Microsoft KB Archive/175661

= Microsoft Knowledge Base =

MSN 2.5 OEM Release Readme.txt File Contents
Last reviewed: October 24, 1997

Article ID: Q175661

The information in this article applies to:


 * The Microsoft Network, version 2.5

SUMMARY
This article contains a copy of the contents of the Readme.txt file included with MSN, The Microsoft Network, version 2.5 (Original Equipment Manufacturer [OEM] release).

MORE INFORMATION
README for The Microsoft Network 2.5 June l997 (c) Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1997

This document provides complementary or late-breaking information for The Microsoft Network 2.5.

HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT

To view Readme.txt onscreen in Notepad, maximize the Notepad window.

To print Readme.txt, open it in Notepad or another word processor, and then use the Print command on the File menu.

Thank you for joining The Microsoft Network. This document contains information that will help you solve common problems and get the most out of The Microsoft Network.

Table of Contents
1. System Requirements 2. Video Cards and Display Problems 3. Hard Disk Location of MSN Program Files 4. Microsoft Internet Explorer Installation 5. Installation Problems 6. Known Problems with This Release 7. Internet Mail & News 8. Connection Problems 9. Removing MSN Files and Shortcuts


 * 1) System Requirements


 * Windows 95 * Personal computer with a 486/66 or higher processor * 14.4 Kbps modem or higher * 16MB of memory required * 30MB available hard disk space * CD-ROM drive (2x or higher) * VGA or higher resolution graphics card. * Sound card recommended * Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

MSN is compatible only with Windows 95. It does not run on Windows NT or on Windows 3.1. MSN is considering future support for Windows NT.

In order to fully experience MSN you will need a sound card and speakers. MSN will function properly without them, but audio is an integral part of the full experience.


 * 1) Video Cards and Display Problems

LESS THAN 256 COLOR: MSN Setup will run if your display is set to 16-color mode; however, it is designed to run at 640x480 resolution or higher, with a minimum of 256 colors. If your display is set to show 16 colors, we strongly recommend that you change your display setting to show 256 colors or more.

If you experience problems with display colors, check your color configuration: 1. Click the Windows Start button, then click Settings,

Control Panel. 2. Double-click the Display icon. 3. Click the Settings tab. 4. In the Color palette list box, click 256 Color.

MORE THAN 256 COLOR: MSN is designed to look even better at higher color settings. You will find that much of the text is more readable and the images much clearer when you set your display resolution to 16 bit (65,536 colors) or higher.

Some video cards may encounter problems when using accelerated video drivers, video drivers with more than 256 colors, or high resolution video drivers.

If you run into display problems: 1. Try switching to a driver supplied with Windows 95. 2. Change to a different display mode. An alternative to using a

different driver is to change your video mode to a standard video mode such as 640x480 resolution with 256 colors. For details on how to change drivers or switch to a different display mode, see your Windows documentation.

NEC computers using the Alliance Promotion video card do not work well with the MSN setup program. Please contact your computer dealer for assistance.


 * 1) Hard Disk Location of MSN Program Files

MSN requires that its files be installed on your system disk (the drive from which your computer boots, generally the C: drive).

If you do not have enough space on your system drive, Setup will notify you. You will need to make room on your system disk in order to install MSN.


 * 1) Microsoft Internet Explorer Installation

MSN requires Internet Explorer (IE) version 3.02 or higher. If you have an older version of IE, MSN Setup will install a new version. During IE installation, you may be prompted to accept the IE End User License Agreement. If you do not accept the IE License Agreement, MSN Setup will fail and your computer will not be properly configured to access MSN. You must accept the IE license in order to use MSN.


 * 1) Installation Problems

VERSION CONFLICTS: You may encounter a version conflict dialog when running the MSN setup program, or when logging in for the first time. If a "Version Conflict" dialog box is displayed, click "Yes" when asked "Do you want to keep this file?"


 * 1) Known Problems with This Release

MSN SIGN IN APPEARS AFTER DISCONNECT: If you are disconnected at the same time that you are trying to connect to a site, IE 3.02 will bring up the dialer to reconnect. You will see the MSN Sign In screen or the Remote Networking Connection screen appear right after the disconnect. You can close these screens without causing any problems. At this time there is no known way to prevent this from happening when a disconnect and network request occur simultaneously in IE 3.x.

MSN SIGN IN ERROR: If you dial in and immediately see the black error screen with the MSN Sign In connection status text: "Error 604", then you will need to follow these steps to fix the problem: 1. Close the MSN Sign In screen by clicking the Cancel

button. 2. Click the Windows Start button, then click Programs, Accessories,

Dial-Up Networking. 3. Click the "MSN" icon, then from the File menu, click Delete. 4. Restart your Internet connection the same way you did

before the error appeared. FRIENDS ONLINE: You are able to add only those members to your Friends Online list who have installed the MSN version 2.5. Until we release our members.msn.com site, there will be no way to edit your own Member Properties.

REQUEST NEW PASSWORD: If there is a server connection error while you are requesting a new password, the screen will freeze. You will then need to close Internet Explorer. To do this, press Ctrl-Alt-Del (together at the same time), and from the Close Program list box, select Internet Explorer and click End Task. Or, you may need to click Shut Down to restart your computer.

IE AS DEFAULT BROWSER: Internet Explorer launches when you click e-mail, chat, or history links. MSN does not replace your default browser and will be activated only if you double-click the MSN icon on your desktop or click the MSN Quick View icon in the Windows system tray to connect to MSN.

JAVA SCRIPT OR VB SCRIPT ERROR: Java or Visual Basic script errors could occur in the MSN Program Viewer for a couple of reasons: 1. The MSN Program Viewer does not support the "window.open"

command, which is supported by IE 3.0, IE 4.0, and Netscape 2.0, 3.0 & 4.0. Pages that use this command will cause a script error in the MSN Program Viewer. MSN is now based on IE 3.02, which includes higher security safeguards that will prevent some script commands from executing on your machine.

MSN QUICK VIEW COMES BACK EVEN AFTER IT IS CLOSED: The MSN Quick View icon in your Windows taskbar provides you with periodic information about your e-mail message count and the status of your friends online, and it checks to make sure that your MSN client software is up to date.

Even if you close MSN Quick View, it will be restarted if you visit a Web page that requires its functionality. For example, MSN's On Stage and Communicate home pages use MSN Quick View to display your new e-mail count. However, most of the pages on MSN do not require MSN Quick View and only a handful of pages outside of MSN on the World Wide Web use it. So, if you do choose to close MSN Quick View, it should only restart if you visit a page like Communicate.

REMOVING MSN QUICK VIEW FROM STARTUP: If you do not want MSN Quick View to start when you turn on your computer, you can remove it from your Windows StartUp group.

To remove MSN Quick View from your Startup group: 1. Click the Windows Start button, then click Settings, Taskbar. 2. Click the Start Menu Programs tab. 3. Click the Remove button. 4. Click the plus (+) sign next to the Startup folder that appears

in the list. 5. Click MSN Quick View to select it. 6. Click the Remove button. MSN Quick View will no longer start up

with Windows. Please note that MSN Quick View will still automatically start when you connect to MSN or when you connect via a LAN or a proprietary dialer. MSN Quick View will also start up whenever you visit a page that uses Quick View's services, such as MSN's Communicate home page.

MSN QUICK VIEW BEHAVIOR WHEN USING A LAN TO CONNECT TO MSN: If you connect to MSN using a LAN, MSN Quick View will be unable to tell when you are done using MSN. If you want to disconnect from MSN, you will need to select that option from the MSN Quick View menu. Otherwise, MSN Quick View will restart anytime you visit a page that uses MSN Quick View's services.

MSN QUICK VIEW BEHAVIOR WHEN CONNECTING WITH DIAL UP NETWORKING OR PROPRIETARY DIALER: The MSN dialer starts MSN Quick View once a successful connection has been made, and it turns it off once the modem disconnects. While MSN Quick View is running, it will provide intermittent notice of e-mail and friends online status, and it will keep track of how long you have been connected.

If you use a proprietary dialer (like AOL), or you start your connection by clicking on a Dial-Up Networking icon, then MSN Quick View will only start when you visit a page that uses MSN Quick View's services. You'll then need to manually disconnect MSN Quick View from MSN by clicking the Disconnect from MSN option on MSN Quick View's menu.


 * 1) Internet Mail & News - Changes for Current MSN Members (1.x-2.0)

As part of MSN 2.5, we're deploying a whole new Internet e-mail system. This system includes a new e-mail program called Microsoft Internet Mail. Compared to before, you'll find that Microsoft Internet Mail is: * Faster * Easier to use * Requires less memory * Supports Internet-standard protocols (POP3/SMTP/LDAP), and * Supports MIME-encoded attachments.

Since Internet Mail replaces your previous MSN e-mail program (Microsoft Exchange or 'the Inbox'), you will no longer be able to use Exchange to access your e-mail.

But this doesn't mean that your e-mail address has also changed. You will still use the same MSN e-mail address you always have--you'll just be using it with a new and improved e-mail application.

Here's some more background information on how this works:

During MSN 2.5 Setup, we'll install and configure your new e-mail program for you. (If you already have IE 4.0, we'll simply configure Microsoft Outlook Express.)

Because of this switchover to the new mail system, you may notice that our new mail servers will address your mail a little differently than you've seen before. The mail sent from your account will show up as:

Your_MSN_Login_ID@email.msn.com As you can see, "email" has been added after your ID. Again, this does not affect normal usage of your address--this is simply a mechanism used on the server-side to ensure higher levels of e-mail performance. So, if your MSN Login ID is Bob, then all messages you send will contain Bob@email.msn.com as the Sender e-mail address. But all messages sent to either Bob@msn.com or Bob@email.msn.com will arrive at your new e-mail program.

If you have MSN installed on another machine and you want to be able to access your MSN e-mail on that computer, you'll have to install MSN 2.5 there as well.

Please refer to the "Frequently Asked Questions" link on the Communicate site if you have any further questions related to your new Internet Mail account. You'll find a lot of great information under "Setting up E-mail" and "Using E-mail."


 * 1) Connection Problems

COMPUSERVE USERS WHO INSTALL MSN 2.5: WinCim 2.0 or later should work fine after installing the MSN 2.5. If there are any problems getting connected to CompuServe or using CompuServe to access the Internet, check the "Connection Configuration of MSN" section for instructions on how to manually configure your Internet connection.

AOL USERS WHO INSTALL MSN 2.5: AOL should work fine after installing the MSN 2.5. AOL now has an Internet Explorer compatible dialer that you should upgrade to in order to make it easier to control your connection behavior with MSN and AOL installed on the same computer. If there are any problems getting connected to AOL or using AOL to access the Internet, check the "Connection Configuration of MSN" section for instructions on how to manually configure your Internet connection.

AT&T WORLDNET USERS WHO INSTALL MSN 2.5: AT&T Worldnet should work fine after installing the MSN 2.5. If there are any problems getting connected to AT&T Worldnet or using AT&T Worldnet to access the Internet check the "Connection Configuration of MSN" section for instructions on how to manually configure your Internet connection. If you are unable to fix the problem manually, then you should re-install AT&T Worldnet to reset your connection configuration.

PRODIGY USERS WHO INSTALL MSN 2.5: Users of Prodigy may find that the Prodigy Internet browser does not work after installing the MSN 2.5. This is because MSN 2.5 installs the latest version of Internet Explorer (3.02), which includes new security features that conflict with the Prodigy browser. You will need to uninstall Internet Explorer 3.02 from your machine and then reinstall Internet Explorer 3.01 from the Internet. This will allow both the MSN 2.5 and Prodigy to be used on the same PC.

CONNECTION CONFIGURATION OF MSN: [NOTE: This section is for IE 3.0 users, see below for IE 4.0]

To reconfigure any of the connection settings in the following chart, first: 1. Click the Windows Start button, then click Settings, Control Panel. 2. Double-click the "Internet" icon. 3. Click the Connection Tab.

DESIRED CONNECTION  SETTINGS IN INTERNET PROPERTIES CONFIGURATION     CONNECTION TAB Dial Up Using MSN  In the Dialing section, check the "Connect to the Internet as needed" box. Make sure the list box in the Dialing section lists "MSN."

Dial Up Using      In the Dialing section, check the "Connect Another RAS service   to the Internet as needed" box. (eg. MCI, AT&T)     Click the list box and select the service you want to use. (If the service you use        is not listed, see the next topic about         Proprietary ISPs.)

Dial Up Using      In the Dialing section, uncheck Proprietary ISP     the "Connect to the Internet (e.g., AOL, Netscape)   as needed" box. In the Proxy Server section, uncheck the "Connect        through proxy" box.

Direct Connection  In the Dialing section, uncheck to the Internet     the "Connect to the Internet         as needed" box. In the Proxy Server section, uncheck the "Connect        through proxy" box.

Remote Winsock      In the Dialing section, uncheck LAN Connection     the "Connect to the Internet         as needed" box. In the Proxy Server section, uncheck the "Connect        through proxy" box.

LAN Proxy Connection  You can configure IE or MSN to (cannot access MSN   use LAN Proxy by checking the via proxy until   "Connect through proxy" box in October 1, 1997)   the Proxy Server section. [This section is for IE 4.0 users, see above for IE 3.0]

To reconfigure any of the connectin settings in the following chart, first: 1. Click the Windows Start button, then click Settings, Control Panel. 2. Double-click the "Internet" icon. 3. Click the Connection Tab.

DESIRED CONNECTION  SETTINGS IN INTERNET PROPERTIES CONFIGURATION     CONNECTION TAB Dial Up Using MSN  In the Connection section, check the "Connect to the Internet using a modem" option. Click the Settings button and make sure that "MSN" is the highlighted connection. Make sure that "Connect using a proxy server" is        unchecked.

Dial Up Using      In the Connection section, check the other RAS Service  "Connect to the Internet using a modem" option. (eg. MCI, AT&T)     Click the Settings button. Select the service you want to use. (If the service you use        is not listed, see the next topic about         proprietary ISPs.)  Make sure that "Connect using a proxy server" is        unchecked.

Dial Up Using      In the Connection section, check the Proprietary ISP     "Connect to the Internet using a modem" option. (e.g., AOL, Netscape)  Click the Settings button. If your service does not appear in the drop-down list, then click the Add button and follow the steps to        create a connection for your service. Make sure that "Connect using a proxy        server" is unchecked.

Direct Connection  In the Connection section, check the to the Internet  or,   "Access the Internet via a Local Area Remote Winsock Proxy   Network" option and make sure that Connection via LAN  "Connect using a proxy server" is         unchecked.

LAN Proxy Connection  You can configure IE or MSN to (cannot access       use LAN Proxy by checking the MSN via proxy until   "Connect through proxy" box in October 1, 1997)   the Proxy Server section. MODEM ACCESS WITH WINSOCK PROXY (WSP): If you have Remote Winsock Proxy installed on your computer and would like to access MSN 2.5 with a modem, you will need to turn off Remote Winsock Access.

To turn off Remote Winsock Access: 1. Click the Windows Start button, then click Settings, Control Panel. 2. Double-click the "WSP Client" icon. 3. Uncheck the "Enable WinSock Proxy Client."

Additionally, you will need to uncheck the Proxy server in your Internet Explorer Connection Properties, as described above.

WHICH CONNECTION CHOICE TO SELECT: This 2.5 version of MSN ships with a new dial-up connection manager that replaces the dial-up manager from previous versions of MSN. The new dial-up connection manager creates an entry in your Dial-up Networking folder called "MSN" but does not delete your old entries, "The Microsoft Network" and "The Microsoft Network (backup)." Either of these old entries will still work with the new MSN dial-up connection manager, but they will disable the autodial support for IE and Mail. So when you access dial-up networking within either Outlook Express Mail, Exchange Mail, or Chat, you will be presented with all three choices for connection to MSN. You should select the connection entry "MSN" for all dial-up access to MSN.


 * 1) Removing MSN Files and Shortcuts

For complete details on removing the MSN 2.5 files, see the Unistall.txt file.