To help you as much as possible with the world of the
Internet, we've put together a list of the most frequently
asked questions, and their solutions.
| General
|
How do I get started?
To get started you will need to set up your
computer with the necessary software. To load the
required software onto your computer from a Free
Internet Access software CD available at an Absa
branch near you. If you would like more information
about this service call our enquiries helpline on
082 288 9900(24hrs a day). |
What kind of computer will I need
to use?
The minimum requirements you will need will be:
- a PC running Microsoft Windows 95, 98, 2000
or Windows NT4
- a CD-ROM drive (for installation from a CD)
- a modem connected to a telephone line
- a 486 DX2 processor
- 16Mb of RAM
- 33Mb free hard disk space(48Mb during installation)
However, for the best performance, we recommend:
- a Pentium processor
- 32Mb of RAM running Windows 98 or 2000 or
Windows NT4
- a screen resolution setting 800 X 600
|
Can I close my account?
If your account remains unused for 3 months, it
will be automatically suspended on the system. |
If I change my address details,
how do I notify you of any changes?
Your address details can be amended by accessing
advanced options on the Absa "launcher" page that
opens when you click on the Absa icon on your desktop.
Select "change account details". Follow the on-screen
instructions to change your account details. |
What if I change my computer hardware?
You may need to re-install the Free Internet
Access software before you can register your account
on your new hardware. |
Can I use Netscape?
Most free internet access accounts allow you
to, just check with the isp to make sure. |
| |
| Surfing
the Web | Back
to top |
The page I'm downloading seems to
be stuck. What do I do?
Press the "Stop" button on your browser, and
then the "Refresh" button. If this doesn't work,
it means that the page probably contains a large
amount of graphics, and will take a long time to
download, or that you have a slow modem and need
to upgrade for quicker download time. |
Is it safe for me to give out my
credit card details on the Internet?
If you are using an accredited online store,
then you can be sure that the security measures
have been implemented to protect your card. If you
are still in doubt, you can check if the site you
are using is secure by looking at the status bar
at the bottom of your screen. If there is the icon
of a lock there, it means the page is secure. |
What does it mean if I'm told the
page cannot be displayed?
- You are trying to enter a secure site which
you do not have authorisation to access
- The site you are trying to access is currently
"down" or offline
- There is something wrong with your server
connection. You should contact the Technical
Call Centre on 082 288 9900(24hrs a day).
|
How do I find a single word on a
web page?
Go to your toolbar, click on "Edit", and then
on "Find (on this page)". Type in the word you are
looking for and press enter. If that word is on
the web page, it will be highlighted for you. |
There should be a picture, but instead
there's a block with a red cross in it. What do
I do?
Right click on the cross, and select "Show
Picture" from the menu. If this does not work, it
means that you do not have the necessary software
to view that particular picture or that the picture
has not been created correctly on the website. |
|
How do I use the search engine?
Search engines allow you to either perform
a word search or a search by category. If you
want to search by category, click on the relevant
field and continue to follow the words that relate
best to what you are looking for.
If you want to perform a word search, fill in
the word(s) in the text box and click on "search".
If you would like to further refine your search,
you can use the + sign, e.g. "shopping+clothes".
You can also use inverted commas to make sure
the search engine looks only for those words appearing
in that sequence, e.g. "mountain biking".
|
Can I search for other things besides
words with search engines?
Yes. Many search engines, such as Altavista
and Yahoo allow you to search for images and text
files. |
What do the letters after the last
dot of a web address stand for?
These are the main extensions:
.com = commercial enterprise
.org = non-profit organisation
.net = network
.edu = educational
Others are country specific, such as. za, which
is South Africa.
.co.za = South African commercial enterprise
.ac.za = South African academic
.co.uk = United Kingdom commercial enterprise
|
|
I'm a bit confused about web addresses (URL's)
.
Your web address is filled in at the top
of your browser in the open text box. Addresses
are usually preceded by http://. Once you have
typed in the address you need to press the Enter
key, or click on "Go", to go to that site.
You will find that once you have been surfing
for a while, there will be a list of web addresses
that you have previously visited under the box
which you previously visited. You can access this
list either by clicking on the arrow on the extreme
right of the drop down box, or by beginning to
type in the address of a site you have been to
before.
Instead of having to retype in the address every
time, you can use your arrow keys to move down
the list to that address. Once the address you
want to go to is highlighted you can press your
Enter key to go there. This will save you time.
|
| |
| E-mail
| Back to top |
|
How do I add to or modify my e-mail account?
Your account details can be amended by accessing
advanced options on the Absa "launcher" page that
is opened when you click on the Absa icon on your
desktop. Select "change account details". Follow
the on screen instructions to change your account
details.
NOTE: When changing the name of your e-mail address
(e.g. from tkumalo to themba_kumalo) you will
lose all your e-mails in your Inbox. If you are
worried about it, please call the Technical Call
Centre or set up a new e-mail address instead
of changing it.
|
How do I manually reset my e-mail
settings?
Your e-mail will be set up automatically by
the Absa Free Internet Access software. If you wish
to change this, please contact the Technical Call
Centre on 082 288 9900 (24hrs a day). |
|
How do I add people to my address book?
You can use your address book to store names and
e-mail addresses as well as other details. Once
you have opened Outlook Express, click on the
Address Book icon.
Then select "New". At this point you can decide
if you would like to put in a single person contact,
or a group contact, by either clicking "New Contact"
or "New Group". Fill in the details of the person
or group you wish to add to your address book
and click "OK" when you are finished to save the
information.
|
How do I attach a file to my e-mail?
To attach another document (text or pictures)
to your e-mail click on the Paperclip icon. This
will open a window from which you can find and select
the file you want to attach. Once you have found
the file, double click it, and it will automatically
be attached to your mail. |
Does my e-mail software accept HTML
e-mail?
When you ask to receive e-mail from a website,
they may ask whether you can receive HTML e-mails,
or just text e-mails. An HTML e-mail is not made
up only of simple text, but includes graphics. You
should be able to receive HTML e-mails with Outlook
Express. |
|
How do I send e-mail to more than one person?
There are two ways of sending e-mail to more
than one person. If you are going to be sending
e-mail to a list of people often, then it would
be a good idea to create a group mail.
This can be done by creating a group mailing
list in your address book. Follow the instructions
above for creating an individual entry, but select
"New Group" instead of "New Contact".
If you would like to send e-mails to a list of
people you normally do not contact as a group,
simply type in their e-mail address, separating
them with semicolons.
|
| |
| Webspace
| Back to top
|
How do I create my website in free
web space?
Once you have created a website, you can upload
it to the Internet using FTP (file transfer protocol)
software. Remember you have 10Mb of space in which
to be creative. |
Will my page be visible right way?
Yes. Once you upload your page successfully,
your page will be visible on the Internet. |
Why haven't my updates appeared?
If, after you have updated your pages, you
return to your browser to find they have not been
updated on the web, here is what to check:
- Clear your local disk cache to make sure your
browser isn't showing you the old copy on the
network
- Disable the proxy server to make sure your
browser doesn't look for a cached copy on the
server, but goes directly to the home page
- If you are using Microsoft Explorer, hold
down the "control key" and click the "refresh"
button. This will force a reload of the document
directly from the server
|
| What happens when I fill up my
free space? Once you have use up the 10Mb available
to you, it will not be possible to add any extra
information to your site.You will have to modify
what you have created to accommodate changes. |
| |
| Newsgroups
| Back to top
|
| What is a newsgroup? Newsgroups
are discussion groups where people from all around
the world discuss related topics. You can subscribe
to a newsgroup and receive daily information from
them, as well as post your own ideas. |
How do I join a newsgroup?
Your Internet browser should have an option
to access newsgroups. A catalogue of the more common
newsgroups will be downloaded to your computer and
you can subscribe to the groups of your choice. |
