Connecting to the OS2BBS Internet Service Provider with Windows 95 Dial-Up Networking

If you need to switch from an OS/2 dialer and browser to Windows 95, this document will help you manually configure Windows 95 to connect to the Pete Norloff's OS2BBS Internet Service using Dial-Up Networking.

Windows 95 has built-in support for connecting to an Internet provider using a PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) or SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) account. But, the SLIP support is available with the CD-ROM version of Windows 95, the CD-ROM Extras for Windows 95 Upgrade, and the Internet Jumpstart Kit component of Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95, and it is not installed automatically.

You need the following information for your OS2BBS account.
          User name 
          Password 
          Local access phone number: 703-385-6493
          Your host name
          Your domain name (DNS, Domain Name Server)
          DNS server IP address: 199.164.210.12
          Gateway address (Destination IP): 204.194.180.2

Since OS2BBS gives you a dedicated IP address to use every time you dial in, you also need the following information: 

          Your IP address: 
          IP subnet mask: 255.255.255.0 

Setting up Dial-Up Networking: 

1. Check to see if Dial-Up Networking is installed in your Windows95. You can do this by opening My Computer. If Dial-Up Networking is installed, you see a folder named Dial-Up Networking. 

2. If you do not have a Dial-Up Networking folder, add Dial-Up Networking by double-clicking the Add/Remove Programs icon in Control Panel, clicking the Windows Setup tab, clicking Communications, clicking Details, clicking the Dial-Up Networking check box to select it, clicking OK, and then clicking OK. 

3. If your account with OS2BBS is a SLIP account, you need to use the Add/Remove Programs tool in Control Panel to add SLIP support using the Have Disk option. Point to the Admin\Apptools\Dscript folder on the Windows 95 CD-ROM to install support for SLIP and Dial-Up Scripting.

Installing the TCP/IP protocol: 

1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon. 

2. Click Add, click Protocol, and then click Add. 

3. In the Manufacturers box, click Microsoft. In the Network Protocols box, click TCP/IP, and then click OK. 

4. This should bring back your Configuration window with TCP/IP now appearing in the box. Highlight TCP/IP and click on Properties button. You will see six tabbed configuration pages here.
   A. IP Address: Click on Specify and IP address and enter your IP address (206.55.10.xx) Enter the subnet mast: 255.255.255.0.
   B. DNS Configuration: Enter your host name, os2bbs.com as domain, and first click Enable DNS Resolution, and enter 199.164.210.12 as the frst item in DNS Server Search order, and click on Add button.
   C. Gateway: enter 204.194.180.2

5. Once these components are installed and configured, click OK to close the Network dialog box. When you are prompted to restart Windows 95, do so.

Creating and configuring a new connection for SLIP account:

1. In My Computer, open the Dial-Up Networking folder. If this is the first time you have opened the Dial-Up Networking folder, the Make New Connection Wizard runs to help you create a Dial-Up Networking connection. If not, double-click Make New Connection and follow the instructions for creating a Dial-Up Networking connection. When you are finished, there will be an icon in the Dial-Up Networking folder that you will use to connect to the Internet. You might want to make a shortcut to the connection on the desktop for easier access. 

2. Use the right mouse button to click the connection icon you just created, and then click Properties on the menu that appears. Click Server Type. In the Type Of Dial-Up Server box, click either SLIP or CSLIP. Microsoft says your ISP can tell you which type of SLIP account you have. CSLIP work fine in my computer. In the Allowed Network Protocols area, click only the TCP/IP network protocol. To see how the Server Type options should look, click here.

3. To enter any TCP/IP settings you need, click TCP/IP Settings. To use resources on the Internet, enter your DNS server address. You can also enter your IP address here if your ISP has given you a fixed IP address.

Connecting to your SLIP account: 

1. To dial your ISP, double-click your new connection icon. The Connect To dialog box opens for you to log in to your ISP. Click Connect. 
2. After modem negotiation, a terminal screen appears for you to log in. After you enter your user name and password in the terminal window, you should receive a message from OS2BBS telling you your SLIP connection is established.
3. Click Continue.
4. Now start your browser, etc.

Microsoft's troubleshooting tips: 

If you are having problems connecting: 

Make sure your server type is correct. If you have a PPP account, make sure the server type in the properties for the connection is set to PPP, instead of SLIP or CSLIP. 

If you have a SLIP account, make sure you have changed the server type to SLIP or CSLIP (PPP is the default). Make sure you type in the correct IP address when you are prompted during the login process. 

Problems after connecting: 

For SLIP users: If you can use Ping, but you cannot use Winsock programs to connect to a resource after connecting to your ISP, you may need to switch the server type. Try changing the server type from SLIP to CSLIP or from CSLIP to SLIP. 

To test if a connection is working, try these steps: 

1. Start an MS-DOS session. 
2. Ping a known IP address such as 198.105.232.1 (Microsoft FTP server) or 128.95.1.4 (a DNS server). If this works, basic TCP/IP connectivity is functioning properly.
3. Ping FTP.MICROSOFT.COM. If this works, your DNS settings are correct.