Configuring Windows 2000 Professional Dial-Up Networking

| Intro | New Setup Wizard | Configuring Existing Connections | Modem Settings | Network Settings | TCP/IP Settings | Installing Network Components |

Windows 2000 Pro, combines Dial Up Networking with the network settings, which makes it somewhat different from Windows 9X, Windows ME and Windows NT.

Warning: There have been reports that the Upgrades on Windows 2000 can create problems with networking. At this time there are no fixes that we are aware of. Microsoft will have to be contacted for solutions to these problems.

Intro: Network & Dial-Up Connection Settings

You can access Windows 2000 Dial Up Networking in one of three ways. (1) Click Start -> Settings -> Network & Dial-Up Connections. Pictured below. <next>

(2) Or open My Computer. Click on the "Network and Dial-Up Connections" link. Pictured below. 

<next>

The last option is to open the control panel. Open the folder "network and dial-up connections" to access the Dial Up Network settings. <next>

The network and dial-up connections window is displayed below. You can click the "add network components" hyperlink to install a protocol, dial-up adapter and/or a client such as Client For Microsoft Networks; view the "connect to" window by double-clicking an existing connection; check an existing connection's properties by right clicking the connection and left clicking properties; click the "make new connection" icon to use the Network Connection Wizard to create a new Internet connection. All of these are covered in detail in the next sections.

Links: | Next: New Connection Wizard | Configuring Existing Connections | Installing Components |

New Setup: Connection Wizard

The "Network Connection Wizard" helps you to configure a new Dial Up Network connection. It will also  assist you with e-mail and news settings for a new connection. Click "make new connection" in the connection and dial-up networking window to get to the window shown below, then click "next".

Make sure that "dial-up to the internet" is selected and then click "next".

Choose the third option: "I want to set up my Internet connection manually . . . " then click "next".

Select "I connect through a phone line and a modem" then click "next".

Type the correct dial up phone number for your area with three or four commas at the end of it.

In Colville use: 640-0100 NOTE: This number will not work outside of Colville (684 or 685 prefix areas).

All other areas use: 685-2188

(At the front of the number you may need to add a "*70," to disable call waiting. Place a comma between the *70 and the dial up number, so that the modem will pause before dialing the number. You may get frequent busy signals if you leave the comma out.)  

Click the advanced button. <next>

Select "PPP" connection. The LCP extensions often improve connections but sometimes they cause problems. If you are having trouble connecting then you might need to disable the LCP Extensions. Choose "none" for the logon procedure.

Click the addresses tab at the top of the properties window. <next>

Internet Xpress automatically provides an IP Address and DNS address each time a client connects. Be sure they are both set to automatic.

Click "OK" to return to the connection wizard. <next>

Type the username and password from your sign up sheet. Remember that they are cASe sENSitive and should be all lower case letters. Click "next".

Type Internet Xpress for the Connection Name. Click "next".

Click "yes" to setup the e-mail account (unless you won't be doing any e-mail). You can also select "no" and setup the e-mail client later. Click "next'.

Select create a new Internet mail account. (This tutorial assumes that you are setting up a new account, but you can also "import" the settings of an existing e-mail account from Netscape, Outlook Express, etc.) Click "next".

The display name is the name that people see when they receive an e-mail from you. It does not have to match your e-mail address. Click "next".

Type the e-mail address from your sign up sheet. Remember that this is cASe sENSitive and should be all lower case.

Click "next".

The incoming mail server is a "POP3" The incoming mail server address will be either: mail.plixtel.com or: pop.plix.com

The outgoing mail server address will be either: mail.plixtel.com or: smtp.plix.com Look at your instruction sheet for the correct server information.

Click "next".

The account name is the e-mail login. Your login is your email address ONLY IF you have a plixtel address. Otherwise it is the same as your dial-up user name.

The account name and password are cASe sENsiTive. Check remember the password, unless you want to be prompted to enter the password each time you check your EMail.

Do NOT select logon using Secure Password Authentication. Click "next".

If you have a free phone line attached to the computer then put a checkmark in the box to connect to the internet after you hit the finish button and your computer will attempt to connect to the Internet. If you do not wish to connect at this time, then do NOT check the box.

Click finish. 

| Next: Configuring Existing Accounts | Installing Network Components | 

Configuring Existing Connections:

Open the "network and dial-up connections" window by clicking Start > Settings > Network and Dial-Up Connections or by choosing the appropriate hyperlink in My Computer. This will bring up the window below.

<next>

Double-click the connection window. Click "dial" to connect to the internet or you can click the "properties" button to configure the Dial Up Networking connection. <next>

You can also right-click on the connection to get a menu, and left click on properties as shown below. <next>

Under Dial Up Network properties, select the general tab as pictured below. Type the phone number as it needs to be dialed, with three or four commas after it for a more stable connection.

In Colville use: 640-0100 NOTE: This number will not work outside of Colville (684 or 685 prefix areas).

All other areas use: 685-2188

(At the front of the number you may need to add a "*70," to disable call waiting. Place a comma between the *70 and the dial up number, so that the modem will pause before dialing the number. You may get frequent busy signals if you leave the comma out.)  

It is a good idea to put a checkmark in the "show icon in taskbar" option. Then your connection to the Internet will be visible next to the time in the lower right of your desktop: .  Double-click on the icon to disconnect or to get details about the connection.

<next: configure modem button> <alternate: skip modem to continue Dial Up Networking configuration>

Modem Configuration:

Go to your Dial Up Networking properties and select the general tab as shown above.  Click the configure button to access the modem settings. Set the maximum speed to 57600. The modem will have unstable connections if you set the speed higher than that which the modem is rated for.

Put a checkmark in all of the hardware features if it is a hardware modem. If it is a "win modem" then remove the checkmarks so that hardware flow control is not selected. Error control and modem compression are helpful but not required. 

The most common "win" modems are as follows: US Robotics 56k Win Modem, LT Win, SupraMax 56k, HSP Micromodem, PC Tel, Motorola SM56, Zoltrix, Shark, ESS and anything with an HSP in the name. Note: Rockwell claims that the HCF modems are hardware flow modems but try software flow if that doesn't work.

Check the box that enables the modem speaker, so that you can hear the modem as it tries to connect.

<next: resume Dial Up Network configuration>

Dial Up Networking Properties Resumed: Options Tab 

Click on the options tab. You can adjust the number of dialing attempts from this window.

<next: Dial Up Network configuration networking tab>

Networking Tab:

Skip the security tab. Click on the networking tab. The type of dial-up server should always be PPP. Make sure that Internet Protocol TCP/IP is selected. You only need Client For Microsoft Networks installed if you will be doing any website development with Frontpage 98 or Frontpage 2000.

<IMPORTANT: PPP settings button> <Alternate: TCP properties button> <Alternate: skip to installing network components>

The PPP settings button window is shown below. You *should* be able to enable LCP extensions but disable them if you are having problems connecting. LCP extensions and software compression improve connections in most cases. Multi-link is only necessary for "shotgun" connections where customers combine more than one phone line into a bigger connection. [This requires two separate dial-up accounts to work.]

<next: TCP settings>

TCP/IP Settings:

Internet Xpress automatically provides an IP Address and DNS address each time a client connects. Be sure they are both set to automatic.

<next: installing network components>

Installing Clients, Protocols & Services:

You can install network components from a dial-up connections properties window at the networking tab. You can also install network components for all Dial Up Networking connections, by opening the network and dial-up connections window, and clicking the "add network components" hyperlink. Either method  will bring up the window shown below. 

The installation is very similar to a Win9X installation. Double-click "client" to install Client For Microsoft Networks if needed for Frontpage 98 or Frontpage 2000. Double-click "protocol" to install TCP/IP. <next>

Double-click TCP/IP to install that protocol. (NOTE: If you don't see TCP/IP as an option then your computer thinks that it is already installed. You might need to remove TCP/IP in order to reinstall it. Be sure to restart the computer after removing the old TCP. Once the computer is rebooted, install the new TCP.

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