How do I manually configure Windows XP for dialup?

This guide is intended to show you how to connect your Windows XP computer to Team Partners Internet, and has been designed to be as easy to follow as possible.

The steps listed here will allow you to configure Dial-Up Networking (DUN) under Windows XP. This will allow you to connect to Team Partners Internet without the need for any additional software.

To begin, left click on your Start button, move your mouse so that Control Panel is highlighted, and then left click to select it (see below).

You should now see the Control Panel window open, looking very similar to the one shown below:

With this window open, you now need to left click on the option for Network and Internet Connections (see above).

You should now be looking at the screen shown below:

Here, you must choose which task you would like to perform. You want to set up a new Internet connection, so left click on the option marked Set up or change your Internet connection.

The Internet Properties window should now be displayed (see below):

On this screen, you can start the New Connection Wizard by left clicking on the Setup button (highlighted in the above screenshot).

After starting the New Connection Wizard, you should now see the screen shown below:

This screen is purely for information purposes. To begin the real process of creating your new connection, click on the Next button (highlighted in the above screenshot).

The window shown below should now open:

Here you must choose which type of network connection you wish to create. You want to create a connection to the Internet so ensure that you have placed the little black dot in the top option (Connect to the Internet) to highlight it (see above), and then click Next to continue.

You should now see the screen shown below:

Here, you are being asked how you would like to create your connection to the Internet. You should choose the middle option on the list, Set up my connection manually... (highlighted in the above screenshot), and click on Next to continue.

You should now see the screen below:

You are now being asked how your computer will connect to the Internet. You will be connecting via a modem and a phone line, so you should highlight the first option, Connect using a dial-up modem (see above), and then click Next.

You should now be looking at the screen shown below:

Here you are being asked for the name of your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Since you will be connecting to Team Partners Internet, type Team Partners Internet in the box provided, and then click Next.

The next screen you will see is shown below:

On this screen you are being asked for the phone number of your Internet service provider (08450551877), so that your computer knows which number to dial in order to connect you to the Internet. Enter the phone number 08450551877 Note: Just enter the numbers here, with no spaces.

Here, you are being asked for the Username and Password you will use to access Team Partners Internet. These will have been supplied to you in the welcome email you received shortly after subscribing to the service.

Enter your Username and Password into the boxes provided. Be very careful in your typing, as these are case sensitive (I.e. cheese is seen as different to CHEESE).

Once you are certain you have typed these in correctly, make sure that you have ticked the box to Make this the default Internet connection, and then click on the Next button to continue.

Note: Enabling the Internet Connection Firewall is also a good idea, as it will provide some measure of security for your PC while you are online.

The final screen of the connection wizard is shown below:

This is the last step of the wizard, so just click Finish to exit and save the details of your new connection.

After finishing the New Connection Wizard, there is one last step to take to complete the setup of your Team Partners Internet connection.

Click on the main Start button once again, and you should notice a new menu option, Connect To. If you move your mouse over this, the menu will expand to show the new Team Partners Internet connection you have just created (see below):

Move your mouse pointer so that the Team Partners Internet connection is highlighted, then click your right mouse button. A menu should appear, as in the above screenshot. Move your mouse so that Properties is highlighted, and left click to select it.

You should be greeted by the window shown below:

This is the properties window for the Team Partners Internet connection you created previously. Notice the tabs along the top of the window. Left click on the Networking tab to select it (highlighted above).

You should now be looking at the screen below:

About halfway down the window, you will see a list of items, topmost of which should be Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). Highlight this by clicking on it with your left mouse button, ensure that the box to the left of it is ticked, and then click on the Properties button (highlighted above).

You should be rewarded with the Internet Protocol Properties screen shown below:

There are two settings you should check on this screen.

Firstly, ensure that Obtain an IP address automatically is highlighted (this is the default setting).

The second section is DNS server addresses, ensure that Obtain DNS server address automatically is highlighted (this is the default setting).

When you have finished making your changes, your screen should look the same as the screenshot shown above (all the areas you need to check/change have been highlighted in red).

Finally, click on the OK button to return to the previous screen, and then OK again to close the connection properties window.

And that's it.

You can connect to the Internet at any time by clicking on the Connect to option from your Start menu, although in most cases when you launch a program which requires an Internet connection (such as Internet Explorer) your computer will automatically bring up a dialogue box inviting you to make the connection.

Happy browsing!