Windows 98 From A to Z

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Hardware System Requirements

The hardware requirements for a Windows 98 computer are roughly the same as those for Windows 95:


NOTE: If you are installing Windows 98 over an existing version of Windows, you are really performing an upgrade installation and not a new install. This can be important when you consider that in the past, Microsoft has charged less for upgrade versions of its operating systems than it has for full-blown new versions.

HyperTerminal

HyperTerminal permits you to connect to another computer system via a telephone line. Although HyperTerminal is similar to Dial-Up Networking (covered in the section titled "Dial-Up Networking"), which is also built into Windows 98, it is different in a few key aspects:

To use the HyperTerminal application, do the following:

1. Click the Start button and choose Programs, Accessories, Communications, and then HyperTerminal, as shown in Figure H.1.

Figure H.1

2. The HyperTerminal application window, shown in Figure H.2, opens. Icons representing three HyperTerminal contact points are already pres-ent in the folder: AT&T Mail, MCI Mail, and CompuServe. The fourth icon, HYPERTRM.EXE, represents the application you use to create new points of access. Double-click the HYPERTRM.EXE icon.
3. The HyperTerminal splash screen shown in Figure H.3 is the first screen to appear. It is displayed only for a few seconds.


NOTE: Splash screen is a slang term for an entry screen--usually a pretty
picture--to an application program.
The splash screen is replaced by the Connect To dialog box, shown in Figure H.4. Here you enter the information for the computer that you are attempting to contact. Click OK when you are certain that the information you've provided is correct.

Figure H.2

Figure H.3

Figure H.4


NOTE: For your convenience, information in the Country Code, Area Code, and Connect Using sections of the Connect To dialog box is pulled from information you provided when you enabled Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking features. You can alter any of this information simply by typing over the information provided.
4. In the Connect dialog box, shown in Figure H.5, you can accept the default dialing properties or alter them as needed (review the section titled "Dial-Up Networking" for further details). Click the Dial button to initiate the connection.

Figure H.5

5. The Connect dialog box shown in Figure H.6 tracks the status of the connection.

Figure H.6


NOTE: Upon connection to the remote system, you can perform a variety of tasks, including transferring files, online chatting, and controlling remote terminal connectivity. For more information about these topics, refer to a good telecommunications manual.
After the connection is made, you are brought to the main HyperTerminal screen (with the name of your connection in the top border of the window), shown in Figure H.7. This is where all contact with the remote system is made.


NOTE: HyperTerminal can get confusing here: You are connected, but the screen is blank and there is no icon or message telling that you have connected to the remote system correctly. To determine whether you have connected, press Enter once or twice (depending on who you are connecting to, it may take two strokes of the Enter key to initiate the screen information).

Figure H.7

After you are connected, the screen should begin to display information about your connection, as shown in Figure H.8.

Figure H.8

6. You will probably be prompted to enter some sort of user ID and password identification in order to access a remote system. Unfortunately, the password information is repeated back to you clearly onscreen, with no security implemented to keep your information secret.
7. After you have been established as a valid user, most systems prompt you for specific information regarding the features that your PC can handle (such as the number of lines per screen and characters per line that your PC screen is capable of showing, and whether your system can handle ANSI support), as shown in Figure H.9.

Figure H.9

8. After this screen configuration is complete, you may be prompted for more detailed personal information, or you may be taken directly into the practical aspects of the system to which you are connecting.
9. When you finish with the remote system, disconnect from that session. To do this, click the Disconnect icon, shown in Figure H.10.

Figure H.10

As shown in Figure H.11, it looks as though nothing has happened even though the telephone connection has been terminated.
10. To exit the HyperTerminal application, click the File menu option and choose Exit.
11. The message box shown in Figure H.12 appears, prompting you to save your connection configuration. Fill in a name for your connection in order to save it to your hard disk.

Figure H.11

Figure H.12

12. You are returned to the HyperTerminal window from where you started, but now you are able to see the icon, shown in Figure H.13, that represents your new connection.

Figure H.13

13. To reconnect at a later date, return to the screen shown in Figure H.13 and double-click one of the HyperTerminal connection files (these files are the ones with .ht extensions).


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