Configuring Windows ME to Connect to the Internet
A. Installing the Needed Components
- Double-click on My Computer.
- Double-click on Control Panel. If you see a folder titled "Dial-Up Networking," you already have Dial-Up Networking installed.
B. Installing the TCP/IP Protocol
- Double-click on My Computer.
- Double-click on Control Panel.
- Double-click on Network. (You should see something similar to Figure 1.)
Figure 1
- Click on Add.
- Double-click on Protocol.
- Click on Microsoft in the Manufacturers window.
- Double-click on TCP/IP.
- Click on OK.
C. Adding the Icon
- Double-Click on My Computer.
- Double-Click on Contol Panel.
- Double-Click on Dial-Up Networking.
- Double-Click on Make New Connection.
- For the computer you are dialing, type: NIU
- Your modem should appear in the modem dialogue box. If you do not see it, look in the pull-down menu. If your modem is not in the pull-down menu, refer to your Windows ME manual on installing and configuring a modem before continuing.
- Click on Next.
- The Telephone Number is 815-753-6600.
- Click on Next.
- Click on Finish.
- Click on Next.
- Click on Finish.
D. Configuring the Connection
- Double-click on My Computer.
- Double-click on Control Panel.
- Double-click on Dial-Up Networking.
- Right-click on the connection icon you created and select "Properties". This will pop up a menu similar to the one shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2
- If you do not dial "1-815" when calling the NIU campus, uncheck the "Use area code and Dialing Properties" box.
Figure 3
- Click on Networking. This will change the window to one that is similar to the one in Figure 3.
- The following components should be selected:
- Type of Dial-Up Server:
- PPP: Internet,Windows 2000/NT, Windows ME
- Advanced options:
- Enable Software Compression - Checked
- Record a log file for this connection - Unchecked
- Allowed network protocols:
- NetBEIU - Unchecked
- IPX/SPX Compatible - Unchecked
- TCP/IP - Checked
- Click on TCP/IP Settings. You should see a window similar to Figure 4.
Figure 4
- "Server assigned IP address" should be selected.
- "Server assigned name server addresses" should also be selected.
- "Use IP header compression" and "Use default gateway on remote network" should both be checked.
- Click on OK.
- Click on OK.
E. Connection
Once the necessary components are set up and configured, you should be able to access the Internet using your NIU account. Before proceeding, it is essential that you know the following:
- The server that your incoming e-mail account is on MUST be one of the following because these are the servers that provide PPP internet access for NIU users:
- mail.students.niu.edu NIU student mail server
- gwia2.cso.niu.edu Groupwise server
- mvs.cso.niu.edu MVS server
Double-click on My Computer, then double-click on Control Panel, then double-click on Dial-up Networking. Right-click on the icon of the connection that you just configured and select "Create Shortcut". A box will pop up saying, "Windows cannot create a shortcut here. Do you want the shortcut to be placed on the Desktop instead?" Click on Yes. You will now have a shortcut to the connection on your desktop.
To connect to the Internet, double-click on the shortcut icon that you created. This will bring up a window similar to Figure 5. Enter your Username and Password and click on Connect (or press ENTER).
Figure 5
Username
- Students
- Use your Z-number(e.g. z999999).
- Note: Use only "z" followed by the 6-digit number.
- Faculty and Staff
- Use your Network AccountID.
- Retirees
- If you retired before June of 2000, use your Corn username.
- If you retired after June of 2000, your username will most likely be your first initial followed by your last name (for example, John Doe would be jdoe). If you have trouble connecting using this format, call us at 815-753-8100 for assistance.
Password
- If you have never logged into the NIU network before, your initial password is your birthdate in the form of YYYYMMDD. Change the initial password to a permanent one at password.niu.edu.
- Otherwise use your NIU password.
F. Troubleshooting
- If you get the error message "Dial up Networking could not establish a compatible set of host protocols," make sure your login information is correct. You might have specified an incorrect Username or Password (Note: Username and Password are case sensitive). Make sure your Username is correct by looking at the information above. Also, check the network components listed in "Network" within Control Panel. There should be no more than one TCP/IP.
- If you get timed out while dialing in, the NIU modems may be busy. Try again before you conclude that something is wrong. Also, try connecting in the morning when the Internet traffic is less busy.
- Before you contact the ITS Helpdesk, write down each error message you get exactly as it is displayed.
