You receive an error message when you try to use Internet Connection Wizard to configure a new Internet account in Windows 98 (188600)

SYMPTOMS

When you use Internet Connection Wizard to sign up and configure your computer for a new Internet account, your computer may be unable to connect to the Microsoft Internet Referral Server, and you may receive the following error message:

The Internet Connection Wizard could not establish a connection. Click Next to try again. Click Help for more information.

CAUSE

This problem can occur if the Internet Connection Wizard does not correctly configure the Dial-Up Networking connection to the Microsoft Internet Referral Service. This can occur if both of the following conditions exist:

The area code that Internet Connection Wizard is trying to call to connect to the Microsoft Internet Referral Server is different from your area code.
The referral server uses the X.25 network protocol, instead of Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, manually select the correct X.25 script file for the Microsoft Internet Referral Service Dial-Up Networking connection using the following steps:

Run Internet Connection Wizard, and follow the instructions on the screen until you receive the following message:
The Internet Connection Wizard could not establish a connection.
NOTE: Do not click Cancel or quit the Internet Connection Wizard because this action deletes the Dial-Up Networking connection you are trying to configure.
Click Start, point to Programs, click Accessories, click Communications, and then click Dial-Up Networking.
Right-click the Microsoft Internet Referral Service connection, and then click Properties.
On the Scripting tab, click Browse.
Navigate to the Windows folder, click the Icw25<x>.scp file (where <x> is the letter a, b, or c).

NOTE: If there is more than one Icw25<x>.scp file, quit Internet Connection Wizard, rename any Icw25<x>.scp files in the Windows folder, and then repeat steps 1-5. For information about how to rename a file, click Start, click Help, click the Index tab, type renaming, and then double-click the Renaming files topic.
Click Open, click OK, close the Dial-Up Networking folder, and then follow the instructions on the screen to finish Internet Connection Wizard.

MORE INFORMATION

This issue does not occur with countries/regions that use TCP/IP. The following countries/regions use the X.25 network protocol:

   Austria           Guam              Lithuania         Singapore
   Belarus           Hong Kong         Luxembourg        South Africa
   Belgium           Hungary           Malaysia          Spain
   Brazil            Indonesia         Mexico            Sweden
   Bulgaria          Ireland           Netherlands       Switzerland
   Chile             Israel            New Zealand       Taiwan
   Colombia          Italy             Norway            Ukraine
   Denmark           Kazakhstan        Peru              Uzbekistan
   Estonia           Korea (South)     Philippines       Venezuela
   Finland           Kuwait            Portugal
   Greece            Latvia            Russia

Internet Connection Wizard uses the Phone.icw file to determine which X.25 script file to use for a particular area code.

REFERENCES

For additional information about how to troubleshoot Internet Connection Wizard, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

169073 Unable to Connect to Internet Referral Service