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When
I try to connect, why does it keep
re-prompting me for my password, even
after I enter the correct one?
Even
though the error that you are probably
getting actually specifies that the
password is incorrect, it may be referring
to the username or the password. The
easiest way to fix this problem is to
bring up the initial "Connect
to" box (where
you actually press the button that says
"Connect"). In this box, you
will see an area for your username, an
area for your password, and the phone
number that you are dialing. You need to
place your cursor into the area for
username and delete whatever may be there (even
if it appears to be correct)! After
the box is empty, you will proceed to hit
the delete key approximately 5-10 more
times. Repeat the EXACT
same process in the password area. After
both fields have been completely cleared,
re-enter the username and the password.
What tends to cause a problem like this is
an extra or unexpected character in one of
the two fields, usually a space that we
are unable to see.
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Why
do I always get disconnected after 15
minutes?
If
it seems that you are consistently getting
disconnected after 15 minutes, you may
have the idle time out option selected.
Idle time out occurs if you are connected
but do not have any type of activity for a
certain amount of time. This usually
happens if you leave the computer to eat
dinner, etc. and stay online while you do
so. Since you are not actually doing
anything on the Internet, you are
considered idle. Most Internet Service
Providers implement an idle time out
policy to keep the lines free for other
users who want to get online. But if you
are experiencing these time outs quicker
than your ISP's policy is for, you
probably have the option set on your
computer. If you check your Internet
Options
(located in the Control Panel), you
will see where this setting is located.
| a. |
Click
on the "Start"
button. |
| b. |
Go
up to "Settings"
and select "Control Panel" |
| c. |
Double-click
on the icon labeled "Internet"
or "Internet Options" |
| d. |
Click
on the "Connection"
tab and you should see your
connection located in a box |
| e. |
To
the right-hand side, you will find
a button that says, "Settings."
Click on this button |
| f. |
Inside
the new "Settings"
window you will find another
button that says
"Properties" that you
will want to click on. |
| g. |
In
the "Properties"
for your connection you will find
a "Configure"
button at the bottom of the
window. Click on "Configure" |
| h. |
You
should find a tab marked "Connection".
When you hit this tab you will
find the idle time out option
located near the bottom. Make sure
that this box is unchecked |
It
sounds confusing but if you follow the
instructions step by step, you should have
no
difficulty fixing this problem.
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Why
do I seem to get disconnected so
frequently?
If
you find your connection being terminated
while you are working online, not idle,
but actually surfing the Internet or
sending mail, you most likely have an
unstable connection. This is caused
by your modem connecting at a rate that
your phone lines cannot handle. While the
modem is trying to transfer the data, the
phone lines struggle to hold the
connection and a lot of times the
connection is dropped. This problem is
easy to resolve. You simply need an
initialization string to help control your
modem's speed of connection. This string
can usually be found in the Owner's
Manual, or you can call the place of
purchase or the manufacturer. Once you
have established which string will work
with your particular modem, place the
string in the following location:
|
a.
|
Click
on the "Start"
button.
|
|
b.
|
Go
up to "Settings"
and select "Control
Panel".
|
|
c.
|
In
the "Control Panel"
you will find an icon called
"Modem" that
you will double-click on.
|
|
d.
|
Inside
of this window you should see
your modem displayed. Select the
modem and click the "Properties"
button.
|
|
e.
|
Once
inside the modem properties
window, you will find a tab
labeled "connection"
that you will select.
|
|
f.
|
Now
you will find a button that says
"Advanced".
Click this button.
|
|
g.
|
Finally,
in this window you will see a
textbox marked "Extra
Settings". Put your
cursor into this field and enter
the string that you have
obtained from the manual,
computer store, modem
manufacturer, or Internet
Service Provider. A list of
generic init-strings can be
found on our init-string page at
http://support.pngusa.net/fag/strings/initstrings.html.
|
The string should ALWAYS be entered in one
case. All letters need to be upper or
lower-case, not a mixture of both. This
should take care of the problem. Other
options when working with modem commands
is to use the Internet as a research tool.
Choose any search engine that you prefer (for
example, www.altavista.com, www.yahoo.com,
or www.lycos.com) and do a simple
search on the word "modem" and
you will find more resources than you have
time to read. Your local phone company
will check your phone lines for noise, if
you feel that bad phone lines may be the
problem.
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Why
does it say that I am not getting a dial
tone?
If
you attempt dialing in and get an
immediate error that there is no dial
tone, there is something wrong with the
modem or the phone line. It is usually a
problem with the modem not being plugged
in correctly. Make sure that the phone
line is plugged into the correct spot on
the back of your computer and that it is
plugged into the phone jack on the wall.
If it all looks correct, unplug the
computer and try an actual telephone in
the jack. Does it have a dial tone? If
there is a dial tone at this point it
would be a safe assumption that the modem
is not plugged in properly and that is
what you need to fix. If there is no dial
tone with the handset either, it is time
to call the phone company. If there is a
dial tone, and you are certain your modem
is plugged in correctly, it is possible
that your modem is not functioning
properly. Contact your computer
vendor/manufacturer if you think this is
the problem. You also need to know if a 9
should be dialed for an outside line. If
you are not dialing the 9 first and it is
required, it may give you this error.
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Why
can I send email to all of my friends but
my daughter's address won't work?
If
you are able to send to everybody you try
with the exception of one or two
addresses, chances are you are entering
something incorrectly in the address. The
error message that your email program
gives is a good indication of the problem.
It could also be a problem with the
recipient's service provider.
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Why
can't I send a picture of my son with my
email? It never lets the message send!
Pictures
tend to be far larger in size than plain
text messages. Most of the time, if a
picture will not send via email it is
because the file is too large. Many
Internet Service Providers will have a
size limit on any mail that their servers
handle. Email was not intended to send and
receive these types of large files. Using
a Zip program (WinZip,
for example) to compress the file will
help solve this problem. Keep in mind that
after you have compressed and sent the
message, the recipient will need to
un-compress it before viewing. Make sure
that the people you are sending to know
that they will also need a Zip program.
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Why
do I download the same six messages every
time I check for new mail?
If you download the same messages over
and over, the first step would be to make
sure that you do not have "Save
a copy of messages on server"
selected in your mail client's options. If
this option is selected, you will find
that you do download the same messages
time and again. The most common cause for
this problem, however, is one message that
clogs up your mail, so to speak. There
are quite a few lines that most people do
not see while sending mail called,
headers, and this is what actually directs
where the mail is delivered to. If there
is any character out of place in the
header, the message will be undeliverable.
Or if the message is too large for the
mail server to handle the result will be
the same. This single message will prevent
anything else from being downloaded after
it. Until the very last message on the
server is downloaded, the server will
continue giving you the same messages. So
if you are stopping the download of mail
yourself before it is finished
downloading, it will start from the top
the next time you try. After the final
message is downloaded, that is when the
server wipes the slate clean for you.
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Why
can I receive mail but I can't send?
If you happen to have this problem
occur, you will need to open your mail
client (Outlook,
Eudora, Etc.) and access the Outgoing
mail folder.
(Most will read as “Outbox”).
Delete, or move any unsent messages
out of the folder, once you have done
this. Check for any new messages on the
mail server and then send any replies or
new messages you have. This error message
is coming from the mail server, not from
the mail client itself. It means that the
SMTP (outgoing)
mail server did not recognize you as an
authorized user and has rejected your
message. Most ISPs configure their SMTP
servers to recognize only those
IP addresses, on the accepted list.
By checking for new messages before
attempting to send any outgoing mail, you
will have been authorized and added to
this accepted list of IP addresses to send
outgoing messages.
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