Windows 98 From A to Z

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Macromedia Shockwave

Macromedia Shockwave is a multimedia Internet technology experience supported by the major Internet Web browsers on the market today, including Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. Macromedia permits Microsoft to integrate its base Shockwave technology directly into the Internet Explorer 4 Web browser. Because Macromedia is constantly updating its plug-ins (a plug-in is an add-on component you can download and install for use directly with your Web browser), you might want to cruise over to Macromedia's Web site (www.macromedia.com/) and pick up the latest and greatest plug-ins as soon as you install your copy of Windows 98.

Mail

Electronic mail (email) is the method by which you can communicate in writing with another user anywhere on the planet. Email can occur via a corporate network or series of internetworks, or via the Internet. To configure how email is handled by your Windows 98 system, do the following:

1. Right-click the Internet Explorer icon on the Windows 98 desktop and choose Properties from the ensuing shortcut menu, as shown in Figure M.1.

Figure M.1

2. Click the Programs tab in the Internet Properties dialog box to view the screen shown in Figure M.2.

Figure M.2


NOTE: The Messaging area enables you to choose which email package you want to use with the Internet Explorer browser, as well as which Internet news and call software you want to use.
3. Click the down-arrow button of the Mail text box to view the drop-down list box that lists the available email software packages that are compatible with the IE browser (see Figure M.3).

Figure M.3


NOTE: If you have a full Windows 98 installation, you are presented with the Outlook Express and the Windows Messaging options. If you have Office installed on your machine, you'll also have the option of selecting Microsoft Outlook, as shown in Figure M.3.


NOTE: Outlook Express is my favorite, because it makes sending and receiving mail very easy.


NOTE: The Windows Messaging client software is also known as the Inbox or Exchange client, which can be very cumbersome and difficult to configure and use.
4. Click the email package of your choice to select it, and then click the OK button to accept the changes and to close the Internet Properties dialog box.

Check out the section titled "Microsoft Outlook Express" for information about reading and sending mail.

Menus

The menus found throughout Windows 98 enable you to easily access applications, data, and system utilities by using either your mouse or keyboard. When using your mouse to navigate menus, you simply click the menu and command you want. To use your keyboard, you must first determine which keyboard shortcut accesses the menu you need. To do this, simply look for the underlined hotkey in the menu's name. For example, the letter F in the File menu is underlined, indicating that F is the hotkey. Pressing the Alt+F key combination opens the File menu.

Media Player

Windows 98 Media Player enables you to play several types of files including ActiveMovie, Mpact MPEG Decoder, Video for Windows, Sound (WAV), MIDI Sequencer, and CD Audio files (you might be able to play a few other types, depending upon your computer's sound equipment). To use Media Player, do the following:

1. Click the Start button, choose Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, and then Media Player, as shown in Figure M.4.
2. The Media Player window, shown in Figure M.5, opens. To quickly determine which types of files are supported by your equipment, click the Device menu option to view a list of acceptable devices.

Figure M.4

Figure M.5

3. To select a media file for playing, click the File menu option and choose Open. The Open dialog box, shown in Figure M.6, appears.

Figure M.6

4. Navigate to the folder containing the file you want to view, select the file, and then click the Open button. As shown in Figure M.7, you are returned to the Media Player window, and the file you selected (in this case, Beethoven's Fur Elise) is ready to be played.
5. Click the Play button (the one on the far left that resembles a single right arrow). When the music starts, the marker on the timeline moves to show how much time has elapsed and how much is remaining, as shown in Figure M.8.

Figure M.7

Figure M.8

Microsoft Chat 2.1

Microsoft Chat enables you to "chat" (using your keyboard) with others in an Internet chat room. Microsoft Chat is special because it's very visual--everyone appears as a comic book character. You can modify your own character so it demonstrates a range of emotions.


NOTE: If your computer is not powerful enough to support Microsoft Chat's visual elements (that is, its comic-book characters and so on), you can configure it to operate in plain-text format. However, if you change it to operate in plain-text mode, then the primary purpose for using Comic Chat (its visual elements) is lost.

To use the Microsoft Chat application, do the following:

1. Connect to the Internet (refer to the sections titled "Dial-Up Networking" and "Network" for details).
2. Click the Start button, choose Programs, Internet Tools, and then Microsoft Chat, as shown in Figure M.9.
3. In the Enter New Nickname dialog box, shown in Figure M.10, type a descriptive name (your real name is okay, too), and then click the OK button.


NOTE: If you've used Microsoft Chat on your machine before, you bypass the screen shown in Figure M.10.
4. The Connect screen, shown in Figure M.11, appears. Unless you know of other chat servers or chat rooms that you want to visit, leave the defaults in place and click OK to continue.

Figure M.9

Figure M.10

Figure M.11

5. When you enter the Comic Chat room, you first see the "Message of the Day" pop-up window. To move beyond this screen, simply click OK. If you never want to be bothered with this screen during future connections, uncheck the Show This Whenever Connecting check box.
6. Your character, whose name is the same as the nickname specified in the Enter New Nickname screen, now enters an active chat room. Right-click the character and choose Get Profile from the ensuing shortcut menu, as shown in Figure M.12. The result of this query appears in the chat window.

Figure M.12


NOTE: The shortcut menu shown in Figure M.12 provides many options. You can obtain a user profile, identity information, software version, lag time, local time, and email options. If you right-click another user's comic-book character, then the options that are grayed out in Figure M.12 are available for use.
7. To view your Microsoft Chat options, click the View menu item and choose Options. This opens the Personal Info tab of the Microsoft Chat Options dialog box, shown in Figure M.13.

Figure M.13

8. The only field you are required to fill out in this screen is Nickname. (If you've filled in your information but want to change your nickname, simply type over the name you've already supplied in the Nickname field. In this example, I've changed my nickname from Phaedrus to MrMan.) If you want to provide more information about yourself, you can fill out the Real Name, Email Address, WWW Home Page, and Brief Description of Yourself fields.


NOTE: Microsoft Chat does not accept the use of spaces, punctuation marks, and special characters in nicknames. Refrain from using characters other than letters and numbers.


NOTE: If you choose not to enter a personal profile in the Brief Description of Yourself field, your system displays the phrase This Person is too Lazy to Create a Profile Entry by default.
9. Click the Settings tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.14. Here you can configure how Microsoft Chat behaves, including whether Microsoft Chat-specific information is sent to other users, whether users of your machine can visit certain types of chat rooms, whether you hear sounds, and whether you want to receive chat invitations.

Figure M.14

10. Click the Comics View tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.15. Here you can customize the fonts used in Microsoft Chat, and you can change the layout of the Chat window.

Figure M.15


NOTE: If you make your screen four panels wide, the size of each pane in your viewer area will be smaller than if your screen is one panel wide.
11. Click the Character tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.16. When you click a character name in the Character list, that character appears in the Preview box. Click one of the facial expressions in the area below the Preview box to change the expression--and thus, convey the mood--of your character. Select the character and expression that you want to use in your chat sessions.

Figure M.16

12. Click the Background tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.17. When you click a background name in the Background list, that background appears in the Preview area.

Figure M.17

13. Click the Automation tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.18. This screen enables you to set a greeting to be displayed each time someone enters a chat room that you are hosting (to host a chat room, you must be the first person to arrive in a room).

Figure M.18


NOTE: The Macros area of the Automation tab enables you to create a macro that you can use to send messages. For more information about this feature, click the Help button in the upper-right corner of the dialog box.
14. Click the Apply button to apply your changes.
15. Click OK to exit the Microsoft Chat Options dialog box and return to your chat room.
16. Type what you want your character to say in the long white box at the bottom of the screen, press Enter, and voilà! As shown in the bottom-left pane in Figure M.19, your character starts speaking to everyone else in the chat room.

Figure M.19

17. To exit Chat, either click the x button in the upper-right corner of this screen or click the File menu option and choose Exit.


NOTE: You can print Chat sessions by clicking the File menu option and choosing Print. To save your Chat session for future use, click the File menu and choose Save As. You will be prompted to type a descriptive name for your Chat session, which is saved with a .ccc file extension.

Microsoft FrontPage Express

Microsoft FrontPage Express provides a quick and easy way for you to create your own web page that can be viewed on your PC (see the section titled "Personal Web Server" for more information) or on the Internet (assuming your ISP can host your pages). To use Microsoft FrontPage Express, do the following:

1. Click the Start button, choose Programs, Internet Tools, and then FrontPage Express, as shown in Figure M.20.

Figure M.20

2. The FrontPage Express window, shown in Figure M.21, opens. If you are an HTML programming wizard, then you can just start typing and create yourself a web site. But if you are like the rest of us, you will probably find it easier to modify an existing web site to get the hang of things. To open a web site, click the File menu and choose Open.

Figure M.21


NOTE: Remember that the text and graphics of web sites belonging to both companies and individuals are their own and that copyright and trademark laws do apply. Although I do suggest you use other web sites for learning purposes, I strongly recommend that you never use anyone else's work on your own web site. The only time it's acceptable to borrow from other web sites is if you have written permission to do so. Failure to do so is, well, a bad thing.
3. The Open File dialog box, shown in Figure M.22, opens. If you want to find an existing web page or site on your local computer or network, select the From File option button and then enter the path name to the file in the corresponding text box (click Browse if you don't know the path name). Select the From Location option button if you want to pull a copy of a web page from the Internet or from an intranet/extranet, and then type the URL of the site you want to access (in this example, I've typed http://www.microsoft.com).

Figure M.22

4. Click the OK button to retrieve the web page and return to the FrontPage window, as shown in Figure M.23. The screen is filled with graphics and strange-looking characters.

Figure M.23

5. To examine the HTML code that makes the graphical features of the site possible, click the View menu option and select HTML.
6. The View or Edit HTML window, shown in Figure M.24, opens. View the contents of this window to get a feel for how HTML operates.

Figure M.24


NOTE: HTML code is not as difficult or complex as it looks. HTML simply uses tags to format text and other elements of a Web page. For example, to place a title on your Web page, you enclose the title text with the <title></title> tags (in other words, simply type whatever text you want to appear as your title between these two tags). To take a closer look at HTML, pick up Sams Teach Yourself HTML 3.2 in 24 Hours by Dick Oliver.


NOTE: If your goal is to quickly and easily create your own web sites, I urge you to purchase a book on HTML (The Complete Idiot's Guide to HTML by Paul McFedries is a good one). Alternatively, I recommend upgrading to the full Microsoft FrontPage 98 software package. This package provides many of the very advanced features found in web sites around the Internet.

Microsoft NetMeeting

Microsoft NetMeeting permits you to host or join virtual meetings across the Internet, without having to incur the expense of long-distance telephone calls or purchasing additional software.

Configuring NetMeeting

To configure NetMeeting for use, do the following:

1. Click the Start button, choose Programs, Internet Tools, and then Microsoft NetMeeting, as shown in Figure M.25.

Figure M.25


NOTE: If you've used NetMeeting on your machine before, then you are taken directly into the primary NetMeeting screen shown in Figure M.36.
2. If this is the first time you've used NetMeeting, the Microsoft NetMeeting Configuration Wizard is automatically started. The first screen of this wizard, shown in Figure M.26, simply describes what you can accomplish by using NetMeeting. Click the Next button to continue.

Figure M.26

3. The wizard's second screen, shown in Figure M.27, enables you to specify whether you are logged on to a directory server when NetMeeting starts and, if so, which server you want to use. After you make your selections, click Next to continue.

Figure M.27


NOTE: The directory server is the computer that hosts the Internet conference call meeting, and all intended participants must use the same one. It is suggested that you use the default server provided by Microsoft until you find or create others for your own purposes.
4. The wizard's third screen, shown in Figure M.28, enables you to enter information about yourself in order to identify you to the other participants on the meeting server. You must enter information in the First Name, Last Name, and E-mail Address fields before clicking the Next button in order to continue.

Figure M.28


NOTE: Before you get riled up about putting your personal information on the Internet for all to see, just remember that you need not provide accurate information. You could, for example, enter Chicago as your first name, Cubs as last name, and WorldSeries@1998 as your email address if you so desired. NetMeeting does not verify that the information you provide is correct.
5. The fourth screen of the wizard, shown in Figure M.29, enables you to categorize your information. This screen is important if children share your computer with you, because it allows you to filter content that is inappropriate. After you make your selection, click the Next button to continue.

Figure M.29


NOTE: If you select the For Adults-only Use radio button, you will encounter dozens of NetMeeting participants whose only purpose appears to be for the trafficking or discussion of pornography.
6. In the fifth screen of the wizard, shown in Figure M.30, you specify the speed of your network connection. If the type of connection you use does not appear on this screen, click the option that most closely matches the speed of your connection device. For example, because I use a cable modem, which is much faster than any of the listed options, I have selected the Local Area Network option because it is the fastest one available. After you select your connection speed, click Next to continue.

Figure M.30


NOTE: If you specify a speed that is too fast for your modem, the graphics and content might be forwarded to you in a manner that your modem cannot handle. This, in turn, can lead to lost information.
7. The sixth screen of the wizard, shown in Figure M.31, enables you to specify which video capture device (camera) you will use to display your picture to others in the NetMeeting session. Choose the name of your camera from the drop-down list and then click Next.

Figure M.31

8. The first screen of the Audio Tuning wizard, shown in Figure M.32, appears. Before continuing with this wizard, you must close all applications that play or record sounds, such as CD Player or Sound Recorder. Click Next to continue.

Figure M.32

9. Use the second screen of the Audio Tuning wizard, shown in Figure M.33, to adjust your sound card's playback volume. Simply move the Volume slider and then click the Test button to hear a sample sound. When you are satisfied with the playback volume, click the Next button.

Figure M.33

10. In the third screen of the Audio Tuning wizard, shown in Figure M.34, you can test and adjust sound input levels. Simply move the Record Volume slider and speak the test phrase shown in the screen into the microphone (you'll probably need to play with this setting until you find one you like). Click the Next button to continue.

Figure M.34

11. The final screen of the Audio Tuning wizard, shown in Figure M.35, appears. To confirm your configuration settings, click Finish. You'll see the Microsoft NetMeeting main window.

Figure M.35

Using NetMeeting

Once NetMeeting is configured for use, you can use it to video conference with others. To use NetMeeting, follow these steps:

1. When you first enter the NetMeeting window (either by completing the NetMeeting and Audio Tuning Wizards or by clicking the Start button, choosing Programs, Internet Tools, and then Microsoft NetMeeting), you'll notice that you are not yet connected to any conference calls or directory servers. Click the down-arrow button to the right of the Category text field and choose a category from the drop-down list.


NOTE: The available categories are Business, Personal, and Pleasure. The Business and Personal options are for persons of all ages and tastes. The Pleasure category, also known as the Adult Content category, is definitely not for children.
2. Click the down-arrow button to the right of the Server text field and choose a server from the drop-down list. Until you become more familiar with Microsoft NetMeeting, I recommend that you stick with one of the default Microsoft servers, as shown in Figure M.36.

Figure M.36

3. Press the Enter key to initiate the connection, and your screen lists the other users on this directory server, as shown in Figure M.37.

Figure M.37


NOTE: Be aware that your children may encounter some folks on the business- and family-oriented servers who are trolling for their own pornographic interests, as shown in Figure M.37 (look at the fifth entry from the bottom to get a clearer idea of what I mean). The best solution is close parental supervision when younger children use NetMeeting across the Internet.


NOTE: You must have established a connection to the Internet if the server you are attempting to contact is located somewhere else in cyberspace (that is, if you are attempting to connect to a server not found on your local intranet). This includes all the Microsoft servers as well.
4. To join a call in progress, double-click any entry that sports an asterisk on the left-hand side of its computer monitor icon.


NOTE: The people in the call you are attempting to join can reject your entry if they so choose. Do not be surprised if you are unable to join in a call.
5. To make your own call, click the Call toolbar button and follow the prompts.

Changing NetMeeting Settings

If you need to reconfigure any of the settings you specified in the NetMeeting Configuration Wizard, do the following:

1. Click the Call menu option and choose Change My Information. This opens the My Information tab of the Options dialog, shown in Figure M.38.

Figure M.38

2. Enter your contact information and specify how your information should be categorized.


NOTE: You are free to use fictional names in NetMeeting if you prefer to remain anonymous.
3. Click the General tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.39. Here you can reconfigure many of the options set in the NetMeeting Configuration Wizard, including the speed of the connection and the basic NetMeeting operations. You can also specify the Windows 98 folder that you want to use to store files transmitted to you during the course of a NetMeeting conference call.

Figure M.39

4. Click the Calling tab to view the screen shown in M.40. Here you can set the name of the directory server that should be used when you first enter NetMeeting. You can also specify that, for privacy, your name not be listed in the directory; people who already know your email address will still be able to contact you.

Figure M.40

5. Click the Audio tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.41. Because you set many of these options in the Audio Tuning Wizard (which you used while configuring NetMeeting for use), it is recommended that the options on this screen should not be modified. However, you can rerun the Audio Tuning Wizard by clicking the Tuning Wizard button.

Figure M.41

6. Click the Video tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.42. Here you can configure the level of video quality, the size of the image you send, and whether you send or receive video at the start of each call.

Figure M.42


NOTE: The better the quality and the larger the size of the video images sent and received, the slower the NetMeeting call appears to operate. Unless you have a high-speed network connection, it is recommended that you specify Faster Video instead of Better Quality in the Video Quality area, and either Small or Medium in the Send Image Size area.


NOTE: If you do not have a camera attached to your PC, then the settings in this screen do not pertain to you.

7. Click the Protocols tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.43. Here you can add or remove protocols (such as TCP/IP and the like) and set the properties of protocols by clicking the Properties button.

Figure M.43

8. Click the OK button to accept changes and to return to the primary NetMeeting window.

Using NetMeeting Tools NetMeeting offers a variety of tools to make conference calling more efficient. To access these tools, click the Tools menu option, as shown in Figure M.44. Available tools enable you to do the following:

Figure M.44

Microsoft NetShow Player

NetShow enables the transmission of multimedia communications across networks such as the Internet. It can support live audio and video to users on the network without consuming the network's available bandwidth. NetShow Player enables you to view this content on your PC. To use NetShow Player, do the following:

1. Click the Start button, choose Programs, Internet Explorer, and then NetShow Player, as shown in Figure M.45.

Figure M.45

2. The Microsoft NetShow Player window, shown in Figure M.46, appears. To open a file to view with NetShow Player, click the File menu option and then choose Open.

Figure M.46

3. Navigate to the file you want to view and then click the Open button.
4. Click the Play button in the NetShow Player window (this button resembles a right arrow) to begin playing the NetShow content, as shown in Figure M.47.

Figure M.47

If the screen looks a little fuzzy or the sound isn't good, you can modify NetShow Player's settings by doing the following:

1. Click the View menu option and choose Play Settings, as shown in Figure M.48.

Figure M.48

2. The Settings tab of the Microsoft NetShow Player Properties dialog box opens, as shown in Figure M.49. This tab enables you to change how many times the NetShow file you are viewing plays, whether the stream should be rewound when if finishes playing, the size of the playing window, and the available controls.

Figure M.49

3. Click the Codecs tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.50. Here you can see which CODECs are operational on your computer (for more information about CODECs, refer to the section titled "CODECs").


NOTE: Microsoft provides a web site where you can obtain more information regarding NetShow CODECs at http://www.microsoft.com /netshow/codecs.htm.
4. Click the Advanced tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.51. This tab enables you to modify the manner in which data is transmitted and received by the NetShow Player software.

Figure M.50

Figure M.51


NOTE: Unless you are very well acquainted with the TCP/IP protocol suite, the HTTP protocol, and data buffering, I suggest that you leave the default settings in place for this screen.


NOTE: If you are using the Microsoft NetShow Player in a corporate environment, contact your network administrator(s) for further assistance in tuning the Advanced settings for your NetShow Player environment.
5. Click OK to accept changes and to close the Microsoft NetShow Player Properties dialog box.

The Microsoft NetShow Player Properties dialog box also includes various informational screens. Although you cannot enter new information into these screens, viewing them can be helpful if you encounter problems with a file.

Figure M.52

Figure M.53

Figure M.54

Figure M.55

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office is the most popular of the three major office suites presently available in the computer marketplace (the other two are Lotus SmartSuite and Corel Office). Microsoft Office has two flavors: standard and professional. The standard version comes with Microsoft Word (a word processor), Microsoft Excel (a spreadsheet application), Microsoft PowerPoint (a business
presentation program), and Microsoft Outlook (a personal information manager/email client). The professional edition contains all the applications offered by the standard version, plus Microsoft Access (a database program).

Microsoft Office works very well with Windows 98, providing some additional integration in the realm of electronic messaging that you normally would not find in other office suites's products.

Microsoft Outlook Express

Microsoft Outlook Express is a slimmed-down version of the full-blown Microsoft Outlook email package that comes with Microsoft Office. Outlook Express provides a fully functional POP3 email client that can also access Internet newsgroups.

Outlook Express is able to handle multiple Internet mail connection points simultaneously, a feature not found in most other Internet email software. Suppose, for example, that you have an Internet mail account at work, another one at home, and a third at your spouse's school. Outlook Express enables you to send and receive email to and from all three Internet connections simultaneously instead of requiring you to log in and log out of each one individually. Starting Outlook Express To access Outlook Express, click the Start button and then choose Programs, Internet Explorer, and Outlook Express, as shown in Figure M.56. The Inbox folder of main Outlook Express window, shown in Figure M.57, opens.

Figure M.56

Figure M.57

Composing a New Message To compose a message to be sent to another user on your LAN or across the Internet, do the following:

1. Click the Compose menu option and choose New Message Using. As shown in Figure M.58, a submenu of stationery options appears.

Figure M.58


NOTE: If you want to send a message without using stationery, simply choose New Message from the Compose menu.
2. Click the stationery you want to use.
3. In the ensuing Compose New Message screen, shown in Figure M.59, type the recipient's email address and then type your message.

Figure M.59

4. Click the Send button to move the message to your Outlook Express Outbox folder.

Sending and Receiving Mail

To transmit messages from Outlook Express to other people on your LAN or across the Internet, and to receive messages that others have sent to you, click the Tools menu option and choose Send and Receive. All the messages in your Outbox folder are sent, and all messages waiting for you at your ISP or local post office are received and placed in your Inbox folder. Reading and Replying to Mail Reading email within Outlook Express is very easy:

1. Click the Inbox icon (located under the Outlook Express icon in the left pane) to select it. A list of messages (if there are any) appears in the right-hand pane, as shown in Figure M.60.
2. Double-click any of the messages that appear in the list. The message you selected opens, as shown in Figure M.61.
3. To reply to this message, click either the Reply to Author or the Reply to All button, as shown in Figure M.62.
4. A Message Reply screen opens, as shown in Figure M.63. Type your reply and then click the Send button.

Figure M.60

Figure M.61

Figure M.62

Figure M.63


NOTE: You can send one or more message attachments with any email message from Outlook Express. To attach a file, either click the paper-clip icon or click the Insert menu option and choose File Attachment. You are then prompted to select the file you want to attach. Do so and then send the message as normal.

Configuring Outlook Express To reach the Outlook Express Options dialog box, where you can configure Outlook Express to better suit your needs, click Tools and then Options. The following screens are available:

Figure M.64

Figure M.65

Figure M.66


NOTE: The Download xxx Headers at a Time option enables you to specify how many email message headers (that is, author and subject lines) you want to download during a single connection session. This can be useful in the event you get spammed (barraged with electronic junk mail). For example, suppose a spammer sends you dozens of messages about free trips, free cash, or whatever. If you download the header files for these types of messages, you can delete them on your ISP's mail server without downloading the full text of their messages to your PC.


NOTE: Click the Fonts button to specify the font in which all messages are displayed. Click the International Settings button to configure Outlook Express for use with other languages.

Figure M.67


NOTE: Click the More Info button in the Digital IDs section for information on this very complex topic.

Figure M.68

Figure M.69


NOTE: If you have a network (LAN/WAN) connection to the Internet or to your email post office, or if you do not use a modem, you should skip this section.

Figure M.70

Establishing an Email Account
You cannot participate in newsgroups or send email until you've established an account with an ISP. To establish an account, do the following:

1. In the main Outlook Express window, click the Tools menu option and select Accounts.
2. Click the Mail tab in the ensuing Internet Accounts screen to view any existing accounts (if you don't have an account, this tab is empty, as shown in Figure M.71).

Figure M.71

3. Click the Add button and select Mail from the ensuing shortcut menu. The first screen of the Internet Connection Wizard, shown in Figure M.72, appears.
4. Type the Display Name for your Internet mail account (this is the name that appears in the From field of outgoing messages) and click Next to continue.

Figure M.72


NOTE: I usually refrain from using my real name in this field, but if you are a corporate environment, this might not be a wise decision. (In other words, use your real name if you are at work.)
5. In the Internet E-mail Address window, shown in Figure M.73, type the email address assigned to you by your ISP or company email administrator, and then click Next to continue.

Figure M.73

6. Enter the names of your email servers in the E-mail Server Names window, shown in Figure M.74. You must also specify the type of your incoming email server. If this is an ISP account, the email server is probably a POP3 mail server (when in doubt, use POP3 as your default). Click Next to continue.


NOTE: Contact your ISP or local email administrator if you need help filling out this screen.
7. The Internet Mail Logon screen, shown in Figure M.75, enables you to specify your user name and password, or to specify that Secure Password Authentication (SPA) be used. After you make your selection, click Next to continue.

Figure M.74

Figure M.75


NOTE: When you employ secure password authentication, your logon information is sent in an encrypted state, which means it will be more secure than a standard POP3 mail logon. The standard POP3 method is clear text, so just about anyone can determine what your user ID and password is, provided they have a sniffer somewhere between your machine and your ISP's server.
8. In the Friendly Name screen, shown in Figure M.76, type a name for your account that will be easy for you to remember, and then click Next to continue.
9. In the Choose Connection Type screen, shown in Figure M.77, select the method that best describes how you plan to connect to the Internet (in this example, I have chosen the Connect Using My Local Area Network (LAN) option because I use a cable modem connection, which means that I have a high-speed LAN connection directly to my ISP via the fiber optic cable TV lines in my area). Click Next to continue.

Figure M.76


NOTE: If you connect to your ISP via a Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking connection at the beginning of a Windows 98 session and would like to start your email connection at will, you should select the Connect Using My Local Area Network (LAN) option. If you select Connect Using My Phone Line, your Outlook email software automatically tries to dial your connection to the Internet, even if you are already connected.

Figure M.77

10. To save your settings, click Finish, as shown in Figure M.78. You are then returned to the Internet Accounts screen, where the new account appears, as shown in Figure M.79.
11. Click the Close button to exit the Internet Accounts screen and return to the main Outlook Express window.

Figure M.78

Figure M.79

Microsoft Plus! 98

Just as with Windows 95, there is a Plus! Package for the Windows 98 operating system. When fully installed, the Microsoft Plus! 98 package consumes 188.8MB of hard disk drive space. Microsoft Plus! 98 comes with numerous utilities, including the following:

Microsoft VRML 2.0

Support for the Virtual Reality Modeling Language 2.0 (VRML) is built into the Internet Explorer 4 web browser. The contents of a VRML file are better known as a world. A VRML file resides on a web site just like an HTML file does and VRML files come in the format of a text file, usually with a .wrl extension.

Microsoft Wallet

Microsoft Wallet is an Internet Explorer web browser feature that permits you to store personal information about yourself in electronic format that you might otherwise keep in a wallet (such as your name, address, home and work telephone numbers, ship-to address, bill-to address, and credit card numbers with expiration dates). When you want to purchase something from a web site that supports Microsoft Wallet (not too many do as of yet), you can securely transmit your information from your electronic wallet directly to that web site's purchasing information page. That way, you don't have to type in all that information! To use Wallet, do the following:

1. Right-click the Internet Explorer icon on the Windows 98 desktop, and choose Properties from the ensuing shortcut menu, as shown in Figure M.80.

Figure M.80

2. Click the Content tab in the Internet Properties dialog box to view the screen shown in Figure M.81. Click the Addresses button near the bottom of the screen.

Figure M.81

3. The information you enter in the Address Options screen, shown in Figure M.82, is what is sent whenever you initiate commerce over the Web. Keep in mind that these are street addresses and not email addresses. Address files can be added, edited, or deleted from the Address Options screen. When you are finished entering information in this screen, click the Close button to return to the Internet Properties screen.

Figure M.82

4. Click the Payments button below the Addresses button to view the Payment Options screen, shown in Figure M.83. The information you enter in the Payment Options screen is what is sent whenever you initiate commerce over the Web. Credit card files can be added, edited, or deleted from the Payment Options screen.

Figure M.83

5. Click the Add button; you will be prompted for the type of credit card you want to add (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or Discover Card).
6. After you select the credit-card type, a data-entry screen appears for that type of card. Enter the card number, expiration date, and cardholder's name in the appropriate fields.
7. Click the OK button to return to the Payment Options screen; click Close to return to the Internet Properties dialog box, and click OK again to complete the modification process.

To view and edit your Microsoft Wallet user profile, do the following:

1. Click the Edit Profile button that appears just above the Microsoft Wallet area of the Internet Properties dialog box.
2. Update or enter any pertinent information in the Properties dialog box, shown in Figure M.84.

Figure M.84


NOTE: Most of the information that can be entered into this screen will save you time when you make electronic purchases from your browser.
3. Click OK to return to the Internet Properties dialog box, and click OK again to complete the modification process.

Microsoft Windows 98 DOS and MS-DOS Prompt

Despite the fact that Windows 98 is a GUI environment, DOS is still an important aspect of the operating system. To access and use the MS-DOS Prompt, do the following:

1. Click the Start button, choose Programs, and then MS-DOS Prompt, as shown in Figure M.85.

Figure M.85

2. The MS-DOS Prompt window, shown in Figure M.86, opens. Simply type the command you want to execute and press Enter.

Figure M.86

There are literally dozens of documented and undocumented DOS commands. However, there are a few commands that you should avoid unless you know how to use them properly:


NOTE: A few DOS commands, such as Fdisk, Format, and Debug, should be used with extreme care. You should never play with these commands to figure out what they do or how to use them properly. For example, Fdisk and Debug both enable you to quickly and irrevocably destroy the contents of your entire hard drive.

Countless books and magazines cover the subject of disk operating systems such as MS-DOS, and you would be wise to invest in one before reconfiguring portions of Windows 98 through the DOS prompt.

Modems

The term modem literally means modulator-demodulator. In English, a modem is a hardware device that translates the bits of information from your computer into bits of data that an analog telephone line (such as the one you call your mom on every week) can understand enough to transport it to another computer's modem (where the process is reversed).

To see what modems you have installed in your computer, and for a quick lesson in determining whether a modem is working, do the following:

1. Click the Start button, choose Settings, and then Control Panel, as shown in Figure M.87.
2. Double-click the Modems icon in the Control Panel window, shown in Figure M.88.
3. The modem(s) listed in the General tab of the Modems Properties dialog box is installed in your computer (see Figure M.89). To determine whether that modem is properly communicating with Windows 98, click the Diagnostics tab.

Figure M.87

Figure M.88

Figure M.89


NOTE: If the top box in the General tab of the Modems Properties dialog box is empty, this means no dial-up modems are properly installed in your computer. However, it is also possible to see a cable modem installed and working properly appear in the box; but this is not the norm.
4. All the available communications ports are listed in the Diagnostics tab (shown in Figure M.90), as is the name of the modem installed on each port (in the event you have more than one modem connected to your PC). Select a modem by clicking its port and then click the More Info button to check the communications capabilities of that modem.

Figure M.90

5. The More Info screen, shown in Figure M.91, appears. If the modem is working properly, as is the case in this example, then this screen contains useful information. For instance, you can determine which communications port and interrupt your modem uses. Click the OK button to return to the previous screen.

Figure M.91


NOTE: If no responses are indicated in the box at the bottom, it is likely that the connection between your PC and the modem has failed, or that your modem is not working properly (perhaps because the wrong software drivers are loaded, or because the modem is broken).
6. Click the General tab in the Modems Properties dialog, and then click the Properties button to review and configure the highlighted modem in the Modem Name Properties dialog box (the General tab of this dialog is shown in Figure M.92).

Figure M.92

7. The General tab enables you to set the maximum speed at which the modem should attempt to connect, and how loud your modem is when it connects.


NOTE: If you have a 19.2Kbps modem, setting it at 57.6Kbps does not make your modem work faster; it only tells Windows 98 that maybe your modem can transmit information faster than it actually does.
8. Click the Connection tab to view information about how the parity data bits are set, how your call preferences are set, how well the port settings are configured, and how well your advanced settings are configured (see Figure M.93).


NOTE: Windows 98 does an excellent job of configuring the settings in the Connection tab whenever a new modem is installed, so if you do not understand these complex terms, you can safely leave them alone.

Figure M.93


NOTE: To access either port settings or advanced settings, click the Port Settings or Advanced button, respectively.
9. Click the Distinctive Ring tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.94. This screen enables you to configure how the modem will sound if you are using it for inbound telephone calls.

Figure M.94


NOTE: In order for you to be able to configure how your modem sounds, your telephone line must support distinctive ring services. Check with your local telephone company for more information.


NOTE: If no Distinctive Ring tab appears on your Modem Name Properties dialog box, it indicates that your modem device is incapable of supporting this option.
10. Click the Forwarding tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.95. If applicable, click the This Phone Line Has Call Forwarding check box, and type the proper activation and deactivation codes for your line (your local telephone company should provide these codes to you).

Figure M.95


NOTE: In order for you to be able to enter information in the Forwarding tab, your telephone line must support forwarding. Check with your local telephone company for more information.


NOTE: If no Forwarding tab appears on your Modem Name Properties dialog box, it indicates that your modem device is incapable of supporting this option.
11. Click the OK button to accept any changes. You are returned to the General tab of the Modems Properties dialog box.
12. Click the Dialing Properties button to open the screen shown in Figure M.96. Here you set the location(s) from which you are dialing, as well as any special codes that must first be dialed to reach an outside line, in order to disable call waiting or caller ID, or to use a calling card. When you are satisfied with your selections, click OK to return to the Modems Properties dialog, and click OK again to accept your changes.

Figure M.96

Mouse

The mouse is one of the most important pieces of hardware on your computer system. Without one, it is virtually impossible to be productive on a Windows 98 PC.

Most mice have two buttons: a primary one (usually the left button) and a secondary one (usually the right button). Some mice have a third button or a rolling ball or wheel (as is the case with the Microsoft IntelliPoint mouse) in the middle.

To configure your mouse to best suit your needs, do the following:

1. Install it according to your mouse manufacturer's specifications.


NOTE: Your mouse most likely has a tiny attachment on the end of the cable that plugs into a specific port on the back of your PC. (If your mouse's connection looks like the one for the keyboard, refer to your computer's documentation to figure out where your keyboard and mouse connections belong).
2. Install the software drivers that came with the mouse that you purchased (if this is a new computer with pre-installed software, chances are that your mouse software has already been installed for you).
3. Click the Start button, choose Settings, and then click Control Panel, as shown in Figure M.97.
4. Double-click the Mouse icon in the Control Panel window shown in Figure M.98.

Figure M.97

Figure M.98


NOTE: The next several screens are for the Microsoft IntelliPoint mouse, which has a rolling wheel in addition to primary and secondary buttons. If you do not have this type of mouse, many of these screens will vary. In those cases, consult the documentation that came with your mouse so that you can configure it for Windows 98.
5. The StepSavers tab of the Mouse Properties dialog, shown in Figure M.99, has four timesaving options: SnapTo, Focus, ClickSaver, and SmartSpeed. These features give you the ability to make things happen faster with fewer mouse clicks or movements. Carefully read each option before making your choices.

Figure M.99

6. Click the Pointers tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.100. This tab enables you to change how your mouse pointer appears onscreen. To change your mouse pointer, click the down-arrow button next to the Scheme text box to view a drop-down list of available pointer schemes (in this example, the Mouse scheme has been selected).

Figure M.100

7. Click the Apply button to accept the scheme you've selected.
8. Click the Basics tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.101. Here you can specify how quickly your pointer moves, which button is the primary, which is the secondary (this is useful if you are left-handed), and the double-click speed.

Figure M.101

9. Click the Visibility tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.102. Click these options to specify whether you want your pointer to vanish while you type, to display pointer trails, or to automatically wrap to the opposite edge of the screen when you start a new line. You can also select the Sonar option, which displays a target around your mouse pointer whenever you press the Ctrl key on your keyboard.

Figure M.102

10. Click the Productivity tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.103. My personal favorite, the Odometer section, lets you see how far your mouse pointer has traveled across your monitor since the day you installed it.

Figure M.103

11. Click the Wheel tab to view the screen shown in Figure M.104. In addition to enabling you to scroll up and down screens by simply rolling the wheel forward or backward, the wheel can also act as a button when you press it. To change the button features of the wheel, click the down-arrow button to the right of the Button Assignment text box. Then you can select from the list of tasks the wheel can perform: double-click, get help (F1), start Windows Explorer, or open the Start menu. Press the wheel, and the action you assigned should occur instantly.

Figure M.104

12. Click the Apply button to accept changes to the mouse wheel.
13. Click the OK button to exit the Mouse Properties screen.

Multilanguage Support

Microsoft Windows 98 provides a series of options that permit the support of other languages within the operating system. To install any of the language options, do the following:

1. Click the Start button, choose Settings, and then click Control Panel, as shown in Figure M.105.

Figure M.105

2. Click the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel Window, shown in Figure M.106.

Figure M.106


NOTE: For more information about the Add/Remove Programs feature, refer to the section titled "Add/Remove Programs."
3. Click the Windows Setup tab in the Add/Remove Programs screen.
4. Highlight the Multilanguage Support option in the Components list. A description of the component appears in the Description box, informing you of the available languages, as shown in Figure M.107.

Figure M.107

5. Place a check mark next to the Multilanguage Support option and then click the Details button to view the screen shown in Figure M.108. This screen enables you to install only a portion of the multilanguage support (that is, you can install a single language instead of installing all of them).

Figure M.108

6. Select the language you want to install and then click OK. The necessary files are installed.
7. Click OK in the Windows Setup tab to exit the Add/Remove Programs dialog box.
8. If prompted, insert the Windows 98 CD-ROM.
9. Reboot your computer.

Multimedia

The multimedia features of Windows 98 allow a computer to handle audio and video content in a more pleasing manner, as well as to provide you with a more user-friendly way in which to learn new things and perform tasks.

To view multimedia content in Windows 98, you can use the ActiveMovie control. For information on using ActiveMovie, refer to the section titled "ActiveMovie Control."

My Computer

The My Computer icon found on the Windows 98 desktop provides you with a quick means to explore your computer. Double-click it to open an Explorer-type window that enables you to peruse your hard drive just as you do with the Windows Explorer utility.


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