Each operating system (OS) has it's own method to configure a dial-up access. Please visit this page to see a list of possible configurations, and select your operating system to get a detailed walkthrough. You can print those instructions out, or as always, you can call our tech support team and they can help you configure your connection.

Of course your can call our friendly technical support in Montreal at (514) 353-9988, or toll-free at 1(888)321-3737, but if you think you can handle it yourself, you can visit the same page we go to for a detailed error list and in most cases, a way to fix that error. Click here to see that page. However, please be aware that we are not responsible for this site, and we do not maintain it - any questions related to that specific website should be sent to the modemhelp.net webmaster.

If your VIF Internet connection seems to be asking you for your password again and again, it is because of one of the following reasons:

1. The obvious, your username or password is wrong.
   Before taking any step further, please make sure that you are typing your username and your password correctly. If you are not sure that your password is correct, erase it and type it in again. Remember that the username and password are Case Sensitive, and are normally all in small letters - so make sure your CAPS LOCKS is off. Also, the username and password never have spaces in them, so make sure there is none in them.
   
   
2. You entered username@vif.com as your username.
   Make sure that your username does not include the @vif.com in the dial-up connection. If, for example, your email is someone@vif.com, you would write your username only as someone , not someone@vif.com. This applies also for any screen where your username is required, for example in the email screen, or sections in the Member Services section.
   
   
3. You are trying to use the username from an additional email address
   If you have created extra email addresses in your account, please remember that those accounts are email-specific, and that you cannot log into the internet using them. Make sure that the username is the one that was used to create the account, and not one from an extra email account.
   
   
4. Your account is disabled.
   If you are sure that your username and password are correct, this might mean that your account has a double connection. If this is the case, please call us to reactivate your account.
   
   
5. Your account is closed or does not exist.
   Of course if your account is closed for whatever reason, or if you did not open an account, you will not succeed in connecting. In order to be able to connect, you will need to call us to open (or reopen) an account, where we will give you a working username and password. Please note that if you signed up online, you must wait for one of our agents to call you to confirm the account creation as well as the configuration.

This situation has many causes, and some are easy to determine… But some are a bit harder. If you experience this, please follow these steps:

1. Make sure you are connected.
   This might be obvious, but some people trust their browser to do the connection for them, which is not always the case. Make sure you are connected first, by double-clicking on the “(Shortcut to )VIF Internet” icon on your desktop, then by clicking “Connect” or “Dial”.
   
   
2. Shutdown and Restart your computer.
   Make sure you shutdown completely, and keep the power off for at least 60 seconds before restarting the computer.
   
   
3. Disable your firewall.
   If you have a firewall installed, try to disable it or to close it completely, and then try to reconnect and try again. A mis-configured firewall could block all incoming connections, thus no pages would go through.
   
   
4. If your email works (or mirc/msn/aol/yahoo/etc).
   It could be a misconfigured browser. Check the settings (Preferences in Netscape, Internet Options in Internet Explorer), and disable any proxy/firewall/connection settings. Then close down all browser windows and try again.
   
   
5. Call Us for further support
   If you are not able to solve your problem from the above solutions, please call us and we will attempt further resolution together. If you have Windows 98, make sure you have your Windows Installation CD-ROM, as it might be necessary to reinstall certain components of the system.

The obvious answer would be to call us (which you can), but if you wish, you can address the situation directly from the internet. First, make sure that you understand what the screen is asking you (wrong address, late payment, renewal, etc), and then use the online response form to send us an answer. If you do, your account will be unblocked, and you will be able to access the internet normally after you have rebooted your computer. If this doesn't seem to work, please call us so we can unblock it.

The maximum theoretical speed of a 56K modem is 53000 bps, but the average connection speed is between 40000bps and 50000bps, if you are connected between these numbers, it's totally normal. To increase your speed, try one of the following:

1. Update your modem drivers to the latest version
   
2. Change your phone line between the computer and the wall, make it as short as possible
   
3. If your modem is a winmodem (or Software Modem), you are bound to have slow speeds and disconnections. We suggest you buy a hardware modem and install it in place. US Robotics and GVC modems are solid investments.

Montreal: (514) 493-0671
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Quebec: (418) 266-3046
Toronto: (416) 642-8491
Sherbrooke: (819) 340-1008
Joliette: (450) 960-9120
Bromont: (450) 726-9120
Victoriaville: (819) 980-9120
Riviere du Loup: (418) 292-9120
Drummondville: (819) 390-9120
Chicoutimi: (418) 612-9120
Trois Rivieres: (819) 601-9120
Granby: (450) 574-9120

Verify if you have the good phone number. Most of the time this problem is cause by a “1” before the phone number. If you have this, go to MY COMPUTER, then to DIAL UP NETWORKING. Right click on the VIF Internet icon, and click on PROPERTIES. Once you are there, simply remove the checkmark (tick) in the USE AREA CODE AND DIALING PROPERTIES, and put the area code directly in the phone number box, if you need it.

First of all make sure that the phone line linking the computer to the wall jack is there, and that it is plugged into the “LINE” (not “PHONE”) plug in the back of the computer. Try removing any switch or splitter from the wire.
Also, if you have your telco's answering machine (for example, “Téléréponse” from Bell), make sure you have no new message waiting on it. The “flashing” dialtone the answering machine causes the computer think there is none.

This is caused by Call waiting. If someone calls you it “beeps” in the line, which can confuse the computer into thinking the beeps are part of it's internet signal. This will cause it to disconnect from the internet, but the connection icon will stay in the tray, making you think you are still connected (but nothing will work). To disable call waiting, open the VIF Internet connection screen (by double-clicking on the “Shortcut to VIF Internet” icon), and click on “Dialing Properties”. Put a checkmark (tick) in the “This Location has call waiting. …” box, and make sure you select “*70” from the drop-down list to the right (or type it in if it is not there). This will disable call waiting only when you are connected, not when you are on the phone.

This is normally caused by a misconfigured network. You must only have 3 network protocols installed in your network configuration, which are Client for Microsoft Network, Dial-up adapter and Tcp/Ip. If you have anything else than those 3, you can delete them without any risk if you are not on a local area network. If some are missing, you need to reinstall them, or you can also call our friendly technicians to help you do this. If you are using Windows 95 or 98, please have your Windows installation CD handy, because it is needed to reinstall the protocols.

A double-connection is caused when 2 simultaneous connections are made on the same account at one point in time. For example, if you connect from home and from work alternatively (at home in the morning and evening, at work in the daytime), and you forget to disconnect from home one morning and then connect at work, then a double-connection will occur.

At that time, both connections are cut, and the account is temporarily disabled. When this happens, you will need to call us to re-activate the account. The reason for this is a security measure. If someone guesses or obtains your username and password without your permission and tries to access the internet at the same time as you do, then you will both be disconnected. By having to call us to re-activate, you are then notified that a double-connection occurred, and you are given the option to change your password. We can also tell you the number from which the double-connection happened, so you can take whatever measures you see fit so that it does not happen again.

Any “Hardware” 56k modem should do the trick. The best ones on the market are known to be the US Robotics and 3COM Hardware modems. Since we use US Robotics V.Everything modems on our server, if you buy this particular modem you are sure to have a very good connection (as long as your phone wiring is in good shape and that there is no noise on the line!).

Always stay away from any “Software” or “Win modem” models. Those are very unreliable and will eventually give you trouble. Some of the models to stay away from include the Motorola SM-56, A-Open FM-56, Connexant Soft56 HCF and PcTel HSP Micromodem.

“Intermittent Access” simply means that you cannot stay connected on the internet 24/7. In the event that there is a high number of users on the network and we need to free phone lines, anyone that has been connected for over 20 hours run the risk of being disconnected. As for non-concurrent use, see double connections

This does not mean you can make calls and be on the internet at the same time! This means that since we have a ratio of 5 users per line, when your computer dials our server number the line will always be free, thus you will always get access to the internet the first time you try to connect.

Yes, you can actually use your VIF connection from any city where we offer access. All you need to do is to change the access number to the one in that region, and the connection should work without a glitch. Roaming access is free, so don't worry about extra fees. If you want to access from outside our calling regions though, you will have to pay for any applicable long distance fees (which are out of our control)