General Information about Internet Assistant for Word

PSS ID Number: Q123101 Article last modified on 08-24-1995

WINDOWS

The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Internet Assistant for Word, version 1.0 - Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0a, 6.0c

SUMMARY

This article answers the most frequently asked questions regarding the Microsoft Internet Assistant for Word 6.0 for Windows.

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Q. What is Microsoft Internet Assistant for Word 6.0 for Windows?

A. Internet Assistant is a free add-on program that makes Word for Windows the easiest, most powerful tool for creating, exploring, and sharing information on the World Wide Web (WWW), a global network of servers on the Internet.

Q. How do I get this add-on and when will it be available?

A. Microsoft Internet Assistant is posted under the “What’s New” heading on the Microsoft Home Page of the World Wide Web. To access the Microsoft Home Page, connect to the Internet and use URL HTTP://WWW.MICROSOFT.COM/PAGES/DESKAPPS/WORD/IA/. You can also obtain Internet Assistant on floppy disk directly from Microsoft Sales Information Center (MSIC) 1-800-360-7561.

You can also find Microsoft Internet Assistant on the following electronic services:

- On CompuServe, GEnie, and Microsoft Partner Network (MSPN), you
  can find WORDIA.EXE in the Microsoft Software Library by
  searching on the word WORDIA, the Q number of this article, or
  S15247. WORDIA.EXE is a compressed, self-extracting file. After
  you download WORDIA.EXE, double-click it to extract the contents
  of the file.

- WORDIA.EXE is available by modem from the Microsoft Download
  Service (MSDL), which you can reach by calling (206) 936-6735.
  This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The
  highest download speed available is 14,400 bits per second (bps).
  For more information about using the MSDL, call (800) 936-4100
  and follow the prompts. WORDIA.EXE is a compressed, self-
  extracting file. After you download WORDIA.EXE, double-click it
  to extract the contents of the file.

- On the Internet, files are also located on the Microsoft
  anonymous ftp server, which you can reach by typing the following
  at the ">" prompt:

     ftp ftp.microsoft.com

  You can find WORDIA.EXE in the SOFTLIB/MSLFILES directory.

Q. How does Word simplify creating Web pages?

A. Anyone who knows Word automatically knows how to write documents for the Internet because the Internet Assistant for Word now automatically generates hypertext markup language (HTML), the standard file format of World Wide Web documents. You no longer need to learn the HTML format or spend time to manually input HTML tags to create documents for the World Wide Web. With Internet Assistant, Word does it for you. In addition, with Internet Assistant, you can create hyperlinks between documents with simple copy and paste commands.
Q. Does this work directly with my other Microsoft Office applications, such as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Access?

A. Yes. You can easily create hyperlinks from Word to other Microsoft Office applications. This means you can create richly formatted compound documents using all the powerful word processing capabilities of Word without encountering all the limitations of the HTML format. The HTML converter for Internet Assistant does not save the layout of tables or columns, nor does it save embedded objects. You can, however, save these layouts and objects in a Word for Windows 6.0 Document and create a hyperlink to them. For more information, see the Help for Internet Assistant.)

Q. Can I use Internet Assistant to browse or surf the Internet?

A. Yes. It’s easy to connect to and browse the Internet using Internet Assistant because you can do it directly from Word’s familiar interface, which eliminates the need to use different authoring and browsing tools. You also have access to the most popular Internet services because Internet Assistant comes with built-in support for the key Internet protocols (namely, HTTP, FTP, and Gopher).

The following are required to run Internet Assistant as an HTML authoring tool:
```
- A personal computer with an 80386 or higher microprocessor.

- Microsoft Word for Windows, version 6.0a or later. You can obtain
  the 6.0a upgrade patch on the Internet in the following location:

     ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/softlib/msfiles/word60a.exe

- 6 MB of RAM (8 MB recommended).

- 2 MB of free hard-disk space.

- MS-DOS version 3.0 or later.

- Microsoft mouse or compatible pointing device.

- Microsoft Windows version 3.1 or later; Microsoft Windows for
  Workgroups version 3.1 or later; Microsoft Windows NT; or
  Microsoft Windows for Pen Computing.
```
PLEASE NOTE:

Internet browsing support requires an existing Internet connection via a server (or proxy), or a dialup SLIP/PPP account. The software and hardware to make this connection is not included with Internet Assistant. Internet connectivity can be obtained from an Internet service provider. Please contact your local computer dealer or vendor for more information on establishing these Internet accounts.
Q. How is Internet Assistant going to work with Microsoft Network (code-named Marvel)? Is there a connection?

A. You’ll be able to use the Microsoft Network, or Marvel, to interact with many features on the Internet. Our tools are targeted at the customer who wants to produce and publish materials for Web Servers. Marvel customers will, over time, be able to view Web information, so there will be a natural connection between Marvel and Internet Assistant. Once again, you’ll be able to use tools you already own and use.
Q. Can I run Internet Assistant on any other operating systems?

A. Internet Assistant runs on 16-bit Word 6.0 for Windows. It does not run on Word 6.0 for the Macintosh nor on Word 6.0 for Windows NT (32-bit Word). You can, however, run Internet Assistant on the 16-bit version of Word 6.0 running under Windows NT.
Q. Will I need to purchase other products in conjunction with Word and Internet Assistant to connect to the World Wide Web? If so, what products does Microsoft recommend?

A. As with any Internet connection, you need appropriate hardware, a physical connection to the Internet, and an Internet access account from a service provider. For details, contact a computer reseller in your area.
Q. How does Microsoft Internet Assistant compare with Mosaic? Are you in competition with Mosaic?

A. Whereas Mosaic is a view-only browser product, you can use Internet Assistant to edit or create as well as view HTML documents. Just like Mosaic, you can obtain Internet Assistant at no cost because we want to encourage expanded use of the Internet and foster greater satisfaction with it.

The Mosaic product mentioned here is manufactured by NCSA, a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product’s performance or reliability.

KBCategory: kbinterop kbusage KBSubcategory: KBHTML Additional reference words: 1.00 iaword 6.00a 6.00c winword qa q&a www FAQ htmlword KBHTML universal resource locator

Microsoft KB Archive/123101

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