When you get a dialup account with Dialups.US, there are two easy steps to get going. First, you will setup a new dialup connection. Second, if you will be using your Dialups.US email address for email, you may setup your email account in your mail reader program. The details of these two steps will vary depending on your computer's operating system (Window XP or Mac OS10, for example), and in the case of your email setup, the email reader you use (Outlook Express, for example). Most computers have so-called 'Wizards' built into them which are designed to guide you through the two processes in a step by step manner. General instructions are provided here to help you in these setups on any computer, and specific instructions for Windows XP and MAC OS10 with pictures are available from the links below.

Step 1. General instructions for setting up your dialup account

On your particular computer, run the process you need to follow to manually create a new internet connection. In your computer's menus, look for something like 'make a new internet connection.' Entering this phrase into your computer's HELP function might help you find it. You will be guided through a series of steps where you'll be asked to enter information about the new dialup connection you are establishing. This information will consist of the name of your internet provider, your username, your password, and a phone number. Just follow these steps:

1. Your internet provider's name is just a label to identify the icon you will click to have your modem dial. Enter Dialups.US here.
   
2. Where you are asked to enter your username, enter your username concatenated with '@dialups.us' like this: username@dialups.us.
   
3. Your password (as chosen during signup application completion).
   
4. The phone number your modem is to dial. No area code and no punctuation are required when entering this number. Use our Nationwide Dialup Access Database, (the Number Lookup menu item) to find a number in your local calling area. And, if you take a trip, you can simply use a different telephone number local to the area you are visiting to use your Nationwide Dialup Account anywhere you are!
   

Following these 4 easy steps is all it takes! You should now have a dialup connection setup and ready to go.

These instructions apply if you want to use your Dialups.US email address(es). Some people have other email accounts, such as a Hotmail or AOL, and will be using them instead of their allotted Dialups.US email account(s) except for account management login. This is perfectly fine and no setup for email is then required.

One way to manage your Dialups.US email address is to visit the Dialups.US website and choose the Web Email option from the main menu. You will then enter your username and password to access your email online using the Squirrelmail program on our web server. This allows you to manage your email account online with a minimum of bother by using your web browser (Internet Explorer, for example) instead of an email management program such as Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express.

The other way to manage your email account is by using an email management program such as Outlook Express on your own computer to download and read/reply/send email. This method has the advantage of increasing your flexibility in managing your email in various ways. When using this method, you will have to Add a New Account for your Dialups.US email address in the email program. The information you will need to enter when adding a new email account is your email address, your username, your password, and the names of the Dialups.US mail servers.

1. Your email address will be in the form of username@dialups.us
   
2. Your username@dialups.us
   
3. Your password
   
4. Incoming POP3 mail server - pop3.dialups.us
   
5. Outgoing SMTP mail server - smtp.dialups.us
   

Your Dialups.US account allows you to maintain a personal homepage with up to 5MB of storage space provided. Your homepage will be accessible from http://dialups.us/~username.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is the method by which files are uploaded to your homepage directory. FTP can be used via a webpage program such as Frontpage or by using a stand alone program such as CuteFTP or any of many other programs. There are three pieces of information which must be provided to establish your FTP connection regardless of which program you use. They are the host address, username, and password. In the case of your Dialups.US homepage, these settings would look like this:

Host Address - www.dialups.us
Username: - username@dialups.us
Password: - password

Note that the username has @dialups.us appended to your username.

Once you have successfully logged into your web page you will see two directories if you are using an FTP program. You should open the public_html (/home/username/public_html) directory and upload your webpages there.

To cancel your account, click the My Account menu option, and after logging in, you can manage your account. This includes being able to cancel your account at any time before the end of the present term. Simply mark your account for cancellation to avoid having it charged and renewed for a new term.

To manage your account, click the My Account menu option and login. Here, you can manage your user information, credit card changes, add & delete email accounts, cancel your account, and change your account type. Take a look at this area and be familiar with what you can do here.