Frequently
Asked Questions
The
following is a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions about
our hosting service.
We are sure you will find it useful. If you do not find an answer to
your question you may like to try our online forum by clicking here.
Why do I need web hosting and what does it give me? How much will it cost and what do I get for my
money? How do I place an order for my web hosting? What is POP3 Email and why do I need it? What is email forwarding and why do I need it? How do I transfer my existing web site from another hosting
company to you? What kind of servers will my web site be hosted on? Does it matter what operating system I run on my home
computer? How do I upload my web site and what is ftp? Can I use Microsoft FrontPage to upload my web site? How
and when do I pay for my account? Is it safe to use my credit card to order your web hosting services? The
Silver starter account is very cheap, some companies offer cheap accounts
but with ads. Will you place ads on my site? Will
my Control Panel work on a Macintosh? Can
I access my website without the www. prefix? Do
you host all different types of domain names including foreign ones?
Does each account have its own raw log files?
Do you have anonymous FTP?
Do I need a domain name to sign up for a hosting plan?
What kind of up-time do your servers have?
What type of database system do you support?
What tools and features will I get with my hosting
account?
How do I access my email via the webmail interface?
How do I manage my email accounts?
What are identities used within icemail, the pop3
webmail interface?
What
is a Virtual Domain?
What
is InterNIC?
Can
I have a sub domain or canonical domain name?
How
long does it take before my domain name is active?
Will
I have unlimited access to update my pages?
Can
I use my account for commercial purposes?
I
need more than 250MB, how much is extra space?
How
long does it take to set up a new account?
Are
WTOH's web servers Year 2000 compliant?
Does
WTOH provide CGI scripts?
What
languages can I use for my CGI scripts?
When
was this FAQ last updated?
Click on the links above to position or scroll down to browse the frequently
asked questions available.
Why do I need web hosting and what does it give me?
Web hosting
gives a business or individual the ability to have a web presence available
on the World Wide Web for everyone to see. To have a web site hosted
requires a high speed connection and a web server which can be very costly
and requires a high level of technical knowledge. WTOH offer the company
or individual the services of web hosting, removing the worry and providing
an easy to set up comprehensive package.
How much will it cost and what do I get for
my money?
WTOH
has a number of plans and options available to offer our customers.
These plans start from the bronze annual plan which includes many
features for a great low yearly cost of £12.99. This package
includes 2 pop3 emails accounts, 50Mb of webspace and a personal
control panel. This is our best starter package yet and we have many
more available to purchase. Each package can also be tailored to
your
needs. The current plans and prices may change and up-to-date informantion
can always be found on hosting.wellthoughtout.com/planscomp.asp
How do I place an order for my web hosting?
First select
an account which best suits your need, but don't worry if you outgrow
it as you can easily upgrade on line at anytime. If you need to purchase
a domain name check the availability through our who-is domain name checker.
You may already have a domain.
Finally take the link to the chosen package and follow the online steps to complete our secure order form where your personal and payment details will be taken.
What is POP3 Email and why do I need it?
A POP3
email address is a 'standard' email address, such as the one you
may already have with your current internet service provider. With
POP3 you can send and receive email directly from your domain name
through an email client such as Microsoft Outlook Express. e.g. Tony@yourdomain.com
The basic bronze starter plan includes 2 pop3 email accounts, although
others can be purchase at a later date. If you anticipate wanting more
email
address's then it may be better to opt for gold. Through your secure
control panel you can instantly set-up the POP3 email addresses your
require.
What is email forwarding and why do I need
it?
Email
forwarding will automatically redirect any mail sent to an email
address on your domain name to another specified email account. e.g.
enquiries@yourdomain.com could be forwarded to tony@freeserve.co.uk.
There also is available the facility to have a catch all email address
and forward everything to that email address.
How do I transfer my existing web site from
another hosting company to you?
If
you already have a domain name and a web site set up with another
host it is easy to move to WTOH. All you need do is select and
purchase your WTOH account as described above. Then upload your
web site files via ftp to our servers. The final step involved
changes the domain name servers associated with your domain name
to our server names of ns1.wellthoughtout.com and ns2.wellthoughtout.com.
This may take a little time to propagate over the internet, but
within 72 hours the new site should be accessible to browse.
What kind of servers will my web site be hosted
on?
Your
web site will be hosted on reliable Dell PowerEdge servers running
Windows 2000 physically located at Telehouse, Docklands in London,
U.K. Full details of the equipment can be found here.
Does it matter what operating system I run
on my home computer?
No,
you do not have to be running Windows 2000 to use our web hosting
services. This is just the operating system we use on our servers.
How do I upload my web site and what is ftp?
Uploading
your site couldn't be simpler. You will be provided with a secure
user ID and password which will enable you to gain access to your
ftp account. FTP is a simple piece of software which allows you to
transfer your web pages and images from your computer to our web
server. There are a number of FTP programs available free of charge
for download.
Can I use Microsoft FrontPage to upload my
web site?
Yes,
but Microsoft FrontPage requires the web site to be preconfigured
for its use. This option must be selected when you signup for your
account, although this does not commit you to using only FrontPage.
How and when do I pay for my account?
Your
initial payment, whether you select a monthly or annual account,
must be made by credit card at the time of signup. You will be charged
for the period in advance plus any setup charges specified. We accept
all major credit and debit cards. We may also accept payment by cheque
on request. Please email cheques@wellthoughtout.com If
you choose a monthly plan, you will need to make payments via a credit
or debit card when the balance becomes due each month. You will be
emailed in advance, and your control panel will show the balance.
This also applies to annual accounts but on a yearly basis.
How do I know it's safe to use my credit card
with your web site?
Our
secure domain order form uses 128 bit SSL, the strongest commercially
available level of encryption. All your private data will be
encrypted at all times whilst in transit over the Internet.
The price for the silver starter account is
very good. I notice some hosting companies provide cheap accounts
but with advertisements. Will you place advertisements on my site?
Absolutely
not. We will not place banner ads, pop-up ads, etc. on your website.
All our hosting plans are competitively priced and even though
you pay less it doesn't mean you will get less.
Will my Control Panel work on a Macintosh?
Yes,
you can access your Control Panel from almost any computer with Internet
access.
Can I access my website without the www. prefix?
Yes. You can access your website with or without the www. prefix.
Do you host all different types of domain names
including foreign ones?
Yes. All domain names will work with WTOH accounts.
Does each account have its own raw log files?
Yes. You have access to your own raw log files.
Do you have anonymous FTP?
WTOH offers the ability to add multiple accounts on some of the hosting
plans that act like anonymous FTP accounts. They allow users to upload
and download files to their private directory. The only difference is
each FTP account has its own username and password.
Do I need a domain name to sign up for a hosting
plan?
No. You can register your domain name at the same time you sign up for
your web hosting account.
What kind of up-time do your servers have?
Well maintained equipment and a responsive server administration team
keep our server up-time at around 99.9%, one of the highest in the industry.
If your site during any 12 month period experiences an unsatisfactory
level of uptime we will investigate the cause and if through no fault
of your own will will credit your account with one months hosting fee.
No cash alternative will be entertained.
What type of database system do you support?
All of our plans come with a free MySQL database. The servers are Microsoft
based and as such will allow you to run ODBC connections to access and
SQL databases, dependant on the chosen plan.
What tools and features will I get with my
hosting account?
Every hosting account comes with a feature-packed Control Panel, a browser-based
control panel which makes it easy to view site statistics, manage email
accounts, and maintain your website.
To see which features come with your hosting plan visit hosting.wellthoughtout.com/plans.htm
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to top
How do I access my email via the webmail interface?
Use your browser to access the url http://mail.yourdomain.com/mail
Log in to your account with your email user name and password and use
the menu system which is similar to hotmail.
How do I manage my email accounts?
In your Control Panel, you can add, edit, and remove POP email accounts.
You can also set up aliases to forward mail and auto responders to automatically
send a response to messages sent to a certain account.
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to top
What are identities used for within icemail, the
pop3 webmail interface?
This is a facility used in conjunction which a "catch-all" email
address setup in the control panel. This allows you to use multiple email
address's or identities through one account. e.g. emails to info@yourdomain.com,
enquires@yourdomain.com and support@yourdomain.com all go to a catch
all address and using one webmail account you can reply using the correct
email from a drop down list.
How often will I be billed?
When you are billed is based on which hosting agreement you select. For
example: If you select an annual plan, you will be billed once a year.
What is a Virtual Domain?
A Virtual Domain means having your own domain name (http://www.your-name.com)
without having to install expensive server hardware and software. With
a Virtual Domain, you utilise our server's storage space, however you
are still professionally represented via your own personal Internet web
address domain name (www.your-name.com) and by your own personal e-mail
address domain name (you@your-name.com).
What is InterNIC?
The InterNIC is an independent organisation responsible for holding the
registration and routing of Internet domain names. Without these people
it would be virtually impossible to maintain sanity on the Internet.
Can I have a sub domain or canonical domain
name?
Yes you can get a canonical name or subdomain with some of the plans
we have available. Using the control panel you can set up your desired
subdomain. e.g. personal.yourdomain.com
How long does it take before my domain name
is active?
Once the InterNIC announces that your domain name has been registered
(or transferred, if applicable), it can take upto 72 hours before it
is active. All Internet providers must update their records (DNS tables)
to reflect the new site's location.
Will I have unlimited access to update my pages?
You have unlimited access via FTP 24-hours a day. As such, you can create
and maintain your web pages on your own computer and upload files to
your web site at your leisure.
Can I use my account for commercial purposes?
Yes, you can use your account for commercial purposes. The World Wide
Web has become the most efficient and cost-effective means of making
information available to the users of the Internet community and we encourage
our customers to utilise such an enormous medium.
I need more than 250MB, how much is extra space?
Extra space is always available. Please check our features for more information.
How long does it take to set up a new account?
New accounts are created online immediately when you have completed your
personal and payment details and your credit card has been successfully
charged. This can take as little as 15 minutes to complete the whole
process.
Are WTOH's web servers Year 2000 compliant?
Yes our web servers are Year 2000 compliant.
Does WTOH provide CGI scripts?
Since WTOH does not assist customers with the content of their website,
we cannot provide CGI scripts. However, we can direct you to some sites
where you can find free CGI scripts:
The
CGI Resource Index
Matt's
Script Archive
FreeScripts
What languages can I use for my CGI scripts?
Perl and Shell Scripting are available for CGI scripting. You can learn
more about Perl by visiting the Perl website. We also recommend trying
PerlBuilder for working on Perl CGI scripts on your PC.
When was this FAQ last updated?
This FAQ was last updated on 03/12/2004