Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where can I find the MMS email settings for my cellular phone?

A: To send a picture to any cellphone just email it to the recipients MMS email address:

US Carriers:

Alltel = xxxxxxxxxx@message.alltel.com
AT&T = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.att.net
Boost Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@myboostmobile.com
Cingular (AT&T) = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.mycingular.com
Einstein PCS = xxxxxxxxxx@einsteinmms.com
Sprint = xxxxxxxxxx@messaging.sprintpcs.com
T-Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@tmomail.net
US Cellular = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.uscc.net
Verizon Wireless = xxxxxxxxxx@vzwpix.com
Virgin Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@vmobl.com

Q: How do I place an order?

A: You can place an order directly from our Hosting Plans page 24 hours a day or by calling (805) 498-1415 between the hours of 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday PST.

Q: Do you accept international orders?

A: Yes. If desired, we can host non-U.S. domain name extensions. Some domain name extensions require you to have a business address located in that country, however.

Q: How do I transfer files to my web site?

A: Files can be transferred to the web server via File Transport Protocol (FTP) or using the FTP publishing feature in Dreamweaver, etc. If you need FTP Software, you can download FTPX or CuteFTP here. You may also use a standard browser to gain access by going to ftp.[yourdomain].com.

Q: Will I have unlimited access to update my pages?

A: You have unlimited 24 hour access to update your pages via FTP.

Q: Does ABS offer domain registration?

A: Yes!

Q: Can I transfer an existing domain name to ABS?

A: Yes, simply register as a new user and initiate a transfer when you log in. You'll want to make sure your domain name is unlocked for the transfer to occur. Some choose to leave their domain where it is, but modify the namesserver settings to point to ABS servers.

Q: How long does it take before my domain name is active?

A: It usually takes about 72-hours before your domain name has been propagated by InterNIC before it is active.

Q: Does ABS limit the number of hits I can receive each month?

A: ABS does not limit the number of hits you can receive each month, but does monitor the amount of bandwidth usage.

Q: Can I use my account for commercial purposes?

A: Yes, you can use your account for commercial purposes. However, ABS reserves the right to refuse hosting to sites relating to or containing pornography, nudity, racism, religious intolerance or 'hate' sites.

Q: Can I resell space within my own account?

A: No, you cannot resell space within your account.

Q: I can't send large files through email

A: We deliberately place a 10MB limit on files sent through email. As you can imagine, the volume of email we get through our servers is substantial. For this reason we created a separate file sharing service. You can access it using your existing Webmail login at: http://fileshare.absinternet.com

Q: I can't download attachments in Webmail!

A: If you have problems downloading attachments when using webmail, you probably also have XP Service Pack 2 installed. The only workaround at this time is to add the site http://207.178.241.10 to your trusted sites list within Internet Explorer to allow you to open or download attachments.

Q: Why is my email password being reset?

A: Why is my email password being reset?

Our email servers automatically reset email passwords when suspicious email activity occurs or when attempted large emails (over the 10MB limit) are continuously sent over and over. You will need to contact your email administrator to reset your password when this occurs.

Q: How do I access Webmail?

A: You can access Webmail by logging into mail.absinternet.com. You can administer the domain's email accounts by logging in with the administrative email you were given (usually info@yourdomain.com) when you created your hosting account. Once logged in, click "options", then "advanced settings" for further administration settings..

Q: How do I add email addresses for my domain?

A: Simply log into your webmail account with your provided administrator account (http://mail.domain.com). Once you're logged in, click "Options" on the left side, then click "Advanced Options", then click "Domains". From this screen you will see your domain(s). Now click "Edit" and you will see buttons to either add, edit or delete email accounts for your domain.

Q: What are the storage and/or time limits for email stored in Webmail?

A: There are no storage limits. However, email past 90 days will automatically be deleted from Webmail. We recommend archiving your email using a client based email program (ie. Outlook, Outlook Express).

Q: My website statistics are not up to date. Why?

A: Recently we changed our method of reporting statistics to "realtime" stats. Which means you can view your traffic statistics at any time.

Q: Who should I contact if we have telephone carrier issues?

A: Please directly contact your provider at:

TMC 866-999-1155
Covad 866-339-2287
PAETEC Customer Service 877-340-2600
PAETEC Repair 877-340-2555
TelePacific 877-487-8722
XO 800-421-3872
Qwest 800-860-1020
TNCI 800-800-8400
Access One 800-804-8333 ext. 2075

Q: I'm not receiving any mail from (insert email address here). They are getting bounce messages from ABS mail server.

A: Sometimes it is necessary to have an email address "whitelisted". When you whitelist an email address, it bypasses the usual spam filters, essentially becoming a trusted address. You can submit a whitelist request for your ABS hosted domain here.

Q: I'm getting bounced messages from my email account!

A: All messages with a "from" address that is an ABS Internet hosted domain MUST be routed through one of our outgoing mail servers or it will be refused. One common scenario is when a third-party mailing application is being used to send out newsletters, mass emails, etc. using your domain name as a from address.You cannot use an ABS email account as a "from" address in this case. A workaround in this situation:

Change your "from" address to myaccount@mydomain-no-reply.com, substituting myaccount and mydomain with your particular information, then instruct your recipients of a reply address in the body of the email message.

Note: We do not add third-party mail servers as trusted hosts.

Q: Configure email account in Outlook?

A: Visual Tutorial for Outlook

Q: I'm getting a message that I am not part of the Administrator group...

A: You'll need to contact your system administrator to install software. Your current privileges within the network do not allow it. This is by design.

Q: Third-party email server is not sending my domain's email.

A: The company's mail system is sending out email from their server(s) with your email address as the sender. ABS mail servers correctly refuse the transaction because only our servers are able to send out mail with your email account as the sender. This functionality is by design.

Q: Messages sent to me are being returned to the sender as spam!

A: Spam filtering is based on a set of scores, values, statistics, and 3rd party checking that changes hourly. We could list numerous reasons why someones email one day works, and the next day it doesn't. The most common reasons are the sending mail server has been blacklisted (which all mail servers, including ours, check before accepting) or the content of the message, its graphics, and subject, together have been calculated as spam by the detection engines.

The best approach is to whitelist any client you may suspect as being flagged, although this will not help in a blacklist situation. You can submit a WHITELIST request for legitimate senders to you at: https://www.absinternet.com/wl.asp

Q: Emails I send are bouncing back to me are undeliverable!

A: There are many possibilities for this error. First, read the bottom of your returned email for any information about why the email was returned. If you require us to investigate the reason for your returned email, DO NOT forward the email to us.
Simply go to: https://www.absinternet.com/email-error.asp and follow the directions on the form.

Q: I can't see anyting after logging into webmail!

A: The most likely reason for this is your columns in webmail got accidently adjusted. Webmail columns are similar to MS Excel, whereby you can adjust the size of each column to your preference. Simply move your mouse to the top of the column until your mouse pointer changes, hold your left mouse button down, and drag the column to the size you like.

Q: Why am I receiving "Authentication Required" when trying to send email?

A: Your email account is configured incorrectly. The most common solution is to change your Outgoing SMTP port to 366, due your DSL or cable provider intercepting your email on the standard port 25. The second most common solution is to verify you have "My Outgoing server requires authentication" checked. Please refer to our visual Outlook tutorial for a step by step on setting up your email account: http://www.absinternet.com/helpfaqs_outlook.asp

Q: Why are messages sent to me being returned to the sender as blacklisted!

A: When someone is blacklisted, it means that he or she is put on a list of individuals and organizations which have been singled out as deserving of some sort of denial or punishment, with the assumption that they deserve such treatment because of their behavior. In email terms, this individual, or someone from their company, has been flagged by the general public for abusing email privileges due to either abuse, virus, malware, etc.

Prior to accepting or sending email, good email servers check the records of blacklisted servers from companies who record this information (i.e. spamcop, spamhaus) and stop the email process if they are listed.

Our mail servers will return any blacklisted email to the sender notifying them of this situation at the bottom of the email. It is THEIR responsibility to take steps to remove their listing from any blacklist sites.

Q: How do you setup the iPhone with POP3 email?

A: Please note that ABS does not provide technical support for troubleshooting iPhone POP3 mail setup.

1. Add email account on iPhone

If this is the first account you are setting up on iPhone, simply tap Mail and then select Other.

If this is an additional account please go to the Home screen > Settings > Mail > Accounts > Add Account > Other

2. Enter account information

Select POP and then add the following information:

Name – The user’s Display Name
Address – your email address
Description – How you want to identify the specific email account, for example "work", or "home email"

Incoming Mail Server
---------------------
Host Name – mail1.absinternet.com
Username – The user's email address
Password – The user's mailbox password

Outgoing Mail Server
----------------------
Host Name - mail1.absinternet.com
Username – The user's email address
Password – The user's mailbox password

3. Complete the setup process - click SAVE and wait for the iPhone to test your incoming and outgoing mail settings and connect to your mailbox

Q: How do you setup the Blackberry with POP3 web mail?

A: Please note that ABS does not provide technical support for troubleshooting Blackberry POP3 mail setup.

Since Blackberry provides services to major carriers (i.e. Verizon, ATT, Sprint, etc) with their own proprietary email methods, you must contact your carrier for specific instructions on setting up your POP3 email account.

Q: Why am I being logged out of Webmail?

A: One of the following resolutions may apply:

1) ABS Webmail has a 10 minute inactive timeout feature that automatically logs you out if send or receive is idle for this time period. We suggest if you plan on typing a long email, that you use notepad or word first, then cut and paste your message into the body. This is a security feature and is by design.

2) ABS Webmail verifies your connection IP address has not changed since you logged in. This may be an issue if your internet connection is using bonded, or multiple connections from different providers. We suggest you contact your system admin to correct this issue. This is a security feature and is by design.

3) Disable any anti-virus programs and test ABS Webmail with a different browser. If you don't have any issue after this test, at least you've narrowed it down to a system problem. We suggest you contact your system admin to correct this issue.

4) Test your webmail account on a different computer, in a different office or home to further isolate the issue. If you don't have any issue after this test, at least you've narrowed it down to a system problem. We suggest you contact your system admin to correct this issue.

Q: When I click the icons on the top of my email, they no longer have reply, reply to all, forward, etc. showing.

A: Sounds more like a browser problem on your side. Have your system admin help you with these resolutions:

1) Delete your temporary internet files
2) Try an alternative browser (i.e. firefox)
3) Try logging into your webmail account from a different system at another location

This should help isolate the issue.

Q: I can't remember my password on my email account, how do I go about getting it?

A: If you are an employee of a company that we service, you'll need to contact your company's email administrator for your account information. If you are the owner of the domain, you can send a password request from one of your domain's email accounts. You can also reference your account information email you received when you started your hosting account.

Q: I sent an email to support@absinternet.com 2 hours ago and have not heard back! Why have I not heard back from anybody?

A: While we monitor our support accounts diligently, we give focused attention to our Dispatch Tech requests. Please fill out this request form: Dispatch Tech.

Q: What is the winmail.dat attachment that we receive sometimes and how can I prevent it?

A: Winmail.dat is created when clients sending to you are using Microsoft's proprietary Rich Text Format in Outlook. For more information, please see this Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;278061

Q: How do I renew an expired domain name registration?

A: If the expired registration has gone past the registrar’s grace period, only that registrar will be able to restore the domain name from the Redemption Period. The Redemption period is a 30-day grace period after your domain expires during which you may still restore your domain for a cost of $150. In order to restore your domain with AITDomains (ABS Internet's registrar), please download the form and fax the completed form to 910-321-1390. Restorations are processed Monday through Friday 8:30 am until 8:00 pm.

Q: What is the Redemption Period?

A: The Redemption period is a 30-day grace period after your domain expires during which you may still restore your domain for a cost of $150. In order to restore your domain with AITDomains (ABS Internet's registrar), please download the form and fax the completed form to 910-321-1390. Restorations are processed Monday through Friday 8:30 am until 8:00 pm.

Q: I forgot to renew my domain and now it has entered the redemption period. What should I do?

A: The Redemption period is a 30-day grace period after your domain expires during which you may still restore your domain for a cost of $150. In order to restore your domain with AITDomains (ABS Internet's registrar), please download the form and fax the completed form to 910-321-1390. Restorations are processed Monday through Friday 8:30 am until 8:00 pm.