[Sand]

I have a domain setup with PCCW which is used just for email. I now want to use the same domain for a website. Is the email and the web independent of each other so that I can host the site with another company? i.e. email with PCCW and the www with a different ISP.

[vmlinuz]

Originally Posted by Sand

I have a domain setup with PCCW which is used just for email. I now want to use the same domain for a website. Is the email and the web independent of each other so that I can host the site with another company? i.e. email with PCCW and the www with a different ISP.

You certainly can host mail and web in completely different places if you want - but you might need some co-operation from your DNS host, which is probably PCCW, to point things in different directions.

[MrMoo]

To make things more complicated:

Domain registrar --> Domain name hosting --> Website hosting
                                     |
                                     v
                              Email hosting

If you bought the domain via PCCW they are probably doing the domain name hosting too.

[Sand]

Thanks for the info.

Although the email account is supplied by PCCW the domain name is registered via a separate company.

I tried to speak to somebody at PCCW about this but it was very difficult and I gave up.

[zenlogo]

when you say you 'have a domain setup' I assume you do not own the domain, you are in effect renting an email address?
To set up a website you should first purchase your own domain name, the associated email would come with the hosting account when you publish your website.
If you find an unregistered domain name that you like it will cost about $8.00 US/per year or come free with your hosting account (not recommended). goodluck

[Sand]

Originally Posted by zenlogo

when you say you 'have a domain setup' I assume you do not own the domain, you are in effect renting an email address?
To set up a website you should first purchase your own domain name, the associated email would come with the hosting account when you publish your website.
If you find an unregistered domain name that you like it will cost about $8.00 US/per year or come free with your hosting account (not recommended). goodluck

We "own" the domain name, one of several. However, it has only ever been used for email. There has never been a website and there isn't a hosting plan associated with it. The other domains are used for web sites and admin. email only.

Although not completely unfamiliar with hosting etc. I am unfamiliar with email systems. The only experience I have is where the email comes with the site (as you say above). I did think of setting up a new account with the same domain but the existing email is high volume and I don't want to disrupt it (I don't know enough to know the consequences and time required for this).

As mentioned earlier, the email service is supplied by PCCW, we register the domain name independently (not PCCW) and I wish to add a www to the domain name (a redirect to the main site only).

[miaoux]

Talk to that separate company to see who holds the Domain Name records. It is perfectly fine for you to have email hosting with one provider, and your web services hosted with another.

Whoever it is that holds your records (this info is available in the public domain with DNS searching tools btw) can 'point' your currently inactive www records to a different hosting company.

You could build a web site first on a new server with your new hosting company, not 'tell' the world about it initially ... then 'point' the www record at it afterwards.

The new hosting company can tell you how to transfer over email. There are a variety of possible issues that could arise. Good luck =)

[Sand]

Many thanks