You've downloaded and unzipped the file, so everything should be ready to go. When you're registering a user name, be sure to pick something that no one else would have, even if you have to use a random sequence of letters and numbers. One of my friends entered some 50 names that were all rejected until she finally got one to go through. The error message that pops up when someone already has your user name makes it seem like a network error or something.

Now you should be looking at a black screen full of red text. This is the Chat screen, and it's where you, uh, chat. You'll come back to this later. For now, click on the Search tab on the top of the screen. This is where you, uh, search for songs. The three fields on the left are for artist, song title, and maximum number of results. Enter something you want to search for-- "Metallica," for example-- and hit Find It!

The results will be sorted by ping, that is, the speed of the connection between your machine and the other person's. The fastest (lowest) ping times will be at the top of the list. Check to see that the song you want is in at least 128 bitrate (check our tips and tricks for more details) and click Get Song.

You should be switched automatically to the Transfer screen, where you'll see your download in progress on the top half. On the bottom half, you'll see upload reports-- once you get a collection going, presumably.

You can download multiple songs at a time, so you can head back over to Search and look for some more if you're so inclined. If you happen to find a person who has lots of good stuff, add them to your Hot List, where you can browse through their entire library.

The Library, a functional player, is where you listen to your new songs. Click the file name and then click Add to put in on the playlist.

If you want to chat with other Napster users, go back to the Chat screen, click Join Room, and find your favorite type of music that the people presumably will be talking about.

There ya go. Have fun...