Uploading With CuteFTP
For PC Users (CuteFTP)
The process by which files are transferred to the web server is called "FTP" (File Transfer Protocol).   You have unlimited access via FTP 24 hours a day.  As such, you can create and maintain your web pages on your own computer and upload files to your web site at your leisure.

For trial and other versions of of CuteFTP please visit http://www.cuteftp.com/

The following information is contained within your account activation notice and is needed to connect you to your website via FTP:

Your User Name........(case sensitive)
Your Password..........(case sensitive)
Your Host Address.... yourdomain.com or your IP address

("IP address" is the numerical address assigned to every account.   For the first few days, until your domain name is registered or transferred, this will be the only way you can connect).

When you open CuteFTP, the Site Manager window will appear.  Select Add Site (You can also open the site manager by clicking the icon that looks like an open book on the toolbar).

Under Site Label, enter a name for your site, such as yourdomain.com
Under Host Address, enter yourdomain.com OR your IP address
Under User ID, enter your user name
Under Password, enter your password
Then click "OK"

You will now be back at the Site Manager. This is what you will see next time you open CuteFTP.  To login to your account, simply press the connect button.

Once connected you will be located in the root ("home") directory of your account. CuteFTP will display a split screen where files on the left-hand side are within your own computer. You will see several folders on the right-hand side as described in the Connecting Overview page.

Double click on www to get to your web directory. This is where all your files will be downloaded, and/or you will create subdirectories. The one unique system directory that you may want to use is cgi-bin; this directory is reserved for custom Perl/CGI scripts. To make your home page load automatically, name the HTML document "index.html" in lowercase and upload it to the www directory of your account. If you access your site (www.yourdomain.com) and see a page that says, "This site is under construction and will be available soon" that means you have not uploaded your "index.html" file correctly.

To upload a file or files, simply highlight the file(s) on the left and click the right arrow button (->) in the center of the window. Be sure to upload HTML documents and scripts in ASCII mode and images in Binary mode. To transfer a file to a subdirectory, double-click the appropriate subdirectory to open it before transferring the desired file(s). To create a new directory, click on the MkDir button when you are inside the www directory or subdirectory.

As soon as a file is uploaded to the web server, it is available for all to see. If, after uploading a file, you are still unable to see the updated file via your browser, try hitting the "Refresh" or "Reload" button. If that fails, you need to clear both disk and browser cache. This function can be found by selecting Options - Network Preferences in Netscape, and Tools - Internet Options in Internet Explorer. Remember that you must first be connected to the Internet through your local Internet service provider in order to connect to the web server.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • All passwords, usernames, and file names are case sensitive. Example: if you typed FILENAME.GIF in your HTML document but named your file filename.gif it would not work. They must match up in order for your page to show up properly.
  • Any and all files you want to be accessed via a web browser must be placed in your www directory.