Remember userid & password (not recommended if you share this computer)
New Dialup Procedures
Believe it or not, Port Internet still has a lot of dialup customers or email customers who can dial in when their cable or DSL goes down. Remember Hurricane Gloria? The only thing that was still working after she blew across the island were POTS lines. POTS stands for "plain old telephone service". In order to be ready in case another Hurricane hits, and to improve the service as well, Port Internet has redesigned it's dialup infrastructure. The old system still works (most of the time), but we wanted to offer you better service so we added more access numbers.
Before dialing in be sure to change your email program settings. The most common email client is Outlook Express so I'll use it as the example. Other programs
have similar settings. In outlook Express go to Tools -> Accounts -> Mail & click on Properties, then click on the Servers tab. Look for "My server requires authentication" and put a check mark in the box. Save.
Now you're ready to modify your current Dialup connection. Again, we'll use the most common (and still the best) operating system... Windows XP as an example. To change the number you use to dial in with you need to go into the Control panel -> Network Connections, right click on your current Port Internet dialup connection and click on Properties. You'll then see where you can make the change. Unless you need a number outside of the Port Jefferson area you should use 791-5019 (I'll post more numbers later on). In order to connect you need to put in your FULL email address as the username and then your password. I'm sure a few of you have forgotten your password so contact me if you need me to look it up. That's all it takes. In September we will retire our modem servers so you are advised to make the change as soon as possible. As always, call or email me if you have any questions.
Russ
Warning! ALL Port Internet Email Customers:.
Another email scam is being launched. Back in 2005 I warned everyone about email being sent to users that appeared to be an official notice from Support, Service, Tech Support... anything like that from Port Internet saying your email was being suspended. This time around the story line is that you've been sending spam and you have an email worm. If you follow any links in that message or open any attachments you will get an email worm. Most of my customers know that I would first try to contact them directly by phone, then send an email signed by "Russ". If you receive suspicious email delete it. Thank you.
You can call 473-5200 anytime, and leave a message if I’m not in, or email me if you have any questions. Thank you. Russ@PortJeff.net
XP or Windows Vista
I received an email announcement from Dell a while back informing me that they would no longer be offering Windows XP after June 18, 2008. For those of you contemplating a new system, but are wary (as you should be) of Windows Vista, now may be your last best chance to get Windows XP... a very stable operating system that has been shown in many tests to be faster than Vista. XP works with almost every program made to run in the Windows environment. Last month, Microsoft released the final version of Windows XP Service Pack 3. I have tested the Beta version (RC1) and the final release on my on PC's and have found very few problems and you'll find a nice improvement in speed. Although Microsoft is doing everything it can to force the issue, XP has been outselling Vista and XP will continue to be supported for years to come since most businesses have not embraced the latest MS OS.
If you have already purchased a PC or laptop that came with Vista and are dissatisfied you can "Downgrade to XP" in most cases. If XP hardware drivers are available then you can go back to XP. The additional RAM that is needed for Vista to operate will turn your downgraded system into a speedster! Some experts say you can downgrade directly from Vista to XP. I believe the best way to make the change is to start from scratch. For more information call (473-5200) or email me. (russ@portjeff.net)
