WINDOWS 2000 PROFESSIONAL

CREATE AND SHARE DIALING RULES AND CALLING CARDS

Windows 2000 enables users to configure settings to specify which numbers require long distance dialing, set up calling cards for use in dialing, and other telephony settings. While most users don't have problems setting up a dial-up connection, setting area code rules and configuring calling cards can be more difficult.

To save users the trouble, you can create these rules and export them to their systems. If users need to share a calling card, consider duplicating calling card settings from one computer to another.

Configure telephony settings using the Phone And Modem Options applet in Control Panel. Each set of dialing rules is associated with a specific area code, and you can use the Dialing Rules tab to create these rules. The dialing location is typically a descriptive name such as Hotel, Home, New York Office, etc.

After creating and configuring the dialing locations and corresponding rules, you can share the settings by exporting a portion of the registry to a file and importing the file into other systems.

Open the Registry Editor, and navigate to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Telephony.

The Locations subkey stores the defined dialing locations, and the Cards subkey stores the defined calling cards.

Export the Locations and Cards keys to a file, and import the two registry files on the other systems. If you need to export and import only selected locations or cards, export only the location or card subkey that contains the required settings.

Before importing the file on the target computer, edit the registry file if necessary to place the settings in a key that's not already in use on the target computer. For example, you might change Card0 to Card2 if cards 0 and 1 are in use on the target system.

NOTE: Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup before making any changes.