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Welcome to the World of MSNŽ TV / WebTV
Last updated on May 11th 2003
Hey y'all! Welcome to the internet! Well, if you've traveled all this way, maybe you don't need my help!
After you are done here, please visit
My Main MSNŽ TV Help Page Everything WebTV
which has many more links to much more information
But read on for much more stuff!
You might want to skip right to the cut, copy, and paste directions HERE.
Also, here is some
MSN TV SCANNER INFORMATION
Now, the absolute most important thing to do now that you've got your MSN TV is to SURF THE NET! There are millions of websites out there just waiting for YOU to look at them and learn or enjoy, or BOTH!
Try these Search Engines...just type in a word or phrase in which you are interested, and hopefully some great pages will come up!
Google Search
Yahoo!
My own Search Engine Tutorial - Search Engines Made Simple
Librarians' Index to the Internet
The Ultimates
Beyond Search Engines
Help with Settings
Do you have trouble seeing the text on the screen? Want to add another user for extra e-mail storage, to add more favorites, or because you really have "extra users"? Sick of that background music? Need printing help?
Simply go to the "MSN TV Home Page" and then click on "Settings"
You'll find information on:
- Mail settings and signature help
- Passwords
- Text Size
- Music Not sick of the background music yet? You will be!
- Printing Help
- On screen keyboard options. If you don't have a keyboard yet, it really is a necessity!
- Dialing options
- Adding or modifying extra users
A great way to gain additional flexibility with MSN TV is to add a new user. A MSN TV unit can have up to 5 additional users on one account with no extra charges. You can have one user for each member of the family or just use them to store more favorites and e-mail.
Some Shortcuts!
With all of the following, hold down the CMD key and then press the following:
Scroll Up - automatically goes to the top of the page (very useful)
Scroll Down - goes to the bottom of the page
CTRL key - Will give you the address (URL) of most hyperlinks on the bottom of your screen
Left arrow - Brings the cursor to the beginning of the line of text
Right arrow - Brings the cursor to the end of the line of text
W - gives the picture in picture (On the Plus units) Repeat to hide PIP
M - Moves the picture in picure from the bottom right to bottom left Repeat to move back
Y - Gives you the Instant Messenger screen
P - Gives you the Print screen
R - Reloads the current webpage This is good for updating weather radar pages and stock quotes, for example
F - Find a word screen
A - Highlights all the text on a page to copy and paste it somewhere else
C - Copies the highlighted text to temporary memory
V - Pastes (adds) any copied text where you wish to place it, using your cursor
X - Deletes any highlighted text Can be used on letters you are writing or when editing webpages in your "HTML editor" or other 'editable' areas. You cannot cut words out of webpages or e-mail that has been received.
Delete key - will delete one whole line at a time in an editable area
End of CMD section
Pressing your Tab key will take you from one hyperlink to another if links exist on a page.
You also have to start 'Tabbing' where a hyperlink is showing on your screen.
Holding down your Shift key and pressing the Tab key will take you to the previous link (or to the last link on the page if you are at the first link)
Can we put a scanner on MSN TV?
Yes, BUT it's only one model from HP.
AND
ONLY FOR THE MSN TV PLUS & DISHPLAYER MODELS
Why not classic users?? Because the scanner uses those RCA video jacks that the classic models don't have.
Try the newsgroups and websites below and
READ & ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU BUY
alt.discuss.webtvplus.scanner
Quick MSN TV Scanner Information
e-scanner info Model #C8492A
Also, when hooking up your scanner, (or anything else electronic -- this is common sense), make sure all power is turned OFF first to your MSN TV, TV, VCR, etc. or you may damage your MSN TV unit and/or anything attached to it.
Again, any time you connect or disconnect anything to or from your MSN TV (ESPECIALLY when you are messing around with the video connections), turn it off first...
Cut Copy and Paste - CCP - Tutorial
NOTE: I should say right here that you can't use cut, copy, and paste on graphics or sound. You have to transload, upload, or 'add to your scrapbook' non-text file formats.
Important: - You must have highlighted text first in order to cut or copy
Either Follow my "How to find a word" instructions below OR hold your CMD key and press the A key to highlight all text.
NOTE: whenever I say "at the same time" I mean keep the first key pressed while you press the second key. The word or phrase you search for will be where you want to START copying or cutting
How to find a word on a page
If you are looking at a huge unmanagable useless time-wasting page like mine, you need a quick way to find what you are looking for. Here is how to use the "Find" feature of MSN TV.
1) - Press the "Find" (or CMD and F) button(s) on your remote keyboard, or press "Options" on the remote or keyboard and click "Find"
2) - Type in the word or phrase you are looking for.
3) - If the word you are looking for is on the page, you will be taken to the FIRST occurence of the word. If that word is not on the page, the 'Find box' will tell you this.
4) - Hold down the "CMD" and the "G" key at the same time and you will be taken to the NEXT occurence of the word
5) - Hold down the "CMD" and the "B" key at the same time to find the LAST occurence of the word (if there is more than one of the same word on the page)
6) - Repeat as needed
Now you should see some text that is highlighted, and that should be at the point where you want to start copying text
To select the REST of the text you want to copy, HOLD DOWN the Shift key and then use your ARROW keys to highlight the rest of your desired text.
If you are just on a webpage like mine, the "highlighter" should remain unless you press the CMD-A combination twice. Then the highlighting is removed, and you can try again from the beginning if you messed up
OK, now HOLD DOWN the CMD key and press C. Now your text is stored in temporary memory within your MSN TV unit (if you had highlighted text)
Nothing visible happens, but if you have the sound turned up, you will hear a noise when you copied the text into temporary memory.
Go where you want to put your copied text (your e-mail or webpage editor or word processor) and hold down your CMD key and the V key at the same time to paste the text.
To DELETE text (assuming it CAN be deleted), use the CMD-X combination on highlighted text.
You might mess up the first couple of times, but just keep trying. You may have to practice to become a CCP master, but if you edit your own webpages, this saves lots of time when you have to type the same thing many times. For example, you can make "templates" of HTML code you frequently use, then just copy and paste it as many times as you need.
I'll tell you another little tool I use a lot. When you need to copy more than one webpage address at a time, use your Address box (Press "Go To" and you'll see) as a temporary holding place.
This is a little hard and slightly confusing to explain, but use the Address box to add your most recent webpage address (I use the "Go To" then "Show Current" method to get the current webpage address into the Address box), then use CMD-V to paste your old webpage addresses already in memory, then CMD-A to highlight everything, then use CMD-X to place everything in the Address box into memory.
Repeat the above until you have copied all addresses. I even add HTML code or other notes in the Address box as I go if I am working on my webpage so that the links are ready to be put in my Tripod HTML editor.
You have to use the CCP "clipboard" to store your info., since everything disappears when the Address box goes back down. If you write webpages using MSN TV or use e-mail to store webpage addresses, try the above method to save lots of time.
End of CCP Lecture
More Help
Have you ever gotten a "gray page" when trying to go to a website, perhaps with an ad at the top? When you look at the current "gray page" address (Press your "Go To" button, then "Show Current"), you may see something like this:
cache:http://www.outsidemag.com/.1d0.write
In this example, get rid of everything except
http://www.outsidemag.com/
Now you should be able to get into those "gray pages" Also, try to reload the page many times by holding the "CMD" key down and then press "R" several times. That might do the trick.
OK now for a few quick questions and answers!
What's with WebTV and MSN TV?
WebTV is now called MSN TV, which is owned by MSN, which is owned by Microsoft. The service and the hardware is pretty much the same. Microsoft has owned WebTV, now MSN TV, for several years now, so this is nothing new.
Why does my MSN TV unit suddenly and inexplicably shut off if I try to visit a certain website?
Those sites must not like MSN TVers No, seriously, the way those sites load don't co-operate with the way MSN TV loads the webpage. The MSN TV unit gets an error, and goes into "reset" mode. Nothing bad has happened to your unit, so don't worry.
My MSN TV Plus or DishPlayer sounds pretty awful, what is that noise?
These units have a hard drive, which stores data even when power is turned off. When the hard drive is in use, it spins like a record, only much faster, and the data is read and stored using "heads", roughly equivalent to the needle on a record player. This spinning and reading/writing of data to and from the hard drive causes noise. Nothing to worry about.
How do I make the "special character" symbols with the keyboard?
Go HERE for help
Hey, I just got a message saying my mailbox is full and I've only got (not too many) messages saved. What gives?
Maximum mail storage is 2MB (Megabytes) of storage space. You are getting close to the 2MB limit. All those pictures, music, or other "attachments" in your e-mail can take up lots of space. Even just one e-mail can take you over the 2 megabyte storage limit.
Mail is not stored in your MSN TV unit. Your e-mail is just sent to your box when you log on to your account.
Okay, so to fix your mail being too full to receive more, just click on the side where it says "clean up". You'll see the percentage that each e-mail takes up out of the available 2 megabytes. If you have one e-mail taking up 70% of your total space, you'll probably have to get rid of that one. Use the little square boxes next to each e-mail (when you are in "Clean Up" mode) to select which e-mails to Discard.
You may also need to go to your "Sent" mail and your "Discarded" mail in Storage and do the same "Clean Up" thing. First, clean up anything you want to delete in "Saved", then "Sent", and finally "Discarded" mail.
Hey, when I am on a webpage, sometimes I get the "This page too big to be loaded completely" message. What the heck??
This may result for a couple reasons. One, the page is so huge that your MSN TV unit really doesn't have enough memory to load the page completely. If you have been on MSN TV for a while or editing your webpage, your available memory may be taken up, so you won't be able to load the page. Turn off your unit, take a short break (or a long one, you've got stuff to do, remember?) and when you come back to that page it should load.
Can we download anything at all?
No. Our only "download" is an upgrade. Transloading, uploading, and "adding to your scrapbook" all are just methods of copying and transferring data from one computer (the computer containing the data) to another (the computer with your webpage or MSN TV's computer servers). You cannot, on your own, add programs to the MSN TV box.
Where can I chat with MSN TV?
For MSN TV users with the latest upgrade, MSN now offers its own chat service to MSN TV users. For help with that, try here:
IRC Chat & WebTV MSN TV
The old Talk City chat site can still be accessed (I think), but you have to go to the Talk City website and register to use their chat service:
Talk City Registration
Why does the music "skip" when listening to RealAudio??
Our "dial up" modem connection speed is just too slow to support "real time" streaming audio some of the time. That's the same reason we can't view television on the internet yet. The reason isn't because we don't have the latest audio release. Don't expect the latest audio upgrade to not skip. Dial up modems are just too slow for now for MSN TVers (and computer users also) MIDI and WAV audio formats load BEFORE they play, which is why they don't skip.
Sometimes when I click a link, the stupid globe just spins round and round forever while I grow old. What's up?
Of course, the first reason for a website being inaccessible is that it is no longer a valid website address, or it is down due to a technical error or maintenance. If a website has moved to a new address (URL), the old URL may not be working.
You can try several things. Try going to the starting "homepage" of the website.
Or it could be that the internet and the computers which do all the "behind the scenes" work really are busy.
Maybe some construction worker cut into a fiber optic line again. Take a MSN TV break in this case. Yes, 27 hours straight is enough for now. heehee
When is the next upgrade and what will be on it?
No one knows until the upgrade is released. Watch the webtv.users newsgroup (among others), and you'll know if an upgrade is being given out. Of course, now it seems there are at least 3 different versions of "upgrades" and "retrogrades" that people may have, so this complicates things a little
Why didn't I get the upgrade when other people did?
Not everyone gets the upgrade at the same time. Upgrades are given out in batches. When one batch is done, another one is sent out. Have patience, young grasshopper
How can I get ICQ or IM for MSN TV?
MSN TV users have an Instant Messenger for MSN TV, I wouldn't take bets on there ever being a true ICQ for MSN TVers
Can I change that screen saver that comes up?
No. There are one or two websites out there that give MSN TV users a few options. If you really love screen savers, get a computer. :-)
Do we have Java?
Negative We DO have the capability to view Javascript, which is a totally different programming language than Java. I repeat, they have nothing to do with each other, although they are used together frequently to create many webpages
When I think of more Q and A's, I'll put 'em in here (If I can get off my lazy ass and do some webpage work)
What to do about SPAM (unsolicited e-mail)
Nobody likes spam...so check out this link:
What to do about Spam (Unsolicited Commercial Junk Email)
What good are those "F" keys on the top row of your keyboard?
With one push of a button, no matter where you are on the internet, you'll be able to go directly to whatever site you put on your F-key.
How to set up your "F" keys
1) Click on "Favorites"
2) Click the folder which contains the favorite you want to put on one of your "F" keys.
3) Click "Organize"
4) Click "Shortcuts"
5) Click the favorite you want to put on an "F" key.
6) Select which "F" key on which you want that favorite.
7) Click "Done" at the bottom of the page.
Here is a link if you have trouble seeing the text on some web pages. Just enter in the address of the page you want to make large. click HERE for the link
About Newsgroups
There are thousands of other newsgroups besides the webtv.users NG. How do you get to them? Well, wherever you are on your internet journey, you can always do the following:
1) Press your "Go To" button on the keyboard
2) Erase the http:// part of the address so that the whole line is blank
3) Type in news: (that's a colon after news) and press enter
4) Just browse through the list that comes up (it could take a while, huh?)
Of course, you can just use the "Look For" button on the left side of the page to search for the keyword you want (like cats, or hiking, or pizza, or anything) in the newsgroup. You just breathed a sigh of relief, right? Believe me, if you want a newsgroup on a certain topic, it's out there.
Hey, another thing about NGs (newsgroups). Most of them are Unmoderated which means the First Amendment is in full force. Anything you find offensive WILL be found either within some newsgroups or on the internet. (And God Bless America for Free Speech) But most NGs are very informative and useful. Don't be afraid to get out there and look around. It's only the Internet. It's not going to bite you (very hard)
Saving Newsgroup Posts
Have you ever saved a newsgroup post and then tried to access it later and it was gone?? Here's how to fix that little problem forever!
1) First you'll have to find a post worth saving!
2) Next, hit the "Send" button on the keyboard (on the far upper right)
3) Send it to your own e-mail address (when you send an e-mail you have received or a newsgroup post to someone else, it is called "forwarding")
4)Go to your mailbox, open the post, and save it in your e-mail folder. You're done!
Note: The reason you can't save posts in favorites is because that only refers you to the newsgroup again. If the post is no longer on the newsgroup, then it's gone! I'm glad I finally learned that...haha...
Is there any order to those newsgroup postings?
I know many of you wonder how to find your post on the webtv.users newsgroup or others and don't see any rhyme or reason to it. It's really easy: The most recent posts are at the beginning. But no way, Jon! I see posts from a couple days ago at the top, and todays posts hundreds of posts away, and who knows what in between!
Well, "Most Recent at the Top" includes the most recent response, so when someone replies to a post, it gets "pushed" to the beginning of the newsgroup.
If a post is at the 1500 post limit (at the end of the newsgroup) and new posts or responses to other posts are added, then the last post or posts "fall off" the newsgroup and are never heard from again.... 8-)
In slower newsgroups, a post is chopped off the newsgroup "board" without mercy after a one month time period from date of posting. So if your post goes on the board on June 23rd, around July 23rd your initial post (but NOT any responses LESS THAN ONE MONTH OLD) will be gone.
This is why sometimes you will see an RE: (for response) post but not the original post! Pretty scary, huh???
The time period for the "cut off" is about 5 days in non MSN TV groups - those that don't start with "alt.discuss" in their name
MSN TV turns on mysteriously?
Have you ever just been minding your own business and suddenly, without warning, your MSN TV justs starts doing it's thing? Well, here's what that's all about.
MSN TV may turn itself on for a couple reasons --
1) - You sat on the remote! 8-)
2) - MSN TV checks for any e-mail you may have received since last turning it off. It checks at least once a day
3) - If you have the Plus unit (and I assume the DishPlayer model works like this too), MSN TV downloads the TV listings early in the morning
If you haven't been on My Main WebTV Help Page, that has many more links to much more information about WebTV.
My Other Pages
| Realm of Recipes |
Everything WebTV main page | Your guide to the Internet |
| Newsgroups & the creation process | Other Great WebTV Pages | Everything Astronomy |
| My Guide to St. Louis | Search Engine Tutorial |
Everything Outdoors Camping, hiking, backpacking, other resources |