Email names and other emaily things

[minimoog]

Just migrated in today and whilst there's a while before my activation goes through I've had a look at the email address request page already. I'm pretty miffed to discover that I'm to be lumbered with a clunky @idnetfreemail.co.uk address, which doesn't exactly trip off the fingers or tongue. Getting a snappier @idnet.co.uk will cost me £4 a month (with spam filtering too of course), which aint gonna happen.

I also didn't realise that names do not take the format anything@username.idnet.co.uk, which means that by the time I've picked an email name that isn't taken I'll have something like  emailname123@idnetfreemail.co.uk which is flippin' ridiculously unweildy. I much prefer to have something like me@username.isp.com, wife@username.isp.com, dog@username.isp.com etc.

I take it I understand all the above correctly? Shame to have a sinking feeling on my first day here...

Also, If I want to use a domain I've registered to receive my email can someone explain the best way to set that up so I can read mail both on my pc and via webmail? I'm a complete noob with domains.

Thanks for any help.   

[Rik]

Free email addresses do currently take the form a.user@idnetfreemail.co.uk. Have you tried to see if your chosen username is available in that format? TBH, I had my email set up before I migrated, so I knew what I was getting and I had no problems getting the names I wanted. IDNet isn't one of the huge ISPs, so you might be pleasantly surprised by what is still available.

For years, though, I've had my main email on my own domain, so that it doesn't change when I change ISPs, which I've done a lot in the past (but don't expect to again).

What email client are you using. I read everything (eg domain, Google, Yahoo, IDNet and a few others) via POP3 in Outlook. If I want to, I can also webmail any of them.

The IDNet webmail is at http://www.webmail.idnet.net/index.mml?SignonProduct=GMS%20WebMail&language=

Re-reading your post, do you just have the domain name registered, but no hosting set up? In which case, give IDNet a ring, they can do the hosting for you.

[minimoog]

Hi Rik

My email client is Turnpike 4, a hangover from my Demon days. ' Program built: Thursday 4th March, 1999'

Its functionality is pretty woeful by comparison to modern software, but I like the old-school interface and it's so easy to read. It'll sort abc@username.isp.com, xyz@username.isp.com into seperate mailboxes easily, but handling different email accounts is a nightmare, so it looks like I'll have to bin this software, which has served me well for 8 years, if I use IDnet's own email addresses.

I have been trying to wean myself onto the in-built mail client in my Opera browser, but I really don't like the way it works compared to Turnpike (it's basically similar to Outlook and all the other Explorer-alike clients I've seen).

I'm trying to replace the functionality of my Plusnet service. That means I need ~250 MB of webspace, a news feed, etc. I don't mind paying a little more to get better speed - there's a reason PN are cheap after all - but I'm obviously having to make sacrifices to come to IDnet.  I've registered a domain with 34sp.com, and am intending to get their 200MB hosting package too. I already have an Astraweb news service. I'm not quite sure what the most efficient way of managing email accounts for my family is with this setup. As I say I'd like my domain to form the basis of our email addresses - does this mean I can ignore IDnet's email service and use the addresses that come with the domain via my email software? Or do I have to route email through IDnet somehow? Bit confused as you can probably tell!

Edit: Think I've just worked out that I'll need to pay for an SMTP account with my web host if I'm to use them without going through IDnet. My cost calculations for this migration are going down the toilet...   

[Rik]

I vaguely remember Turnpike from my time with Demon back in dial-up days, I loathed it - but perhaps I just didn't stay with Demon long enough. You could look at Eudora, and see whether that's more to your taste, it's very different to Outlook etc. (www.qualcomm.com)

You can certainly use the email addresses with your domain name providing someone is giving you a hosting service. If they are, I would expect them to give you both POP3 and SMTP servers (possibly IMAP as well). If the SMTP server is an authenticated SMTP, then you can use it from your account with IDNet. If not, then set up a mail account with IDNet and use the IDNet SMTP server for all your outgoing mail, but your domain's POP server for incoming.

A company like 1&1 does email hosting for £0.69/month with up to five 'boxes', auth-SMTP and a webmail interface. IDNet also provide a similar service which is, I think, about £2pm, but you'd need to check that figure with support.

[Tanzanite]

Huh? Am I being thick here?

HOW do you sign up your email addys before your migration??? Me wants to do this!
I'm still waiting for my migration, I signed up last Thurs, so hoping it's done today.

(Help Icon) 

[Rik]

If you have your username and password, you can go to the customer accounts page and sign up for email.

[Tanzanite]

I only know my username and password that I put in when I signed up to migrate. Is that enough? Does it need to have a idnet.whatever at the end of my username?

By the way, I wont be using the paid for email.

[Rik]

It would take the form, user.name@uk.idnet.dsl4. It is the free mail you sign up for there, just select email from the navigation options.

[Tanzanite]

Login Failed 

[Rik]

Give support a ring to check that your account is available and that you are using the correct login, obviously it's something we can't do too much about in a public forum.

[Tanzanite]

I emailed and just got a reply.

Got my login details which is different to the one you said.

Apparently my transfer will be complete by 12th April! I thought it took 3 days but then it's probably something to do with AOL 

Can't wait til it's all sorted. 

[minimoog]

It would take the form, user.name@uk.idnet.dsl4.

Logins take other forms too - mine is different to that, as it would appear is Tanzy's.

Just to go back to a point above, can I send mail from any address through IDnet's SMTP server, or just from my IDnet mail addresses?

[Rik]

You can send email, from most clients, using different POP and SMTP clients. I use IDNet's SMTP for the bulk of my accounts, but 1&1's auth-SMTP for my domain accounts.

[Rik]

Got my login details which is different to the one you said.

That's the problem with logins, we don't know too much about other people's.

Apparently my transfer will be complete by 12th April! I thought it took 3 days but then it's probably something to do with AOL 

AOL + Easter, I suspect.

[Tanzanite]

Ah, I forgot about Easter, I don't do Easter so it didn't cross my mind.
I can't stand the suspense, I want idnet now, stamps foot 

[Rik]

When it does arrive, it will be all the sweeter I promise.

I don't so much do Easter as chocolate and hot cross buns. In fact, I am a great believe in all celebrations which involve food. That includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.

[Tanzanite]

LOL

Well as you're talking to a woman, chocolate is something I can definitely relate to! Oh dear, I have a choccie craving now... dashes off to my sweetie stash 

[Rik]

Sue brought me home a Lindt mini-egg. I'm testing how long I can resist before eating it!

[Tanzanite]

  Don't fight the choccie, give in!

[Rik]

  Oh, I will, I'm just waiting for the optimal moment... Soon, very soon.

[minimoog]

You can send email, from most clients, using different POP and SMTP clients. I use IDNet's SMTP for the bulk of my accounts, but 1&1's auth-SMTP for my domain accounts.

Ah I see, many thanks 

[Rik]

Nae bother. Sorry we have to talk in such generalities in open forum, but if you have any specific queries which require you to reveal email addresses etc, it's probably best to give support a call.

[cavillas]

Don't forget minimoog you can have as many free email addresses as you want jst for the asking.

[minimoog]

It's alive!   

Migration went through about half an hour ago, and so far so good! Synced at 5.9 and getting a nice steady 4.5 Mbps on both web and usenet. Much better than the last lot - who announced their new product range today so had me worried for a moment. But now I've seen what my connection can do I'm quite happy.

I'm using the email accounts that came with my new hosting service. Collecting via pop3 and routing outgoing through IDnet's SMTP server works just like you folks said it would - if only I'd realised it would be so easy. Thanks again.

Glad to be aboard! 

[Inactive]

A formal ...Welcome Aboard ...then.

Yes I read the rubbish from +net as well, it looks much like a re-vamped BT set up to me.