Surfbest Internet Services

Macintosh Setup Guide

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Mac OS 9.0 to Mac OS 9.1

Summary of this Page

Mac OS 9 was Apple's final retooling of the classic operating environment before the grand unveiling of Mac OS X. Mostly, it was a maintenance update, making what OS 8 started more visually appealing as well as useful. It also implemented the Carbon library, preemptively preparing users (nŽe software developers) for the transition to OS X. It continued to use the same tools as OS 8, such as the Internet Setup Assistant and similar control panels. New computer buyers with OS 9 preloaded were able to get on the Internet immediately, supporting Apple's claims of "out-of-the-box to surfing in fifteen minutes." All you needed was the information from your ISP and with the Internet Setup Assistant, you were just twelve steps away from logging on. SurfBest has gone to great lengths to show you how to enter that information as easily as Apple had intended. However, if you don't have the Internet Setup Assistant anymore (you can reinstall it from your Mac OS CD), SurfBest also has instructions on how to manually configure your computer. At the end of the document, we have a list of supported web browsers and email clients.

Internet Setup Assistant

This is the helper application that came with your OS. It's location varies, so use your find application (command-f) to locate it. The directions are self-explanatory, but we'll walk through each step one-by-one.

Step One: Introduction

All of this information is given to you either at setup or via the first two emails.

Step Two: Naming

Name this configuration as surfbest.net

Make sure Modem is selected.

Step Three: Modem Settings

Your configuration will vary slightly from here. Because your modem and the port it connects to is different for every computer model, check with your user manual for more information.

The settings shown above are correct for the iMac.

Tone or Pulse? = You can decide here, but tone ( a la "touch-tone") is faster, and pulse is more like a rotary phone.

Ignore Dial Tone? = If this is selected, the computer will dial even if it doesn't here a dial tone. Select this only if you are sure.

Step Four: Configuration Information

Phone Number = This is number(s) SurfBest has for your area. It was found when you signed up.

User Login = SurfBest provides you with a SPECIFIC user login.

(Your User Login is NOT your email address!)

Password = This is the password you selected for SurfBest.net

Step Five: PPP Connect Scripts

SurfBest does not require a connection script.

Step Six: IP Address

SurfBest does not require a connection script.

Step Seven: Domain Name Servers

DNS address = Enter 209.63.0.2 & 207.173.86.2

Domain name = Enter surfbest.net

Step Eight: E-mail Address and Password

E-mail address = This is your user ID you choose, followed by @surfbest.net

E-mail password = This is the same as your login password.

Quoting Character = When you reply to an e-mail, the text from your received email is quoted, usually preceded by a set-off character. > is the most common.

Step Nine: E-mail Hosting Information

POP Protocol = Enter pop.surfbest.net

SMTP Protocol = Enter smtp.surfbest.net

Step Ten: Newsgroups

NNTP Host = Enter news.surfbest.net

Note that you will have to enter the login name and password from with in your news client.

Step Eleven: Proxies

SurfBest does not use proxy servers.

Step Twelve: All Done!

Click Show Details to make sure everything is correctly entered. When your done, click Go Ahead and your Mac will make the necessary changes to log you onto SurfBest!

Welcome to SurfBest! and happy surfing!

Manual Entry

Continuing OS 8's success, Internet Control Panel was back in refreshed and enhanced form. It created a general preference file that any supporting application could link to and fill it's own preferences. After the Internet Control Panel was filled, only a small addition to the TCP/IP control panel was needed to get you online.

Open: Internet Control Panel

Click the triangle by Edit Sets. The following screen will be displayed.

Personal Tab

Enter the information as above.

E-mail Tab

E-mail Account Information = Enter the information as above.

E-mail Notification = By selecting one (or more) of these, you will be notified on new incoming mail.

Default E-Mail Application = The Internet Control Panel scans your hard drive for email programs. You can select your default application here.

Web Tab

Home Page = Pick a home page for your browser to login to at launch (or choose none so no page is loaded).

We recommend www.surfbest.net, www.yahoo.com, or www.netscape.com

Search Page = Pick a default search page. (You can still go to any other search engine - this is only your default.)

We recommend www.yahoo.com, www.altavista.com, or www.lycos.com

Download Files To = Choose a folder or place for your downloaded files to go to. It can be your desktop, as shown above, or some folder of your choice.

Colors & Links = The colors above are the most common, but change them to suit your preferences.

Default Web Browser = The Internet Control Panel scans your hard drive for web browser programs. You can select your default application here.