Gateway EC14, User Manual

Page: 28 / 222

CHAPTER 3: Using the Internet and Faxing
22
Learning about the Internet
The
Internet
is a worldwide network of computers linked together to provide
information to people everywhere. The two most popular services on the Internet
are e-mail and the World Wide Web. You can access this network by connecting your
notebook to a telephone, DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), or cable television line and
signing up with an Internet service provider (ISP).
If you want to access the Internet you need:
•
A modem—a device that connects your notebook to other computers or servers
using a telephone, DSL, or cable television line. Your notebook may have a
built-in dial-up telephone modem. Cable and DSL modems connect to your
notebook through an Ethernet jack and provide a faster connection speed than
a standard telephone modem.
•
An Internet service provider—a company that provides access to the Internet
through an ISP server. When you connect to an ISP, the ISP server lets you access
the Internet and your e-mail messages. Check your telephone book for a list of
Internet service providers available locally.
•
A Web browser—a program that displays information from the World Wide
Web. Microsoft Internet Explorer was included with your notebook. For more
information, see
“Using the World Wide Web” on page 23
.
•
An e-mail program—a program that lets you create, send, and receive e-mail
messages over the Internet. Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express was included
with your notebook. For more information, see
“Using e-mail” on page 25
.
Setting up an Internet account
Before you can view the information on the World Wide Web, you need to set up
an Internet account with an Internet service provider (ISP). To set up an ISP service
or to transfer an existing account to this notebook, contact the ISP directly.
Dial-up Internet connections are those using a telephone system to connect to the
Internet. This may include ordinary analog telephone lines, ISDN connections, and in
some cases ADSL over PPP, or other technologies. Because dial-up connections are
designed to be temporary connections to the Internet, dial-up charges (with both your
telephone company and Internet service provider) often increase the longer you
connect to the Internet. To minimize the cost for dial-up Internet service, we suggest
that you only connect to the Internet during your e-mail and Web browsing session,
then disconnect when you are finished. Your Internet service provider can provide
instructions on how to connect to and disconnect from the Internet.
Your computer
connects to the
Internet through an
ISP.
ISP Servers
let you connect to the
Internet and access your
e-mail messages.
Internet Servers
store information so other computers
can access it from the Internet.