PC HELP QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q: How do I change my home page?

Windows 95, 98 and ME Users:

1. Click the "Start" button
2. Click on "Settings"
3. Click on "Control Panel"
4. Double click on "Internet Options"
5. Click on the "General" tab
6. Change the home page
7. Click "OK" to close the window

Windows XP Users:

1. Click the "Start" button
2. Click on "Control Panel"
3. Double click on "Internet Options"
4. Click on the "General" tab
5. Change the home page
6. Click "OK" to close the window

To change the home page through Internet Explorer: 1. Open Internet Explorer 2. Click on "Tools" 3. Click on "Internet Options" 4. Click on the "General" tab 5. Change the home page 6. Click "OK" to close the window

Q: What equipment do I need to have ICTC High-speed Internet and what is the cost?

Your computer will need to be equipped with a network card. Network cards can be purchased from local retail stores. The approximate cost of a network card is $20.00. Your network card will need to be installed prior to your service being switched.

Q: How do I change the name that appears on e-mail messages I send to others?

To change your e-mail display name:

1. Open Outlook Express
2. Click on "Tools" menu
3. Click on the "Accounts" option
4. Click on the "Mail" tab
5. Select the e-mail account
6. Click on the "Properties" option
7. Change the name
8. Click OK.

Q: What do I do when I am downloading e-mail and it gets hung up on a message?

You can view your e-mail through ICTC's Web Mail interface and remove the problem e-mail message.

1. Go to www.ictc.com and click on INTERNET and "Web Mail" option
2. Login and view your e-mail messages, delete the problem e-mail message
3. If the message has an attachment that you want to keep, right click the attachment and click on "Save As", specify a location and click save.
4. You can now go back into your regular e-mail program and download the rest of your messages.

Q: How do I change my username (login name) or password?

You need to call into the helpdesk 1-888-201-3150 and request the change. There is a $5 charge to change your username or password.

Q: When I try to send or receive e-mail it rejects my password, what do I do?

You need to check your e-mail settings. Go to "E-mail Settings" under the Technical Support section for the e-mail program that you use.

Q: I am missing one of my toolbars in Internet Explorer, how do I get it back?

1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Click on "View"
3. Click on "Toolbars"
4. To the right is a list of toolbars, click on the toolbar that you are missing.

If there is a check in front of the toolbar name, that toolbar is being displayed. If you still do not see it, the toolbar could be hidden behind another toolbar. Try to click and drag all the displayed toolbars to find the missing one.

Q: How do I delete Temporary Internet Files, Cookies or Clear History?

Windows 95, 98 and ME Users:

1. Click the "Start" button
2. Click on "Settings"
3. Click on "Control Panel"
4. Double click on "Internet Options"
5. Click on the "General" tab
6. Under the Temporary Internet Files option click the "Delete" button to delete cookies and Temporary Internet Files
7. Click on "Clear History" button to clear the history
8. Click "OK" to close the window

Windows XP Users:

1. Click the "Start" button
2. Click on "Control Panel"
3. Double click on "Internet Options"
4. Click on the "General" tab
5. Under the Temporary Internet Files option click the "Delete" button to delete cookies and Temporary Internet Files
6. Click on "Clear History" button to clear the history
7. Click "OK" to close the window

Internet Explorer:

1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Click on "Tools"
3. Click on "Internet Options"
4. Click on the "General" tab
5. Under the Temporary Internet Files option click the "Delete" button to delete cookies and Temporary Internet Files
6. Click on "Clear History" button to clear the history
7. Click "OK" to close the window

Q: How do I get Outlook Express to check for messages automatically when I open the program?

1. Open Outlook Express
2. Click on "Tools"
3. Click on "Options"
4. Click on "Send and receive messages at startup" to check the option
5. Click "OK"

Q: In Outlook Express, I can not find the Inbox, Outbox, etc. Where do I find them?

1. Open Outlook Express
2. Click on "View"
3. Click on "Layout"
4. Check "Folder Bar"
5. Click "OK"

Q: When I am sending an e-mail message in Outlook Express I don't have a send button, what do I do?

1. Open up a new message
2. Click on "View"
3. Click on "Toolbars"

Make sure there is a check mark in front of "Standard buttons" if there is not then click in the box to select this option.

Q: What happens to the e-mail messages I delete?

Once you delete messages from the Inbox, Outbox, Sent Items, Drafts; the messages go to the Deleted Items folder. If you want to permanently delete the messages, you need to delete them from the Deleted Items folder. Once permanently deleted, messages can no longer be retrieved from your computer.

Q: What is a "URL?"

URL is an acronym short for "Uniform Resource Locator". It's the fancy way of saying Internet web address. For example a web address is www.ictc.com.

Q: Why do I get an error message when hitting the "Back" button?

Sometimes as you are browsing the Web and hit the "Back" button, you get an error message telling you the previous page has expired.

Did the page actually expire in the twenty seconds since you were just there? It's not likely. The reason the error occurred is probably because the previous page was dependent on some sort of outside information you provided or was generated by some sort of script.

As an example, going "back" to a previous page when making an online transaction may cause you to accidentally order something twice. To prevent this from happening, a merchant's site may disallow you from going back to a prior page by showing the "Expired Error" message. Hitting the "Refresh" button, however, should allow you to re-post the information and reload the page.

Q: Is there a way to be automatically notified by a sound from my computer when I've received an incoming e-mail?

Yes, there's an easy method to set this up.

1. Click your cursor arrow on the Windows "Start"
2. Click on "Settings"
3. Click on "Control Panel"
4. Next, double click the "Sounds" icon
5. In the "Sounds Properties" window, scroll down the "Events" pane until you find the "New Mail Notification" item and then click the "Browse" button to locate a sound file you would like to use.
6. Clicking on the various sound files will give you a demonstration of the "noise" made by the file. Hit "OK" when you've found the sound you'd like to use.
7. Click "Apply" and then "OK" to exit the "Sounds Properties" window. Next time you have mail, your special e-mail sound will play.

Q: Can I surf the Internet and download files at the same time?

Yes. You can browse around the Internet while simultaneously downloading a large freeware or shareware file. Keep in mind, however, that doing two things at once will slow down both procedures. Only so much information can be "pushed" through your modem at one time. Also, although most browsers will allow you to start more than one download task at a time, it's actually no faster to start more than one download at a time than it is to do one download right after another.

Q: Currently, the list of recently visited websites showing up in my "History" dialog box reflects only the last three days. Is there a way to increase this number?

The "History" feature is a great tool which allows Internet users to easily find recently visited websites. The feature can be found on both Internet Explorer and Netscape browsers. To change the number of days that sites are stored in your browser's "History," follow the instructions below.

Internet Explorer Browser Users:

1. Click your cursor arrow on the "Tools" menu located at the top of your browser and then select "Internet Options."
2. An "Internet Options" dialog box will appear. Click on the General Tab to bring it to the front and look for the History section of the window.
3. In the field next to the phrase "Days to keep pages in history," type the number of days you would like to save recently visited websites. They will remain in your browser's "History" until the specified number of days has passed.

To locate the listing of recently visited websites on your Internet Explorer browser, click your cursor arrow on the "History" button on your tool bar and a listing of recently visited websites will slide in from the left side of your browser window in a "History" pane. Click on one of the listed links to revisit the site.

Netscape Browser Users:

1. Click your cursor arrow on the "Edit" menu located at the top of your browser and select "Preferences."
2. A "Preferences" dialog box will appear. Find and select the "Navigator" heading located in the "Category" pane and look for the "History" section.

You will see a line that says "Pages in history expire after:" followed by a field with a number. In that field, put the number of days you want Netscape to remember your History. Click "OK" after you've made your choice to continue browsing.

To view your history, go to the "Communicator" menu and drop down to "Tools." Select "History" from the submenu. The "History" window will appear listing the sites you've visited. Double click on a listed link to be taken to its corresponding web page.

Q: Sometimes when I go to download a web page it seems to get "stuck" and the requested page does not appear. When this happens, I go back to the address bar and type the web address in again and it works. Am I doing something wrong?

It doesn't sound like it. Remember, the Internet is like a huge highway system with traffic going in a variety of directions all at the same time. Sometimes, traffic can get "held up" at intersections along the way. If this happens to you again, a simpler way of re-attempting to download the web page is to hit the "Stop" button, located on the browser's menu bar, to cancel the download and then the "Refresh" button, also on your browser's menu bar. ("Refresh" when using Internet Explorer; "Reload" if using Netscape Navigator.) This "getting stuck" phenomenon apparently happens frequently enough for browser makers to have created a button to help out in these situations. If the page download still seems stuck after hitting "Refresh," click "Stop" on your browser's menu bar, bookmark the web page and come back to it later.

Q: I am having trouble accessing any web pages, what is wrong?

If you have DSL, the first thing you will need to do is reboot your modem and your router. To reboot the modem, locate the power cord on the back of it. It should be a small black cable with a round end that plugs directly into the box itself, an AC adapter cord. Pull that out, all the lights on the front of the box should go out. Wait about twenty seconds and then plug it back in. Once the lights come on again, if you have a router, follow the same procedure with that. After rebooting, try accessing the internet. If it still isn't working, please contact our helpdesk and they can troubleshoot with you further.

Q: What is DSL?

DSL (digital subscriber line) is an always-on Internet connection that uses the same regular wiring as your telephone service. All of the same Internet resources that you enjoy with your dial-up modem connection are available, but the difference is the speed!

DSL allows you to take advantage of the unused bandwidth that already exists on your phone line. DSL enables one to use the remaining 99 percent of a regular phone line to transport high speed data, television, dense graphics, and movies without interfering with regular phone services. This means that one could enjoy fast, permanent connection to the Internet while talking on the phone.

Q: How Fast is DSL?

ICTC DSL is capable of speeds up to 1 Meg, or about 20 times faster than a 56k modem.

Q: Is DSL available in my area?

ICTC has the capabilities to reach almost every single one of their customers.

Q: Can I talk on the phone and use the DSL Internet at the same time?

Yes, DSL is completely separate from your telephone service, and allows you to enjoy the freedom of an always-on Internet connection without tying up your phone line.

Q: Do I need to have special wiring installed?

No, the vast majority of homes and businesses will not need special wiring, as DSL works over the same lines that carry your telephone service.

Q: Being that it shares the same line, will DSL cause problems with my phone service?

No, DSL uses frequencies far above what the human ear is capable of hearing. Special filters help to keep the two separate signals from interfering.

Q: Can I get DSL in my apartment building?

Yes, since DSL uses existing phone lines there is no need to have special wiring done, so you won't have to worry about violating your lease.

Q: What are the computer requirements to receive ICTC's DSL Internet Service?

You simply need a Pentium II class PC or better with, 32 MB of RAM, 100 MB of free disk space, a Network Interface Card (NIC) and Windows 98.

*Note, the faster your computer system is the faster your Internet experience will be.

If you have questions about computer requirements, you can receive assistance through our Internet Help Desk at 1-888-201-3150.

Q: Basic troubleshooting steps if your DSL is down.

1. Reboot your DSL Modem by unplugging the power cord for 10 seconds and plug it back in. Wait for the link light to come back on.
2. Reboot your Linksys Router by unplugging the power cord for 10 seconds and plug it back in. (If you do not have a Linksys Router go to step 3)
3. Reboot your computer.

   Windows 95, 98, ME Users:

   1. Click on Start
   2. Shutdown
   3. Click to put a dot in Shutdown and click OK
   4. Turn computer back on by pressing the power button

   Windows XP Users:

   1. Click on Turn Off Computer
   2. Click on Turn Off
   3. Turn computer back on by pressing the power button
   4. Confirm power to computer and all network devices.
   5. Double check all cables connected to the DSL modem, router and computer.
   6. Confirm dial tone on the DSL phone line.