For Windows NT4, you must install Service Pack 3 (SP3), or newer, before you install the connection package.

How to Install the Penn State Connection

1. Complete a couple of preliminary steps before installation:
   
   • Make sure you've connected your modem to your computer and connected your modem to a working telephone wall jack. Also, be sure the modem is powered on. Of course, if you have a modem built into your computer (internal modem), then it's always powered on when your computer's turned on.
     
   • It's an absolute necessity that you have a copy of your Windows 9x or NT4 distribution files available before you continue, because installation must copy some of the original Windows distribution files. Most newer machines have the original Windows distribution files in a special folder (typically c:\i386) right on the hard drive. (Be sure to always keep them safe--never delete them in an effort to get more disk space--because any time you install or remove something from your computer, you may need those files). Older machines and those that have been upgraded from a previous version of Windows require the Windows distribution CD.
     
     If you're not sure about this, ask a knowledgeable friend or contact your computer manufacturer or the computer store where you bought it.
     
   • For all Windows 9x, Millennium, 2000 and NT4 systems, <click> Penn State Connection (PSC for short). This launches the psc3.exe module which starts the package installation.

   Tip: If you don't have a CD drive, you can go to a ITS public access lab, copy the psc3.exe module to an ordinary diskette (it takes a little over 800 Kbytes), and then install PSC from the diskette. PSC is in the following location on the PAC-ITS CD:
   
    <cd>\windows\dialup\psc3.exe

    
   • You'll see the message "Do you wish to install Penn State Connection". Click [OK].
   • Read the licensing agreement. <Clicking> [Yes] signifies your understanding and agreement not to distribute the CD or its contents to anyone outside the Penn State community. (Sanctions for non-compliance are explained in Penn State policies AD-20, AD-23, and Section 4 of the Policies and Rules for Students--all contained on the CD and available from any administrative office throughout the Penn State system, statewide.)
   • Next, you'll see a pop-up window asking permission to create a folder in which to install the dial-up software. You can change the location if you want, but for all intents and purposes, just <click> [OK]. Then a bunch of files are copied to your system.
   • Finally, you'll see a pop-up that says: "Finished installing Penn State Connection". Click [OK] to dismiss the pop-up.
   • Minimize the I-view (or web browser) window (<click> the minus sign [_] in the upper right corner of the screen), so you can see your computer's desktop.
   • Once the PSC is installed on your system, you should see a new Penn State icon on the desktop, labeled Penn State Connection. <Click> the PSC icon to launch the connection for the first time.
   • If some component still needs to be installed, you'll see a pop-up that says:

   "Connection Manager requires some components that are not installed on your computer.
   Do you want Connection Manager to install these?"

   • <Click> [Yes]
   • PSC pops-up another window that says:

   "Windows will now install files and drivers that you need to access the Internet.
   You may be prompted for your Windows diskettes or CD-ROM.
   Click OK when you are ready to proceed."

   • <Click> [OK] to proceed. You'll be asked to insert your Windows 9x or NT4 CD-ROM or diskettes, as appropriate… so pop out the PAC-ITS CD, insert your Windows CD, then <click> [OK]. Sit back and relax as the Installer process copies a few hundred files from the distribution media (usually the Windows CD) to your hard disk. (Once in a great while, the needed files are already installed on the system, so you won't be prompted.)
     
2. If your modem hasn't yet been installed, PSC launches the "Install New Modem" Wizard. Then, if needed, more files are copied to install Dial-Up Networking.

   Let's take this step-by-step, just in case everything's not already installed. If you find that some of these steps have already been accomplished on your machine, then just skip over them and go on to the next step that applies.

   • A bunch of Dial-Up Networking files are copied from the CD to your hard disk. You won't be prompted, so this step proceeds very quickly.
   • If your modem has not been installed, you'll see the "Install New Modem" Wizard. Unless you've been advised differently, allow the Wizard to try to detect your modem by just <clicking> [Next>] to step through the installation. <Click> [Finish] to move on to the next step.
   • If either Dial-Up Networking or a modem is installed, the system may have to be restarted, so you'll be prompted for permission to restart if needed. <Click> Yes to allow the system to restart.
     
     Note: Windows 2000 and NT4 accomplishes all these steps without a restart.
     
3. Now, on the other side of the restart, <double-click> Penn State Connection on your desktop to launch the dial-up connection for the first time.
   
   • Fill in the User name field with your Penn State Access Account AccessID--something like xyz123. (I can't tell you how many people have had problems because they tried to type in their given name instead of their PSU AccessID.)
   • Fill in the Password field with your Penn State Access Account password. Once you make an entry in the password field, the Remember password checkbox becomes enabled.

   Please note that the Penn State Network and Security Office strongly advises against saving passwords on any computers connected to the Penn State network. There are many reasons, and there is a very real concern that saved passwords have been used by unauthorized people to access network resources and to masquerade as a legitimate student or employee. In other words, someone could steal your good name and cause a great deal of mischief attributable to you.

   Now that you've filled in both User name and Password, you still need to pick a telephone number. At University Park, choose one of two available numbers based on your modem's speed. At the Commonwealth Colleges or Campuses, there is usually only one number available. <Click> [Settings…] to see the Connection Settings window. You may directly key in the telephone number to dial, or you can choose from a list by <clicking> [Phone Book…].

   Be very careful when you choose a telephone number because if you pick a long-distance number, you'll be charged for the call the same as if you called a friend long-distance just to chat! We've heard stories of people racking up $600 'phone bills before they realized they were using a long-distance number, so don't be a statistic!

   Either way, fill in the primary ‘phone number, and a backup one, if available. Then verify that your modem has been correctly identified in the "Connect using" input box near the bottom of the window. If you have more than one modem installed on your computer, be sure to choose the correct one using the drop-down list box.

   <Click> [OK] to save the ‘phone number and modem settings and to return to the main screen.
   

4. Finally, to connect to the Penn State dial-up network, <click> [Connect]. For a tone line, you should hear the tone dial, then ringing tone and finally the "squeal/squawk" of the modems as they negotiate a connection. Once the connection is established, the PSC icon displays in the System Tray, the small rectangle at the right end of the Taskbar where the system clock is usually displayed.
   
5. To periodically check on the status of the connection, you can <double-click> or <right-click> on the PSC icon in the System Tray, then select Status. To terminate the connection, close all active Internet clients, such as Internet Explorer, Outlook Express or Eudora Pro, then <click> on the PSC icon in the System Tray and select Disconnect.