FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  497 (24/01/06)

Q

My friend, who is with Wanadoo, used to e-mail me regularly but since Christmas he informs me that NTL have sent all his e-mails back marked as unable to deliver. I have sent him a message today but as yet I do not know whether he has received it.

After he has contacted both NTL and Wanadoo, both ISPs are blaming the other for using Spam blockers.  Do you know of others who have this problem and more importantly how can it be resolved?

G Sutton, Dover

A

This keeps on happening as ISPs temporarily block servers they consider to be a significant source of spam email. In this case NTL have been blocking two Wanadoo servers and you have been caught in the crossfire. Details of who is blocking who is carried on the SORBS (Spam and Open Relay Blocking System) database and here you will find a Support form that you can fill in to obtain help, though in the end the responsibility for lifting the blockade lies with the ISPs so you and your friend should continue to complain to both companies.

Q.

I live in a remote area of Scotland's West Coast where broadband has just become available. A neighbour, about 100 yards away, already has broadband activated by BT.

I ordered the basic service and received the router and instructions with a promise that the service would be activated on January 10th. Nothing happened and when I phoned BT I was told that broadband was not available because I had a DAX or  DACS device on my line. They tell me there is no way this can be removed, as it would be too costly. Is there anything I can do?

Arthur Bickerstaffe, via email

A

It’s DACS and it stands for Digital Access Carrier System. BT should have explained to you that DACS is a way for them to squeeze two telephone lines into a single pair of copper wires. As in your case it is used in remote areas where laying phone cables is economically or physically prohibitive.

Until broadband came along DACS caused few problems in fact the only downside was that dial-up modems and fax machines had to operate at slightly slower speeds. Unfortunately DACS and ADSL broadband are incompatible and the only solution is for BT to lay an extra cable. They are not obliged to do so as your contract with them only requires them to provide you with a voice line. However, don’t give up, if you can find out who is using the second DACS line, and they also want broadband then BT may be persuaded that it is in their and your interest to upgrade your connections.

Keep up the pressure and be prepared to make a fuss but in the end if they won’t help the only solution may be for you to pay to have a line installed and I fear that could prove very expensive. Alternatively you could come to an arrangement with your neighbour about using Wi-Fi to share their broadband connection, but don’t tell anyone as it is bound to fall foul of the small print…

Q

I feel that I fall between two stools - I don't need to download huge files, I don't want to download music or films but I would like to have a faster connection speed. I already have the availability of two telephones, which means that for the majority of my day, my dial-up connection is not a problem.  My possible problem is that I have one telephone line but which is split into two, i.e. I can speak on two phones at the same time!  Technically it is not possible, therefore, to have Broadband without the purchase of another phone line, which defeats the selling angle of broadband!  However, I am thinking of buying the facility that will speed up dial-up connections, for instance "On Speed".  I am not specifically asking for an opinion on "On Speed" but I am asking if it would work with my current arrangement?

Pearl Townsend, via email

A

It sounds as you also have a DACS line (see previous question), in which case I suggest that think seriously about reverting to a single broadband-capable line. This will enable you to still use the phone whilst you are on-line, and you’ll have the benefit of a fast, always on Internet connection. A low-cost ‘capped’ broadband deal with a restriction on the amount of data that you download probably won’t cost you much more than your present dial-up connection.  If, for some reason you must have two phone lines then why not use a mobile phone on a pay-as-you -go tariff for the second line, which will be virtually cost-free if you only need it for incoming calls?

In answer to your initial question I doubt very much that On Speed would provide any significant improvements as it too will suffer as a result of the lower data speeds imposed by the DACS device but if all else fails it may be worth a try.

Q.

I recently downloaded and installed Picasa 2. I use Windows XP and IE6. After installation I lost the prompt to disconnect my broadband connection when I closed Outlook Express or Internet Explorer. I uninstalled Picasa and the prompt came back - any idea what is going on and how to get around it.

Mike Baron, via email

A.

I am not sure why this happened and I am not aware of anything in Picasa that would have affected your Internet connection. However, I am not sure why you would want to close IE or OE and disconnect from the Internet since one of the major benefits of broadband is that it is always on it is an advantage to be able to receive incoming emails and browse the web all of the time you are using your PC but if you want to re-instate the connection icon that sits in the System Tray (next to the clock) then right-click into an empty area of the toolbar and select Properties then the Taskbar tab, and towards the bottom, under Notification Area click the Customize button, locate and click on your connection icon and on the drop-down menu select ‘Always show’.

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© R. Maybury 2006, 1701