Quick Help for Common problems
When should I call Sentex for technical support for a dialup connection?
For dial-up customers there are usually only a couple of connection issues
that involve your ISP.
If you are experiencing problems
like 'program not responding', 'no modem detected', 'This
program has performed an illegal operation' and blue screens that report
a 'Permanent Fatal Errors' that it may be time to have your computer
serviced. Please visit:
http://support.microsoft.com/ for help on what to do in this situation.
Your modem like anything else in your computer requires software (drivers) to
make it function properly.
A driver is simply
a descriptive file of what features the modem supports and the commands that
are needed for Windows to operate it. Drivers
manage some or all of the operations of the modem.
A good thing to do is to research the
manufacturer of your modem and, just like virus updates, go to the vendor's
homepage to see if there are any updated drivers offered. This will ensure
that your modem is always using the most current drivers available. This will improve
the modem's performance and help alleviate connection issues.
This is a link to the
most common modem vendors.
/support/modems.shtml
NOTE:
One of the best tools to keep windows running smoothly is often overlooked. That is the
Windows Update link in Windows 98 and XP it is right in your start menu.
It can also be found within Internet explorer by clicking Tools / Windows
Update. In Windows ME it is in the Start / Settings / area or just click:
http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp.
By clicking this link and
allowing Microsoft to upload the most updated security fixes and patches you
are insured that your operating system is kept up to date and functioning
correctly. These updates are as important as keeping your virus definitions
current and work together to provide you with better performance all around.
ALSO NOTE: Unfortunately Microsoft no longer supports Windows 95, however
there is still a small amount of help online if you search for it.
www.google.ca is a great resource for this.
For connection
problems:
Line is busy or There is no answer Error's 676 & 678
A simple check of your
access number may be all you need. Simply double click your desktop icon that
initiates your dialup connection, and verify the phone number. If you do not
know this number you should call Sentex to get the correct dialup number for
your area. There is also a complete list of all the access numbers available
on our homepage at
www.sentex.net/support/access.shtml
NOTE:
If you are having issues on a regular basis, you can print any of the pages
regarding help to view when you are offline.
Access denied
because username and/or password is invalid on the domain
Error 691
This error usually occurs
when your userid or password have been entered incorrectly. Again a simple
check of your dialup connection properties can solve the problem. User names
and passwords are case sensitive so be sure that when entering them your caps
lock button is not on. If you have forgotten your username or password you can
call Sentex at 519-651-3400 or toll free at 1-888-473-6839 and
request a reminder, or email
from another account associated with you. However due
to security reasons we will have to call you at the phone number on file to
verify your identity. It is important for you to keep your account information
current for this purpose. Other causes for this may be that the account was
suspended or placed on hold for administrative or billing related issues.
Some common dial up
problems include:
No Dial Tone: Error
680
There are a few
variations for this error. It can be caused by one of several reasons. The
first thing you should do is simply pick up a phone in your home and see if
there is a dial tone present. Sometimes another phone or device may not be
hung up correctly, find the device that is using the phone line and remove it
or hang it up. If the dial tone is solid the next step would be to check that
the phone cord is securely connected between the wall jack and the modem. You
should also verify that you have inserted the phone line into the 'Line'
or 'Line In' port of the modem. Sometimes a network card is mistaken
for the modem but there is an easy way to determine which is which. Most newer
modems have two ports where as a network card has only one. After you have
verified that there is a solid dial tone, and the computer still reports that
there isn't, you should reboot and make the attempt again. Sometimes
when you try to connect your computer reports that there is no dial tone
because a port is already open, or already in use. Because on
most computers the modem is software driven, errors can occur that a simple
shut down and restart can rectify. If the problem persists it may become
necessary to reinstall the modem drivers which make the modem function or
reinstall the modem itself. This can be done either by accessing the
manufacturer's driver disk or taking your computer to a service repair
technician.
Connection was
dropped Error 668
This message can also be
for a couple of reasons. There may be a lot of noise on the line. Although you
can call and talk to someone, there is a big difference between voices going
over the wire as opposed to data. It doesn't take much interference to lose
data and your connection if there is noise being caused by another phone or
device on your line, or if there has recently been some work done in your
neighborhood that you are unaware of. This problem is most noticeable because
it happens at specific intervals. For new customers, first time users or if
you have recently moved and this problem did not exist at your old residence,
you can simply try another wall jack.
If you have call waiting,
the dial tone is heard intermittently when a message is waiting. Most modems
cannot function without an established solid tone. Even though you may be
connected already when a message is received, the signal becomes intermittent
and can cause the modem to become unstable, resulting in a disconnection. In
the case of call waiting, retrieve your messages and try again.
*NOTE*
This feature can be disabled by clicking on the Start/ Settings/
Control panel and opening the modem applet. Click on the Dialing
Properties button and check the box that says 'To disable call waiting
dial' and click the drop down box to the right and select *70. The
next time you double click your desktop icon to connect you will notice that
this has been added to the phone number you dial to connect and for that
session, will temporarily disable call waiting.
Idle Timeouts:
If you are connected to the Internet but not passing
any traffic then the connection may be terminated. If you have any
applications using the connection running this will not normally happen. MSN,
email, or IRC will cause traffic intermittently so having one of those running
may help this. If you are not passing any traffic it would be an idea to
disconnect in any case.
Modem
Connection Speeds:
If your modem is connecting too fast for the line conditions then it will have
an excessive number or errors. You can determine this problem by seeing if
there is a correlation between the connect speed, viewable by holding your
mouse over the connected icon usually beside the system clock in the bottom
right hand side of your screen, and how often you lose your connection when
connected at higher speeds. Often a small decrease in connection speed will
drastically alter the stability of the connection.
The speed
that the modem connects at can be decreased by entering in the 'extra
settings' of your modem properties. Try limiting the speed to 33600. If this
makes an improvement then there is a chance that the connection would run ok
at a higher speed.
Home Networking errors:
PLEASE BE AWARE that if
you are utilizing a router or switch / hub, we suggest that you disconnect the
device and try your connection on a single computer. Because of the shear
amount and variety of makes and models of these devices Sentex is not
responsible for home network problems. Please call the manufacturer of the
router or other device for technical support issues, if the connection fails
while going through such a device.
For Speed related
issues:
Again, your drivers are
the most important part of how your modem will connect. You should know the
make and model of your modem so that you can update the drivers on a regular
basis. Most versions of Windows will give you the information by accessing the
System Properties. In Windows 95 and 98 If your RIGHT click
My Computer and then click on the Device Manager tab you will be
able to expand the Modems category by clicking the + sign on the left.
If installed properly, meaning there are no exclamation marks or X's
beside the description it should tell you what kind of modem is installed. For
Windows ME, 2000 and XP users, again right click My Computer and select
the Hardware tab you will see Device Manager on the right side.
Please note that average connection speeds vary from 21000 kbps to 51000 kbps.
Speeds also depend on the
age and speed of the modem.
As long as you are using
a known good phone cord between the wall and the modem, ensure it is plugged
into the right port of the modem and you can hear a dial tone before the
connection is started you should be able to connect without incident. If you
suspect the problem to be more severe, your phone line provider will be able
to test the line for any superficial faults in the exterior wiring due to
cable damage or water entering a junction. Water in the cable is very common
in areas that are served by older cabling due to the old insulation on them,
the conditions of the telephone lines in your area and how far away you are
from a main office all play a part in your connection. Most speed related
issues are noticed by those who live in the country or in more rural areas
where the phone lines are older and less stable. Unfortunately, aside from
updating the drivers there is little you can do about this until your phone
company replaces or upgrades the lines. If you suspect this to be the problem,
call your phone company for a test of the line.
NOTE:
Distance issues and line condition are also the main reason for High Speed
internet not being available to outlying customers
If you are using any extension cables check
them for wear. Although this will mainly result in not being able to connect,
if the damage to the cable is minor, it may just cause problems after you are
connected. If the cable has been walked on it may have been damaged
internally. The cable used in phone extension cords is usually made of many
fine strands of wire. The problem with this is that some of the small wires
can break, and the only connections are where they are touching each other. If
this is the situation then any slight movement of the cable will cause
disconnections. If you need to use a telephone
extension cable then attempt to find a data-specific cord and ensure that it
is not in a position where it will be walked on.
For Outlook Express
Problems:
Missing Attachments
in Outlook Express:
Sometimes you may see a
message that tells you that the attachment has been removed from the email.
Message: OE has removed
the attachment...
Fix:
Open outlook express and click on tools / options / security and uncheck the
box that says 'Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could
potentially be a virus'
Disconnects after
send and receive:
Sometimes you will be
automatically disconnected from the internet after you check your email.
Outlook Express has a feature that will hang up for you after a successful
send and receive. This can be a good feature if you are only using your
connection for email, but a cause for concern if you are also doing some
browsing. Changing dial up connections can also result in a disconnect.
If you are using only SENTEX for email then
it's usually best to disable the auto-connection feature. To do this in
Outlook Express go to Tools then accounts. click onto the
mail tab at the top. This will list all the mail accounts that outlook
express is configured to receive from. If you have only one mailbox, there is
only going to be one in there. If there are others you do not use, then you
can highlight the account by clicking on it and then click on REMOVE.
Click on the name of the account you want to use, and
click on properties. Then click the connection tab. This is
where the connection is set. Set this to either 'LAN connection', or 'Use
Internet Explorer'.
Fix:
Click on Tools / options / connection and uncheck the box that says 'hang up
after sending and receiving'.
There was
an error sending and receiving..
Fix:
Click on tools / accounts and select the mail tab. Then click on Properties
and finally Servers. Here you should see 'my incoming mail server is a POP3 or IMAP
server' Below that it should say Incoming Mail (POP3) mail.sentex.net
and Outgoing Mail (SMTP) smtp.sentex.net these are your server settings
for retrieving you email from your Sentex account. If you are using another
service provider to check email then roamingsmtp.sentex.net may be used. For
further information or help with troubleshooting Outlook Express or Outlook,
go to
http://support.microsoft.com/support/search/c.asp.
NOTE:
Did you know that certain anti virus programs and firewalls can actually
re-write your mail server settings or even block the email programs use all
together. It is also one of the main reasons that Outlook repeatedly asks for
the username and password. Before anything else you should disable or turn off
any third party antivirus software or firewall that you may be running and try
sending and receiving again.
Tips for Avoiding
Viruses
As the Internet becomes
more and more popular and more people become more educated on how to use it,
the risk of email viruses becomes higher and more frequent every day. Sentex
has installed an anti-virus system, which provides you with the best available
protection from email viruses. Click here to find out more:
/residential/virscan.shtml
Also see information on our
spam filter here
/spam/index.html
There are also steps, which
you can take at home or at work to minimize the risk of getting infected by
the ever growing number of new and unknown worms. Below is a list of some
helpful tips to help manage your emails effectively and safely:
*Many of the worms which,
use email to spread, use Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express in a Windows
environment. Mac users as well as other operating systems are not susceptible
to these virus' or their variants. If you use Outlook or Outlook Express then
downloading the latest security patches from Microsoft will help to protect
your computer. Always ensure that you keep your operating system and
applications up to date with the latest security patches from Windows Update
as they become available.
*Always watch when you are
receiving and sending email attachments. Never open an email attachment from
someone who you do not know or if the email looks like spam. If you don't
recognize it, delete it.
*Also try to be aware of
the file extension on attachment. You can configure Windows to always show you
the file extensions. You can achieve this through Windows Explorer via
the Tools menu. Choose Options / View, and then uncheck 'Hide file
extensions for known file types'. This makes it more difficult for a
harmful file (such as EXE or VBS) to portray themselves as a
harmless file (such as TXT or JPG). Never open email attachments
with the file extensions VBS, SHS, EXE or PIF. These extensions are
almost never used in normal attachments and viruses and worms frequently use
them. You should also never open files with double file extensions such as
NAME.BMP.EXE or NAME.TXT.VBS.
*Do not share your folders
with other users unless necessary. If you do, make sure you do not share your
full drive or your Windows directory.
*Disconnect your computer
or modem cable when you are not using the internet or just shut it down.
*If you feel that an email
you get from a friend is somehow strange - if it's in a foreign language or if
it's just says odd things, double-check with your friend before opening any
attachments.
*When you receive email
advertisements or other unsolicited emails do not open attachments in them or
follow web links quoted in them. The safest bet is to just delete what you
aren't expecting or are unsure of. If it's that important they will ask you if
you received it or forewarn you about what they sent.
*Delete attachments with
filenames that have sexual references. Email worms often use attachments with
names such as PORNO.EXE or PAMELA_NUDE.B to trick users into executing them.
*Do not trust the icons in
an attachment file. Worms often send executable files, which have an icon
resembling the same icons that picture, text or zip files use to fool you.
*Never accept attachments
from strangers in online chat systems such as MSN, IRC, ICQ, AOL or any
Instant Messenger unless you know them.
*Use safe practices when
downloading files from public newsgroups (Usenet news). These are often used
by virus writers to spread new viruses.
Internet Explorer
Problems:
Internet Explorer is the
default browser installed with Windows products. Depending on your version of
windows you can expect to see anything from Version 5.0 to 6.0.2800.1106. Most
problems with viewing internet pages stems from a lack of updates that are
provided free of charge at
http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp.
Updating your version
of Windows on a regular basis is crucial
to the performance you will receive while using the product. Certain pages
cannot be viewed without errors occurring unless you have upgraded to the most
current version of Internet Explorer. Example: MSN email or your
online banking pages.
To check your version of
Internet Explorer, click .Help. and then 'About'. Anything
browser that is less than version 6 on Windows 98 or higher needs to be
updated. Click here
/support/downloads.shtml to do so.
To view your Internet
Explorer settings, click on Start/Settings/Control Panel/ and then
Internet Tools or Internet Options. When the Internet properties
box opens, you will see a series of tabs starting with General, through
to Advanced. The first tab lets you configure things like the amount of
time already viewed web pages will reside in your cache (history). By clicking
on 'Clear History', you will accomplish this and safely empty your
history folder. This sometimes helps with pages loading and overall
performance'. You can also 'Delete internet files' and 'Offline
Content., as well to help with performance and depending on the version of
Internet Explorer you can even clear your Cookies. (A
piece of information sent by a Web server to a user's browser).
Next you can click on the Connection tab to see your
current dial up connections and view their settings.
There is a
box here labeled 'Dialup and Virtual Private Network Settings'. If you
click on the default connection which should be your Sentex account, you may
then click on 'Settings' to change stored username and password information.
To set up a new dial up connection click
/support/dialup.shtml here and select your version of
Windows.
You will
also see three radial buttons on the left that determine what the connection
should do when you open your Internet Explorer browser. The first, 'Never
Dial a Connection' will stop any attempt to dial out so that you may
simply look at content you have saved to view offline later.
The second, .Dial
whenever a network connection is not present. will prompt the computer to
redial if the connection is lost during any session. The last one 'Always
dial my default connection' will actually initiate the connection to the
internet by bringing up the Connection dialogue box, and if you're 'save
password' box is checked, this will automatically start dialing your
connection to Sentex.
If you are experiencing
unexpected problems viewing web pages, you can click on the Advanced
tab and then click on the Restore Defaults, which will return the
browsers settings to what they were when it was originally installed. Because
Internet Explorer is such an integrated part of the operating system, when
problems occur, such as illegal operation warnings etc, you may have to
uninstall and reinstall the product, access the registry to repair it, or in
more severe cases, reinstall the entire operating system. However, some of
this may be able to be repaired by a qualified computer service individual.
Connecting to the
internet does not have to be frustrating as long as you keep in mind a few
basic rules. Is my computer dialing in, is it dialing the right number, do I
have my username and password entered correctly and is my operating system up
to date. By checking these things each time you connect you can ensure that
you have done what you can to alleviate the problem first before calling for
support.
It has always been our
belief at Sentex in giving our customers the best support available for your
internet experience, and we strive to help our customers with online
preventative and call in support matters. If you are at all uncertain of what
to do in regards to a connection issue please call our knowledgeable support
technicians for help or advice with your account or any other matter related
to your internet connection with us. Click here for contact information:
/aboutus/contact.shtml
