Listed below are answers to many common questions about Internet services. If you don't find your answer here, be sure to visit our Support Page for a list of self-help configuration guides. You can also call our support line toll free at 888-276-4376 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. You can also ask your questions by sending email to support@portbridge.com.

Scroll down to browse the FAQs, or choose from the following categories:

Configuration

Q. Sometimes when I try to log on or check my email, I am asked to enter my password again and again.

Your User Name 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 User Name and Password.

Q. How do I know what my User Name / Password / Email address is?

When you signed up with PortBridge, you picked out a User Name. The User Name is the first part of your email address. For instance, if your email address is "customer@portbridge.com", then your User Name is "customer". (Your User Name may also be referred to as Login or Customer ID.)

You also picked out a password when you signed up. All PortBridge customers have a password, even if you don't remember having one. If you have forgotten your password, you can call our office and we can set a new one for you. You will have to provide some information about yourself.

Your email address is your User Name followed by @portbridge.com. If your User Name was customer, then the email address would be "customer@portbridge.com".

Q. A program is asking me for my type of mail server, and the mail server name. What do I type?

For email addresses ending in @portbridge.com, the incoming mail server is a POP3 server — its name is mail.portbridge.com. The outgoing mail server is an SMTP server, it is also named mail.portbridge.com. For other server addresses, please refer to the Server Information page.

Q. A program is asking me what type of connection I have, and if I'm behind a firewall.

Most PortBridge customers have a dial up connection with 56k modems. Other customers have 64K or 128K ISDN connections or 1.5M DSL connections. No customers are behind a firewall.

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Connections

Q. 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 you modem.

Q. 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 modem here at PortBridge. 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. Sometimes however, 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, if not eliminate it completely.

Q. I have a 56k modem, and I am connecting in the 40k to 50k range. Is this normal?

Yes. 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 unfortunately PortBridge has no control over.

Q. I have a 28.8 / 33.6 modem and I want to upgrade. Can you suggest a certain brand modem?

We recommend modems based on the v.90 or v.92 Lucent Win Modem chipset. These modems are available very cheaply (under $20 in most cases), and are widely available from electronics vendors like Best Buy and Circuit City as well as retailers like Wal-Mart. This modem is sold under many brand names, but the information included with the modem (and usually printed on the box) will tell you what modem chipset is used. Though it is also widely available, some customers using the Rockwell/Conexant chipsets experience significant problems dialing into our modem banks, so we recommend that customers avoid these modems if possible.

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My E-Mail

Q. I'm trying to receive my 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.

Q. My 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 PortBridge. 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 email configuration self-help guides for Outlook Express, Netscape 4.x or Netscape 6 for instructions on how to configure your mail program.

Q. 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.

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Downloading Files

Q. I'm downloading a file and it says it's going to take over an hour!  Why is it taking so long?

Large files can take a very long time to download. This depends entirely on the speed of your connection, but most modem users can download at speeds around 4k per second. At that speed, a 100K file would take about 25 seconds to download. A 1024K (1MB) file would take about 5 minutes to download,  and a 20MB file would take about 1.5 hours. ISDN users can download up to about 3 times faster than regular 56K modem users, and DSL users 10 to 30 times faster.

Q. Sometimes I get a message that says file not found when I try to download something. Am I doing something wrong?

Very likely you are doing everything right. Try it again in a few minutes. It might be that the file you're trying to get is temporarily unavailable, or perhaps there are too many other people trying to download it at the same time. Chances are, if you give it enough time, you'll be able to get it later.

Q. The file I'm downloading is coming through very slowly. It's getting less than 2k per second, and sometimes it will stall, and not download anything, but I'm connected at a 56k speed. What's the deal?

Alot of it depends on where your downloading from, and how much traffic there is on the Internet. The Internet experiences its highest amounts of usage during the late evening hours, which starts to decline after 10:00pm. You may find that your downloads are faster in the off-peak hours. Many software download servers also have a limited capacity to handle file downloads and slow down when there are too many simultaneous download requests. You might try again at a different time of day.

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General Topics

Q. I think I may have a virus on my computer. What can I do to find out?

PortBridge does not sell or support anti virus software, but we can suggest a couple for you to try out. The two most popular ones are McAfee VirusScan and Norton AntiVirus from Symantec. There is also a free Web site called Housecall from Trend Micro that can scan your computer over the Internet, without having to download and install a program.

Q. I'm trying to find a particular program or Web site. Where do I go to look?

You need to use a search engine. There are several search engines on the Internet, and they can help you find what you're looking for. A great search engine for beginners is Yahoo. Most of Yahoo's links are categorized, and it makes searching very easy. Other search engines such as Google, Hotbot, AltaVista, and Lycos are very powerful, and can find hundreds or thousands of links. These and other popular search engines are selectable options at the PortBridge search feature.

Q. My friends are telling me to get a program called ICQ. What is that, and where can I get it?

ICQ is an instant messenger program. You can use ICQ to send messages instantly to your friends when you're online. You can download it from the ICQ Homepage. We don't provide any tech support for ICQ, so use it at your own risk.

You can also visit our Software Updates page, where you'll find links for downloading other popular instant messaging programs, such as AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and MSN Messenger.

Q. There are acronyms everywhere!  What do things like FTP, WWW, and HTTP stand for?

There are so many acronyms on the net that it's easy to get very confused. A good site with searchable definitions is:

http://www.currents.net/resources/dictionary/dictionary.phtml

Q. I have a peice of Hardware or Software that I'm having a problem with. Where can I get help?

PortBridge only supports your Internet connection and certain Internet software. For technical support on other products, you need to contact the manufacturer or distributor of that hardware or software. You can usually find support information for most products on the manufacturer's Web site. If you don't know the company's Web site address, use a search engine like Google. Most major companies have their company name as their Web site address. For example, Microsoft's site is www.microsoft.com. For Netscape, the address is www.netscape.com.

Q. What are the programs that PortBridge supports?

For standard dial-up customers, we support Netscape versions 4.x, 6.x, and 7.x. We also support Internet Explorer versions 4.x through 6.x. We provide support for Microsoft Internet Mail and News; Outlook Express 4.x through 6.x; Outlook 97, 98, 2000, and 2002; and Eudora.

PortBridge Internet provides dial-up access for customers using Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98SE, Windows NT 4.0. Windows 2000, Windows ME, and Windows XP and Apple Macintosh OS 8.5 and above. We can answer basic questions about these operating systems — specifically related to Internet access. Though our internet service should work correctly on most operating systems, questions about operating systems not listed above should be addressed to that operating system's manufacturer.

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Web Browsers

Q. What's a Browser?

A Web browser is a program that allows a user to navigate the Internet using a graphical — or "point-and-click" — interface. Programs like Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer are the most common browsers in use, but there are several other specialized and customizable browsers. Web browsers may vary in appearance but most have similar functions. The most significant difference between browsers are the e-mail clients, which are usually bundled with teh browsers in the full and professional versions.

Q. OK. What is a Mail Client?

An e-mail client is the program that allows users to send, receive and manage thier electronic messages. Full versions of Netscape Communicator include a program called Messenger. Internet Explorer includes an e-mail client call Outlook Express. If you want more detailed info about e-mail clients, use a search engine like Google and search keywords: "email client".

Q. I'm using an old version of Netscape or Internet Explorer (IE). Where can I download an updated version?

Please visit our Software Updates page for links to most the most common and useful Internet programs for both Windows and Macintosh.

Note: Newer browsers require additional recources and may have minimum system requirements. Some older operating systems may not be able to fully support new browsers and features. Always check the minimum recommended system requirements of any program before you download and install it. Most software installers are large files that will take an hour or more to download. You can often order a software CD from the company or start your download before you go to bed and let it download at night.

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