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Customer Support Information

This page is under continuous construction! If you don't find your answers here, call or email us at  support@sum.net.
 

 

Most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Dialup & Email Setup Instructions
DSL Help
HyperSpeed Dialup Quick Tour
Troubleshooting Modem/Dialup Problems
Troubleshooting Email Problems
Viruses, Worms, Adware & Spyware
Troubleshooting Hyperspeed Problems


 

Most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are your Dialup Access Numbers?
Our local access number in Sumter County is 793-6200.  Don't use an area code - it's a local, toll free call!  We also have national numbers available throughout the US and Canada if you are travelling for an extended length of time.  Click on the National Dialup #'s link to learn more about this plan!
What Software do I need to connect to Sum.Net?

Most Windows operating systems, including Windows 98, Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows 2003 and some versions of Windows 95 already include all the software you need to get online with Sum.Net. This is also true of most MacIntosh systems. Once you've subscribed to our service, you can either call us and we'll walk you through setup or you can do it yourself - refer to the Setup Instructions page.

We also have setup CD's available at our Sumter County locations if you have problems with the manual setup.  Of course, your computer also needs a working modem connected properly to your phone line to get online!

How do I change my Home Page (start page)?
In Internet Explorer, click on Tools at the top and then Internet Options. Near the top you'll see a white box called Address: in the Home Page section. Change it to whatever start page you like (www.sum.net is a good one!). Then click OK at the bottom and it will open that page the next time you launch your browser.
What if my computer keeps crashing or my modem doesn't work?
We'll try and help you over the phone with basic software issues that might prevent Internet access, but if we determine the problem is hardware related or related to major software problems with your Windows system (caused by corrupt or missing files, viruses or hardware driver conflicts) we may recommend taking your PC to a computer repair center. For reasonably priced repairs, we generally recommend Jessie's Computers & Repairs or MMD Computer Center which you can find on our locations page.
Why does my browser say "Page cannot be displayed"?

Your browser (usually Internet Explorer) may show this message for a number of reasons:

  • The particular web site you are trying to access is down or the site address in the address bar at the top is mispelled.  Try going to another site and to see if the problem happens on all sites.
  • Your connection to the Internet may have dropped. Make sure you still see the little green computers in the system icons area at the lower right of your screen near the time stamp.
  • Your TCP/IP setup is damaged or misconfigured. TCP/IP is the language used by your computer to talk to the Internet. Try this: go to a command window (Start/Run/ then type "cmd" in XP/2000 or "command" in Win95/98/ME - click OK) and in the black box type:  ping 64.35.170.17 {Enter}. If you get 4 replies, your computer's TCP/IP is probably OK. If you get request timeouts, destination unreachable, or other responses, you may need to reinstall the TCP/IP setup from your Windows CD (unless you have a personal firewall) - consult with us or a computer repair center for help with this.
  • Your DNS settings may be incorrect or corrupt. DNS controls how your computer turns Internet names (i.e. home.sum.net) into IP numbers (i.e. 64.35.170.17). If you can ping the IP address mentioned in the last step, go back to the command window and type: ping home.sum.net {Enter}. If you get 4 replies from 64.35.170.17, your computer's DNS is working. Otherwise, if you get "host unknown" you may have a DNS problem.
  • If all of the above works and you still can't browse the Internet, you may have a problem with your browser, it's security settings, or an overly secure personal firewall. If you have a personal firewall try disabling it or contact support for more help. There are MANY causes of this particular problem.
Why does my 56K modem only connect at 26K (or 33K or...) ?

This is a common question because many things can cause this. First off, it is important to remember that while 56K is the theoretical limit a modem can connect on a normal analog phone line, NO modem ever connects at 56K. About the best a modem could ever achieve is 53K and a modem that connects at 40K or better in most cases is doing pretty well. Causes of slower connection speeds include:

  • Unconditioned or poor quality phone lines. The copper phone lines running from your phone jack to our digital modem banks often run through many phone switching stations and paths of potentially old wires. Any glitches or static caused by these paths, even if you can't hear it on a voice phone call, can be enough to reduce the speed at which your modem can communicate with us. While it's a good idea to have your local phone company check the condition of these lines (if all else fails), they will not guarantee connections clean enough to support speeds higher than 28K (and in some cases lower).
  • Line intereference caused by a phone line splitter or other device like a fax machine or portable phone in your home. Try disconnecting these other devices or plug your computer into another phone jack in the home to help diagnose the cause.
  • An out-of-date or faulty modem driver. Your modem needs a driver, a piece of software that tells it how to talk to Windows, in order to function. Often these drivers have bugs or get updated to fix problems. Check with your modem manufacture for an updated driver which you can install on your computer. The manufacturer's website often has these or you can search for the driver at www.google.com or a search page.
  • A modem problem or incompatibility. Some modems just don't work well with other modems - often replacing the modem will give you a much better connection speed. If you don't know how to do this, have our computer repair center do it for you. Most modems are inexpensive and our computer repair center can test it for you before you bring it home.
 
 
 
 

 

Email Us! Info@Sum.Net
(888) NET-NERD (888-638-6373) c/o Nationwide Computer Systems, PO Box 551149, Davie, FL 33355
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