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Three Minute Guide
To Using the Internet with Internet Explorer
1. Install your software using the directions on the
handout. If you're not using the diskette or CD, ask for the handout listing the
various addresses and numbers you'll need.
2. Dial in to our Internet server. At Cactus, we are actually part
of the Internet. In order to use the Internet, you must be connected to us by phone.
None of the Internet programs work properly unless you're dialed in to the Internet. On
most systems, when you start Internet Explorer, your computer will dial automatically.
3. Use the Internet.
Web Browsing
 You've probably
seen something like "www.MovieTitle.com" at the bottom of some ads. They are
giving you an Internet site's address, its URL (that's Uniform Resource Locator, but you
don't need to know this). To go directly to an Internet site, type its URL
in the Address line of Internet Explorer. The Address line is found below the buttons near
the top of the page. You should be taken directly to that page on the Internet.
To "surf" the Internet, click on the (usually) blue,
underlined "links" which are sprinkled throughout most Internet pages. When you
move your mouse cursor over an active link, the cursor changes from an arrow to a hand.
Then, when you click, you go to the page which is linked. This page may be on a computer
in Australia, or it may be here in Moscow or anywhere else. Some pictures are also linked
to other pages. Often, a very small picture links to a larger one so you can see the
detail on the pictures you want, without having to wait for the pictures you don't want.
To search for a page on the Internet, click the search button
(looks like a spyglass) on your browser. Type a word or two into the search field. Try to
pick something unusual. For instance, if you're interested in miniature horses, type
"miniature horses", not just "horse". There will be hundreds of
thousands of possibilities for "horse" which have nothing to do with what you
want. The Net is gigantic, and getting the information you want is a matter of narrowing
down the search until it gives you something useful. There are many different search
engines - try them all. They're all best at different things.
E-Mail:
Windows '95: Your default e-mail program is Outlook
Express. It can be started by clicking on the
"Mail" icon near the top of Explorer and choosing Read Mail, or
by double-clicking the Outlook Express icon on your desktop..
Windows 3.11: You start Mail by clicking its icon in Program Manager.
To read your messages, pick Read Mail. A window will appear
with two main sections. The top section lists your messages, including who they're from,
the subject, date and time. When you single-click on a message, it appears in the bottom
section. To read the rest of a long message, use the scroll-bar on the right-hand side of
the lower section. To delete a message, make sure the correct message is highlighted in
the top section and press the delete key on your keyboard.
To send a message, choose New Mail, then type the person's
e-mail address (such as Monica@TurboNet.com) in
the "To:" line. You may type another address, or your own address in the
"Cc:" line. (One of the first things you might want to do is to send yourself
some mail to check out your installation of the software.) When sending e-mail, it's
polite to put a short identifier in the "subject" field, to identify the
message, because some people get lots of messages. Then tab to the large
box at the bottom and type in your message.
If you want to attach a file, such as a picture of your dog or a Microsoft Word
document, to a message, click the Insert menu, and choose File Attachment.
This will bring up a window which will let you choose the file to attach.
To send your mail in Mail is normally a two-step process. When you've finished with a
message, press the Send button (looks like an envelope). Then, when you're ready
to actually send and receive your mail, press the send and receive mail button on
the read messages window.
You may be interested in more information.
E-Mail: Microsoft Internet Mail is your default e-mail program. Many
people also use Eudora.
IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is not distributed with your initial
software. Clients can be downloaded from http://www.tucows.com.
There's a tutorial on creating your own homepage at http://www.cat.uc.edu/guide/w3guide/tutorial-start.html.
There are very good books on creating Web pages, and there are WYSIWYG (What You See Is
What You Get) Web page construction programs. We have a selection at Cactus.
Common errors and headscratchers
When you type a URL in the Address line or click a blue, underlined link it's
not uncommon to get an error message instead of a page. If a page is not found, there may
be several reasons: (1) the page may no longer exist, or may have moved. (2) the Web
browser may just not be finding the page. If you try it again, it may find it. (3) the
computer on which the Web page is located may be disconnected temporarily from the
Internet. It may be down for maintenance or experiencing problems. (4) the page or server
may be too busy to answer.
Getting an error message when you type in a URL or when you click on a
blue underlined "link" should not be a cause for concern. It happens frequently
- just try another link or another address. The Internet changes so quickly that dead
links are often left lying around.
Home Page: Cactus Computer's TurboNet home page has some
useful links. If you've installed your Internet software from the diskettes we've given
you, and if everything installed correctly, your initial home page will be http://www.TurboNet.com. Otherwise, if you'd like to
make it your home page (which we encourage), first type http://www.TurboNet.com
in the address line of your browser. Click the view menu and pick options.
Click on the Navigation tab (in Explorer 3.0) or the Start & Search
tab in 2.0. Make sure the Start Page item shows in the click-down menu and click
the use current button.
Searching: Unless you installed your Microsoft Internet
Explorer software from our diskettes, the default search page is at Microsoft's site,
which is very often too busy to answer. We suggest that you make our search page your
default instead. Type http://www.turbonet.com/turbonet/search.htm in the address
line to go to our search page. Then, to make it your default search page, Click the view
menu and pick options. Click on the Navigation tab. Under Page
click down to Search Page and click on the use current button.
Internet Explorer 3.0
If there are problems with the installation, the first time you use it, Mail may ask you
for some information. Have ready your e-mail address (example: jsmith@turbonet.com) and
your login (example: jsmith). Your POP server is "TurboNet.com" and your SMTP
Server is "mail.TurboNet.com". For other installation information and
troubleshooting, see Support.htm.
To send your mail in Mail is normally a two-step process. When you've finished with a
message, press the send button (looks like an envelope). Then, when you're ready
to actually send and receive your mail, press the send and receive mail button.
This allows people who dial in long-distance or whose Internet time is limited, to compose
and read their mail off-line. This two-step feature can be aggravating to some people, and
it can be turned off. Go to the menu: Mail | options | send messages immediately.
There are many other ways to customize Mail. The help menu is well done and
useful, and I won't try to detail the options here. Please do not tell
Mail to check your mail automatically.
If you check more than one mailbox from a single computer, you might want to try
Pegasus as an e-mail program.
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