The Tech Support department has comprised a list of the most commonly
seen error messages and some solutions to these messages.

Connection Errors

"You have been disconnected from the computer you are dialing"

• When you dial into Cheshire Net your modem uses the TCP/IP protocol to send and receive data from our servers. If the TCP/IP protocol is damaged or isn't installed on your computer, as soon as our server tries verifying your username and password, you will get disconnected.

• To make sure you have TCP/IP installed on your computer, click on the Start button, click on Settings, and then click on Control Panel. In the Control Panel double-click on the Network icon. Where it says "The following network components are installed:" The two critical components you must have installed are Dial-Up Adapter and TCP/IP.
  

• Adding the Necessary components:

• If the TCP/IP protocol is already installed, it may be damaged!
• NOTE: Do not proceed with the next set of instructions if you do not have access to an original copy of Win95. You may be asked for the CD or diskettes in order to copy the necessary files.
• Click once on Dial-Up Adapter and then click Remove (this should clear out everything). Click OK. Your computer will then prompt you to restart. Click Yes, to do so.
• When your computer comes back up, Double-Click the Network icon. Follow the steps on the previous page for "Adding the Necessary Components."

This problem can also be caused by poor quality phone lines or excess line noise, to rule out this problem check for the following things.

• Check the connections between the modem (jack in the back of computer or modem) to the wall. secure or replace cord if necessary
• Check the condition of the phone line. examine it for cuts, abrasions, kinks, etc. Make sure its not tied in knots, if cable looks old worn or otherwise suspect, replace it, they are very cheap and can save you hours of frustration.
• Check the area around the cord. Make sure that other cables, especially power cables, power strips, and power supplies (big black power adapters that plug in to the wall) are not tangled up with or in close proximity to the modem line, Electric supply cords can radiate noise into nearby wires, those black (power supply "bricks") are even worse.
• Check the wires in the jack, and the jack itself. You may need a small screwdriver to take the cover off, check the condition of the jack, if its bad, you can replace it, again, a very cheap part, or if you don't feel comfortable, have the phone company replace it for you. While inside the jack, check the 4 screws inside the jack, make sure they are tight and in good repair, loose connections here can cause excessive line noise, which will cause a disconnect.
• This next part may be difficult, if not impossible, to check but depending on your house or apartment it may not be so hard. Follow where the wire goes from the jack into the house. It may go right into the wall, it may go into the floor, or run along the wall. If possible follow this wire, it may go into the basement, if you have one, or throughout the walls, if you can find this wire, check it for obvious signs of damage, If it is found damaged, replacing may be difficult, consult the phone company for assistance.
• If all else fails, contact the phone company and have them check the lines coming into your home or business, and repair if necessary.

• This is a common message for users who dial using the country and area code, and where their location doesn't require these dialing properties to be used.
• To disable these properties, Double-click the My Computer icon. Double-click the Dial-Up Networking folder. Do a right-mouse click on the Cheshire Net icon (or Cheshire Network Services Inc.) and click on Properties. In the properties window, un-check the box labeled "Use Country Code and Area Code".
• Click OK and then try to connect.
• If you are still experiencing problems contact the Tech Support line.

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"Dial up Networking could not negotiate a compatible set of protocols check the server type settings....."

• A couple of different things can cause this error to occur. The first thing to do is Double-click on the My Computer icon. Next double-click on the Dial-Up Networking folder. Do a right-mouse click on the Cheshire Net icon (or Cheshire Network Services Inc.), and click on properties (left-button).
• Next click on Server Types settings.
• NOTE: The Server Types settings will either be a tab at the top of the screen (next to the General tab), Or it will be a button down by the bottom of the window.
• Down near the bottom, under allowed network protocols:, make sure that TCP/IP is checked. If it isn't, place a check in the check box and then click OK until you are out of Dial-Up Networking. Try and connect, if you still have problems connecting, contact the Technical Support department.
• If it is already checked proceed with the following instructions.
• Click OK, until you are out of Dial-Up Networking. Then double-click on the Control Panel. Then double-click on the Network icon. Where it says The following network components are installed:, you should see Dial-Up Adapter and TCP/IP. If you are missing either one of these components, click Installing the Necessary Components.
• Double-click on TCP/IP (if you have more that one TCP/IP, double-click on the TCP/IP->Dial-Up Adapter)
• Click on the DNS Configuration tab. This should be set to Enable DNS. Click here for the DNS Configuration setting and for the other TCP/IP settings.

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• When our software package gets installed on your system it adds a couple of lines into the autoexec.bat file in order to initialize the Internet Explorer program. These lines get added to the end of the autoexec.bat file. When your computer first boots up it reads this autoexec.bat file to see what it has to initialize on boot-up. Your system can only initialize so much, and seeing that our software placed the required lines at the end of the file, the lines are being ignored.
• From your C:\> prompt, type c:\>edit autoexec.bat and press Enter.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the file and click and drag, highlighting the following lines:

                set path=%path%;c:\iexplore
                set ieppp=iexplore
                set pctcp=iexplore

• With these lines highlighted click on the Edit pull-down menu and click Cut.
• Place your mouse cursor in the upper-left corner of the screen and press Return.
• Move your cursor back up to the beginning of the screen. Click on the Edit pull-down menu and click on Paste. This will place the lines that were once at the end of the file at the top.
• Click on the File pull-down menu and then click Save.
• Close the edit program and restart your computer. Try to connect, if you still have problems connecting contact the Tech. Support line at 888-430-tech (or locally at 352-0212)

E-Mail Errors

• When trying to access your email the computer asks for the password. You enter in the password and it pops up a screen asking for it again.  This is usually is caused by a typographical error, be sure you caps lock is turned off, also be sure that if the password has numbers that they are correct. If you forgot your password, call techsupport at 352-0212 for assistance.

• When sending out a message, it comes back to you saying "Rejected...User Unknown" This is caused by two reasons, first, and most likely, you have typed the address incorrectly, again, check for typos, and be sure that caps is off. The second reason can be a problem on the recipient server end. Hardware or Software problems on their end could make a user temporarily unavailable.

• When trying to get your mail, you may get a message saying "cannot connect to adam.cheshire.net in offline mode" This is a "feature" of the mailer in which you can compose a message, or read you messages without being connected. The problem with this is that when this modem is active, you can't connect to the internet. To turn this off, go to the "File" menu at the top of the screen. Near the bottom,  you will find that this mode is checked, select it again to uncheck it.

• When sending or receiving mail, you get a message saying "error...could not send/receive poplock busy." This message is a rare one but if you get it it means that someone is trying to send you mail at the EXACT same time that you are trying to get it. This can also occur when you cancel the sending or receiving process while it is in progress. If you get this message, simply quit the mail program and let it sit for 5-10 min, if the problem persists, contact tech support.

• When trying to send mail from a remote location, you get an error saying "relaying denied" This happens when you try to send mail through CheshireNet from a computer that isn't on our network (work computer, computer in other town, state, etc..) This is a security feature not an error. Please reference the techsupport FAQ section for info on sending mail from a remote system.

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  Web Browsing Errors

• When trying to access the web, the computer asks for the password. You enter in the password and it pops up a screen asking for it again.  This is usually is caused by a typographical error, be sure you caps lock is turned off, also be sure that if the password has numbers that they are correct. If you forgot your password, call techsupport at 352-0212 for assistance.

"Internet Explorer (or Netscape) can not open the internet site: http://www.cheshire.net" (or some other URL)

• If you get this error message after double-clicking on The Internet icon - Retry the procedure and make note whether or not you hear you modem dialing out.
• If you don't hear your modem dial out and you simply get the error message, then we have to change your procedure of connecting to Cheshire Net. Close the Internet Explorer program or which ever browser you are using. Double click on the My Computer icon. Double click on the Dial-Up Networking folder. You should have a Cheshire Net dialer icon. Click once on this icon (to highlight it) and go to the File pull-down menu and click "Create Shortcut". If you have multiple Cheshire Net dialer icons and are not sure which one you are currently using, call the Tech. Support line, we can help you determine which one to use. Click OK to place the shortcut icon onto the desktop. Close the two windows that you have just opened.

To connect to Cheshire Net, double click on the newly created icon Shortcut to Cheshire Net. Enter in your Username and Password when prompted.

NOTE: This icon will ONLY get you connected to Cheshire Net, a window should appear in the center of your screen, displaying your connection status.

Then, once you are connected, you must then double click on The Internet or Netscape icon if you want to surf the WWW.

When browsing you get an error "404, file not found"

• This error occurs when you try to access a page that has either moved, or no longer exists. This is a problem with the site you are trying to visit, It is not a problem with either your setup, or with CheshireNet.

• When starting up IE, you get an error saying could not find internet site... and below you see "navigation cancelled" This error is caused by your dialer not working automatically. this prevents a connection from being established. On a Mac, go to the applemenu-->control panel-->PPP-->or Remote Access, go to options, and click the tab for connections, make sure "start ppp when opening tcp/ip programs" is checked, click okay. On a PC running windows, many things can cause this, go to  start-->settings-->control panel-->internet-->connections tab, inside make sure that it is set to use a modem, press modem settings, make sure cheshirenet is selected..If you don't have a connect via modem section, make sure "connect to the internet as needed" is checked. if all checks out here, but still nothing, you will need to make a shortcut to your dialer.. go to my computer-->dialup networking, you should see icons called "Make a new connection" and "Cheshire net" with the RIGHT HAND mouse button, click once on the cheshirenet, select "create shortcut" you will get a message saying"windows cannot create a shortcut here, do you want it place on your desktop?" say "Yes" close "dialup networking-->my computer, you will see a new icon on your desktop called "shortcut to cheshirenet" from now on, to connect, first double-click this icon, it will bring up the "connect to" box, connect and then open your browser. 

• Can't find internet site "..." in offline mode. This is not an error but rather a "feature" in browsers, it allows cached (webpages stored on your computer) pages to be viewed when you are not online. This causes a problem when you try to go to a new site, it wont connect, and therefore won't find it. to turn this off, click "file" under the file menu you will find near the bottom, a setting for offline mode, it will be checked, turn it off by selecting the mode again.

System Specific Errors

Macintosh Specific Errors

Netscape, or Internet Explorer won't open or they quit as soon as I open them. Also sometimes while I'm surfing it will close on me giving me an error type xx or it will freeze up my computer, forcing me to restart.

• This is usually caused by the browser running out of memory. There are 2 reasons for this. 1. The computer has too little memory. To see how much memory you have, go up to the Apple Menu, select "About this Macintosh/Computer" A screen will come up which will say how much BUILT-IN memory, it may also say you have a certain amount of TOTAL MEMORY, Look for BUILT-IN, if you have less than 24MB (24,000k) memory is on the low side and should be upgraded, call tech support for more information. if you have 32MB (32,000k) or more and it still have this problem, read on. 2. The browser (Netscape, IE, etc..) has not been given enough memory. On a Macintosh, memory is not automatically configured, A program must be set to "see" a certain amount of memory to function. The software vendor sets an amount which they believe will be adequate for most everyone on most computers, to use. Depending on your system configuration, browsing habits, or installed plug-ins, you may run the browser out of memory, causing it to quit or in severe cases, lock up the machine. Even if you have 64 MB or more of memory, the program needs to be told how much to use. If the amount is too low, the computer will run out of memory. To increase the memory partition, find your browser on your hard drive, It is usually located in an "Internet" folder but depending on how you system is arranged, it could be anywhere. Be sure when finding the program, that it is actually the program, not an alias of it.. an alias, similar to a windows shortcut, is an icon placed anywhere to start a program, it can always be identified by its text style, its name will be in italics Once you have found the application, Netscape looks like either a ships wheel or a lighthouse, Internet explorer looks like a blue "e" click the icon ONCE go to "file" and select "get info" a window will pop up with information about the program, if it says its an alias or a folder, close and find the proper icon. Now depending on the version of your operating system, you will see two different things. Any system prior to 8.5 will have a section in the window regarding the memory, the values are for suggested, minimum, and preferred, on systems 8.5 or newer (incl. most iMacs, and G3's) you will see a heading that says Show: General Information, click that bar and select memory, at this point you will see a screen similar to the one mentioned for the prior operating systems. Notice that the suggested and preferred are probably the same amount, with the minimum, slightly lower. Find out how much free memory you have (when nothing is running) by going to the apple menu and selecting "about this macintosh/computer" look at the "available memory" remember this number. Change the minimum to the suggested and change the preferred, you can try adding a megabyte or two, of if you have lots of free memory by several megabytes, Remember, DO NOT increase above or close to the total available memory, or crashing may result. If you can't click into the number fields, or they are grayed out, go to the application menu (icon in upper right) and close out the program. Change the values and close the window. This should fix your problem. Try again, if it happens again, repeat this process and increase the size a little more.

When trying to connect, the computer says, it can't find my modem, and won't connect.

• If your modem is external, make sure it is turned on and that the cable is plugged into the Modem Port (small telephone icon) Also make sure that if you have a FAX program that it is inactive. If your modem is internal (such as in an iMac) go to the modem control panel (apple menu--->control panels--->modem) make sure it is set to internal modem, The same applies with fax software, turn it off if you are using the internet.

When trying to connect, you get an error saying "The port is in use by another application"

• The most common case for this error is that AppleTalk is turned on. AppleTalk is a networking protocol used primarily in business settings. If your mac is not networked to other macs in your home, this does not need to be on. To disable AppleTalk, go under the "apple menu" go down to "chooser" At the bottom of the screen is a setting for AppleTalk, be sure it is turned off. You may get an error message telling you to disconnect the AppleTalk network, press "okay" close the chooser. You should now be able to connect.

• The other cause for this error is that another telecommunications program, such as fax software or voicemail software may be active and using the modem. If this is the case, go into the program and disable it when you want to connect to the internet, consult the manual for the program for directions on how to do this.

Windows Specific Errors

When trying to start your browser, or email, the screen turns blue and you get an error that says xxx has caused a General Protection Fault in module xxx and will be shut down, It may also say "Invalid page fault"

• This is usually caused by an internal error in windows, and when this happens, not much can be done. If you can get back to windows, do so. Try to go to the start button and select "shut down".Keep in mind that while doing this, you may have the blue screen error come up again. Try to shut down properly. If the computer freezes up (no response from mouse, or unable to get out of blue screen) you will have to manually reboot. Press the Control, the Alt, and Delete keys,the3 computer should restart, either instantly, or after a few seconds, if this doesn't work,  you will have to power down manually, if your computer has a reset switch, push it, if not, push the power button, let it sit for a few seconds, and power back up.

• Blue screen errors are not terribly common, however when they happen they can be frustrating, especially to new users. To protect against them we recommend doing the following:

• When you are finished using your computer, shut it down. Many computers have a built-in sleep/nap/doze/suspend function, While convenient, they can cause the system to become unstable, instability leads to errors. If you must use the sleep function, restart the system every couple of days if you use it or not.

• Run scandisk and defrag frequently. Located in START--> programs--> accessories--> system tools, are two valuable pieces of software, Scandisk and Defrag. These utilities check your drive for errors and repair if needed. Defrag eliminates gaps of free space on your disk and groups related items together, this not only helps stability, but can speed your system up as well. Run them once a month, even more if you are a heavy user or frequently install and remove software. 

If you have any questions concerning any of the procedures mentioned above, or if these tips were unsuccessful in solving your problem, give the Technical Support line a call. Toll free at 888-430-TECH(8324) or locally at 352-0212. Thank You for choosing Cheshire Network Services Inc.