Forever Connected Version 2.6

Introduction

Connect, Reconnect & Redial, and Disconnect from the Net easily, quickly, and even automatically. Forever Connected is the ultimate MS Dial-Up Networking enhancement. With it you can: Dial the net with just one click, redial and reconnect without any user interaction, and then disconnect from the Net with one more click. And since the Forever Connected icon stays in the tray whether you are connected or not, starting and stopping the internet is always quick & painless. FC offers all this and more, in a highly customizable package.

Installation

If you downloaded Forever Connected with the installer, everything is set up already, skip the rest of the install section. If you downloaded a zip file, read on.

This program can be installed and run from any directory on your computer. I suggest putting it in its own directory under c:\program files. Wherever you choose to put it, you will probably want to make a shortcut to it, to make it easier to find. Put the shortcut either on the desktop, or on the start menu. I recommend using the desktop..

If FC tells you that a DLL is missing when you try to run it you will need to read the following. Otherwise, you are finished installing the software.

This program requires two support files, MFC42.DLL and MSVCRT.DLL. Together, these files can take up over a megabyte, which means you don't want to download them unless you have too. Since many programs require these two files, it is highly likely that you already have them. If you don't, you have two options as to how to download the files:

A small download (600k), which requires that you copy the DLLs to the windows\system directory
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A larger download (1700k), which includes a setup program that does all the work.
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Operation - Quick Start

Just run the program. Online help is included directly in the dialog, and explains every step you must take in detail to setup the program, and get started using it.

Operation - Advanced Tips

This program works in tight cooperation with the Microsoft Dial-Up Networking software. In order to make the best use of FC, you will need to make sure that Dial-Up Networking is fully set up. These are useful tips, whether you choose to continue to use FC in the future, or not, so I strongly suggest you read them.

Dial up scripting

You should not have to enter your user name and password every time you connect to your ISP. If you do, then you need to use dial-up scripting. If you have the original copy of MS Windows, you will want to download a newer version of Dial Up Networking, such as DUN, 1.2. While FC will work with DUN 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2, you should upgrade to 1.2 or 1.1, since those releases fix several problems with Dial Up Networking, and have a very good scripting facilities. You can download a newer DUN from backoffice.microsoft.com/downtrial/moreinfo/win95pptp.asp

Creating a script. If you do not have a script for Dial Up Networking (often your ISP will provide you with one), then you can make your own. Either edit one of the example scripts, making it fit the requirements of your ISP , or try one of the prewritten scripts on the net. You can find more involved instructions here.

Dial-up scripting works best if the Connect To dialog correctly saves your password. If the Connect To dialog doesn't save your password, read the following for some advice: www.winfiles.com/bugs/dunpass.html. Otherwise, for a much simpler solution, just edit your dialup script, entering your password in place of ever instance of $PASSWORD. Of course, this would make it easy for any user of your computer to find out your password, so use this with caution.

Other DUN tips

Make DUN slightly faster by disabling unnecessary dialogs. First, quit FC. Then, open the Dial-Up Networking dialog, select the connection in question, and select the Connections | Settings menu. In the resulting dialog, uncheck the "prompt for information before dialing" box.
Enable automatic redialing. While it is far from foolproof, you can make DUN redial in some cases by checking the redial box in the dialog found above. You will still need FC to handle most types of disconnects, but this will help.

Forever Connected Specific Tips

In the registered version of Forever Connected, you have access to two extra options, which will help you set up FC to your tastes. These options are related to tasks automatically performed when FC is started:

Automatically start dialing your ISP.
Automatically hide FC in the tray.

Some interesting uses of these options include:

Set FC to automatically hide in the tray and then put it in the startup folder. Then, you can very easily start your internet connection, and then turn it off when ever you need to, without having to search for an icon on the desktop, or in the start menu. Plus you get hotkey support at all times, if you have enabled hotkeys.
Set FC to automatically hide in the tray and start your connection, and then put it in the startup folder. Then, every time you turn on your computer, you will dial the internet, and stay connected. Good for those that want a semi permanent connection to the net.
Turn on automatically connecting when FC is started, but don't have it minimize to the tray. With the dialog open it provides a nice reminder that you are connected to the Internet.

Hotkey Support

One of the most useful new features of Forever Connected is the ability to control your internet connection via hotkey. Create a shortcut to the ForeverConnected.exe, and set the properties of that shortcut so that it has a hotkey (I use Control-Alt-C). Now, whenever you want to change the state of your internet connection (connect, when disconnected, or disconnect, when connected), just push the hotkey. It's never been easier to control your internet connection.

Forever connected was once shareware, but it is now released as open source, unsupported software. Please, use this software as you see fit, but do not request technical support from HCI Design.