These days, the most common reason for including a
modem in your computer is to connect to the Internet. However, many
people still use their modems to connect to remote devices (such as
electronic test analyzers), telecommunications equipment, as well as to
other modems and thus propel themselves into the world of (non-Internet)
online services and bulletin board systems (BBSs). To do this, you need a communications program (or terminal
program) that can operate your modem and handle the behind-the-scenes
dirty work of dialing, connecting, downloading, and uploading.
In Windows XP, the terminal program of choice is called HyperTerminal,
and it should serve the needs of all but the most discriminating modem
jockeys. HyperTerminal integrates seamlessly with Windows XP’s
communications subsystem, and it offers several terminal emulation
options, as well as support for most popular file transfer protocols,
such as 1K Xmodem and Zmodem. The next few sections show you how to use
HyperTerminal to set up, dial, and work with online connections.
To get HyperTerminal
started, select Start, All Programs, Accessories, Communications,
HyperTerminal. If you see a dialog box recommending that you make
HyperTerminal your default Telnet program, activate the Don’t Ask Me
This Question Again check box and then click Yes (or No, if you prefer
to use Windows XP’s Microsoft Telnet Client or a different Telnet
program).
Creating a New HyperTerminal Connection
When you start
HyperTerminal, the Connection Description dialog box appears. If you
don’t want to create a connection, click Cancel; otherwise, follow the
steps I outline in the next few sections. Note that you set up the
connection in three stages: defining the basic connection options,
defining the connection’s settings, and specifying the connection’s
modem properties.
Defining the Basic Connection Options
Here are the steps to follow to get the basic connection options in place:
1. | If the Connection Description dialog box, shown in Figure 1, isn’t already onscreen, select File, New Connection.
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2. | Use
the Name text box to enter a descriptive name for the connection. Note
that this entry will also serve as the primary name of the new
HyperTerminal file (with the .HT extension), so you should follow Windows XP’s rules for long filenames.
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3. | Use the Icon list to select an icon for the connection and then click OK. The Connect To dialog box, shown in Figure 2, appears.
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4. | Fill in the country/region code, area code, and phone number for the remote system.
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5. | In the Connect Using drop-down list, you have four choices:
Choose the modem you want to use for the connection. If
you want to use HyperTerminal to connect to a PC via a serial cable
that runs between the two machines’ serial ports, choose the appropriate
serial port. If your computer is part of a Virtual Private Network (VPN), select Microsoft VPN Adapter. If
the remote computer understands TCP/IP and you have the TCP/IP protocol
installed on your machine (this is the default on all Windows XP
systems), select TCP/IP (Winsock).
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6. | Click OK. HyperTerminal displays the Connect dialog box.
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At this point, the
connection is set up to use the default settings you defined for your
modem. If you want to use those settings, you can either click Dial to
connect to the remote system or click Cancel to get to the main
HyperTerminal window. I suggest clicking Cancel because then you can
save the connection (by selecting File, Save).
Defining the Connection’s Modem Properties
If you don’t want
to use the default modem settings, HyperTerminal enables you to define
alternative settings for the connection. If you want to change the
dialing properties for the connection, click the Dialing Properties
button in the Connect dialog box. (If you canceled the Connect dialog
box earlier, you can display it again by selecting Call, Connect.)
To change other
settings (such as the connect speed and the terminal emulation), first
display the property sheet for the connection by using either of the
following methods:
In the HyperTerminal window, select File, Properties.
In the Connect dialog box, click Modify.
Figure 3
shows the property sheet that appears. The Connect To tab enables you
to change the basic options (icon, country code, area code, and so on).
For
modem-related settings, click the Configure button to display the
modem’s properties sheet.
| Operator Assisted (Manual) Dial | This
check box is on the General tab of the modem property sheet. When you
activate this option, each time you connect to the remote system,
HyperTerminal displays a dialog box to prompt you to dial the phone
number manually. This option is useful in hotels or in other situations
when you might need to speak to an operator before you can dial. When
you hear the remote modem, click the Connect button in the dialog box
and then hang up the receiver. |
| Bring Up Terminal Window Before Dialing | This
check box is on the Advanced tab of the modem property sheet. When you
activate this check box, each time you connect to the remote system,
HyperTerminal displays the Pre-Dial Terminal Screen before it dials the
modem. You can use this screen to enter modem commands (see your modem
manual for a list of applicable commands). You enter your commands and
then click the window’s Continue button. |
| Bring Up Terminal Window After Dialing | This
check box is on the Advanced tab of the modem property sheet. When you
activate this check box, HyperTerminal displays the Post-Dial Terminal
Screen after it has connected to the remote system. Again, you can use
this screen to enter modem commands. |
Defining the Connection’s Settings
To finish defining
the connection, HyperTerminal has a few other options up its electronic
sleeve. To view these options, display the connection’s properties
sheet, and select the Settings tab, shown in Figure 4. Here’s the rundown:
| Function, Arrow, and Ctrl Keys Act As | These
options determine how HyperTerminal reacts when you press any of the
function keys, arrow keys, or Ctrl key combinations. If you activate the
Terminal Keys option, HyperTerminal sends the keystrokes to the remote
modem; if you activate Windows Keys, HyperTerminal applies the
keystrokes to the Windows XP interface. |
| Backspace Key Sends | Use
these options to determine the key or key combination that
HyperTerminal sends when you press Backspace. Note that Ctrl+H is the
key combination that deletes the previously typed character on most UNIX
systems. |
| Emulation | Use
this drop-down list to choose the terminal emulation you want to use
with the remote system. The Auto Detect option tells HyperTerminal to
attempt to determine the remote terminal type automatically. If you
choose one of the specific terminal emulations, you can also click the
Terminal Setup button to configure various aspects of the emulation. The
available options depend on the emulation. |
| Telnet Terminal ID | If you’ll be using HyperTerminal as your Telnet client, use this text box to enter the terminal type you want to use. |
| Backscroll Buffer Lines | This
setting determines the number of lines displayed by the remote system
that HyperTerminal stores in its buffer. You can scroll up or down
through this buffer by using the scrollbars or the Page Up and Page Down
keys. |
| Play Sound When Connecting or Disconnecting | This check box determines whether HyperTerminal beeps the speaker whenever it connects and disconnects. |
| Input Translation | Click
this button to select the character encoding system used by the host
system: Shift-JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) or Standard JIS. |
| ASCII Setup | Clicking
this button displays the ASCII Setup dialog box. These controls set
various options for ASCII text you send to the remote system, as well as
ASCII text that you receive. |
Tip
If you want to see the
characters that you type in the HyperTerminal window, click ASCII Setup
and then activate the Echo Typed Characters Locally check box.
