Using Your Gateway Solo 9150 Notebook


Getting Online

Using the Internet

The Internet is a worldwide network of computers linked together to provide information to users everywhere. You can access this global network by connecting your computer to a normal phone line and signing up with an Internet service provider. Internet services include e-mail and the World Wide Web.

E-mail (electronic mail) lets you send messages to anyone in the world, as long as you and the recipient both have Internet connections and e-mail addresses.

The World Wide Web is a user-friendly interface to the Internet that gives you point-and-click access to millions of sources of information. Almost everything is available for download, including pictures, sounds, and programs.

To begin your journey through the Internet you need:

  • Modem - a device installed in the computer that connects the computer to a phone line. Your Solo 9150 notebook has a built-in 56K data/fax/voice modem.
  • Internet service provider (ISP) - a connection between the modem and the Internet, such as gateway.net.
  • Web browser - an application that translates information from the Internet service provider to the computer. The Microsoft® Internet ExplorerTM Web browser is already installed on your notebook.

    • To understand Internet functions, you should know the following terms:

  • Electronic mail (E-mail) - messages transmitted by telephone lines.
  • E-mail address - an Internet address to which e-mail can be sent. This address designates a location on the Internet that messages and files can be sent to.
  • Downloading - transferring a copy of a file from a remote server (see definition on following page) or computer to your computer's hard drive.

Important!

Downloading (receiving files from the Internet) is not always fast. Sometimes large files and slow connection speeds contribute to slow downloading.

  • Link - a word or image within a Web page on which you can click to go to another Web page or access additional information.
  • Home page - a file that appears after connection has been made to a Web site address. This page contains links that will guide you throughout the Web site and may link you to other Web sites.
  • Server - a computer or computer program that saves data in a storage area. This data can be downloaded to your computer for manipulation or printing purposes.

Using e-mail

You can send e-mail (electronic mail) over the Internet to anyone on the Internet with an e-mail address.

Sending e-mail requires no postage or other additional fees - it is a free service of your Internet account. And, because the Internet never "closes," you can send e-mail messages at any time of the day or night. Your e-mail arrives at most Internet e-mail addresses in minutes.

An e-mail address consists of a user name, the @ symbol, and the "domain name" of the ISP or company that "hosts" that user. Your e-mail address is assigned when you sign up for an account with an ISP. For example, a person with an account with the gateway.net ISP might have this e-mail address:

jdoe@gateway.net

which is...

User name at Internet domain name

The domain name of gateway.net ISP users ends with .net (to designate a network-oriented host). However, other Internet domain names may have other suffixes such as .com (mostly US commercial hosts), .edu (US educational hosts), .org (organizations), or .gov (US government). Regardless of the Internet domain name, the steps in sending and receiving e-mail are the same.

Sending e-mail

If you have signed up for an account with the gateway.net Internet access service, your e-mail is set up and ready to use.

To send e-mail

  1. Log on to your gateway.net account (or other ISP account). After the computer connects, the Web browser opens. (If you are using another ISP, start your Web browser.)

    Important!

    2. These instructions are specific to the gateway.net Internet access service. If you have an account with a different Internet Service Provider, or are using a different e-mail application, refer to the documentation from that ISP or software manufacturer.

  2. From the Web browser start your e-mail application:
    • If you use the Microsoft Internet Explorer Web browser, click Go, then Mail. This opens the Microsoft Outlook Express e-mail application.
    • If you use the Netscape Navigator Web browser, click Communicator, then Messenger Mailbox. This opens the Netscape Messenger e-mail application.

  3. Open a new message window:

    • If you use the Microsoft Outlook Express e-mail application, click Compose, then New Message.
    • If you use the Netscape Messenger e-mail application, click Message, then New Message.

  4. In the new message window type the e-mail address of the person you want to send your message to in the To: field (if you have multiple e-mail addresses, separate them with semicolons), then type in the Subject: and your message.

    5. New Message window in Microsoft Outlook Express

  5. Click Send.

After the message has been sent, you can close your e-mail and Web browser applications and disconnect from your Internet service.

The e-mail is routed over the Internet and, after a few minutes (or longer, depending upon Internet conditions), it arrives at the recipient's e-mail account.

Because your e-mail address is contained in your message, the recipient only needs to click a "reply" button to respond to your e-mail.

Checking your e-mail

For you to receive e-mail, someone must first send an e-mail to your e-mail address. (If you have an account with the gateway.net ISP, your address is your user name at gateway.net, for example, jdoe@gateway.net.)

When someone sends an e-mail to you, it arrives at your e-mail account on a gateway.net computer usually within minutes (depending upon Internet conditions).

To check your e-mail
  1. Log on to your gateway.net account (or other ISP account).

    Important!

    These instructions are specific to the gateway.net Internet access service. If you have an account with another Internet Service Provider, or are using another e-mail application, refer to the documentation from that ISP or software manufacturer.

  2. After your computer has connected, the Web browser opens. (If you are using another ISP, start your Web browser.)

  3. Start your e-mail application:

    • If you are using the Microsoft Internet Explorer Web browser, click Go, then Mail. This opens the Microsoft Outlook Express e-mail application.
    • If you are using the Netscape Navigator Web browser, click Communicator, then Messenger Mailbox. This opens the Netscape Messenger e-mail application.

  4. Check for new messages:

    • If you are using the Microsoft Outlook Express e-mail application, click Tools, then Send and Receive.
    • If you are using the Netscape Messenger e-mail application, click File, Get Messages, then New.

    If you have new e-mail, it is downloaded to your computer and displayed in your e-mail inbox.

  5. To read a message, double-click it.

The message opens.

After you have received your e-mail messages, they remain on your computer until you delete them. (For information about deleting a message, see your e-mail application's online help.) Also, you do not need to be connected to the Internet to read messages that you have already received.

Exploring the World Wide Web

Once your Internet service is set up, you are ready to explore the Internet. To do this, you need to use a Web browser. In our example below we use Microsoft Internet Explorer to visit the Gateway Web site.

Important!

Web site addresses are not always permanent. If an error screen appears that states the file cannot be found, verify that you have typed the correct address. If a screen stating the file cannot be found appears again, the Web site has either changed location or no longer exists.

To browse the World Wide Web
  1. Connect to the Internet service. Depending upon your Internet service provider, you may be prompted to provide your user ID and password.
  2. Double-click the Internet Explorer icon on the desktop. Microsoft Internet Explorer opens.
  3. Go to a Web site by typing its address in the browser's address bar (for example, http://www.gateway.com) then pressing Enter.

The Web browser locates the site, downloads the text and graphics to the computer, and displays the site in the browser window. In the following illustration, the Gateway Web site appears in Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Refer to the Web browser's online help to learn more about using the Web browser, exploring the Web, and printing and saving information.


Using Microsoft Fax

To fax documents with Windows 98 and Windows 95, we recommend using Microsoft Fax, which is available in both operating systems.

Setting up Microsoft Fax

Although Windows 98 and Windows 95 look very similar, the setup required for Microsoft Fax is different for each operating system.

To set up Microsoft Fax in Windows 95
  1. Double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel appears.
  2. Click Add/Remove Programs, then click the Windows Setup tab.
  3. If it is not already selected, click to select the Microsoft Fax check box. If the check box is already selected, exit Add/Remove Programs and stop here. If a message asks you to include all required components, click Yes and go to next step.
  4. Click OK at the bottom of the Add/Remove Programs window. If the Inbox Setup Wizard appears, go to Step 5. If the Inbox Setup Wizard does not appear, follow the instructions on the screen.
  5. In the Inbox Setup Wizard, click the Properties button and make sure your active modem is selected. If the wizard prompts you for mail information you do not have, click Cancel to exit the wizard, then restart the wizard and clear the check boxes for Microsoft Mail and Internet Mail.
  6. The default Answer mode is Don't Answer. If another program uses the same COM port as your modem, keep the default setting. Otherwise, change the Answer mode to either Manual or Answer After. Select Manual if you will use your phone line for voice calls or other programs. If you will use your modem only for faxing, choose Answer After. Click OK to save changes.
  7. Click to indicate whether you want Microsoft Fax to answer all incoming calls, then click Next.
  8. Fill in your personal and phone line information, then click Next.
  9. If you chose to install Microsoft Mail, enter the path to your Post Office, which you can get from a server administrator.
  10. If you chose to install Internet Mail, enter the information requested in the next few windows.
  11. If this is your first Microsoft Fax installation, select the default path for Personal Address Book by clicking Next.
  12. Choose whether you want Microsoft Exchange to automatically run when you start Windows 95. Remember that you need to have Microsoft Exchange running to receive faxes. Click Next.
  13. Click Finish. Microsoft Exchange opens. If the Mail logon dialog box appears and states that you do not have a post office set up, click Offline. You will still be able to use Microsoft Fax.

To set up Microsoft Fax in Windows 98
  1. Insert the Windows 98 CD into your DVD or CD drive.
  2. Double-click on the DVD or CD icon in Microsoft Windows Explorer, then open the folder \tools\oldwin95\message\us\.
  3. Double-click the file wms.exe, then follow the Windows Messaging installation instructions.
  4. After Windows Messaging is installed, double-click the file awfax.exe and follow the Microsoft Fax instructions.

Sending and receiving faxes

To send a fax

To send a fax using the Start button:

  1. Click the Start, Programs, then Accessories.
  2. Click Fax, then click Compose New Fax. The Compose New Fax Wizard opens to guide you in preparing your fax. Follow the instructions on the screen.

- OR -

To send a fax using Microsoft Exchange:

  1. Double-click the Inbox icon to run Microsoft Exchange.
  2. Click the Compose menu, then click New Fax. Follow the instructions in the Compose New Fax Wizard.

- OR -

To send a fax by printing to Microsoft Fax:

  1. Open the document that you want to fax (for example, a Microsoft Word document).
  2. Select the File menu, then click Print.
  3. Select Microsoft Fax from the list of printers, then click OK. Follow the instructions in the Compose New Fax Wizard.

To receive, view, and print a fax
  1. Double-click the Inbox icon. Microsoft Exchange opens.
  2. If you have already changed the Answer Mode to Answer After or Manual go to Step 8. Otherwise, go to the next step.
  3. Click the Tools menu, Microsoft Fax Tools, then Options. The Microsoft Fax Properties window appears.
  4. Click the Modem tab in the Microsoft Fax Properties window.
  5. Click the Properties button and make sure your active modem is selected. (The default Answer mode is Don't Answer.)

  6. If another program uses the same COM port as your modem, keep the default setting. Otherwise, you must change the Answer mode to be able to receive faxes.

  7. If you will use your phone line for voice calls or other programs, select Manual.

    8. - OR -

  8. If you will use your modem only for faxing, select Answer After.
  9. Click OK to save changes.
  10. Close the Microsoft Fax Properties window, but leave Microsoft Exchange open to receive faxes. You are notified when a fax arrives.
  11. After a fax is received, click the Inbox folder in the Personal Folders window, then double-click the first fax in the list. The fax document opens in the FaxViewer.
  12. Click Print to print the fax.