ABOUT OUR SERVICE:

What operating systems do you support?

We currently provide software for Windows 3.1, Windows 95 and Macintosh.

If you use an operating system for which we do not offer software, the only way to subscribe to our service is via the following process:

How do I sign up for your service?

To register for our service, you will need to install our software. Our software is available for download from our web pages at the following location:

I am new to the Internet, where can I learn more about how to use the software and the Internet?

To help you get started with our service, please be sure to visit our on-line information sources. The direct links are:

What version of Netscape do you currently provide to your customers?

We currently provide a customized version of Netscape 3.01 Personal Edition.

Are there any system checks before the software is installed on my computer?

Yes. We offer an Intelligent Installer program which makes sure that your computer is compatible with our service, and all the system requirements are present. This was developed to make the installation process easier on the end user. After going through a series of checks the program will either install the software or will abort and give suggestions to what might be wrong and offer solutions.

I would like to use a different browser. What information do I need to configure it to work with your service?

To determine the correct telephone number to call to reach the POP location in your local area, please refer to our POP Information listing found at the following site:

What is my email address?

Your email address is the same as your User ID that you created when you first signed up the account. Example: john@swbell.net where "john" would be the User ID.

Can I have more than one email address?

We currently provide one mailbox per account. We will begin offering multiple e-mail addresses later this year, but they are not available at this time.

How do I access the email window so that I can see my mail?

To open the email window, select the "Email" button located on our customized browser. You can also click on the envelope icon located on the bottom right of the browser.

I want to use a different Email program, what information do I need?

If you are using a third party software, be sure that it is POP3 compliant. The information you need to configure the software is as follows:

The password to access your email is the same as your account password. If you wish to save this password so that it does not have to be entered each time you access email, you can do the following:

1. Go into Netscape.
2. Choose the "Options" pull-down menu.
3. Select the "Mail and News Preferences.." option.
4. Click on the "Organization" tab.
5. Put a check in the "Remember Mail Password" option.
6. Now choose OK.
7. Then exit out of Netscape.
8. When going back into Netscape and checking your mail it will ask you
one more time to put in a password. (This password is the same as your
internet connection password.) After doing this it will not ask again.

How do I read my email?

You should be able to read Email in the Netscape Mail window. The window should have three parts: the top left pane containing your folders, the top right pane containing a list of your messages, and the third pane, occupying the bottom half of your screen, where you read the contents of the message highlighted in the top right pane. If you don't see this third pane, we suggest you maximize the screen by clicking the up arrow in the upper right corner (for Windows 3.1 or 3.11) or the button that looks like an open box in the upper right corner (for Windows 95). After you maximize the screen you should see all three panes. If you still are not able to see the bottom pane, you can do the following:

1. Move your mouse down towards the bottom of the e-mail window until it
changes to two parallel lines.
2. While the two parallel lines are still shown, press and hold down your left
mouse button and drag upwards until the bottom pane
is the size that you would like it to be.
3. You can then click on one of the messages located in the top right pane
and it will be shown in the bottom pane.

How do I change it so that my name is not shown when I send messages?

If you wish to use a different name or to not include this information when you send messages, then you can do the following:

1. Select the "Options" pull-down menu.
2. Choose "Mail and News Preferences…" option.
3. Select the "Identity" tab.
4. On the line that says "Your Name", change the information to the
preferred name or leave the information blank.
5. Select "OK" to save your changes.

I am not receiving any mail. What is wrong?

The first thing to check is to ensure that you are providing the correct e-mail address. This address is your UserID with @swbell.net added to the end of it. For example, if learn is your UserID, your e-mail address is: learn@swbell.net

Next area to check is the mail settings. This is done via the following process:

1. Select the "Options" pull-down menu.
2. Choose "Mail and News Preferences…" option.
3. Select the "Servers" tab.
4. Ensure that the following information is correct:

5. Next select the "Identity" tab.
6. Ensure that the following information is correct:

7. Select "OK" to save any changes.

How do I send or receive attachments?

If you are having trouble sending and opening attachments with your Netscape Email:

1. From the Netscape desktop, choose the "Options" pull down menu.
2. In the drop down list, pick "Mail and News Preferences…".
3. Click on the "Composition" tab.
4. Select "MIME compliant".

On the receiving end, when you open the email message that has a file attachment

1. Click on the "View" menu.
2. From the drop down list select "Attachments as Links".
3. When you click on the attachment link in the body of the email, you will
be able to save the file to your hard disk, and then open it from the
appropriate application.

How do I access newsgroups?

Select the "Newsgroup" button on our customized browser.

If you are using a third party software to access the Newsgroups, please be sure to use the following information to configure the software:

Once your third party software is configured, following the instructions for the software to access the newsgroups.

When I access the newsgroups I only see three newsgroups. How do I get the rest of the listing?

To obtain a complete listing of our newsgroups, you can do the following:

1. Select the "Newsgroup" button on the Netscape browser to open the
Newsgroup window.
2. Select the "Options" pull-down menu.
3. Choose the "Show All Newsgroups" option.

It will take a few minutes for all of the newsgroups to be shown.

It will not show all the newsgroups when I choose show all newsgroups!

It sounds as though your Newsgroup listing file is incomplete or corrupt. To fix this delete the following two file located in the C:\Program Files\Swbell\News directory:

(Note -- you must be out of Netscape before deleting the files)
Files are: "FAT" and "news.rc".

Then re-enter the Netscape news program a download a new listing of the news groups.

Does Southwestern Bell Internet Services offer Personal Home Page Service?

It gives me an invalid password error when I try to log into the system. Why?

There are several reasons that this might occur. The most common is due to the password being case sensitive. If you entered your password during the registration process using all lower case letters, then you will need to use all lower case. If all capitals were used, you will need to always use all capitals when entering your password.

If you are entering your password correctly and you are still not able to access our service, there may be a system related problem. You can call 1-800-NET-HELP and select Option #1 to obtain the latest network status.

I receive a warning message that says I will be disconnect in a few seconds! How do I stop it from doing that?

Southwestern Bell Internet Services allows customers to remain connected for up to 7 hours for analog accounts and 12 hours for dial-up ISDN accounts. However, the default disconnect time within Netscape is usually 30 minutes or less. The following information will walk you through changing this Netscape default disconnect time.

For Windows 3.1:

1. Select the SWBell Dialer, just as you would to access our service.
2. When the screen appears to connect to our service, select the
"Properties" button.
3. Select the tab that says "General".
4. In the section that says "When connected", select the time option that
you would like where it says "Disconnect after _____ minutes of
inactivity".

For Windows 95:

1. Within Windows, select "My Computer".
2. Select "Dial-up Networking" icon.
3. Right mouse click on "SWBell" dialer.
4. Select "Properties".
5. At the bottom of this screen where it says "Connect Using", select the
"Configure" button.
6. On this screen, select the "Connection" tab.
7. Under "Call preferences" you can select "Disconnect a call if idle for
more than ______ minutes". You need to check this box and put in the
time that you would like.

Macintosh:

1. Open the Free PPP Setup.
2. Click on the GENERAL tab.
3. If you would like to stay connected for more than 2 hours then you need
to take the X out of the DISCONNECT IF IDLE FOR option or you can
keep the X in this option and specify the amount of time.

My connection is dropping. Why?

There are a number of reasons why this may occur. However, one of the most common causes of dropped connections is due to incorrect COM port speed. To change the maximum COM port speed, please use the instructions appropriate for your system:

For Windows 3.11 and lower:

1. In the program "Netscape Personal Edition".
2. Click on the "SWBell Dialer" icon.
3. Pick the Button "Properties".
4. Pick the tab "Modem".
- If you have a 28.8 modem, change Max Speed to 38400.
- If you have a 14.4 modem, change Max Speed to 19200.

For Windows 95:

1. Open your Modems control panel.
2. Highlight your modem by clicking on it once.
3. Click on "Properties".
- If you have a 28.8 modem, change Max Speed to 38400.
- If you have a 14.4 modem, change Max Speed to 19200.

If the above steps do not work you can try changing the modem brand to a Hayes compatible or windows standard modem.

For Macintosh:

1. Open the Free PPP Setup.
2. Click on the MODEMS tab.
3. Then choose the EDIT button.
4. Then you select your modem speed under the PORT SPEED option.

Does SBIS support Telnet?

Southwestern Bell Internet does not provide or support a Telnet client with its software.

However, you can download one and you are welcome to use it with our service. To use a Telnet client with Netscape:

1. From the Netscape desktop, click on the "Options" menu.
2. In the drop down list , select "General Preferences".
3. Click on the "Apps" tab.
4. Setup your Telnet application by typing in the path of your Telnet
application or click on the "Browse" button.

If you would like more information about Telnet, click on the Net Search button and type Telnet. This will provide you with great locations about Telnet and it's usage.