We have compiled the questions below from past sales and support inquiries. For a searchable database of frequently asked questions, please try using our interactive Knowledge Base.
New Customers

Q:

 I have never had a website before, how do I get started?
A:
  1. Register your domain name.
  2. Sign up for a hosting account.
  3. Build your website with our SimpleHTML site builder or any software of your choice.

Q:

 I already have a website and a domain name. How do I transfer my site to you?
A: There is no charge to transfer or setup your website with us. You would just follow the steps below:
  1. Sign up for a hosting account.
  2. Go to the website of your domain registry and provide them with our DNS settings (see step 1 of our setup guide).
  3. Set up your mailboxes as directed in steps 3 and 4 of our setup guide.
  4. When you see a "Coming Soon" message with our logo, you are ready to upload your website (see step 6 of our setup guide).

Q:

 Can I keep my existing domain name if I decide to host with you?
A: Yes. You would just have to go to your domain registry's website to request a DNS change. There is no charge for transferring domain names by either domain registries or us.

Q:

 I would like to transfer my website from my current host to you. Can I do this without having any downtime?
A: Yes. To avoid downtime, you can use FTP or our web based File Manager to upload your website immediately without waiting for your domain name to be pointed to our servers. You can also view your website using our alternative URL system prior to your domain name transfer in order to make sure it is set up properly. FTP host and alternative URL info is e-mailed at the time each account is activated.

Q:

 Do you register domain names?
A: Yes. We register .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, .us.vu, .uk.vu, .us.fm, and .uk.fm domain names. Click here for our real time domain search and registration form.

Q:

 Do I have to register my domain name with you in order to host it with you?
A: No. You can register your domain with any registrar you wish, and still host with us.

Q:

 Do I have to host my website with you if I registered my domain through your website?
A: No. You can host your website elsewhere, and still keep your domain registration with us.

Q:

 Do you have to design my site in order to host it?
A: No. You can design it yourself or use anyone you choose.

Q:

 How long have you been in business?
A: We have been in business since 1994 which makes us one of the oldest web hosting and development companies on the Internet.

Q:

 Why does your service cost less than others? What is the catch?
A: We have spent a considerable amount of time and resources putting together what we feel is the most competitive Business Hosting and E-Commerce package in the industry. There are no long term contracts, hidden setup, transfer or renewal charges, and we do not place any forced links or banners on your website. Most of our prices are openly disclosed on our website, as we charge the same whether you are a Fortune 500 company or a local gift shop.

Q:

 What operating system do you run for your shared hosting accounts?
A: We run primarily Linux Red Hat® and Windows 2000® server platforms.

Q:

 What type of content can I place on my website?
A: We do not restrict the content of our customers' websites as long as it does not violate any laws.

Q:

 Who owns the content of my website?
A: You do. We do not claim any copyright or ownership of your website.

Q:

 What type of software can I use to upload my site to your servers?
A: You can use any FTP program, our web based File Manager, any version of Microsoft FrontPage, DreamWeaver, NetObjects Fusion, Adobe GoLive, and many others.

Q:

 Do you support Microsoft Access databases?
A: Yes, but you must have the Database Access option (additional $5/month) enabled on your account, and request that your account is placed on a Windows 2000 server.

Q:

 Do I have to use your shopping cart or merchant account to host with you?
A: No. You can use any vendor you choose.

Q:

 If I use your free shopping cart, do I have to also use your merchant account?
A: No. You can use any merchant account you choose, or not have one at all.

Q:

 Can I point multiple domains to my home page or separate folders within my website?
A: Yes. This is done by adding the Domain Forwarding option to your account. For $5/month you can point up to 5 additional domains to your home page or any other file or directory within your website. If you select Frame Forwarding, your visitors will see the actual domain name they typed in, and not know that the domain they entered is actually being redirected to a page inside of another website. 1 POP3 mailbox and mail forwarding is also included with each forwarded domain.

Q:

 I have a .co.uk domain. Does it cost more to host than .com?
A: No. We host all generic and country code domains at the same rates.

Q:

 If I pay for the whole year of hosting up front, what happens if I cancel in 6 months?
A: You will receive a refund for the remaining 6 months or whatever time you have not used.

Q:

 How do you handle renewals? Is my credit card charged automatically?
A: We send a renewal notice 30 days prior to your annual renewal date. To renew your account for another year, you can either make a payment online using a credit card, or send a check to the mailing address in your renewal notice. If you do not renew within 10 days after your renewal date, we automatically close your account. We never charge your credit card automatically.

Q:

 Can I add and delete options from my hosting account at any time? Is there a setup fee involved?
A: You can add options at any time with no additional fees other than the cost of the option. If you delete an option, you will receive a refund for the remaining time through your annual renewal date.

Q:

 Can I see a live demo of your hosting features prior to signing up for an account?
A: For a live demo of our control panel and other account features, please click here.

Q:

 How can I get references from your current customers about your services?
A: For a random sample of websites hosted by us, click here.

Q:

 I live outside the United States. Do you bill in U.S. Dollars?
A: Your bank will automatically convert U.S. Dollars to your home currency at the time you receive your credit card bill.

Q:

 I do not have a credit card. Do you accept checks for payment?
A: Yes. To use our special pay-by-check signup form for Business Hosting, please click here.

Q:

 Do you offer a reseller program?
A:

Yes. If you are a web designer or IT professional and prefer to sign up customer accounts under your own name, our Reseller Program offers a 10% to 30% discount on all our hosting products.

We also offer a Partner Program that pays a 10% commission for all referrals that sign up for our hosting plans using a partner's unique linking code.

For complete details about our Reseller or Partner programs and a schedule of reseller discounts, please see our Make Money section.

Q:

 Will you still be here a year from now?
A: Unlike most of the high flying Internet companies of the 90's, our primary focus has been on service and customer retention, not traffic, ad revenue, taking our company public or selling out to the highest bidder. We have been profitable since the first month we started, with our only debts being salaries, data center leases, and bandwidth usage. We do not borrow money for equipment purchases, ad campaigns, executive salaries, or director perks. Our lean operations have helped us maintain profitability while offering the highest quality service at the lowest possible price.
Existing Customers
Q: When users enter my domain name into a web browser, they get a "The page cannot be displayed" message, or a "Coming Soon" message from our domain registry.
A: Your domain name is not pointed at our servers. Check with your registry to see if this was done correctly (see steps 1 and 2 of our setup guide).
Q: I have uploaded my entire site, but when I access my domain, I still see your "Coming Soon" message.
A: Your default page is not called "default.htm, default.html, index.htm, index.html, index.shtml, or index.php3". Please make sure your default page is named properly, (see step 5 of our setup guide).
Q: I cannot send e-mail to any e-mail addresses outside of my domain name.
A:
  1. You did not list your ISP's default mail server for outgoing mail in your e-mail client (see step 4 of our setup guide). Our servers are not allowed to relay e-mail messages to outside domains for security reasons unless you check the "My server requires authentication" box in your e-mail client.
  2. Your ISP's mail servers may be down or temporarily unavailable.
Q: I cannot receive e-mail at some or any of my e-mail addresses.
A:
  1. If you cannot access your domain name either, your domain name is not pointed to our servers. Please make sure you have followed the instructions correctly in steps 1 and 2 of our setup guide.
  2. You have not set up your e-mail reception accounts properly (see step 4 of our setup guide).
Q: I cannot log on to my site via FTP or FrontPage.
A:
  1. You have changed your FTP or FrontPage log in password. You can view your FTP and FrontPage user name and password by going to our control panel and selecting the "Change Web Password" option.
  2. Your FTP client or FrontPage program is not configured or is not working properly. Please make sure when you specify the web address to upload to, you only specify your domain name without any prefixes such as ftp, http or www.
  3. If you cannot access your domain name either, your domain name is not pointed to our servers. Please make sure you have followed the instructions correctly in steps 1 and 2 of our setup guide.
Q: I have uploaded my entire site, but some images and files are not displaying.
A:
  1. Your files or folders are not referred to properly in your program code. Some web servers are case sensitive, so do not refer to your "images" folder as "Images", and so on (see step 5 of our setup guide).
  2. The image, file or folder your are attempting to access does not exist. Make sure that the path is correct in all references and upload the file or folder again.
Q: My site takes too long to load.
A:
  1. You may have missing or very large image files. Try to avoid using images that are more than 15 KB in size, as they will impact the loading speed of your site significantly.
  2. There may be something wrong with your ISP or modem. Try to access other sites to make sure this is not the case prior to contacting us for support.
Q: When I upload forms I created with FrontPage, validation and submit functions do not work at all.
A: You may have used FTP to upload those pages. If you want all FrontPage functions to work properly, you must use FrontPage to upload all your web pages.
Q: I cannot access my website with a browser, FTP or FrontPage, nor receive e-mail for my domain.
A: This is probably caused by a network outage somewhere between your ISP and our servers. You should check to see if you can access other websites prior to contacting us for support. 
Q: When I try to send e-mail, I get a "No Socket Error".
A: This error means that use of our mail server is being blocked by your ISP. Unfortunately, some ISP's block their clients from using any outgoing SMTP mail server other than their own. If your ISP does this, you will not be able to use our or any other mail servers except those provided by your ISP. If you do not want to switch ISP's, your only solution is to use your ISP's outgoing mail server to send your e-mail (please contact them for complete details and instructions).
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