FAQ - Cheshire Net Spamfilter
This Frequently Asked Questions page is for Cheshire Net's new SpamFilter function. If you do not find the answer you are looking for please call our tech support department at 352-0212.
What happens to messages that are filtered?
How do I view messages that have been filtered?
How do I get a filtered message back to my Inbox?
What is all this gibberish at the top of my e-mail?
How can I get a message that is tagged as Spam to display correctly?
Why are messages still getting through the filter?
How do I stop the SpamFilter from filtering messages from friends and family?
How do I sign up for the filtering service?
How do I cancel the filtering service?
For a step by step guide please see our Spam Filter Walkthrough
Spam is the common name for unsolicited e-mail. That is, mail which is sent to your account which you have not asked for, much like junk mail in your regular mailbox.
Each incoming message is compared against a list of over 300 common attributes of unsolicited e-mail. Each of these attributes has a point score assigned to it. Once the filter finishes scanning the message points are tallied and compared to the “required score”. If the point total is equal to or greater than the required score the message is considered SPAM and filtered from your inbox.
What happens to messages that are filtered?
Messages filtered from your Inbox are put into a separate folder called SPAM. The next day all messages in the SPAM folder are moved to a folder called SPAM2 and the SPAM folder is emptied so that it may receive the new unsolicited messages for that day. The day after that the contents of SPAM2 are moved to a folder called SPAM3, the contents of SPAM are moved to SPAM2 and the SPAM folder is again emptied. This occurs every day until there are 5 folders of messages holding all the unsolicited e-mail from the past 5 days.
How do I view messages that have been filtered?
The SPAM folders can be viewed by using Cheshire Net’s WebMail service. Just follow these steps:
1) Point your web browser to www.cheshire.net.
2) Click the link for Cheshire Net’s WebMail service.
3) Enter your username and password and click Log In.
4) Choose “Folders” from the menu bar.
5) Scroll down the page until you come to “Unsubscribe/Subscribe”
6) In the right column highlight the folder you wish to subscribe to and click the “Subscribe” button.
7) On the left side of your screen click “Refresh folder list”
How do I get a filtered message back to my Inbox?
Click the check box next to the message you want to save and then above use "move selected to" to move it back to your inbox. If you want to save it, retrieve your mail normally (other than WebMail) and the message will appear as new mail on your computer.
What is all this gibberish at the top of my e-mail?
Each e-mail that is caught as Spam by the filter is tagged with the results of the scan. The results display each attribute that the filter matches with the particular message as well as the point score relative to that attribute.
How can I get a message that is tagged as Spam to display correctly?
HTML messages will not display properly once tagged by the Spam Filter. To correct this follow these steps:
1) Open the message
2) Highlight everything in the message after the results of the scan.
3) Copy the selected text by clicking Edit from the menu bar and choosing Copy (or use Ctrl-C).
4) Open a text editor program (such as Notepad or Wordpad).
5) Paste the text copied in step 3 into a blank document by selecting Edit from the menu bar and choosing Paste (or use Ctrl-V).
6) Click File on the menu bar and select Save As.
7) Type a name for the file, adding .htm to the end (example name: email.htm).
8) Make sure that you are saving the file where you’ll be able to find it easily and click Save.
9) Find the file you just saved and open it.
Why are messages still getting through the filter?
Unfortunately spammers are constantly working on ways to get around filters. Luckily you have the ability to tighten the filter on your account. You can log into the Spam Filter controls website and lower the Required Score. Please see the walkthrough for more information.
How do I stop the SpamFilter from filtering messages from friends and family?
Cheshire Net has provided a web page which allows you to add e-mail addresses to either a Friends or Enemies list. The filter will ignore any messages sent from addresses in the Friends list and block all messages sent from addresses in the Enemies list.
How do I sign up for the filtering service?
You can sign up for the filter by contacting either the Main Office (352-9966) or Tech Support (352-0212).
E-mail filtering is FREE!
How do I cancel the filtering service?
You can request that the filter be removed from your account by contacting either the Main Office (352-9966) or Tech Support (352-0212).