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Phone Line Issues
The most common problems with dial up internet are phone line
related. About 90% of all IGRIN's technical support calls
are found to be phone line related issues. The
characteristics of phone line interference issues are: varying
connect speeds, slow connect speeds and modem hang-ups, audible
noises on the line eg clicking, faint static, crosstalk etc.
There are a number of things that you can do before calling
Telecom to check your line:
1) Make sure that other devices in your home/office are
not interfering with your modem on the line. It is quite
common that fax machines or 2-way adaptors can interfere if you
have them on the same phone jack as the modem. Unplug each
device on the phone circuit and try dialing up after doing so.
By devices we mean phones, fax machines, extension cables,
adaptors etc. You also should not connect a modem via a
PABX. If after removing one or all of these devices your
connection improves, then this was the cause of the problem and
you may need to replace one or all of the components. You should
use the shortest phone cable possible for your dialup and avoid
extension cables.
2) If you live rural, turn off your electric fences.
Rural phone lines are generally of a lower standard so even a
small amount of electric fence click on the line can interfere
with your modem.
3) Have the latest manufacturer software drivers
installed for your modem. As most modems are actually
controlled by software, how your modem handles interference on
the line can be improved by downloading and installing the
latest software specifically for your modem.
You can also get rural modems designed specifically for those
with phone line issues.
4) If all of the above fails you will need to call
Telecom to get a line check done. You can call them on 120
for residential faults, or 126 for business. Unfortunately
even though phone line maintenance charges are included in most phone
accounts by default, there may be an additional $80.00 Telecom callout fee.
We advise that you do all the above checks before calling
Telecom to avoid this call out fee.
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Virus Protection
IGRIN's mail servers protect you from email viruses - it is also
updated 4 times daily so you can be sure we are protecting you
as best as possible from new virus threats.
Most viruses spread via email but we still recommend that you
always have an up-to-date virus scanning program installed eg.
Norton Anti Virus or AVG. Viruses can also spread via
broadcast, downloads and media like disks.
AVG is free for personal use and it can be downloaded from
www.grisoft.com You should do regular updates to
ensure that you are protected from new viruses as they come out.
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Spyware Protection
Spyware is intrusive software that can be installed on your
system inadvertently. It normally comes with free
software, or can even be downloaded transparently in the
background while using the Internet. Some spyware can even
make toll calls from your computer via "porn dialers".
You can avoid spyware by doing the following:
1) Do not click yes on any pop up boxes that offer to
install programs from the internet that you are unsure of eg.
free tool bars.
2) Do not install any free dialers
3) Run spyware removal tools on your system and do
regular scans. You should keep your spyware removal
program up to date. AdAware is a free spyware removal tool
which you can download from:
AdAware
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Spam Email
Spam email is unsolicited junk email that clutters your
inbox. It can be benign or fraudulent and offensive in
nature. Click Here to read about how IGRIN can help you
with Spam prevention.
There are also a few ways you can help avoid Spam:
1) Do not sign up for free services on the internet with
your main email address, as free services normally mean
advertising.
2) Do not reply or click on any links on any junk email.
This will only confirm your presence and you will probably get
even more spam.
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System Security
To have a secure system while online you should do the
following:
1) Ensure you have the latest Windows updates installed.
You can get these from
www.windowsupdate.com You may want to download these
on a broadband connection as they can take several hours on a
dialup connection. Having the latest windows updates means
your system is more secure and reliable.
2) Run a firewall program eg. Norton Internet Security or
Kerio Personal Firewall. Kerio Personal Firewall is free
for personal use you can download it from here:
www.kerio.com
A firewall program can block unauthorised connections to and
from your computer eg hackers and viruses.
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