Here was a chance to try out the new software, HyperTerminal, provided with Windows 95 (Terminal was provided by Microsoft in the Windows 3.x operating system). If you had loaded Windows 95 with the typical option, then HyperTerminal was installed. HyperTerminal should work with all modems (at least those available when Windows 95 came out). To access this tool, click Start; click on Programs; click Accessories; then click on HyperTerminal. Assuming you have the Large Icons selected from the View drop-down menu, you will probably see several pre-installed connections but what you want is the icon (or application) titled Hypertrm.

To set up a direct dial access to the library (or any bulletin board for that matter), double click the Hypertrm icon and the "Connection Description" window opens. Type in Tulsa City-County Library for the name and click on an icon. (If you scroll over using the scroll bar there is one with books on a folder, but that's your choice.) Click OK. The "Phone Number" window opens and the only information you need to provide is the Phone number:. You can find that number in the center page of the I/O Port Newsletter under Tulsa County Library (596-1806). Enter the number with or without the hyphen. Don't worry about the Country code: or Area code:, it will be a local call. With Windows 95 interconnectivity, your modem model should show up in the Connect using: box (if not, then cancel and go install your modem). click OK.

The "Connect" window now displays, since Windows 95 thinks you want to go ahead and dial into the library. So far it hasn't been too bad setting up HyperTerminal, however, there are a couple of additional steps for the library. Look back at the listings on the Tulsa Area Bulletin Board Systems, center page of the I/O Port Newsletter. After the name Tulsa County Library, there is (7,E,1). The library is accessed via a mainframe and you must have your computer act like a "dumb" terminal. These three pieces of data refer to 7 data bits, even parity and one stop bit. Don't ask me any more about about this, this is just the way mainframes think (compute?). Click the Modify... button and you will get the "Tulsa City-County Library Properties" window. Find the Configure... button towards the bottom of the window and click it. You will now be at the "Modem Properties" window. At the top of the window, click the Connection tab. At the top of this window you will probably find 8 highlighted in the Data bits: box. Change it to 7 by clicking on the down triangle and clicking on 7. You will probably see None in the Parity: box. Change it by clicking on the down triangle and clicking on Even. The Stop bits: box should read 1 and not require any changes. Click on the General tab at the top of the window and check the Maximum speed box towards the bottom of the window. Set this as high as you want and your modem will try to connect at its maximum. (The library has just installed new upgraded modems and you will need at least a 2400 bps modem.) Click on OK at the bottom.

You will be back to the "Tulsa City-County Library Properties" window and click the Settings tab at the top of the window. Click the down triangle in the Emulation: box and click on VT100 or Auto detect (this is for the type of "dumb" terminal, the DEC VT100 and the library computer will also work with DEC VT52 and IBM 3101 emulations). Click on OK at the bottom of the window and you will return to the "Connect" window. If you are dialing from a phone that requires a 9 for an outside line then click the Dialing Properities... button and make the appropriate entries. If you've made it this far, we can finally head into the library. Click the Dial button and your modem should start making dial tones and noise indicating it is accessing the library's computer. A window with the words Dialing, then Connecting appears in the middle of the HyperTerminal window.

Once the connection is made to the library's computer, the screen clears and the bottom left side of the HyperTerminal window will show connected and start a clock counting. After a few seconds, the main body of the screen will display a selection of terminal emulations. (In my experience, even with a mainframe connection and a fast modem you will find that you still may have to wait for the display of the cursor as the screen is written at each step from here on and you will won't be able to use your mouse. All entries will have to be typed in.) Type in VT100 and press Enter. A welcome screen will be displayed with really only one option. Enter go. You will now have the database screen, just as at the library. Type lib and you will get the catalog page. Here you can search by author, subject, title, etc. Follow the examples and use the 3 letter codes shown below the double line. After you are done, the secret to getting out, is to type sta for start over and you will get the welcome screen, where you can type go and at the next screen, type x to exit. Use the hang-up button on the "Tulsa City-County Library - HyperTerminal" window's toolbar to completely disconnect or the library computer will think you are still there. (However, the library computer will disconnect after 5 minutes of inactivity.) Now you can close the "Tulsa City-County Library - HyperTerminal" window. When you close, HyperTerminal will ask if you want to save the connection. Click the yes button to save your setup.

One final suggestion, after you disconnect from the library computer and close the "Tulsa City-County Library - HyperTerminal" window, The original "HyperTerminal" window is left on the desktop. A new icon will appear and you might want to right click and drag the new icon to the desktop. When you release the mouse, one option displayed is to create a shortcut. Click on that and you will now have a quick way to startup the access to the library. I would not recommend HyperTerminal for any heavy duty communications but it seems pretty good for an occasional connection. Now if I can just figure out what was wrong with the old modem software. (As I was doing proofing of this article, I found out that a no cost upgrade to HyperTerminal is available from Hargraeve at http://www.hargraeve.com as HyperTerminal Private Edition.)

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