Configuring Windows 2000 to Connect to the Internet
A. Creating the Dial-up Connection
The first step in configuring Windows 2000 for an Internet connection is to create the connection. To do that, use the following steps:
- Double-click on My Computer.
- Double-click on Control Panel.
- Double-Click on Network and Dial-up Connections.
- Double-Click on the "Make New Connection" icon. This will bring up a "Network Connection Wizard" window.
- Click Next. You will now see a window with five options to choose from. Select the second from the top ("Dial-up to the Internet") by clicking in the circle next to it. Then click Next.
- A new window will appear with three options to choose from. Select the one on the bottom ("I want to set up my Internet connection manually...") and click Next.
- Now you need to tell Windows how you are going to connect to the Internet. Select "I connect through a phone line and modem" and click Next.
B. Entering the Phone Number
- A window similar to Figure 1 will appear.
- Enter "815" in the "Area Code" blank.
- Enter "7536600" in the "Telephone Number" blank.
- Click Next.
Figure 1
Figure 2
C. Entering Logon Information
- For now you may leave the information in these boxes blank and click Next. You will be warned about leaving the boxes blank, but disregard the warnings by clicking Yes.
D. Naming the Connection
- Replace the highlighted text in the box with a meaningful name, like "NIU", "NIU Internet", etc. This will help you to identify it later.
- Click Next.
Figure 3
Now that you have finished entering in all the information, you will be asked if you want to set up an internet mail account. Select "No" and click Next. Now a "Completing the Internet Connection Wizard" screen will appear. If you would like to try connecting right away, then leave the box checked and click Next. Otherwise, uncheck the box and click Next.
E. Connection
Once you have completed Step A, you should be able to access the Internet using your NIU account. But 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
*** If you do not have an account on one of these systems, and you are an NIU student, you need to setup your student e-mail account from one of the labs. NIU faculty or staff should contact the ITS Helpdesk at 815-753-8100.
Double-click on My Computer, then double-click on Control Panel, then double-click on Network and Dial-up Connections. 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 window 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 4. Enter your Username and Password and click on Dial(or press ENTER).
Figure 4
Username
- Students
- Use your Z-number(e.g. z999999).
- Note: There are no periods or context after the Z-number. Use only the "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.
- 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 (815-753-8100 or helpdesk@niu.edu), write down each error message you get exactly as it is displayed.
