Home Web Hosting XtraHost FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I publish to XtraHost?

There are three ways to upload your Web site to the XtraHost Web server:

1. By using an FTP client
   Xtra Provides a Download Facility for WS_FTP and instructions on how to set up this software.
   Click here for FTP Publishing instructions

2. By using Netscape Navigator Gold or Communicator Composer.
   These are the Web site creation and publishing features contained within Netscape Navigator and Communicator. You can download a copy of Netscape Navigator Gold from the Xtra Web site. Click here if you wish to use Netscape Navigator Gold.

3. By using a Web Browser. Please Note: Xtrahost supports Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4 and above, and Netscape Version 3 and above. To publish your Web site using this method:
   • go to http://home.xtra.co.nz/admin/
   • Logon using your Xtra Username (Login ID) and the password you chose when subscribing to XtraHost
   • Click on "Web Site Management Tool"
   • Click on "Upload Files" (in the blue banner at the top of the page)
   • Click the "Browse" button and select the file on your computer's hard drive that you wish to upload.

Can pages have text, sound, and pictures?

Web pages can contain text, sound, and pictures. Standard, static HTML is supported.

I've created a directory with only image files all in one place - how can I load all these image files all at once using Navigator Gold?

One of the options when uploading files to the server is to "Include All Files in the Document's Folder" - by checking this box all files will be uploaded. You can create any file within this image directory on your local machine with an html or htm extension, bring that into the editor, click on the one button publish and check the "Include all Files in the Document's Folder" option. In this way your entire image files plus your temporary html file will be loaded onto the host. Be sure to make and use the target directory on the host to receive your images.

How can I make a sub-directory within my own directory on the host?

Just by creating a sub-directory when you post to the server. Do this in your "publish to" field when you are about to publish the files.

Alternatively use the Web Site Management Tool from the Site Administration page.

I've got a large file structure with lots of files and directories - can I zip my files up and send them up in one hit then unzip them also keeping the directory structure?

Use the file upload facility within the Web Site Administration to upload your zip file. When in place double-click the zip file and it will de-compress also mapping your original directory structure.

I had problems decompressing my zip file on the server!

Files and folders inside the Zip cannot contain capital letters, spaces, or punctuation other than hyphens and underscores, in their names. These will cause problems with unpacking because those characters are reserved by the unzip program.

Once you have uploaded a zip file, it will be listed with the other files, underlined as a link. You can then click on the file name to decompress it. A report will appear telling you whether the file was unzipped successfully. If there is a problem with any one of the files, the zip will not unpack at all and you will need to correct the problem, then upload the Zip again.

How often can we update information on our pages?

You can update your Web pages as much as you want. You have 24-hour access to your XtraHost account.

Can I delete files?

Use the Web Site File Management facility to examine your current file and directory structure within your allocated directory. Access this from the Web Site Administration page after filling in your login and password. By checking in the checkbox next to the unwanted file and hitting the delete button you can remove files from the host. You will be prompted for confirmation of your delete request. Alternatively you can use an FTP client such as WS_FTP to manage your files. Click here for FTP instructions.

What is the scope of technical support for HTML?

Xtra does not offer support for HTML. If you are having difficulties designing and creating your Web site you should contact the vendor of the software program you are using, or a professional Web developer. Alternatively, you can find a vast array of Web sites devoted to designing Web sites on the Internet.

Why does my page show this picture of a broken link instead of my image?

Or

The broken link picture above means that the file for the picture that is meant to be on your page is not in the location specified by the page.

There are two reasons this may have happened:

• The picture itself was not uploaded. Web pages are different to word processor documents in that images are not included with the page file. Pictures must be uploaded as separate files, which are then referenced by the code in the Web page.

• The file was uploaded but is not in the location where your page is referencing it.

I've published my site but I still see "Under Construction" when I view it in a browser. When will the site be live?

Your pages are "live" immediately after you upload them to Xtra's server. If you still see the "under construction" page after uploading your site, two things may have caused this:

• Your browser may have loaded the page from its cache. To force the browser to reload the page from the server, hold down the shift key on your keyboard and click the click Reload or Refresh button in your browser.

• When users type in the address for your site (eg. www.mydomain.co.nz or home.xtra.co.nz/hosts/directoryname), the Web server will attempt to display a file called index.html. Therefore you must name your start page (or "home" page) index.html. When you first subscribe to XtraHost, a default page called index.html showing "Under Construction" is put in your directory. You should replace this with the page that you want your users to start on. This is standard for most Internet Web servers.

Can I Upload with Internet Explorer?

Yes you can. However you must be using IE version 4 or above.

Can I use Microsoft FrontPage with XtraHost?

Microsoft FrontPage allows users to create pages with additional functions which require Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions to be installed on the Web server. The XtraHost server does not support Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions, this means that pages created with these additional components (eg. forms, themes) will not display correctly.

However Microsoft FrontPage 2000 can be configured to produce pages which are compatible with XtraHost, by taking the following steps:

1. Open FrontPage 2000
2. Click the Tools menu
3. Click Page Options
4. Click the Compatibility tab
5. Untick the "Enabled with Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions" check box
6. Click OK.

Please note that publishing must be done using Frontpage's FTP Feature as the HTTP feature is not supported by Xtrahost. You will need to know which files are required by your site, and the location of those files on your computer.

For more information about Microsoft FrontPage click here.

What Statistics are available with XtraHost?

XtraHost provides access statistics for

• Last 90 days
• Last 30 days
• Last 7 days
• Today
• Web Server access log for today.

• Total hits
• Number of unique URLs
• Total unique hosts
• Total kilobytes transferred
• The 20 most commonly accessed URL's (including Number of Accesses per URL)
• The 50 people most often accessing your server (with Accesses per Host/IP)

The statistics page can be viewed here. Access to this page is protected. You will require your Xtra login ID (username) and your XtraHost password to view it.

How Do I register my site with Search Engines?

Visit this page for an article discussing this in depth.

Is there a place I can go to see a list of sites using XtraHost?

Yes. The address is http://home.xtra.co.nz.

I have a registered a domain name, how do I use this for my Web site?

If you would prefer to use an address in the form www.domainname.co.nz , or www.domainname.com (instead of the home.xtra.co.nz/hosts/directoryname), you will need to have a registered domain. See the Xtra Business Domain Name site for information about domain names.

If you already have a registered domain name and would like to use it for your Web site, please click here and request  an "HTTP redirect". You will need to supply your domain name and the directory URL of your site (eg. home.xtra.co.nz/hosts/yourdirectoryname).

Can I use CGI Scripts?

Xtra provides a CGI Script Library for you to use. For security reasons You cannot upload your own CGI scripts to the Xtra Web Server. Xtra provides a Form Mailer, a Counter, and a Guestbook. For instructions on how to use these scripts please click here.

Can I have more than one XtraHost account per Xtra Login ID?

You cannot subscribe online for more than one XtraHost account per Login ID. However you can contact Xtra Business on 0800 287 463, or business.enquiries@xtra.co.nz to arrange for a second or subsequent account to be set up.

How do I change my XtraHost password?

If you wish to change your XtraHost password, log in to the XtraHost Site Administration page at http://home.xtra.co.nz/admin and select the "Password Change Utility".

It still doesn't work!

Xtra provides space for your files and Internet connectivity, but you are responsible for creating, uploading, and updating your site. There are some excellent tutorials available on the Internet. If your site still isn't doing what you expected, it may be time to call in the experts - a professional Web designer.