Overview:
Welcome to the ISPWizard Quick Start Guide. This guide will try to explain the most common settings & get you started with a basic configuration.Step By Step:ISPWizard is a tool for Internet Service Providers (and other organizations) to create customized setup programs that they can then distribute to their end users through a variety of means, such as disk and CD as well as a download from their web site.
Although the large number of configuration options available within ISPWizard may seem overwhelming at first, please keep in mind that most of them can be left at their default values - remember - if you're not sure what a setting is for, then chances are that you don't need to change it. As an alternative to going through these instructions, you can use the ISPWizard Configuration Wizard (under Wizard->Open Configuration Wizard) to create a simple configuration - the Wizard will just ask you for the most common settings, so that you're not confronted with as many configuration options.
If you need further help beyond that contained in this page, please look at the Frequently Asked Questions and Advanced Options pages. If you're still having problems, please contact us! If you have any feedback on this page, (or any other) please contact us!
This section will give you brief instructions on what you need to do on each of the tabs of the software:To Finish:
- General
Enter some text for the Application Title - this text will be shown at the top of the setup program screen, as well as in the Windows task bar.All of the other settings on this tab are optional and should be fairly self explanatory. The logo bitmap can be any size that you desire - the form will be automatically resized to accommodate it, although 340x110 is a reasonable starting point.
- Connection
Enter the name of the connection that you want the software to create on the users system.If your usernames are in the form of an email address (e.g. jbloggs@example.com) you may want to enter the username suffix (e.g. @example.com) under Misc->Dialup Username Suffix.
If you're in an area which requires the use of 10 digit dialing, you may want to choose one of options under the 10 Digit Dialing tab. The most commonly used settings are to show a checkbox, or to prompt the user for 10 digit dialing.
Most of the other settings under the Connection tab can be left as they are, although depending on your preferences, you may want to change some of the settings under the Misc tab, such as for disconnect if idle and to set as the default connection.
- Dialup Numbers
On this tab, most user select to Load their access numbers from separate file, by choosing the option for "Load From File."If you only have a short list of dialup numbers, you can click the New button to manually enter each of your access numbers. You should only enter settings under Location Specific Settings if the settings are actually dependent on the access number chosen by the user. Any settings entered under Location Specific Settings will automatically override the corresponding option set in the software elsewhere.
If you have a large list of dialup numbers, you can use the MS Excel Export Utility to output the list in a format that ISPWizard can read. By clicking the button with that label, Microsoft Excel will be automatically launched with the utility file loaded - further instructions are contained within that file.
If you're a Virtual ISP and you purchase access from multiple wholesalers, you may wish to use the option for Multiple Networks - this will allow you to configure settings so that they are specific to each network. Again, any settings configured for each network will automatically override the settings configured elsewhere in the software, with the exception that settings on a per access number basis will also override network specific settings.
The default behavior of the software is that if there is only one access number available, it will be automatically chosen and the user will not be presented any option to select the access number. If there are multiple access numbers, the software will display a drop down box that the user can select their local access number from. If you don't want the software to default to the first listed access number, you can enable the option "Don't default to first Phone Number - Display" and enter some text to act as a prompt to the user to choose their access number.
If you have a large list of numbers for which the drop down list is not usable, you should enable the option for "Show Access Number Selector" This will allow the user to search for a local access number, using the options that you enable by clicking on the Options button. Keep in mind that if you enable the option to allow the user to search by entering their own phone number, you must supply a list of prefixes which are local for every access number.
If you want to have the software configure an email account, you can leave the "Set Mail Settings" option enabled, otherwise uncheck it.Enter your POP3/IMAP server, SMTP server and Mail Domain under this tab.
In most cases, this is all that you need to set here - the default setting is to use the dialup username as the basis for the POP3 username - if this is not the case, you can change the setting under the Authentication tab. If you use a unique password for the mail server, you can also set POP3/IMAP Password is Different to Dialup Password.
If your SMTP server requires authentication, or your email usernames require a username prefix and or suffix, you can also set this under the Authentication tab.
The default setting requires the user to enter their email address - just the first part, without the domain. If the email address is always based on the username, you can set Misc->Email Address is always Username@MailDomain. If the email address is usually, but not always based on the username, you can uncheck both "Email Address is always Username@MailDomain" and "Email Address is never Username@MailDomain" in this case, the email address is automatically filled in as the user types their username, but they can then manually change the email address if they need to.
You can choose to configure some Outlook Express options to suit your preferences under Programs->Outlook Express Options.
- News
If you would like the software to configure a news server, you can enter the news server under this tab.In the majority of cases, no further settings need to be adjusted on this tab, unless your news server require authentication.
- Proxies
The default setting is to set the users browser to connect directly to the Internet, without the use of a proxy server. If you have a proxy server that you would like the software to configure your users browser to use, you can configure its settings under this tab. If you don't want the software to modify the current proxy settings, you can uncheck the option to "Set Proxy Settings"
- Messages
If you want to display a message to the user at the start and/or completion of the setup process, you can configure it under this tab. You can use the options here to display your Acceptable Use Policy and require the user to accept it before their system will be configured.
- Browsers
Under the options tab here, you can set things like the Default Home Page. If you want to configure Internet Explorer branding, you can do so by clicking on the "Internet Explorer Options" button, otherwise any branding will be automatically removed during the setup process.
If you would like the software to present the user with a choice of browsers to install at completion of the setup process, you can do so by entering the details of the installation files under the Install tab.
- Dialer
If you would like the software to automatically install the ISPWizard Dialer during the setup process, you can enable the option to install the dialer on this tab. Keep in mind that the ISPWizard Dialer isn't included in a standard license for ISPWizard.Generally, you should use the option to "Use Current Configuration" The alternate option to use a pre compiled dialer should only be used in rare circumstances.
A guide to the options on some of the various tabs are as follows:
- Updates.
If you enable the option here, the Dialer will automatically check for an updated version of itself at the URL that you specify. To create an update, you need to use the "Create Dialer Setup/Update" If you upload a file created with the main Create button, the dialer will give an error when it checks for the update.Normally the dialer will check for updates every time the user connects, but what about the case of a user with a laptop who is normally connected to the Internet via a LAN, but uses the dialer whenever they travel? If they haven't connected to your service for a while, the number that they normally use may become unavailable and they will no longer be able to connect and get the update that they need. If you enable the option to allow Updates via LAN, the user will then be able to check for updates before they leave their office, and so be able to keep up to date.
The other settings on this tab shouldn't require any further explanation.
- Updates 2
What about the case where a user hasn't connected for a long period, (or the software is out of date before they even get it) the dialup numbers list has changed and they don't have any other method to connect to the Internet to check for an update? The options on this tab allow for the user to connect to a special access number to check for updates.
- Actions
Under this tab, you can define actions that you want the Dialer to perform after it connects to the Internet, such as launching the default browser or to run a specific program.
- Options
The options under this tab can be set to suit your preferences - they should generally be self explanatory.
- Signups
This tab allows you to configure ISPWizard to signup users from CDs or floppy disks. More information on using this capability can be found under Online Signup Information
- Advanced
As a general rule, most of the settings under this tab don't need to be changed, the main exception being the settings under the Checks tab, which allow you to define parameters about the usernames and passwords that your users will be able to enter into the software.
Make sure that you save your configuration by clicking on either the "Save" button, or by going through the menu with File->Save or File->Save As.If you have finished configuring the software to suit your needs, you can click the "Create" button. If there are any problems detected with your settings, the software will prompt you to make changes, otherwise, it will ask you for a destination filename.
Once you have created your setup program, it's recommended that you test it on a non critical system that you don't mind having the Internet settings being changed. Although the software can check for many potential configuration errors, it isn't psychic and can't tell if you mistype a setting such as your mail server name.
If you're planning to use CDs, it's recommended that you produce multiple burned copies that you can then distribute to some of your users to try before you proceed to the step of having the discs mass produced - remember that once CDs are pressed, there is nothing that we or anyone else can do to fix them if you make a mistake with your configuration. Also, if you're using CDs, and would like Windows to automatically start the setup program when a user inserts the disc, there is a sample autorun.inf file that you can download - it's a simple plain text file that you can edit in Notepad to suit the name of the setup file that you have created.
From here, you can browse through the rest of the configuration options. You're welcome to experiment with any of the settings to see if you find them useful. Further information can be found on the Frequently Asked Questions and Advanced Options pages.
If you need any further assistance, please contact us!