A Beginner's Guide to the Internet

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ A Beginner's Guide to the Internet / INTERNET.ISO / text / faqs / idiotg3a.txt < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1996-05-06 | 44.3 KB | 770 lines

***PLEASE READ ME BEFORE PRINTING*** This guide was formatted to be DOWNLOADED and PRINTED from WINCIM. While other programs will also work, the output may not LOOK very nice! I D I O T ' S G U I D E T O S T A R T I N G N E T L A U N C H E R , M O S A I C A N D T H E I N T E R N E T ( F O R W I N D O W S ) b y T i m G a m b l e ( 7 1 0 6 3 , 2 3 4 5 ) ( C o p y r i g h t 1 9 9 5 , A l l r i g h t s r e s e r v e d ) (Originally written 4/28/95, Major update 5/13/95, Minor update 5/15/95) (Suggested filename: IDIOTG3A.TXT) My only qualification for writing this is that I also was an idiot a week ago, and probably still am. However, now I'm a little less of an idiot. If you're frustrated with getting started, this may help you. Disclaimer: Anyone who admits to being an idiot is not completely responsible for what they say. <g> 'Nuff said. Please note: This text file is *Shareware*. Please read the section on "Shareware" near the end of this document, and thanks for your support. C O N T E N T S Step One: Downloading the Program Step Two: Expanding the Program Step Three: Starting the Program Step Four: The Program Won't Connect! Step Five: Now that You're on the Internet . . . (Familiarizing Yourself with the Program) Step Six: Playing with the Program Shareware Registration Appendix A: Downloading and Setting Up WinCIM 1.4 Appendix B: How Do I Find Things on the Internet? (or, An Index of Web Index Sites) Appendix C: What's New on the Net? (or, Sites That Haven't Made the Books Yet) Appendix D: Personal Favorite Sites of Registered Owners S T E P O N E : D O W N L O A D I N G T H E P R O G R A M (If you've already done this, skip to step two.) If you have WinCIM version 1.4, click on the "Internet" icon with the four wayward arrows on it. If you don't have this version of WinCIM, don't delay! You can download it for free. See Appendix A "Downloading and Setting Up WinCIM 1.4" for information to help you. Or, if you would rather procrastinate, then you'll be rewarded by receiving a copy of it with your next CompuServe magazine. (Who said procrastinators are forever behind?) However, if you want to download the NetLauncher program now, you will want to "GO INTERNET," so click on the Traffic Light, type INTERNET in the "Service:" block, and click "OK." What comes up is a colorful menu with eight items.. The first item has an interesting background history about the Internet. However, the NetLauncher program is located in the last menu item: "Direct Internet Access (Dial PPP)." Double click on this one. The "Dialup PPP" menu appears. You may read the first two items, if you like, by double clicking on them, and "Cancel"--ing to return to the previous menu. When you're done, double click on "Download NetLauncher for Windows." The "CompuServe NetLauncher for Windows" menu appears. Read any item you like, but the fourth item "Download NetLauncher" is what you need. Double click on it . Now the "Download NetLauncher" menu appears. I suggest printing the first menu item " . . . Instructions." Double click on it, then click File, Print. "Cancel" to return to the previous menu. Now, refer to the instructions you just printed to finish the download. When the download is complete, exit WinCIM. S T E P T W O : E X P A N D I N G T H E P R O G R A M (If you've already done this, skip to step three.) If you continue following the printed instructions you may successfully expand the program. If so, fantastic! You are one of the few who did it! You may advance to STEP THREE, and collect two hundred hollers! (That's the sound of the CompuServe staff cheering.) If not, then you're like 99 percent of the folks who got an error message like this: SETUP.EXE ! While writing C:\DOS\SETUP.EXE . . . File exists OK Don't worry . . . be happy, because this is a well known bug that can be stepped on, errrrr, fixed. First, get rid of the error message by clicking on "OK." There are a number of ways to fix this. I will suggest only one, but it can be done two ways, take your pick. This is a long term solution that will prevent this from ever happening again. ("I like that!") The solution can be accomplished from either DOS (Oh, dread!) or WINDOWS (Ahhhhh). I personally prefer DOS, though, because it's actually less bother, but choose your weapon! ***THE DOS SOLUTION*** 1. Get to the root directory prompt (C : \ > ). (If you're not sure how to do this, and you're in Program Manager, select File | Exit Windows, OK. If the prompt doesn't look like this, type CD\ then press enter. Make sure the symbol is a back slash.) 2. After the prompt type MD TEMP . That's the letters MD (for Make Directory), followed by a space, and followed by the word TEMP. (That's a word? It's short for temporary.) If a message says "Directory already exists" that's fine; continue with the next step. Otherwise, it will make a new directory called TEMP. 3. Now we need to modify your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Just follow steps A through C. A. If you'd like to save a copy of this file for backup, continue with this step. Otherwise, skip to step B. At the same DOS prompt as step 1, type COPY AUTOEXEC.BAT AUTOEXEC.BAK. That's the word COPY, a space, the file AUTOEXEC.BAT, a space, and the backup file name AUTOEXEC.BAK. It should say something like "1 file(s) copied." However, if this file already exists, then DOS will ask you if you wish to overwrite it. This is probably an old copy that can be safely overwritten. As long as your computer has been starting normally (it only uses this file when starting), just type the letter Y for yes, then Enter. If you're not sure, just type N for no, then Enter. You can try saving it under a different name like AUTOEXEC.SAV or AUTOEXEC.OLD using the COPY command. B. If you're kind of skittish about making changes to this important file, then you may want the extra confidence of having a bootable diskette handy. If you already have one, skip to step C. If you don't have one, and need more information about it, read on. A bootable diskette is inserted in your floppy drive before starting the computer, or when resetting the computer, so it will start up, and not "hang up." It is only used after trying to start up normally, and failing. If you don't have one, it's easy to make. Get a BLANK diskette and insert it into the drive of your choice. (If you don't insert a blank diskette, this step will erase everything you had on it anyway, and it will soon BE blank.) Assuming that's drive A, (or substitute the appropriate drive letter for A in this example) do this: [CAUTION: Unless you are a geek (that means you know what you're doing) NEVER use the FORMAT command, AND the drive letter of your hard drive together at the same time. That is, unless you like tearing your hair out for a couple of weeks!] Type FORMAT A: /S, that's the word FORMAT, a space, the letter A, a colon, a space, and a front slash with the letter S. After erasing the diskette, some important system startup files will be copied onto it. Press Enter for the prompts until done, and N when asked to format another. Now type COPY C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT A: and when done type COPY C:\CONFIG.SYS A: (That's the word COPY, a space, the drive path C:\, the filename with a period before the three letter extension, a space, and A:) You now have a customized bootable diskette that should start the computer normally. Test it to make sure it works by resetting the computer. (You can turn it off then on again, or press the reset button, or best of all, press the Ctrl-Alt-Delete buttons simultaneously.) If the computer starts normally, it's time to remove the floppy, and reset it again! (The floppy configuration is good for editing files and such, but may not be optimum for running some programs.) C. Let's now actually make changes to the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Type EDIT AUTOEXEC.BAT, that's the word EDIT, a space, and the file name AUTOEXEC.BAT. (Leave out the "," at the end.) A blue screen with white letters appears. This is the DOS Editor. BE CAREFUL not to put stray letters in this file. As I said, your computer uses it every time it starts up to tell it important information. (If you mess up, though, you now have a backup file AND a bootable diskette for protection!) Look for the line that says SET TEMP= . . . , where " . . . " could be anything. It probably says SET TEMP=C:\DOS. In the DOS directory, there is a file called SETUP.EXE. If that's what you have, then that's why the program didn't expand. It knew enough _not_ to overwrite SETUP.EXE. To prevent this from ever happening again, you need to refer to a directory that is only used temporarily, and is generally empty. ("A TEMP directory, what a great idea!) Change the line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to read, SET TEMP=C:\TEMP , that's the word SET, a space, the word TEMP, an equal sign, and C:\TEMP. The _only_ space in this line is between the word SET and TEMP. Don't change anything else. Select File | Save to save it, then File | Exit. 4. Now you MUST restart your computer to have the changes take effect. (Refer to the last sentence in step B if you need help restarting.) Everything should start normally. If it does, skip to step 5. If not, restart the computer with the bootable diskette, type C:, and Enter at the A:\> prompt, then re-edit the file correctly as stated in step C. If you're still stuck, just overwrite the present file with the backup file, restart the computer, and try again by redoing step C. [To overwrite the file, type COPY C:\AUTOEXEC.BAK C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT. (Substitute the extension ".BAK" with the one you chose in step A.) When DOS tells you the file already exists - do you wish to overwrite it? say Y for yes, Enter.] 5. You're done with THE DOS SOLUTION. Now go back to the printed instructions and finish those. When that's complete, go to STEP THREE, below. ***THE WINDOWS SOLUTION*** (It's not too late to turn back to the DOS solution.) 1. At Window's Program Manager, open the Main group, and double click on File Manager. (If it's not in the Main group, then look for it in another group.) Two columns should be in view. (If not, then drop down the View menu, and either click on "Tree and Directory" to put a check mark in front of it, or at least insure there is a check mark in front of "Tree Only" . If you would like to save the settings for later, drop down the "Options" menu, and make sure the "Save Settings on Exit" line is checked.) Go to the top of the left column, using the scroll bars if required. Click once on C:\ to highlight the root directory in blue. 2. At the left side of the menu bar, click once on File, then click "Create Directory..." You should get a "Create Directory" dialog box, that reads "Current Directory: C:\" There should be nothing written after the backslash. (If there is, then go back to step 1, and make sure you're at the very top of the left column.) After "Name:" type the word TEMP and click on OK. If a message says "Directory already exists" that's fine; continue with the next step. Otherwise, it will make a new directory called TEMP. You're done with this, so click on FILE | EXIT. You should be back at the Main group. 3. Now we need to modify your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Just follow steps A through C below. A. If you're kind of skittish about making changes to this important file, then you may want to start by making sure you have a bootable diskette handy. If you already have one, skip to step B. If you don't have one, and need more information about it, read on. A bootable diskette is inserted in your floppy drive before starting the computer, or when resetting the computer, so it will start up, and not "hang up." It is only used after trying to start up normally, and failing. If you don't have one, it's easy to make. Get a BLANK diskette and insert it into the drive of your choice. (If you don't insert a blank diskette, this step will erase everything you had on it anyway, and it will soon BE blank.) You should still be looking at the Main group, which is expanded on your screen. Double click on the "Format Disk" icon. Select the appropriate Disk Capacity and Drive. (Probably 1.44MB - 3.5" and A:, but whatever is right for your computer.) Check the box at the bottom middle that says "Bootable Diskette." Now click the "Format" button at the upper right and follow the prompts by pressing "Yes," "OK" and "OK." When done, click "No" to "Format another disk." You will have one generic bootable diskette, with COMMAND.COM and some hidden System files on it. However, I think it's a good idea to customize it by putting your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files there, too. Before we do this, exit this screen by clicking on the "Exit" button at the lower right. Leave the diskette in the drive for this step. You're still in the Main group, so double click on File Manager to start that again. You should have two columns showing in the window. Go to the top of the left column, as we did before, and click once on C:\ (If you're having trouble, go back to step 1 for a review.) Now, go to the right column, and scroll down past all the yellow folders until you start seeing gray files. You're looking for the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. (If things look disorderly, try rearranging the screen in alphabetical order by clicking the "View" menu, and check "Sort by Name".) Click once on the AUTOEXEC.BAT file to highlight it in blue. Now, drop down the "File" menu, and click on "Copy..." The "Copy" dialog box will appear. Make sure the "From:" block says AUTOEXEC.BAT. In the "To" block type A: (or whichever drive the bootable floppy is in). Now, in the same way, copy the CONFIG.SYS file to the bootable floppy. (The CONFIG.SYS file is located near the AUTOEXEC.BAT file in the root directory.) You now have a customized bootable diskette that should start the computer rather normally. You should test it to make sure it works, but to do this you'll have to first exit Windows. Get out of File Manager (FILE | EXIT), and in Program Manager select FILE | EXIT WINDOWS. Now, reset the computer. (You can turn it off then on again, or press the reset button, or best of all, press the Ctrl-Alt-Delete buttons simultaneously.) If everything starts normally, remove the floppy, and restart the computer again! (The floppy performs a very basic setup, good for editing files and such, but not for running some of your other programs.) B. If you'd like to save a copy of this file for backup, continue with this step. Otherwise, skip to step C. Go back to Windows, and open File Manager from the Main group again. Click once on the root directory (C:\ at the upper left column. If you need help, reference step 1). In the right column click once on the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Drop down the "File" menu, and click once on "Copy..." In the "To:" block, type an alternate name for this file with a different three letter extension, like AUTOEXEC.BAK. If this file already exists, and your computer has been starting normally, you can probably safely overwrite it. If you're not sure, just pick a different name, like AUTOEXEC.OLD or AUTOEXEC.SAV. You are now the proud owner of an emergency backup copy! Click on FILE | EXIT and continue with step C. C. Let's now actually make changes to the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Look for the System Edit or Sysedit icon in one of your groups, and double click on it. YOU DON'T HAVE ONE? I didn't think so. Usually only nerds know about this valuable side addition to Windows, so let's build one for future creative editing. (If you DO have this icon, reward yourself with a chocolate chip cookie, and skip the next paragraph.) Start by expanding your Main group (if it isn't expanded already). From the menu bar in Program Manager, click on "File" then "New..." The "New Program Object" dialog box should appear, with the "Program Item" circle filled. (If it's not filled, you need to "Cancel," and reselect your Main group by double clicking on it.) Click the "OK" button. The "Program Item Properties" box should now appear. In the "Description:" box type an appropriate name, like "System Edit." (If you leave it blank, it will automatically call it "Sysedit.") Press the Tab key once. For the "Command Line" type C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SYSEDIT.EXE Make sure there are no spaces, and only back slashes. Now click the "Change Icon" button. The "Change Icon" dialog box should appear. Click on the icon that you like best. (The most appropriate one has multiple pages on it. You'll understand why shortly!) Click on "OK." You'll be returned to the previous screen, and the new icon will be showing in the lower left part of the box. (At this point you may be tempted to type something in the "Working Directory" box, but just leave it blank.) Now click on the "OK" button. Magically, a new icon appears in your Main group. (Drag it to another group if you don't like it here.) Now we're back to where we should have been at the beginning of the previous paragraph! Double click on the new icon for a dazzling display of cascading pages! (Well, not THAT dazzling.) The top page should be the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If not, then click once on the words AUTOEXEC.BAT to get it on top. You're about to make some important changes, so please BE CAREFUL not to put stray letters in this file. (As a matter of fact, don't put any stray marks in the cascading files behind it either!) As I said, your computer uses it every time it starts up to tell it important information. (If you mess up, though, you now have a backup file AND a bootable diskette for protection!) Look for the line that says SET TEMP= . . . , where " . . . " could be anything. It probably says SET TEMP=C:\DOS. In the DOS directory, there is a file called SETUP.EXE. If that's what you have, then that's why the program didn't expand. It knew enough _not_ to overwrite SETUP.EXE. To prevent this from ever happening again, you need to refer to a directory that is only used temporarily, and is generally empty. ("A TEMP directory, what a great idea!") Change the line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to read, SET TEMP=C:\TEMP , that's the word SET, a space, the word TEMP, an equal sign, and C:\TEMP. The _only_ space in this line is between the word SET and TEMP. Don't change anything else. (These files are presented in Windows Notepad format, so if you don't know what to do, go to FILE | EXIT. Then go to the Accessories group, double click on the Notepad icon, and play around with it until you feel comfortable.) From the "System Configuration Editor" window, select File | Save to save it, then File | Exit. 4. Now you MUST restart your computer to have the changes take effect. Exit Windows again before restarting. You should be in Program Manager, so go FILE | EXIT WINDOWS. Now, restart the computer. (Refer to the second from last paragraph near the end of step 3A if you need help.) Everything should start normally. If it does, skip to step 5. If not, restart the computer with the bootable diskette, type C:, and Enter at the A:\> prompt, then re-edit the file correctly as stated in step C by getting back into Windows. If you're still stuck, first overwrite the present file with the backup file from File Manager (In brief, go to File Manager, highlight the root directory in blue at the top left column, highlight the backup file in blue somewhere in the right column, then select FILE | RENAME. The "From:" block should have the backup file name. In the "To:" block type AUTOEXEC.BAT When asked if you wish to overwrite it? say Yes.) Then restart the computer, and try again by redoing step C. 5. UNBELIEVABLE. You're done with THE WINDOWS SOLUTION. ("I'll never do this again!") Now, go back to the printed instructions and finish those. When that's complete, go to STEP THREE, below. S T E P T H R E E : S T A R T I N G T H E P R O G R A M This is so simple, I don't know why I bother to write this! Open the CompuServe group by double clicking on it (or whatever group you put it in), then double click the SPRY Mosaic icon of the world with the red orbital stripe, and, oulah! (Is that how the French spell it?) The program should fill the screen; pretty colors splash across your retina(s). A dialog box should appear in the center to tell you it's dialing CompuServe. It will display the usual protocol messages that you see with WinCIM, then something new! A couple of hands shaking with the words "Negotiating" should appear. This is to show that CompuServe is making friends with the Internet. This box won't last too long. Then a box showing party confetti will appear with the words "Connected." This means it is time to pop the champagne cork, and skip the next section. However, I fear, some of you _will_ be reading it. S T E P F O U R : T H E P R O G R A M W O N ' T C O N N E C T ! This is the puzzling part. You did everything right so far, I assume <g>. A number of problems crop up at this point. One has to do with the WINSOCK.DLL file for those who already have Internet access with another program on their computer. WINSOCK.DLL is in the windows directory (C:\WINDOWS\WINSOCK.DLL). Messing with this file is beyond the scope of this guide. If you have other Internet programs in your computer, then you are probably an experienced user. In this case, you should seek advice beyond this elementary guide. Try the Net Launcher Support forum (GO NLSUPPORT). There are gobs of confusing (and some coherent) messages located there. I would help you more, but I'm afraid to say, Newbie was as newbie is, Better left to Sysop biz. Send a message off today, Just to watch it scroll away. But be faithful, check mail next, For that highly, needful text. (I'm actually a better poet than this, but that's the best I can muster for this guide.) Another major problem is with the dialing string. Fortunately, this _is_ within the scope of this guide. Do you get an error message that says "Dialing Failed," or something like that? Good, because this can be fixed. You probably have "call waiting" on your phone. When you originally set up the dialing string for WinCIM to dial CompuServe, you probably inserted a "cancel call waiting" prefix. This prefix usually consists of a couple of numbers, a character and a comma. My whole string looks like this: 70#,6505143. SPRY Mosaic uses the CompuServe Internet Dialer to call CompuServe and -- guess what? You didn't have to put the dialing string in there because it was smart enough to get the string it needed from WinCIM for itself. The only trouble is, it's not really as smart as it looks! The CompuServe Internet Dialer (or CID for short) copied the dialing string exactly as you had it, without modifying it. However, CID does not "read" the string the same way as WinCIM. It gets confused when it sees a pound sign (#). It thinks it's receiving a command of some sort. To eliminate the confusion, you need to modify the dialing string. Add a caret sign (^) before the pound sign (#). My new string looks like this: 70^#,6505143. Now CID sees the pound sign as something to dial, and not a cryptic, top secret command. But what about those who have the star sign (*)? Honestly, I don't know. Try adding the caret. If that doesn't work, try adding two. Who knows? I'm just a newbie like you. If I find out, I'll put it in the next version of this guide. Did you change your dialing string yet? If so, was it in CID? Then congratulate yourself, and move on to the next paragraph. If not, and you're in front of your computer, get to the windows program group in Program Manager where you put SPRY Mosaic. In the same group you should have the CompuServe Internet Dialer icon. Double click on it and it brings up a rather boring "Fax-lite" type of screen. Click on the drop down menu for "settings," then click on "sessions..." At the lower left side you'll see "Access Phone." This is where you change the string as noted above. There is one other problem some people have experienced that can be easily fixed. For some reason, CID has been messing up the transcription of the User ID and/or the Password from WinCIM. Fix this by double clicking on the CID icon, select "Settings" then "Sessions..." as we did earlier. Now delete all the information in the "Change User ID" and "Password" blocks, and reinsert the correct information. Do this even if the information looks correct in the ID block. (The Password block looks like snow, so you can't check it anyway.) If you're fortunate, everything will work. Now go back to Step Three: Starting the Program, and try again. (If you're not fortunate, pat yourself on the back for trying, and hound the poor Sysops at GO NLSUPPORT.) S T E P F I V E : N O W T H A T Y O U ' R E O N T H E I N T E R N E T . . . ( F A M I L I A R I Z I N G Y O U R S E L F W I T H T H E P R O G R A M ) The first thing you'll see is the CompuServe Home page. You can click around and look at this for awhile if you like. You can even launch out from here to new worlds. However, if this is your first time on the Internet, I suggest immediately disconnecting. Click on File, then Exit. (If the CompuServe Internet Dialer icon is minimized, with the time display still increasing, then double click on it, and click once on the "Hangup" button on the toolbar. Then click FILE | EXIT.) If you just got your learners permit, would you drive through New York City? If you just got a new VCR, would you try setting the time and date, blindfolded? (I had to say "blindfolded," since most of you are probably techies, and if you could see it, would figure it out without the instructions.) Would you try surfing the net without knowing your bored? (Or, is that board? <g>) This is a good time to get familiar with your surfing machine. But, confound it, every time you start the program it wants to connect! First, start the program, and click on the "Cancel" button in the middle of the screen to stop it. (Clicking on the red "Stop" button doesn't work here.) If another error dialog box appears, just click on "OK" to get rid of it. Next, drop down the "Options" menu, and click on "Configuration ..." Below the "Home Page" entry is a marked box which says "Load automatically at startup." Unmark this box by clicking on it. Now, exit this menu by clicking on "OK." Later, if you want to dial and connect to the Home page you, uhhhhhh, click on the button that says "Home." Brilliant! Now look around and examine the screen in bliss, knowing you are not wasting any of your precious three hours per month. Note the "Help" menu at the top right of the screen. You can click on this, and spend much time dancing from one green hypertext entry to another learning about the program. It's fun! (By the way, Mosaic uses blue hypertext with blue underlining while on the Internet to dance from file to file, and computer to computer.) Also, enjoy clicking on all the different entries on the menu bar and toolbar. If it accidentally starts dialing, just click on the "Cancel" button again in the middle of the screen before it gets too far. (And "OK" to any error messages) If you click on "Kiosk" mode, and the screen goes generally blank, hit <Esc>. (Whew, that was close!) I also suggest you print out the 25 page manual that comes with the program. What? You didn't know it came with a manual? Welcome to the club. It actually is a repeat of almost everything in the Help menu. Mighty nice when you're not at the computer and want to read about it. (You mean, people actually walk away from their computer?) However, being a teacher-type (not a teacher, but a "type"), I can't help but make more suggestions. Feel free to ignore any of these if they start to bother you. I believe the easiest way to print the manual is through Window's File Manager. In the "Main" group (unless you moved it to another group), double click the "File Manager" icon. ("I knew that!") Find the manual and double click on it. This is the path: C:\CSERVE\MOSAIC\MOSAIC.WRI If it isn't in that directory, do a search for it from the root directory. ( Click File, then Search..., Search For: MOSAIC.WRI, Start From: C:\, the box for "Search all Subdirectories" should be checked. If it _is_ on your C: hard drive, it will tell you the path to it.) After double clicking on MOSAIC.WRI in File Manager, the Write program window should appear with the first page of the manual showing: "AIR Mosaic User . . ." (It goes to the Write program because of the ".WRI" extension.) Your first temptation will be to read it. Don't. The screen doesn't fit all the text, and you'll be clicking right and left to see all the information. Second, you'll want to hit "Print ..." from the file menu, and start printing. Don't. First check your "Print Setup ..." under the File menu. Make sure you have it on the highest quality print setting. Don't print in draft mode (or high speed mode). The reason: MOSAIC.WRI has some funky fonts on pages 12-15, and parts of pages 22-25 that don't print right in draft mode. (They may not print right in any mode, but at least they'll be easier to read.) Once you have set the right print mode, go ahead and select "Print ..." from the File menu, and away she goes . . . When you start reading the manual, try to ignore the many typos and other mistakes. Think of it as a draft copy of the first manual, and you got your hands on it just before the final editor S T E P S I X : P L A Y I N G W I T H T H E P R O G R A M After all this reading, and Help menu exploring, it's time to take a daring leap into the unknown. Like a novice mountaineer who just learned "the ropes," or a fledgling aviator who understands all the dials and instruments and no more, you should now click the "Home" button and let go, without stopping it. (Oh, my!) You should arrive shortly at the CompuServe Home page. While there, make certain use of the hotlists, by clicking on the "Hotlist" button, and double clicking on folders and files as you desire. If you get lost, don't panic! Go "home" by clicking on the "Home" button again. But, if things get too hot, or out of control, relax. Unlike the ruddy rock climber, or perilous pilot, you won't fall or crash. Just click on File | Exit. If THAT doesn't work, perform your EMERGENCY PROCEDURE: click on the "Stop" button, THEN File | Exit. You'll be gently lowered to the ground, safe and comfy, back at Program Manager. The last piece of advice is somewhat hypocritical. (I haven't done this yet, but will soon.) Buy a book on the Internet, especially for all those URL's that are hidden away, but ripe for your special picking. (Of course, you now know that URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator, and is the Internet "address" for the things you came to see.) NEWS FLASH: Before going, try adding your first URL to the Hotlist. This one will keep you busy for awhile. A few people suggested it on the NLSUPPORT forum, and it was even given an Editors' Choice Award by Home PC Magazine as one of the "Top 100 Products!" (June 1995, #99 on page 118.) It is well worth your time. It has over 40,000 server sites, and includes a keyword SEARCH function to find what you need. I love it! Do this: 1. In SPRY Mosaic, click the Hotlist button. 2. Click once on "Personal Favorites." 3. Click the "Add..." button. 4. Select "Document," then "OK." 5. In the "Title" block, put whatever title you like. I chose "Yahoo.com index site." 6. In the "URL" block, type: http://www.yahoo.com 7. Click "OK." It will now appear in the Hotlist, and in the Personal Favorites drop down menu at the top of the screen. If you would like to make THIS your home page, instead of the CompuServe home page, do this: 1. In SPRY Mosaic, from the menu bar, drop down the "Options" menu. 2. Select "Configuration." 3. In the middle, under Home Page, URL, type the same URL as before: http://www.yahoo.com 4. Press "OK." Now you have a much more useful home page. Whenever you click on the "Home" button, it will go here, instead of the CompuServe home page. Changing homes was never so easy, and you don't even have to file any extra forms for the IRS! If you'd rather go directly to a site, without putting it on the hotlist, do this: 1. From SPRY Mosaic, drop down the "File" menu, and click on "Open URL..." 2. Type the full URL in the box, such as http://www.infi.net/ 3. Click "OK." If you're OFFLINE, CID will start up, and dial into CompuServe to proceed with the connection. If you're ONLINE, it should transfer you to the new URL. If you get an error message that looks something like "Transfer Canceled," then click on"OK" to get rid of it, then click on the "Stop" button. This should fix the problem, so try again. Note: You should NOT have to retype the URL again; It should still be in there, so check first! If you typed a bad URL, the Net will notify you it couldn't make the connection. Carefully check the URL for typos. If it looks good, then the providers probably just changed the "address." Use your favorite Index Site to search for it. (See Appendix B.) Good luck! Happy surfing, and God bless. S H A R E W A R E R E G I S T R A T I O N BACKGROUND: I hope you found this guide useful and informative. My goal is to get you up and running as soon as possible. Literally thousands of messages have been reviewed to put this guide together. Many other sources have been digested and condensed. Personal experience and trouble shooting have also been invaluable. As more trouble spots are identified, they will be addressed in later versions. BENEFITS OF REGISTRATION: First, I'd like to say THANK YOU for your support of the Shareware concept! Your registration is foremost a token of your appreciation for this author's hard work for YOU the consumer! For the price of a newstand magazine, you also get these benefits: 1. ***Unlimited Downloads of Future Versions of the Guide, for Personal Use Only.*** I will endeavor to continuously update this guide as the need arises. Minor changes will be indicated by consecutive LETTER changes ("idiotg2A.txt," then "idiotg2B.txt," etc.) Major changes will be indicated by consecutive NUMBER changes ("idiotg2.txt," then "idiotg3.txt," etc.) Look for these file name changes when searching a forum library, or other source. 2. ***Direct E-Mail Help by the Author.*** Registered Owners should E-mail the author at 71063,2345. Please state in the message that you are a Registered Owner. I will attempt to answer your question(s) as soon as possible. If unable to answer, I will recommend a likely forum or source where it may be answered. (Registered Owner's names are entered into a database, and will receive priority treatment!) 3. ***Three Free Requests for Appendix Updates Sent Directly to You.*** After you get the program running, you may no longer need the first part of the guide, but certain Appendixes will always be useful. Since they are continuously updated, they should have current information for your surfing pleasure. This is limited to three requests. Please specify which Appendix (or Appendixes) you would like. E-mail the author at 71063,2345, and please state that you are a Registered Owner. This offer expires twelve months after the date the registration is received. HOW TO REGISTER: WITHIN THE U.S.A.: Please make your check or money order for $$2.95, payable to "TIM GAMBLE," and mail to: Idiot's Guide, P.O. Box 1941, League City, TX 77574-1941. Please include your name, mailing address, and E-mail address. Registration via CompuServe will also be available soon. OUTSIDE THE U.S.A.: Registration via CompuServe will soon be available for $$2.95 in U.S. dollars. Please stay tuned for further details (in the next update). Thanks for your support. ---Tim Gamble. APPENDIX A: D O W N L O A D I N G AND S E T T I NG U P W I N C I M 1.4 Why doesn't CompuServe put a free program in an easily accessible forum library for quick, effortless retrieval, and why do they instead make you plod through a series of misleading, sometimes confusing, menus to obtain it? I don't know. Why would you want WinCIM 1.4? Because it has a new icon to give you easy access to Internet information and forums. It also has some Internet info built into the Help section. I'm sure there's much more to it than this (like, it _looks_ a little different on startup), but that's all I needed to know to upgrade to it . And it's free. Follow these steps: 1. In WinCIM, click on the "Find" button. 2. In the Find window, type: WinCIM 3. Double click on "Download WinCIM" 4. Double click on "Download Version 1.4" 5. Now you're at the screen you were looking for. To decide what to do, double click on "Download instructions for complete version." This will explain everything. There are probably ten other ways to get to this screen, but this one worked for me. By the way, don't type GO ORDER; all you'll find are old versions of WinCIM available for mail order only. (As of this writing, 4/27/95) If you can wait, CompuServe is mailing the "1.4" version of WinCIM with the next magazine. (Maybe you got it already!) APPENDIX B: H O W D O I F I N D T H I N G S ON THE I N T E R N E T ? ( O R , A N I N D E X O F W E B I N D E X S I T E S ) I earlier suggested buying a book about the Internet. Well, not wanting to be a hypocrite, I finally did this and, WOW! is there ever a lot to know! There seems to be an unlimited number of sites to visit. If I was to try summing up the more interesting sites, the size of this guide would instantly triple. If you're like me you would prefer to get on the net and find things FAST without taking the time to read a book. (Some may not want to buy a book at all!) What you need is an index that is already on the web. "Even better," you might say, "I would like a list of index sites, that is, I need an index to the indexes." Say no more. I have gleaned this information for you, and present it for your surfing delight. By the way, I thumbed through a number of Internet books at the bookstore, and found some have only a few general sites listed. Others had oodles of sites, but NO INDEX SITES. (Hmmmmmm.) Then there were others who were willing to tell the (gulp!) facts about where these sites are located, but carefully tucked them away between thickly bound covers. Of course, there were some that came right out and plainly stated them. (Thank you!) Without further adieu, I present (the curtain please) . . . A N I N D E X O F W E B I N D E X S I T E S (There Are NO SPACES Between Letters in URL's. Spaces Are Included Here for Clarity Only.) [The Format Is: First Line: URL; Subsequent Lines: Site Name and Description.] http : // www . yahoo . com Yahoo. Yes, this is one we already covered at the end of the guide, but may be the best index site on the web. It lists over 40,000 other sites, and has SEARCH capabilities. http : // gnn . digital . com / gnn / wic / best . toc . html GNN Best of the Net. Launch your interstellar voyages from here. Another good site to designate as your Home page. Described on the front page as "a free-floating collection of the best resources from the Whole Internet Catalog. The collection is maintained by the GNN editorial staff, an eccentric bunch who like things that are useful, well-designed, and entertaining." http : // free - net . mpls - stpaul . mn . us : 8000 / search . html Internet Search Engines. Can't find something? Use this one to SEARCH THE NET. You'll find lots of big fish. Over 4853 files, 21.7 MB. Click on "Newsreach" to start it. http : // web . city . ac . uk / citylive / pages . html The Complete Home Page Directory of Internet Personalities. The name says it all. From City University in London, England. http : // www . uwm . edu / Mirror / inet . services . html Special Internet Connections: Last update 4/24/95. A hodgepodge of great sites are listed. Over 120 pages of hypertext links. Verrry Interestingggg. http : // www . infi . net / InfiNet. Has "Cool Site of the Day," "What's New," "Explore the Internet," and much more. Fun to investigate. Current and playful. Never ends --- almost infinite? http : // www . gnn . com Global Network Navigator. A little cumbersome because you have to "subscribe" on line, but it's FREE! Write down your Password, and Account Number. (Your User ID is your Internet E-mail address.) When you're done subscribing, add this URL to your hotlist: http : // gnn . com / gnn / gnn . html Many goodies. Lots of links to ......... http : // viswiz . gmd . de / MultimediaInfo / Index to Multimedia Information Sources. The title says it all. Great. Unlimited. Huge. See it. http : // ici . proper . com / 1 / pc PC Index. This one was fast to come up on the screen. Web sites galore. To get there click on "... WWW Servers." (General computer related information.) http : // www . internic . net InterNIC Provides WWW On-Line Guide. Fast coming up on the screen. Two distinct services porvided: "Directory and Database Services" and "Registration Services." Click on the former, then click on "Directory of Directories" to get to an indexed keyword search area. http : // src . doc . ic . ac . uk / bySubject / Computing / Overview . html The WWW Virtual Library: Computing. Lots of links, including a link to the "Virtual Shareware Library" with search functions for "tens of thousands of programs." But it was VERY slow to come up on a Saturday afternoon. http : // www . cuhk . hk / bdgtti2 . 2 / bdgtti . html Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet (2.2). Type carefully! It's easy to mess this one up, but well worth the effort. NOT an index, but valuable enough to be placed here. It is actually a book broken into more than 300 pieces for browsing. If you like it, you can download a compressed version of it right from the title page. A P P E N D I X C : W H A T ' S N E W O N T H E N E T ? ( O R , S I T E S T H A T H A V E N ' T M A D E T H E B O O K S Y E T ) This section is starting small, but will grow. (Possibly with your help?) The goal: To list only the newest, biggest, most interesting sites. Enjoy! [The Format Is: First Line: URL; Subsequent Lines: Site Name, Description and (Opening Date)] http : // www . si . edu The Smithsonian Institution. Over 1500 pages of the world's largest museum complex, with text, photo's, video and sounds in English, French & Spanish. Exhibits, News, Shops. You MUST see this! (5/8/95) APPENDIX D: P E R S O N A L F A V O R I T E S I T E S O F R E G I S T E R E D O W N E R S This section is also starting small, but will grow ONLY with your help. A Registered Owner may E-mail their ONE Personal Favorite Site to the author at 71063,2345. (If you later find a better favorite, I'll delete your old one and replace it.) Please include the URL, the Title as it appears on the Net, and a brief description. In the message, please mention you are a Registered Owner. If you would like your name and E-mail address to appear with it, please specifically say so. (Also, this list may be edited or abbreviated if it grows too large.) Surf's up! [The Format Is: First Line: URL; Subsequent Lines: Site Name and Description (Optional: Contributor's Name and E-mail Address.)] http : // free - net . mpls - stpaul . mn . us : 8000 / people / pj . html / geomap . html PJ's Geo Map Page. Unbelievable point and click graphic displays of maps from all over the world. (Tim Gamble: 71063,2345)