What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is a permanent address on the internet owned by YOU, rather than an address rented from your current Internet Service Provider for the duration of your relationship with them. Providing you continue to pay the local naming authority fees, your unique domain name can be used in conjunction with any Internet Service Provider to send/receive e-mail or to host a website.

How does the Domain Hosting service work?
Domain Hosting is the server that your domain is linked to in order to send/receive e-mail and/or to host a web site.

Our E-mail domain hosting is an easy to manage e-mail forwarding service facility for people with existing e-mail accounts. The control panel enables you to create up to 25 individual e-mail accounts for your staff and job titles/departments. You can manage/amend/delete them yourself as you see fit, or they can administrate their own accounts using unique logins and passwords. Any mail sent to the new personalised e-mail address is automatically forwarded to the original e-mail address as issued by an existing Internet Service Provider.

The web site aspect of our domain hosting provides 20mb of server space, CGI, FrontPage extensions and server stats. You have your own unique login/password to upload using ftp. If you don't know how to build a web site using html skills, and you don't have a web site designer on hand, we can supply Content Management Templates and/or can help you with production.

Do I need to change my Internet Service Provider to use the service?
No, there is no need to change your Internet Service Provider as all domain e-mail is either forwarded to your existing e-mail address or set up in Outlook/Outlook Express as a new POP3 account.

What about my existing e-mail address?
All mail sent to your existing e-mail address will be received in the same way as it is now. The domain e-mail service is in addition to your existing e-mail address and is not a replacement, although you should only promote your domain e-mail address from now on. 

If I register a domain name what happens if I want to change my Internet Service Provider?
All you need to do is access your control panel and change the address that you forward your domain e-mail to. This will be supplied by your new Internet Service Provider. Although your forwarding address changes, the only person who needs to know this is you. Your domain e-mail address always stays the same. 

What if I don't register my domain name?
Demand for domain names is growing all the time. Some sources estimate that over 20,000 are registered everyday, and it is quite possible that your first choice name will not even be available now! We suggest registering your first choice domain name, and at the very least start using it in conjunction with our Starter Service straight away. If you decide not to renew it in the future, at least it will be your decision to make! 

How do I know if a domain name is available?
To find out if a .co.uk domain name is available simply click here and you will be linked to the Nominet WHOIS search page. Then type in the name you are looking to register to see if it is still available, including ".co.uk"

To find out if a .com, .net or .org domain name is available simply by click here and you will be linked to the Nic WHOIS search page. Then type in the name you are looking to register to see if it is still available, including ".com", .net, or .org.

Once you know the name you are looking for, contact us and we will register your domain for you, before someone else does! 

How long does it take to register and set up a domain?
Domain names are registered straight away. It normally it takes between 24 and 48 hours before it becomes "live" and can be used. 

If I have already registered a domain, how can I transfer it to you?
It is very simple to do, but depends on whether it is a .co.uk or a .com domain [or variation of these]. See Transferring Your Domain to us for exact instructions as to what to do, or call us on 01526 352919 if you are not sure. Ultimately, the domain's current TAG will change to our backbone host - 123-REG. When the domain has been released to us, we will set it up with the domain hosting and management service of your choice [ie Starter, Basic or Standard].

What happens next?
Once your domain has been successfully registered or transferred, our site administrator will configure your domain to a domain hosting control panel with one main account forwarded to your current dial up account and will notify you of your login and password details and instructions for managing your domain.

What if need technical help managing my domain or building a web site?
We provide as much help as you need, starting from advice on registering the right name, through to creating your site for, showing you how to use your content management template and providing ongoing telephone support whenever you need it. We also provide on-line support through our technical help desk.