When I begin to learn a new piece of software, especially something as exciting as The Microsoft Network, I like to install it and try it out as soon as possible. So I'll slap it into my computer, reading the absolute minimum amount of material necessary. I'll blunder around a bit, try out a few features, get stuck, and then invariably go back to read the manual. If I'm lucky, that is. The worst-case scenario (and in computing, the worst-case scenario is often the most likely) is finding out in the middle of the installation process that I am missing a small but critical piece of hardware. It might be a cable, a three-prong plug adapter, or some other part that costs less than ten dollars, but what ever it is, my installation process (along with my enthusiasm) grinds to a halt. And then, the final straw is when I realize that it is Saturday at five o'clock in the evening, and the stores won't be open until Monday....
Other people I know come at it from the opposite direction. They'll study everything they can get their hands on about the subject. They will try to learn all the in's and out's of the software
before even trying it. Sometimes they'll take a class or have an experienced user walk them through it. As with my dad and his Boy Scout training, the motto for this type of user is "Be Prepared!"
If you are this latter type and belong to the Be Prepared Association of Newbie Software Installers, this chapter and the next walk you through every aspect of the installation process and discuss almost all possible considerations. If you are the former type, a member of the Leap Before You Look Club, you may want to at least skim this and the next chapters before you get knee-deep into the guts of the installation process.
Figure 1.
The Windows Tour
To prepare for the installation of The Microsoft Network, let's review the following checklist of essential items:
A Computer
To use Windows 95 and the Microsoft Network, you need an IBM compatible computer with at least a 486 CPU, 8 megabytes of RAM, and 20 MB of free disk space. Actually, Microsoft says you can get away with a 386DX CPU and 4 megabytes of RAM, but I believe that with this minimum set-up, your system will run painfully slowly. Certainly, you will notice a positive change in performance and speed with a Pentium or Pentium Pro CPU with more than 8 megabytes of RAM (if you can afford them). If your head is spinning from all these technical specifications, they are explained in more detail in the feature creep section on "486 CPU? 8 Megabytes of RAM? What Do These Terms Mean?" on page46.
Unless you have just bought a computer bundled with a pre-
installed version of Windows 95, you will have to run the Windows installation process before you attempt to install MSN. This is covered in "Joining MSN While Installing Windows 95" on page52.
Warning: This book assumes that you're installing MSN on a standalone PC. If your computer is hooked up to a local area network, such as an office system, please check with your LAN system administrator before going any further.
The Windows 95 Installation Disks or CD
Even if you have installed Windows 95 on your computer, don't lock those installation disks away in your safe deposit box yet. You will probably need to use those disks again to install the MSN software. If you are a bundler -- that is, a purchaser of a computer system that came bundled with a version of Windows 95 -- the entire contents of the installation disks might be stored somewhere on your hard drive. You should consult any documentation that came with your system (or ask your computer dealer) to find out how to copy this information onto floppy disks.
A Modem
A modem is a machine that hooks up your computer to other computers through the phone lines. There are primarily two types of modems: an internal modem, which is a circuit card plugged into your computer's motherboard, and an external modem, which is a small electronic "box" connected to your computer through a cable plugged into the COM port (a nine-pronged plug on the back of your computer).
Basically, modems take information sent by a computer and convert that information into a combination of sounds that the telephone system can understand. Picture your computer connected to a modem that is plugged into your phone jack. Mentally follow the phone line to another location (let's say, Redmond, Washington, home offices of Microsoft) where there is another phone jack hooked up to a modem connected to a computer.
Figure 2. Your computer connected via modem to another computer
When you start an online session, your computer instructs the modem to make a phone call to the other computer's modem. Your modem waits for a dial tone, send the sounds needed to dial a phone number, and waits for the other computer to answer the phone. During the course of the phone call, when your Windows 95 software instructs your computer to send a message, the computer transmits electrical impulses over the cable to your modem. Your modem then converts these impulses to sounds and sends them over the phone line. In Redmond, a modem on the other end of the phone call receives those sounds, then converts them back into electronic impulses that the other computer's software can understand. The Redmond computer can also send information for your computer to receive.
A Phone Line
Your modem needs to be connected to a phone line. Typically, all this means is plugging a standard phone jack cord from your modem's jack into a wall phone jack. Many modems have two jacks on the back -- one to connect a cord to the wall jack and one to optionally connect to a spare telephone.
The Right Cables, Cords, Adapters & Jacks
In the real world, every modem and computer sold is automatically bundled with all the proper cords needed to connect them up. Not!
Really though, the best thing to do is to be methodical from the start. Before buying a modem, check your phone jack and note what type of plug it needs. If you are buying an external modem, check the com port socket on the back of your computer. Is it an innie or an outie? (Most professionals refer to outies and innies as male and female respectively. So as not to alienate any potential readers, I have decided to go with a belly button analogy here.) Do you have a surge protector with enough space for any electrical plugs that might be needed? Checking these items before you go to the store is some protection, but the really avid preparer will make sure to diligently interrogate the modem salesperson about these small but important connection issues.
A Member ID
Every member of the Microsoft Network has his or her own member ID. A member ID is a nickname or a handle that people on the network use to identify you. For example, my member ID is newbie. Member IDs can include letters and numbers but no spaces.
People select their particular member IDs for a variety of reasons. Some people select their ID based upon some variation of their name. For example, Bill Gates, the chairman and CEO of Microsoft might choose to be BillGates, Bill_Gates, Bill-G, Bgates or a number of other variations. Another approach is to pick an ID related to a company or organization with which you are affiliated. Bill Gates could decide to be Microsoft or billg_msn. Of course, many people use a nickname or create a new nickname just for this purpose. Along this line of thinking, Mr. Gates could call himself Architect, WINner95, or software-king.
Every member of MSN must have a unique member ID. At a point in the registration process, you will be asked to type in the member ID you wish to use. If you enter an ID that is already in use, a message window will tell you that the ID is taken and ask you to choose another. So if a Bill Gildersleave in Michigan were to select BillG, he might be told that BillG is already in use. When this happens, a common alternative is to add numbers onto the end, such as BillG247.
Because you will probably be living with your member ID for a while, it's a good idea to think up a few IDs you like before starting the actual installation process. And please, feel free to be expressive. Everybody likes to come across a really clever ID.
A Password
Your password is your secret code used to verify your identity to the network. Each time you sign on MSN, you are asked to type in both your member ID and password. Anyone who does not supply the correct password is not allowed access to MSN.
Passwords provide dual protection. They protect Microsoft by prohibiting unauthorized users (read: non-paying customers) from using MSN. Passwords also protect you. With the protection of a password, you can be assured that no one will sign on pretending to be you. Without this protection, there would be nothing to prevent someone else from reading your private email, posting messages in your name, or even using your credit card to go on a shopping spree.
Passwords must be between 8 and 16 characters long. It is a good idea to pick a password that is hard to guess and not tell a soul what it is. Let's face it, in this world, there are people who do try to guess other people's passwords. The more sophisticated might even set up a computer program to attempt to crack passwords by running through a dictionary and automatically trying each word. For this reason, it is important not to use common words and to use a mixture of both numbers and letters.
Guard your password jealously. You should never give it to a stranger or to anyone on the network, even if someone claims to be a Microsoft Network employee. And you should be very careful about where you write it down. In fact, it's best to commit your password to memory and leave it at that.
A Method of Payment
Unfortunately, online services are never free (unless you can get someone else to pay, like your workplace or school). Microsoft requires that you provide them with a valid credit card during the installation process. They will bill your credit card account for a monthly fee and any usage charges you incur. The Microsoft Network also allows billing from Independent Content Providers for premium services and other purchases.
Multiple Member IDs
It is a common networking practice for one person to have several member IDs. An example of this is to have one ID for work usage and another for home entertainment. A true member ID junkie may take it even further, establishing separate member IDs to represent different online personas. However, be aware that Microsoft will charge you a membership fee for each member ID you create.
Should I Use an Internal or External Modem?
Call me old-fashioned, but my personal preference is to go with an external modem. Why? Because an external modem has its own off switch and lights that indicate what, if anything, is going on. If the computer just stops during the middle of an online session, it could mean either that (1) the connection has been broken (that is, "someone hung up the phone"), or (2) one or both of the two computers are busily sending material over the line. With the modem lights, you can tell which it is, and at any time, you always have the option of turning the darn thing off.
Do I Need a Separate Phone Line for my Modem?
Technically no, but having a separate line really makes a lot of sense. If you want to talk on the phone at the same time your modem is "talking" on the phone, you'll need two separate lines (and phone numbers). With separate lines you and other members of your household can take calls without having to log off the network. (If there are any teenagers in the house, they could use up yet another line on their own.)
While researching and writing this book, I was living alone and operating my modem and telephone on the same line. With this set-up, I could not use my modem and telephone simultaneously. Every time I dialed into the Microsoft Network (or other online service, for that matter), I had the choice of setting MSN to either enable or disable call waiting. If I disabled call waiting, people calling me received a busy signal whenever I was using my modem. With call waiting enabled, an incoming call would automatically cut off my modem's phone call and ring my phone, letting the new call through.
486 CPU? 8 Megabytes of RAM? What Do These Terms Mean?
CPU: The central processing unit, or CPU, is the chip inside your computer that actually runs your software. It reads information from your computer's memory, mouse, and keyboard, sends information to the monitor and printer, and manipulates information on disk drives and anything else hooked up to your computer. One might be tempted to call the CPU the brain of the computer, except that a CPU cannot exhibit independent thought. No, the CPU can only follow instructions given to it by you, your software, and any information stored in memory. Not until computer scientists can create software or hardware far beyond today's technology (such as a positronic brain, a fictitious processor for futuristic robots "created" by the sci-fi genius, Isaac Asimov) will I even be tempted to attribute "thought" to the "mind" of a computer.
A variety of CPUs can run Windows 95 (a reasonably good operating system, yes, but no freakin' positronic brain, mind you). The predominant supplier of Windows 95-compatible CPUs is the Intel Corporation, though Advanced Micro Devices, Cyrix, and IBM also manufacture them. Intel processors are numbered by generation. Generations run in order of oldest, or least powerful, to newest, or most powerful: the 286, the 386, the 486, the Pentium ("586"), and the Pentium Pro ("686"). Finer distinctions between processors of the same generation are indicated by code letters following the generation number and their speed as measured in megahertz.
RAM:RAM stands for Random Access Memory, which is measured in megabytes (1 megabyte equals about 1,000,000 plain text characters). RAM is where your computer stores the programs and data that it is currently working with. If you have several programs open on your desktop at any given time, those programs are all competing for precious space in RAM. When your RAM fills up, information is swapped between your RAM and the hard disk. So if you find that your hard disk is churning around, even when you are not opening or saving programs or files, it means that you have used all your available RAM. It is usually possible to upgrade the amount of RAM in your computer.
How Important Is the Speed of My Modem?
The more you get into communicating with your modem (and believe me, once you start it becomes very addictive), the more you will appreciate faster speeds. Nobody likes to sit and wait while information is being sent over modem lines. Improving your computer's performance by upgrading to a faster processor and increasing the amount of RAM and hard drive space are important considerations in improving speed and performance, yes. But the fastest supercomputer invented would grind to a halt on MSN with a slow modem.
Modem speeds are measured in bps (bits per second), or in kbps (kilobits per second). Early modems that ran at 1200 bps mostly sent plain text (1200 bps is about 150 characters of text each second). Nowadays, computers transmit formatted text, graphics, sounds, and even videos. In my opinion, forget about any modem that runs slower than 14.4 kbps (about 14,400 bps). If you buying a new modem, be sure to get one that supports the V.34 protocol. These modems run at 28.8 kbps, the fastest speed that MSN currently supports. While a 28.8 kbps modem will cost more at the store, you'll pay less in connection charges to phone company and MSN over time.
Another factor in the speed equation is the speed of the phone line. Some of the dial-up numbers provided by MSN can only serve modems at speeds of 2400 bps, while other lines are capable of 14,400 or 28,800 bps. Information can only travel at the slowest speed common to both your modem and line. So if you have a 14,400 bps modem and a 2400 line, you only get your information at 2400 bps.
Is Calling MSN a Long-Distance Call?
If you live in a major metropolitan area almost anywhere in the world, Microsoft probably has a local phone number you can dial into that can serve modems as fast as 14.4 kbps. In many US and Canadian cities, MSN provides dial-up lines that support 28.8 kbps via its network partner UUNET. The farther away you are from a major metropolitan center, the greater the chances are that you will be unable to find a suitable local phone number for the MSN. At this point, many small cities and towns have local MSN phone numbers that can only handle speeds slower than 14.4 kbps, and rural areas don't have a local MSN phone number at all.
Within the US, there is most likely a suitable MSN phone number somewhere within your area code. Unfortunately, this number may still be a local long-distance call. In this event, it makes sense to investigate whether your local phone company supports a call- around plan, enabling you to pay one monthly fee for unlimited long-distance calls within your area code.
Over time, you can count on MSN to add more and more dial-ups at faster and faster speeds, all the way to ISDN connections that blaze along at 128 kbps. If your area isn't well-served yet, it may be soon.
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