Installation and Setup
Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Internet Setup tool?

The Internet Service Provider screen is a data entry tool that makes entering the information for connecting to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) easier. It's an automated way of creating the stamps that are placed upon a "Provider Card".

How can I access the Internet Setup tool?

There are two ways. From the In Box at the Desk scene you can access the tool by tapping on the mail message from General Magic with the subject of "internet access". This is the way that most new users will use to set up their ISP access. The tool can also be accessed by going to the Downtown scene, entering the Presto!Diner, tapping on the menu icon, and then tapping the "new" button.

How can I find out what to enter in the Internet Setup screen?

The short answer to the question is that you obtain the Internet Setup information from the Service Provider with whom you have a contract. To make things easier, General Magic has obtained as much information as possible for a number of the major Internet Service Providers. Use the selection bar at the lower left to search for your ISP. If you don't see your ISP, select "Custom Setup".

What is the information on the Internet Setup screen all about?

The information on the Internet Setup screen is divided into two logical areas. Those items on the left are necessary for both the Presto applications, while the four fields in the box on the right are for the use of Presto!Mail only.

PPP Login and Password - This is the basic information that allows you access to an ISP using the Point-to-Point-Protocol (PPP).

Phone - This is the access number that your Communicator's modem will dial to make the connection to the Internet. You should always be conscious that charges for calls to this number will be billed to you. The need to minimize these charges is a primary reason why you may want to define more than one Provider Card for a particular Service Provider. DNS server - DNS, the Domain Name Server, is a quick lookup mechanism that allows the use of more easily recognised english language computer names in place of the numerical IP addresses.

Mail Login and Password - At first it seems strange that you should have more than one login, but it actually makes sense. Suppose that several members of your family want to make use of a single communicator. For reasons of organization or privacy you may want to maintain several mail accounts. Or your mail server may not be maintained by your ISP at all. Very commonly, however, the PPP access login and password will be the same as those used for Mail, and that's why, as the information on the left hand side of the Internet Setup screen is entered, it is automatically copied to the right.

POP server - POP stands for "Post Office Protocol". This protocol forms one half of the mail exchange process.

SMTP server - SMTP stands for "Simple Mail Transfer Protocol". This is the traditional transport mechanism used for Internet mail.

Default WWW URL - We'd like you to stay in close touch with General Magic. That's why we list our home page as the default location that Presto!Links "go to" button points to. Magic's page will act as a convenient place to learn about new developments in our Internet strategy, as well as a place from which to download the latest software for your communicator.

As your use of the Internet grows, it's very likely that you will want to enter one of your own favorite world-wide web pages in this space as your default URL.

What should I do if the information that my Internet Service Provider has given me is different than that supplied by the Internet Setup tool?

Use your ISP's information first. They are probably more correct than we are. If that information doesn't work, try the default information supplied by the program. By the way, you may want to check out General Magic's web page from time to time. We're expecting to provide regular updates to the Internet Setup tool that will contain the latest and best ISP information.

What is the relationship between the Internet Setup screen and the Provider Card stack?

Both products make use of "Provider Cards" to tell them how to connect to an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Any number of Provider Cards can be defined. In the early days, only the Provider Cards (notebook pages, really) were provided. To configure an ISP a user had to drop as many as 6 or 8 stamps on the card using the stamper in Magic Cap's tool bar. We soon realized that this process was too time- consuming and offered a chance to inadvertantly leave out important information. That's why we invented the Internet Setup screen, where all the ISP info can be entered at one time.

You can still use the stamper to define a Provider Card, and tapping on the individual stamps of an already created Provider Card is the method you use to make changes to it.

Why can't I get the software to work with Netcom?

Be sure that you've correctly set up your provider information for Netcom; most importantly, be sure that there is a # sign in front of your PPP login, but not before your POP login. Netcom uses different login names for PPP and POP.

Why can't I create a new provider card with the same name as the one I just threw away?

This is a known issue. The trash must be emptied first. Touch the Trash truck and then touch empty. If this does not work and you get a message stating that the name exists, even though you emptied the trash, you will have to use a different name.

I just created a new provider card in the Providers scene by Option-touching the new button but I didn't give the card a name. Now when I try to add stamps to the card, they hop onto the card, but then disappear.

We recommend that you simply touch the new button, rather than Option-touching it. This will start up the Internet Setup Utility supplied with the software. If you do choose to add stamps to a provider card using the manual method, be certain that you assign a name to the card. In the situation described above, you should discard the card you have created and replace it with a new one, being sure to name it before putting stamps on it.

How can I set up a static IP address?

Presto!Mail and Presto!Links always use a dynamic IP to determine the IP address. There is currently no support for using a static IP address.

I've got two PPP stamps on my provider card! What should I do?

You probably placed two stamps on the provider card by mistake. Slide the extra stamp into the Trash truck to discard it, or discard the entire provider card and create a new card.

I got an error trying to download one or more of the Presto! packages. Why?

Due to the relative complexity of the packages and their functionality, you may occasionally run into an out of workspace (transient memory) when installing a package.

If this happens, use these steps:

Go to the Storeroom and touch the package to open its scene. Touch the Magic lamp. Touch reset package. Touch unpack.

If you continue to have this problem, throw away all of the packages and empty the Trash truck, and then reinstall the software.

I entered a provider with a '/' in the name using the Internet Setup Scene, and weird things are happening to that provider card. Why?

This is a known problem. The setup code uses a '/' internally to denote special information; you should not use a '/' in any of your provider card names or fields.

I have an Envoy running Presto!Mail and/or Presto!Links and it say's that it doesn't have enough memory to run the wireless manager - the message says "Your communicator is too full to use the wireless modem, so it has been turned off." Why? I have almost 100K left of internal memory!

The Motorola Envoy requires at least 150K in main memory to operate. Be sure you've installed the packages on a storage card.