If you’re one of the poor souls still using dial-up Internet access, it’s nice to see a little “dial-up” icon on your Desktop or in your taskbar. A quick right-click then let you connect or disconnect at will, handy when you could be racking up long distance or hotel charges.

Here’s how to add that icon in both Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Windows XP

1. Click the Start button and choose Control Panel.
2. Click the Network and Internet Connections option.
3. Choose Network Connections.
4. Right-click your Dial-Up Connection icon and choose Properties. (Or, to put an icon right on your Desktop, right-click the icon and choose “Create Shortcut,” and choose Yes.)
5. From the General tab, choose “Shown icon in notification area when connected,” and click the OK button.

Windows Vista

Windows Vista changes that process completely, as many of you have discovered, but reader Larry Jablon writes in with a quick way to place a dial-up shortcut on your Vista Desktop:

1. Choose Control Panel from the Start menu.
2. Choose the Network and Internet category, and select Network and Sharing Center.
3. Select Manage Network Connections from the pane on the window’s left side. (Clicking that option reveals all your network connections, including your dial-up Internet connection.)
4. Right-click your dial-up Internet icon and choose Create Shortcut from the pop-up menu.
5. Click OK to allow the shortcut to be automatically placed on the Desktop.