Q: Will I be able to use my telephone line at the
same time I'm on the Internet?
A: No. If someone tries to phone you while you are online, they will
get a busy signal. Nor can you phone someone while you are online.
Fortunately, there are alternatives to the busy signals for incoming
calls. You can have the phone company install "Call
Answering" for a small monthly fee. Anyone trying to call you
can leave a message. There are 3rd party services called
"Internet Call Manager" "Call Wave" or
"Internet Call Waiting" that you might want to look up on
the Internet.
Q: I have "Call Waiting" on my phone
line. I can get connected to the Internet with no problems, but I
often get "kicked off" for no apparent reason while I'm
online. Does "Call Waiting" have anything to do with this?
A: Yes it does, and the problem is easy to fix. Windows 95/98/ME/XP
have a setting where Call Waiting can be disabled, but it isn't
reliable at all. Best thing to do is to double-click My Computer;
then double-click Dialup Networking. Look for an icon that says
GiGoNET. Right-click your mouse button, then click on Properties.
You should see a telephone number displayed in a space. Place your
mouse pointer at the beginning of the telephone number and click.
Next, type the following: "*70," in front of the phone
number; then hit "End" on your keyboard. Click OK. Then
right-click on your "GiGoNET" icon. The telephone number
space should now read - *70,8681411 It isn't necessary to have
spaces or hyphens when entering the phone number. This works with
all of our dialup numbers.
Q: I have a 56k modem in my computer. How come I
can't connect any faster than 46k? Why is it often much slower than
that? Often, I can't connect at all!
A: First of all, not all 56k modems have equal capabilities. Only 2
or 3 years ago, there were 2 kinds of 56k modems -KFlex and V90.
Today, nearly all Internet Service Providers use the V90 standard.
If you try to use a KFlex modem to connect to our high-speed V90
lines, chances are it will not be able to connect at all. If it does
connect, it will keep disconnecting after a minute or two online.
Often, it will simply make horrendous squeals, and fail to connect.
If this happens, than you know for sure that your modem needs an
upgrade. If you happen to own a KFlex modem, the news is good. You
shouldn't have to buy another modem, and your modem, in most cases,
can be easily upgraded at no cost to you. First of all, you need to
find out the make and model of your modem. Then, you need to find
the web site for the manufacturer. Usually, you will find
instructions as to how to download new drivers and a firmware
upgrade on the manufacturer's web site. Download the setup
instructions, where possible, and read them carefully before you
attempt an upgrade. These downloads are 1 megabyte (often much less)
in total, and only take a few minutes to download. Best to copy both
the upgrade and the instruction file to your Desktop, as you will
need to find them later on. When the download is complete,
disconnect from the Internet, double-click on the file to begin the
upgrade process, and follow the instructions. Our Technical Support
staff would be pleased to assist you with your upgrade, should you
encounter a problem. Even though these modems are called 56k modems,
in actual fact, the phone lines are only capable of moving data at a
maximum speed of 51k. In the real world, 44 - 50k is a more
realistic number. Often, the speed is much slower than that, and
there can be many reasons why. Your modem might have been improperly
installed in your computer. The incorrect modem drivers for your
modem might be in use by your computer. You may have incorrect
Internet settings in your computer. Again, our Technical Support
staff would be happy to review your settings with you over the
phone, and can often correct most of these problems in a few
minutes. If your problems cannot get corrected over the phone, then
we will dispatch a member of our Technical Support staff to assist
you. If you have the latest drivers for your modem; all your
settings are correct; your modem is installed and working properly
-everything is up to standard, but you are still getting slow
speeds, then the only thing left on the list is the telephone lines
themselves!
Q: I did everything you said with respect to my
56k modem, yet it still won't connect any faster than 26.6k! What's
wrong now?
A: Unfortunately, not all phone lines are of the highest quality! In
many parts of the Old Florence, Old Florence Gardens, Cactus Forest,
Eloy, Older Coolidge and Arizona Farms Road (for example), the
telephone lines, terminals and switches are very old (some
patched/repaired) and in need of upgrading by the phone company. If
you live in one of these areas, all we can do is ensure that your
computer and modem are working to their optimal capabilities. In
some of these areas, our customers only get 26k speed connections
with a V90 modem! Yet, when the computer was brought to our office
and connected to the Internet, it connected at 44k or better! All we
did was connect this computer to a phone line here in Florence;
therefore, the only thing that has changed was the phone line. That
has to be the problem! Unhappily, there isn't much we can do for
you, as we don't own the phone lines or the Telephone Company. You
should call telephone repair service, and explain your problem.
Occasionally, their technicians do find problems and can repair
their equipment and improve your service to varying degrees.
Truthfully, in most cases, there is a limit as to what can be done
for you. But, it never hurts to ask, as you do pay for your
telephone service and should have a reasonable expectation of both
Internet and voice over these lines. We have had some customers in
the past that refused to accept our explanation (as outlined above),
and decided to change Internet Service Providers. We are happy to
report that many of these customers actually came back to GiGoNET
because their Internet service actually got worse when they tried
some of the other companies!
Q: I keep getting disconnected. I have problems
(at times) even getting connected to GiGoNET. Your Technical Support
guys checked out my settings, and everything was OK. I even had
Qwest check out my phone lines! Is there anything else that can be
done? I have a 56k modem and connect to your high-speed lines.
A: If you have done everything as listed above, there is another
step. Your problem, by process of elimination (as you have outlined
above) then must be with your modem. As you may know, your modem is
a crucial part of a good, solid Internet connection with a server.
Not only with GiGoNET, but also with any ISP. We rarely ever have
problems with V34 or V32 modems -that is to say 33,600; 28,800 or
14,400 bps modems. These modems are older and slower, but more
reliable. The reason is that the technology has been around for many
years, and most of the "bugs" have been worked out. 56k
modems are another story! First thing you need to do is identify
your modem, with respect to make and model. Click Start; Settings;
Control Panel. Look for an icon that says System, and double-click.
Next, click the Tab that says Device Manager. You will see a list of
devices on the left side of the page. Look for the word Modem, and
click the + Sign to the left of it. This action will tell you the
make and model of your modem. Make note of that information. Next,
click on the name of the modem, then click the button that says
Properties. Then click on the Tab that says Driver. The single most
important item you will see is the date of the Modem Driver. If it
is more than one calendar year behind today's date, chances are you
need to update the modem drivers! Doing this simple update will
improve your modem performance by a huge amount. Where do we go now?
Well, it depends on several factors. In some cases, the manufacturer
of your computer has upgrades available on their web pages. In
particular, Compaq has had a lot of problems lately with certain
modems in some of their machines. If you own a Compaq computer, you
might try their website www.compaq.com and check out information
about your computer, and see if there is information concerning your
modem. We have to tell you that some of Compaq's upgrades WILL NOT
work -no matter what! You might have to pressure Compaq to give you
a modem that does work properly! However, that is between you and
Compaq!If you own a Gateway, we've seen really good luck with the
Gateway Update Utility in your Start menu. Similarly,
Hewlett-Packard has also experienced problems with various modems
installed in some models of their machines-in particular, their
combination sound cards and modems. Try www.hp.com Do a lookup for
your particular product line and model, and download the modem
upgrade. For most of us, the best thing is to go to web sites that
have information and new drivers for our particular brand and model
of modem -irrespective of the computer! We have had excellent
results updating LT Winmodems; Rockwell/Connexant and several other
makers. LT Winmodem drivers are on our web site; follow the
"Tools" Button.
Q: I set up my Internet connection, but my modem
keeps sending a message that there is no dial tone. I picked up my
phone and there is definitely dial tone on the line. What's wrong?
A: There are several reasons why your computer could be reporting no
dial tone. If your phone line wires are reversed, your phone will
work fine, but your modem will not. In order for a modem to work the
voltage has to be on the RED wire. You should open up the connecting
block and reverse the RED and GREEN wires. This will usually correct
the problem. Most modems have two phone jacks: one marked Line and
the other marked Phone. Make sure your phone cord is plugged into
the Line jack. If it's plugged into the Phone jack, you will get a
no dial tone error. If you have Call Answering, and you have
messages waiting, your dial tone will make a beeping sound. This
lets you know you have messages. You must retrieve your messages and
allow your dial tone to return to normal before you can use your
modem to connect to the Internet. Modems can't operate with this
intermittent dial tone. If you have checked out all the above and
you are still getting errors, your modem will have to be replaced.
Wal-Mart sells a solid US Robitcs PCI modem for about $30-$40.
Q: I'm a new subscriber. I started Internet
Explorer, and wanted it to find me some information about King Tut.
I typed "King Tut" in the space at the top, and it said it
couldn't display the page. Same thing happened with Netscape. What's
wrong?
A: Not much; you just need a quick lesson in Internet procedures.
After you start Internet Explorer or Netscape, you will see a space
with ADDRESS to the left of this space near the top of your screen.
There may or may not be something printed in this space. If there is
something printed, it will read something like this: http://www.msn.com/
This odd-looking printing is called a URL (short for Uniform
Resources Locator). This printing MUST follow a certain format, or
it will NOT WORK. If you type in "King Tut" and don't also
type in certain other information, you will get only error messages.
OK, then, how do I find information about King Tut? All you have to
do is type in your ADDRESS space the following: www.google.com This
sort of resembles the example above, but has fewer characters. If
there are already printed words in the ADDRESS space, all you have
to do is click it with your mouse, and start typing. When you have
finished typing, just hit your ENTER key, and you will quickly be
connected to Google's home page. You must be already dialed in to
the Internet, of course. In actual fact, if you type in the
"short form", both Internet Explorer & Netscape will
complete the URL for you. You will find this feature quite helpful.
Now you should have Google's home page on your screen. All you have
to do is place your mouse pointer over the long white box and click
your mouse button. In this space, on Google's web page, and NOT in
the ADDRESS line above, can you safely type in (in plain English)
what you want to look for on the Internet! I typed in "King Tut"
(don't type the quotation marks) and found several web sites with
information. Some had historical information; some had auction sales
etc. You could then click the BACK button at the top of your screen
repeatedly, and go back all the way to Google's Search Engine page.
Most of the time, the issues with web pages are NOT about being able
to find information. The issues have to do with there being SO MUCH
information, that it's difficult to screen out the inferior web
sites, and actually find the ones that have valuable information
that are useful for your purposes. This requires experience and long
hours of searching. That is why we suggest that new customers begin
with unlimited access -at least for the first two months -until you
get comfortable with all the information that is now available to
you.
Q: We got started on the Internet recently, and
somehow, our daughter unintentionally got connected to some web
site. Frankly, we've never seen anything so disgusting in our entire
lives! The pictures and language were pornographic and sickening!
How do we prevent this from ever happening again to our daughter?
A: Unhappily, there are a lot of pornographic web sites on the
Internet. Most of these sites DO NOT allow minors to view any type
of graphic information. In reality, there is a lot of
"smut" that can be seen before the person actually enters
the particular site. In fact, these so-called "controls"
are a sham in many cases. We at GiGoNET cannot control pornography
on the Internet. Our recommendation is to purchase software that
will allow parental control of Internet content. Internet Explorer
comes with a Content Advisor, which is supposed to screen out
undesirable material. Our experience with Content Advisor is such
that we DO NOT recommend using it! It can cause more problems than
it will ever solve. There is a program called "Net Nanny"
that we highly recommend. This program costs around $25.00 and
parents can deny access to pornographic web pages, or any other web
site deemed undesirable by parents. Besides pornography, as a
parent, one needs to consider "hate" sites; racist sites;
bomb-making sites and "hacking" sites -ALL are illegal,
and impossible to police! There are other programs available, as
well, which will do as good a job of policing the Internet for
teenagers. We mentioned "Net Nanny" however, "Cyber
Sitter" is also very good.
Q: I keep hearing horrible stories about computer
viruses. How bad are these things? Are viruses simply annoying
things, or can they do real harm to my computer? How can I protect
my computer from viruses?
A: We STRONGLY URGE customers to purchase or download an updateable
anti-virus program for their computer. For the very modest cost of
$30.00, we have found that "McAfee VirusScan V7" and
"Norton Anti-Virus 2003" to be very good anti-virus
program. We prefer McAfee for ease of use and configuration. GiGoNET
remains a blue ribbon company with strong affirmations on the US
Constitution; and therefore does NOT censor or screen anything
coming through our mail servers. However, if we see a "Mail
Mover" Virus attempting to spread via our servers, we will take
immediate action to shut it down, as an act of being a responsible
Internet user like yourself. At last count, there are around 75,000
viruses floating around the Internet. Most viruses do annoying
things to one's computer, but don't do any real damage.
Unfortunately, some viruses actually attack and damage the chips in
your computer (for example, the Chernobyl virus) and you are looking
at a $300+ repair bill to replace the main circuit board in your
computer! Some viruses will delete all the information on your hard
drive. Several viruses will send damaging e-mail to everyone in your
Address Book, and damage their computers as well as yours! You won't
even know this is happening until either your computer is disabled,
or people in your Address Book start sending you nasty e-mails. One
very nice feature about "Norton Anti-Virus" and
"McAfee VirusScan" is that you can connect to their web
site every week or so, and download the most up-to-date anti-virus
information available. Both companies provide this invaluable
service free of charge for one year when you purchase their product.
Q: I signed up with GiGoNET. My e-mail is with
hotmail.com, because all my friends use it. I keep having problems
with hotmail.com. Why is that?
A: If you choose to use some other e-mail service, in lue of
gigonet.com for e-mail service, we have to tell you that you are on
your own! These other e-mail servers are NOT part of our package,
and we do NOT support them. Microsoft supports Hotmail and you have
to talk to them if you are having problems. Please be aware that
Hotmail allows only a few megabytes of e-mail. If you try to send an
attachment, you may have difficulties because of their size
restriction. Please also be aware that Hotmail has a huge number of
subscribers, and their service is not always the most reliable
service. From our own observation over the last two years, yahoo.com
is far more stable then hotmail.com/msn.com
Q: I recently downloaded a program called "ICQ".
I understand that this program is a Chat program. Next time I went
to use my e-mail program, it wouldn't work. Why is that?
A: Whenever you download a 3rd party program, (for example, "ICQ"),
if you encounter any problems, you must take up your problems with
the company that provides that program. "ICQ" is NOT part
of GiGoNET's Internet package. We DO NOT support this program! If
you have any problems relating to "ICQ", you must contact
that company, and take up your issues with that company. "ICQ"
does provide an e-mail service; however, it will conflict with your
e-mail service with GiGoNET. We will provide support with our own
e-mail service; however we do not have control over another party's
mail server. Therefore, we cannot provide support for something over
which we have no control. ICQ is a major "pipeline" for
the spread on viruses, so make sure your ant-virus program is kept
up to date. Please also be aware that your ICQ account can easily be
"hacked" and used to make illegal long distance phone
calls to Africa and other far away locations. Several of ICQ's
customers have received some very expensive phone bills for long
distance calls.
Q: I signed up a month ago with GiGoNET, and all
of a sudden my computer keeps giving me error messages, and my
Internet doesn't work anymore. The messages are as follows:
"Windows has performed an illegal operation, and is shutting
down the program". There is a button that says something about
"Details" I don't understand why this is happening -what's
wrong at your end?
A: Whenever you get an "Illegal Operation" message from
Windows, the problem is with your operating system. Your problem has
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with your Internet service, and has
everything to do with your operating system. Most often, all you
have to do is close down whatever program was running at the moment
the error messages occurred, and re-start that program. If that
doesn't clear the problem, shut down your machine (in the usual way)
and let it sit for a few minutes. Then, restart. If you still get
the same message, you should click START; PROGRAMS: ACCESSORIES;
SYSTEM TOOLS. You should then run SCAN DISK, followed by DISK
DEFRAGMENT. If your hard drive is badly fragmented (more than 3%
fragmented) it will take a while! Have a cold or hot drink, relax
and let Windows do its job! Chances are, this will repair most of
your problems! If the error messages continue, you will have to take
your computer to a qualified service person for servicing. If SCAN
DISK and DISK DEFRAGMENT are unable to repair your problems, one can
assume that either some operating system files have accidentally
been deleted, or else some of the operating system files are
corrupted. Viruses can cause such problems, as well as user errors.
Q: I have been using my computer for some time
now, and have noticed problems with the Internet. I can't seem to
get connected properly and get all kinds of odd error messages.
A: Have you checked for the amount of available hard drive space
lately? Windows needs a fair bit of free hard drive space in order
to operate properly. You need at least 80 megs. of free hard drive
space available for Windows to operate. 100 megs. or better is
suggested as a minimum of "elbow room". There are many
ways to recover space on your hard drive so that Windows can work
correctly. First place to check is your temporary or "tmp"
files. Your computer makes a copy of every web page you have visited
and stores this information on your hard drive. Click Start;
Settings; Control Panel and double-click the icon that says either
Internet or Internet Options. This will bring up a General Tab.
Click where it says Delete Files and also where it says Delete
History. Shut down Control Panel. Next, double-click My Computer.
You are now looking for the icon for your hard drive. In most cases,
it is called [C:] Place your mouse pointer on top of this icon, and
click the right-hand mouse button. This will bring up a menu. Go to
the bottom of the list, and click Properties. You will see a pie
graph that will tell you how much free space is available. If you
have less than 80 megs. you need to either undelete some little used
programs from your computer, or else upgrade to a larger hard drive.
Hard drives used to be one of the most expensive components,
however, these items are now very cheap. An experienced technician
can easily install a new hard drive and transfer all your files etc.
to a larger hard drive for a modest fee.
Q: I tried to connect to the Internet last
night, and I kept getting error messages. The dial up connection
kept asking for my password over and over, and I couldn't establish
a connection. What's wrong?
A: This is probably our most commonly asked question. The username
and password must be in lower-case letters. There MUST NOT be any
spaces between any of the characters, nor at the beginning of the
lines. The CAPS LOCK key is a logon killer. It's just above the left
most SHIFT key. Make sure the CAPS LOCK is OFF. If you are certain
that your username and password are correct, and in the proper
format, the next thing to check is the status of your account. If
your account has been suspended, you will be unable to connect, no
matter what you do. Unless you have made prior arrangements with us
in advance, your account will be suspended if payment has not been
received within forteen days of your normal invoice date.
Q: My account with GiGoNET is going to run out
tonight. What are my alternatives?
A: All you have to do is phone us at (520) 868-9469 during our
office hours -Mon.-Fri . 10:00 AM 'til 6:00 PM. If your account has
been suspended, or is about to be, we would be happy to reconnect
you for a day or two until you are able to get the payment in the
mail: GiGoNET, PO BOX 1228, Florence, AZ 85232 (PUT YOUR USERNAME ON
YOUR PAYMENT)
Q: There have been a lot of stories lately on
the news about computer hacking. Could you explain
"hacking" as well as other security issues?
A: Computer hacking is a very, very serious problem and several
companies have lost millions of dollars owing to hacker actions. The
losses come from confidential records being stolen or destroyed;
credit card fraud; downtime of various company servers and
inconvenience to customers. Let us reassure you that your chances of
having your personal computer "hacked" are quite remote!
Hackers DO NOT usually target the average home user like you and I,
simply because there really is nothing to gain by doing so.
Actually, it is reasonably difficult to hack a home computer. The
attacker has to find what is called an IP address, and this is the
route into a computer through the Internet. With most ISP's,
including GiGoNET, you are assigned a different IP address each and
every time you connect, in a random manner. The hacker would have to
know your IP address in advance in order to attack your computer. As
well, you would have to be on-line for some time in order for the
attack to take place. Most people aren't on-line long enough for a
hacker to figure out the IP address and do his damage. With 200+ IP
addresses available, spread over 3 banks of numbers, this would be a
challenge -even to an expert!
Q: I recently stopped sending e-mail to an
acquaintance of mine over the Internet. I didn't like some of the
things he was writing in his e-mail messages. How can I stop him
from sending me further e-mail?
A: First of all, you might start with your own computer. If you are
using Outlook Express 5, 5.5 or 6 this program has a built-in
function that allows you to filter out unwanted messages. Start
Outlook Express 5 running on your computer, but don't allow it to
connect to the mail server. After the program has loaded, look in
the top left corner and click your mouse where it says MESSAGE.
Scroll down the list, and click where it says MESSAGE RULES. Type
ADD, and in the space provided, type in the person's e-mail address.
Then, click OK. The next time that person sends you an e-mail, it
will go directly into the trash bin. You won't even have to look at
it! When you get a message of the "spam" variety, you can
click on the title, the click TOOLS; BLOCK SENDER and future
"Spam" from this source will go to your trash bin. If that
does not discourage the sender, please give us a call at (520)
868-9469 and explain your problem to our Technical Support staff. We
will then place a block on that person's e-mail address, and their
messages will be blocked before they reach our mail server. This is
the next level of security.
Q: One of the main reasons I bought Internet
service with GiGoNET is so that I could do my banking over the
Internet. Before I had Internet service, I used the software that
came from my bank. Now, all of a sudden, it doesn't work anymore.
Why not?
A: The CD-ROM that came from your bank was intended for people who
DO NOT have Internet services. If you have Internet Service with
GiGoNET, you don't need this CD-ROM. After you get set up with
GiGoNET, all you have to do is find the website for your particular
bank, and you can set up your banking over the Internet. If you try
to use the CD-ROM that you got from your bank, it will remove the
settings for GiGoNET, and you will have problems later on. You may
also find that this CD-ROM has a long distance number, and so you
will have to pay these charges. You may also encounter another
problem. Most PC-type computers that use Windows 98 or Windows ME
come with "Internet Explorer" already installed. This web
browser works well, however, it isn't very secure because it only
has 40 bit encryption. You can go to our web site and download your
own copy of "Netscape Navigator 4.80" which has 128 bit
encryption. This is the most secure web browser currently available,
and seems to work well for all banking and credit card purposes. The
upgrade to make Internet Explore 4 and 5; 128 bit encryption enbled
is available as a free dowl=nload from www.microsoft.com Internet
Explore 6 is a free download from Microsoft and is 128 bit encrypted
as well. Only use IE 6 if your PC meets all of the requirements.
Q: When I did my Internet setup with GiGoNET, I
installed "Client for Microsoft Networks" in my Control
Panel; Network section. This is supposed to allow my computer to
save my password so I don't have to re-type it every time I log in.
It was working, but suddenly stopped. Now I have to type in my
password every time I try to connect. I often can't connect because
I sometimes miss characters when I'm typing (I'm not a very good
typist!) and sometimes my password gets rejected. I find this very
annoying! Can this be fixed?
A: We get asked this question quite often, and most often it can be
fixed. The password issue is a Windows 95/98 problem. Click your
Start button, then click Find, then click Files or Folders. In the
Named: space, type "*.pwl". The first character is a
shifted "8" or "asterisk". In the Look in:
space, it should say the name of your hard drive -most often this is
the C: drive, but not always. It depends how many hard drives and
partitions you have on your computer. After you have entered the
information above, click the button to the right hand side that says
Find Now and allow your computer to find the appropriate file or
files. Your computer should find a file called whatever.pwl the
"whatever" is usually the owner's name, but it could be
almost anything. This file should be located in your C:\Windows
folder. Often you will find several password files. Next, click the
file name to highlight, then right-click this file name. Click to
Delete all password files you find. Next, restart your computer.
When your computer restarts, you will be prompted to enter a
password in order to use the machine. Please note: - this is NOT
your password for the Internet! This password is to restrict users
of your computer ONLY. If this does not work, click Start; Settings;
Control Panel and double-click the Network icon. You can remove
"Client for Microsoft Networks", shut down your computer,
and then re-install "Client for Microsoft Networks" from
your Windows CD-ROM. If you do not want to type in a password every
time you use your computer, leave the space blank and click OK when
your computer asks for a password. Then click OK a second time. The
next time your computer is restarted, you shouldn't see this screen
again. You will have to re-type your password the next time you log
on to the Internet -hopefully, only once! If you do want a password
to use your computer, type one in the appropriate spaces when your
computer restarts and when prompted. You will have to do this twice,
and will need to click OK after each entry. Make a note of your
password.
Q: I have been trying to reply to an e-mail that
was sent to my by my friend. I clicked on "Reply to
Sender" and almost immediately received a TCPIP$SMTP or GiGoNET
Postmaster message, saying that my e-mail couldn't be sent. What
does this message mean?
A: Whenever one receives a TCPIP$SMTP/Postmaster message, the first
reaction is some confusion by the technical language. All you have
to do is look over the message; ignore all the technical language
and concentrate on the section that says "Reason". If you
received a TCPIP$SMTP/Postmaster message, there was a very good
reason why, and it will be explained in the "Reason" part.
Most often, the problem occurred in the e-mail address of the person
you were trying to send the message to. A "Reply to
Sender" usually works, but not always. A lot of people don't
have their own e-mail address entered correctly in their own
computer. For example, if I were to send you an e-mail, and my
"Reply to" address was set to "John Brown@hotmail.com"
and you tried to "Reply to Sender", you would receive a
Postmaster message. "john brown" is not a valid username
on the hotmail.com servers. Actually, a space in the username is
illegal in it's self. Your Postmaster message would sometihng like:
---- Transcript of session follows ----
550 %TCPIP-E-SMTP_NOSUCHUSER, no such user, SMTP%"john brown@hotmail.com"
---- Recipients of this delivery ----
SMTP%"john brown@hotmail.com" (bounced)
Q: Is there any more TCPIP$SMTP/Postmaster
information I need to know?
A: Yes, there is. Once in a while, you might receive a TCPIP$SMTP/Postmaster
message stating that "the user johnbrown@domain.com could not
be found". You are quite certain this address is correct, yet
your message (for some reason) isn't going out. Most often, this is
an easily explained situation. Mail servers can be compared to your
car, in some ways. As you know, every once in a while your car has
to go to the garage for routine servicing. So do mail servers and
web servers! Dutiful technicians have to shut down their mail and
web servers; upgrade the software; perform hardware upgrades and
repair problems -same as you do to your car, or to your home
computer. When these servers (similar machines to your home
computer, only bigger) are shut down, the mail doesn't go through
-but only for the time the server was being serviced. In a few
minutes, your e-mail will get to its intended destination. If the
remote server is not taking in bound e-mail for twenty minuets, the
GiGoNET servers will bounce the message back to you. This is our
server's way of telling you, "Hey... they aint taking mail and
I'm not going to keep trying. You need to try again in a few hours
or something." It's crude, but keeps the mail queues flowing
freely.
Q: I composed an e-mail this evening, as usual.
I then clicked the Send & Receive button in order to send this
e-mail. At that point, my e-mail should have been sent, and thus
moved out of my Outbox to my Sent Items box. It didn't, and my
e-mail program kept asking me if I wanted to send my unsent
messages. I did so several times. Now, I keep getting error messages
every time I try to use my e-mail program. What's happening?
A: First thing you need to do is go to your Outbox, and click on the
title of your e-mail and read the address (or Header) section. Most
of the time, you will find the problem in the e-mail address line.
Might be a space between characters; an illegal character; an
incorrect domain name, etc. etc. The difficulty here is that no
e-mail program to date can correct typing errors. Instead of simply
giving up on trying to send an incorrectly addressed e-mail after so
many retries, your program keeps on trying to send the problematic
message -over and over again. Does not matter which e-mail program
you use -none of them are "smart" enough (as yet) to
correct address problems, or know when to stop trying to send e-mail
messages with a corrupted Header! What do we do? There are two
choices. First choice is to review your message (from your Outbox)
and try and correct the address line problem. If that doesn't work,
you will likely have to delete the message from your Outbox, and
start all over again from scratch. The message will stay in your Out
box forever and cause problems for any future messages until you
either fix the problem or else delete the offending message. If you
have multiple messages, you should create a "Temp" folder,
and move the contents of your Outbox to this folder. Then move the
messages back to the Outbox and send them one-at-a-time until you
come upon the problem message.
Q: I often get odd e-mails from people or
organizations that I don't even know. Some of this mail has
"get-rich-quick" schemes; some of it solicits support for
various causes, or blatant advertising -however, most of it is
simply garbage. Where would these people get my e-mail address? How
do I stop this?
A: This type of unsolicited and unwanted e-mail is called "spam".
It is the Internet equivalent to the piles of "junk" mail
we all receive through the Post Office. Unwanted and unsolicited,
but we get it anyway! Spam gets to your e-mail box the same way junk
mail gets to your home mailbox. People simply send out mass amounts
of e-mail hoping to find a victim! If you look at the sender
information at the top of your e-mail message, most often it is
addressed to nobody@encode.com. Therefore, it goes out to everyone
on the mailing list at our server. We do have mail filters in place
to stop this type of activity, but it doesn't always work. The
"Spamming" community seems nearly as busy as the "hacking" and
"virus-making" communities these days, and so it's a full-time job
keeping up with all these pests! If you receive the odd piece of
"spam" from time-to-time -simply delete it. Chances are, you will
never hear from the sender again. If you keep getting message after
message, and these people are driving you crazy -we would be happy
to intervene on your behalf! All you have to do is forward a copy of
one of these "spam" messages to spam@gigonet.com We can then figure out the source of
the "spam" and can place a mail block to stop any future
activity. You, as a customer, also need to take a moment and review
your own e-mail activities. If you subscribe to certain mailing
lists, you might find that some of these lists do, in fact, pass on
information to advertisers, sponsors or other parties. We, at
GiGoNET, are not able to control this kind of activity. We should
state that GiGoNET does not sell mailing lists to anyone, under any
circumstances. All records are kept strictly confidential.
Q: A friend of mine told me that he had an
e-mail address, but he didn't tell me what his address was exactly.
I sent him an e-mail or two, and guessed at his address. Didn't
work! Is there an e-mail address book or listing services so that I
can find his address? Something like finding a phone number?
A: To the best of our knowledge, there isn't an e-mail address book
available anywhere on the Internet. If you want to find out
someone's e-mail address, you either have to contact him or her by
normal mail, or else by phone, and verify an e-mail address with
that individual! Most friends and family members will give you their
e-mail address -but only to people they trust! These addresses are
very secure and we do not disclose such information to anyone under
any circumstances.
Q: I noticed several icons on the Desktop of my
new computer. One is a folder that says Online Services; another
says MSN. After examining the Online Services folder, I noticed
information about AOL, CompuServe, ATT and others. Is it OK for me
to install these services and check them out?
A: Unless you plan on using these services, we recommend deleting
the icons from the Desktop, and going into "Add/Remove
Programs" and removing all the setup information for each of
these companies. Some name- brands of computers (IBM and Compaq)
have dialers pre-programmed for warranty and diagnostic purposes. DO
NOT remove these, but please be careful how you use them! If you
have chosen "GiGoNET" as your Internet provider, you will
likely have no further use for these services. If, after you have
gone to the trouble of setting up your computer for our services,
and someone accidentally clicks on one of these icons, your GiGoNET
information will be completely removed. You will have to do our
setup all over again from the beginning! We are not trying to
discourage people from trying out our competitor's services! We just
want to ensure that you, our customer, knows that you could be
"on-the-hook" for a lot of unnecessary expense and wasted
time!
Q: After I completed setting up my computer for
Internet service with GiGoNET, I noticed a new icon called
"Network Neighborhood" on my Desktop. Can I use this to
dial in to the Internet?
A: ABSOLUTELY NOT! If you open "Network Neighborhood", it
will simply say "Entire Network". If you right click on
the wording it will deny you access. If you attempt to Explore or
investigate further, it may remove ALL your setup information! Best
thing to do is leave it alone! Its main job is to store your
username and password so you won't have to keep typing them in all
the time. Apart from that, it's a benign little thing that simply
lives on your Desktop! Ignore it!
Q: What is a "Cookie"? Where do they
come from, and why do I have so many in my computer files?
A: A "cookie" is a small file that is sent back to your
computer by a server after you have successfully connected to that
server. This information is designed to make return visits to that
server easier and faster. There is no evidence that a
"cookie" is harmful to your computer in any way. For
example, an unscrupulous individual wouldn't be able to use this
file to "hack" your computer. Cookies are stored in a
special file in your Windows folder. You might find only a few, or
several thousand -depends on how many web sites you have visited.
Normally, there will not be any problems should you decide to delete
all your cookies. It will only slow down access to certain web
sites. There will be a problem if you have banking services or if
you have a subscription to some web sites (for example, Yahoo's
on-line games site). If you delete the cookies for your banking
service, you will not be able to do your banking on the Internet
until you resubmit your personal information. This cookie contains
your identity file for your banking information, and the server will
not recognize you as a customer. Same is true of many pay or
subscription sites. If you feel you need to delete cookies -do so
with caution!
Q: I often have to wait quite a long time for my
e-mail and attachment to download, only to find out my computer
can't do anything with the attachment when it does arrive! Why is
that?
A: Your problem has to do with software. For example, someone sends
you an attachment that is a movie clip. You were able to download
this clip, however, when you clicked on the attachment, you computer
asked you what program it should use to open this attachment. You
went through all the choices, but nothing worked. If you don't have
the same or similar software on your computer as the software that
was used to create the attachment, you will not be able to view this
file on your computer. Windows 95/98 comes with some software that
will allow you to view some picture attachments, but not all formats
are available in the Windows Paint program. Outlook Express can also
view many picture formats, but not movies. The problem gets even
more complicated when an Apple Computer owner sends attachments to a
PC owner. Some file formats work; others do not. If you receive an
attachment that your computer doesn't seem to know how to process,
contact the sender and try and find out what program (software) this
person used to create the attachment. You may wish to purchase this
program yourself, or often it is possible to download something
suitable for free off the Internet. For example, trial versions of
"Paint Shop Pro" and free copies of "Adobe
Acrobat" are available. More often, the programs used to create
some of these attachments are very expensive, and not everyone is
prepared spend a lot of money for something that might have very
limited use. In that case, you might contact the sender and have
them mail you the attachment in an envelope! If the sender persists
in sending attachments that your computer cannot handle, you will
have to tell them to stop.
Q: Why do some e-mail attachments seem to
download fine, while others seem to jam my mail program and cause
problems later on?
A: This happens regularly, and occasionally we have to intervene on
behalf of our customer. The usual scenario goes something like this
-someone you know has some great photos and just has to send them to
you right away. That's very commendable, however, the sender often
fails to check and see how big this attachment really is! Four
standard colour prints scanned onto a standard 81/2 by 11 inch page
will take up to 5 megabytes! That is the equivalent of 5 million
keyboard characters! If the sender has a cable modem, these huge
files can be sent in a minute or less. No problem at all for the
sender. For the recipient of this file, there are often several
problems. First of all, even with a very new, fast computer, a good
modem and a solid connection, you are looking at possibly one hour
to download such an attachment! Most often, your mail programs will
time out, and you will have to keep trying -usually unsuccessfully!
If you also have normal mail in your mailbox, you will get
duplicates of everything after a timeout has occurred, and you
resume the download. This only worsens the original problem, as you
are now swamped with mail, attachments and your computer cannot
cope. At this point, we usually get involved, as customers call us
to find out why their mail program is not working properly. More
often than not, we end up having to delete the attachment, because
it simply isn't possible to download many kinds of attachments
-especially with an older slower computer. As pointed out in another
article, often our customer can't open the attachment even if it
does eventually arrive because they lack the program that originally
created the attachment. GiGoNET's Support staff is willing to delete
the e-mail containing the large attachment for you, by your request.
Q: I'm confused by all the different versions of
Windows. I've heard about Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98,
Windows ME and Windows XP. Can you explain the differences? Which
one should I choose and which versions work well for Internet?
A: The various versions of Windows one is likely to find on a
computer mainly have to do with the age of the computer in question.
Windows 3.1 is the oldest, and Windows ME is the newest. Windows 3.1
is now 10 years old. At the time this operating system arrived on
the scene, very few people used the Internet, and so it wasn't
really designed for this purpose. It is barely possible to use
Windows 3.1 for Internet these days and actually e-mail works OK,
however, there are other issues to consider. Microsoft stopped
supporting Windows 3.1 and 3.11 as of January 1, 2000. If you want
to use this operating system, no support is available! Windows 3.1
is usually found on older computers with 486 processors and often
only 4 or 8 megs. of RAM. This is fine for text only, however,
today's Internet is pretty much all graphics. An older processor
cannot handle this amount of graphics because it was never designed
for this job! As well, given the smaller amount of RAM, many web
pages will "time out" and drop your connection before the
web page can be displayed. E-mail will probably work all right, but
even it will be extremely slow. It is nearly impossible to find
newer and faster modems for these older computers, and RAM upgrades
usually cost more than the computer is worth. In some cases, it is
possible to upgrade the operating system from Windows 3.1 to Windows
95, if enough memory and hard drive space is available. In the end,
however, the results are still very disappointing for most users
Windows 95 and 98 are fairly similar in appearance, but not exactly
the same. For most home users, either version will run fine provided
your computer has a Pentium processor and the necessary amount of
RAM and hard drive space. Windows ME arrived on the scene in
November 2000. Our initial experience seems to indicate that it is a
good product. HOWEVER, unless you have a very fast Pentium ll or
Pentium lll and all brand-new hardware -DO NOT upgrade! Above all,
DO NOT install Windows ME over top of an existing operating system.
We guarantee that you will be disappointed! Actually, this advice
applies to every version of Windows -regardless of what Microsoft
says! The proper way to upgrade is to backup all of your files;
format your hard drive (this will delete everything on your
computer) and do a clean, fresh installation of your new operating
system from scratch. This is not a job for an inexperienced user. If
you are in doubt, take your computer to a technician you can trust.
Windows ME only supports the VERY latest hardware -by that we mean
modems, sound cards, printers, scanners, digital cameras etc. You
may be able to get Windows ME working on your computer only to find
out that you have to buy a new printer and scanner because no
drivers are available for your hardware! Before you upgrade, go on
the Internet and check to make sure Windows ME drivers are available
for all your hardware, and don't assume that every manufacturer will
support this product. Windows XP came out in the late Fall of 2001.
As was said about Windows ME, XP will only support the very latest
hardware. In addition, you must register Windows XP within 30 days,
or it will cease to function. You may not lend your Windows XP
CD-ROM to another person to install on his/her computer because it
can't be registered to another user.
Q: I understand there are other versions of
Windows available. Some magazine articles mention Windows NT and
Windows 2000 in glowing terms. Could I install one of these products
on my home computer and benefit from a more stable system?
A: The answer in most cases is NO. Unless you have a very compelling
reason to switch to one or the other of these operating systems, you
should stick with Windows 95, 98 or ME. It is true that Windows NT
& 2000 are more stable, and have a lot to offer for a networked
environment, however, they were never meant for the average home
user. Most home users would be totally frustrated with NT and 2000.
It can be a real problem finding hardware and drivers that will work
properly. USB and Plug & Play devices are not supported, so a
simple job like changing a sound card or modem can turn into a long,
tedious process. You have to wait twice as long for your computer to
boot up and also for it to shut down because there are several
levels of security not found on home computers. You often have to
use passwords every time you boot up the computer. Windows NT &
2000 are very protective of their data, and so shutting the computer
down is a time-consuming job. You will also need to take some
advanced courses in order to learn about these operating systems.
Most people simply don't want to be bothered! If you have two or
more computers in your home, you can still use Windows 95/98 or ME
quite easily, as these systems all have very good networking
abilities.
Q: I bought a brand new computer with Windows
98SE already installed a few months ago. Now, every time I turn
around, I get messages about this or that needing to be upgraded!
A: You are absolutely correct! There are, unfortunately, no end of
upgrades; patches, "fixes" etc. for everything in the
computing world these days. It is a fact of life, and you are
advised to try your best to keep up with the latest updates. You
must accept that you will have to spend on average an hour every
month downloading upgrades for all of your hardware and software in
order to keep your computer running smoothly. This is a fact in the
modern computer environment. Most companies do their best to provide
good products for their customers. Often, unforeseen things
"happen", or some computers don't react very well to new
products. In this event, most companies will provide free updates
that you can download from the Internet. In most cases, these
updates only take a few minutes to download and install on your
computer. Not a big problem at all -only a few minutes of Internet
time. The best examples we can suggest are the weekly updates most
anti-virus companies provide for your protection against the latest
viruses. As many of the latest viruses are aimed at Microsoft
programs, it follows that this company would provide additional
protection against viruses -and they have done so with small
downloads at no cost to the consumer. Perhaps the worst that one can
do is NOT do upgrades! By not upgrading your Windows operating
system, you seriously degrade your computer's performance. TIPS 1.
Check Microsoft's web page for updates http://www.microsoft.com for
product information on a regular basis. Lots of information and
downloads for most Microsoft products you use every day can be found
there. Windows 98 & ME users are automatically prompted when
updates are available. 2. Note the make and model of your printer;
scanner; modem etc. Check the web pages of the respective
manufacturers of your hardware regularly for updates. If available,
go ahead and download the latest information. Bookmark these web
pages for future reference.
Q: I recently did a rather large download from
Microsoft in order to upgrade my browser to Internet Explorer 6.
This was supposed to be a better browser, but actually I'm finding
that I'm getting disconnected frequently for no apparent reason. Any
idea why?
A: Yes, and it's because of some new additions to both Internet
Explorer 5, 5.5 and also Internet Explorer 6. Fortunately, this is
fairly easy to fix. Click Start, Settings, Control Panel. You will
see a lot of icons -around 25, and they are usually in alphabetical
order. Look for one that says Internet Options and double-click.
Next, click the Connection Tab. Make sure you have "GiGoNET"
or "Encode" or "My Connection" -whatever you use
to dial in to us, set as your default connection. Next, if it isn't
checked, click the white circle where it says, "Always dial my
default connection". To the right side of the large white
space, click the Settings button. If any of the 3 check boxes are
checked, remove the check marks by clicking them with your mouse.
Where it says "Dial-up settings", you should type your
username and password in the appropriate spaces. Make sure the
username is in lower-case letters (unless you are using numbers) and
re-enter your password in lower-case letters (unless you use
numbers). DO NOT enter any characters in the Domain space. Then
click the Advanced button. It should now say Advanced Dial-up at the
top of the window. "Try to connect 10 times" and
"Wait 5 seconds between attempts" are the correct
settings. These last two items are the most important. Remove the
check marks from Disconnect if idle for 20 minutes and Disconnect
when connection may no longer be needed Recent experience suggests
that this will happen well in advance of the 20-minute time limit if
this box remains checked. The second check box seems to be the
biggest problem! For some reason, if this second check box is
checked, Internet Explorer 5.5 will arbitrarily disconnect you from
the Internet for no apparent reason. Making the recommended changes
as described above should correct any problems of this nature. After
you have made these changes, close down any open windows and click
the Apply button at the bottom of your screen (if active) as you
close, then click OK and close Control Panel. Not a bad idea to
re-boot your computer after making these changes. If, after you have
made these changes, you find you are still getting disconnected from
the Internet for no apparent reason, please give us a call and we
will check the rest of your settings in case there is another issue.
Q: I recently purchased a copy of Norton
Anti-Virus and installed it on my computer. Since then I have
encountered all kinds of problems with my e-mail. Is this a
coincidence, or did I do something wrong installing this program?
A: As a matter-of-fact, the installation of Norton Anti-Virus and
your e-mail problems are connected. There is a "bug" in
Norton Anti-Virus that causes changes to your e-mail program
settings. We need to make one minor change to Norton first. Start
Norton Anti-Virus running on your computer. Click the button that
says Options then click where it says email Protection. You will see
a line that says Enable email protection (recommended) If there is a
check mark beside this line, remove it. Do not worry, Norton
Anti-Virus will still do its job. Next, start your e-mail program
running on your computer, but do not allow it to connect to the mail
server. If you are using Outlook Express or Outlook, look for a
label at the top-centre part of the screen that says Tools. Click
Tools, and scroll down and click on Accounts. Make sure the Mail tab
is up, then click on the name of your e-mail account. Usually it
says "encode.com". After you click on the name, click the
button that says Properties. Then click the tab that says Servers.
You should see two spaces -Server Information Incoming &
Outgoing. Make sure it says "mail.encode.com" in BOTH
spaces. Chances are one space will say "127.0.0.1" or
possibly "pop3.Norton". If so, make the change. Then click
Apply; OK and Close Internet Accounts window. If you are using
Eudora, start the program running. At the top of the screen, click
the word Tools and scroll down to Options. Click Options, then click
Hosts. Ensure your POP3 and SMTP spaces both say "mail.encode.com"
If you are using Netscape, start the program running, but do not
allow it to connect. In most versions of Netscape, click Edit then
click Preferences. You should then see a list on the left side of
your screen. Click the + sign beside Mail & Newsgroups, scroll
down and click on Mail Servers. Make sure the SMTP Server reads
"mail.encode.com". After you have made these changes,
connect to the Internet, and do a Live Update for Norton Anti-Virus.
Besides updating your anti-virus protection, this Live Update should
be able to fix the "bug". Be sure you do Live Updates on a
regular basis, and be sure you scan your system for viruses weekly.
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