AP0003: Basics for Internet Access

ID: Q152420

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

The "Basics for Internet Access" (AP0003) Application Note contains information to help you get started accessing the Internet.

You can obtain this Application Note from the following sources:

    Microsoft(R) Product Support Services Application Note (Text File)
                    AP0003: BASICS FOR INTERNET ACCESS
                                                   Revision Date: 8/96
                                                      No Disk Included

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 Copyright (C) 1996 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
 Microsoft, MS-DOS, and Windows are registered trademarks of
 Microsoft Corporation.

THE TEXT OF AP0003

Welcome! The Internet is a valuable resource for gathering information about a wide range of topics, including Microsoft products and Technical Support.

You need three things to get started on the World Wide Web:

Modem: A modem allows your computer to communicate with other computers over a standard telephone line.

Internet service provider: An Internet service provider (ISP), sometimes referred to as an Internet access provider, allows you access the Internet using your modem. To locate an ISP in your area, check with your local computer store, friends, co-workers, magazines, newspapers, or a local computer newspaper.

ISPs can offer rates that charge by the hour, or a flat rate charged by the month. Make sure you can access your ISP with a local telephone call. If not, you may find yourself paying expensive long-distance telephone charges. If you live in an isolated or rural area, consider subscribing to an ISP that offers nation-wide toll-free access.

Windows 95 includes a way to access to the Internet with MSN, The Microsoft Network. To sign up for MSN, double-click the MSN icon on your desktop. If you do not see the MSN icon on your desktop, you can install it by using the following steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.

3. On the Windows Setup tab, click The Microsoft Network check box to

   select it, and then click Apply.

4. Click OK. If you are prompted to restart the computer, click Yes.

Web browser: A Web browser is a program that lets you view content on the World Wide Web. You can obtain Microsoft's Web browser, Microsoft Internet Explorer, in any one of several ways:

If Windows 95 is installed on your computer, you can find more information about the Internet using online Help. To do so, use the following steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Help.

2. On the Index tab, in the "Type the first few letters of the word

   you're looking for" box, type "Internet" (without the quotations),
   and then click Display.

3. In the Topics Found dialog box, click the appropriate topic, and then
   click Display.

Microsoft Internet services: Access Microsoft's Frequently Asked Questions, Knowledge Base, Software Library, customer-to-customer newsgroups, and a variety of other technical information on our World Wide Web site at http://support.microsoft.com/support/. You can locate Microsoft's home page at http://www.microsoft.com.

Terms You May Encounter

Home page: A hypertext document that is intended as the primary starting point for exploring the World Wide Web. The contents of a particular home page depend upon its author and its intended use.

HTML: HTML is an acronym for Hypertext Markup Language. It is the standard way to mark text documents for publishing on the World Wide Web.

Hypertext link: A text or image link to an information resource that is usually activated by clicking the text or image itself. Hypertext links are usually underlined and are usually a different color than the rest of the Web document text.

One way to identify whether an item is a hypertext link is to place the mouse pointer over the graphic or text. If the mouse pointer changes, it is a hypertext link. When you click the hypertext link, you see a different Web document or another part of the current document.

Internet: A global network of computers that no one person or entity owns and controls. Basically, the Internet consists of many computers hooked together. Sometimes referred to as the "Net."

Start page: The Web document you first see when you start your browser.

Web address: Each Web page has a unique address, referred to as a Universal Resource Locator (URL).

Examples of URLs:

Web document or Web page: A document created using the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).

Web server: A program that makes Web documents on a Web site available to those using a Web browser.

Web site: A location containing one or more Web documents.

World Wide Web (WWW): The World Wide Web is a collection of online documents housed on Internet servers around the world. Web documents are written or coded in HTML. To access these documents, you have to use a Web browser (such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, or Mosaic).

KBCategory: kbappnote kbhowto KBSubcategory: msiew31 msiew95 Additional reference words: 2.00 3.00 ie3 ie30 ie2 ie20

Keywords          : msiew95 msiew31 
Platform          : WINDOWS

Last Reviewed: March 18, 1999