Knowledge Base

How to Connect to the Internet in Windows 95 and Windows 98

Article ID: 138789

Article Last Modified on 1/19/2007

APPLIES TO

Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
Microsoft Windows 98 Standard Edition
Microsoft Windows 95

This article was previously published under Q138789

SUMMARY

This article describes how to connect to the Internet by using Dial-Up Networking in Windows 95 and Windows 98.

Note that you should read the entire article before you start to configure Windows.

NOTE: To more effectively search the Microsoft Knowledge Base, use keywords that relate to your issue. If you are searching for troubleshooting information that is not mentioned in this article, search the Microsoft Knowledge Base again by using keywords that are listed in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

242450 How to Query the Microsoft Knowledge Base Using Keywords

MORE INFORMATION

Windows 95 and Windows 98 have built-in support for connecting to an Internet service provider (ISP) by using either a PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) or SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) account. SLIP support is available on the Windows 95 and Windows 98 CD-ROM, the Extras for Windows 95 upgrade CD-ROM, and the Internet Jumpstart Kit component of Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95.

Getting Started

To connect to the Internet, you need a PPP or SLIP account with an ISP. You also need the following information from your ISP:

User name
Password
Local access phone number
Your host and domain name
DNS server IP address
Authentication technique (whether or not a terminal window is used)

Your ISP may also supply you with an IP address and an IP subnet mask. These optional items are needed only if your ISP gives you a dedicated IP address to use every time that you dial in.

How to Set Up Dial-Up Networking

Before you set up your Internet connection, make sure Dial-Up Networking is installed on your computer. To do this, click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then see if a folder called Dial-Up Networking is available. If you have a Dial-Up Networking folder, view the "How to Install the TCP/IP Protocol" section in this article.

If you do not have a Dial-Up Networking folder, add Dial-Up Networking. To do this:

Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs.
On the Windows Setup tab, click Communications (do not click the check box), and then click Details.
Click to select the Dial-Up Networking check box, and then click OK.
On the Windows Setup tab, click OK.

NOTE: SLIP is included in the Admin\Apptools\Dscript folder on the Windows 95 CD-ROM. If you are using the floppy disk version of Windows 95 and you want to use SLIP support, view the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

135315 CD-ROM Extras for Microsoft Windows 95 Upgrade

If you want to use a SLIP account to connect to an ISP in Windows 95, install SLIP support. To do this, use the following steps. NOTE: You do not have to perform these steps if you are using Windows 98. SLIP support is installed with Windows 98 by default.

Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs.
On the Windows Setup tab, click Have Disk.
Insert the appropriate floppy disk or CD-ROM, point to the Admin\Apptools\SLIP folder, and then click OK.

How to Install the TCP/IP Protocol

After Dial-Up Networking is installed (or if Dial-Up Networking is already installed), install the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol. To do this:

Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network.
Click Add on the Configuration tab, click Protocol, click Add, click Microsoft in the Manufacturers box, click TCP/IP in the Network Protocols box, and then click OK.
If you want to connect only to the Internet, you need only the following network components:

Client for Microsoft Networks Dial-Up Adapter TCP/IP

To remove a component, click the component, and then click Remove.

NOTE: You can have additional protocols bound to the dial-up adapter if you need them to connect to other Dial-Up Networking servers.
After the necessary components are installed, click OK, and then restart your computer when you are prompted to do so.

NOTE: You do not need to configure any TCP/IP settings at this time. Information about how to configure these settings is included later in this article.

The following list describes the default TCP/IP settings:

IP address is set to Obtain an IP address automatically
WINS Configuration is set to Use DHCP for WINS resolution
Installed Gateways: None
DNS Configuration is set to Disable DNS

How to Create and Configure a New Connection for PPP Accounts

NOTE: If you have a SLIP account, view the "How to Create and Configure a New Connection for SLIP Accounts" section in this article. To create and configure a new connection for PPP accounts:

Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Communications, and then click Dial-Up Networking.
If this is the first time that you are using Dial-Up Networking, the Welcome To Dial-Up Networking Wizard is displayed. If the wizard is not displayed, double-click Make New Connection, and then follow the instructions to create a Dial-Up Networking connection.
After you create the connection, an icon appears in the Dial-Up Networking folder that you can double-click to connect to the Internet.

If your ISP requires you to manually log on to your PPP account after you have connected, you must enable the necessary support. To do this:

Right-click the newly created icon in the Dial-Up Networking folder, and then click Properties.
On the General tab, click Configure.
On the Options tab, click to select the "Bring up terminal window after dialing" check box, and then click OK.
On the General tab, click Server Type.
Click PPP: Windows 95, Windows NT 3.5, Internet or PPP: Internet, Windows NT Server, Windows 98 in the Type Of Dial-Up Server box, and then click to select the TCP/IP check box in the Allowed Network Protocols box. When you select the TCP/IP check box, you can connect to the Internet faster after you dial in to your ISP. You do not need to select the other options to connect to the Internet.
Click TCP/IP Settings.

To use resources on the Internet, you must type your DNS server address. You can also type your IP address if your ISP supplied you with a fixed IP address.

How to Connect to Your PPP Account

To connect to your PPP account:

Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Communications, and then click Dial-Up Networking.
Double-click the Dial-Up Networking icon that you created.
In the Connect To dialog box, type your user name and password, and then click Connect.

If you clicked the Bring up terminal window after dialing check box is the previous section, a terminal window appears in which you type your logon information. After you type your user name and password, click Continue. The order in which you log on and the information that you have to provide may vary, depending on your ISP. Contact your ISP if you have any questions about the logon procedure.

After the Connected To dialog box is displayed, you are connected to the Internet.

How to Create and Configure a New Connection for SLIP Accounts

NOTE: If you do not have a SLIP account, you do not need to perform the steps in this section. To create and configure a new connection for SLIP accounts:

Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Communications, and then click Dial-Up Networking.
If this is the first time that you are using Dial-Up Networking, the Welcome To Dial-Up Networking Wizard is displayed. If the wizard is not displayed, double-click Make New Connection and follow the instructions to create a Dial-Up Networking connection.
After the connection is created, an icon appears in the Dial-Up Networking folder that you can double-click to connect to the Internet.
Right-click the newly created icon in the Dial-Up Networking folder, and then click Properties.
On the General tab, click Server Type.
Click SLIP: UNIX Connection in the Type Of Dial-Up Server, and then click to select the TCP/IP check box in the Allowed Network Protocols box. When you select the TCP/IP check box, you can connect to the Internet faster after you dial in to your ISP. You do not need to select the other options to connect to the Internet.

NOTE: If you have a CSLIP (compressed SLIP) account and you are running Windows 95, click CSLIP: UNIX Connection with IP Header Compression Your ISP can tell you which type of SLIP account you have.

Click TCP/IP Settings.

To use resources on the Internet you must type your DNS server address. You can also type your IP address if your ISP supplied you with a fixed IP address.

How to Connect to Your SLIP Account

Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Communications, and then click Dial-Up Networking.
Double-click the Dial-Up Networking icon that you created in the previous section.
In the Connect To dialog box, click Connect.
After the modem negotiation procedure, a terminal window is displayed in which you type your logon information. After you type your user name and password in the terminal window, you should receive a message from your ISP that inform you of your IP address for the session. Most providers use a message such as "Your IP address is" or "SLIP session from ###.###.###.### to ###.###.###.###" where the second set of numbers is your IP address.

The order in which you log on and the information that you have to provide may vary, depending on your ISP. Contact your ISP if you have any questions about the logon procedure.

Note your IP address, and then click Continue.
Confirm that your IP address in the SLIP Connection IP Address dialog box is correct by typing the IP address that noted in step 4, and then click OK.

If you are not sure what your IP address is, contact your ISP and ask how to determine your IP address for your SLIP account.

Advantages of PPP over SLIP

If you have a SLIP account, you may want to investigate the possibility of obtaining a PPP account instead. PPP accounts are faster, offer error correction, may not require you to use the terminal window to log on, and do not require you to manually enter your IP address.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you experience problems when you try to connect to the Internet:

Verify that your server type is correct. For example, if you have a PPP account, verify that the server type is set to PPP and not SLIP or CSLIP.
If you have a SLIP account, verify that you type the correct IP address when you are prompted to do so during the logon process.

If you are using a SLIP account, you experience problems after you connect to the Internet, and you can successfully ping another computer but you cannot use Winsock programs to connect to Internet resources, change the server type from SLIP to CSLIP (or from CSLIP to SLIP).

To verify that your Internet connection is working properly, use the Ping command to ping a known IP address. To do this:

Click Start, point to Programs, and then click MS-DOS Prompt.
Type the following command at an MS-DOS prompt, where IP address is a known IP address, and then press ENTER:

ping IP address

If you can ping a known IP address successfully, basic TCP/IP connectivity is functioning properly. Next, try to ping a known friendly name instead of an IP address. To do this, type the following command at an MS-DOS prompt, where friendlyname is the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for a Web site, and then press ENTER:

ping friendlyname.com

If this works, your DNS settings are functioning properly.

For additional information about troubleshooting or using Internet Explorer, visit the Internet Explorer FAQ and Support Highlights page at the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/support/default.mspx

Glossary

Domain Name Service (DNS):

Sometimes referred to as the BIND service in BSD UNIX, which is a static, hierarchical name service for TCP/IP hosts. A DNS server maintains a database for resolving host names and IP addresses, allowing users of computers that are configured to query the DNS server to specify remote computers by host names rather than IP addresses. DNS domains should not be confused with Windows NT networking domains.

For example, if you type ping ftp.microsoft.com you ping the DNS server that you specified, look up the IP address for the site, and then ping that IP address.

Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP):

An industry standard that is part of Windows Dial-Up Networking to ensure interoperability with remote-access software from other manufacturers. PPP allows you to use the IPX, TCP/IP, and NetBEUI protocols over a standard telephone-line connection.

Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP):

Another industry standard that is part of Windows Dial-Up Networking to ensure interoperability with remote access software from other manufacturers. Unlike PPP, SLIP works with only one protocol. Windows works with TCP/IP over a standard telephone-line connection.

Password Authentication Protocol (PAP):

This is an authentication method that can be used when you connect to your ISP. It allows you to log on without having to use a terminal window. When you use PAP, passwords are sent over the circuit in text format, which offers no protection from playback.

Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP):

This is another authentication method that you can use when you connect to your ISP. It also allows you to log on without having to use a terminal window; however, it does not send passwords in text format and is more secure than PAP.

For additional information about the Internet and Windows 95, view the Internet.txt file that is included with Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95.

Additional query words: w98comfaq w95cnfaq ie5faq ie4faq

Keywords: kbdialup kbfaq kbhowto KB138789

Microsoft KB Archive/138789

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