Valley  Internet



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Setup Your Connection to Valley Internet
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Using the Internet
Connection Problems

Windows 95/98/Me/2000 Setup using ICW

Note: These instructions assume you already have a version of Internet Explorer 4.0 or later installed on your computer (you will if you have Windows 98, Me, or 2000, and should if you have a later version of Windows 95).
  1. Click the Start Button on your task bar, then Settings, then Control Panel. Double-click (two quick clicks with the left mouse button) on the Internet Options/Internet icon. The Internet Properties box will appear.
  2. In the white box that says Address beside it type http://www.vallnet.com and then click the Apply button in the lower right hand corner of the Internet Properties box. Now click the Connections tab at the top of the Internet Properties box. Click the Setup/Connect button in the upper right hand area of the Internet Properties box.
  3. A window titled Internet Connection Wizard will appear. Choose the last option (I want to set my internet account up manually). Click Next. NOTE: If you do not see an option for connecting manually then you may need to contact Tech Support.
  4. When the next window appears, choose the 1st option (I use a modem and phone line). Click Next.
  5. At this point, the Internet Connection Wizard may prompt you to install files. Click OK and insert the Windows CD if necessary. You may also be prompted to install a new modem if Windows does not already detect one. Let Windows try to auto-detect your modem and follow the prompts. If you have problems installing your modem, call technical support.
  6. Next you will be prompted to enter the telephone number. Enter the appropriate dial in number for your location (numbers are listed here). Remove the check from Dial using the area code and country code. Click Next.
  7. In the username box type the username you were given when you signed up for your account (most of the time it will be the part of your email address before @vallnet.com). Type your password in the password box and then click Next. NOTE: usernames and passwords are in all lower case letters with no spaces.
  8. In the connection name box you can leave the connection name as it is (usually it will be Connection to ). Click Next.
  9. When asked if you want to setup an Internet mail account choose Yes. Click Next.
  10. You may be asked if you want to create a new Internet account or use an existing one. Choose create a new account and then click Next. If you are not given the choice to create a new one or use an existing one then skip to the next step.
  11. You will now be asked for a Display Name. In this box you can type the name that you would like others to see when you mail them. Usually this will be your name as you would sign it on a check, a nickname, or a business name. After you have typed in the display name click Next. Note: You can use capital letters and spaces in the display name.
  12. Next you should see a box that asks for your email address. Type your Valley Internet email address (eg. username@vallnet.com). Click Next.
  13. You will see a line that says My Incoming Mail Server is a POP3 server. If it does not say POP3 click the down arrow beside the blank and choose POP3. Now you will see two blanks: one for the incoming mail server and one for the outgoing mail server. Make sure to put mail.vallnet.com in both of these blanks and then click Next.
  14. In the blank that says Account Name: type in the account name we gave you (usually the part of your email address that comes before @vallnet.com). In the Password: blank, type your password (all lower case with no spaces). Make sure to put a check in the Save Password box if you do not want to type your password each time you check email. DO NOT put a check next to log on using secure password authentication. Click Next.
  15. Now you will see a box that says Completing the Internet Connection Wizard. Click Finish. You will now see a gray box with your username and password in it. Click the Connect button and you will be connected to the Internet after it verifies your username and password.
How to connect to the Internet
To connect to the Internet, double click the Internet Explorer icon on your Desktop. This will launch the Internet Explorer browser, and will prompt you to establish a dial up connection to Valley Internet. Enter your username and password, and click Connect. Your computer will dial Valley Internet, verify your username and password and log you on.

Browsing The Web and Using E-mail
After the Valley Internet page has loaded, you can begin browsing the World Wide Web. The web is a point and click interface, meaning if you see something that interests you, point and click on it to get more information about it.
The hardest part about using the web is FINDING what you're looking for. To help you, we've placed links to popular search engines on our page, and in Internet Explorer’s Favorites menu. A search engine is a page that helps you find other pages based on key words.
On the Valley Internet homepage, there is a small search engine block. You can use the search engine by entering some text related to what you're interested in finding in the blank space then pulling down the menu to select a search engine. When ready, click on Search and your text will be passed on to the search engine. In a moment, another page will appear with a list of sites that contained what you were looking for.
After you've connected to us (by double clicking on the Internet icon as above), you can check to see if you have any e-mail. Click on the Mail icon in the Microsoft Internet Explorer window and select Read Mail. The Outlook Express window will appear and check for new mail. After any new mail has been copied to your machine, you can read each message by selecting it within the Outlook Express window. You can also manually check for mail by clicking on the icon labeled Send and Receive.
To send a message, click on the Compose Message icon in the upper left hand corner of the window. A new window will appear with the cursor next to TO:. Enter the e-mail address of the person you would like to receive your message here, then click on the space next to SUBJECT: and enter a subject. Finally, click in the large blank space below and enter the message itself. Once you've finished, click Send in the upper left hand corner of the window. The message will be posted the next time you click on Send and Receive.