Technical Support FAQ

What is your support number and hours?
You can contact our technical support at (916) 641-9320 or (800) 509-9322. Alternatively, you can e-mail technical support at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Our technical support hours are 8 AM-8 PM Mondays-Fridays, and 9 AM-6 PM Saturdays.

When calling technical support, please be in front of your computer and have your computer powered up. It is not necessary to be connected to be CalWeb to set up your computer or check the settings. Whenever possible, please be prepared to give us the following:

  • What Operating System You Are Using (i.e. Windows 98, Millennium, XP, Mac OS 8)
  • What Program You Are Using (i.e. Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Netscape)
  • What Problems Are Specifically Occurring (i.e. I cannot connect to the Internet, I can't send/receive e-mail)
  • What Error Messages Pop Up (Be prepared to give us the complete text of the error message, as we don't know the error numbers by heart.)

Whenever I call technical support, I end up on hold. What happens?
We spend the time to give each customer quality service. Occasionally, we may experience a high volume of calls. We give you the option of either remaining on hold or leaving a voice mail message. Voice mail messages get returned promptly.
Can Technical Support assist with billing issues?
Technical support can assist in updating billing information (such as address and credit card), giving your account balance, and changing your service level. However, specific questions about your bill should be addressed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or you can contact our accounting department Mondays-Thursdays 9 AM-4 PM.
Do I need a setup disk to set up for CalWeb?
In most cases, no. The latest operating systems (including Windows 98 and later/Mac OS 8 and later) already include Internet software (browser and e-mail) as part of the operating system. We can assist you in setting up the software in connecting to the Internet.
What software do you recommend?
Although any version of the software can be used, we recommend a fairly recent version of the browser (i.e. Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later/Netscape 4.7 or later) and mail client (i.e. Outlook Express 4.0 or later/Outlook 98 or later/Netscape 4.7 or later/Eudora 4 or later). Earlier versions of the programs may not have full functionality, and may contain security holes that can be compromised.
How can I determine which version of the program that I'm using?
In order to better assist you, we often ask which version of a program you are using. This is because the location where the settings need to entered or changed may vary between versions of programs. Under Windows, the version number of the program can usually be found by clicking on Help and selecting "About (Program Name)". Under Macintosh, you can determine this information by clicking on the Apple in the upper-left corner of the screen and selecting "About (Program Name)". 
What don't you support?
We cannot provide support for the following beyond the basic Internet settings for the following:
  • Windows 3.11
  • Macintosh Systems prior to OS 8 (e.g. System 7.5.1)
  • Linux systems
  • MSN TV/Web TV or console game systems
  • Software or OS systems in beta test stage

In addition, please note the following limitations:

  • We cannot assist you in designing your web site, only with uploading your web site. Web design services are available for business web sites.
  • We can only diagnose Internet related issues. We cannot assist you in solving hardware problems or software issues outside of their interaction with the Internet.
  • Because of the wide variety of programs that is on the Internet, it is impossible for CalWeb's support personnel in order to know the workings of each program. For some programs, support is limited to on-line documentation on CalWeb's web site.
  • We cannot provide assistance with online services outside of CalWeb or with other websites.
  • While technical support can assist you, we are not computer trainers. If you are unfamiliar with the Internet, we recommend that you order the Interactive Internet Tutorial CD. And, don't be afraid to experiment.
  • While we provide shell access upon request, we do not provide support for shell accounts.

Do you support systems running Windows 95?
Because the functionality of Windows 95 and Windows 98 is very similar, CalWeb has no plans on discontinuing support for Windows 95 systems. However, some software currently developed will not work under the Windows 95 systems. These programs includes:
  • Internet Explorer 6 (and later)
  • Outlook Express 6 (and later)
  • Netscape 6 (and later)
  • Apple Quicktime 6 (and later)
  • Windows Media Player 7 (and later)
  • WinAmp Version 3 (and later)

In many cases, older versions of the above programs will run under Windows 95, but with some features missing. You may want to visit the OldVersion website for older versions of popular programs.
How do you compute disk space usage?
Disk usage includes the following:
  • Disk space used on our server for web pages.
  • Mail stored on our mail server prior to downloading.
  • Mail stored in the Trash folder while using our web mail interface.
  • Disk space used for ftp access, including incoming ftp directory
  • Disk space used in UNIX home directory

Excessive disk usage charges are based upon an average over a calendar month. You can check your usage by going to My Account and selecting Time Online/Disk Usage or by going to http://quota.calweb.com.
What is your FTP directory policy?
All users have a public FTP directory. You can place files in this directory, for other people to download using the FTP protocol. For security reasons, however, the general public is not able to upload files into your FTP directory.

To upload files to your ftp directory, log into the server ftp.calweb.com with your CalWeb username and password. Your ftp directory is located at  /ftp/users/(first character of username)/username . People logging in anonymously from the outside, would simply go to users/(first character of username)/username. Alternatively, you can put in the URL of ftp://ftp.calweb.com/users/(first character of username)/username/filename .

If you wish to allow other people to ftp into your directory, you will need to make a subdirectory called "incoming". People will be able to upload into this directory, but not download. This security precaution prevents outside hackers and software pirates, from using your account to transfer their stolen software. Making the permission of the directory owner-read/write/execute, but group and world-write/execute (chmod 733) will allow users to upload the files, but not view the directory contents or download files. Alternatively, by making all permissions read/write/execute (chmod 777) will allow users to upload files and view the directory contents, but will not allow users to remove files.

It is possible to make a directory not fitting these guidelines and policy, but doing so will open up your account to large disk usage charges. We highly recommend against doing so, unless you know exactly what you are doing, and why.

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