With the break-up of the InterNIC monopoly of being the only company to register domain names, there are now (thankfully) many registrars that are able to register and control domain names. This being the case, it adds to the confusion of registering, pointing, and transferring domain names. With any luck, this section will help to clear up some of that confusion.

• Pointing/Transferring Domain Names
  
• Transferring domain names to our registrar
  
  

Pointing/Transferring Domain Names

Since there are now so many different companies registering and controlling domain names, it's impossible for us to list specific instructions on how to accomplish the change through each company, but hopefully we can point you in the right direction.

Please NOTE: There is next to nothing that we can do to help with your domain name unless and until it is transferred to our registrar. Other registrars will not, and rightfully should not, allow us to act on your behalf or change anything for you, whether it's your admin email address, or name server entries, or anything else. In fact, if you're having trouble getting a name pointed to us, we won't even know it unless you tell us, so please let us know. We might be able to offer some helpful advice or point you in the right direction if you let us know you're having trouble.

If you are moving your site to our servers from another hosting company, you will need to change the DNS (domain name server) entries for your domain name. (sometimes referred to as NameServer entries) NOTE: You should first upload your site's current pages and files to the IP address you received from us when you ordered. You do not want to change your NameServer entries until you have finished this, because your domain name will point to a site with no pages, causing down-time for your site. (an IP address can be used like a domain name, so you'll upload your pages using that, and then when the NameServers are changed, your domain name will point to your new site with us.)

The NameServer entries should be pointed as follows:

Primary Server Hostname: CS.ALLWEBCO.NET
Primary Server Netaddress: 69.94.101.32

Secondary Server Hostname: CS2.ALLWEBCO.NET
Secondary Server Netaddress: 64.33.24.18

Depending on where you registered your domain name, and you are lucky enough to have a web based control panel where you can make these changes yourself (as we provide our registration customers), this should be an easy change to make. Just go to the registrars site, login to your control panel, and look for the controls to the DNS, NameServer entries, Hostnames, Netaddresses, or Name Servers.

If you do not have a control panel, you'll need to contact the registrar, or hosting company that registered the name for you, and request that they either make the changes for you, or tell you where to make them yourself.

If you do not know who the registrar is for your domain name, you can look it up by looking up your domain name Here. Many hosting companies resell domain names through assorted registrars, so if you ordered a domain name through a hosting company, it's possible that you'll run into a situation where you'll need to contact the hosting company rather than the registrar.

Transferring domain names to our registrar

Transferring a domain name to our registrar is different from what most people call "transferring a domain name" which is what we describe Here. Transferring a name to our registrar means that you will pay us for the name instead whoever you're paying now, and we will handle the renewal of the name, etc... It is not something you need to do in order to host your site with us.

Many of our customers transfer to us because we give them a web based control panel that they can use to change any aspect of their registration, instantly and without any of the red tape that many other registrars force their customers to deal with. Many of our customer transfer to us because we charge less money than most registrars, and many come to us because they know they can trust us with their name.

Occasionally, you will hear horror stories where someone registered a domain name through a company that for whatever reason, will not allow them to change hosting companies! Usually, it's when the hosting company losing the account (usually listed as the technical contact) tries to keep the customer hostage by disallowing them to change their name server entries. With us, YOU have complete control over that.

Other horror stories involve situations where the domain name owner can no longer receive email at the listed address for the admin contact. Therefore, they can not reply to any required emails to "confirm" a request to change anything, and are denied any changes. With us, even if you change email addresses, you can still use your control panel with your login and password and make any changes you like.

Of course we think it's a good idea to switch your name to our registrar, but there are some things that we think you should know about it before you do. Here are some things we've learned from our experience with other registrars:

If the domain name is expired, the losing registrar will not allow a transfer.
While we think this is dirty pool (after all, you paid for a service, received it, and now it's over. You shouldn't owe them anything) it seems to be the norm in the industry.

If the domain name is CLOSE (within a week to 9 days) to its expiration date, some of the more shady registrars will drag their feet with the transfer request until the name expires, and then deny the transfer.

Normally, when you transfer your domain name, the new registrar renews your name for another year. This means that one year is added to whatever your current expiration date was (with the old registrar) before the transfer. We have seen registrars actually take that time back, as if you didn't pay for it!

If you registered your name with another registrar recently, you should wait until at least 95 days have passed to transfer the name, or else they might steal that year that you've already paid for through them, and not refund your money.

Some of the more shady registrars will not allow you ample time to respond to a required confirmation request. For example, as of January 2002, InterNIC/Network Solutions/NetSol/VeriSign or whoever they are now, will send a confirmation request about 24 to 48 hours after they receive the request to transfer the name, and they will deny your transfer if you do not answer their email PRECISELY as they demand (having the EXACT subject line just the way they want, etc...) and within 48 hours. So if you order a transfer from the office on Thursday or Friday, and don't check your email until Monday when you get back in, they will have already denied your transfer on the grounds that you must not want it. If you're close enough to your expiration date, getting away with that just once can put things off long enough that you'll be forced to renew the name with them.

There is next to nothing that we can do to help with your domain name until it is transferred to our registrar. Other registrars will not, and should not, allow us to change anything for you, whether it's your admin email address, or name server entries, or anything else.

You should expect a transfer to another registrar to take up to 10 days (usually depending on how long the losing registrar drags their feet)

Now that you're up to speed on the subject, if you are ready to transfer your domain name to our registrar, you can start the ball rolling with This Form.