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Tech Support Home
If you don't find the answer to your question here, send E-mail to
help@mm.com or call (651) 681-8018
(9am-5pm M-F). If you need to call
outside our regular business hours, please leave a message.
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TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR CONNECTION FAQ
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- I'm having trouble connecting to your network.
- I'm getting a message that says your server is
down.
- I'm getting a message about "No DNS entry found".
- When I try to dial in, Windows keeps asking me
for my password.
- My modem dials and I get a busy signal.
- I keep losing my connection. What should I do?
- When I dial in I can login but once I enter my
password I see garbage characters.
- Why I can't reach a Website or why is it so
slow?
- Why won't your system accept my password anymore?
- I think my
computer may have caught a virus. What should I do?
- I've seen virus names that end
in "@mm" Does that have anything to do with your company?
- My DSL was working fine, but now it's not. What
happened?
- My computer had been running fine, but now it's real
slow. What happened?
- I'm having trouble connecting to your
network.
First thing is reboot your computer -- that solves 90% of problems. If
you have an external modem, be sure to power cycle it as well. Next,
check all your settings against our configuration instructions. Make sure
your computer is dialing the right phone number and that your username and
password are typed CORRECTLY. Usernames are always 3 to 8 characters.
Passwords are 6 to 8 characters. Usernames and passwords are ALWAYS lower
case (no capital letters), and are case sensitive. (Correct example:
joebob Wrong example: Joebob)
If you're connecting to one of our nationwide access numbers, please make
sure that @mm.com is appended to the end of your login username. For
example: joebob@mm.com
If you're using DSL, do a proper shutdown of your computer and power cycle
your DSL modem/router if it's external (unplug the power cord from the
back of the unit, wait about 10 seconds, then plug the power cord back
into the back of the unit). Also, make sure the proper lights are on. If
they are not, please contact Qwest. If the proper lights are on but you
still can't connect, please contact us.
If your computer is not even dialing, make
sure your phone line is active and your computer is connected to the phone
line properly.
If your computer is dialing and you're getting connected, but get kicked
off as soon as you read or send mail with Microsoft Outlook Express or
Outlook 2000, please make sure the "Hang up after sending or receiving"
option is off. In Outlook Express, pull down Tools, then Options, then
click the Connections tab. Make sure the box next to "Hang up after
sending or receiving" is UNchecked. In Outlook 2000, pull down
Tools, then Options, then click the Mail Delivery tab. Make sure the box
next to "Hang up after sending or receiving" is UNchecked.
If the problem persists, call our office (651-681-8018). If
you get our voicemail, be sure to leave a voice message.
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- I'm getting a message that says your
server/network is down.
Our network/servers are rarely down. Unfortunately, a "server may be
down" message can result from many things: our server is down (as stated
before, this is a very rare occurrence), your computer and modem haven't
actually dialed into our servers, your computer may have lost its
settings, or your username and password are typed wrong. It can be quite
confusing as to what's really going on. First, check your phone line and
your software settings. Make sure your username and password are typed
properly. Then, reboot your computer (and power cycle your modem if it's
an external) and try dialing in again. If that message still displays,
call our office.
If our network is down for some reason, our voice message will say
that it's down and when we expect it back. If it's a Saturday morning
between 8am and noon, we could be doing scheduled maintenance.
However, scheduled maintenance is announced beforehand through E-mail.
- I'm getting a message about "No DNS
entry found".
Make sure you're actually logged into our system. If you're not,
login. If you are logged in, log off and reboot your machine. Most
problems (especially Windows 95/98) can be solved by a simple reboot.
- When I try to dial in, Windows
keeps asking me for my password.
Make sure both your username and password are typed in CORRECTLY. Make
sure your Caps Lock key is OFF. If there is a chance your password is
entered wrong, make sure the Save Password box is UNchecked before
retyping it.
If that doesn't solve the problem, double-click the My Computer
icon on your desktop. Double-click the Dial-up Networking folder.
Right click the MicroNet icon and choose Properties.
Press the Server Type button or tab. Under Advanced
options, make sure Log on to network is NOT checked, Enable
software compression IS checked, and Require encrypted password
is NOT checked.
Under Allowed Network Protocols the ONLY item that can be
checked is TCP/IP.
Press the OK button to save your changes and try to connect again.
Finally, if that didn't solve the problem, check to make sure you're
not already logged in (in other words, someone at home is dialed in while
you're trying to dial in from your office, or vice versa.)
- My modem dials and I get a busy
signal.
This should rarely happen. If it does happen, wait a few minutes and try
again. If it happens more than three times in a row, please let us know
so that we can look into it. Also note the time when it happens. We try
very hard to keep more than enough modem lines so that busies do not
occur. If you hear a "fast busy", that means the phone circuits between
you and us are busy. We have no control over this. Simply wait a bit,
then try dialing again.
If you hear a busy signal BEFORE your modem even dials, that generally
means the call waiting option in your software is checked, but the phone
line your modem is using does NOT have call waiting. Make sure that the
call waiting option in your software agrees with your call waiting
situation. Also, if you're in an office building and have a PBX-type
system, there can be too many other phone lines in use at the time, which
will give you a busy signal. Simply wait a bit, then try dialing again.
- I keep loosing my connection. What
should I do?
Start by rebooting your computer. If it still happens, let us know.
We have a series of checks that we will have you go through to try and
isolate the problem. It could be caused by line noise, software conflicts
the wrong modem init string, a modem compatibality problem or changes
in weather conditions.
- When I dial in I can login but once I
enter my password, I see garbage characters.
You're probably dialing in with a dumb terminal emulator. That won't
work. You must use PPP software to connect to us. Once the password is
entered, our computer goes into PPP mode. That's what you are seeing.
- Why I can't reach a Website or why is
it so slow?
First question is, "Which Website?" If it's one of
the Websites hosted on our network, let us know and we will look into the
problem. We need the URL and time the problem occurred. If it's some
other Website not hosted here, it is probably network congestion at the
backbone level,possibly that Web site is down or very busy, or possibly
the URL (Web address) is wrong -- none of which we have any control over.
Network congestion is most likely to occur during peak hours in the late
afternoon and evening hours. And problems at Web sites you're trying to
access do happen. If you're wondering if our Web server is up, try
bringing up our home page. If it comes up like it normally does, then you
know everything's running like normal here. If it doesn't, make sure
you're logged into our system. If you are logged in and still can't bring
up our home page, contact us. If the remote Web page is still hard to
access, it could be network congestion; in which case you will just have
to try again later.
- Why won't your system accept my
password anymore?
If your account is active, your bill is current and your password,
username and all other settings are entered properly, it should work.
We do not change your password unless you ask us to. If
you think your account isn't active or think your bill is not current,
please call our office (651-681-8018). If you
get a "Password supplied is
incorrect" message or if the password dialog box keeps appearing even
though you enter your password, check these things:
- If you enter your password every time, check that your CAPS LOCK key
is off. Passwords are typed in lower case. Check that your username is
correct. Check that the telephone number is correct.
- If your password is saved, the password entry on your computer may
have been corrupted, either for login, E-mail or both. Simply
UNcheck the Save Password option the next time you log in and when
you get your mail and enter your password (make sure the CAPS LOCK key is
off). Then, the next time your log in and get your E-mail, REcheck
the Save Password option.
- If you're dialing in from one of our nationwide access numbers, please
make
sure "@mm.com" is appended to your login username (for example:
joebob@mm.com).
- If your computer is already logged in and you try to login, your
computer's operating system generally can't display a message telling your
this. Instead, it asks you to enter your password over and over. If you
suspect this is the case, make sure your computer is logged off. If
you've got multiple computers and none of them appears to be logged on but
you're still having the problem, call our office (651-681-8018) and ask us
to check. If there's already a login for you, our system will display a
log entry, "Access denied for user soandso - Too many sessions, only 1
allowed".
- I think my
computer may have caught a virus. What should I do?
The best "fix" for a computer virus is prevention. You need to take
responsibility for your computer's security. Make sure your computer
has virus protection software. Make sure the virus
protection software on your computer is as current as possible. Update it
frequently. Yes, the Postini message center provides virus filtering (if
you have Postini filtering and turn virus filtering on). However, this is
no substitute for anti-virus protection on your computer. This
should be in addition to the anti-virus protection on your
computer. Computer viruses can be acquired through means other than
e-mail.
And, make sure your computer is backed up regularly. If you don't
know
how to do these things, it's a good idea to seek out technical help from
a knowledgeable, reliable computer consultant. Contact us if you have any
questions regarding this.
Go to a Website such as www.symantec.com. You can read up on
the virus and instructions on fixing it, if it's fixable. If your
computer has a virus that prevents you from going such a Website,
again, it's a
good idea to seek out technical help from a knowledgeable, reliable
computer consultant. Again, contact us if you have any questions
regarding
this.
- I've seen virus names that end
in "@mm" Does that have anything to do with your company?
No, nothing whatsoever. The "@mm" is short for @mm.html and
means mass mailing. "@m" is short for @m.html and means mailing. You can
read about this at www.symantec.com.
- My DSL was working fine, but now it's
not. What happened?
Try a proper shutdown of
your computer and a power cycle of your DSL modem/router if it's external.
(To power cycle, unplug the power cord from the back of the modem or
router
[not from your computer], wait
about 10 seconds, then plug the power cord back into the back of the
unit.) You also need to power cycle any additional hardware in your
network (any gateways, hubs, wireless bases, etc.) This solves about 90%
of DSL problems.
If it doesn't, make sure the proper lights are on. If they're not,
it's a DSL issue; contact us and we will contact the phone company in a
3-way conversation. If the proper
lights are on but you're still experiencing a problem, contact our office
by e-mail or call (651-681-8018).
DSL information is available here.
- My computer had been running fine,
but now it's real slow. What happened?
If a large software program was installed around the time the problem
started, this could be the cause. If nothing had been installed or
removed around the time the problem started, make sure your computer
doesn't have Spyware or Adware installed on it. There are
Websites you can go to that will help you determine if this is the case
and how to fix the problem. Do NOT do a Web search on
Adware. This will can take you to Websites that say they'll help get
rid of the problem, but they actually install Adware --and possibly
other undesirable software.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE ON ALL YOUR COMPUTERS.
MAKE SURE TO RUN IT AND UPDATE IT
FREQUENTLY!! COMPUTER VIRUSES CAN BE ACQUIRED THROUGH OTHER MEANS THAN
E-MAIL.
SOFTWARE TO COMBAT ADWARE AND SPYWARE IS ALSO A GOOD IDEA!
To COMBAT ADWARE, GO HERE. 
NOTE: Ad-Aware is the name of the software that corrects the
problem.
Adware is the bad guy; it's not what you want. Yes, the
names are
very close. A good way to remember is: You're aware you need Ad-Aware.
TO
COMBAT SPYWARE, GO HERE.
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