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FAQs CONFIGURATION Sometimes when I try to log on or check my email, I am asked to enter my password again and again. Your username and password must be spelled correctly, and typed in all lower case letters. If you have one or the other misspelled, the server will not know who you are, and ask for a correct name and password. Look carefully at the User Name and Password and make sure that there are no spaces before or after. Make sure your caps lock is turned OFF when you type your username and password. If you are unsure of how to log in or have forgotten your username or password (or both!), call us at 631-399-2910. A program is asking me what type of connection I have, and if I'm behind a firewall. Coastal customers have a dial up connection with 56k modems. No customers are behind a firewall, unless you've implemented one yourself. Why can't I connect? I connected just fine ten minutes ago. Connectivity problems are commonplace... storms cause power outages, overloads can bring down a switching terminal, a computer crashing and needing a reboot, and even someone tripping over a power cord can cause disruptions. Happily, they are usually short-lived. CONNECTIVITY I have a 56k modem, but I'm connecting at speeds lower than 40k. What could be the problem? Your connection speed is influenced entirely by two factors: modem compatibility and telephone line quality. 56k modems are much more susceptible to "noise" (static) in the telephone line than were previous 33.6 and 28.8 modems. Although you don't have much control over the quality of your line, you can make sure your modem is running the newest available software. Check your modem manufacturer's home page, or give them a call for information on downloading and installing software upgrades for your modem. Sometimes when I connect, I am only able to stay logged in for a few minutes, then I get disconnected. What is happening? To establish and sustain a connection, the modem on your machine must be able to communicate clearly with our modems. Any loss in signal quality will result in a slower speed. Too much signal loss and the modems won't be able to understand each other at all and they will terminate the connection. Most modems are supposed to automatically lower their speed if they encounter static so the connection will remain stable. But sometimes a modem will not correctly lower its connection speed, and will eventually disconnect. Usually, this is a problem with the modem's internal software, and a simple software upgrade will fix the problem in most cases. I have a 56k modem, and I am connecting in the 40k to 50k range. Why so slow? 56k modems cannot actually connect at 56k. 53k is the maximum permitted by law, and even that speed is only obtainable in laboratory conditions. Most users connect around 44k to 48k, with some being as high as 51k or 52k. It's not abnormal for a modem to connect at different speeds at different times. The speed of your connection depends on conditions only at the time of your call. These conditions change due to weather, time of day, and phone line outages and maintenence that Coastal has no control over. Why are you still using dialup? Why aren't you offering broadband? That's a good question. It has to do with the current suppliers of DSL making it nearly impossible to offer by undercutting their own suppliers. If Company A sells DSL directly to you for $40 a month and waives installation fees, but sells it to Coastal to resell for $45 a month and Coastal is also being charged with installation fees, there is no profit in it. If there was a good package deal for us to offer our clients, we would do it in a heartbeat. Can't you make my connection go faster? Not without going broadband. The technology is limited. The upside is that you are saving quite a bit of money each month by using a telephone line you're already paying for and a modem which is likely built into your computer anyway. We're adding the nominal fee of $15 a month for dialup accounts. I'm trying to receive my e-mail, but it's just sitting there. It says receiving message, but nothing is coming through. You most likely have a large file attachment in your email that someone has sent you. It depends on the size of the file, but the message may take an hour or more to download. Make sure you give the message enough time to download. My e-mail program is telling me it can't find the mail server. What's wrong? There are a couple of possibilities for this one. First, make sure you're connected to Coastal. If you're not connected, then your computer won't be able to contact the mail server. If you are connected and still getting the error message, you might have the mail server name configured incorrectly in your mail program. Visit our Support page for instructions on how to configure your e-mail program. I'm trying to send a message to my friend, but it keeps coming back to me. Why won't it send? You might have typed the email address incorrectly, or their account may not be open anymore. Check to make sure you are using the correct address. If you are, then it might be their account that's not working. Give them a call, if you can, and verify you have the right address and that their account hasn't changed. If you're sure that the email address is correct, you can forward the bounce message you're getting back to support@portbridge.com and we will research the matter for you. What is the benefit of your webmail browser? You don't need a Coastal login to check your mail from any browser. It's convenient when you're on the road, or using someone else's computer, or at work, where you want to keep yor personal e-mail separate from the company's e-mail. What is SMTP Authentication? SMTP Authentication is a transparent mechanism for a mail server to verify who you are. The server asks for your user name and password, which your mail program passes on. If you are verified, then you’ll be able to send your message. Otherwise, it will come back as undeliverable. Why does Coastal use it? In the fight to stop Spam (junkmail, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail, etc.), the rules that apply to a mail server's acceptance of mail are getting more and more stringent. So you're doing something about all this spam? We do what every responsible ISP is doing, we screen incoming e-mail. If it exceeds certain checks for legitimacy, it won't get delivered. THINGS THAT GO BUMP Computer viruses scare me. How can I make sure I don't have it on my machine? Coastal Internet does not sell or support anti-virus software, but the two most popular ones are McAfee VirusScan and Norton AntiVirus from Symantec. There is also a free scan at TrendMicro, where you can check your Windows computer online. Ack! What the heck is spyware? Symptoms of spyware infections: What does Coastal do about viruses? Our mail server is loaded with the most current definitions available. The definitions allow the filter to sniff out a virus, and delete it from your e-mail. This will not stop your machine from being infected by other methods, but your Coastal Internet e-mail will be clean. What other methods can infect my machine? Browsing can load a javascript or applet which will then download an executable file. Manually downloading suspicous .exe files and running them is how many people have destroyed their data, and it's especially bad when a friend was just sharing something funny. Even the Instant Messenger programs have been infected, and allowed infected files and links to be sent through. Media sent from other machines can carry viruses, and Microsoft Word files have been known to carry a special surprise. My AOL Instant Messenger can be subverted too? Yes, unfortunately, viruses exist even for Instant Messaging programs. Be extra careful not to open suspicious links, as they can point your browser to a site that will download all sorts of malicious files. Is there anything else I can do besides get virus software and do Internet scans? Absolutely! Make sure you go to the Microsoft site or the Apple site, and download updates to the operating software. They will fix the "exploits" as soon as they can, but leaving gaping holes in your operating system and all your supporting software is just asking for trouble. |
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