Help Please... Dns Just Lost My Site

[Malcolmd]

Hi all,

 

Please help, my page is down...

(I normally wouldn't be panicking... but my wife is applying for jobs, and her email is getting bounced now! )

 

A few months ago I got my site setup here at TCH. Before that, it was hosted with your-site.com.

 

After getting my site all set up, I used the DNS management link that your-site gave me (manage.opensrs.net) to point the DNS from your-site over to TCH for my domain (malcolmdwyer.com). Everything has been working fine for the last few months.

 

A couple days ago I gave a cancel order to your-site for the web hosting account... because I was about due for the yearly renewal. The cancellation was confirmed, but now DNS doesn't seem to know about my site.

 

I can still get onto the opensrs.net page (logging in with my your-site name) and it still shows the DNS is pointing to the TCH servers, however the internet at large doesn't seem to know anything about malcolmdwyer.com anymore.

 

TCH's domain registration link says the domain is taken. Here's the info:

Domain Name: MALCOLMDWYER.COM

Registrar: TUCOWS INC.

Whois Server: whois.opensrs.net

Referral URL: http://domainhelp.tucows.com

Name Server: NS1.TOTALCHOICEHOSTING.COM

Name Server: NS2.TOTALCHOICEHOSTING.COM

Status: REGISTRAR-HOLD

Updated Date: 17-aug-2004

Creation Date: 16-aug-2001

Expiration Date: 16-aug-2005

 

My TCH account includes the yearly domain registration... is this something TCH staff needs to initiate for me (since I already paid for it).

 

Your prompt suggestions and help are much appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Malcolm

[LisaJill]

Yes, you'll need to submit a ticket to get this resolved.

[Malcolmd]

Thanks Lisa for the quick response.

 

I just submitted a Tech support ticket.

 

Thanks,

Malcolm

[MikeJ]

Your domain has expired. You need to renew it to get it working again, and then you should be able to transfer it (if that's your intention).

Edited August 19, 2004 by TCH-MikeJ

[Malcolmd]

*I* need to renew it? How do I do that without having to pay for it again? (My TCH signup fee included the year's domain registration fee, right?)

Doesn't TCH somehow have to take over the registration?

 

TCH's domain registration WHOIS lookup shows that it will expire next year: 16-Aug-2005.

(with Tucows as the registrar). It also shows "Last update of whois database: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 08:45:33 EDT" which is earlier this morning.

 

When I use the Tucows WHOIS lookup, it just says it expired 16-Aug-2004.

 

Obviously I don't quite get how all this works... but if there is something I can do to fix this, please tell me... What do you mean I need to renew it?

 

Thanks,

Malcolm

[TCH-Rob]

Malcom,

 

Purchasing hosting does nothing with your domain. You just went to your account at Tucows and changed your name servers, nothing else. We have no relationship with Tucows. You will need to log in and manage your domain there and see if it is requesting you to renew. As it has expired the only option you have is to pay for another year at Tucows.

 

Here is what I see

 

Registrar of Record: TUCOWS, INC.

Record last updated on 26-Apr-2004.

Record expires on 16-Aug-2004.

Record created on 16-Aug-2001

[Malcolmd]

Hmm... maybe that means TCH already did the renewal this morning, and it just hasn't propogated to the rest of the internet yet (?)

[Malcolmd]

My message I just posted above was responding to myself... that the TCH domain registration link shows it expiring next year, with the update this morning. Does that mean that somehow, the renewal is already in the works, and it just needs to propogate?

[TCH-Rob]

Malcolm,

 

You will need to log in to your account at Tucows and determine that. I cannot say, you might check your bank statements and see if there is a charge for your domain on it as well.

[MikeJ]

Your domain has expired. If you go to OpenSRS and do a whois, you will get your correct expiration date (2 days ago).

 

The reason you see August 16, 2005 expiration when you do a whois anywhere else, is because the registrar has automatically extended the domain by one year temporarily to give you time to renew it before it releases the domain to the public (usually 30 days or so), but has put the domain on HOLD since it's expired which prevents the domain information from being queried (hence your site no longer resolves). Once you renew the domain, your site should start resolving again with 24-48 hours.

 

The reason you have to renew it at your existing registrar, is because you cannot transfer a domain that has expired.

 

When you signed up for a TCH account, it did not include domain registration. That's another $10.95/year cost, and you have to do that separate from your host signup (click on domain registrations from the main TCH website). That is not required, though, to get your site back up and running, and cannot be done before renewing your domain at your existing registrar.

 

I know it's confusing. If any of that is not clear, let us know.

[TCH-Rob]

And you cannot transfer , should you choose to do so, your domain until 60 days after renewing it at OpenSRS.

[Malcolmd]

Ok Thanks everyone for explaining all that. I'll try to sort it out with the links I got from your-site.

 

Thanks again for all the quick late-night help.

 

Malcolm

[MikeJ]

Actually, I'm not sure on that... the transfers rules state the domain has to be registered for 60 days before it can be transferred. I haven't found anything that states that the domain can't be transferred right after renewing the domain, but I've never attempted to do so.

[TCH-Rob]

Sorry, used to work at Go Daddy, was the usual statement we gave. Might not be true.

[TCH-Rob]

Please note that you may not transfer your domain name to a new registrar within the first 60 days after initial registration, or the first 60 days after a transfer.

 

If your site HAS expired and you renew it it is considered an initial registration again, or at least it was in the past.