Accessing This Group without a NewsReader..?

[achoo]

Hi,
My friend has finally got on the net using one of those usb-wireless modems.
The company he uses doesnt have a server, so he cant even use Outlook
Express. (I tried setting it up for him supplying the same details that
I use;(not My actual details) he is not too computer literate.)

What can he do to get access to this and other groups on the microsoft
server? Is there a browser way-in? (he has FireFox)

Xp home, SP2, fully patched.

Thanks

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "achoo" <[email protected]>

| Hi,
| My friend has finally got on the net using one of those usb-wireless modems.
| The company he uses doesnt have a server, so he cant even use Outlook
| Express. (I tried setting it up for him supplying the same details that
| I use;(not My actual details) he is not too computer literate.)

| What can he do to get access to this and other groups on the microsoft
| server? Is there a browser way-in? (he has FireFox)

| Xp home, SP2, fully patched.

| Thanks

Using a news client is the "preferred" way to access this group but there are ways to use
a web browser such as IE and FireFox.

news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general

news://nntp.aioe.org/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general

 

[Gordon]

Hi,
My friend has finally got on the net using one of those usb-wireless
modems.
The company he uses doesnt have a server, so he cant even use Outlook
Express.

I don't understand that statement.
The News server that this group is on is entirely independent of any ISP.


Setting up Outlook Express/Windows Mail/Windows Live Mail to access
Microsoft newsgroups
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

Accessing the MS newsgroups in Outlook Express/Windows Mail/Windows Live
Mail Newsreader
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/newsgroupsetup.mspx

 

[Pete L]

I don't understand that statement.
The News server that this group is on is entirely independent of any ISP.

Setting up Outlook Express/Windows Mail/Windows Live Mail to access
Microsoft newsgroupshttp://www.michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

Accessing the MS newsgroups in Outlook Express/Windows Mail/Windows Live
Mail Newsreaderhttp://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/newsgroupsetup.mspx

What's wrong with what I do.... Just go to Google groups and pretty
well all of them are there!

 

[Paul]

Hi,
My friend has finally got on the net using one of those usb-wireless
modems.
The company he uses doesnt have a server, so he cant even use Outlook
Express. (I tried setting it up for him supplying the same details that
I use;(not My actual details) he is not too computer literate.)

What can he do to get access to this and other groups on the microsoft
server? Is there a browser way-in? (he has FireFox)

Xp home, SP2, fully patched.

Thanks

I can see the WinXP General and Hardware groups here. This is the
web way to the groups.

http://www.microsoft.com/communitie...lt.aspx?dg=microsoft.public.windowsxp.general

http://www.microsoft.com/communitie...t.aspx?dg=microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware

*******

For a free news server, you can use aioe.org .
It allows posting of a limited number of text messages
per day, and has no authentication requirement. There
are a few other free news servers, where you have to set
up an account. You don't have to sign up or anything, to
use this. Binaries here are not supported. This isn't a site
for movie downloading or anything.

http://www.aioe.org/

nntp.aioe.org port 119 and others (I use port 119)

The AIOE server has some restrictions, on posted content.
You can't post the exact same message twice, because the
server compares the article checksum against previous
articles. You can't place too long a line in your posting.
Crossposting is limited as well.

If an article you post on AIOE is rejected, be careful to
edit the message and change at least one character in it,
so the message will not be rejected a second time because
it is identical to the previous one.

Paul

 

[glee]

Xp home, SP2, fully patched.

Your question has been answered in the other replies.

XP Home with SP2 is NOT "fully patched". Support for XP at the SP2
level ends on July 13 of this year....four months from now. After that
date, there will be no updates available for XP at that SP level, so
that computer will not receive any patches.

Unless it is updated to SP3, it will be open to any vulnerabilities
patched after that date.

 

[Gordon]

What's wrong with what I do.... Just go to Google groups and pretty
well all of them are there!

Many people block posters using Googlegroups because of spam and mostly
sheer idiocy.

 

[Gordon]

For a free news server, you can use aioe.org .
It allows posting of a limited number of text messages
per day, and has no authentication requirement.

If the OP wants THIS group then he can subscribe direct to the MS news
server. No restrictions on numbers of posts per day there...

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

If he's running WinXP, he's got a newsreader (Outlook Express) and can
access the MS newsgroups via the free MS newsserver:

Setting up Outlook Express to access Microsoft newsgroups
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

Or he can access the MS newsgroups via the clunky, unreliable web-interface:
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/list/en-us/default.aspx

Note: Extended Support for WinXP (x86) SP2 ends on 13 July 2010. After that
date, computers running WinXP (x86) SP2 will NOT be offered any further
critical security updates, Automatic Updates will not work, and Windows
Update website will not be accessible until SP3 is installed.

What does it mean if my version of Windows is no longer supported?:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help/what-does-end-of-support-mean

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Gordon" <[email protected]>

| Many people block posters using Googlegroups because of spam and mostly
| sheer idiocy.


Y E S !

 

[Leythos]

If he's running WinXP, he's got a newsreader (Outlook Express) and can
access the MS newsgroups via the free MS newsserver:

Outlook Express is a EMAIL program that MS "ADDED" Usenet access to -
it's a crappy interface, always was, never will be good, only used by
noobs....

There are many real Usenet clients, free even...

Gravity is free, text based, even does UU-Encoding if you're into
downloading files, and it's not subject to the same problems that
Outhouse is.

 

[LD55ZRA]

Outlook Express is a EMAIL program that MS "ADDED" Usenet access to -
it's a crappy interface, always was, never will be good, only used by
noobs....

There are many real Usenet clients, free even...

Gravity is free, text based, even does UU-Encoding if you're into
downloading files, and it's not subject to the same problems that
Outhouse is.

Do you strongly recommend Gravity then?

 

[Leythos]

Do you strongly recommend Gravity then?

I've been using it for a LONG time, maybe 10 years, when I had to buy
it, before it because OpenSource.

I like gravity because it shows the groups and threads in a manner that
I would naturally expect them to be - as well as allowing multiple
signatures on demand and it's FREE and very easy on resources.

One other benefit is the ability to export and import the setup/Usenet
counts on startup - since I have many computers, I have Gravity set to
export the NEWSRC file to a network share on exit, on start it imports
it, so this means I get the same read/unread from any computer in my
location, I don't have to see ones I've already read just because I'm on
a different computer.

 

[achoo]

If he's running WinXP, he's got a newsreader (Outlook Express) and can
access the MS newsgroups via the free MS newsserver:

Setting up Outlook Express to access Microsoft newsgroups
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

Or he can access the MS newsgroups via the clunky, unreliable
web-interface:
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/list/en-us/default.aspx

Note: Extended Support for WinXP (x86) SP2 ends on 13 July 2010. After
that date, computers running WinXP (x86) SP2 will NOT be offered any
further critical security updates, Automatic Updates will not work, and
Windows Update website will not be accessible until SP3 is installed.

What does it mean if my version of Windows is no longer supported?:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help/what-does-end-of-support-mean

Thank to all replies, I have read them all including the ones under this
this post. (last one being leythos.)

If it is so, that he can use outlook, or any reader for that matter,
then it must have been me at fault when I tried to set-up the MS server
for him. Did manage to get to the Finish of adding this server, and it
did start to load the groups, but an error occured somewhere, then it
ceased. I will try again for him on next visit, then post back with
results. (Just one thing, what should I put in the field 'nntp' when
setting it up? I may have made an error there. Have never worked with
an i.s.p that doesnt have a server.)

Thanks

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

achoo wrote:

If it is so, that he can use outlook...

Careful: Outlook and Outlook Express are not the same application! The
latter includes a newsreader; the former does not.

 

[achoo]

If he's running WinXP, he's got a newsreader (Outlook Express) and can
access the MS newsgroups via the free MS newsserver:

Setting up Outlook Express to access Microsoft newsgroups
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

Or he can access the MS newsgroups via the clunky, unreliable
web-interface:
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/list/en-us/default.aspx

Note: Extended Support for WinXP (x86) SP2 ends on 13 July 2010. After
that date, computers running WinXP (x86) SP2 will NOT be offered any
further critical security updates, Automatic Updates will not work, and
Windows Update website will not be accessible until SP3 is installed.

What does it mean if my version of Windows is no longer supported?:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help/what-does-end-of-support-mean

Hi,

I forgot to mention that I set up a Gmail account for him, in case that
is relevant to anything.

Thanks

 

[glee]

Thank to all replies, I have read them all including the ones under
this this post. (last one being leythos.)

If it is so, that he can use outlook, or any reader for that matter,
then it must have been me at fault when I tried to set-up the MS
server for him. Did manage to get to the Finish of adding this server,
and it did start to load the groups, but an error occured somewhere,
then it ceased. I will try again for him on next visit, then post
back with results. (Just one thing, what should I put in the field
'nntp' when setting it up? I may have made an error there. Have
never worked with an i.s.p that doesnt have a server.)

Outlook Express....NOT Outlook.
The NNTP server is msnews.microsoft.com
It does not require the user to log on, so leave that box unchecked
during account setup.
Be sure to enter a fake email address or you will end up with a mailbox
full of spam.

You say an error occurred when downloading groups...what error? Provide
all error messages word for word.

 

[achoo]

Outlook Express....NOT Outlook.
The NNTP server is msnews.microsoft.com
It does not require the user to log on, so leave that box unchecked
during account setup.
Be sure to enter a fake email address or you will end up with a mailbox
full of spam.

You say an error occurred when downloading groups...what error? Provide
all error messages word for word.

---------------

Yes, I did use his Outlook Express, not Outlook. (have set-up many of
these myself.)
Perhaps I mis-spelled something in nntp, but at the finish button, it
did try to load the groups.
As for the error message, I honestly cant recall right now, but one
definately came up stating something similar to 'could not load groups'.
I had a gut feeling that he should have been able to get to the
microsoft server no matter what his i.s.p situation.
Will post back as soon as I have been at his computer.

Thanks

 

[achoo]

achoo wrote:


Careful: Outlook and Outlook Express are not the same application! The
latter includes a newsreader; the former does not.

Yes, I understand. I am also glad from all reply posts that it is
possible for him to access the groups using any newsreader, just got to
make it so.

Thanks

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

achoo wrote:

Yes, I understand. I am also glad from all reply posts that it is
possible for him to access the groups using any newsreader, just got to
make it so.

Here are a few clickable links for you. Each one will open the newsgroup in
the default newsreader (e.g., Outlook Express):

WinXP
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general

Internet Explorer
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.internetexplorer.general

Outlook Express
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.outlookexpress.general

Windows Update
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsupdate

More here: http://aumha.org/nntp.htm