TIPS
DOMAIN NAMES - Your private information
When you register a domain name, realize that your information is available to the public. How do you think I got the IP address for WA and know that their subscription expires at the end of this month? There are plenty of ways/places to find out this info. Google it or go to whois.net. You give your name, address, email and a bunch of other personal info when registering. If you want to protect this information there are services available that will do this. Of course you have to pay for it. I use WhoisGuard because it is free for me the first year, compliments of my hosting company.
NEVER DO THIS
When looking for new domain names NEVER put the URL in the address bar of your browser to see if it is taken. Always go to a trusted domain registrar to see if a domain name is available. Internet Service Providers (ISP) sell NXD data. NXD is Non-eXistent Domain data. Actually, NXD is the response from the DNS server to the asking computer (you) when a domain name does not exist. Many ISPs log this information and sell it to various companies for a very healthy profit. These companies then buy these domains to see what generates money. The result of all this is that it is possible for those companies to buy your domain name before you do.
KEEP GOOD RECORDS
When you register a domain name and a hosting account, use a spread sheet or whatever method you like that documents all of the information: Domain name, purchase date, expiration date, cost, where you registered it, the support telephone number, protected (WhoisGuard) or not protected, and of course the name and IP address of your DNS servers and site. Do the same for your hosting account. Main point here is to document everything that you can.
You should do the same for your ISP or however you connect to the internet. Print off a copy too. The reason here is that if you can't connect to the internet, you will have the telephone number to contact them.
And finally, document your IP/Network configuration. Open up a command window and type in ipconfig /all. No space after the /.
You can follow these steps if you aren't familiar with the command window.
1. In W2000 or XP, click Start, then Run. Enter "cmd" without the quotes. I think Vista has a Command Prompt shortcut on the Start Menu.
2. In that cmd window enter ipconfig /all. You should see your IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway and a few other settings that are important.
3. A quick and dirty way to record the info is to simply copy and paste into Notepad and save it to your Desktop. Click Start, Run, and type in notepad. Cool? Type in calc in the Run window and see what comes up.
Go back to your ipconfig window. Click the icon in the top left side of the bar. In that Menu go down and select Edit, then Select All. Click on that icon again, select Edit and Copy. Click on the Notepad window you opened up. Hit Ctrl-V to paste or right click the mouse and select paste.
If you ever see 0.0.0.0 in any of the ipconfig entries, chances are you are having problems connecting to the internet. This is particularly true for the Ip Address entry. This is why it is important to document these settings. You can always go back and reconfigure your network card because you know what to set everything back to.
COUPONS - Save a few bucks
Before purchasing a domain name or hosting account, do a Google Search for coupons. For exmple Namecheap coupons or web host coupons or where ever you choose to go for your purchases. Most reputable places will offer a discount for the initial registration of a domain name and hosting account. Also, if possible don't get your domain name at the beginning of the month if you are looking for coupons. The sites that offer the coupons are usually slow at posting the new codes. The codes change every month. Domain names have recently increased in price. Must be because of the gas prices, but who the heck knows.
I Can't Access My Website
Let's say you purchased your new domain name and set up your hosting account yesterday. You type in your domain name, mydomain.com and you do not reach your site. What do you do?
1. First clear your cache, temporary internet files, and browser history. Close the browser, reopen it and try again. Also, be sure to use the http://www.mydomain.com and not just the mydomain.com.
2. Still can't get to it? Go to your address bar in the browser and enter the IP address of your site. You did write it down, right?
3. If you aren't able to get to it using the IP address, call your hosting company. Problems like this are common if you made the mistake of getting a shared IP instead of an individual one from your hosting provider.
4. If you got to it using the IP address, then the problem is probably with your domain name/DNS setup. This of course is assuming you are spelling your domain name correctly. The quickest fix is to call up Tech Support where you purchased your domain. Normally once you reach the support person, they can check it out for you in just a few minutes. You can (and probably should) log into your account and see if you can find the problem yourself so you don't make the same mistake next time.
5. In rare cases, the support person will be able to reach your site with no problem but you can't. The problem now could be with your ISP or your computer. The quickest thing to do is to turn off all Firewalls, Virus software, and spybot/adware software. Clear cache, temporary internet files and try again. If you still can't get to it using the IP address or URL call your ISP. They sometimes block a range of IPs for various reasons usually because of Spamming. Again, this can happen if you are using a shared IP address, or purchased your domain name that was already registered once.
DOMAIN NAMES - Your private information
When you register a domain name, realize that your information is available to the public. How do you think I got the IP address for WA and know that their subscription expires at the end of this month? There are plenty of ways/places to find out this info. Google it or go to whois.net. You give your name, address, email and a bunch of other personal info when registering. If you want to protect this information there are services available that will do this. Of course you have to pay for it. I use WhoisGuard because it is free for me the first year, compliments of my hosting company.
NEVER DO THIS
When looking for new domain names NEVER put the URL in the address bar of your browser to see if it is taken. Always go to a trusted domain registrar to see if a domain name is available. Internet Service Providers (ISP) sell NXD data. NXD is Non-eXistent Domain data. Actually, NXD is the response from the DNS server to the asking computer (you) when a domain name does not exist. Many ISPs log this information and sell it to various companies for a very healthy profit. These companies then buy these domains to see what generates money. The result of all this is that it is possible for those companies to buy your domain name before you do.
KEEP GOOD RECORDS
When you register a domain name and a hosting account, use a spread sheet or whatever method you like that documents all of the information: Domain name, purchase date, expiration date, cost, where you registered it, the support telephone number, protected (WhoisGuard) or not protected, and of course the name and IP address of your DNS servers and site. Do the same for your hosting account. Main point here is to document everything that you can.
You should do the same for your ISP or however you connect to the internet. Print off a copy too. The reason here is that if you can't connect to the internet, you will have the telephone number to contact them.
And finally, document your IP/Network configuration. Open up a command window and type in ipconfig /all. No space after the /.
You can follow these steps if you aren't familiar with the command window.
1. In W2000 or XP, click Start, then Run. Enter "cmd" without the quotes. I think Vista has a Command Prompt shortcut on the Start Menu.
2. In that cmd window enter ipconfig /all. You should see your IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway and a few other settings that are important.
3. A quick and dirty way to record the info is to simply copy and paste into Notepad and save it to your Desktop. Click Start, Run, and type in notepad. Cool? Type in calc in the Run window and see what comes up.
Go back to your ipconfig window. Click the icon in the top left side of the bar. In that Menu go down and select Edit, then Select All. Click on that icon again, select Edit and Copy. Click on the Notepad window you opened up. Hit Ctrl-V to paste or right click the mouse and select paste.
If you ever see 0.0.0.0 in any of the ipconfig entries, chances are you are having problems connecting to the internet. This is particularly true for the Ip Address entry. This is why it is important to document these settings. You can always go back and reconfigure your network card because you know what to set everything back to.
COUPONS - Save a few bucks
Before purchasing a domain name or hosting account, do a Google Search for coupons. For exmple Namecheap coupons or web host coupons or where ever you choose to go for your purchases. Most reputable places will offer a discount for the initial registration of a domain name and hosting account. Also, if possible don't get your domain name at the beginning of the month if you are looking for coupons. The sites that offer the coupons are usually slow at posting the new codes. The codes change every month. Domain names have recently increased in price. Must be because of the gas prices, but who the heck knows.
I Can't Access My Website
Let's say you purchased your new domain name and set up your hosting account yesterday. You type in your domain name, mydomain.com and you do not reach your site. What do you do?
1. First clear your cache, temporary internet files, and browser history. Close the browser, reopen it and try again. Also, be sure to use the http://www.mydomain.com and not just the mydomain.com.
2. Still can't get to it? Go to your address bar in the browser and enter the IP address of your site. You did write it down, right?
3. If you aren't able to get to it using the IP address, call your hosting company. Problems like this are common if you made the mistake of getting a shared IP instead of an individual one from your hosting provider.
4. If you got to it using the IP address, then the problem is probably with your domain name/DNS setup. This of course is assuming you are spelling your domain name correctly. The quickest fix is to call up Tech Support where you purchased your domain. Normally once you reach the support person, they can check it out for you in just a few minutes. You can (and probably should) log into your account and see if you can find the problem yourself so you don't make the same mistake next time.
5. In rare cases, the support person will be able to reach your site with no problem but you can't. The problem now could be with your ISP or your computer. The quickest thing to do is to turn off all Firewalls, Virus software, and spybot/adware software. Clear cache, temporary internet files and try again. If you still can't get to it using the IP address or URL call your ISP. They sometimes block a range of IPs for various reasons usually because of Spamming. Again, this can happen if you are using a shared IP address, or purchased your domain name that was already registered once.
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ipwriter
Premium
Yea, you took a whole lot off my shoulders. This so practical. Wish the tutorials were more like this. Am actually looking up name.com and namecheap for my domain purchase after 1&1 had failed. I was looking to see if anyone has a testimonial on them. It's good to know you bought from namecheap. I guess, my concern is met. You get my gold for this, Fred. Thanks.
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