISP , or try one of the prewritten scripts on the net. You
can find more involved instructions here.
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Dial-up scripting works best if the Connect To dialog correctly saves your
password. If the Connect To dialog doesn't save your password, read
the following for some advice:
www.winfiles.com/bugs/dunpass.html. Otherwise, for a much simpler
solution, just edit your dialup script, entering your password in place
of ever instance of $PASSWORD. Of course, this would make it easy
for any user of your computer to find out your password, so use this with
caution.
Other DUN tips
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Make DUN slightly faster by disabling unnecessary dialogs. First,
quit FC. Then, open the Dial-Up Networking dialog, select the connection
in question, and select the Connections | Settings menu. In the
resulting dialog, uncheck the "prompt for information before dialing" box.
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Enable automatic redialing. While it is far from foolproof, you can
make DUN redial in some cases by checking the redial box in the dialog
found above.
Forever Connected Specific Tips
In the registered version of Forever Connected,
you have access to two extra options, which will help you set up
FC to your tastes. These options are related to tasks automatically
performed when FC is started:
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Automatically start dialing your ISP.
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Automatically hide FC in the tray.
Some interesting uses of these options include:
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Set FC to automatically hide in the tray and then put it in the startup
folder. Then, you can very easily start your internet connection,
and then turn it off when ever you need to, without having to search for
an icon on the desktop, or in the start menu.
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Set FC to automatically hide in the tray and start up your connection,
and then put it in the startup folder. Then, every time you turn on your
computer, you will dial the internet, and stay connected. Good for
those that want a semi permanent connection to the net.
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Tun on automatically connecting when FC is started, but don't have it minimize
to the tray. With the dialog open it provides a nice reminder that you
are connected to the Internet.
How/Why To Order
If you have not registered your copy of Forever Connected, please consider
doing so. When you order, you will receive a registered copy of Forever
Connected, and free updates, as long as I am only adding bug fixes to the
code base. As you now know, Forever Connected is fully functional
in the shareware edition, however, by registering, you will obtain a few
extra features, as a bonus.
If you choose to register, you have the option of buying the standard
edition of Forever Connected, or the deluxe version.
The standard edition is like what you are using now, but lets you chose
whether you automatically dial and hide the app in the tray, on start up.
The deluxe version offers the all the features of the standard version,
plus advanced scheduling features. For example you can instruct FC to connect
to the net (or disconnect) at any time of the day, automatically.
Just load Forever Connected, and when the time comes that you have specified
it will start working without any interaction from you. Read fconnect.html
for more details.
Forever Connected costs $5. Forever Connected Deluxe costs $8.
In either case, add $3 if you want your copy delivered on floppy disk.
Otherwise, the registered version is sent to you via email.
Please send cash, or a check made out to Alan Robinson.
Click here for the order form.
Contact Info
SMail: HCI Design
PO Box 0980
Hampshire
College
Amherst,
MA 01002
Email: foreverConnected@hcidesign.com
Web page: http://hcidesign.com/