Starting HyperTerminal | Running Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional

[Previous] [Next]

To start HyperTerminal, open the Start menu, and then choose Programs, Accessories, Communications, HyperTerminal. HyperTerminal's opening screen appears, followed by the Connection Description dialog box, as shown in Figure 23-1.

Figure 23-1. The Connection Description dialog box is the place to enter specifications for a new connection.

If you've already specified connection settings—perhaps to dial up a company's support bulletin board or the local library's online research service—click the Cancel button to close the Connection Description dialog box. Otherwise, follow the instructions below to create settings for a new connection.

Making New Connections

The first time you use HyperTerminal, or when you want to connect to a new computer service, HyperTerminal doesn't have a clue about what you want to connect to, so you'll have to supply the details it needs to get hooked up.

To create a new connection:

Type a descriptive name for the connection into the Name text box.

The name doesn't have to be the actual name of the service you're connecting to, just something that will be descriptive enough for you. For example, you might call your connection to the local bicycle club BBS Bike BBS instead of using its official name, UWBIKECLUB.

Select an icon to represent the new connection.

You can use the horizontal scroll bar to view the available connection icons.

Click OK.

HyperTerminal displays the Connect To dialog box, as shown in Figure 23-2.

Figure 23-2. Use the Connect To dialog box to enter the number for the new connection.

Fill in the phone number and area code.

If you have more than one modem connected to your computer, use the Connect Using list to select the modem you want to use for this connection.

If you're connecting to a Telnet site, choose TCP/IP (Winsock) from the Connect Using list. You will also then need to supply the Telnet URL (without the Telnet:// prefix) and your port number.

Click OK.

Unless you're using the TCP/IP (Winsock) device, the Connect dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 23-3.

Click Dial to connect to the service now or Cancel if you want to connect to the service later.

After you log off or after choosing Cancel without logging on, choose Save from the File menu to retain the connection settings you just created.

Figure 23-3. The Connect dialog box shows the current primary settings for the new connection.

Opening Existing Connections

To open a connection that has already been defined, use the Open command on the File menu. If you open a file for a modem connection (such as to a BBS), the Connect dialog box appears. (See Figure 23-3.) Click Dial to make the connection. If you open a file for a TCP/IP connection, HyperTerminal immediately connects to the connection's host address. (If you have a dial-up connection to the Internet, HyperTerminal first dials the connection.)

Modifying Connection Settings

In most cases, the basic connection information you enter into the Connection Description dialog box (see Figure 23-1) and the Connect To dialog box (Figure 23-2) is sufficient. You can, however, customize the settings in a number of ways to suit your needs. You can do this as you create a new connection or after the connection has been defined.

To modify a dial-up connection's properties after it has been defined, open the connection, and then click the Properties button (or choose Properties from the File menu). To modify a TCP/IP connection, open it, and then select Properties from the File menu. The properties dialog box for the open connection appears, as shown in Figure 23-4.

Figure 23-4. The Connect To tab in the properties dialog box provides access to several basic settings.

The Connect To tab in the Properties dialog box includes the following controls for changing options:

The Change Icon button lets you pick an icon from the group of icons that was presented when you created the connection. You can also change the connection name via the Change Icon button.

Country/Region lists the part of the world where the host computer is located.

The entries in the Area Code and Phone Number text boxes need to be changed only if the number for your connection changes or if you made a mistake when you entered them initially.

Use the Connect Using list to specify a different modem if your computer has more than one modem attached. If you're connecting to a Telnet site, choose TCP/IP in the Connect Using list, and then specify the host address and port number. The host address should be the URL of the Telnet site.

NOTE
The Connect Using list also provides for direct connection to each of your computer's serial (Com) ports. Although you can use this method to connect two nearby computers with HyperTerminal (and no modems), a better solution in that case is to use Direct Connection. For details, see "Connecting Two Computers with a Direct Connection."

To change the modem settings for this connection, click the Configure button. HyperTerminal displays the properties dialog box for your modem. The modem properties dialog box lets you select a port, baud rate (modem speed), and other communications parameters and dialing settings. For details, see "Installing and Configuring a Modem."

TIP
If you're connecting to a service that charges by the minute—or it's a long distance call—you can set up your modem to disconnect automatically if you don't use it for a period of time. In the properties dialog box for the connection, click Configure to display the modem properties dialog box. Click the General tab, and then select the Disconnect A Call If Idle For More Than check box. Enter a reasonably short time (perhaps 10 or 15 minutes) so you won't be paying for a lot of connect time while you're not using the system. (Unfortunately, this check box isn't available in the properties dialog box for all brands and types of modems.)

The Settings tab in the properties dialog box for the connection includes the following additional options, as shown in Figure 23-5.

Select Terminal Keys (the default) or Windows Keys to specify how function keys, arrow keys, and Ctrl-key combinations are used during connections. If you select Terminal Keys, these keystrokes are sent to the host computer; if you select Windows Keys, Windows processes these keystrokes as it does in other programs.

For example, with some services, pressing Ctrl+C stops the transmission of a file. If you have selected Windows Keys, however, pressing Ctrl+C copies the current selection (if any) to the Clipboard. It's usually best to leave this option set to Terminal Keys so these keystrokes will be passed to the host computer.

Under Backspace Key Sends, select what the remote computer should receive when you press Backspace. For most systems, Ctrl+H is appropriate.

The Emulation list is set to Auto Detect. Unless you have trouble with your connection, keep this at the default setting. If you do have trouble, contact the host computer's support staff to find out what type of terminal the remote system needs to see at your end. (A terminal is a simple device—consisting of a monitor, a keyboard, and a physical connection—for communicating with a host computer. HyperTerminal can act like any of several different terminal models.)

Figure 23-5. The Settings tab in the connection's properties dialog box controls the appearance of transmitted data, among other functions.

ANSI is the appropriate Telnet terminal for most Telnet sites. Change this value only if required by the site you're connecting to.

The Backscroll Buffer Lines box lets you specify how many lines of a communication session you can review by pressing the Page Up key. (A buffer is an area of memory used for temporary storage.) While you're connected to another computer, everything you send and receive is stored in a buffer and displayed in HyperTerminal's window. The buffer gives you a way to review what you send and receive without capturing the "conversation" in a disk file or generating a printed transcript. As long as the buffer's capacity hasn't been exceeded, you can scroll up and down in the HyperTerminal window to reread everything that has passed back and forth over the telephone line. There is one exception: binary files (files containing graphics, formatted text, or executable program code) that you send or receive aren't recorded in the buffer.

When the buffer reaches its capacity, each new line replaces the oldest line in the buffer. For example, if the buffer size is set at 500 lines, when line 501 arrives, the first line is discarded.

You can set the buffer size at anywhere from 0 to 500 lines. If you have plenty of memory, reserve a full 500 lines; if memory is scarce, choose a smaller size. If you don't have enough memory for the buffer size you request, HyperTerminal gives you as much as it can.

TIP
The buffer is convenient because it lets you reread material that has scrolled off your screen. But if you want a complete record of your communications session, consider sending a copy of it to your printer or recording it in a text file. For information about printing or recording to a text file, see "Creating a Transcript of Your Communications Session."

If the check box labeled Play Sound When Connecting Or Disconnecting is selected, HyperTerminal plays a sound to let you know whenever a connection to a remote system is made or broken, or if the remote system sends a bell character (a method of ringing primitive terminals that is generated by pressing Ctrl+G on a terminal's keyboard). Unless you object to the sound, it's probably best to leave this option selected.

The ASCII Setup button displays a dialog box, shown in Figure 23-6, that lets you control how text is transferred between your computer and the remote computer. You might need to adjust one of these options if your display is unreadable while you're connected, for example.

The ASCII Setup dialog box offers the following options:

The Send Line Ends With Line Feeds check box, when selected, causes HyperTerminal to add a line feed character each time you press Enter. You won't need to change this setting when communicating with most online services, but if you're communicating with a live person who complains that everything on his or her screen is displayed on one line, select this check box.

If, after you've established connection with a remote computer, the characters you type aren't displayed on your screen, select the Echo Typed Characters Locally check box. On the other hand, if every character you type appears twice on your screen, clear this check box.

The Append Line Feeds To Incoming Line Ends check box provides a function similar to that of the Send Line Ends With Line Feeds check box—except that it affects your display, not the remote system's. If everything sent by the host computer appears on a single line on your screen, select this check box. Conversely, if everything you receive is double spaced, clear this option.

The Force Incoming Data To 7-Bit ASCII check box, when selected, ensures that you receive only standard letters, numbers, and punctuation—the original 128-character ASCII character set.

The Wrap Lines That Exceed Terminal Width check box, when selected, causes HyperTerminal to start a new line when text you receive from the host computer reaches the right edge of the HyperTerminal window.

Figure 23-6. The ASCII Setup dialog box controls the transmission of ASCII text in your HyperTerminal window.