Passwords, IDs, technical settings. You need these to surf the Internet, whether you're a member of AT&T Worldnet Service or any other Internet Service Provider (ISP). But what happens if these are accidentally lost or damaged?

We've come up with an answer: AT&T Worldnet Service AutoRestore. Use AutoRestore before phoning for help. It provides the fastest, easiest and most complete solution to problems with passwords, settings and IDs. This tool lets you view the normal technical settings for your account and automatically reset them on your computer. Usually it works even when your browser and dialer programs won't.

The AutoRestore feature is the first line of treatment for several problems:

To ensure you're the only one who can get to your information, the AutoRestore feature is password protected. This means when you use it you'll need to enter information pertaining to your account.

Below are some frequently asked questions about AutoRestore, followed by detailed instructions for PC and Macintosh users. You'll probably want to print a copy of these pages, as well as AutoRestore instructions for your computer, to keep on hand in case there's a day when you can't connect to AT&T Worldnet Service.

The feature is also handy if you just want to see what a particular setting should be -- without changing these settings on your PC. For example, you might want to know your network login ID (sometimes called a dial-in user name or an account number) and the related password, or the name of the AT&T Worldnet POP (e-mail) server. (Of course, it would be easier to just read the desired entry from your account information file, if it is available and accurate. See the next question below for details.)

In cases where it applies, you should try using this feature to restore the software settings on your PC before contacting AT&T Customer Care. During its trial period, members and agents alike felt this was a great improvement over fixing technical settings by hand, and most users will find they do not need follow-up assistance.

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You don't need to use AutoRestore when you already have a usable account information file on your PC that your AT&T Worldnet Service Setup software can use directly, or that you just want to refer to without having those settings re-installed on your PC.

This file is most likely named account.txt, but can also be named reg.ini or acctinfo.txt if you use an older version of AT&T Worldnet Service software. It may be in a particular directory on your PC, or you may have saved a copy onto a disk when you set up your account.

To find out whether one or more of these files exists on your PC, you can use the find feature in Windows 95 or later. If your search turns up more than one version, check the version with the latest date. Once you've picked the right one, you can view the file in a word-processing program such as Notepad, but be careful: don't change any of the values in the file. If any key entries like e-mail password or e-mail address are blank, or if you suspect they might be corrupted, use AutoRestore.

You also do not need to use AutoRestore if you have our newer Fix It button. To see if you have Fix It, select your Start Button. From the menu that appears, select Programs, then AT&T Worldnet Software. If Fix It is not included in the AT&T Worldnet Software menu group, you can get it quickly and easily by upgrading to our latest Connection Manager dialer, which can be found on our Downloads and Upgrades page.

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We recommend you not use AutoRestore just to experiment or explore. After all, you would not want to risk changing the settings on your computer if they are already working fine.

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Some users will need follow-up help to get their connection or e-mail working normally, but bad side-effects are rare.

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Probably not. To access AutoRestore you'll need the AT&T-provided software, or at least a version of Windows that came pre-installed with a way to sign up for AT&T Worldnet Service. This sign-up (or setup) software can be used to let you see the normal settings for your account, but it can only re-install them into the version(s) of software that it recognizes (software provided by AT&T). If you are using other versions, you may have to resort to configuring your software manually. To help you, here's some basic information:

Dialer information:

E-mail Servers:

News Server:

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There is no new software to add to your personal computer, but you do need the software you used to open (register) your AT&T Worldnet Service account, or a later version of the software.

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You can download the latest software from our Downloads and Upgrades page.

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See the using e-mail section for help locating your e-mail password.

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For AT&T-provided software, see our Help index. That's where you can get advanced information on everything from connecting to AT&T Worldnet to using e-mail to using newsreaders and more.

For other software, a good place to start is at the WURD (Worldnet Users' Reference Desk), a user-to-user Web site that provides a wealth of information about your service and software that can be used with it.

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