In case you are really new to computers... The Internet is a worldwide network of computers. The network provides services like browsing, email, Ftp and Irc etc. By means of the Internet, not only the text messages, but photos, graphics and sound can also be shared. The Internet also allows money transactions to take place, giving rise to ecommerce applications. By connecting to the Internet you can get advantage of all these services and take part in electronic commerce. In this Article you will find out how to connect your PC to the Internet.

In order to get connected onto the Internet backbone, it is necessary to purchase Internet connection package from your Internet Service provider. The Internet Service provider is generally a large Telecommunications company which provides connection to the Internet.

 There are various types of Internet connections possible.

1. Dialup connection over the telephone lines
2. DSL ( connections  to telephone lines ) or cable modem (connections to the television cable network)  broadband connections

Connecting to the Internet

Purchase the Internet package from your service provider. This can be either the dialup connection or the broadband connection.

Connecting  through the dialup connection

You have purchased dialup connection package from your service provider. Follow the following steps to get connected to the Internet.

Step 1.
Connect the modem to the PC. The modem is a device that converts the parallel data signals from our PC to the analog signals suitable for the telephone lines. Open ‘Phone and modem ’ options in Control Panel. In the Dialing rules tab click ‘New’ and when you are prompted for location  information, specify the dialing information for your location, and then click OK. Next go to the ‘Modems’ tab, click Add. Follow the instructions in the Install New Modem Wizard.

Step 2.
The Internet uses a networking protocol called as the TCP/IP protocol. Check to see whether the TCP/ IP protocol is installed in your PC. If not, install the TCP/IP protocol.

Step 3.
Click ‘Start’, click ‘Control Panel’, and then double-click ‘Network Connections’. Under ‘Network Tasks’, click ‘Create a new connection’, and then click Next. Click ‘Connect to the Internet’, and then click Next.

Step 4.
Select the option ‘Set up my connection’ manually. If your ISP has provided a CD disk then choose the option ‘Use the CD I got from the ISP’.

Step 5.
Select the option ‘Connect using the dialup’ option and click next. The other two options are for the broadband connections which we will consider in the next topic.

Step 6.
Select the modem and click next. Type the correct name of your ISP as provided by your ISP. Type the phone number to which you will be dialing. This will be the phone number of your ISP and not your own phone number. Type the User name and the password. Confirm the password by typing again. The user name and the password will be supplied to you by the ISP when you purchase the package.

Step 7.
Check the box ‘make a shortcut on desktop’. Click the finish button.
You have made an Internet connection and you will get an icon in the ‘network connections’. You will also get a shortcut on the desktop.

Step 8.
Click on the shortcut on the desktop. The dialup networking will start dialing to the ISP and connect your PC to the Internet. Once this procedure is completed you can start your browser, such as the Internet browser and start surfing or send your emails.

Connecting through the DSL or cable modem broadband connection

You have purchased broadband or cable modem connection package from your service provider. Follow the following steps to get connected to the Internet.

Step 1.
Connect the Ethernet adapter card to your PC expansion slot. You can purchase a Ethernet card yourself or purchase it from your service provider. The Ethernet card will be sensed by Windows Xp and the necessary drivers will be installed automatically.

Step 2.
The Internet uses a networking protocol called as the TCP/IP protocol. Check to see whether the TCP/ IP protocol is installed in your PC. If not, install the TCP/IP protocol.

Step 3.
Click ‘Start’, click ‘Control Panel’, and then double-click ‘Network Connections’. Under ‘Network Tasks’, click ‘Create a new connection’, and then click Next. Click ‘Connect to the Internet’, and then click Next. Follow the instructions in the New Connection Wizard.

Step 4.
Select the option ‘Set up my connection’ manually. If your ISP has provided a CD disk then choose the option ‘Use the CD I got from the ISP’.

Step 5.
Select the option ‘Connect to Broadband connection that requires username and password’ and click next. If your ISP does not require you to sign and the connection is always on then select the option ‘Connect using the broadband connection that is always on’.

Step 6.
You don’t require to provide the phone number as in the dialup connection. Just type in the correct name of your ISP as provided by your ISP. Type in the User name and the password. Confirm the password by typing again. The user name and the password will be supplied to you by the ISP when you purchase the package.

Step 7.
Check the box ‘ make a shortcut on desktop’. Click the finish button. You have made an Internet connection and you will get an icon in the ‘network connections’. You will also get a shortcut on the desktop.

Step 8.
Click on the shortcut on the desktop. The  networking will start dialing to the ISP and connect your PC to the Internet. Once this procedure is completed you can start your browser, such as the Internet browser and start surfing or send your emails.

Note: Apart from the above, when you are configuring either the dialup connection or a DSL or Cable modem connection, your ISP may require one or more of the following settings to be made :

1) A specific IP address.
2) DNS addresses and domain names.
3) POP3 settings for incoming e-mail.
4) SMTP settings for outgoing e-mail.

Enter these settings from the instructions provided by your ISP.

Sharing the Internet connection.

We can get one Internet connection from the ISP, whether dial up connection, or the DSL or cable modem connection and share the same across the network by means of the ICS (Internet Connection sharing) in the Window Xp. You can designate one computer as the main computer where the main connection to the Internet can be established and other computers connected on the computer can access this connection. This computer is called the ICS host computer. Other computers can get Internet access through this ICS host computer by enabling ICS on their computers.

For example, you have one computer that connects to the Internet by using a dial-up connection. When ICS is enabled on this computer, called the ICS host, other computers on the network connect to the Internet through this dial-up connection.

Enabling ICS on the host Computer.

When you are setting up a home or small office network, it is recommended that you use the  Network Setup Wizard  in Windows XP Professional to enable Internet Connection Sharing. The Network Setup Wizard automatically provides all of the network settings you need to share one Internet connection with all the computers in your network.

Enabling Clients to access the shared Internet.
To configure Internet options for the ‘Internet Connection Sharing’ on your computer first, open your Internet Explorer. On the ‘Tools’ menu, click Internet Options. On the Connections tab, click Never dial a connection, and then click LAN Settings. In Automatic configuration, clear the Automatically detect settings and Use automatic configuration script check boxes. In Proxy Server, clear the Use a proxy server check box