8.4. Connection ManagementNo matter what crazy combination of Internet connections you've accumulated on your computer, Windows represents each one as a connection icon . You can view them, rename them, change their settings, or just admire them by opening the window shown at top in Figure 8-3.
To get there, choose Start Network. On the toolbar, click Network and Sharing Center. Click "Manage network connections (in the left-side task pane). Tip: If you travel frequently between the same couple of cities, consider making a different dial-up connection icon for each citywith the local access phone number already stored in each. To do that, right-click the first dial-up icon (Figure 8-3); from the shortcut menu, choose Create Copy. Authenticate yourself (Section 6.3), then double-click the newly hatched icon to change its built-in phone number. These icons are handy because their Properties dialog boxes are crammed with useful information. A dial-up connection icon stores your name, password, phone number, and so on; a broadband icon stores various technical Internet connection details. In such situations, you need a way to make manual changes to your connections. To do so, right-click a connection icon; from the shortcut menu, choose Properties. 8.4.1. The Notification Area IconThe Network icon in the notification area (Figure 8-4) is a handy status meter, no matter how you're getting online.
If it bears a red X, for example, it means that your PC isn't connected to any network at all. |