Hosting FAQ Please check below for the answers to the questions you may have. Please contact us if you do not see an answer to what you are looking for. General: What directory and file names are acceptable? How do I update my web pages? How do I create sub-directories? How do I access my personal web-based Control Panel? When will I be able to reach my site using the domain name? Accessing your site: I type in my IP address but I get a default page, why? What should I do if denied access to my web site when using a browser? What are the folders I see when I connect to my web site? How do I get my page to load automatically? FTP Connections to your site: Do you have any FTP software available for download? What FTP host name do I use to access my web site(s)? What should I do if denied access via FTP or to "stats"? General: What directory and file names are acceptable? Our operating system (LINUX) is case sensitive. In other words, the file name "faq.html" is NOT the same as "FAQ.html". If your HTML code references a faq.html, but the actual file name is in uppercase, this will result in a File Not Found error. This applies to directory names as well. To prevent errors, we suggest naming all files in lowercase. Spaces and and special control characters are generally not a good idea. The underscore character ("_") is acceptable. You should avoid special characters (e.g. ! @ # $ % ^ & * : ') in file names. We suggest that you keep the length of file names to a minimum. The tilde (~) cannot be used in directory or file names. How do I update my web pages? You can literally create and maintain your web pages, images, and scripts locally and upload them to the web server at your leisure via FTP. You can overwrite existing files or transfer a new file. How do I create sub-directories? We recommend using the "make directory" feature in our recommended FTP client software, WS_FTP LE or CuteFTP. How do I access my personal web-based Control Panel? Once your domain is active, you can access your Control Panel in the following manner: http://www.your_domain.com/cpanel/ If your domain name is still in the registration process, you can still access the control panel using the temporary URL provided within your activation notice. If your IP address is: 223.22.223.22, then you would enter: http://223.22.223.22/cpanel/ You will need to use the same username and password that you use to access your account when using FTP. When will I be able to reach my site using the domain name? Once the InterNIC announces that your domain name has been registered (or transferred, if applicable), it usually takes about 72-hours before it is active. All internet providers must update their records (DNS tables) to reflect new site locations. This is called propagation. Accessing Your Site: I type in my IP address in the web browser but i get a default page This is because you have a shared IP address, to get your own dedicated IP address you will need to upgrade to a PRO account with us. You can email sales@lightningwebhosts.com to get more information on this. What should I do if denied access to my web site when using a browser? If you receive the message "There is no DNS entry for http://www.yourdomain.com", there are several possible explanations: 1) Try to reach the site using the IP address. If you are successful, the domain name is either not active or not yet propagated. For a NEW domain, it may take up to a week for the name to be released by InterNIC and propagated to DNSs (Domain Name Servers) throughout the Internet. (Foreign domains and transfers take longer). If it is an older domain that has previously been reachable, the name may be on hold with InterNIC. Contact InterNIC directly to determine the reason the name is on hold. You can check the status of your domain name by going to your "whois" page using your control panel. 2) If you can reach the site with the IP address and you know it has been more than 72 hours since the name was released by InterNIC: Clear your browser cache and try again. If you are using Netscape Navigator, first select Options | Network Preferences, then choose the Cache tab. Click on the buttons "Clear Memory Cache Now" and "Clear Disk Cache Now" and OK, then click Reload. For Internet Explorer Select View | Options, then the Navigation tab and click "Clear History" and OK, then click Refresh. Note: Netscape may require manually clearing the cache. With Windows Explorer find the Netscape folder (e.g. C:\Program Files\Netscape\Navigator\Cache - then highlight and delete the files in the Cache folder - then click on Reload) If you know that others are able to reach the site with the domain name but you can't (even after clearing the Cache), contact your local ISP. They may not have updated their DNS records. If you are still unable to reach it after all of these steps, email support@lightningwebhosts.com for assistance. Be sure to describe all the steps you have already taken. 3) If you are unable to reach the site with either the domain name OR the IP address you may be experiencing connectivity problems. If you are unable to reach this URL, either wait until connectivity is restored and try again, or contact your local ISP for information on possible network problems. What are the folders I see when I connect to my web site? When you connect to the root or "home" directory of your account via ftp, you will see the following system directories/folders which are landmarks suggesting a successful connection: catalogs cpanel13-skel mail public_ftp public_html tmp www The directory www/ is for your html web site files. These are the files that people will see when they visit your web site from their web browser by using WWW.YOURDOMAIN.COM. You can transfer files directly to the root level and/or create subdirectories. How do I get my page to load automatically? You must name your main loading file either "index.htm" or "index.html" . Be sure to name everything in lowercase, not "INDEX.HTM" . Also, this file must to located in your home directory (www). FTP Connections to your site: Do you have any FTP software available for download? No, but we recommend using an excellent shareware program called WS_FTP LE or CuteFTP. You can download this program for free directly from C-Net at the address http://www.download.com. Enter WS_FTP LE or CuteFTP. Also remember to select the OS you are using in C-Net's search screen. What FTP host name do I use to access my web site(s)? To update your web pages, FTP into yourdomain.com. Use the USERID and PASSWORD provided on your account activation notice to ftp to your site. If you create any links using the IP address, we suggest that you modify the HTML to reflect your domain name once active world wide. Using relative paths rather than absolute paths when linking web pages will eliminate the need to modify your links. What should I do if denied access via FTP or to "stats"? 1. If you can access your account Control Panel, but cannot access your account via FTP, the FTP configurations may be incorrect. 2. If you are denied access to either or both AFTER entering your userid and password, you may be using the wrong password. Check the activation notice sent to you via email when the account was first set up. If you changed your password and it doesn't seem to be working, contact support@lightningwebhosts.com to reset your password. 3. If you can connect via FTP, but not open your Control Panel, carefully read the Control Panel access instructions included with the activation email. 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