--------------- TIP OF THE WEEK - Using FTP, Part 3 - (New) --------------- This week we are continuing our series on learning about FTP and how to use it to send and receive files. If you missed last week's Tip, you can find it here: http://www.erols.com/erols/news/0299/02-05-99.html CORRECTIONS First, some of the info in last week's Tip was not correct (hey, even the "experts" make mistakes.) If you are using Internet Explorer 4, you cannot drag and drop files from your desktop to your browser window to upload files. Doing this will just load the file into the browser window. This is a feature available in Internet Explorer 5, which is still in beta testing at Microsoft. If you have certain characters in your password, you won't be able to create your space using this command: ftp://username:password@ftp.erols.com Those characters are the colon, question mark and the "at" symbol (: ? @) In order to either create or log into your web space, you need to leave your password out of the link. For example, you would now type: ftp://username@ftp.erols.com. You will then be asked to enter your password and it should log you in. Note: This only works if you are using a version of Netscape. Internet Explorer 4 users don't have this option. IE 4 users have to use an FTP program in order to create your web space, which coincidentally, we will discuss this week. FTP PROGRAMS Any programs discussed below are not endorsed by Erols/RCN Internet. While there are dozens of FTP programs available, space limits us to discussing only a few. FTP programs are designed for one main purpose - to transfer files to and from your computer. We will be describing how to transfer files to and from your 1 MB of free web space. We are going to assume you have already created your 1 MB of space using last week's tip. Please read through the steps below even if you decide to download a different program. Most FTP programs work the same so if you are familiar with one, you can usually pick up another quickly. -------- CUTE FTP -------- One popular FTP program is called Cute FTP, made by GlobalSCAPE, Inc. You can find this program at: http://www.cuteftp.com/ The version of Cute FTP we will be discussing here is Cute FTP V 2.8 for Windows 95/98/NT. The download is approximately 1.2 MB. Once you have downloaded and installed the program, the steps below are how you can configure it to use your personal web space. GETTING CUTEFTP SETUP 1. Run CuteFTP once you are connected to the Internet. 2. You may see a Registration screen. Close it. 3. You should now see a screen called FTP Site Manager with a bunch of folders. Close that screen. 4. You should now be looking at a screen that says "Not connected - CuteFTP 2.8 5. One of the buttons on this screen looks like a lightning bolt. Click once on it. 6. Your cursor should already be in the Host Address box. In that box type: ftp.erols.com OR ftp.rcn.com 7. In the User ID box, enter your Erols/RCN user id. For example, if your e-mail address is: support@erols.com, you will enter just: support. 8. In the Password box, enter your Erols/RCN password. Remember that passwords are case sensitive. 9. Do not worry about ANY of the other settings on this screen. Click on OK. 10. You will see a gray screen appear. Click on the long OK button to close that window. 11. Congratulations! You have now logged into our FTP server! JUST LOOK AT THAT COMPLICATED SCREEN! By now, you may be looking at these dozens of icons, buttons and folders and wondering, "Um, now what?" Don't be intimidated by the screen. You only need to concern yourself with a few of the items here. Let's explain just what you are looking at here. The screen should be divided into two halves. The left side of the screen shows the files on YOUR computer. The right half of the screen shows the files on OUR server in YOUR 1 MB of web space. On the left side, you probably see some of the files actually in the CuteFTP directory on your computer. One of those files should be called "NOTES.TXT" Remember that file. On the right side, you should see one file called "Index.html" GET READY, GET SET, UPLOAD! Remember the NOTES.TXT file on the left hand side? Double click on it and watch what happens. You have just uploaded that file from your computer to your 1 MB space on our server! You should be able to see that file on the right side of the screen. Easier than you thought, huh? NOW WHAT ABOUT DOWNLOADING? Now, look at your Index.html file on the right side. Double click on it and you will see that file being transferred FROM your 1 MB webspace TO your computer. And if you look on the left side of the screen, you will now see that Index.html file. RENAMING AND DELETING FILES Once again, focus on the right side of the screen on the NOTES.TXT file that you uploaded. Let's say you wanted to call that file something else. Right click on the NOTES.TXT file. You will see a dizzying array of options, but one of them should be called Rename. Select that one and another box will appear asking you to choose a new name. Type that new name and click OK. Deleting a file is even easier. Just click ONCE on the NOTES.TXT file and hit the delete key on your keyboard. Voila! The file is gone. DISCONNECTING When you are finished, look back at the top of the window to the right of the lightning bolt. You should see a plug that looks like it's been unplugged. Just click on it and you will be logged off our FTP servers, but you will remain connected to the Internet.