Frequently Asked Questions

We have compiled the following list of frequently asked questions to assist you in becoming familiar with our web hosting service. Basic information regarding ordering process, web hosting, domain and email are covered in this F.A.Q. page. If you have other concerns or inquiries not included here, please do not hesitate to contact us.

ORDERING

How do I place an order?

Select a hosting package of your choice and click the "Order Now" button to be taken to the order page. After submitting the form, you will receive an email confirming your order submission and payment instructions.

Is domain registration included if I order a web hosting account?

Except for the Basic Hosting package, domain name registration is included free for Standard Hosting (free .com, .net or .org domain extension) and Corporate Hosting (free .ph, .com.ph, .net.ph, .org.ph, .com, .net or .org domain extensions).

Is web hosting included if I register a domain name only?

No, web hosting is not included in any domain registration order.

How long will it take to have my account set up?

Your hosting account will be setup within 24 hours after we receive your payment confirmation.

What are the available payment options?

Payment can be made through Paypal, credit card via Paypal, GCash and cash/check deposit or online transfer to our bank account.

How do I send my payment details?

Please reply to the invoice email you have received and indicate the deposit details for payment through bank deposit and the transaction number if payment was made through Paypal or credit card.

Do you issue receipts?

We do not issue paper receipts, the online invoice can be printed out from your Client Portal account's invoice list.

What are the available payment billing cycles?

For web hosting and domain registration and renewal, the minimum term is 1 year. For dedicated servers and reseller packages, billing cycle is monthly.

SERVICES

What hours is technical support available?

Our dedicated customer care team is available Monday through Sunday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 AM to handle your support tickets and email inquiries. Technical support team is on 24 hour standby in case of server related issues and emergencies.

Is backup available?

Aside from our automatic weekly backups of hosted accounts, manual backup is also available in cPanel. We recommend creating regular backups of your files, emails and databases and download them to your computer for safekeeping.

Do you have any restrictions regarding my website content and files?

Please read our Acceptable Use Policy for details.

Will you assist me in transferring my site from another web host to hosting.ph?

We will be glad to assist you in transferring your website files, emails and databases to your hosting account on our servers free of charge. Our website migration service details can be viewed here.

Where are your servers and data center located?

Our servers and data center are located in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A. You can be assured of the highest quality and security of our servers. Click here for our data center details.

Why don't you offer unlimited diskspace or bandwidth?

This is a marketing gimmick because there is no such thing as a hard drive with unlimited space or a data carrier that provides unlimited bandwidth. Any web hosting company that offers such packages is not being realistic. At Hosting.ph, we are committed to providing our clients their fair share of resources that they have paid for with no overloaded servers and no marketing lies - just honest-to-goodness website services.

DOMAIN NAME

What is a domain name?

A domain name is your unique address on the internet, this is the name or string of letters that we type in the browser's address bar that takes us to a specific web site and is also used for email accounts associated with your domain (yourname@yourdomain.com).

Is a domain name required for a hosting account?

Yes, a domain name is required to setup your hosting account. Although it is possible to access a website through an ip address, a domain name is easier to remember than typing a string of numbers to access a specific website.

What does it mean to register a domain name?

There is a central registry of all domain names on the Internet. For your domain name to become a part of the registry, it needs to be added to that registry. Registering a domain name means you are associated with that domain name for the period of the registration. Registering a name means you own it, and no one else can register that exact same name with the same domain extension.

What is a domain name extension?

Domain name extensions are categories of Internet domain names used to help organize the millions of domains that are registered on the Internet. A domain name extension is the string of characters at the end of the domain name. Popular extensions include .com, .net, .org and our country domain extensions .ph, .com.ph, .net.ph, .org.ph, etc.

Is it possible for someone to register my domain name after I have registered it?

No. The availability of domain names is verified through a central registry system. This system prevents a domain name that is successfully registered from being registered by another person or entity. The registration and processing system updates the central registry in real time.

Is it possible for someone to register my expired domain name if I failed to renew it?

Yes, if you failed to renew or redeem your expired domain name on time, it will be made available for new registration to anyone by the domain registrar after a certain period.

If a domain name I want is already registered to someone else, can I still register or use it for my hosting account?

No. A domain name can only be registered to a single owner or entity. However, you have the option to register the domain using another extension, if available. For example, if the .com version of the domain name you want is already taken, you can try searching if other extensions (such as .net, .org, .ph, .com.ph, etc.) are available for registration.

Do you host all domain extensions?

Yes, we host all domain extensions.

Why can't you register some domain extensions on my behalf?

Some domain extensions (such as .edu.ph and .gov.ph) require additional documents from the owner before being approved for registration, you will need to submit these documents directly to the registrar.

Where can I register a ".edu.ph" domain?

Please visit the Phil. Network Foundation website to register a .edu.ph domain.

Where can I register a ".gov.ph" domain?

Please visit the .gov.ph Domain Registry website for registration details.

My domain name is already registered, what do I need to modify so I can use it for my hosting.ph web hosting account?

You will only need to modify the name servers of your domain. This information will be included in the email you will receive as soon as your account has been set up.

Do I own the domain name I registered through Hosting.ph?

Yes, the domain will be registered under your name.

Do you provide access to the registrar's domain manager?

No, all our clients' domains are registered and maintained under one central registrar account and therefore we cannot grant individual access to the domain manager.

What if I want to change my domain's registration details or name servers?

Please submit a support ticket through the Client Portal indicating your request and we will carry out the modification for you. Please note that this is only for domains that are registered through us.

Will I be able to transfer out my domain to another registrar?

Yes, please initiate a transfer request from your registrar and we will approve the transfer as soon as we receive the request.

Can I change my domain name or extension once it has been registered?

No, as soon as a domain name has been registered, it can no longer be modified. You will have to place a new order if you want another domain name.

Is the domain registration fee refundable?

No. Once we have successfully processed your domain registration order, it can no longer be modified or refunded.

What happens if I fail to renew my domain name on time?

Domain names are automatically deactivated by the registrar on the expiration date itself. This means that your website, email and FTP access will not be available due to the deactivation. Please be reminded that expired domains are only given FIFTEEN (15) DAYS GRACE PERIOD for regular renewal/reactivation before being placed in "locked" status by the registrar. Once the domain has been "locked" by the registrar, a redemption fee of US$300.00 is required to get your domain back - this fee is being charged by the registrar and not by Hosting.ph

Will my website files be affected if my domain has expired?

No, although your files on our server will not be affected if the registrar has deactivated your expired domain, your website will not be accessible and all incoming emails could be routed back to the sender and you may not be able to retrieve them when the domain has been renewed and reactivated.

What is a sub domain?

It is a separate domain using your main domain and a prefix name. A subdomain is created as a folder under your root directory with its own unique content and URL to access. It works the same as a regular domain name. An example of a subdomain is "support.hosting.ph". The prefix name "support" is a subdomain of the main domain "hosting.ph". Subdomain names can be anything you want, it is like having an extra domain name to access a separate content or website under your hosting account.

If my main domain name has expired, will I be able to access my subdomain?

No, a subdomain is attached to your main domain name. If your main domain has expired, your subdomain will not be accessible.

HOSTING

Can I upgrade my hosting package at anytime?

Yes, you may request for a package upgrade at any time, upgrade amount will be prorated based on the remaining unused days of your subscribed package.

Can I upgrade my disk quota only instead of upgrading to the next higher package?

Yes, this is possible. Disk storage upgrade is available in 1GB block minimum.

How do I manage my hosting account?

Hosting account management is through cPanel, a powerful and easy to use graphical website control panel that features an intuitive interface for novice and professional web site owners.

Where can I learn more about cPanel?

Please visit the cPanel user documentation and video tutorials to learn more.

How do I upload files to my hosting account?

Although files can be uploaded through cPanel's File Manager, we recommend using an FTP client specially if you have a large number of files or large-sized files to upload.

What is FTP?

FTP is an acronym for File Transfer Protocol, you will need an FTP client or software in order to transfer files to and from your hosting account.

Which FTP client or software do you recommend?

We recommend using SmartFTP, WinSCP or Cyberduck.

How do I manage my database?

phpMyAdmin is included in cPanel, you can use phpMyAdmin to view, set up, configure and download a backup your databases easily.

How do I install web applications?

Web apps can be installed through Softaculous, the leading commercial script library that auto installs web applications to your hosting account. Softaculous can be accessed within cPanel.

Can I use other scripts or web applications not included in Softaculous?

Yes, you can manually install any scripts or web applications according to your website requirements.

Can I run ASP scripts?

No. Our servers run on Linux based operating system, and ASP scripts are native to the Microsoft Windows operating system. Although it is possible to run ASP scripts on a Linux system, we suggest that ASP scripts be run where they truly belong. PHP is the open source alternative to ASP that runs on multiple operating systems, including Linux and Windows. And in our personal opinion, PHP code runs faster and are way more reliable than ASP.

Can I have shell access?

Shell access is not available to our shared hosting clients. Most website management functions can be done through cPanel.

EMAIL

How many email accounts can I have?

You can create and use an unlimited number of email accounts. The maximum disk space amount that you assign to each email account will depend on your subscribed hosting package's total disk space quota.

Does email count towards disk space quota usage?

Yes, this is specially true for webmail. All emails and attachments stored and accessed through webmail count towards your disk space quota usage. Please monitor your email files and attachments stored on the server and delete old emails or download them to your computer to free up disk space.

Can I use my hosting account for email only?

Yes, you can leave your website front page blank and just use your domain and hosting account for emails only.

Do you filter spam and harmful email attachments?

Yes, our mail servers are protected by SpamAssassin. Possible spam emails are tagged and you can configure how it handles incoming spam mails in cPanel. Email virus scanner is integrated to detect Trojans, viruses, malware and other malicious threats.

Can I use my domain for my email address?

Yes, this is one of the advantages of owning a domain name. Your email address will look professional using your domain name as compared to using a free email account such as yahoo or gmail for your official business correspondences.

What is webmail?

Webmail allows you to send, receive and check your emails online by accessing it from wherever you are using your domain name. This works like a yahoo or gmail account in which your emails are stored online and can be accessed using any computer or mobile phone.

What is POP mail?

POP or "Post Office Protocol" lets you retrieve or download your emails to your computer's email client. Downloaded mails are no longer stored on the server unless you have configured your email client to store a copy on the server.

What is IMAP?

IMAP or "Internet Message Access Protocol" allows you to download emails from the server to your email client the same as POP mail does. However, the server sends and keeps a copy of your emails simultaneously. When you connect to the mail server using IMAP, contents are synchronized between the mail server and your local computer's or mobile phone's email client. When you compose or delete emails through your local computer's or mobile phone's email client, these will be synced with the IMAP server to reflect the changes you have made.

Which is better Webmail, POP or IMAP?

It depends on how you will access your email:
-If you will be sending or receiving emails using a single computer most of the time, POP is recommended - it allows you to use your local computer's email client to perform email tasks, your emails will be stored/saved in your computer and this will also save disk space since your emails will be downloaded to your computer and not stored online.

-If you will be using several computers or mobile phones to access your emails, we recommend using webmail or IMAP. With webmail, you can access your email account from anywhere you are using any computer or mobile phone - emails are stored online and you only need a web browser to login to your email account.

IMAP is recommended if you are using an email client on different computers or devices such as your home computer, office PC or mobile phone - mails are synced every time you access the server to send or receive emails.

What is an email client?

An email client is a program or software that lets you send or receive emails using your computer. Some of the popular email clients are : Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, Mailbird, Windows Mail, etc.

Can I send bulk emails?

Mass emails can only be sent if you have an approved and verifiable list of recipients from your newsletter, mailing list or opt-in signups. Sending emails to random recipients who do not wish to receive such emails from you is considered as spam and will result in the termination of your hosting account without further notice and refund as soon as we receive a complaint from any of your email recipients.