Rev Up Your Net Connection

29 ways to keep your cable, DSL, satellite, or dial-up modem link cruising--and maybe even find a new gear.

Kirk Steers

Is your Internet connection as fast and trouble-free as it could be? Probably not. Is there something that you can do to make it better? Definitely.

A cable connection is fast--sometimes. The many different types of DSL are zippy, too, but the installation hassles they sometimes entail are legendary. Then there are the dark horse candidates: satellite and wireless. These offer quick downloads, but who knows what'll happen when sunspot activity picks up or some other atmospheric phenomenon interferes? Finally, there's the venerable dial-up modem. It's definitely not speedy, but it isn't too old to be taught a few new tricks.

Whatever kind of connection you use, you can get more performance out of it. Our 29 tips cover dial-up, DSL, cable, satellite, and fixed wireless. First we briefly describe what you need to know before making the connection, then we discuss optimizing your link, and finally we explain how to troubleshoot a faulty connection. Naturally, some tips apply to a single type of Internet link, and others apply to multiple types. Each tip is marked with one or more icons that identify the connection methods it refers to (see the key).

More and more people use their Internet link to log in to a corporate network from their home or other remote location, usually via a virtual private network. We offer a quick look at VPN in "Connection Inc." And we describe utilities and Web sites that will help you move into the fast lane in our "Supercharged Surfing" chart.

Kirk Steers is a PC World contributing editor.

Get Ready to Rev

The best way to improve your likelihood of establishing a fast and trouble-free Internet connection is a good, clean installation. Follow these tips to avoid being left at the starting line.

Do not burn your bridges. If you're upgrading to a high-speed connection, keep your dial-up modem functioning. You may need it right away to download device drivers or other files required to complete your broadband installation. You'll also want your dial-up modem at hand as a backup when your broadband connection goes on the fritz--which it will.

Prepare your PC. If setting up your new Internet service will require a house call by a technician, make life as easy as possible for the installer. Is your PC easy to access, and is it located near a telephone jack or coaxial cable? Or will your connection need an extralong extension that the installer may not have? Anticipate any unique needs of your work environment, and make sure the installer is aware of them in advance.

Double-check that your PC meets all hardware and software requirements for your new service. Is the required connection--whether a PCI slot, a serial port, or a USB port--open and working properly? Check Windows' Device Manager for yellow error flags, and fix any hardware problems before the installer arrives (see FIGURE 1). How you open Device Manager varies depending on your version of Windows, but one way is to right-click My Computer, choose Properties, and look for a tab or button labeled 'Device Manager'.

Have your modem drivers and OS files handy on floppies or other removable media, or copy them to your hard disk to give yourself superfast access to them. (You need to copy only the.cab files from your Windows or System Recovery CD.)

Treat the installer like a long-lost friend. Any broadband installation can be frustrating, but installers and service personnel are rarely responsible for back-office screw-ups. Most installers are hard-working professionals with a tool belt full of off-the-record tips about your broadband setup. Sometimes a little goodwill--and maybe a cookie or a can of soda--can save you hours of frustrating calls to tech support.

Learn your limits. In nearly all cases, your local phone company will send a technician to your house to check the DSL suitability of the phone lines running from your house or building to the closest switchbox (which is usually just a few dozen feet away). The technician will determine your maximum available data throughput, among other things, based on your distance from the local telephone office. The closer you are to the local office, the faster your potential top connection speed. (Typically, your PC must be within 20,000 feet of the central office to qualify for DSL service.) Ask the technician what your location's best rate is so you can avoid unrealistic expectations.

Avoid the circle of blame. DSL installations--and some cable installations--require more than one visit to your location by technicians: the first time to test the line and prepare the wiring, and the second to hook up the service. These tasks can be performed by different divisions of the same company or (in the case of many DSL installations) your local telephone company initially, and then by a separate ISP. When problems arise, each company or division may blame the other. Your best defense is to ask the company representative who takes your order exactly who is responsible for what tasks and how they can be contacted. Be sure you have this information before anyone shows up at your door. Also, keep copious notes about everything, including names, dates, what was done, and what was promised. The calm but squeaky wheel does get the oil.

Do it yourself? You can install any of the four types of broadband connections yourself, but there's no guarantee that doing so will save you time or money. Cable and DSL providers offer self-installation kits that PC-savvy customers can probably handle with few or no problems. If you think a Makita is a kind of sled dog, however, installing a satellite or wireless system probably isn't for you; it requires an affinity for power tools and a commitment of several hours at least. Unfortunately, many people discover that installing broadband yourself can easily become a nightmare. Keep the following two points in mind:

• Don't take chances with hardware: In theory, any properly installed network card will work with any Internet access device. In practice, you can't count on it. Always use the products recommended by your ISP. Check the company's Web site for a list of compatible items.
• Use the equipment provided: Though the cable connecting a broadband modem to your PC's ethernet port may look like a standard ethernet cable, it might not be one. Some DSL and satellite installation kits use a special crossover cable. Replacing it with a standard cable won't work.

Think outside the box. If you'd rather not open your system's case, ask your cable, DSL, or wireless provider for an external modem that connects to your PC via USB. If you must use an ethernet connection, check out Belkin's $50 USB Broadband Network Adapter external ethernet adapter.

USB 1.1 is rated at a throughput of 12 mbps, but in reality it's rarely higher than 8 mbps, and 6 mbps is typical. If you use videoconferencing or other data-hungry Internet applications that require speeds above 8 mbps, consider adding a second, dedicated USB card for your broadband connection. Or wait for the arrival of hardware that uses the new, faster USB 2.0. PCs outfitted with USB 2.0 should be available very soon. See Hardware Tips for more on the benefits of USB 2.0.

Shift Into Overdrive

You may think you're already getting peak performance from your Internet link, but chances are good that you could squeeze at least a few more kilobits per second out of your setup. These tips will help you get your connection running at full throttle.

Thanks for more memory. Adding extra RAM to your PC won't make your modem work more efficiently, but it might substantially improve your online experience. When pictures, text, and other parts of a Web page come barreling through your modem and into your PC, they get stored in a portion of your PC's RAM called a cache. The size of the cache is controlled by a setting in your browser: The larger the cache, the more Web content you can store and the faster you can access it. If you repeatedly move back and forth between Web pages, a larger cache can save you lots of time. Furthermore, if your PC has less than 64MB of RAM, you owe it to yourself and your applications to add more. RAM is a very cost-effective upgrade: A typical 128MB memory module costs less than $30, and some 256MB modules cost only a bit more. Note that PC memory is a commodity, and prices can change rapidly.

When your system runs out of RAM, Windows copies the overflow data to the hard disk. To maximize the rate at which data flows on and off your hard disk, run Windows' Disk Defragmenter utility (in most versions of Windows, you can locate it under the menu Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools).

Wherefore UART thou? Data moves between your PC and your dial-up modem via a UART chip. On occasion the chip's Windows settings create a bottleneck that slows down the throughput. To change the settings, open Windows' Device Manager (in most versions of Windows, you can do this by right-clicking My Computer, choosing Properties, and clicking the Device Manager tab; in Windows XP, you have to click the Hardware tab under System Properties and then choose the Device Manager button). Next, double-click the entry for your modem and select the Modem tab. Set the entry in the 'Maximum speed' box to the highest possible value, which is usually 115200. If this adjustment causes problems, reset the entry to its previous value.

Update your driver. To get the most out of any device, Windows needs to use the most appropriate driver available, and you can't expect that driver to be the one already installed on your system. Many modems and network cards can function with drivers written for different models and even different makes, but you'll almost certainly get better performance from a device when you use the latest driver written specifically for it. To identify the driver you're currently using, open Windows' Device Manager and double-click the entry for your modem or network card. Select the Driver tab, and then choose Driver File Details ( Driver Details in Windows XP). If the manufacturer's name and the product's model name and number don't match those of the device you're using, go to the vendor's Web site and download the latest driver for that device. Check the installed driver's version number to make sure it isn't out of date. Most manufacturers update their device drivers frequently.

What's your line? The technology used by 56-kbps modems to squeeze out transfer speeds above 33.6 kbps requires a very clean connection between your PC and your ISP's servers. The phone lines in some parts of the United States just aren't up to the task. If you hear static and other background noise when you're talking on your phone, demand that your phone company replace the wires running to your house. (Depending on your type of account, you may also get them to replace the wires inside your house.)

If you can't get new wires, try dialing a different access number for your ISP. Most providers offer more than one number for a given calling area. And make sure the transmission speed of the number you're dialing matches the speed of your modem. You may be using a 28.8-kbps line or a line that supports only a pre-V.90-vintage 56-kbps connection (K56flex or X2).

Hey, big sender! Most high-speed connections are intended for people who want fast downloads rather than fast uploads, so their download speed far exceeds their upload speed. If you frequently send complex graphics files, large databases, or other big files over the Internet via ADSL, G.Lite, a one-way satellite link, or some other asymmetric service, you probably feel the pinch of their upstream data limits. The solution: Upgrade your service.

SDSL is a business-oriented DSL service that typically offers much faster upload speeds than ADSL or G.Lite--at a higher cost, of course. Expect to pay about double the rate you would pay for an asymmetric plan. Check out DSLreports for pricing information on the various flavors of DSL available.

If you're a satellite broadband customer, you probably use an analog modem to upload data. Direcway, from Hughes Network Systems and its partners, offers a two-way satellite-Internet service that costs about $700 for equipment and installation, and about $70 per month for Internet access. The StarBand two-way satellite service is available through the Dish Network and other partners at about the same price for equipment, installation, and monthly service.

Accelerate your log-ons. You can probably get online faster by instructing your modem not to perform unneeded tasks. In Windows 9x, open My Computer, double-click Dial-Up Networking, right-click the icon for your dial-up connection (the default name is My Connection), and select Properties. On the Server Types tab, uncheck Log on to network, IPX/SPX Compatible, and NetBEUI (see FIGURE 2). In Windows Me, select the Networking tab in your connection's Properties dialog box and uncheck NetBEUI and IPX/SPX Compatible, and under the Security tab, make sure Log on to network is unchecked.

What's in a domain name? When you click a hyperlink, your PC first sends the name of the desired site (such as www.leos-muffler-repair.com) to a massive list of names and their corresponding numeric IP addresses (such as 127.0.0.1). The list, known as the Domain Name Server, translates the site's name into its numeric form and sends the request on its way.

You can speed up your connection by shortening this lookup step. Normally, your request travels to your ISP, where it is sorted through zillions of names and addresses. CBS Software's IPexpress, ExtraTools' $30 ExtraDNS, and similar utilities let you create a small DNS on your hard disk, which obviates the lookup process. The performance increase these programs make possible varies widely from system to system, but they're certainly worth a try. At our Downloads library, you'll find links to these utilities--and all the other ones mentioned in this article (trial versions of the shareware).

Be certain to keep the DNS file on your hard drive up-to-date, though. If a Web site changes its DNS entry, it could drop off your browser's radar.

The Internet Mechanic

One day you're racing around the Internet at breakneck speeds, and the next you feel like you're hauling a double-wide trailer. Things naturally fall apart, but they don't have to stay that way. The following tips will get your Net connection back in high gear.

Are you all plugged in? If you have no connection at all, start your troubleshooting by checking the obvious. Is everything plugged in tightly and powered on? Check your surge protectors. Sometimes their switches get thrown accidentally, or a power outage or nearby electrical storm may trip their circuit breakers. Make sure every cable and connection to and from your PC is firmly in place; a connector that looks firmly seated may actually be loose.

Check your ISP's status. The problem may be at your service provider's end. Browse to the company's Web page if you can get online. If you can't, call the company's tech-support line. With luck, it will be a toll-free number; with even more luck, you won't wait on hold so long that you grow a crust.

Check your credit history. A dead connection may be due to an accounting snafu. Has your credit card been lost or stolen in the last few months? Or has its expiration date passed? Customers who use a credit card number for automatic payments to their ISP often forget to call in a new account number or new expiration date. And thanks to today's paperless accounting systems, you may not receive a warning before your ISP shuts down your service for nonpayment. If it's simply a matter of updating your credit card information, a phone call should get you up and running again in a few hours.

Turn on Oprah. If you subscribe to a cable television service, turn on your television. If your cable TV signals aren't reaching you, neither are your cable data signals. Unfortunately, a dead satellite TV signal doesn't always imply trouble with your satellite data signal (assuming that you use Direct Duo or a similar data-TV combination). That's because satellite data and television signals move through different circuits. Still, if you have no satellite television signal, it may justify a call to your service provider.

Throw some light on the subject. Cable, DSL, and satellite modems have several status lights for monitoring incoming and outgoing data. Your modem's documentation should tell you what the lights on your modem mean. Most modems have some or all of the following indicators:

• Power/status: This light confirms that the modem is running. A constant flashing may indicate internal hardware or firmware problems.
• Sync or link: This light signals a successful link with the service provider.
• LAN activity: This light shows that data is passing between the modem and your ethernet card.
• Line activity: This light lets you know that data is moving between your computer's modem and the Internet.

Interfere with interference. DSL signals are much more sensitive to line interference than are the voice signals that share the same line. If you experience intermittent data-transfer slowdowns, something may be hindering your DSL signal. Disconnect phones, fax machines, and other telephony devices that share your DSL line. Also check the microfilters installed for each of these devices; one of them may not be properly connected.

The G.Lite version of DSL supposedly doesn't require microfilters for the other devices that share the same phone line as the DSL modem. If you're having problems, install microfilters anyway.

The interference may be coming from outside your location. Look for events or patterns that may help you and your service provider identify the source. For example, bad weather may cause trouble on a poorly insulated line.

If you hear scratchy sounds or static when you use the phone, demand that your phone company repair the line.

Don't get dumped. Occasionally getting disconnected from your ISP is a fact of online life. V.90 modems operate close to the limits of existing phone lines, so any disturbance can wreak havoc on their connection. Unfortunately, you can do little to control problems originating in external phone lines. But you can do several things to help your internal lines:

• Disable call waiting: If you don't, every incoming call will disconnect you. To disable this feature while online, add a *70 prefix to the dial-up telephone number listed in your ISP's Dial-Up Networking entry.
• Slow things down: Open your modem's entry in Device Manager by right-clicking My Computer and selecting Properties (in Windows XP, click the Hardware tab and then the Device Manager button). Double-click the entry for your modem, choose the Modem tab, and lower the value in the 'Maximum speed' box ('Maximum Port Speed' in Windows XP). This may slow your connection a bit, but it may also help you avoid disconnects. Next, choose the Connections tab and select Port Settings (in Windows XP, choose the Advanced tab and click the Advanced Port Settings button). Experiment with different buffer sizes to see whether adjusting this variable helps alleviate your connection woes.

Check Windows for hardware problems. Make sure your modem, network card, USB, or satellite modem card is properly installed in Windows. Open Device Manager by right-clicking My Computer and choosing Properties (in Windows XP, choose the Hardware tab and click the Device Manager button). Select the entry for each device. If all is well, the 'Device status' box will say 'This device is working properly.' If the device isn't working properly, an error message will describe the nature of the problem.

Is it you, your ISP, or the Internet? You spend hours talking on the phone, reinstalling software, and tweaking your PC's settings only to hear the support tech say, "Gosh, I'm stumped. The trouble must be out on the Internet." To avoid wasting time and energy in the future, try to identify the cause of a slow or nonexistent connection before contacting tech support. Here are a few places to start.

Ring it with Ping: Ping is a small utility in DOS that's a bit techie but well worth using to diagnose a broadband connection gone bad. The program sends a signal from your PC to a selected Internet address and then waits for a return signal. If you receive a response, you know a connection can be made. If not, Ping may help you locate the trouble.

Unfortunately, for security reasons, more and more Web sites--especially commercial sites--are being programmed not to return a Ping signal. A site can be overwhelmed by large numbers of maliciously sent Ping requests, for example; this is known as a denial-of-service attack. For troubleshooting purposes, however, you need only send a Ping request to an Internet address that you're pretty sure will respond, such as your ISP's address. (You can find the address in your TCP/IP settings under Control Panel's 'Network' or 'Network Connections' heading, depending on your version of Windows.)

Click Start, Run and type ping followed by a space and then the IP address of your choice. Better yet, download Sam Spade, a free program created by Steve Atkins that puts an easy-to-use graphical interface on Ping and several other useful DOS utilities. FIGURE 3 shows the results of a Ping signal sent to the ESPN Web site using Sam Spade. The times, listed in milliseconds, represent the signal's round trip.

If you send a ping request to 127.0.0.1 and don't get a reply, the problem may be due to your PC's network settings. If you do get a reply but continue to experience connection problems, send a Ping request to your default gateway; this is your PC's portal to the Internet, whether it's located at your ISP, within your local network, or elsewhere. To find your default gateway in Windows 9x and Me, click Start, Run and type ipconfig, or ask your ISP. (You'll also find your default gateway listed in your TCP/IP settings' properties in Control Panel under 'Network' or 'Network Connections', depending on your version of Windows.) A successful Ping signal here suggests that your connection problems lie outside your PC and local network, perhaps with your ISP.

Trace it: If you've determined that the source of your problem in connecting to a Web site is external to you but isn't your ISP, you may find some useful information about it by running a DOS utility called Tracert. Tracert works just like Ping and can also be run from Sam Spade.

When your browser requests a Web page, the request travels from your PC to the ISP and then hops across a series of computers or routers to its destination. Tracert follows the route taken and displays an often-cryptic device name and travel time for each hop (see FIGURE 4). If a Web site is exceptionally slow, this list can tell you whether that slowness is due to the site's server or to one of the routers encountered by the packet along the way.

Usually you can't do much about Internet delays and bottlenecks. But if you notice that the first few routers Tracert lists are always the same for each trace, or have very similar names, these routers may belong to your ISP or to the company that provides Internet access to your ISP. If you experience constant slowdowns or a failure of one of these routers, call your ISP and pass along this information. You may speed things up for yourself and a lot of other people as well.

Go the distance. Sometimes you can't connect to a Web site because your data dies prematurely. All data packets sent on the Internet carry a Time to Live (TTL) number. Each time the packet passes through a router or similar device, its TTL value drops by one. When the TTL reaches zero, the packet dies. This keeps lost or damaged packets from bouncing around the Internet forever.

By default, Windows sets the TTL at 32; if your data must pass through more than 32 routers to get to its destination, it won't arrive. Instances of premature packet death are infrequent, but it does happen. To avoid it, reset the Default TTL setting located in the Windows Registry at: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\MSTCP. You can use Regedit to do this manually if you're Registry-savvy, or you can take the easy route and work with a utility such as Hagel Technologies' $20 TweakMaster.

Fast Tips

Do Your Homework

Installing high-speed access is like getting your car repaired: The more you know, and the more you're involved, the likelier you are to achieve fast, efficient results. Take some time before the installation to research your connection method; in addition, try to ascertain the transmission speed you can expect, the problems you're likely to encounter, and the reputation of your service providers. See our " Supercharged Surfing" chart for sites offering this and other useful information.

Is Newer Better?

Anyone using a modem that runs at 33.6 kbps or slower should buy a new modem. If you use a 56-kbps V.90 modem, however, there's little reason to upgrade to a V.92 modem. Though the new V.92 standard does offer faster dial-ups, quicker uploads, and support for call waiting, it doesn't substantially improve data download speed. And for the new features to work, your ISP must also support V.92, which ISPs aren't exactly rushing to do. Still, if your ISP does support V.92, it might be worth considering.

Reset Your Modem

Modem not working? Power it down, wait at least a minute, and then restart it. Check your documentation for the proper procedure for resetting your device. It may take a while to reestablish a connection with your ISP, and--depending on your type of service--your provider may have to reset the connection device.

What's Coming and Going

You can keep an eye on your Internet performance with Vital Signs Software's Net.Medic, a free utility that monitors the flow of data into, out of, and around your PC. Net.Medic helps you find bottlenecks and provides a standard for measuring future online and PC performance.

Restart Your PC

It's amazing how many times you can make your problems disappear simply by restarting your PC. Be sure to leave your system powered down for at least 30 seconds before you restart, though. As your PC reboots, keep a close eye on the text displayed on your monitor; error messages may offer clues to whatever it is that ails your PC.

Internet Toolbox: Supercharged Surfing (chart)

Software	Price	Comments                    
EasyMTU (http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,6500,00.asp)	Free	Helps you tweak the Windows Registry to accelerate your connection.
ExtraDNS (http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,6910,00.asp)	Free 30-day trial; $30 to keep	Hastens data retrieval by putting numerical Internet addresses on your hard drive so your PC doesn't have to look for them online first.
IPexpress (http://www.cbs-soft.com)	Free (registration required)	Stores Web sites' IP addresses on your hard drive; speeds surfing by directing browsers to look there before they try a DNS server.
Net.Medic (http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,5431,00.asp)	Free	Monitors data flow into, out of, and around your PC. Finds bottlenecks, provides standards for measuring online and PC performance.
Sam Spade (http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,4709,00.asp)	Free	Provides a Windows interface for Ping, Tracert, and other data-monitoring functions.
TweakMaster (http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,4168,00.asp)	Free 30-day trial; $20 to keep	Optimizes Windows' Registry settings to speed up your connection.
Sites	Price	Comments                    
Bandwidth Place (http://bandwidthplace.com/speedtest)	Free	Offers downstream speed tests for dial-up connections and for both low- and high-end broadband (upstream tests are in the works).
DSLreports (http://www.dslreports.com)	Free	Great for all things DSL, and not bad for other things broadband, either. Includes a test page for analyzing your DSL connection.
Navas Group (http://navasgrp.home.att.net)	Free	Loaded with useful (sometimes technical) information about modem and high-speed Internet access.

Connection Inc.

Office workers have never been so footloose.

Corporate networks are becoming easier and safer to access via the public Internet, so we can be "at work" wherever we find an Internet link. Remote connections are rarely as convenient or as fast as being on an office LAN, but more and more companies are finding that virtual private networks are easy and quick enough to get the job done.

For most organizations, the bottom line on VPNs is the bottom line: VPNs are a fraction of the cost of the dedicated leased lines used for remote access in the past, in part because VPNs use employees' existing Internet service. Some cable-modem service providers claim that VPNs violate residential contracts; they require that people using a VPN as part of a low-cost residential agreement upgrade to a business account.

Even if they were free, VPNs would be shunned by businesses if they weren't secure. VPNs use "tunneling" to establish a secure connection between your PC and the corporate network gateway. See "How It Works: Virtual Private Networks" for a look under the VPN hood.

Remote Access From the Client Side

My dilemma: I love office work, but I hate offices. Processed air, prefab cubicles, urns of hours-old "special house blend" coffee, and enough fluorescent lighting to irradiate a ham--yeah, that's where I want to spend half my waking hours each week.

My salvation: VPN and DSL, my two favorite TLAs (three-letter acronyms). Virtual private networks running over digital subscriber lines give my home PC the same access to the PC World network that I get from the machine in my office pen--er, cubicle. My boss is happy because I'm more productive. The IT folks are happy because VPNs are inexpensive and easy to maintain. And I'm happy because I can get my work done quickly enough to leave plenty of time for chasing Frisbees and indulging in other outdoor activities.

Establishing and maintaining a remote link to an office network is not without its pitfalls. In three years of using VPN over DSL, I've weathered a storm of dropped connections, service outages, interminable response times, and system-configuration woes. Yet the most important lesson I've learned is that with perseverance, anything is possible.

Of course, a little self-sufficiency goes a long way. The IT staffers back in the office serve as your first and last resource when you install and troubleshoot your remote link, but there's plenty you can do to make their job--and yours--much easier. Here are steps to take before calling the help desk.

Start with the obvious: Is your modem turned on? Are all your plugs snug in their sockets? Is there a dialtone when you pick up the phone? If you use DSL, a phone outage will knock out your data link, too.

Check your e-mail or open your browser: If you can't send or receive e-mail, or if you're unable to visit a Web site (follow a link that you haven't followed before to ensure that you're not viewing a page from your browser's cache memory), the problem may be with your Internet connection rather than with your VPN link.

Verify your VPN settings: Make sure the VPN server's IP address, DNS, and WINS settings are correct. Your IT department supplied this information to you when you installed your VPN link.

In Windows XP, click Start, Connect To, right-click your VPN shortcut, and select Properties. The VPN server's IP address will be listed on the General tab in the box under 'Host name or IP address of destination'. To verify your TCP/IP settings, select the Networking tab, highlight Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) in the box under 'This connection uses the following items', and click Properties. The settings you need to check up on are your 'Preferred' and 'Alternate' DNS and your primary and secondary WINS addresses (click Advanced and then the WINS tab to view them). While you're on the Networking tab, click the Settings button under 'Type of VPN', and make sure Enable software compression is checked. Note that your IT department may have specified additional settings for your connection.

In Windows 9x and Me, select Start, Settings, Dial-Up Networking, right-click your VPN shortcut, and select Properties. You'll see the VPN server's IP address on the General tab in the box under 'Host name or IP Address'. Click the Networking tab and verify that Enable software compression is checked. Now select TCP/IP Settings to check your primary and secondary DNS and WINS numbers. If your PC is on a home network, uncheck Use default gateway on remote network. Now choose the Security tab and make sure that your network user name, password (if you select the Connect automatically option), and network domain server name are correct. Your IT department likely requires that you keep the three entries under 'Advanced security options' (Log on to network, Require encrypted password, and Require data encryption) checked.

--Dennis O'Reilly