Technical Support
Frequently Asked Questions

Windows 95 with Internet Explorer

• Where can I get SnowCrest Internet Tools for Windows 95?
• Will the SnowCrest Internet Tools for Windows 3.1 work on Windows 95?
• What do the SnowCrest Internet Tools do?
• What are the system requirements, and what software is included in the SnowCrest Internet Tools for Windows 95?
• Will the SnowCrest Internet Tools for Windows 95 work on Windows NT?
• What if I need to re-install the SnowCrest Internet Tools?
• How do I un-install the SnowCrest Internet Tools?
• I've successfully installed the SnowCrest Internet Tools, now how do I get on the Internet?
• How can I tell if I am actually on-line?
• When I try to run any of the Internet applications, I get an error that says something about "No DNS", or "Unable to locate Site". What is wrong?
• When I try to log on, my modem makes lots of noise, and then nothing happens. What do I do?
• I have purchased the commercial release of Netscape. Is there anything special I need to know before I install it?
• I have purchased an Internet software package which claims to include a "Dialer", and when I try to install it, it asks me all sorts of questions which I have no idea how to answer, such as the "Domain Name Server". What do I do?
• I have a U.S. Robotics modem, and I am unable to connect. Do you have any suggestions?
• After the computer reboots, I get the error "Could not open Internet Explorer window". Then the installation fails. What do I do?
• I've completely installed the SnowCrest Internet Tools, and when I try to log on, I get the error message "Dial-up Networking couldn't negotiate a compatible set of network protocols". What does this mean?
• What should the settings in Dial-up Networking look like?
• What should the settings in the Network control Panel look like?
• How can I speed up my connection to SnowCrest?

Where can I get SnowCrest Internet Tools for Windows 95?

You may call SnowCrest at (916) 926-6888 or (916) 245-4698, and ask for a copy of the latest set of disks. There is a $5 fee for the disk media and postage costs. Alternatively, you may download it from our FTP site. The archives are stored in Zipped format, and they must be unzipped onto floppies before you can install them. In order to unzip them, you will need Pkunzip. This can be obtained from our ftp site, or directly from PkWare. Once you have unzipped the archives onto disks, be sure to follow the instructions for installation.

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No. You must have the Windows 95 Tools.

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SnowCrest Internet Tools provide you with all the tools you need to access all the aspects of the Internet. It is a suite of shareware and freeware programs which have been configured to work with our service.

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• Microsoft Internet Explorer v3.01a
• Microsoft Internet Mail & News
• Microsoft Active Movie
• Microsoft Comic Chat
• Eudora Lite
• CuteFTP
• Ping
• Telnet

System Requirements:

• IBM PC compatible running Windows 95
• Minimum 2400 baud modem.
• 35 Megabytes of free space on Drive C:
• 8 Megabytes RAM

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The Windows 95 tools can be installed on a Windows NT 4.0 machine. It will not work at all on Windows NT 3.5 or 3.51. However, it will not automatically configure the settings. These must be configured manually using Windows NT's built in Remote Access Service (RAS).

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Simply follow the installation instructions the way you did the first time you installed the software. You cannot use the signup server more than once, however. You will need to click on the "Continue Signup-Don't Call" button when it comes up, and you will need to enter the correct phone number. If you don't know what phone number to enter, you should call SnowCrest Tech Support. Note that some parts of your configuration will be replaced, but you will not lose your e-mail or your bookmarks.

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Most of the programs included in the SnowCrest Internet Tools can be removed through the "Add/Remove Programs" control panel. The programs you will want to remove are: Internet Explorer 3.0, Internet Mail and News 1.0, Microsoft ActiveMovie, and Microsoft Comic Chat. All other programs are copied to the C:\Winsock directory on your hard drive. You may also wish to remove any links to these files.

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• Double-click on 'The Internet' icon with the picture of the Earth on the desktop to connect. You will get a window labeled 'Connect To'.
• Make sure your User Name and Password are entered correctly. The User Name is the first part of your e-mail address. Case matters!
• Press the 'Connect' button with the left mouse button.
• Microsoft Internet Explorer will start up, and you can browse the World Wide Web. This may take a moment. Be patient.

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First of all, there should be a program listed on the taskbar which is labeled "SnowCrest". If you bring it up, it will show you the status of your connection and how long you have been on-line. This will only show you that the modem is connected, however. To see if you can connect to the Internet, run the "Ping" program, which is located in the "SnowCrest Internet" file folder on your desktop. Type in "rs.internic.net" in the "Host:" field, and click on the "Ping" button. If it works, you should see about 10 lines ending in numbers. The lower the packet loss, the better your connection.

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The most likely cause for this is that you are not actually on-line. If you are not connected when you try to run Internet applications, they will complain that they can't find the Name Server. This does not mean that the programs are corrupted, that you have a virus, or that anything is wrong other than you are not on-line. See the previous question to check to see if you are on-line.

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You have probably specified an incorrect baud rate (speed) for your modem. If you have a 14.4 Kbps modem, the baud rate should be set to 19200, and if you have a 28.8 Kbps modem, it should be set to 38400. You can change this by going to the "Start" button, choosing "Settings", "Control Panels", and then the "Modems" control panel. Click on the "Properties" button, and select the appropriate speed. You should not set the baud rate higher than 38400, because you will not get any better performance, and some modems, particularly U.S. Robotics, will not be able to connect unless they are set to the correct baud rate.

If this doesn't work, there may be something else wrong with your modem or with the connection you have to your phone line. Refer to our general modem fixes document.

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If you have already installed the SnowCrest Internet Tools, then you already have a TCP/IP stack, dialer, and Microsoft Dial-Up Networking. You can then continue to use Dial-Up Networking to connect to the Internet, and use Netscape in the same way as Microsoft Internet Explorer.

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Again, the easiest and best thing to do is to tell the program not to install its Dialer. Dial-Up Networking already handles this task, and it is pre-configured. If you absolutely must install the Dialer, you can use our system information. Our tech support will not support other dialers.

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Many U.S. Robotics modems must be set to the correct Baud Rate (usually 38400) in order to be able to connect. Another answer in this FAQ describes how to do this. In addition, it is sometimes necessary to try a different modem initialization string. This can be accomplished, among other ways, by re-installing your modem as a different type. Installing the modem as a Standard modem will sometimes work.

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This is a problem that occurs with new computers which have the Microsoft 95 OS version 2 installed. Most notably, new GateWay 2000 machines all have this problem. The solution is as follows:

• At the Windows 95 desktop, go to the "Start" menu and choose "Run"
• Type in "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Signup\signup.htm" (with the quotes!)
• Click "OK"
• You should be able to continue with the installation from here.
• Once you have finished, the final screen will not go away. Close Internet Explorer at this point.
• That should be it!

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This message can appear for a number of reasons. Generally, the first thing to try is to call again. If that doesn't work, then you may need to look at the settings in Dial-up Networking and the Network control panel. We have seen some cases where extra network drivers in the Network control panel can cause this error. In particular, the AOL adapter may need to be removed, if you have previously been connected via America On-Line.

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DO NOT change the settings in this window if your system is working! You will probably cause more damage than good! This advice should only be used on systems which are not able to connect.

When you click on "My Computer" and "Dial-up Networking", you should get a window that looks something like this. If you have more icons than these two, and you don't need them, delete them by clicking on the icon you want to delete once, going to the "File" menu, and choosing "Delete".

To get to the settings, click once on the "SnowCrest" icon so that it highlights. Go to the "File" menu, and choose "Properties". You should get a window that looks something like this, only your modem will be displayed, and the telephone number should be correct for your area.

Now click on the "Server Type" button. You should get a window that looks like this. If it doesn't, fix it.

Finally, click on the "TCP/IP Settings" button. You should get a window that looks exactly like this. If it doesn't, fix it.

When you are done, click on the "OK" button at the bottom of each window to close it. DO NOT click on the "X" in the top-right corner to close the windows, or your changes will be lost! When you have finished, re-start your computer.

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To get to the Network control panel, go to the "Start" menu, "Control Panels", and open "Network". You should get a window that looks something like this. You may have more options than are listed here in your window. If you have a network, don't mess with anything in this window without the help of your network administrator. If you don't have a network (if this is your only computer at home, you dont have a network), then you can safely remove all of the network components except for "Dial-up Adapter" and "TCP/IP". Do this by clicking on the component you want to remove, and selecting "Remove".

The settings for the "Dial-Up Adapter" look like this. Note that the "Driver Type" and "Advanced" tabs will probably not require any changes.

The settings for the "TCP/IP" component look like this:

Bindings Tab	Advanced Tab	DNS Configuration Tab
Gateway Tab	WINS Configuration Tab	IP Address Tab

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Double click on "My Computer" and "Dial-up Networking", you should get a window that looks something like this. If you have more icons than these two, don't worry about them.

Click on "Server Types" ONCE then go to the "File" Menu, and click on "Properties"

You should get a screen that looks like this.

Then click on "TCP/IP Settings" and change your settings to look like this.

Click on "OK" to get back to the "General" tab. Then click on "Configure". You should get a screen that looks like this.

Change the Max. Speed to one of the following:

56k	33.6/28.8	14.4
115200 or 57600	57600 or 38400	38400 or 19200

Now click on "OK" and "OK" again.

Go Ahead and restart the computer and connect.
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