Help with FTP Setup - Windows, Internet Explorer

This article assumes you are using the lastest version of Internet Explorer on Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Older versions of Windows (95 and 98) may not work properly if you have a firewall on your Internet connection so we recommend either updating your browser or using a dedicated ftp client such as WS-FTP if you are having problems with downloading files with this set up.

I. Getting the link in your browser

You'll receive a link from ProComm in your email. When you click that link, your e-mail client should hand off requests for either http or ftp links to the default Internet browser on your PC. Your link will look something like this:

ftp://sample:123456789@144.228.88.106

Note: Quite a few email clients display your messages in a window with two panes. The upper pane shows the list of messages in your Inbox and the lower pane is a preview of the message selected. If you double click a message in the upper pane, it will open in its own window. Some email clients will only let you launch links from this view and not from the preview pane. Likewise, these same clients will also prohibit selection of text or copying of test in the preview pane.

If clicking on the link fails, try highlighting the entire link, copying it and pasting it into the URL address field in your browser. Make sure you copy the link as it appears above without any > or < symbols your email client may have added. Again, if you are unable to highlight the text in order to copy it, you might not have opened the email in its own window. Double click the email to open it.

II. Internet Explorer, ftp and firewall settings

Depending on how your computer or network connects to the Internet and which firewalls --- either software or hardware --- are used to protect that connection, an ftp connection might fail in Internet Explorer.

If Internet Explorer displays an empty file list or if it gets stuck "Getting File List", you might want to toggle the FTP mode in which it operates. In most cases, Passive Mode is best but if you're having problems:

1. Open Internet Exporer
2. Go to TOOLS:INTERNET OPTIONS
3. Click on the ADVANCED tab.
4. Scroll to find one of these settings:

Use Web based FTP (IE 5)
Use Passive FTP (for firewall and DSL modem compatibility) (IE 6)

For browsers that offer the "Use Passive FTP", toggle the setting beside this check box. The preferable setting is checked but if your browser already has this setting checked, it can help to simply change the setting from its previous setting. These setting are found in the latest version of Internet Explorer running on Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

For browsers that offer "Use Web based FTP," uncheck this setting. Note: This applies to Windows 98 Internet Explorer 5. This setting might not work with your firewall so we recommend either updating your browser or using a stand-alone ftp client like WS-FTP.

III. Downloading your Files

Once you have sucessfully connected to the ProComm ftp site, you should see the files uploaded for you listed in your browser. The most common problem users have downloading files happens when they double-click the file. Since the files ProComm provides are usually audio (media) files, your browser might start "playing" the file when you really want to download it or save it. To download a file instead of play it:

1. Select the file to download and right-click it
2. Select "Copy to Folder" (Win98, Win2000, WinXP) or Save Target As ..."
3. Locate the place on your computer to save the file and click OK.


	GO TO: The most frequent problem Windows users have. This article assumes you are using the lastest version of Internet Explorer on Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Older versions of Windows (95 and 98) may not work properly if you have a firewall on your Internet connection so we recommend either updating your browser or using a dedicated ftp client such as WS-FTP if you are having problems with downloading files with this set up. I. Getting the link in your browser You'll receive a link from ProComm in your email. When you click that link, your e-mail client should hand off requests for either http or ftp links to the default Internet browser on your PC. Your link will look something like this: ftp://sample:123456789@144.228.88.106 Note: Quite a few email clients display your messages in a window with two panes. The upper pane shows the list of messages in your Inbox and the lower pane is a preview of the message selected. If you double click a message in the upper pane, it will open in its own window. Some email clients will only let you launch links from this view and not from the preview pane. Likewise, these same clients will also prohibit selection of text or copying of test in the preview pane. If clicking on the link fails, try highlighting the entire link, copying it and pasting it into the URL address field in your browser. Make sure you copy the link as it appears above without any > or < symbols your email client may have added. Again, if you are unable to highlight the text in order to copy it, you might not have opened the email in its own window. Double click the email to open it. II. Internet Explorer, ftp and firewall settings Depending on how your computer or network connects to the Internet and which firewalls --- either software or hardware --- are used to protect that connection, an ftp connection might fail in Internet Explorer. If Internet Explorer displays an empty file list or if it gets stuck "Getting File List", you might want to toggle the FTP mode in which it operates. In most cases, Passive Mode is best but if you're having problems: 1. Open Internet Exporer 2. Go to TOOLS:INTERNET OPTIONS 3. Click on the ADVANCED tab. 4. Scroll to find one of these settings: Use Web based FTP (IE 5) Use Passive FTP (for firewall and DSL modem compatibility) (IE 6) For browsers that offer the "Use Passive FTP", toggle the setting beside this check box. The preferable setting is checked but if your browser already has this setting checked, it can help to simply change the setting from its previous setting. These setting are found in the latest version of Internet Explorer running on Windows 2000 and Windows XP. For browsers that offer "Use Web based FTP," uncheck this setting. Note: This applies to Windows 98 Internet Explorer 5. This setting might not work with your firewall so we recommend either updating your browser or using a stand-alone ftp client like WS-FTP. III. Downloading your Files Once you have sucessfully connected to the ProComm ftp site, you should see the files uploaded for you listed in your browser. The most common problem users have downloading files happens when they double-click the file. Since the files ProComm provides are usually audio (media) files, your browser might start "playing" the file when you really want to download it or save it. To download a file instead of play it: 1. Select the file to download and right-click it 2. Select "Copy to Folder" (Win98, Win2000, WinXP) or Save Target As ..." 3. Locate the place on your computer to save the file and click OK.