Frequently Asked Questions

       

 

   

Domain Registration Questions

1.   Can anyone register a domain?
2.  How much does it cost?
3.  I thought I could only register domains through Network Solutions (NSI)?
4.  How long does the registration take?
5.  What is the difference between a domain registered through your service and one registered through Network Solutions?
6.  Are you ICANN accredited?
7.  Do I own the domain I register?
8.  What is bulk registration?
9.  When I register my domain, don't I need to provide Name Servers?
10.Can I transfer domains to you from other registrars?
11.WHOIS search show a domain with an expired date. Can I register it?
12.I keep getting "Unable to Establish Socket" error.
13.I keep getting "Page cannot be displayed" error.


14. I have registered my domain, what do I do next?
15. Where do I host my site?
16. I have found a hosting company. What do I need to do?
17. I registered my domain today, and received a confirmation that it had
been processed, but when I do a WHOIS it says my domain is available

18. Can I sell or transfer ownership of my domain?

Transferring Domain Names 
1. What do you mean by transferring a domain name?
2. What is required to do a transfer? Are there any restrictions?
3. How do I know my domain meets the requirements?
4. Are there any transfer fees? What is my cost?
5. What are the steps of transfer process?
6. Does it affect the functioning of my web page?

Managing the Domain Record
1. How do I edit my domain information?
2. Can I edit my domain name and registration period?
3. What is Domain Manager?
4. Does it cost anything to make changes to my domain?
5. How long does it take for my information to be updated?
6. I want to forward my domain to my existing web page!
7. How do I change my name servers?
8. I have accidentally deleted my name servers. How do I add them back?
9. How can my hosting company update my domain information?
10. I have forgotten my password (and/or username), how can I get it?
11. How do I transfer ownership of my domain?

12. My domains are not under one profile. How can I put them together?
13. All my domains are under one profile. How can I put a domain under a
separate profile?

14. Can you make the necessary changes for me?

General Information
1. What is a domain name?
2. What is the difference between .com, .net, and .org domain names?
3. What is the maximum length of a domain name?
4. Once I have a domain name secured, how long may I use it?
5. What if my desired name is the same as a trademarked name?
6. Why should people register domain name(s)?
7. What is WHOIS?
8. What are Name Servers?

Registering Domain Names 

Can anyone register a domain?
Yes, it does not matter what country you live in or even if you have a web site. 

How much does it cost?
The cost of registering a domain name is only $15.00 per year. You can select a registration period ranging from 1 to 10 years. There are no other fees, no NIC fees, no setup fees, no domain parking fees. 

I thought I could only register domains through NSI? 
After recent changes the domain name registration system is now open to other companies besides NSI. 

How long does the registration take? 
It is instant. Your registration will be completed on-line. As soon as you submit and receive the "successful" message it is ready. A confirmation e-mail is also sent right away. 

What is the difference between a domain registered through your service and one registered through Network Solutions? There is absolutely no difference, other than our excellent service and much enhanced tools to assist you. 

Are you ICANN accredited?
We are a reseller of TUCOWS, Inc. through their OpenSRS program. You will find TUCOWS among the ICANN accredited registrars. 

Do I own the domain I register?
Absolutely. It is yours to sell, keep, do whatever you like. By default registrar4less is placed as technical contact, but you can login to Domain Manager and change that info right away after the registration. 

What is bulk registration?
Bulk registration enables you to register multiple domain names at once, saving you time on the process. When you type all the domain names you want in the bulk look-up, it will tell you which domain names are not available and will let you continue with the available names. If you type the domain names without the extensions it will find all available .com, .net or .org. If you type with the extensions it will only search names with that particular extension. 

When I register my domain, don't I need to provide Name Servers?
When you register, your domain name is automatically pointed to the Public DNS (http://www.granitecanyon.com/). Whenever you like to use your own Name Servers, you can simply login to Domain Manager, and follow the "Name Servers" link to change them. 

Can I transfer domains to you from other registrars?
Yes, using our Transfer module you can transfer domains from other registrars to us and renew them at our rates. Please refer to the Transfer section of this page for details. 

WHOIS search shows a domain with an expired date. Can I register it?
If the domain belongs to you, you can renew it with your existing registrar, otherwise a domain cannot be registered again until it is dropped out of root database. If a WHOIS search shows ownership data, even if it has an expired date, domain cannot be registered. 

I keep getting "Unable to Establish Socket" error.
You may encounter this error message if our gateway to main registry or the main registry itself is experiencing problems. In both cases the problem is totally out of our control. If we are warned in advance for the downtime, we announce it in our web page, however sometimes it happens without any warnings. Usually service is restored in a short period of time. We apologize for any inconveniences and thank you for your patience. 

I keep getting "Page cannot be displayed" error.
f you are experiencing this error while trying switch to a secure site page (such as creating new profile, retrieving old profile, login to Domain Manager etc), then problem might be related to your browser's security settings. If you are an Internet Explorer user, click Tools/Internet Options /Advanced, scroll all the way down and make sure SSL 2.0 and/or SSL 3.0 are checked. 

After the Registration 
I have registered my domain, what do I do next?
If you want your domain to point to a web site or receive e-mail at that domain name you have to find a hosting provider. If just want to reserve the domain name for future use, you do not have to do anything. 

Where do I host my site?
You can host your site anywhere. Once you decide on a hosting provider they will tell you how to point your domain to their server by changing your name servers to theirs. For details see below how to change name servers. 

I have found a hosting company (or I already have a web site). What do I need to do?
All that needs to be done in our end is changing the name server information of your domain name. Find out the name servers of your hosting company (typically one primary and one secondary) and set them using the Domain Manager. Please refer to the section below for details on how to change the name servers. Also make sure your hosting company
adds your domain name to their name servers. 

I registered my domain today, and received a confirmation that it had been processed, but when I do a WHOIS it says my domain is available. If you use our WHOIS utility you will not encounter this problem because our database is updated immediately. Network Solutions database is usually updated once a day, but sometimes it takes two or three days. In other WHOIS searches, until
their database is updated, your domain will show as not being registered. However it is registered, and can not be reserved by another person. To make sure your domain is registered, use our WHOIS utility. 

Can I sell or transfer ownership of my domain?
Yes, domain name is yours to either sell or keep. For details please refer to the section below titled "How do I transfer ownership of my domain?" 

Transferring Domain Names 

What do you mean by transferring a domain name?
Transferring means changing the registrars. If you have domains that were registered with other registrars such as Network Solutions, you do not have to renew your domain with them. You can transfer the domain to us and renew at our low rates. Transfer needs to be done before the domain name expires. Please see the restrictions below. Transferring a domain name does not mean transfer of ownership or changing hosting company. 


What is required to do a transfer? What are the restrictions?
In order to transfer a domain successfully certain criteria should be met:

-A domain that was registered or renewed less than 60 days ago cannot be transferred. Just wait 60 days and transfer afterwards.
- Domains that are on HOLD cannot be transferred. Registrars can place a domain on hold, such as domains that are in dispute between two parties. Until the ownership issue is solved and domain is taken out of hold it cannot be transferred. 
- If the existing registrar has the domain name locked for either non-payment or at the user's request domain cannot be transferred. If you have purchased but not paid for a domain name, existing registrar will not permit it to be transferred.
- Expired domains cannot be transferred. Original registrar has the right to refuse the transfer of an expired and unpaid domain. Just to be on the safe side, we require that you should allow a minimum of 4 days prior to expiration date to do the transfer.
- If you don't have access to existing Admin Contact e-mail of the domain, transfer cannot be done. The Admin Contact's approval via e-mail is required. If your domain's Admin Contact e-mail is not valid anymore, first you should update it with your existing registrar, and then apply for transfer.

Do not attempt to do a transfer if your domain does not meet the requirements. That will result in a rejection and a charge of $5.00 processing fee (to cover our cost). Same fee will apply if transfer gets cancelled by Admin Contact either by rejecting or by not replying in 5 days. You do not pay any processing fee for successful transfers. If a domain transfer is rejected for a different reason, you will not be charged for any fees. 

How do I know my domain meets the requirements?
Do a WHOIS search for the domain in question. It will show you the date it was registered (created), the date it will expire, whether it is on HOLD or not, and the Admin Contcat e-mail. (If the domain was renewed after its original creation date, you should calculate the last renewal date based on the creation date) 

Are there any transfer fees? What is my cost?
Unless you try to transfer a domain name that does not meet the above given requirements there are no additional costs. Only amount you will be charged is $13.50 one year registration fee. This registration will add one year to the existing expiration date of the domain no matter how early you do the transfer. 

What are the steps in transfer process?
1- You submit a transfer request from our transfer page. A confirmation e-mail will be sent to the new Admin Contact e-mail.
2- An e-mail for each domain will be sent from transfers@opensrs.org to the current Admin Contact e-mail address. Follow the instructions in this e-mail and submit a phone number to indicate your approval.
3- Then the request will be sent to "loosing" registrar for their approval. This registrar has to approve or reject normally within 5 days. They usually don't wait that long. Your domain will be renewed for one year and the new expiration date will be one year from the last expiration date. The "loosing" registrar may or may not send a confirmation e-mail, indicating whether they approved or rejected the transfer (Network Solutions does send e-mails). If you don't receive an e-mail, using WHOIS you can check the new expiration date of the domain name. 

Does it affect the functioning of my web page?
No, transfer process is seemless to your web page. Functionality of your web page will not be affected. 

Managing the Domain Record 

How do I edit my domain information?
All you need to do is login to the Domain Manager. This is a web-based interface that allows for real-time domain updates. 

Can I change my domain name and registration period?
No. Once your registration is completed your domain name and registration period is sent to the root servers. After that, the domain name itself and the registration period cannot be changed.

What is Domain Manager? 
It is an enhanced web tool that enables you to login and access to your registered domain information for maintenance, update, and editing purposes. Unlike Network Solutions, with our Domain Manager, incase of a change in any of the registration info, you don't have to update every single domain's data one by one. With one login, and one click, you will be able to update all your domains at once. You can divide your domains into groups as well, by using different profiles for
each group. When you are registering a new domain, if you choose the "use existing profile" option this domain will be in the same group as the profile used. Domain Manager becomes available for use immediately after you receive the confirmation e-mail of your first domain registered with us. 

Does it cost anything to make changes to my domain? 
No, we charge nothing! It is all in your control, and you have an excellent tool, Domain Manager, to maintain, edit, and update your domain information. We will continue to enhance the features of this program. 

How long does it take for my information to be updated?
After the first registration, as soon as you receive the confirmation via email your data will be in our database. Then if you need you can login to the Domain Manager to update your data. Once you modify your domain information it is instantly updated on our server. It may take up to 24 hours for root servers of InterNIC to reflect the updates. 

I want to forward my domain name to my existing web page!
Using Domain Manager, change your name servers to the name servers of your existing web page's hosting company. Then, ask the hosting company to add your domain name to their name servers. 

How do I change my name servers?
Login to Domain Manager program using your domain name, username, and password. Click on the "Name Servers" link at the top. In the next screen type the new name servers in place of existing primary and secondary name servers. You should type only the names, not the IP numbers. Make sure you do not have spaces at the beginning or end of the name. Click "Save Configuration" and system will automatically find the IP numbers and update your record. 

I have accidentally deleted my name servers. How do I add them back?
In the same page, use the Server Hostname field to add the name servers again. First type your primary name server and click the button, then type the secondary name server and click the button. 

How can my hosting company update my domain information?
You will need to set-up your hosting company as a sub-user in the Domain Manager. You will be able to assign them a password and specify which information they are allowed to modify. 

I have forgotten my password (and/or username), how can I get it?
Email support@registrar4less.com  with your request including your domain name or order ID. Your Username and Password will be sent to the Admin Contact e-mail address. We cannot see your username and password. We can only make the system forward it to do Admin Contact. Username and password cannot be forwarded to a different e-mail addres. That is an important reason to have a valid Admin Contact e-mail address entered during the registration. 

How do I transfer ownership of my domain?
You can login to Domain Manager and change all contact information to the new owner. Then provide the new owner with the username and password, and tell him to change it. Please be advised, you cannot do that if you are keeping multiple domains under one profile. First you should separate that particular domain's profile using "Manage profile" and then "Change Profile of Domain" options under Domain Manager (for details please refer to the section below). It is also advised that in selling domain names you protect yourself with written documentation to avoid possible legal disputes.
Please also read Domain Name Registration Agreement and Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy 

My domains are not under one profile. How can I put them together?
Login to Domain Manager with this domain name and click on "Manage Profile" and then "Change Profile of Domain". In the next screen type the username and password of the profile to which you are trying to move this domain. Mark the "Move to existing profile" box and type one of the domain names of the profile to which you are trying to move this domain. Click "Change Profile". 

All my domains are under one profile. How can I put a domain under a separate profile?
Login to Domain Manager with this domain name and click on "Manage Profile" and then "Change Profile of Domain". In the next screen type a new username and password for the new profile you are creating. Click "Change Profile". 

Can you make the necessary changes for me?
For security purposes our support personnel does not have access to your username and passwords, therefore cannot do the changes for you. Domain Manager program is designed to help you with all your update needs. If you have any questions, our support personnel can always assist you. 

General Information 

What is a domain name?
The unique name that identifies an Internet site. Domain Names always have 2 or more parts, separated by dots, like "yourname.com", "house.net", "tree.org". 

What is the difference between .com, .net, and .org domain names?
The domain suffixes basically differentiate between the various types of organizations on the Internet. 
Generally, the following rules apply:
.com -- businesses and commercial enterprises
.net -- network-related organizations and enterprises
.org -- charitable or non-profit organizations
But it is not an absolute rule. Anybody can register any of these names.  The domain suffix type itself has no bearing on accessibility on the Internet from a technical standpoint, but over time the
.com domain type has become the most popular and recognizable on the Internet. 

What is the maximum length of a domain name?
A valid domain name can have min. 2 max. 63 characters (excluding the extension). You can use any combination of 26 letters in English alphabet, numbers from 0 to 9 and "-" (dash) character. No profanity or use of any name protected by trademark. 

Once I have a domain name secured, how long may I use it?
If there are no trademark disputes, your secured domain name will be yours for as long as you maintain the yearly registration fees. 

What if my desired name is the same as a trademarked name?
Generally, if you've registered the name in good faith, it's not a name belonging to an internationally known company, and you can show that you have a legitimate reason to use that name then you are likely to be able to keep that name. That may not be the case if it can be shown that you purchased the name for the express purpose of re-selling it to a company with a legitimate claim to the name. Please see the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy for details. 

Why should people register domain name(s)?
Just like a company logo, brand name, your domain name too represents your business identity. Domain names are designed for people, IP addresses are designed for computers. If you want people to find your web site easily, you will need a domain name. 

What is WHOIS?
WHOIS is a tool to retrieve the registration information of a domain name, including the registrant's name, contact information, and record creation date. You can perform a WHOIS by clicking on this WHOIS link. 

What are Name Servers?
A name server is a computer that holds records of domain names.