News servers to help you with Mozilla and Microsoft Products

A very important source of information available on the Internet is the newsgroups of the Usenet. There are about 100,000 discussion groups on any imaginable subject of human interest. To read/write to groups you need to connect to a "news server". The VCU news server is fed from the UVA news server and provides about 5000 different groups.

  1. IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH MICROSOFT PRODUCTS, and everybody does, you should connect to the Microsoft news server and/or Microsoft products newsgroups. These groups provide an EXCELLENT help in case of any kind of Microsoft-related problems. The MS-appointed and independent gurus will give you a hand of help within a few hours (even minutes) after you post your question.
  2. When you are learning how to use MOZILLA browser and email & news clients, you may look for help in the Mozilla/Netscape newsgroups.
  3. OPERA browser (the fastest browser) and mail has its own news server that will provide you with a quick assistance.
Below is the instruction on how to set up news servers in Mozilla 1.1A :
  1. In the browser application open "Window | Mail & Newsgroups"
  2. Open "Edit | Mail & Newsgroups settings"
  3. Click button "Add Account"
  4. Select "Newsgroup account"
  5. Enter text for your name. Never enter your true email address in the newsgroups, give them a fake, otherwise your address will be harvested by spammers and you'll be sold down the river.
  6. Enter the name of the server:
    • msnews.microsoft.com - for Microsoft news (around 2000 groups)
    • secnews.netscape.com - for Netscape and Mozilla news here you *must* check "Use secure connection (SSL)" in section "Server Settings"
    • news.opera.com - for Opera news
  7. Do not forget to uncheck "Compose messages in HTML format" (nobody sends messages to the Usenet formatted in HTML, you should not send your ordinary email in HTML either.)
  8. Then select SUBSCRIBE from the menu or with a right-click on the news service name.
  9. The news client will download the titles of all available groups and you may select and "subscribe" to a few of your interest. Then you will be able to download the messages from these subscribed groups.
  10. The recommended newsgroups:
    • "netscape.mozilla.user.general" - for Mozilla
    • "opera.general" - for Opera
    • MS products like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Windows, each have many dedicated groups in MSNEWS.

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07-22-2002