Internet service providers

An Internet service provider (ISP) is a company that provides Internet access. There are Internet service providers around the world. To connect to the Internet, you dial a phone number and log on to the remote system. Once connected, you have access to the Internet and any other services, such as e-mail, that are provided by the ISP. Fees usually apply for commercial ISPs.

There are several different ways to set up an Internet account with an ISP. These include:

Look in your telephone for book for listings of ISPs.
There may be a program(s) installed on your computer for well-known ISPs, such as MSN.
There may be one or more CD-ROMs included with the information that came with your computer. To connect to one of these ISPs, insert the CD into the drive and then follow the online instructions.
Use the Windows XP Referral Service to locate an ISP.
If you have an Internet account set up on another computer and want to have this computer connect to the Internet using the same settings, you can use one of the following methods:

Call your ISP to obtain the settings to connect to their service.
Visit your ISPs Web page to obtain the settings.
Run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard. The wizard guides you through transferring your files from your old computer to your new one.


To open the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.