DISCLAIMER. IMPORTANT.
I have successfully tested these instructions with Windows 95 and 98SE using Turnpike versions 3.05, 4.02, 5.0 and 5.01. However if you are not using the latest version it is advisable to update as each version upgrade has resolved some minor but relevant issues (note that for versions 4.02 and above a paid up copy of Turnpike is required to allow access to ISPs other than Demon). While these instructions have not produced any reported problems for Windows 95/98 users, other operating systems may well not be compatible and users are recommended to seek further advise from the Demon Turnpike support newsgroup. To the best of my knowledge all the information on this website is correct however before starting you would be well advised to back up your Turnpike files as set out in Turnpike help and note that at no time should you need to alter any of your current (Demon) connection details. SIGNING UP TO A NEW ISP.
Using Explorer browse to C:\turnpike and make a copy of the text file..Generic.acc..(edit/copy) from:
The Turnpike Software is copyright by Turnpike Ltd, Dorking, Surrey RH4 1HN.
It is also a registered trademark of Thus plc.
None of the information given on this site should be assumed to contain any endorsement,
implied or expressed, by Turnpike Limited or by Thus plc.
Use of the information held on this website is entirely at your own risk and no responsibility will be accepted for any problems you may have as a result of using or mis-using the information provided.
Firstly, this website has not been updated for over a year and while as far as I know no significant changes have taken place that should affect the information below with regard setting up Turnpike, it is possible that some ISPs have made changes to their service (or indeed are no longer in service) that are not reflected in the information given. Therefore if you experience problems please check with the ISP's website to confirm that the settings given here match those on the ISP's website. If you do come across something that needs updating then I would very much appreciate a quick email, thanks.
For those ISPs that offer freephone telephone access I would strongly recommend checking their website, a support newsgroup or their technical support helpline to be absolutely certain that you have the correct telephone number required for freephone access.
Firstly before changing your ISP be aware that some ISPs are set up in a non standard fashion. For example Compuserve and AOL need their own software to be installed in order to function and a couple of others install software to run advertising banners on your machine in return for providing lost cost or free access to the Internet. It is possible to use Turnpike with some of these ISPs although they are likely to prove more difficult to configure (see below for details on using AOL or Compuserve).
There are two main ways of signing up to a free ISP, either by visiting their website or by
using a sign up CD (for a few ISPs using a sign up CD is obligatory). Note that using an ISPs CD may involve the installation of Internet Explorer and/or extensive "branding" of your system and I would recommend avoiding this method if possible. In any case, before signing up, I suggest creating an aptly named folder into which can be saved the webpage showing your connection details displayed near the end of the registration process.
Also, an ISPs sign up procedure invariably finishes by encouraging you to open (run) an "installation" (.ins) file whose purpose is to configure Outlook Express and Internet Explorer to access the new ISP, personally I just download and save it as a text (.txt) file to the folder mentioned above for later inspection using notepad (it contains all the settings required to configure Turnpike including your new username and password).
The Turnpike script files are contained in a file called "access.tpk". This file is updated regularly so before going any further you may wish to down-load the latest version from Demons ftp site in case a pre-prepared script file specifically designed to access the ISP you wish to use has recently become available. For details on how to download the latest "access.tpk" file click here.
As of 20 September 1999 of the most popular Free ISPs there is a ready-made Turnpike script file available for Freeserve, Virgin, Tesconet and BTInternet. Click on one of the links if you require information on how set up Turnpike using one of these pre-prepared scripts. Note the Turnpike help files also fully cover this topic.
SETTING UP TO USE AOL OR COMPUSERVE:
Freeserve
Tesconet
Virgin
BTInternet
As mentioned above it is possible to use Turnpike with ISPs that do not use Windows standard dial up networking software such as AOL and Compuserve. Click on the link below for further information.
AOL and Compuserve.
For all other ISPs not listed above, Turnpike provides a script called --Unknown access provider-- (Generic.acc) which is used to set up a connection to any new (unknown) ISP, however in its standard form it can only be used once. To get round this it is recommended that you make a copy of Generic.acc and rename it to the name of the ISP you wish to use. This will allow you the possibility to reuse the "--Unknown access provider-- (Generic.acc)" script as many times as you like following the same procedure detailed below.
(If this file is not present in your Turnpike folder then
click here)
paste it back into C:\turnpike and rename it....ISPname.acc
(substituting the name of the ISP you wish to use for ISPname - ie Freeuk.acc)
Click on ISPname.acc to open it (with Notepad) and change, in first three lines, the words in bold type...
*Save* then close the file and exit Explorer.
Open Turnpike, click on the "connect" button and then click on "new" in the "connect to
the internet" window. In the "select access provider" window click on
the downward pointing arrow, choose ISPname and click OK.
At this point Turnpike will ask for the following information. Answer the questions using the settings from the Data section or those that you have assembled yourself. (The ones marked with an * are different for each ISP).
| Information required: | Example: |
| Domain Name:* | ISPname.net |
| Host Name:* | ISPname.net |
| Domain Name Server (DNS):* | 123.456.78.9 |
| Email, keep local or forward: | Yes/No as required (normally yes). |
| Timeserver:[1] | Normally blank. |
| Timezone: | GMT (or other preference). |
| Summertime (daylight saving): | UK (or other preference). |
| Outgoing mail server:* | smtp.ISPname.net |
| Incoming mail arriving by pop3: | Normally yes. |
| Pop3 mail server:* | pop3.ISPname.net |
| Pop3 mail username:* | Usually the same as dial up. |
| Pop3 mail password:* | Usually the same as dial up. |
| News server:* | news.ISPname.net |
| Organisation: | As prefered or leave blank |
| Dial up username:* | Supplied during sign up. |
| Dial up password:* | Supplied during sign up. |
[1] Demons time server is at present generally accessible at ntp.demon.co.uk but "free" access may be withdrawn at any time.
Once the above questions are answered, the "Edit connection details" windows appears, enter the ISPs dial up telephone number in the space provided, click on save and then cancel the "Connect to the internet window" that appears.
Next click on "configure/email transfer" and correct your username (a turnpike bug means that this field incorrectly shows "user999 ...the bug is corrected in the generic.acc file that comes with Turnpike version 5.) and, if you intend to access your Pop3 mailbox from outside Turnpike, that "enable pop3 server" is ticked, then click OK. Although Turnpike automatically creates a DUN connectoid it may require adjustment.
CHECK THE DUN CONNECTOID:
Open up "My Computer" and click on "Dial up networking", right click on the ISPs icon and choose properties. Click on the tab "server types", these settings and the TCP/IP ones need to be checked/adjusted to match the ones for the relevant ISP in the data section.
| Information required | Most usually (but not always) |
| Tab Server Types: | |
| Type of dial up server | PPP windows 95 etc |
| Log onto network | Unticked |
| Enable software compression | Unticked |
| Require encrypted password | Unticked |
| Require data encryption | Unticked |
| Record a log file | Unticked |
| NetBEUI | Unticked |
| IPX/SPX Compatible | Unticked |
| TCP/IP | Ticked |
| TCP/IP Settings: | |
| Server assigned IP address | As required |
| Specify an IP address | As required |
| IP Address | If provided |
| Server assigned name address server | As required |
| Specify name server address | As required |
| Primary DNS | If supplied |
| Secondary DNS | If supplied |
| Use IP header compression | Ticked |
| Use default gateway | Ticked |
| Beeb | Callnet0800 | CallnetUK | Connectfree | Currantbun |
| F1racing | Free4All | FreeUK | Freewebaccess | Greatxscape |
| IC24 | Worldonline | Lineone | NDO | NTLworld |
| Screaming | Skynow | UKonline | UkGateway | Unisonfree |
THE ISP YOU WANT IS NOT LISTED?
ALTERNATE NEWS SERVERS
If you require a full news service you may wish to try one of the pay news services such as:
TIMESERVERS
LINKS
TROUBLESHOOTING
AND FINALLY...
Site last updated 06/01/01
Try and locate the configuration information required for yourself either:
1. Directly from the ISP from their website or their technical support helpline.
2. From a newsgroup such as Alt.internet.providers.uk.free or by searching through Deja news.
3. From the installation file usually offered for download at the end of registering to an ISP. Click here for details.
4. From Outlook Express, if you have a working connection to the ISP using OE. Click here for details.
5. From the ISPs sign up CD. Explore the CD looking for a files typically called "install.ins" and "signup.isp", copy them to your HD as text (.txt) files. Open them with Notepad to see if they contain the information required (see 3. for an example of an .ins file).
If you make a successful connection to an ISP not listed in the Data section then, if have the time, please email the settings so that I might add them. Also please include any special steps taken during the sign up procedure...thanks
One of the trade-offs of using a "free" ISP is that the news service provided is often slow, incomplete or just plain unusable. There are alternatives to using the ISPs own news server and one of the most popular is the free news service provided by DFN-CIS (Center for Information Services) located at the computer center of Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, otherwise known as "news.cis.dfn.de". The server allows downloading and posting and provides a good range of newsgroups including Demon ones, although it doses not provide access to any binary newsgroups. To use the service it is necessary to register at their website: http://news.cis.dfn.de and once your registration has been processed you will receive an email with your username and password. To configure Turnpike click on "Turnpike Connect/Configure/News collection", click on "Add" (if "Add" is greyed out then "Remove" one of your current unused news server entries), enter the news servers name "news.cis.dfn.de, click on "Log on using" and enter your username/password as supplied to you. Finally remove the tick from the "NEWNEWS" box and tick the box "Update newsgroup list at next connection".
On a similar line there is also Netcon at http://pubnews.netcom.net.uk/.
http://www.claranews.com (£20 a year)
http://www.altopia.com
http://www.airnews.net
http://www.gradwell.net
http://www.newsguy.com
http://www.onlynews.net
http://www.giganews.com
http://www.easynews.com
http://www.usenetserver.com
Most "free" ISPs do not provide a timeserver to synchronise the time on your computer with an accurate source. However there are several "free to use" timeservers such as ntp2a.mcc.ac.uk (Manchester University) and even Demons own time server ntp2.demon.co.uk
which may be available. To configure Turnpike with a timeserver click on "Turnpike Connect/Configure/Timezone" and enter the timeservers name or dotted IP address in the "synconise with" box and tick the box "Automatically set the PC clock". The "Local timezone" box should already show GMT and the United Kingdom radio button should be selected in the "Summertime" dialogue.
http://www.plainfaqs.org The unofficial Turnpike FAQ.
http://www.turnpike.com/tpikefaq.htmlThe official Turnpike FAQ.
http://www.turnpike.com/pgpadvice.html PGP with Turnpike.
http://www.musonix.demon.co.uk/newuser Demon Newuser FAQ.
http://www.thor2ru.demon.co.uk/demnlib/tpklnks.htm Turnpike linkfile.
http://www.thor2ru.demon.co.uk/demnlib/tags.htm Tagging messages in Turnpike Offline.
http://www.thor2ru.demon.co.uk/demnlib/ftp_slst.htm Directory list for Demon Ftp site.
http://www.musonix.demon.co.uk/newuser/ftp/upload.htm Ftp user guide.
Things gone a bit pear shaped? then click
here.
Much of the information held on this site has been obtained from the newsgroups: "Demon.ip.support.turnpike" and "Alt.internet.providers.uk.free" and thanks must be given to those who assist others in these newsgroups. I would also like to thank all those who have taken the time to email me with information, tips and corrections.