If you find that your particular problem is not addressed by this FAQ, please contact us so that we can help you get the problem resolved. Remember: when calling, please have as much information about the problem as possible. This includes any error messages you may be getting. The more information we have to work with, the faster we can provide a solution.

This information is arranged into categories for easier locating.

Basic Stuff:

1. Some site on the Net wants me to enter a password. What should I use?
2. What's my email address?
3. What's my username?
4. How do I change my password?
5. I am used to dmrtc.net. Do I have to start using rtccom.net?
6. What's the deal with 'cookies'?

1. What's my domain name?
2. What's my DNS server number?
3. What are my mail server names?
4. What's my news server name?
5. I had to re-install everything. What are all the settings?
6. How do I keep junk mail out of my Inbox?

1. What is IMAP and should I use it?
2. I can't get my email. It says there is a POP3 Server Error
3. I can browse the Web but I can't get my mail...

1. I keep getting a message saying "Don't hang up". Why?
2. I keep getting disconnected. Why?
3. "...has performed an illegal operation and will be terminated"
4. Is there a massive modem FAQ somewhere I can read?

1. I hear RTC has a feedback/questionnare/email form. How do I set that up for my page?
2. How do I use my personal webpage area I get free with my account? (coming soon)

Some places on the Internet require a username and password to gain access to their information. Some of those sites charge for access and some do not. In any event, if you register with them and are asked to provide a username and password, do not, under any circumstances, use the same password that you use to login to the Internet with RTC. This would provide your login information to any unscrupulous person at that site who might want to cause trouble.

If someone can gain access to your account, they then have access to your mail, your web page (if you have one) and our system. They would, in effect, be masquerading as you.

Security is a very important consideration when going on-line. So, if you are ever asked to give your password, no matter how innocent they seem, do not give it out.
Taking proper security measures will ensure that your on-line experience stays where it belongs...in your control.

Your email address is comprised of two parts. Your RTC Internet username (specified by you on your account application) and our domain. So, if you specified a username of jellybean during sign-up and since our domain is rtccom.net, then your email address would be: jellybean@rtccom.net

Your username is a unique identity on the system here at RTC. Specified by you on your application, it should be a string of letters or numbers anywhere from 5 to 8 characters long. You may be asked for this when calling for technical support. Example: jsmith

Your username, though unique, is not a private item. Anyone can determine your username on the system with enough digging around. Your password, definitely a private item, should be known by you and only you. Please see the question about passwords for more information on security.

Changing your password may now be done in only one way.

Call or write our offices to request that it be changed. Your identity will be verified before we change it.

RTC's new domain name is rtccom.net. dmrtc.net is our old domain name. It is still and always will be our domain name. rtccom.com is our domain name reserved for our corporate use.

With most modern operating systems (anything more recent than Windows 3.1), you will not need to know this number as it will be automatically determined by your computer for you. If you do need it, the DNS Server address is 65.171.80.10 (the secondary is 65.171.80.11).

The Domain Name Service (DNS) is a very important part of the internet. It allows you to type names like 'www.yahoo.com' instead of having to type an IP Address like '204.71.200.69'. That would get very tedious very soon. If you find you can't go anywhere by using a name but you can with a number, there is almost certainly a problem with your DNS entry.

Your mail program will most likely ask for two server names. They are usually specified as POP3 (Incoming) and SMTP (Outgoing). Both of these should be set to mail.rtccom.net

Your mail program will also need a POP3 username (also called Account Name). This will be your username. Below is an example for John W. Smith, a fictitious customer.

jwsmith@rtccom.net

jwsmith is the username. rtccom.net is the domain name. The '@' symbol (pronounced "at") is only used in email addresses.

Your news server should set to news.rtccom.net

If you do not have your original setup instructions or you need different ones, we have hard copies of the various different instructions here in our offices. We also have on-line documents to help you with setting everything back up in Windows.

Additionally, you may find it easy to download our setup program. This will configure your Internet Explorer and Outlook Express for you automatically. Click here to download and install.

If you are getting junk email in your Inbox and it's starting to annoy you, then join the crowd. Unfortunately, advertising companies have discovered the net and are using it to 'trawl' for email address so they can send you ads promoting their wares. Although their are discussions going on in various governments regarding this practice (also called spamming and unsolicited email), no legislation has been passed that will keep these companies from doing to the electronic mail system what they have done to the U.S. Postal System.

One thing you can do is delete their messages. Replying to them and asking them to stop sending you unsolicited mail will only result in you getting ten times as much junk mail. While ignoring your pleas to cease and desist, they are happily marking down your email address as actually having a body behind it who is reading their promotions. Another type of ad you might see is where they tell you that in order to stop receiving their mailings to type 'unsubscribe' or 'remove' in the subject line and hit "Reply". This rarely, if ever, works. Again, remember who is on the other end. If you tell them you want to be removed, they will just add your name to ten other lists since they know you read your mail. For more information please read Spam: Know the Facts.

Recently, we have devised our own way of combating the never ending wave of junk email -- SpamHunter. The SpamHunter system was written to detect unwanted junk mail and then move it to another location so you, the email user, don't have to waste time and resources downloading it. You can access that stored junk email in our WebMail program.

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) is a new way of handling e-mail that is very different from POP3 (Post Office Protocol v3). With POP3, your mail is stored on our server only until you check your mail. Once you have all of your mail in your Inbox on your computer at home, the messages are removed from our server forever.

With IMAP, your messages never leave our server, but instead, are managed and handled right here on our system. When you check your Inbox for new mail, it keeps your messages on our system while letting you view them on your computer at home. One drawback of using IMAP is that checking or managing your Inbox can be much slower than POP3. The advantages to this method of handling your e-mail are: safe storage (you won't loose your email if your computer dies) and mobility. If you find yourself checking your email from more than one location frequently, then you can appreciate what IMAP offers.

Most of our customers will not need IMAP for their email needs. POP3 is still very useful for quick and dirty email. If you check your email from only one location, then you should stay with POP3.

If you have any further questions about IMAP and POP3, or are interested in getting started with IMAP, please email us.

If you are getting a "POP3 server error" when checking your mail, there are a couple of things that can resolve this problem.
1. Usually this problem occurs in Netscape. In Netscape Navigator version3.X and earlier, click Options from the menu bar and choose Mail and News Preferences. Then choose the Servers Tab. Change the setting for how often Netscape checks for new mail to a much higher number - say, 20 or 30 minutes. Click OK to all windows to save settings.

In Netscape Communicator 4.X and up, click Edit and then Preferences. Then double-click on Mail & Groups then click once on Mail Server. On the right side, choose the button labeled More Options. Change the setting for how often Netscape checks for new mail to a much higher number - say, 20 or 30 minutes. Click OK to all windows to save settings.


2. Configure your mail program to only download messages smaller than a certain size (e.g. 5 kilobytes). It will let you know when you have a really large email waiting and will give you the opportunity to download it then or later, at your discretion.

If you find you can get to different places on the web but you cannot get your email, you should check the settings for your mail program. See the question about Mail Servers for information on what to look for.

Windows95 can be set to disconnect after a period of inactivity. You can change this setting in Control Panel, Internet. Click on Connection tab. Set the "Disconnect if idle more than XX minutes" as needed.

This kind of problem will come and go by the hour, you will notice. It is a result of the condition of the physical telephone lines in your neighborhood. If the line is even a little noisy, the modem will not be able to maintain it's high speed connection. Too much traffic can cause the same problems. If the phone lines in your area are seeing a lot of activity (only phone company can determine that for sure), then you will probably get disconnected a lot.

The only solution to this problem is to simply wait. Often, the problems will disappear after heavy traffic or the noise has dissipated. If, however, the problem persists more than a day, you should contact the phone company about the problem. You more than likely have a fault in the system near your or in your house.

One thing to do to help keep a reliable connection when you are seeing a lot of disconnects is to slow your connection down to 19200 or even 1440. Go into Control Panel, Modems to change the setting. Choose your modem in the window and then click properties. Set the speed to a low setting (but not too low. 2400 would be too slow).

For more information please see Modems and Telephone Line Problems

No, Internet Explorer didn't just download an illegal copy of Microsoft Word. Your program has tried to perform some sort of unacceptable operation inside your computer and Windows95 didn't like it. Most likely the program will just shut down and go away. These kind of problems seem to be best resolved with the old Microsoft stand-by....shut down the computer and restart it. If you are still getting this error after restarting, you should contact whoever makes the program.

Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator are frequent perpetrators of these kinds of errors. Their ActiveX and Java components can do some strange things sometimes.

Yes, there are several of them around the Net. One very good FAQ that is updated often can found at here.

Basically, there is alot of bad and wrong information about cookies on the internet. There is absolutely nothing wrong with cookies. They make the internet easier to use. And they are safe. Some people are afraid that spammers or other nefarious websites will steal your cookies off of your computer and use the information found in them for bad purposes.

Spammers do not (and cannot) use the cookies stored on your computer. The cookie file is a very useful file to have. Here is how cookies work. A cookie is placed on your computer by a website. That cookie will contain information that they want to put in there (say you entered your zipcode at MSNBC.com). That way, when you visit their website again, you don't have to type your zipcode in again... the custom page for your zipcode just appears. In other words, cookies that are placed on your computer can only be read by the website that put them there. And they can only contain information that the website decides to put there. They do not contain sensitive information found on your computer. They may contain sensitive information for a particular website but that cookie can only be read by that website.

You should, however, make sure your browser is currently up to date with all security updates to ensure that your cookies are safe. There are versions of Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator/Communicator that had security problems regarding cookies. Aything more recent than Internet Explorer 5 or Netscape Navigator 4.79 should be safe. Otherwise, you can turn them off in your browser settings.

Read more info on the cookie specification at Netscape's website.

Yes. We have a cgi for processing feedback forms already in place. Read about it on our FormMail Help Page