Usenet News Server - Free Account FAQs
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Account Details:
What is the purpose of the free account?
What is the difference between the free and paid accounts?
What browsers do you recommend?
I just created an account, why can't I login?
What counts towards downloads?
What is the speed limit?
What is the download limit?
What time do you reset your download limits?
What guarantees do you provide for your free accounts?
It is my right to have an account!
How long does it take for my account to be created?

Technical Details:
I just got a “per-user connection limit” error!
I just got a “per-host connection limit” error!
What address do I use to connect?
I cant post an article!
I am using Outlook/Outlook Express and I am getting an error...
What is the purpose of the free account?

The sole purpose of the free account is to allow potential paid users to sample our service before signing up.

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What is the difference between the free and paid accounts?

The only difference are the download limitations and the ability to post. The free and paid accounts share the same retention and completion.

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What browsers do you recommend?

As the free account is limited to 1 connection, we recommend you use Agent. Outlook/Outlook express is NOT recommended as it requires 2 connections to work properly.

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I just created an account, why can't I login?

Your account might have been deactivated due to one of the following reasons:
  • Failure to provide authenthic details, including address.
  • Creation of multiple accounts
  • The use of a free email service such as Hotmail


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    What counts towards downloads?

    Everything! All downloads including headers counts towards your download limit.

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    What is the speed limit?

    Currently downloads for free accounts are limited to 500kbit/s. Please bear that in mind when evaluating our service for speed.

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    What is the download limit?

    There is a daily download limit of 50 MBytes/day for free accounts.

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    What time do you reset your download limits?

    The download limits are reset at midnight EST.

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    What guarantees do you provide for your free accounts?

    None whatsoever. As we are a commercial organization, we place a priority on serving paid accounts.

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    It is my right to have an account!

    No! Our free account is provided at the discretion of Astra Labs. We actively monitor our system for abuse, if your account has been found to violate any of our policies, it is at our discretion to continue providing our service to you.

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    How long does it take for my account to be created?

    Instantly! Unless you did not provide authenthic details or created multiple accounts, you will be able to login instantly.

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    I just got a “per-user connection limit” error!

    The free account is limited to 1 connection only. Your browser attempted to open more than 1 connection.

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    I just got a “per-host connection limit” error!

    Each free account is only allowed to connect once per IP address. You could be using multiple connections or be within a network with multiple users sharing the same IP address.

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    What address do I use to connect?

    Set your browser to connect to news.astraweb.com

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    I can't post an article!

    We do not allow posting through the free account to avoid abuse through our system.

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    I am using Outlook/Outlook Express and I am getting an error...

    Outlook/Outlook Express requires a minimum of 2 connections to function properly. The free account is only limited to 1 connection. We recommend that you try using Agent instead.

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    Failure to comply will result in automatic suspension of your account without refund.
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