entire domain has disappeared

[GayleN]

I was, I thought at first, simply unable to log in to Mail03 by any means this morning. POP mail programs just hang and time out, and when I try to log in to the webmail server, I get a "Page under construction" error from Network Solutions. I saw the notice about migration of Mail03 to a new machine, but the date listed in that notice is the 21st, and today is only the 19th.

Then I discovered that it's not just email. My entire domain is gone!!! I tried logging in to www.gazehound.com and got the same error. Says the domain is registered but the site is under construction. OPs lists the domain and package information as if everything is fine.

--Gayle
gazehound.com

[tbonekkt]

Your domain expired:

Domain Name: GAZEHOUND.COM

Record expires on 13-Jul-2005.
Record created on 14-Jul-1998.
Database last updated on 19-Jul-2005 08:17:52 EDT.

Domain servers in listed order:

NS1.PENDINGRENEWALDELETION.COM 216.168.225.129
NS2.PENDINGRENEWALDELETION.COM 216.168.225.130

You'll need to renew it at Network Solutions and allow for re-propagation.

[GayleN]

Yeah, I just found that out, blast it! I have been away much of the time lately and never saw the renewal notices. I've just renewed it ... fortunately no one grabbed it up. Any idea how long it will take for Network Solutions to catch up with the renewal order and my mail/site be available again? It was working fine yesterday.

--Gayle

[tbonekkt]

Once you renew the domain, it usually takes 2-3 days for things to get back to normal.

[GayleN]

Rats. That's 2-3 days of lost income. My fault. Going to go play in the freeway for a while. :-(

Thanks.

--Gayle

[tbonekkt]

Something you might consider - transfer your domain to a registrar that auto-renews domains. That way you're sure this won't happen again.. unless your credit card expires. :)

[GayleN]

Unfortunately I have to use a debit card to renew, and I can't have "surprises" taken out of my checking account. Network Solution actually does offer auto renewal now.

--Gayle

[stevel]

Network Solutions is a poor choice for a registrar. Others offer more services, MUCH better customer service, for less money. Registerfly.com could be a good option for you - you fund an account through a variety of methods, and then fees are withdrawn from that. No unexpected charges against your card or checking account.

[GayleN]

I've actually been using Network Solutions since 1998, and have never had a problem with them. Well, till now .... but once isn't enough to go through the hassle of switching everything after all these years.

My domain was back up last night, working fine, even though I just renewed the lapsed registration yesterday. It just picked up where it left off ... site was there, all emails working fine, by about 8 PM. Whois indicates that everything's working again and that the domain is good for another year. However, this morning everything is down again. Is it normal for things to blink on and off like this for a while after renewal?

--Gayle

[stevel]

If the domain expired, yes, some instability is normal for a while. If you renew before expiration, no problems should be seen.

[GayleN]

Okay, thanks, Steve, I suspected as much. Yes, I overshot the expiration date and it did expire ... I renewed within hours of the expiration, but they'd still pulled the plug. Fortunately Network Solutions gives you a safe period after expiration so that no one can swipe an expired domain before the owner has a chance to fix the problem in such situations.

--Gayle

[tbonekkt]

Fortunately Network Solutions gives you a safe period after expiration so that no one can swipe an expired domain before the owner has a chance to fix the problem in such situations.That is called the Grace Period. Most, if not all, registrars have a Grace Period, and I've seen the lengths vary from 15 to 30 days.

[IanS]

That is called the Grace Period. Most, if not all, registrars have a Grace Period, and I've seen the lengths vary from 15 to 30 days.And then comes the Redemption period - where they try to get as much out of you as they can! :D