Frequently Asked Questions

The purpose of this FAQ is to provide you with answers to common problems you might have.

When I try to log in for FTP it says, "Login Incorrect" or "Host Not Found"

For the first week it is recommended that you use the IP address as your hostname. The reason for this is because your ISP may have not updated their DNS tables yet. If you are transferring a domain name it may not be completed yet. After about the first week it is advised that you use your domain name as the host name. For more information about transferring your domain name and why your ISP has to update their DNS tables please see the below question.

Remember that your username and password are case sensitive.

Make sure you are connected to the Internet before trying to use FTP.

When I access my site I get a page that says, "This site is under construction and will be available soon" even though I have uploaded my site.

When you login via FTP and go into your "www" directory you will see a file by the name of index.htm. This is the file that is displaying the message; "This site is under construction and will be available soon." You need to delete that file and replace it with your own index.htm file. Your main page must be named index.htm in order for it to load when accessing it by yourdomain.com or IP address.

Make sure that you are uploading your files inside of the "www" directory.

When I view my web site there are broken images and links that don't work.

Remember that files are case sensitive. For example, in your HTML document you have a link to CONTACTINFO.HTM but you named the file contactinfo.htm it will not work. The same thing goes with graphics and all other web documents. What you have in your HTML must match up with what you name your files. Also check to make sure you have everything in the right directory and that matches up.

When I try to access my site (mydomain.com or IP address) it says, "Forbidden, You don't have permission to access / on this server."

This is caused by not having an index.htm file inside of your www directory. Once you upload your index.htm file inside of your www directory this error message will go away and that page will load.

How do I know if my domain name has been transferred?

You will know that your domain name has been successfully transferred and your ISP (Internet Service Provider) has updated its DNS tables when you are able to FTP to your account using yourdomain.com as the hostname. Before the transfer is complete, when you try using yourdomain.com and the username/password Thunderbird provided you with, it will not work.

It has been well over 72 hours and my domain name has not been transferred yet. What can I do?

There are two things that must occur for your domain name to be successfully transferred.

1. Name server settings with Network Solutions (InterNIC) must be changed to the following:
   NS.WESTHOST.NET
   209.204.249.248
   NS2.WESTHOST.NET
   209.204.250.200

   To change the name server settings on your domain name you need to follow the instructions InterNIC e-mails to you. InterNIC will e-mail the administrative and technical contact of the domain name. Only one of them must respond for the transfer to be completed. If you are unsure who the administrative and technical contact are please do a search at: http://www.westhost.com/dsearch.htm When that part of the transfer is complete you will be able to do a domain search on your domain name and the above name servers will appear at the bottom of your listing.

   If you have responded to the message InterNIC sent you and nothing has been done you can contact InterNIC at 703-742-4777. You will need to find your tracking number. This is located in the subject of e-mail message they sent to you; it will start with NIC. Giving them your tracking number they can tell you the status of the transfer and most likely complete the transfer right over the phone.

2. Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) must update their DNS tables to reflect the new name server settings with InterNIC.

   This usually is not a concern. Most ISPs update their DNS tables twice a day and there are not any problems. If you are able to do a domain search and the above name server settings appear but your site will not come up using yourdomain.com then your ISP has not updated its DNS Tables. You will need to contact your ISP and have this done. Tell them to update their DNS tables or perform DNS refresh.

I am trying to redirect my e-mail but it won't work.

Some things to check:

• The .redirect file must be edited in a simple text editor and saved in ASCII format. Programs such as SimpleText, Notepad, or WordPad work well. If you use a program such as Microsoft Word it will add a bunch of its programming and won't work, unless you specify that the file be saved in ASCII or Text Only format.
• The .redirect file must be uploaded in ASCII format.
• Once you upload the new file it is not always going to work right away. Wait about 10-15 minutes for it to take effect.

How do I change my password?

Please look here for more information.