| Frequently Asked Questions |
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| A domain shows up as available in the WHOIS but when I try to register it your site says it's taken. |
The WHOIS search is not an accurate indicator of domain availability. The WHOIS lookup is simply a database of contact information for domains registered with Nameway®. If a domain is registered through any of the other hundreds of registrars it would not show up in our WHOIS lookup. The best way to tell if a domain is available is by attempting to register it. During that process our system contacts the Registry for the domain status and the registry tells us whether it is available. |
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| Are there any special requirements or restrictions when registering a .UK domain name? |
Currently, contact information modifications are not immediate and may take several hours for the Registry to update. To avoid unnecessary delays, we highly suggest using the pre-configuration page on the shopping cart if you are registering domains with different information that your billing data. Transfers of .UK domains must use the FAX option, as the process is entirely manual. Transfers may not be available at the same time new registrations become live. Please check the Transfer page for updates. .UK names require a minimum of two name servers. Name servers changes/updates may take several hours process. Please be sure to enter nameservers on the pre-configuration page of your shopping cart to avoid unnecessary delays. |
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| How do I create third level (sub) domain names? |
You may create any third-level domain that you require. *DNS must be set to our servers in order to do the following. To create : mail.mydomain.com Log into http://my.nameway.com Click on "Domain Names". The system will allow you 15 host records to begin with. After you fill up the blanks on the DNS hosting panel and save your changes, additional blanks will appear. We can provide you up to 100 host records total per domain. This includes forwarding records, mx records, etc. |
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| I want to register a domain that you show as expired, but it says domain not available. |
Expired domains are retained for the previous registrant to renew. You will have to wait approximately 77 days after expiration date before the domain is dropped and made available to the general public. Below is an explanation of the process in more detail: In General,
after a domain expires, most registrars have a grace period of 1 -
45 days, during which time the previous registrant can reactivate the
domain. To check a status of a domain go to: www.nsiregistry.com for .com and .net or www.pir.org for .org. Enter the domain in the whois search...it will tell you the status of the domain (i.e., Redemption Period). This will list the expiration date as well. The "updated date" is usually when the the 30 redemption period began. |
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| What is a domain name? |
The Domain Name System (DNS) helps users to find their way around the Internet. Every computer on the Internet has a unique address just like a telephone number which is a rather complicated string of numbers. It is called its "IP address" (IP stands for "Internet Protocol"). But it is hard to remember everyone's IP address. The DNS makes it easier by allowing a familiar string of letters (the "domain name") to be used instead of the arcane IP address. So instead of typing 192.41.71.176, you can type www.nameway.com. It is a "mnemonic" device that makes addresses easier to remember. Translating the name into the IP address is called "resolving the domain name." The goal of the DNS is for any Internet user any place in the world to reach a specific website IP address by entering its domain name. Domain names are also used for reaching e-mail addresses and for other Internet applications. |
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| Your web site states that a domain name is unavailable but your WHOIS search says that the domain does not exist. Why can't I register this name? |
When you submit a list of names via "Register a List", the system does not check availability, but rather all names are immediately added to your Cart/Checkout page. Once you decide to purchase names, if any domains are not available, they will automatically be added to your Watch List. You can leave these names in this list and keep on checking their availability as often as you want, or delete them if you are not interested in obtaining them any longer. |
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| What is the "watch list" and how does it work? |
The watch list allows you to monitor the status of domain names. To purchase or check a domain in your Watchlist: Go to your Watchlist. You will see a message stating whether the domain is available or
not To remove a domain from your Watch List: Go to your Watch List. Please note that the Watch List is not an automated function, it
is a place to store domains that you want to keep checking for availability
later. |
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| Who can register a .NET domain name? Do I have to be a network or ISP? |
Currently there are no restrictions on who can register a .NET domain name or how it must be used |
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| How do I change the default number of years for which my domains will be registered, hosted, or renewed? |
You can modify certain default options in your account settings that will affect the number of years for which domains will be registered, the Registrar-Lock setting, and the autorenewal setting. To change the default number of years for registrations, renewals, and DNS hosting: Log in to your account. |
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| What does "Unknown at this time" mean when I'm checking domain name availability? |
The "Unknown at this time" status when checking domain name availability means that we were unable to connect to the registry to determine its availability. You can try checking again later. |
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| The system will not accept my credit card, I get address error and I used it last year so I know it's good. |
We recently installed a new address verification program. Any attempt to place a charge against your credit card will first be submitted to your bank for a pre-authorization of those funds. If the pre-authorization is obtained, we then send an address, zip
and CVV2 verification request (the number on the back of most cards).
This information must be identical to that of your credit card billing
information. If any of these fail, you will receive an error
and the charge will NOT be processed, OR if the information on your
MY ACOCUNT, MY INFO page is incomplete, it will fail because the information
is not there. This verification may have been added
since you last used your card, and needs to be updated before you
try again. Even though the address, zip, or card verification number failed, a pre-authorization was sent to your bank for this order. This will put a temporary hold on your funds, even though the sale will NOT process. Banks vary in the amount of time they hold your funds waiting for a charge to come through. After their required time, your bank will automatically release these funds when they do not get a charge against it. We cannot force them to release your funds earlier than their procedures allow. |
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| I'm trying to buy co.uk domain, and the system asks for a Company identification number. I don't have one. |
This number is not required for an individual. If you are a company, you will need to check with your organization's staff to inquire about your ID number. Leave the field blank and it will process the registration for an individual. Do not enter N/A or NA - please leave the field empty. |
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| Do I have to put all registrant details in the domain contact fields? I don't want my information listed on whois. |
ICANN requires ALL data (name, address, phone, email) for admin and technical contact while only requiring name and address for registrant. We require ALL data for ALL contacts. Willful provision of false or misleading data is grounds for cancellation. That said, designation and use of a role contact for name, such as DNS admin, or FOR SALE, is not a material breach of the RA, and therefore acceptable as long as all other fields are in compliance. There are many reasons for maintaining correct whois data, such as, to protect intellectual property rights, renew and manage domains, prevent abuse (spam) and malicious/illegal conduct (harrassment, child porn, lible, etc.) The bottom line is that when we get a complaint we are contractually required to investigate and take "reasonable" steps to ensure data is either legit, or if not, then it is corrected...especially when the complaint comes from ICANN. |
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| I just registered a .CA domain, but it is not in my account yet. The order says processing. |
When you successfully register a .ca domain, you will get the Order Confirmation number after you hit the "purchase" link. Due to a complex verification process between Nameway® and the CIRA Registry...it can take up to 20 minutes before the domain will process complete through the system and be added to your account. You can always check the status of your order by going to: My Account. If the status says "processing" the domain is not in your
account yet. Once the status updates to "successful"
the domain is in your account. Please allow up to 48 hours for
new domains to propagate and become active. |
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| The "registrar lock" link is missing from the domain control panel, how do I remove the lock? |
Some TLDs do not have a registrar lock feature. They are: .biz These are EPP registries, and there is no lock to protect the unauthorized transfer. You must obtain the "key" from the current registrar in order to transfer these domains. Only the registered owner will have access to this key, which is your protection. |
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| What does this mean on a new order? Error said: Invalid Domain Contacts |
If you are attempting to register a .us, .ca or .uk domain or any TLD where you are required to pre-configure before purchasing, you might see the order failed due to a problem with "invalid domain contacts". This indicates that something in the registrant data is invalid, or possible does not match with your selections in the required fields directly under registrant data. Example for a .co uk: We do not get a specific error back from the registry, but following
are some things you can try on your own to try and get the registration
to complete. If "organization" has information in registrant fields, you cannot select "individual" or "citizen" in legal type of registrant. And visa versa. Under registrant data, click the button to "use the following information" even if it's the same as above. Type in all required fields. Be sure that your postal code is formatted correctly. The .uk
registry requires that UK postal codes be submitted in capital letters
and must include the appropriate spacing. (i.e. "NE2 86PY"
instead of "ne286py") Once you configure the domain with
the corrections, you can try to purchase again. |
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| How do I register a domain name? |
Click on "Register a name". On the next page enter the domain name you wish to purchase. It will search for that available name in the various different TLDs. Check the domain name you wish to purchase. Please note: all registrations are final, and there are no refunds. Please verify the spelling, number of years and pricing before you click "purchase". You can use the back button to make changes on your shopping cart and proceed when you are satisfied. |
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