How do I renew my account?
It's easy to buy more hours by either ringing us on on 03 9562 4577 and quoting your credit card details or by filling out and submitting the online Renewal Form.
This will generate either a Remittance Advice if you intend on paying by cheque or if you choose to use our secure server to pay by credit card, the hours will added to your account immediately.
If you do pay by credit card, there is a very long delay between pressing the "Renew Account" button and the appearance of the credit card form. Please be patient as the hours will be reversed out if the payment form is not completed properly.
How do I stop my connection from freezing or hanging up all the time?
First, some background information. The vast majority of connection problems are caused by the fact we are now trying to send more and more data, faster, across a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) that was originally designed for voice, which only requires a bandwidth of 3k bits per second. Advancements in modem and access server technology now give us a 56k bits per second pseudo digital connection over analogue PSTN lines. The only problem is that it doesn't work as well as everybody hoped, and it is, despite popular belief, very rarely the fault of the host ISP. We at Teksupport have done all within our power to ensure that 'our end' of the link is the best we can possibly make it. All our dial in lines are fed to us from the Telstra exchange via a dedicated optical fibre that terminates in our server room. There is a short copper cable that carries the multiplexed phone channels from the fibre bearer to the access servers. We also continually monitor our access server supplier for upgrades to the server software and modem code. There is not any more we can do to improve the quality of the connection at our end. There are however, some things that you can check at your end.
- By far the largest source of connection problems in the Windows environment is caused by having your modem to host connection speed set too fast. The default speed of 115200 set by almost all 56k modem drivers simply will not work reliably if the machine is running Microsoft Windows. The symptoms are that the dialup networking reports it is unable to make a connection, or it takes several attempts to get a connection and when you finally do get connected, the performance is either just very slow, or works in short fast bursts then freezes for long periods. Make sure that this is set to NO faster that 57600.
- Make sure that if you have a 'call waiting' facility on your phone that you disable it for the duration of your data calls. The beeps signalling a waiting call confuse your modem and cause it to hang up. Contact your Telco for further information.
- Make sure that the cable that connects your modem to the wall socket is short (no more than 2 metres) If you must use an extension cable it MUST be proper twisted pair telephone cable, NOT the flat ribbon cable extensions that are commonly available from retail suppliers. Flat cable is OK for voice but 56k data will NOT work over long lengths of it due its lack of electrical noise immunity and crosstalk between the transmit and receive pairs.
- If you have a Telstra TouchFone200 with the flat 'membrane' keyboard, like the one in the photo, connected to the same line as your modem, then make sure it is disconnected for the duration of your data calls. These phones 'grab' the phone line to charge an internal battery approximately every 10 minutes and in doing so will cause your modem to hang up.
- Make sure you are running the latest firmware and drivers for your modem. Most modern modems store their firmware (the software that runs them) in 'flash' memory. This enables you to 'field upgrade' your modem by downloading the new firmware and a small update program from your modem manufacturer's website and following the instructions.
- If the above suggestions do not offer a solution, then it is possible that your telephone line has a problem. This could either be a fault that has developed like noise or foreign battery or an installation issue such as distance from the exchange and the use of 'pair gain' products. These can all cause problems with your connection, particularly with 56K.
- If all else fails, then call or e-mail us at Teksupport, but PLEASE do your best to eliminate the above items before calling.
How do I set my email client to 'NOT leave email on the server'?
Microsoft Outlook
Tools → Accounts → select mail account → Properties
Button → Advanced tab
Netscape 4.72
Edit → Preferences → Mail & Newsgroups →
Mail Server → Select Server → Edit Button →
POP tab
Eudora Lite
Tools → Options → Select Checking Mail
How do I set up my computer for Teksupport dial-up?
We have compiled a Windows XP instruction page for this question.