Automatic Connections With Internet Explorer 6.X

Special: How To Change Your Dial-Up Number, Password, DNS, Username & Domain Tail

If you use Internet Explorer 6 or higher to automatically connect to the Internet when you open that program, you will have to make some changes in your Internet Explorer settings any time that you need to change your connection username, password or domain tail. However, you will still need to change your "dial-up networking" settings to change the phone number that you call to connect to the Internet.

This web page will show you how to change your username, password and domain tail settings. The related instructions for changing your dial-up number depends on the type of operating system that you use. Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, NetSurfer, etc., all have their own setup instructions. Click here to choose the right one. (If you are using Macintosh then please go the Macintosh internet connection section for those options.)

Please note that the screen shots for IE4 are quite different in the Connection tab. You definitely want to upgrade to IE5.5 (or higher) if you have enough hard disk and RAM available.

You can configure Internet Explorer through either of two routes: Open IE -> Tools Menu -> Internet Options or Control Panel -> Internet Options. Please note that IE4 and earlier versions of IE will have a plain "Internet" folder rather than an "Internet Options" folder. The first route is pictured below: 

A window will pop-up. It will look slightly different because you will be in the "General" tab. Click the "Connection" tab to see the window as follows.

Click in the box to highlight the connection that you use to connect to us. (Tip: If you've got out-of-date connections to old ISPs then delete them.) Once that is selected, click the "Settings" button.

This is where you change your username. Don't forget to include the "domain tail" so that you find our ISP rather than getting lost somewhere in the public phone system. Your username will follow this format: username@ispname.com (or .net). You can also plug-in your password. Don't worry that the password will look like ****.

If you need to reset your dial-up phone number to connect to the Internet, you can click on the "Properties" button to get into your dial-up network settings. The screen shots and instructions for setting up dial-up networking depend on your kind of operating system. You can choose the right set by clicking here if needed.

Click "OK" and you are ready to go surfing.

Last Update: Thursday, July 03, 2003