TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

Problems getting on the Internet can be frustrating and confusing. Many times, it is hard to tell where the problem is coming from. That is what this guide is for, to give VolFirst.net subscribers some troubleshooting tools for getting on line. Since you are on line now, we suggest that you print this so you will have it for future reference.
  • NO DIAL TONE
    If you double click your connection window and you get a message "No Dial Tone", that means that your modem cannot detect a dial tone at your house. This message is not an indication of a suspended account. To check your telephone line, disconnect the telephone line from the back of the computer. Take a regular telephone and hook the disconnected telephone line to the telephone. See if you have a dial tone. If you do, try dialing the number you use to connect and see if a modem tone picks up. If you have no dial tone, the problem lies in your telephone line. If you receive a modem tone, the problem lies in your modem or computer settings. If you receive a rapid busy signal, the problem is most likely coming from the telephone company. If you receive a normal busy signal, it is most likely that all of our lines are full and the condition will clear momentarily. Some modems will give a message that the modem is not installed properly or is missing a driver if there is no dial tone.
     
  • A CONNECTION TO THE SERVER COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED, PLEASE CHECK YOUR PASSWORD AND TRY AGAIN
    If you get this message, it is possible that your account has been suspended or it could indicate a setting problem. First, make sure your Username is typed properly. Usernames are not in the form customer@VolFirst.net; this is your email address. Your Username is your email address without the @VolFirst.net. In addition, Usernames are case specific, usually lower case. Your Username for your connection may or may not be the same as your username for Windows. If there are any spaces or periods in your username, chances are that is the problem. Also, retype your password. Remember, passwords are also case sensitive and will appear as ******. Count the number of asterisks to double check yourself; you should have an asterisk for every character in your password.
     
  • BUSY SIGNALS AND/OR RING THROUGH
    Call waiting may not be operational on your phone line, remove *70, from in front of the dialing number and see if that makes a difference. If your modem rings and rings, it is possible the call is not being routed correctly or we have a problem on this end. Try calling your connection phone number with your regular telephone. If you hear a regular modem tone, then the problem lies somewhere in your phone line or computer settings, call our tech support for assistance. If you hear a regular busy signal and it is during peak hours (7pm-10pm M-F), we are probably momentarily full. If you hear a rapid busy signal or a busy signal during non-peak hours, please call our tech support for assistance.
     
  • DISCONNECTS
    Generally, disconnects result from trash (cross talk, static) in telephone lines. This can be caused by loose connections, water in the telephone lines, rust or debris across wire connections, improperly wired connections or even the wrong type of wire, etc. If possible, try using a different phone cord and/or phone jack, if you have two phone lines, try the other line. If you can here static on the line when placing a normal phone call, then chances are the static is causing too much interference for your modem to overcome when trying to connect. Try connecting your phone cord from the wall jack to the back of the computer, bypassing any surge protectors or other devices. Disconnect any other devices attached to the phone line, even if they are in another room. If a disconnect always happens within the same time frame (usually associated with a connection that is idle), it could be a setting either in your modem, your browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape) or your email program. Our modems are set to disconnect after 10 minutes of idle time (this is subject to change without notice - if you suspect you are experiencing disconnects due to idle time out, give us a call so we can instruct you on how to use your connection without idle time outs).

    Sometimes it is helpful to simply delete your dial up networking connections and start all over. To do this, go into My Computer, Dial up Networking. Right click the connection (usually named VolFirst.net) and left click on delete. The computer will ask if you are sure, click yes. Double click Make New Connection. Name the connection VolFirst.net, click next, put in the local phone number for VolFirst.net, click next, click finish. When the VolFirst.net icon pops up, right click the icon and left click properties. Under General, uncheck the checkbox for Use area code and Dialing Properties. Click Server Types, ensure the only things checked are Enable Software Compression and TCP/IP. Click OK.

    On rare occasions, the TCP/IP stack in your network protocols needs to be reloaded and/or reconfigured. Many times AOL protocols interfere with normal network activity. They should be removed from your network protocol configuration. Also, disabling Wins Resolution in your TCP/IP stack will often times solve disconnect problems. To do this, open Control Panel, double click Network, if you see AOL items listed, highlight them and remove them. To disable Wins Resolution, highlight TCP/IP, click properties, click WINS Configuration, click disable WINS Resolution, click OK. This should cause your computer to restart and will also rebuild your network protocols.
     

  • I GET A MESSAGE: INTERNET EXPLORER COULD NOT FIND THE INTERNET SITE ... A CONNECTION TO THE SERVER COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED
    First, make sure you are connected. To do so, look at the bottom right corner of your computer screen beside your time. When you are connected, you will see a small icon that looks like two little computers hooked together with green lights or a small black box with red and green lights. If that icon is not present, you are not connected and that is why you are getting the message. If you are connected, acknowledge the message. Sometimes only certain sites are down and trying other sites will prove the connection is ok, just the particular site you are trying to reach is down. If you still have this problem then in Internet Explorer, click on View, Options (or Internet Options), Connection. If it has connect using a LAN, select the option above it, connect using a modem or telephone line. Make sure your browser is using the same connection that you have connected with. Since each version of Internet Explorer is different, you will have to just look at the settings and see if you see the problem. Otherwise, call tech support for assistance.
     
  • EMAIL
    It would be very difficult to list all of the possible email problems that can occur. Instead, I am going to list what your email account settings should be. If you are having problems accessing and/or sending email, try finding your account information in your email program (in Outlook Express it is listed under Tools, Accounts, Mail; in Internet Mail it is listed under Mail, Options; in Netscape it is listed under Options, Mail and News Preferences). Next, check the settings below against the settings you have. Look for any typos or missing information. Make your corrections and remember to click OK to save your changes.
    • Name: Can be anything - this is a descriptive title that is attached to your email and does not affect your settings.
    • Email Address: Must be in the form customer@VolFirst.net where customer is your email account name/username. There can be NO spaces and usually no capitals in your email address.
    • We are using a POP3 server.
    • Incoming Mail Server: pop.VolFirst.net
    • Outgoing Mail Server: smtp.VolFirst.net
    • POP3 account name: your email address without the @VolFirst.net
    • Password
    • Connection: Make sure you are using a modem and/or phone line and that you are using the same dial-up networking connection that you use to connect to the internet with your browser. Do not use a LAN.
    • Make sure you are connected when you try to send/receive email.
       
  • LAST, BUT NOT LEAST
    Finally, sometimes the simplest solutions work best. You should always restart your computer. This will reset all of your connection files and allow your computer to start fresh again. If you still cannot figure out what is wrong, PLEASE call us for assistance at 1-866-234-9539, or e-mail support@volfirst.net.

    For those of you who want to dig a little deeper, we suggest the site www.modem.com where there is information on how to increase connect speeds, how to increase modem performance and explanations about how all of this works.