When the user first starts a new PC running Windows Me, the Windows OOBE application runs automatically to complete the final steps of system setup. The Windows OOBE process is a full-screen HTML application that helps users do the following:
System manufacturers can use Windows OOBE to help users qualify and sign up for broadband service with a service provider such as an ISP, local exchange carrier, or cable company.
During the signup phase of Windows OOBE, the broadband service provider creates a file that contains broadband configuration settings for the user’s PC system. At the end of the signup process, this file is sent back to the user’s system. The driver then uses this file to configure the system for broadband Internet access.
Microsoft has extended the INS file format so it can be used to configure systems running Windows Me to establish broadband Internet access without extensive end-user input. Using capabilities provided for Windows Me, the system manufacturer can preconfigure the system to pass the broadband device name and Plug and Play ID to the ISP signup server. The signup server builds this information into an INS file so the settings are applied to the correct device when the INS file is used to configure the system’s Internet access settings.
The related extensions to the INS file format for Windows Me are described later in this article.
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