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Download Newsgroups With IE4

Gain access to 25,000 Usenet groups, from an upcoming issue of <I>PC World</I> magazine.

By Judy Heim, PCWorld   

Newsgroups are mighty handy if you have a technical problem, a special interest to discuss with other enthusiasts, or an issue to share with sympathetic listeners. And these days they are as easy to access as any Web page, since you don't need to install a separate newsreader program. Earlier this week we looked at setting up Netscape Communicator to read newsgroups. Here's how to manage this task in Internet Explorer, which uses a setup wizard to help you connect to your Internet service provider's newsreader.

1. Click the Mail icon on the standard toolbar, then select Read News from the drop-down list. The Internet Connection Wizard will prompt you for your name, your e-mail address, and the name of the dial-up connection you use to link to your ISP--unless you are on a work PC with a constant Net connection. Most important, it will ask you the name of the server on your ISP where news messages are posted. (Call your ISP if you don't have the server name.)

2. After the setup wizard is done, Outlook Express launches. It asks if you want to view a list of available newsgroups. Click Yes.

3. In the Newsgroups dialog box, first make sure that the All tab is selected; then in the "Display newsgroups which contain" box, type a word describing the topic you're interested in--orchids, say. Next, pick a newsgroup from the resulting list, click Subscribe, and click Go to.

4. To read a message that's posted to the newsgroup, click its subject.

5. To read newsgroup messages in future sessions, click Internet Explorer's Mail icon, select Read News, and double-click the newsgroup name in Outlook Express.

For more information, see Judy Heim's "Internet Tips" in the upcoming October issue of PC World magazine.