I'm connecting with the Windows 95/98 dialer, but Netscape still won't work.

If you are using Netscape for the first time on our service, previously used it with a different dialer, online service, or connection software--then you may need to un-install it and re-install it (minus the dialer, of course.) And in addition, if you have a version of Trumpet Winsock on your computer, you will need to rename winsock.dll to winsock.old, re-install Netscape, then rename it back. Netscape sometimes will latch on to the wrong winsock.dll when installing.

My modem is not responding, or Windows 95/98 hasn't detected it properly.

While Windows 95/98 generally does a pretty good job of detecting installed modems, sometimes the communication path may become blocked and/or a the modem may have been mistaken for another.

• Solution: Click on My Computer, then Control Panel. Inside the Control Panel, choose Modems. Choose the Diagnostics Tab at the top and on the next screen, click the More Info button. If your modem is installed properly, detected properly and functioning, then after a few seconds you will be able to see Windows 95/98 communicating with your modem. If the communication path to your modem was blocked, this should clear up the problem.

I keep getting prompted for my password after connecting.

Your password is case-sensitive, which means upper and lowercase must be entered exactly.

Windows 95/98 disconnects shortly after connection and/or tells me the network is down.

TCP/IP must be installed for you to maintain and use a PPP connection. While you may have already installed it, sometimes it did not install properly and/or has been known to completely disappear from the configuration.

• Solution: Under My Computer, choose Control Panel, then click on the Network icon. The list of installed configurations may be long but must contain TCP/IP or TCP/IP Dial-up Adapter. If it does not, put your Windows 95/98 CD-ROM in your drive or have your Windows 95/98 install disks handy. Then click the Add button. On the next screen, double-click on Protocol. You will now be shown a list of manufacturers; highlight Microsoft.

  On the right, double-click on TCP/IP and then click OK on every screen until it begins to copy files from disk (or until it prompts you for a disk). After re-installing Windows 95/98 you will need to restart your computer.

I can connect but keep getting DNS errors or told the network is down.

There are two very possible problems here.

• First, click on My Computer, then Dial-Up Networking. Next, RIGHT-click on the Webbworks icon that you should have created and choose Properties from the menu. From the General screen, click on the Server Type button. On the Server Types screen, TCP/IP and Log on to Network should be the only items checked. Then click on the TCP/IP Settings button. At the top, Server-assigned IP address should be checked. In the middle, Specify name server addresses should be checked and the address for our Domain Name Server (aka DNS or Name Server) should be entered next to the label Primary DNS Use IP header compression and Use default gateway on remote network should both be checked.

• If all of the above is set correctly, go under My Computer, choose Control Panel. Under Control Panel, choose Network. On the list of configurations, highlight TCP/IP or TCP/IP Dial-Up Adapter and click on the Properties button. On the next screen, click on the tab for DNS The choice Disable DNS should be checked. If it is not, erase all values and check it off.

I've tried everything on this list, but it still won't work.

Sometimes a setting somewhere, perhaps ghostly and unseen will become fowled up for one reason or another. Often, ironically, use of Microsoft Network, Microsoft Mail or Microsoft Exchange will screw things up.

• Solution: the best way to fix this is to do a partial or complete re-install of Windows 95/98.

  (If you have Microsoft Plus, it would be a good idea to un-install it as well before continuing. After following the below procedure, you can re-install.)

  Partial: Under My Computer, choose Control Panel. Under Control Panel, choose Network. Highlight TCP/IP or TCP/IP Dial-Up Adapter on the list of configurations and click the Remove button. (You may be asked to restart you computer.) Next, Under Control Panel, choose Add/Remove Programs. Click on the Windows Setup tab at the top. Next highlight Communications and click the Details button. On the Communications screen, uncheck Dial-Up Networking and click OK. Then click OK again. You will be asked to restart your computer. Now, go back in and do the reverse, re-installing Communications/Dial-Up Networking and TCP/IP.