Q: What is Dial-up? / What is a Modem? / What is an ISP? A: What is Dial-Up? Dial up is a method of connecting a PC or Mac to a computer or network using a modem which links the computers through the telephone system. What is a Modem? A modem is an electronic device that converts digital data from a computer into a form suitable for transmission over telephone lines, and incoming signals from the telephone line into a form that can be recognized by the computer. Modems are available as external devices or internal cards to connect to a PC or Mac. Some modems have an additional socket into which you can plug your telephone, otherwise you will have to unplug the telephone while the modem is in use. What is an ISP? You use dial-up networking to call an Internet Service Provider and log onto the Internet. You need to enter your ISP's phone number (the number for your modem to call, not the tech support or sales department numbers), your log-in name, your password, and other bits of information. Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) will tell you what you need to know.

Q: What can I do to improve my connection speed with a 56K modem? A: The number one reason for the slower connect speed of a 56K modem is line noise. Because of the increased throughput, 56K modems are more susceptible to line noise than slower modems. Most people will get normal connect speed of 35K to 44K. Try disconnecting additional telephony devices (fax, phone, answering machines, alarm systems, etc...) from the phone lines, even if they're in a different room. Some users have had a connect speed jump by 10K when they unplugged a fax machine or cordless phone in another room. Run the phone line directly from the back of the modem to the wall, without passing through surge suppressers, splitters, phone line extenders, etc. Check to see if the modem has a more recent firmware version that is available. Many people's problems have disappeared when they installed a new version of the firmware. Call our technical support for further information about firmware. The FCC 56K standards allow for maximum download speeds of 53,000 bps, but only upload speeds up to 33,600 BPS The standards were designed this way to take advantage of the fact that the size of the information your computer receives from the Internet is normally much larger than the size of the information you send into the Internet The extra "data pumping" power is applied where its needed the most. This is how you can get slow upload speeds. Check modem protocol. If you are using a modem with the X2 protocol and have not upgraded to the V.90 protocol, you may get speeds of 33,600 BPS (bits per second) or less. Contact technical support for directions.

Q: I don't remember my username and/or password. What do I do? A: You will need to call support at 1-888-292-6381. A technician will ask for your account number and verify your identity. They will then provide you with the information that you require.

Q: How can I change the phone number that my computer dials to get connected to the Internet? A: Windows 95/98: Changing the telephone number in Dial-Up Networking: Double click on the MY COMPUTER icon. Double click on the Dial-Up Networking icon. Right click on the AllWest icon and select Properties. You will see a box that lists a telephone number in that screen (called General); change the old number to the new number. lick on the OK button.

Q: What can I do to prevent being disconnected from the Internet? A: After 20 minutes of inactivity on a Web site you will be disconnected from the Internet. You can also be disconnected due to severe phone line conditions such as line noise. (Note: When you are not loading any new information from the Internet, you are "inactive". Reading an email or a Web site is inactivity because you are not loading anything.) If you are being disconnected before twenty minutes of inactivity, and using Windows 95, try the following: Click on Start, then Settings, and then Control Panel. Double Click on the Internet icon, and then click the Connection tab. Next to "Disconnect if idle for...", make sure that if there is a check mark, that the number of minutes in the field is more than 20 minutes (however, many minutes you desire). Click OK, and then OK again until you are out of all of the Control panel windows. This will save the setting.

Q: I am getting the error 691: The computer you are dialing cannot establish a dial up networking connection. Please check the password and try again. I know my password is correct, what should I do? A: Make sure that you are not typing the password in uppercase. Check your 'Caps Lock' key by looking for the light in the upper-right hand corner of your keyboard. If the light labeled 'Caps Lock' is on, disengage your Caps Lock by striking the key once more. It is possible that your account might be closed. This usually happens because of a non payment of your billing. If you believe this is the case, contact our billing department at 1-888-292-6381. In rare cases it can be caused by improper TCP/IP configuration. If none of the above has worked, please contact our Tech Support department at 1-888-292-6381 for further assistance.

Q: Where do I go to get the newest version of Internet Explorer? A: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie

Q: How do I upload my webpage? / How do I FTP? A: Once your web site is designed you will want to download an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program. These programs can be found at www.tucows.com or www.download.com & many of them are freeware. These programs transfer the web files you have designed from your hard drive to the All West web server. To log onto the FTP program use the following information: Username: All West Dial Up Username Password: All West Dial Up Password Server/Host Name: allwest.net First, create a directory named "webpage" and place all web files inside of this directory. Please name the first page of your web site index.html so our server will know which page to begin with. See our tutorial (with screenshots!).

Q: Email sent to me is being returned to the sender. Why? A: The sender may be typing your email address incorrectly. Verify with them that they have your correct address. Your email space on the mail server may be full. The amount of email that the mail server can hold for your account is limited. To free up space for new email do one of the following: Use your email program (i.e. Outlook) to download your email from the server. Note: make sure your email program is not set to leave copies of your email on the server. Login to the Webmail system at allwest.com. From the Webmail interface delete email messages to create free space.

Q: What should I know about Viruses? A: In case you are wondering, opening an email message will not infect your system with a virus. However, you should exercise some caution with regard to email attachments labeled with an .exe on the end. Also, some spreadsheet files or word processing documents may contain viruses that can be activated by opening them (right clicking and selecting open). Please avoid opening attachments unless you know what's inside and can trust the sender. If you open an attachment and get a message prompting you to enable or disable macros. Click on "disable macros" unless you are sure that it is safe. Have you ever received an email that said something like this: "Do not open any email messages with "Good Times" in the subject line -- It may infect your computer with a virus." Emails like this are appearing more frequently in email boxes everywhere. The problem is that users don't always know what to do about them. Should they warn their friends or just ignore the situation? Here are some useful guidelines: The threat of viruses infecting our computers is a serious matter. Many people have already taken steps to reduce this threat by installing anti-virus software on its desktop computers. Occasionally, individuals on the Internet disseminate information about new kinds of virus threats. Sometimes this information is correct and sometimes it is false. Spreading false information is in itself a form of computer virus in the sense that it disrupts normal work productivity due to the panic factor. For example, some individuals may hesitate to open their email for fear that it will infect their computer with a destructive virus. The spreading false information across networks in this manner is sometimes referred to as a "hoax" virus because it disrupts normal business activity as people scramble to warn heir neighbor and flood communication lines with more warnings. If you become concerned about any virus threats, whether you know if they are legitimate or not, the best thing to do is to go to an anti-virus Web site, such as McAfee.com or Norton (www.syamntec.com).