How do I set up an account?

What is my Customer ID?

What is my Username?

Can I change my Username?

What is my Password?

Can I change my Password?

How many hours do I have left?

How do I setup my computer for my TPG account?

What if I have another ISP connection set up?

Where do I find the TPG Access Number I need to use when dialling in?

What are the DNS numbers?

What changes must be made when travelling and logging on in a different location?

How do I set up a Login Script?

Why do I keep getting a busy signal when I dial in?

Why does the number I call ring out?

How do I stop the pre-dial terminal window from coming up?

Why do I get a "no dial tone" error when I try to connect?

Why do I get a "no carrier" error when I try to connect?

Why can I hear my modem making noises but it doesn't connect?

Why am I getting an authentication error?

Why can I connect but am not able to go any further?

Why does my connection keep dropping out?

What is an initialisation string?

What is a browser?

How do I bring up a Web Page?

What is a Start Page and how do I set it?

How do I perform a search?

What should my proxy settings be?

How do I create my own Web Pages?

What will my address be for my TPG Personal Web Site?

What is FTP?

What is a Search Engine?

How do I submit my site to Search Engines?

What is a domain name?

What is HTML?

Why do I get "Error 403 - Access Forbidden" when I go to my address?

Can I use Front Page extensions on my Web Pages?

You need:
  - A Computer
  - A Modem
  - Connection Software
Almost any computer can be connected to the Internet. Most computers come with the software you require. To register an account Click Here.

Your Customer ID is a number you will have received on your TPG Invoice. This number identifies you and is a useful number to keep as you will need it when you contact our Accounts Department.

Your Username is a word between 6 and 8 characters in length and is always all lower case. You use this name to dial-in to the Internet and will also require it when using email. When you open a new account you will be asked for a username. To check if a username is available Click Here. When you receive your invoice to confirm that your account has been setup it will list your username.

No, you cannot change your username. If you decide that you dislike your username you are able to create up to two email Alias'. Click Here to create an E-mail Alias.

You are required to select a Password when setting up a TPG Internet account. This provides you with a way to keep your account secure. Your password should be 6-8 characters in length and should contain a combination of numbers and letters. Your Password does not appear on your invoice for security reasons, therefore, if you have forgotten your Password you will need to contact our Accounts Department on 02 9850 0800. When calling Accounts you will need your full name, address and phone number. You will also need your Customer ID.

Yes, you can change your password. In fact it is a good idea to change your password frequently for security reasons. You can change your Password on the "Your Account" section of the Home Page or else Click Here.

We have a Check Account Usage option in our "Your Account" section of the Home Page. This allows you to check the hours you have used and a history of your logins. Click Here to check your usage.

TPG have detailed setup instructions for most Operating Systems. To go to computer setup page Click Here

Most dialling software allows you to have profiles for more than one provider on your computer. To find out how to setup a profile for TPG on your computer Click Here

The TPG Access Number you need to use will have been supplied on your invoice. If you have lost your invoice and need to find your TPG Access number Click Here

The DNS numbers are as follows:

Primary DNS:	203.12.160.35
Secondary DNS:	203.12.160.36

To see the complete list of TPG server settings Click Here

If you are using the same computer in a different location and it is already set up for the Internet all you need to do is change the Access Number. To find a number in the new location Click Here.

If you are using a different computer you will need to set it up for the Internet first. To find information on how to set up your computer Click Here

For information on setting up a Login Script Click Here.

The most likely reason you will get a busy signal will be because the line is busy. Try the dialling again after a few minutes and you should connect.

Another reason you may get a busy signal is because you're ringing an incorrect number. To check the TPG Access Number you are using is correct Click Here. Also check that there are no extra numbers inserted at the beginning of the number.

If you are having a problem with this and you are certain you are dialling the correct number try inserting the Area Code in your settings as this can provide you with a more reliable connection.

To remove a pre-dial terminal (in Windows 95/98):
Double Click My Computer
Double Click Dial-Up Networking
Right Click the TPG Internet Icon and Left Click on Properties
Click on the Configure Button (it could also be a tab)
Click on the Options Tab
Remove the tick in the box that says Bring up a terminal window before dialling
Click OK and Close the Dial-Up Networking Window.

Check that the modem is plugged in and connected properly. Try plugging a handset into the same line and ensure that you can get a dial tone. If you can get a dial tone and everything is connected properly, it may be that your modem can't detect the dial tone even though it is connected properly to the phone line. To force the modem to dial without waiting to hear the dial tone you need to enter an X3 initialisation string. To find out more about Initialisation Strings Click Here.

A no carrier message indicates that the modem is not connected to the phone line correctly. If you get this error message check your connections to make sure nothing is loose.

The reason for an incomplete handshake is some kind of communication problem between the two modems. This can occur for a number of reasons some of which are as follows:

One of the most common reasons for an incomplete handshake is that the drivers or firmware for the modem need updating. You can get the current drivers and firmware for your modem by contacting the Modem Manufacturer. To contact your Modem Manufacturer Click Here.

If you suspect that your Modem Driver may be the problem, you can try using a standard driver. To install a different driver on Windows NT/98/95:

1. Open the Control Panel. (Click on theStart button then Settings then select Control Panel)
2. Double click on Modems.
3. Click on Add
4. Place a tick in the box Don't detect my modem; I'll select it from a list
5. Select a Standard Modems. Click Next
6. Select the appropriate Communications Port for your modem.
7. Click on Next then click Finish.

An authentication error occurs because the Username or Password you have entered do not match with those recorded on our server. Since they do not match the Server rejects access resulting in an authentication error.

The most common reason for this is incorrect entry of user details. The server is case sensitive so it is very important that you enter your details in lower case. Make sure that you enter your username and not your email address for the Username.

For more information on your Username Click Here
For more information on your Password Click Here

There are a few things you need to check which are as follows:

Check that you have the correct DNS numbers. To find out how to change these Click Here and select your Operating System. To see the DNS numbers Click Here.

Check that TCP/IP is installed.

If you are unable to open web pages you may have proxies enabled. Disable proxies and see if this fixes the problem.

If you are still having problems with browsing AND with email it may be that you need to re-install Dial-Up Networking (this applies to Windows 95/98). For information on how to do this Click Here

If there are devices that draw current (eg phone/fax/answering machine) on the same phone line you should unplug them. If you have call waiting on your telephone you need to turn it off.

#43# turns call waiting off
*43# turns call waiting on

Try getting the latest drivers and firmware for your Modem. To get the details of your Modem Manufacturer Click Here.

Sometimes an initialisation string is necessary. Commands that may be useful are: %E2, \N3, %C0 and S91=13. If you need more information about Initialisation Strings Click Here.

Line quality can also cause problems.

More Dropout tips can be found here.

A browser is program that interprets HTML documents and displays them to the user. This type of program is required to view Web Pages. There are lots of different browsers, the most popular of these being Internet Explorer and Netscape.

To view a Web Page you need to open your browser. If you have the url or address of the site you wish to view, simply enter it into the address line of the browser and hit enter. The page will then load into your browser.

A start page is a Web Page that automatically loads when you open your browser. You can set your Start Page to whatever you want it to be. For instructions on how to set the Start Page for your browser Click Here

To perform a search you need to use a Search Engine. There are a number of different Search Engines. TPG recommend Yahoo! which is one of the most popular search engines. To perform a search with Yahoo!Click Here.

You are not required to use a proxy server when connecting with TPG.

Your TPG E-mail address is Username@tpg.com.au. Where Username is your username. If you are uncertain of what your Username is Click Here.

Your E-mail password is the same as that you use to log-on with. If you are uncertain of what your Password is Click Here.

TPG have detailed setup instructions for most E-mail Clients. To go to the E-mail setup page Click Here

The incoming and outgoing mail server addresses are the same. They vary depending on your location. To find the mail server in your area check your TPG invoice or Click Here

This can be caused by a faulty mail header message on the message that has been sent. This may have occurred in transit or at the source. To fix the problem, simply delete the message off the server. To delete an E-mail from the server Click Here

This is caused when a mail program fails to send a "received" code for a specific message and the messages are repeated until it succeeds to send the code or the message is deleted from the server. To delete a message from the server Click Here

Yes. You will need to configure the E-mail Client on the new computer for your account. For details on how to configure the E-mail Client Click Here

A Newsgroup is a public discussion forum. When you post a message to a newsgroup you are posting a public E-mail message which can be read by anyone in the world. Newsgroups are useful for asking questions on hard to get information and explanations of topics. They can also be a lot of fun as there are a lot of Newsgroups dedicated to entertainment. There are about 40,000 Newsgroups in the world. Not all are public - some are assigned to specific regions.

You need a News reader program. Some examples of these are Microsoft Outlook 98 and Outlook Express, Netscape Communicator and Eudora. Earlier version E-mail clients don't have news reading capability. There are also dedicated News programs that can be downloaded off the Web.

Updated info for people using Netscape News here

Your news server is the server that supplies news articles sometimes known as the NNTP server. The relevant news server for your location will be on your invoice. To see the full list of news servers Click Here

For instructions on how to create your own Web Pages Click Here

The web address or URL for your TPG Personal Web Site will be http://wwwx.tpg.com.au/users/yourusername where x is determined by the server on which you have your server space allocated and will be given to you when you activate your server space.

If you have a domain name, you cannot use it with the free server space you get with your TPG Account. For information on Domain Name and Web Site Hosting with TPG Click Here

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. You need an FTP program to transfer your files from your hard drive to your directory on our server.

We recommend you use CuteFTP as it is simple to use. Download CuteFTP Here

A Search Engine is a utility used to search for web sites relevant to a particular topic. Search Engines search web sites and get information about a site's content. It stores this information and retrieves relevant pages when a particular topic is chosen.

In order to submit your site to search engines you need to go to the site of each of the Search Engines you wish to submit your site to and find the link that enables you to add your site. The link will say something like "Add URL" or "Add Site". It may take some time for your site to come up as thousands of sites are added daily.

A Domain Name is a registered name for your Company's Web Site. Domain Names for Australia come in the form of www.yourcompanyname.com.au.

If you would like your own domain name you must register it with Melbourne IT. Once you have your Domain Name you will need to have it hosted. For information on Domain Name and Web Site Hosting with TPG Click Here

HTML is short for Hyper Text Markup Language. All pages that you view through your browser on the internet will be written in HTML coding and will have a file extension .html or .htm. For advice on creating HTML Click Here

The most like reason for getting this error is that you have failed to name your initial page index.html or index.htm. To fix the problem rename the first page to index.html or else type in the full address into your browser ie www1.tpg.com.au/users/username/filename.html.

You cannot use Front Page extensions if you are using your free 10Mb of server space. If you wish to use Front Page extensions you will need to have one of our Web Site Hosting Plans.