Faq's Page

What is "Spam"?

Spam (also known as UCE or Unsolicited Commercial Email) refers to unwanted and often inappropriate messages sent over the Internet. These messages clutter the Usenet newsgroups, mailing lists and even your personal mailbox. Spam is the Internet equivalent of junk mail or telemarketers calling you during dinner. See CAUCE.org for resources in the fight against Spam.

Based on the recent escalation in junk mail, Harbornet Internet Services has implemented SpamAssassin, a new spam tagging system that scans all mail as it comes into the server, compares it to hundreds of known spam characteristics, and assigns it a probability of being junk mail. Users can then set up a filter on their computer to look at this tag in the email header and automatically divert the email into the trash (or a spam box for review prior to deletion) if it has a high probability of being spam. In tests we have run, the tagging system successfully tags approximately 98% of incoming spam, and has a false-positive rate of less than 1%.

For much more in depth discussion of spam, we have created a separate page, found here.
Every time I attempt to connect via Dial-Up, my computer asks me for my password. I enter my password and it asks for it again. What is wrong?

If our system prompts you for a password multiple times, the reason is most likely one of the following:
1. Usernames and Passwords are case sensitive. Please make sure you entered both with CAPS LOCK off, and type them with the ExAcT values you were provided with when you signed up.
2. If you cannot remember your password, please contact us.
3. If you are unsure about your Dial-Up username, try using your Harbornet assigned email address.
4. Your account may already be logged on to our system. Each account is only allowed one concurrent connection to our systems. Please make sure you are the ONLY ONE using this account. If you think someone else is using your account without your permission, contact us, and we can help you reset your password. Sometimes, if you were abruptly disconnected, our system may need a couple minutes to notice that the connection died. If that happened and you are running into this problem, simply wait a few minutes for our system to update itself and try again.
5. If the problem persists, and you cannot connect, please contact us.
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I am trying to connect to the Internet but the line keeps ringing.

Please check that you are using the right phone number to dial into the network. Rarely, but occasionally, a modem on our end will go bad and stop responding to incoming calls. This condition is easy to fix when we are aware of it (by simply turning off or replacing the bad modem), so please notify us immediately if you experience rings and no answer, and are sure that you are using the correct phone number. Please make note of the time and number you dialed when the problem occurred. Often times you can work around this problem by simply hanging up and redialing, because the modems on our end are on a rotor and you are likely to get connected to a different modem on each call.
I keep getting disconnected. What should I check?

Please consider the following suggestions
1. If your connection is idle for an extended period, your software or our server will disconnect the line to open it up for someone who may need to use it. Simply redial the connection when you are ready to use your account. Alternatively you may purchase a dedicated dial up account.
2. Make sure nobody else is picking up a telephone on the same phone line as your modem/computer while you are online.
3. If you have call waiting, make sure it is disabled for your internet calls as it may interfere with the connection. See this FAQ for more information on how to do this.
4. Check that no other software is trying to use your modem, such as fax software, which can cause conflicts with your connection. If you are unsure if this may be the case, try restarting your computer and try connecting again.
5. Try connecting your modem directly to the wall without any other phone device attached to ANY other device attached to that phone line. If this fixes your problem, then one of your other phone devices is causing interference.
6. If you have multiple lines at your location, you may have interference between them. If you can hear conversation bleed-over between the lines, this could (and almost certainly will) cause interference with your connection. Contact your phone service provider to install an additional line or have the wiring checked. For more info on this click here.
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How do I disable call waiting?

Generally it is a good idea to check the front of your local phone book to see which code works in your location. There are different codes for different areas. In some calling areas the ability to disable call waiting is an extra option that you must purchase from your phone company.

Most call waiting can be disabled by dialing *70, before a call is made. To verify that this works in your area, dial *70 from your phone and see if you get a shutter tone, indicating that you have successfully disabled call waiting. Call waiting is automatically re-enabled when you hang up. If your call waiting stays disabled, try dialing *72. (in some areas the codes are #70 and #72 respectively)

If this does not work for you, please consult your local phone book, or contact your telephone company and request the capability, and instructions for disabling call waiting. There may be a charge for this service.
What does "connection reset by peer" mean?

The other server or application that you are communicating with (the peer) has closed the connection (which is analogous to hanging up the phone). Possible reasons include:
1. A network failure occurred. This may be caused by a variety of reasons. See our section on reasons for being disconnected for more information.
2. The remote host has disconnected you on purpose, either by your choosing, or for other reasons.
If you did not want to be disconnected, simply reconnect.

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When trying to connect, I get an error saying "Could not establish a compatible set of network protocols as specified in the server types setting" or something similar. What can I do?

Windows will sometimes return this error after your computer has been running for several hours when you try to connect. Try restarting your computer and connect again. If you are still getting this error, make sure you have set your connection up correctly If you cannot resolve this problem by yourself, please contact us.
How do I dial a prefix before a dialup number?

Simply add the prefix you would like to dial in the appropriate box in your dial-up connection dialog. If you do not have such a box, simply enter it right before the phone number of the dial-up POP. You may wish to enter one or more commas (,) after the prefix to cause your modem to wait about half a second before dialing the rest of the phone number. Additionally you may want to check our help desk section for instructions for your particular OS. Please contact us if you need additional help.

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Windows does not seem to save my password even though I checked the "Remember Password" checkbox. What's going on?

There is a common bug in the Windows operating system which will cause your password not to be saved. Microsoft has released a knowledge base article addressing this issue:
Dial-Up Networking Password Is Not Saved (microsoft.com)
If you are unable to resolve this issue by yourself, please contact us.

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How do I configure my email program to start sending and receiving email?

Please check our support section for detailed help. If you are unable to get things to work by yourself, please contact us.
Who is "MAILER-DAEMON"?

Mailer-Daemon is a mail server program, not a person. If you received email from the mailer daemon, the message is most likely a notification that there were either temporary delay problems, or that there were permanent failures while attempting to deliver an email that you sent. In the top section of the email you received from the mailer daemon, there will be a brief description of the error. Check the rest of this section of the FAQ for some examples of messages you may receive and what they mean. If you are at any point unsure of what a particular message means, and you would like to know or just be sure that your email will be delivered, please contact us.

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What does Error "450 <email@address.com>: Sender address rejected" mean?"

The address that you entered as your primary email address or "Reply-To:" address is spelled incorrectly. This error literally means that the domain of the email address you are using does not exist. Please check your email settings (if you need help with this, check our help desk for common email programs to assist you). If you keep getting this error and are not sure how to proceed, please contact us.
What does Error "554 <email@address.com>: Relay access denied" mean?

Our mail servers only relay mail for our customers, that DIRECTLY connect to us. In other words, if you have another ISP, when you are connected to them, you have to send mail through them. This has become the standard practice on the Internet, because open mail relays allow spammers to send huge amounts of spam. In some rare cases, you may simply have your email settings misconfigured. Please check our help desk and make sure you have all the right settings. If this problem persists, please contact us.

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What does a "Host not found" error mean?

In the context of sending email, this error usually means that your email software cannot reach the email server that you have configured. An easy test to determine if this is really an email related issue is to try web browsing. If you can successfully browse the web, you have eliminated either connectivity or DNS as an issue, so check your email configurations (Specifically the spelling of the incoming and outgoing mail servers. See our help desk for help with this). If you cannot browse the web, or get a similar "host not found" or "cannot resolve domain name" or other DNS error, then you are most likely either not really connected to the internet, or are having other DNS issues. Double check your connection settings. If you cannot get your connection, or your email to work properly, please contact us.

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I just spent a long time composing an email, and now it won't send! What's the deal?

Remember that you do not have to be connected to the internet to write an email with your email software. Chances are that you have been disconnected due to "idle timeout". If your computer has no communication with us (and composing an email on your computer generates no network traffic until you hit the "Send" button), then you will get disconnected (if you are using dial-up) after about 20 minutes of inactivity. Simply reconnect to us, and try sending the message. It should send just fine now. Check your "Outbox" to make sure your email program did not simply store the message for later delivery, by clicking on the "Send and Receive Email" button in your email software (note that this button may be labeled differently, depending on the program that you use to check your email). If this does not solve your problems, please contact us.

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My friend says they are writing and sending me emails, but I'm not getting the email. What can I do?

If you are successfully getting email from other sources, chances are that the problem is on your friend's side. Make sure they are using your correct email address. Also, make sure that they are not receiving any kind of bounce message that may indicate a problem (there are many possible reasons this may be happening). If you are however not getting email from other sources, then your mail settings are most likely not configured correctly. Please visit our help desk and double check your mail settings. In some rare cases, your friend's ISP may have been listed as a source of Spam, and we may be rejecting mail from that source. If this is the case however, your friend will receive a bounce for each message sent to you with instructions on what to do. If you cannot determine the nature of the problem, or are still having issues after checking your settings, please contact us.

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What is an SMTP server?

SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and is simply the protocol used to transfer your outgoing email. The SMTP server accepts mail that you send from your email program and sends it to the appropriate mail server associated with your recipient. If it cannot successfully complete the delivery, it continues to try and keeps you informed via sending emails from the mailer daemon.
What is a POP3 server?

POP3 stands for Post Office Protocol version 3 and is the standard protocol by which your email software is able to transfer your incoming email from our server (which stores all your email while you're offline) to your computer.
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Why do people I send mail to get an error when they reply to my message?

This is usually caused by an improperly configured "Reply-To:" setting in your email software. To test if this is the case, send yourself an email and reply to it. If you receive the test REPLY message without problems, your configuration is OK; however if you receive an error, then you most likely have a spelling error in your "Reply-To:" address. Please check our help desk for examples of how this is configured for various email software. If you feel you are unable to resolve this issue by yourself, please contact us.
It seems like each day it takes longer and longer to check my email. What is going on?

You may have intentionally, or accidentally set an option in your email software which leaves all your old mail on our server, even long after you've read it. Each successive time you check your email will take longer, because your computer has to look through ALL the emails on our server, and determine which ones are new and need to be downloaded to your computer. It is always a good practice to set your software to either delete your email when you read it, or a few days or weeks thereafter. If you need help figuring out how to do this with your email software, please check out our help desk
for examples on how to do this with popular email clients. If this does not solve your problem, or you cannot determine how to fix this, please contact us.
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Why do I get disconnected after checking for new email?

Microsoft Outlook Express will disconnect after checking for new email, or after sending new email. This is due to a setting that instructs the program to hang up after performing any email activity.

There are two versions of Outlook Express currently available, both of which differ slightly. To disable the setting described above, please follow these steps:
1. Open your email as you normally would.
2. Across the top of the screen, you will see several menus starting with "File", "Edit", "View", etc. Click on the menu that is labeled "Tools", and then click on "Options".
3. A new screen will pop up. Click the "Dial Up" tab across the top. or the "Connection" tab.
4. On this new screen, you will see some check boxes. Uncheck the box labeled "Hang up when finished sending, receiving, or downloading"or uncheck the box that reads "Hang up after sending and receiving".
Click "Apply" in the bottom right hand corner, and then click "OK".

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Cannot open email attachments in Outlook Express

After you install Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Windows XP SP1 (both of which include Outlook Express 6 SP1), access to some of your e-mail attachments in Outlook Express may be removed. For example, you may experience any of the following symptoms:

7        When you click the paper clip in the Preview pane, the Save Attachments and file_name commands are unavailable.

7        When you open an e-mail message, the Save Attachments command is unavailable on the File menu, the Attach field is missing from the e-mail message, and the following message is displayed in the message alert bar at the top of the e-mail message:

Outlook Express removed access to the following unsafe attachments in your email: file_name1, file_name2

    This behavior occurs if the Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus option is enabled, and the e-mail attachment is determined by Outlook Express to be "unsafe". By default, the Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus option is enabled in Outlook Express 6 SP1. When this virus-protection feature is enabled, Outlook Express uses the Internet Explorer unsafe file list and the Confirm open after download setting in Folder Options to determine if a file is safe. Any e-mail attachment with a file type that is reported as "unsafe" is not downloaded, and access to the attachment is removed.

If you are sure that the attachment is safe to download or open, use the following method:

Turn off the Option to Use the Unsafe File List

1. In Outlook Express, from the Tools menu, select Options.
2. Click the Security tab, click to clear the Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus check box under Virus Protection, and then click OK.

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Can I set up my software to get email from more than one email address?

Virtually all modern email clients can be setup to retrieve mail from more than one account. Please check our help desk for detailed information for your particular email software. If you have trouble with this, please contact us.
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What can I do about all this junk mail I receive?

We have created a separate page for spam related issues:
Please click here to read about this topic.
How to avoid getting a virus via E-mail?
Harbornet filters all incoming and outgoing mail for viruses, and returns any emails containing them, without delivering them. However, we still advise you to purchase and install some kind of anti-virus software on your computer. Although we do our best to prevent viruses from being delivered to you via email, it is still possible that new, unknown viruses, or new variants will slip though our filters. Some of the modern email programs are particularly vulnerable imposable to very sophisticated, difficult-to-detect viruses or so called "trojans", or other email based attacks. One of the things you should do to prevent these attacks from succeeding, is updating your computer frequently with software patches provided by your software vendor. It is important to be especially cautious when receiving email attachments, particularly from people you don't know, or when you did not expect them (this almost never happens, and when it does, 9 out of 10 such attachments are probably viruses). Click here for more info.
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How to enable email scanning in Norton 2000 and 2003

To enable email scanning in NAV:
1. Exit any running email programs.
2. Start Norton Antivirus.
3. Click Options. If a menu appears when you click Options, then click Norton Antivirus. The Norton Antivirus Options dialog box appears.
4. Click Email under the Internet section.
5. Check Scan incoming Email and Scan outgoing Email.
6. Click OK.
7. Close Norton Antivirus.
To disable email scanning in NAV:
1. Exit any running email programs.
2. Start Norton Antivirus.
3. Click Options. If a menu appears when you click Options, then click Norton Antivirus. The Norton Antivirus Options dialog box appears.
4. Click Email under the Internet section.
5. Clear Scan incoming Email and Scan outgoing Email.
6. Click OK.
7. Close Norton Antivirus.
Note: Disabling email scanning does not leave you unprotected against viruses that are distributed as email attachments. NAV Auto-Protect will scan any incoming files, including email, as they are saved to your hard drive. Email scanning is just another layer on top of this. To make sure that Auto-Protect is providing the maximum protection, keep Auto-Protect enabled and run Live Update regularly to ensure that you have the most recent virus definitions.