Difficulty in establishing a stable connection?

Regulate modem speed by going to modem properties and

A network error has occurred / Dial-up Networking could not establish a compatible set of network protocols

Check the settings in the connections used to dial-up Interconnect under Server Types. If correct then check your TCP/IP configuration which is under the Network icon in the Control Panel. If this is still correct, uninstall TCP/IP & Dial-up adapter then reboot the computer. Re-install TCP/IP & Dial-up adapter and re-configure TCP/IP settings. Reboot the computer .

Line is busy try again later  

Check whether the dial properties have Tone instead of Pulse. If so change dial properties to Pulse. Otherwise try again later because most likely your telephone exchange is fully loaded or try dialing a different pilot line number.  

Pilot Numbers:

The computer you are dialing is not responding  

Try reducing modem speed. If it does not work, check your dial-up networking configuration.

No Dial tone  

Check whether you can get a dial tone when using the same line with a telephone head. If there is a dial-tone, add a comma before the pilot number you are dialing. If that doesn't work confirm you modem is working by trying to connect using a different modem. Don't forget to install the test modem onto your computer.

The computer you are dialing cannot establish a dial-up connection.  

This error message will normally come up if you type in your username and/or the password wrongly. Please note that the username and password are case sensitive.

The computer you are dialing has disconnected you  

This message will be received if:  

• You enter either the user name or password wrongly.

• You forget to enter either the user name or password  when required during the log in process.

• You lose a connection between our modem and yours because of noise interference over the telephone line so reduce the modem speed to enable a more stable connection.

Why is my connection so slow?
The speed of your connection involves many different factors. Not only does it depend on the server into which you have dialed, but also on the speed of any computer from which you are receiving data. If the computer storing the web site you are visiting is slow or heavily loaded, then data transfer to your home PC will be slowed down accordingly. If you find that a site is extremely slow, try again at a less busy time or find an alternate site. If you are having trouble with all web sites being slow, there could also be a configuration problem on your computer.
The telephone lines have a large effect on your dial-up connection -- length, load coils, resistive crosses and taps and other things that do not affect voice quality enough to require repair will adversely affect data speeds.

I am trying to download Mail but nothing seems to be happening   

You should note that mail is actually downloading into your computer unless you get disconnected. The reason 'nothing seems to be happening' might be the mail content is large or has a large attachment and is taking time to download it.

Downloading all messages including previously downloaded ones.  

This will occur if your mail client e.g. Internet mail, Netscape mail, Eudora, etc. has been configured such that a copy of your mail is kept on our server.

The remedy is to enable your mail client to retrieve mail without leaving copies on our server. Please call and ask for support.

I cannot send/receive mail  

You have been disconnected – check your connection.

Large mail or attachment – taking time to download. 

Please confirm your mail server settings are correct.

Mailer Daemons (mail delivery failure)

There are 3 reasons why you would get Mailer Daemons:  

• You entered the recipients e-mail address wrongly.

• You sent an e-mail to a non-existing e-mail address.

• Your recipient's mail-box is full (because he/she has not downloaded mail yet and restrictions apply e.g. users at aol.com have assigned quotas on their mailboxes, and therefore your mail bounced back.

What is a Computer Virus?

A computer virus is a program that spreads itself by infecting files. When it runs, a virus will essentially wrap a file's data in its own code. When the file is opened, the virus runs its program first and then opens the file as initially requested. Some computer viruses are malicious, erasing files or locking up systems; others merely present a problem solely through the act of infecting other code. Standard viruses will spread only when an infected file is transferred from one computer to another.

Computer worms are self-propagating and can not be considered ordinary viruses. Worms, unlike other viruses, don't infect files, but entire disks or computer systems. Because worms can't rely on file-to-file transfers to spread their code, they need to have a way of sending themselves to other computer systems and the most common way is via e-mail. Known as mass mailers due to the technique of spamming themselves to every address in the e-mail address book, such worms generally require a person's action to spread.

In either case, computer virus infections should not go untreated.

Viruses come in many shapes and sizes, such as:

File infectors
These viruses attach themselves to regular programs, such as .COM or .EXE files under DOS. Thus, they are invoked each time the infected program is run.

Cluster infectors
They modify the file system so that they are run prior to other programs. Note that, unlike file infectors, they do not actually attach themselves to programs.

Macro viruses
Word processing documents can serve as sources of transmission for viruses that take advantage of the auto-execution macro capabilities in products such as Microsoft Word. Simply by opening an infected document, the virus, written in a product's macro language, can spread.

System infectors
Computer operating systems typically set aside a portion of each disk for code to boot the computer. Under DOS, this section is called a boot sector on floppies or a master boot record (MBR) for hard disks. System infectors store themselves in this area and hence are invoked whenever the disk is used to boot the system.

How do I prevent my computer from being infected by a virus?

Follow the virus detection and prevention tips listed below to lower the chances of your computer being infected by a virus:

1. Do not open any files attached to an e-mail from an unknown, suspicious or untrustworthy source. This applies to e-mail attachments sent by someone you know, unless you are aware of the contents of the attached file. Some viruses can replicate themselves and spread through e-mail.

2. Do not forward or reply to any to chain e-mails and junk e-mail. These types of e-mail are considered spam, which is unsolicited and intrusive.

3. Make sure that you have one of the anti-virus programs such as McAfee (www.mcafee.com) or Norton (www.norton.com) or AVG (www.grisoft.com) on your computer.

4. If you do not have any of the anti-virus programs, you may scan your computer (online) for any viruses for free.

5. When downloading files from the Internet, verify that an anti-virus program checks the files on the download site. If you're uncertain, don't download the file at all.

6. Update your anti-virus software regularly so that it is capable of detecting latest viruses discovered.

7. Update your Windows regularly to make sure that you have the critical and most updated files and programs for your system. This enhances the virus detection capability and makes virus prevention easier.

8. Back up your files on a regular basis. If a virus destroys your files, at least you can replace them with your back-up copy. You should store your backup copy in a separate location from your work files, one that is preferably not on your computer (e.g floppy disk).

What do I do if a virus is found in my computer?

If your computer has detected a virus, get the name of the virus and search for information on how to remove the virus.


Make sure your anti-virus is up to date always.