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         README for The Microsoft Network 2.52 
                         November l997            
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        (c) Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1997


This document provides complementary or late-breaking information
for The Microsoft Network 2.52.

For the most current information about MSN, always check online at
http://memberservices.msn.com.

-------------------------
HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT
-------------------------

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window.

To print Readme.txt, open it in Notepad or another word 
processor, and then use the Print command on the File menu.

Thank you for joining The Microsoft Network. This 
document contains information that will help you solve common 
problems and get the most out of The Microsoft Network.


Table of Contents
=================
1. System Requirements
2. Video Cards and Display Problems
3. Hard Disk Location of MSN Program Files
4. Installation Problems
5. Known Problems with This Release
6. Outlook Express Mail & News
7. Connection Problems
8. Uninstalling MSN



1.  System Requirements
=======================
* Windows 98 or later
* Personal computer with a 486/66 or higher processor
* 14.4 Kbps modem or higher
* 16 MB of memory required
* 7 MB available hard disk space
* CD-ROM drive (2x or higher)
* VGA or higher resolution graphics card
* Sound card recommended
* Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

MSN 2.52 is compatible only with Windows 98.
 
In order to fully experience MSN you will need a sound card and 
speakers.  MSN will function properly without them, but audio is 
an integral part of the full experience. 



2.  Video Cards and Display Problems
====================================
LESS THAN 256 COLOR:
MSN Setup will run if your display is set to 16-color mode; 
however, it is designed to run at 640x480 resolution or higher, 
with a minimum of 256 colors. If your display is set to show 16 
colors, we strongly recommend that you change your display 
setting to show 256 colors or more. 

If you experience problems with display colors, check your 
color configuration:
1. Click the Windows Start button, then click Settings,
   Control Panel. 
2. Double-click the Display icon.
3. Click the Settings tab.
4. In the Color palette list box, click 256 Color.

MORE THAN 256 COLOR:
MSN is designed to look even better at higher color settings.
You will find that much of the text is more readable and the 
images much clearer when you set your display resolution to 
16 bit (65,536 colors) or higher.

Some video cards may encounter problems when using accelerated 
video drivers, video drivers with more than 256 colors, or high 
resolution video drivers.

If you run into display problems:
1. Try switching to a driver supplied with Windows 98.  
2. Change to a different display mode. An alternative to using a 
   different driver is to change your video mode to a standard 
   video mode such as 640x480 resolution with 256 colors.

For details on how to change drivers or switch to a different 
display mode, see your Windows documentation.



3.  Hard Disk Location of MSN Program Files
===========================================
MSN requires that its files be installed on your system disk (the 
drive from which your computer boots, generally the C: drive).  

If you do not have enough space on your system drive, Setup will 
notify you.  You will need to make room on your system drive in 
order to install MSN.   


4.  Installation Problems
=========================
VERSION CONFLICTS:
You may encounter a version conflict dialog when running 
the MSN setup program, or when logging in 
for the first time.  If a "Version Conflict" dialog box is 
displayed, click "Yes" when asked "Do you want 
to keep this file?"

PROGRAMS RUNNING DURING SETUP:
During MSN Setup, we notify you of any running programs that 
may interfere with the MSN installation.  Before continuing, 
we recommend that you close those programs. This better 
ensures a successful installation.
Some programs, such as anti-virus applications that load 
automatically at startup, may be more difficult to close than 
others. If you are unable to close these programs, you can 
continue with MSN Setup by clicking the Next button and 
selecting "Yes" when you are given a "Do you want to continue 
anyway?" prompt. In most cases, MSN Setup will complete successfully. 
However, should you run into problems, for example, your system
stops responding for several minutes during Setup, please try 
the steps below to disable all running applications prior to installing 
MSN.

Recommended steps to disable programs that load during startup:
1. Restart your computer.
2. While Windows is loading, hold down a Shift key.
3. After booting up, but before running other programs,
   press the Ctrl-Alt-Del keys together ONCE.  
   If there are programs in the list other than Explorer and Systray,
   select them and click the End Task button.

Programs may also load automatically in the Startup folder.  These items 
can be temporarily moved to another temporary folder or to your desktop until 
MSN completes the installation.  Once finished they can be placed back 
in the Startup folder.  This folder is located in: 
Windows\StartMenu\Programs\Startup, and the items appear as shortcuts.  
Once moved from your Startup folder, be sure to restart your computer so 
that the changes will take effect.



5.  Known Problems with This Release
====================================
MSN SIGN IN APPEARS AFTER DISCONNECT:
Some programs like Outlook Express and some Web-based 
content like Microsoft Investor periodically check for updated 
information. If you are not already connected to the Internet when 
these checks occur, MSN will attempt to dial in to the Internet 
for you.

There are two ways to prevent this from happening:
*  Close all Internet applications after you disconnect from the 
   Internet.
*  Disable the default dialer option for Internet access.  This
   will require that you first start your MSN connection before using 
   Internet applications. To do this:
     1. Click the MSN Quick View icon (the small hand
   	icon next to your clock in the Windows task bar). 
     2. Click MSN Options, then Connection Settings.
     3. Click the Options tab.
     4. Uncheck the "Use this service for all dial-up Internet access" 
   	option.


SIGNUP OR REQUEST NEW PASSWORD SERVERS ARE NOT AVAILABLE:
When you sign up for a new MSN account, or when you 
change the password on your current account, MSN will step you 
through a process that puts your computer into "kiosk mode" (the 
IE 4.0 browser with no user interface controls). If there are 
Internet server problems while you are in kiosk mode, you can use 
the Alt-F4 keyboard command to cancel the operation and
close out of IE 4.0.



6. Outlook Express Mail & News
================================
UPGRADING TO MICROSOFT OUTLOOK EXPRESS FROM MICROSOFT EXCHANGE 
("INBOX"), OUTLOOK, OR WINDOWS MESSAGING:
MSN 2.52 installs an Internet e-mail program called 
Microsoft Outlook Express. If you have an existing MSN e-mail 
account (Microsoft Exchange), MSN Setup will give you
the option of importing your existing mail file to this new program. 

If you choose to upgrade (recommended), MSN 2.52 will replace your 
previous mail account with a new MSN Internet mail account, and you 
will no longer be able to use Exchange, Outlook, or Windows Messaging 
as your MSN e-mail program.

If you have MSN installed on another computer and you want to be 
able to access your MSN e-mail account on that computer, you'll need 
to install MSN 2.52 and Microsoft Outlook Express there as well.


CHANGES IN EXISTING MSN E-MAIL ACCOUNT ADDRESSES:
You may note, as you receive replies to the messages you send, that 
your e-mail address is listed as MSN_Member_ID@email.msn.com, instead
of MSN_Member_ID@msn.com.  This DOES NOT mean that your e-mail 
address has changed. The addition of the word "email" after the "@" 
sign is simply a behind-the-scenes mechanism used to ensure higher 
levels of performance on the new MSN mail platform. Your e-mail 
address is the same as before the upgrade.



7.  Connection Problems
=======================
AOL USERS WHO INSTALL MSN 2.52:
AOL 3.0 and 4.0 should work fine after installing MSN.  In order to use both MSN 
and AOL at the same time, you must configure AOL to use TCP/IP access.
To do this:

1.  At the AOL login screen, click Setup.
2.  Select Edit Location. 
3.  Choose TCP/IP for the type of network.  

You can now use both MSN and AOL by starting your connection 
through MSN first, and then starting AOL. 


AT&T WORLDNET USERS WHO INSTALL MSN 2.52:
AT&T Worldnet should work fine after installing MSN 
2.52. If there are any problems getting connected to AT&T 
Worldnet or using AT&T Worldnet to access the Internet, 
check the "Connection Configuration of MSN" section for 
instructions on how to manually configure your Internet 
connection.  If you are unable to fix the problem manually, 
then you should re-install AT&T Worldnet to reset your 
connection configuration.


PRODIGY USERS WHO INSTALL MSN 2.52:
In order to use both Prodigy and MSN at the same time, you need to start your
connection with Prodigy first. Once you connect to Prodigy, MSN will then
start up.


CONNECTION CONFIGURATION OF MSN:
To reconfigure any of the connection settings in the following chart, 
first:
1. Click the Windows Start button, then click Settings, Control Panel.
2. Double-click the "Internet" icon.
3. Click the Connection Tab.

DESIRED CONNECTION	SETTINGS IN INTERNET PROPERTIES
CONFIGURATION		CONNECTION TAB
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Dial Up Using MSN	In the Connection section, check the 
			"Connect to the Internet using a modem" 
			option. Click the Settings 
			button and make sure that "MSN" is the
			highlighted connection.  Make sure that
			"Connect using a proxy server" is 
			unchecked.

Dial Up Using 		In the Connection section, check the
other Internet 		"Connect to the Internet using a modem" option.
Service Provider 	Click the Settings button.  Select the service 
(eg. MCI, AT&T)		you want to use. (If the service you use 
			is not listed, see the next topic about 
			proprietary ISPs.)  Make sure that
			"Connect using a proxy server" is 
			unchecked.

Dial Up Using other	You may not be able to use MSN with other
Proprietary ISP		Proprietary online service, such as AOL.

Direct Connection	In the Connection section, check the   
to the Internet	or,	"Access the Internet via a Local Area  
Remote Winsock Proxy	Network" option and make sure that
Connection via LAN	"Connect using a proxy server" is 
			unchecked. Note: Only Remote Winsock Proxy 2.0
			or later is supported.

LAN Proxy Connection	You can configure IE or MSN to 
	 		use LAN Proxy by checking the
			"Connect through proxy" box in 
			the Proxy Server section.  


MODEM ACCESS WITH WINSOCK PROXY (WSP):  
If you have Remote Winsock Proxy 2.0 or later installed on your computer 
and would like to access MSN 2.52 with a modem, you will need to turn off 
Remote Winsock Access.  

To turn off Remote Winsock Access:
1. Click the Windows Start button, then click Settings, Control Panel.
2. Double-click the "WSP Client" icon.
3. Uncheck the "Enable WinSock Proxy Client."

Additionally, you will need to uncheck the Proxy server in your Internet
Explorer Connection Properties, as described above. 


WHICH CONNECTION CHOICE TO SELECT:
This 2.52 version of MSN ships with a new dial-up 
connection manager that replaces the dial-up manager from 
previous versions of MSN. The new dial-up connection 
manager creates an entry in your Dial-up Networking folder 
called "MSN" but does not delete your old entries, "The 
Microsoft Network" and "The Microsoft Network (backup)." 
Either of these old entries will still work with the new MSN 
dial-up connection manager, but they will disable the autodial 
support for IE and Mail.  So when you access dial-up networking 
within either Outlook Express Mail, Exchange Mail, or Chat,
you will be presented with all three choices for connection 
to MSN.  You should select the connection entry "MSN" for 
all dial-up access to MSN.


8. Uninstalling MSN
====================================
NOTE:  UNINSTALLING WILL REMOVE ALL THE FILES NECESSARY FOR MSN TO
WORK ON YOUR COMPUTER.  

To uninstall MSN 2.52 from your computer, please complete the 
following steps:

1. Click the Windows Start button, then click Settings,
   Control Panel. 
2. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
3. Select "MSN 2.5" and then click the Add/Remove button. 
4. Click OK to close the Add/Remove Programs dialog box.

You have now successfully uninstalled MSN 2.52.


==================================
For the most current information about MSN, always check online at
http://memberservices.msn.com.


