1) Manual Setup (for use with your purchased browser)

2) Preconfigured FOURnet software for Windows

Manual Setup using the Windows 95 Internet Wizard is the easiest method for those users who have prior experience with setting up PPP or using the Internet, or for users who wish to configure their own purchased software.

If you have a Mac, Unix, linux, or Windows NT machine, follow the documentation provided with your software, supplying the necessary IP address information which is provided below.

To setup your PC for TCP/IP manually, you'll need TCP/IP software and a browser. In this method, you can enter FOURnet's Internet numbers and addresses into your software's configuration options. We recommend using a browser downloaded from either the Microsoft Online Web page at the URL:

http://www.microsoft.com/ie 

or from Netscape at

http://home.netscape.com 

to avoid common problems which may be encountered when you install your browser from a purchased CD.

Some of the versions of browsers which you may purchase or receive on demo disks attempt to install other TCP/IP software, and enter the IP (Internet Protocol) addresses of Internet providers not located within the local calling area; (this situation would be similar to dialing the wrong telephone number) such as Netcom, GNN, MSN, etc. when they install your browser, overwriting any configuration information that you may have already entered into your TCP/IP software, causing your connection to fail. If this happens, you will be forced to re-install your software, and manually check your configuration settings to verify that you’re using the appropriate IP addresses.

If you absolutely must install using one of these demo or purchased browser versions, choose the "Custom" installation option, and do not allow the program to install any TCP/IP configuration information, or anything other than the browser program itself.

For your convenience, we provide a pre-configured version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer which is available online for downloading free of charge, or if you are unable to download the software from FOURnet directly, you may order the software from us for a minimal charge to cover postage and duplication costs.

Because of the many differences in PC configurations, neither Microsoft nor FOURnet warrant that this software will operate correctly on your unique PC. In this case, you can still use purchased software and the manual configuration method to get your PC connected to the Internet.

To download Windows 95 or Windows 3.1 software directly from our ftp site, enter the following URL in your browser’s address box:

ftp://ftp.four.net/pub/ppp/win31/ 

or

ftp://ftp.four.net/pub/ppp/win95/ 

Click on the files found there, and a file transfer will begin. This may take some time, so be patient and wait for the file to download as some of the files are large. Before you begin the download, be sure that you have at least 10 megabytes of free space on your PC's disk drive where the file will be downloaded. If you have call waiting on your telephone service, disable it prior to calling to avoid being disconnected during the download process.

NOTE: Before you begin your installation, be sure to remove any AOL software, versions of Netscape, or whatever other TCP/IP software you have installed as this makes the process much less confusing, and more likely to succeed. 90% of installation problems are the result of a previous Internet service installation, so this is an important step. Usually when your setup fails and you have a previous install, it's because your setup is really using the old configuration information, using the wrong IP addresses, incorrect telephone numbers, etc.

If this is the case, you will need to go over the IP address information included in the manual installation instructions, and do a manual installation, checking each IP address. When you have verified that you're using FOURnet's IP addresses in the configuration files, you can attempt to establish a connection. If you continue to have trouble, please fill in a "Trouble Report" form by pointing your browser at:

http://www2.four.net/cgi-win/form.exe/trouble

and provide a complete description of the trouble, including any error messages which you may be receiving as well as the exact date and time which the problem occurred. Or send a detailed description by email to: support@FOUR.net or by FAX to 508-295-5492.

If you purchase other software for use with your Internet connection, you will also need to enter these IP addresses manually. In most cases, your software will come with documentation which describes how to configure the Internet addresses. It will be listed as "information which you need to obtain from your Internet provider".

In addition to entering the correct IP address information into your software, you'll also need to enter your FOURnet username and password. When you enter your username, use all lowercase letters, and don't use spaces. Your username is your login or "screen" name and is eight characters or less in length. Your password must also be entered exactly, both for your login, and also in your email software. If you get the error message "login incorrect" it's very likely that you've entered either your username or password incorrectly. Try again.

If you receive an error message about your password or "login incorrect" when trying to access mail but not when you're browsing, then check the email software's configuration settings, making sure that you have the correct username and password combination, and that the mail host has been configured as "mail.four.net".

The following information is all you need to know to successfully configure any TCP/IP compliant programs for use with FOURnet. You should retain a copy of this information for future reference in the event of a hard drive failure so that you will be able to reinstall your connection software, or so that you can install new software versions/updates in the future. If you'd prefer to use the pre-configured software, be sure to download and keep a copy on floppy disks for emergencies.