Chapter 15 - Internet Connection Wizard

Abstract

Before running Internet Explorer for the first time, Windows 2000 runs the Internet Connection Wizard. The purpose of the wizard is to ensure that Internet connectivity is configured, and to gather information for configuring Internet Explorer access to Web and e-mail servers. Most of the wizards will generally be skipped on Windows 2000 Server installations. Quite a bit of information is needed to successfully make a connection to the Internet. The Internet Connection Wizard makes setting all this up very easy. One should have all the required information at hand before starting. This makes the whole process much more pleasant than having to look parameters up while trying to get the connection going. The ISP or Network Administrator should have all the information needed and should be able to help. Connecting via a local area network (LAN) is straightforward and only requires proxy configuration information, which in many cases is fully or partially automatic. Establishing a dial-up connection is a bit more involved, and much more flexible. In many cases, using many of the default values provided by Windows 2000 should provide a working connection. The Advanced Connection and Advanced Addressing tabs are available for more obscure configurations. Establishing an Internet mail account requires information regarding the names and types of mail servers, as well as account name and password information. Again, these can be obtained from the ISP or Network Administrator. Once completed, the connection can be configured to connect automatically or manually, and to remember passwords or require them at each logon.