Posted by: venom

Due to the proliferation of broadband access to homes all over the modern world, some people do not even know what dial-up access is. However, you may one day travel to a country where there is no broadband access and you may have to hook up to the Internet through your laptop’s modem.

However, before you can use your modem, you’ll need to set up a connection first. The instructions I’m providing here are for Windows XP on a laptop; but should be almost the same (if not the same) for the other versions of Microsoft Windows.

Firstly, locate the “My Network Places” icon on your desktop. Right-click the icon and select the “Properties” popup menu to launch the “Network Connections” windows. This window will list all available connections already set up on your laptop.

On the left hand pane of the screen, click on the “Create a new connection” link to launch the “New Connection Wizard”. The wizard will walk you through the creation of a new connection. Clicking on the “Next” button should bring you to the “Network Connection Type” screen.

Since we’re trying to set up a standalone dial-up connection, select the “Connect to the Internet” option and click on the “Next” button. You should be now brought to a “Getting Ready” screen. Here you will be able to select which service provider you’re using to connect to the Internet. Select the “Set up my connection manually” option and click on the “Next” button.

You should now be at the screen that allows you to specify what method you’re using to connect to the Internet. Select the “Connect using a dial-up modem” option and click on the “Next” button. In the next screen, specify a label that you want to use to refer to this connection that you’re creating. It is actually free text so you can specify anything you want. Enter a suitable and appropriate name for this connection and then click on the “Next” button.

Since you selected using your modem for the connection earlier, you will now be brought to the “Phone Number to Dial” screen. You will need information from your dial-up service provider into order to specify this information. The dial-up phone number should be in the package you got from the service provider. If you do not have this information, contact your service provider. Once you’ve specified the number, click on the “Next” button. You will then be brought to the “Connection Availability” screen.

Here, you are provided the opportunity to specify whether this connection that you have created will be made available to all users of your laptop or only yourself. Since you are using a laptop, I’ll suggest selecting the “Anyone’s use” option. Click on the “Next” button to proceed.

The next screen allows you to specify your connection’s username and password. Again, this information should be provided by your service provider. Enter the information and click on the “Next” button.

That’s it - you should be brought to the final screen where you need to click on the “Finish” button. In this final screen, you also have the option of automatically creating a desktop short-cut on your desktop. If you so desire to create one, select the “Add shortcut…” checkbox before you click on the “Finish” button.