General Connection Problems

• "My Connection is Slow - What Is My Connection Speed?"
• "I Keep Getting Disconnected After About 30 Minutes"
• "After I Dial In,  I Keep Getting The Password Screen Under Dial-Up Networking"
• "I Just Can't Connect"

Web Page Problems

• "Web Pages Do Not Load"

Email Woes

• "I Can't Get My Email"
• "I Can't Send Email"

Newsgroup Information

• "I Can't Get Into a Newsgroup Server"
• "Do You Guys Block Any Content?"

Creating Your Connection in Dial-Up Networking

• Making the Connection
• Network Protocol Selection
• Placing the Call
• Status Windows

If You Don't Have A Dial-Up Networking Folder
In "My Computer", Follow These Instructions

• Dial-Up Networking Installation and Network Configuration
• Dial-Up Networking Installation
• Network Adapter & Protocol Configuration

If You Are Having Problems Saving Username or
Password, Here Are Some Tips

• Save Password Advanced Help Page

"My connection Is Slow - What Is My Connection Speed?"    Back to Top
A slow connection can be caused by many things, including: line noise, incorrect drivers, old drivers, incorrect settings, conflicting/too many protocols, incorrect compression, or even a defective modem.

Our digital modems support all modem speeds.  If you seem slow, you should check the following items on your computer to see if it is possible to get a faster connection -

1. Under the WesterNet dialup connection, check under the Server Types tab to make sure that TCP/IP is the only protocol checked, other protocols slow down the connection.
2. Check under the Modem icon in the Control Panel and make sure the Transmit and Receive buffers are turned up completely.
3. Sometimes you can hear the modem noises and they may sound choppy or broken.  You may have to have your lines checked, particularly if your phone has noise on a voice call.
4. Sometimes making sure that there are no other devices hooked up with the modem (i.e. fax machine, surge suppressor, etc.).  Sometimes not having the phone plugged into the other side of the modem helps.
5. You may need to go to the modem manufacturer's web page and download the latest drivers for your modem.
6. Also, you can try inserting <AT&F> in the extra settings area for your modem. Be aware that some modems may not like this string and you may have to remove it to make your modem work again. If your modem doesn't like the string simply delete the string from the "extra settings" box and your modem will return back to its previous state before the string was inserted.

"I Keep Getting Disconnected After About 30 Minutes"    Back to Top

1. Your modem is making this disconnect. Or it may be due to a noisy phone line.

"After I Dial In, I Keep Getting The Password Screen Under Dial-Up Networking"  Back to Top

1. Check and make sure you are entering the correct password and user number.   Sometimes your name will end up in the user id box.  If re-entering this information still yields the password box - Under Properties for the WesterNet Dial-Up account, go to the Server Types tab and see if Log on to Network is checked, if so, uncheck it.  Make sure you have your Windows CD handy before doing this process!

Re-install Dial-Up Networking by going to Add/Remove Programs and unchecking the box next to Communication.  Click Apply then OK.   Go back to Add/Remove Programs and recheck the box.  Click Apply and OK. It will probably ask for the CD.  Restart the machine and make a new connection to WesterNet.  After re-entering the information and selecting the right protocols, the connection should work fine.  For some reason the Dial-Up Networking software sometimes gets corrupted and needs to be reinstalled.

"I Just Can't Connect"    Back to Top

1. Ok, Under Network in the Control Panel, make sure you have Client for Microsoft Networks, Dial Up Adapter, and TCP/IP.  If NetBEUI and IPX/SPX are there, remove them.  They can slow down performance.
2. Under the WesterNet Connection Properties go to the Server Types tab.  Uncheck Log on to Network and make sure that Enable Software Compression is the only thing checked under the Advanced Options.  TCP/IP should be the only protocol checked at the bottom.

Web Page Problems

"Web Pages Do Not Load"    Back to Top

Check to see if you are connected and logged in.  This can be verified by looking down by the clock on the taskbar.  The small icon of two computers with flashing green lights indicates that a connection has been established.  You may rightclick on the icon to see the connection properties.

See if you can reach our webserver.  Type <http://www.westernet.net/> into your browser address line and Enter.

1. Check for DNS numbers by going into the Dial-Up Networking folder and rightclick  the WesterNet Connection.
2. Go to <Properties> and then choose the Server Types tab.
3. At the bottom left of the field click TCP/IP Settings.
4. There will be two sets of radio buttons and usually they are both set to server assigned.
5. The top one needs to be left at Server Assigned.  The second one needs to be changed to Specify Name Server Addresses.  The field should light up and present two fields for Primary DNS and Secondary DNS.  Primary DNS and Secondary DNS should be left blank.  WINS doesn't need to be specified.  Click OK to save the changes.
6. You will need to sign off, then back on again.  Now you should be able to view a web page.  Try to bring up a web page that hasn't been cached by the browser, or "uncache" it by <Shift> <Reload>. If the page comes up you will know that everything is working correctly.
7. A last tip will be to type <http://www.westernet.net/> into your home page box in your browser and hit Reload. You will have the advantage of seeing our Network Notices when you log on.

Email Woes

1. Our Mail server is a POP3.
2. Email addresses are always lowercase, but passwords are case-sensitive.
3. Your Email username & password may be different from your WesterNet login for dialup.
4. If you have multiple Email accounts, you will need a User Profile in Netscape 4 for each one.
5. Our mailserver blocks the 30 types of attachments which can give you a virus. To send or receive an executable, simply rename the file extension from .exe to .ex_ and rename it back when received.

1. In Netscape, <Edit> <Preferences> <Mail Server>
2. Change the Incoming Mail Server Address to <mail.westernet.net>.
3. Then <Edit> to verify that POP3 is selected.
4. Add your Email Name (with @westernet.net) to the Username box, select OK.

1. The Outgoing Mail Server Address must be set to <mail.westernet.net>.
2. The Outgoing Mail User Name must be your Email Name (with @westernet.net)

Newsgroup Business and Information

"I Can't Get Into the Newsgroup Server"    Back to top

1. We do not host news locally, so the settings are immaterial.  From our home page, check out web-based Google Newsgroups.

"Do You Guys Block Any Content?"    Back to Top

1. To the best of our knowledge, we do not block any content.

Making The Connection    Back to Top

1. Doubleclick on My Computer on your Windows Desktop, then doubleclick on Dial-Up Networking.  In the Dial-Up Networking window, choose Make New Connection.
2. At the prompt to "Type a name for the computer you are dialing" replace "My Connection" with <WesterNet>.   Then click the Next button.
3. In the telephone number box, enter <3751258>.  Then click Next, followed by Finish on the next screen.
4. If you have an older modem and cannot successfully authenticate, try entering <3756780> instead. 
5. If your computer is 'located' with an area code in the Phone and Modem panel, found under Settings in the Control Panel, you may want to add the 970 area code to the above number. You can listen to the modem dialing to verify whether this is needed. If you hear seven distinct tones as it dials, followed by a rushing sound when we answer, it is OK the way it is.

Network Protocol Selection    Back to Top

1. In the Dial-Up Networking window, rightclick once on the icon for the WesterNet Connection you created.
2. Choose Properties from the pull down menu.
3. Click on the Server Types tab or button.
4. Under Advanced Options check only Enable Software Compression.
5. Click on OK until you get back out to the Dial-Up Networking window.

Placing The Call    Back to Top

1. In the Dial-Up Networking window, doubleclick on the icon for your WesterNet Connection.  This will bring up the Connect To window.
2. In the Connect To window:
   - User Name. Type your username, lower case only, in the User Name box.
   - Password. Type your WesterNet login password in the Password box.
   - Dialing Properties.
       - If you have to dial 9 for an outside line, click on Dial Properties so you can make the
          necessary changes under "To access an outside line".
      - If you have Call Waiting on your telephone line you can disable it for the duration of the
         call from the Dial Properties Screen by entering <*70>.
      - Note: You only have to set up the Dial Properties this one time.  You won't have to do
         it every time you dial in.
      - Click OK to get back out to the Connect To window.
3. Click on the Connect button to start dialing.

Status Windows    Back to Top

If you don't have a Dial-Up Networking folder inside of "My Computer", follow these instructions.

Dial-Up Networking Installation and Network Configuration   Back to Top

1. Begin by going to your Desktop and double clicking on My Computer.  In the My Computer window, double click on Control Panel.
2. Double click on the Add/Remove Programs icon.
3. In the Add/Remove Programs Properties window, single click on the Windows Setup folder tab.
4. Single click in the check box to the left of the word Communications.   Next, click on the Details button.
5. When the Communications window appears, click on the check box labeled Dial-Up Networking.
6. Click on OK to accept your changes.

1. From the My Computer window double click on Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel window double click on the Network icon.
3. In the Network window, under the Configuration folder tab, click on the Add button.
4. In the Select Network Component Type window select Adapter.   Then click on the Add button to the right.
5. From the Select Network Adapters window, select Microsoft from the list of manufacturers.  In the pane on the right, select Dial-Up Adapter.  Click on OK.
6. In the Network window, under the Configuration folder tab, click on Add.
7. From the Select Network Component Type window select Protocol, and then click on the Add button to the right.
8. From the Select Network Protocol window choose Microsoft from the list of manufacturers, and TCP/IP from the list of Network Protocols.  Then click on OK.
9. Click on OK to leave the Network window and get back to the Control Panel window.  You will be asked if you want to restart your computer so your changes will go into effect.  Click on the Yes button.

Want to print out brief text instructions for modem setup? Good idea. Here they are:

• Windows 95/98/Me
• Windows 2000
• Windows XP
• MacIntosh