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Byway to the Highway -- When my primary Internet link fails, I ride the Web via CompuServe with a little help from Win95.
By Jim Boyce
When a highway is closed because of construction or an accident, clever commuters head for the back roads. Likewise, when my primary Internet connection fails, I confidently head for CompuServe's Internet connection.
There's a minor pothole en route. CompuServe's front end includes Mosaic rather than my preferred Web browser, Microsoft's Internet Explorer. I'd rather use IE, but there's a problem: It doesn't automatically support CompuServe's TCP/IP Dialer program. Not to worry. With a little help from Win95's Dial-Up Networking feature, you can use IE (or Netscape Navigator) to surf the Web via CompuServe.
The first step is installing Dial-Up Networking in Windows 95. To do so, open the Control Panel and choose the Add/Remove Programs icon. Click on the Windows Setup tab to display the Windows Setup page. Scroll through the Components list, select the Communications item, then click on Details. Place a check beside 'Dial-Up Networking'-if it's not already there-then choose OK. If your PC lacks the necessary Dial-Up Networking files, place the Win95 distribution disk or CD in the appropriate drive, and follow the on-screen prompts.
Next, install the TCP/IP protocol. To do so, open the Control Panel and double-click the Network icon. If the TCP/IP protocol is not on the Installed Network Components list, click Add. Select Microsoft from the Manufacturers list, then select TCP/IP from the Protocols list. Click OK and follow the remaining prompts to install the protocol, providing the appropriate Win95 disk or CD if prompted to do so. For now, leave all the settings at their default values.
Now, return to the Configuration page in the Network property sheet. Double-click Dial-Up Adapter in the Installed Components list, then click on the Bindings tab to display the bindings for the adapter. Make sure TCP/IP is enabled, then choose OK.
If your PC is linked to a local area network (LAN), pay close attention: Make sure you don't accidentally install TCP/IP on your LAN if it uses another network protocol, such as SPX/IPX. If you don't want TCP/IP enabled for your LAN, double-click the LAN card's entry in the Components list on the Configuration page. On the Bindings page for the adapter, clear the TCP/IP check box and choose OK. For the changes to take effect, choose OK in the Network property sheet and let Windows 95 restart the system.
After the system restarts, you must add the Dial-Up Scripting tool. It is included on the Win95 CD in the \Admin\Apptools\Dscript folder. Or you can get the file from http://www. microsoft.com/windows/software/admintools.htm. If you're downloading the utility, place it in a new, empty directory (call it Dial-Up Tool, for this example). Next, open the Control Panel and choose Add/Remove Programs. Select the Windows Setup tab, click the Have Disk button and browse either the Dial-Up Tool folder (for those who downloaded the utility) or the Admin\Apptools\Dscript folder (for those with the Win95 CD). Follow the remaining prompts to complete the installation.
Next, open My Computer and double-click the Dial-Up Networking folder. Now, double-click the Make New Connection icon to start the connection wizard. In the first page, specify an appropriate name for the connection (for this example, use CompuServe PPP), and select the modem you'll be using for the connection. On the second page, enter your CompuServe access phone number. If you don't have a local access number, you can use 800-331-7166, for which CompuServe adds a surcharge to your connect time.
On the third page, click Finish to create the connection. Then in the Dial-Up Networking folder, right-click on the newly created CompuServe PPP icon and choose Properties. On the General property page, click the Server Type button. On the Server Types page, specify the settings listed here. Type of Dial-Up Server should be 'PPP: Windows 95, Windows NT 3.5, Internet.' Check the following: Enable software compression; require encrypted password; and TCP/IP. Leave these unchecked: Log on to network; NetBeui; and IPX/SPX compatible.
Next, click the TCP/IP Settings button, and select Server assigned IP address and Specify name server address. Also, choose the following settings: Primary DNS: 149.174.211.5; Secondary DNS: 149.174.213.5; Primary WINS: 0.0.0.0; and Secondary WINS: 0.0.0.0.
Finally, check 'Use IP header compression' and 'Use default gateway on remote network.'
Now that you've completed the settings, click OK three times to close the connection's property sheet.
Next, associate the proper dial-up script with the connection you just created. Choose Start/Programs/Accessories/Dial-Up Scripting Tool to open the Dial-Up Scripting Tool dialog box. From the Connections list, select 'CompuServe PPP.' Click the Browse button to browse for and select the file CIS.SCP, which is located in the Program Files\Accessories folder. Make sure the Step through script check box is empty. Finally, choose Apply, then Close.
Now, you can use Dial-Up Networking to access CompuServe. Double-click the CompuServe connection in the Dial-Up Networking folder, and specify your CompuServe user ID and password in the Connect dialog box. Click Dial when you're ready to connect. Or, to associate the CompuServe connection with Internet Explorer, double-click the Internet icon in the Control Panel. This opens Internet Explorer's property sheet. On the Connection property page, enable the 'Connect to the Internet as needed' check box and choose the CompuServe connection from the drop-down list.
If you're using Netscape, make sure you have a proper Dial-Up Networking connection for CompuServe. To do so, choose Start, Run and enter REGEDIT in the Run dialog box. In the Registry Editor, open the key \HKEY_CURRENT_USER\RemoteAccess. Set the value of the Default setting to the name of the Dial-Up Networking connection (CompuServe PPP). Also set the InternetProfile value to the same connection name. Finally, close the Registry Editor.
To configure WinCIM (CompuServe's graphical interface) for a TCP/IP connection, open WinCIM and choose Special, Session Settings. In the Setup Session Settings dialog box, select from the Connector drop-down list the port to which your modem is connected. From the Dial Type drop-down list, choose Direct. Enable the 'Use Winsock' check box, then click the Configure button. In the Winsock Settings dialog box, enter GATEWAY.COMPUSERVE.COM in the Host Name text box, then choose OK. Choose OK again to close the Setup Session Settings dialog box. To make the connection, open the Dial-Up Networking folder and double-click the CompuServe connection. With your user name and password entered in the Connect To dialog box, click Connect. Finally, switch to the WinCIM interface.
I hope the next time your primary Internet connection fails, you'll be back online in no time using Windows 95 together with CompuServe.
Contributing Editor Jim Boyce is the lead author of Windows NT Advanced Technical Reference (Que, 1996). Contact Jim in the 'Applications' topic of WINDOWS Magazine's areas on America Online and CompuServe. Jim Boyce's e-mail ID is: 76516.3403@compuserve.com
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