Frequently Asked Questions

• What is my username and password?

• Why do I have trouble getting connected to the Internet?

• What are some things that cause disconnects?

• Why are some webpages really slow?

• Why is my connection so slow?

• I can connect, but why can't I view any websites?

Click here for Frequently Asked E-mail Questions

Your username and password are what you use to get connected to the Internet. When you dial up to the Internet, you need to enter your username and password for verification. Your username is in all lowercase letters, and your password is case sensitive. Your username is also the first half of your e-mail address. You can change your password by clicking here. Please contact Info Link if you have forgotten your username or password.

There are a few different reasons that you may be having trouble getting connected. If you are getting error messages, write down the error message and contact Info Link to speak with a technical support staff member. Connection errors may be attributed to:

• Incorrect username/password: You should also check your username and password to make sure that they are correct.

• No dialtone: Make sure that there is a dial tone in your phone jack, and that the phone cord is correctly connected to your computer and to the wall.

• Incorrect settings: If you think that you may have some troubles with your settings, contact Info Link to check your settings.

• Phone line issues: Because a dial-up connection sends a lot of data through the phone lines, clear phone lines are required. If you suspect that you are having phone line troubles, see our Phone Line Quality Checks sheet.

• Modem troubles: Sometimes your modem needs to be updated. If you are experiencing a lot of troubles with getting connected, and updated driver or an initialization string may help your modem connect.

• Fried Modem: If you are unable to get a dial tone, or if your modem doesn't dial in, there may be a problem with your modem. Lightening can easily fry your modem, and your only option in this case is to replace the modem. For more information on about lightening storms and modems, see our Summer 2002 Informer Articles.

• Incoming Phone calls: If you have call waiting, and someone calls while you are on the Internet, your connection will be dropped so the call can go through. Most phone companies allow you to disable call waiting before making a phone call by dialing a prefix (such as *70,) before the number.

• Incorrect settings: If your settings are not correct, you will have difficulties staying online. Contact Info Link to check your settings.

• Phone line issues: Because a dial-up connection sends a lot of data through the phone lines, clear phone lines are required. If you suspect that you are having phone line troubles, see our Phone Line Quality Checks sheet.

• Unstable connections: If your modem is connecting too fast or too slow, you will not be able to hold a connection for a long time. Initialization strings can be used to control the connection speed of your modem and help you maintain a stable connection.

• Modem troubles: Sometimes your modem needs to be updated. If you are experiencing a lot of troubles with getting disconnected, and updated driver or an initialization string may help stabilize the connection. Contact Info Link for assistance with updating your driver or putting in an initialization string.

• Slow Modems: If you have an old modem, it may not be able to handle fast connect speeds.
  - Check your connect speed by double clicking on the little connection icon in the lower right hand corner of the screen near the clock. The icon may be a little black rectangle with two red/green lights on it, or it may be two little tiny screens connected to each other depending which version of windows you have.
  - Make sure windows is not limiting the maximum connect speed. In the Modems Control Panel look at the properties for your modem and make sure the Maximum Speed is set to 57600 or higher
  - The theoretical maximum connect speed for 56k modems is 53k due to FCC limitiations. Connect speeds between 40k and 48k are very common and considered normal operation for 56k modems. If you can only get connect speeds of 33.6k or below, then you may have to upgrade the modems firmware to be compatible with our modems or your phone line quality may be limiting connection speed. If you live in a remote rural area you may not be able to achieve higher connect speeds.

• Phone Lines: Moisture in the phone lines can cause extremely slow connections. Line noise is also a big culprit of slow connect speeds. If you live out in the country, data needs to travel further through the phone lines to reach your computer, so your connection may seem to be slower. Connection speeds below 28000 often indicate phone line issues. Check the Phone Line Quality Check page if you suspect phone line issues.

• Settings: There could be something incorrect with your settings that are limiting how fast you connect to the Internet.

• Other Modem Issues: Your modem may not be functioning very well. An updated driver or an initialization string could help your modem connect faster.

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