Frequently Asked Questions

This document contains FAQ's about caprok.net's service and technical information.

Click these links for  56K Modem Faq's  V90 Issues & Answers

How much do you charge.

Please click HERE for our rate schedule

I would like you to host my Website. How much do you charge for hosting websites?

A personal or a commercial website is provided at no charge for anyone with a Caprok.Net user account.  You get FTP access and 5 Megabyte of server space with extra MB's of server space available at a slight additional charge if needed. (Virtual Domain & design works is extra) You may check these links for details on Virtual domain hosting. & Non-virtual Hosting

I am moving out of the area, but I still have several months left on my subscription. Can I get a refund?

If unforeseen circumstances occur, we may make an exception and refund you the unused portion of your subscription subject to certain conditions. You will need to call the office to make those arrangements.

I am sending mail, but I can't receive.

Are you clicking on "send and receive" in the Internet Explorer Mail Program? Are you clicking on "get mail" in the Netscape Explorer Mail Program? If you are, check your mail settings. Click HERE  to view the troubleshooting guide for E-mail problems.

How fast does my mail get to its destination?

Within seconds, providing the mail service at the destination is up and running.

How do I know I have mail?

You need to first establish an internet connection and use the mail feature in your browser ("send and receive" in Internet Explorer, "get mail" in Netscape).

I got an error when attempting to download my mail.

Your mailbox may be full, most likely because someone sent you a large attachment with their message. You need to call the office and ask the administrator to purge your mailbox. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO EMAIL SUPPORT. You will not be able to receive the reply, because your mailbox is full.

Some people claim they can't read my mail. It looks like garble and code and sometimes arrives as an attachement.

You are sending mail in HTML code, it makes it look like a webpage. In Internet Explorer, click on "Mail", select "Read Mail", in the Mail Program, click on "Mail", select "Options", at the bottom of the tab that first appears, uncheck the box "HTML" so that the button next to "ASCII" or "Plain Text" is checked. Click on "OK". That's it.

How do I know my message got to its destination?

Internet E-mail works on a store-and-forward basis. We do not receive acknowledgements that the mail has arrived on the other side. (Imagine, how many acknowledgements we would have if that was the case!) We do however occasionally receive an error message, particularly if you made a typo or used incorrect host name conventions. (For example, you may have typed "johnsomewhere.com" instead of "john@somewhere.com".) We then forward the error message to you so you can correct the problem at your end.

I just downloaded my mail and now I can't find it!

ALL new mail is sent to your inbox. While you are in the Internet mail program (you get there by clicking the "Mail" icon, then selecting "Read Mail") look for the word "Folder" in the upper left-hand corner, underneath the button "New Message." It shows the name of the folder that is currently open, displaying the mail contained inside. If it doesn't say "Inbox" next to the word "Folder", go to the end of that line and click on the down-arrow to display all available folders, then select "Inbox" on the left.

I just sent a message and I get an error "503-invalid recipient/host format" and I can't get rid of it!

You sent a message and used incorrect hostname conventions. (For example, you typed "johnsomewhere.com" instead of "[email protected]".) You need to go to your outbox and correct that problem, then try to send your message again.

Where is your outbox?

While you are in the Internet mail program (you get there by clicking the "Mail" icon, then selecting "Read Mail") look for the word "Folder" in the upper left-hand corner, underneath the button "New Message." It shows the name of the folder that is currently open, displaying the mail contained inside. Go to the end of that line and click on the down-arrow to display all available folders, then select "Outbox" on the left. Make the necessary corrections and resend your mail.

I have a (56K) modem. Why can't I connect at that speed?

This speed is not possible except under lab conditions. In fact, 53k is not possible because of phone co voltage restrictions. Modems automatically negotiate the most reliable speed subject to your local lines quality.. Most degradations of maximum modem speed are the fault of your house or office wiring. An access speed of 42k to 44K may be the most you can get with a 56K modem if you are trying to log on from an older home or office.  56k FAQ page

Should I Upgrade to V90 Now?

Read this faq that explains V90 Issues.

I  have heard that other providers have busy signals during peak times. Will I get that with caprok.net?

Very rarely, usually during maintenance on our end. We have designed our system with extra capacity to handle extreme busy situations. The vast majority of Caprok.net subscribers should never hear a busy signal. However, situations beyond our control, such as problems with the phone company, may cause busy's to occur from time to time. If this is encountered a quick re-dial after a few minutes, should go smoothly. If you get a busy signal more than once there may be another problem. Please contact tech support if that happens. You may also view our system status page for up to the minute system and Internet conditions.

How fast is your Internet connection?

All of our modems are 56K Flex & V90 mounted in state of the art, Cisco digital access routers. We are a true point of presence and not tied into the net through a fractal hook up or through another ISP. We have a DEDICATED T1 line directly to the Internet backbone. It is not shared with any other traffic and it has the capacity of accommodating 300+ simultaneous users (incoming or outgoing) with no degradation of performance. Incoming lines are multiple PRI 24 channel digital lines that hook directly to our acess routers for speed, reliability and to properly balance incoming callers to available modems. Our servers use dual Pentium II  450mz processors with dual 512k cache, 256 MB 100mz ram and ultra wide SCSI 3 hard drives with RAID 5 Backup.

Do you support WebTV?

We sure do. Remember though that you may have to pay WebTV in addition to your monthly subscription fee to caprok.net. We have no control over that.

I click on the "Search" button, but I get an error message. Why doesn't it work?

If you click on the "Search" button in Internet Explorer, you end up at the search page of the Microsoft site with millions of other people. The same applies to Netscape, except this time, it is attempting to connect you to the busy Netscape homepage. Instead of waiting in line, you may want to use our search pages instead.

I called up the other night and tried to log on to caprok.net, and got an error message "Server busy."

Your default homepage may be set to the Netscape homepage or the even busier Microsoft homepage. Microsoft's servers have been known to be continuously overloaded. Instead, you should set your default homepage to the more user friendly http://www.caprok.net/.

How do you do that?

Look at the answer further below: HOW DO I GET RID OF THE PAGE THAT COMES UP WHEN I LOG ON?

I have heard about ISDN. Can you help me get it installed and do you support it?

We sure do. We have trained technicians and sales staff that specialize in all aspects of ISDN applications. Please visit our ISDN information Pages.

I just signed up, but I don't know much about the Internet. Can you show me?

There are several options available to learn about the Internet. Start Surfing and learn as you go or sign up for one of our comprehensive FREE Internet classes.You can also check out our New User Help and go through the exercises provided. But the very best way for you to learn is to experiment and practice online. We also offer online courses by DPEC for a minimal monthly charge.

Your service got really slow all of a sudden. Whats wrong ?

Usually Nothing, we have plenty of bandwidth and our Network is one of the fastest in the area.  If you dial up and the pages load very slow, there could be other reasons. Please check:

- Somebody messed with the modem settings. (they will of course not admit to it!)
- Your computer may be almost out of hard disk space. So probably everything is slow on it.
- Your cache directory may be overflowing with pages and it needs to be purged.

NOTE: You probably don't know that your computer saves a copy in a cache of everything you have seen while surfing the net. To purge your temporary cache:. In Internet Explorer, click on "View," select "Options, " select the tab "Navigation" and click the button "Clear temporary internet files.

To purge the Netscape cache: Click on "Options," select "Network Preferences," and click the button "Clear Disk Cache now." If you want to view visited pages before you kill them all, you may view them in the directory that appears underneath this button in the box "Disk Cache Directory."

How can I get rid of the Caprok page that comes up when I log in?

In Internet Explorer, select "View," "Options," select the tab "Navigation" and change the address for the Start Page from http://www.caprok.net  to whatever page you would like to have appear when you first log on.

In Netscape, select "Options," "General Preferences," and change the URL that appears in "Start With" to whatever page you would like to have appear when you first log on.

I want to upload my website's homepage. How do I do that?

Click here to find out what you need and how to do it, step by step

Why do you people keep cutting me off after XXX minutes?

We don't cut anyone off on purpose, but we do have an idle time-out just as other ISPs do. The time-out period is 20 minutes and it's there to prevent people from logging on and forgetting to log off after their session. Thats not fair to other users. Please note that composing a letter on your computer while on line is considered idle time. Analog phone line quality can vary tremendously while you are online. If it dips too much during a connection your modem may not be able to compensate and will break the connection. This is a problem that the phone company may have to help you with because it is between your phone and the telco's central office. We have no control over that portion of the connection. There are other things that can cause the same problem...call support for help.

How do I change my password?

If you feel that there is a security problem and that someone else has been using your account, or if you feel that your kids (or your spouse!) are going overboard on the Internet and their usage needs to be curtailed, you may call the office and request that your password be changed for security reasons. You will need to spell out your "Secret Word" agreed to when you signed up, for your security. (No one can change your account information without knowing the secret word" If you have forgotten your secret word you may have to visit the office personally with a drivers license ID to change your account information.

How much diskspace do I get with my account?

You receive 5 Megabyte of diskspace. That is plenty for most websites with graphics. Remember, it also includes your mailbox. Therefore, you should pick up your mail frequently and make sure that your browser is set to "delete mail from server," otherwise your old mail that you have already downloaded to your PC, accumulates in your caprok.net mail box taking up space.

I would like to put up a website homepage. Can you show me how to do it?

Yes we can! You may sign up for one of our FREE classes or you can learn all about how to write a homepage by visiting Beginner's Guide to HTML, courtesy of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne. For the more advanced HTML wizards, there is a good resource at www.killersites.com

My wife and I are getting a divorce and I have the computer. I want to change my password.

If the account is in your name, that's no problem. If it is in your wife's name, we need to have her permission in writing. Sorry!

When does my account expire?

You will receive an invoice approximately 1 week prior to your expiration date. If you need to know how much time you have left, you may call the office and ask for accounting..Or email [email protected]

I have a computer at work and my own computer at home. Can I use my account from both locations?

You sure can. As long as you and your family members aren't using the same account at the same time.

I am using a daytime 6am to 6pm account for $9.95 a month. If I use additional time what is the cost.

This type of account if for people who need less access than most users. Some accounts just need to check their Email and do a limited amount of research every month and do not need to pay for unlimited use. We charge less because they use less, but if they ever have a need to use more time the account automatically bills at full price for that month in order to be fair to our full account users and to preserve our systems modem ratio.

Can Customer support help me learn how to use my new computer?

Caprok.Net has the highest rated customer service in the Permian basin. We will do whatever it takes to help you get on-line or to resolve an email or FTP problem. However, in this case we would advise you to attend one of our FREE classes or take our online dpec courses, because of the time it will take to help you over the phone. We can try to answer quick questions for you anytime about anything, as long as it does not tie up the support lines too long. Remember though,  that there is no way that we can intimately know every one of the thousands of software applications that are available.