Great Lakes Net Help is
designed to assist our users with common Dial Up connection problems
and general questions regarding Great Lakes Net and the internet.
Please feel free to
choose from our Help Topics to find the answers you're looking for.
If you don't find what you need, we suggest that you
Ask the Technician,
or dropping us an email at
support@glccomputers.com.
On-line support is only available during normal business hours.
Please contact us prior to using the on-line support so that a
representative can assist you.
(989)386-4868
email: support@glccomputers.com
Need to send in your
Internet payment? Can't remember where to mail it to? Just send it
to the following address and it will be applied to your account:
Great Lakes Computers
1418 N. McEwan St.
Clare, MI 48617
Connection Problems
1.While no data is being transferred (when
reading/composing an email or reading a Web page), I will suddenly be
disconnected after a specific time frame.
The most likely cause for this situation is your Internet connection
is setup to disconnect when idle for a specific time frame. To change the
idle time within Windows 95/98/NT, click on the Start button, select
Settings then click on the Control Panel. Double click on the Internet
icon. If the tabs at the top of this window are Auto Dial and Advanced,
then select the Auto Dial tab. At the bottom of this window is where the
Disconnect if Idle settings is. Change the number of minutes to your
preferred time frame. If there is a series of tabs displayed after double
clicking on the Internet icon, select the Connection tab. The Disconnect
if Idle setting may be at the bottom of this screen. If not, click on the
Settings button that is toward the top right of the screen. Within this
new window, the Disconnect if Idle setting is at the bottom. Change the
setting to your preferred time frame.
2. I am sporadically disconnected and I have
Call Waiting on my telephone system.
If Call Waiting is not disabled while on the Internet, an incoming
call will disconnect the Internet connection. In order to disable call
waiting, you will need to contact your telephone company to find out what
the disable code for Call Waiting is in your area. The disable code (for
example *70) will need to be added in front of the number that your
computer dials to connect with Great Lakes Net. Example: *70, 386-1234. Be
sure to place a comma after the disable code.
3.The phone line coming out of the computer is plugged into a
peripheral other than the wall jack.
Plugging your phone line into peripherals (for example fax machines,
surge protectors, a splitter) will sometimes interfere with the signal
your modem receives and may cause sudden disconnect problems. Try a direct
connection from your computer into the wall jack to see if this solves
your problem.
4.I have a 56k v.90 modem and I am dialing into a Great Lakes Net
analog site (28.8 or 33.6bps).
Contact your modem manufacturer and have them disable the v.90
protocol and enable the v.34 protocol within your modem. Also, try adding
a few commas after the phone number that your computer dials to access
Great Lakes Net. Example: 318-0224,,,
5.I have an analog modem (28.8 or 33.6 bps) and am dialing into a
56k v.90 site.
Try adding a few commas after the phone number that your computer
dials to access Great Lakes Net. Example: 386-1234,,,
Other option: Upgrading your firmware, can help the problem of
frequent disconnects. Try this website to see if you can find a firmware
upgrade for your particular modem:
Modemsite.com
Additional information
Keep in mind that poor phone line conditions will greatly increase
your chance of a dropped connection and is normally the most common reason
for them. Additionally, the Telephone Company is often reluctant to work
with you on issues pertaining to the Internet, but it is recommended that
you have the quality of your phone line checked if you are experiencing
dropped connections. Inform the Telephone Company that you are using the
line for Digital Communications. Check with your modem/computer
manufacturer for the most recent driver update for your modem. Most
updates can be found within the Internet. A faulty piece of phone line
will cause a dropped connection. Try a new piece of phone line from the
computer into the wall jack. Make sure that a specific program is not
causing the connection to drop. Before you attempt to connect, check that
all programs and applications are closed. If you notice connection drops
whenever a certain program is running and/or started, then check into that
specific program for faults. You may need to contact the Software Vendor
to troubleshoot this. As a last resort, try unplugging all phone lines in
your home from the wall jacks for 15 minutes. This will cause the
Telephone Company to clear the buffer, reset your line and it will
fine-tune the Tone Generator.
F.A.Q.'S
This is a list of the most frequently asked
questions we receive. If you don't find your question covered here,
please try Ask
the Technician.
1. I am asked to re-enter my password when I log in, then it says
authentication failed.
First make sure you are entering your password correctly. Second,
remember that our system is case sensitive. It must be entered in
lower case. Also our system will not allow more than one instance of
the same dialup connection. If someone else is online while you are
attempting to dial in then you will get the same response.
2. I get an authentication failure message when dialing into Great
Lakes Net.
When dialing into Great Lakes Net you must use the first part of
your e-mail address (e.g. jdoe@glccomputers.com) as you username and
make sure everything is in lowercase letters.
3. The only way I can read my e-mail message is to click on the
Reply button.
The Netscape mail screen has 3 frames. The frame in the upper left
contains the mail boxes. The frame in the upper right has a list of
the messages in the selected mail box. The lower half of the screen
contains the actual message. When Netscape mail starts it is not
maximized you may not be able to see the lower frames (containing
the message). You can maximize the window by clicking on the
maximize button in the top right of the Netscape Mail window... In
Windows 3.x click on the up arrow (^) In Windows 95 click on the
middle button.
4. What is my e-mail address?
Your e-mail address is your username with the extension @glccomputers.com
If your username is jdoe your e-mail address is jdoe@glccomputers.com
5. Every time I dial into the POP site I get a busy signal.
Double check the number that your computer is dialing. This sounds
obvious, but you would be amazed the number of people who are
getting busy signals because they are trying to dial their own phone
number.
6. My Internet connection keeps dropping.
There can be a variety of causes and fixes, check out the
Connection Problems area.
