Changing Your Domain Name Register
A Web Hosting Article Contributed by Frances Rhea
Updating a Domain Name Register
It is important to make sure that the information contained in your domain name register is up to date. This is vital. If you happen to forget the renewal date, the registrar will remind you with an email to the address on file. If you miss this message, you take the chance of loosing your domain name(s).
They will also need you to verify the information on record periodically. If they are unable to contact you, then an email is sent to the administrator and the technical contacts.
Changing the Domain Name Information
You will need to visit the web site of the registrar where you obtained your domain name(s) and log in with your user name and password that you provided when you registered. This will take you to a screen where you can make any necessary changes.
Information That Needs Changed for Your Domain Name Register
Domain name register changes should be made immediately if you have a new email address, a new mailing address, a new phone number, if one of the contacts has changed, or if you choose a new hosting company.
All domain name register changes are immediate except when you switch hosting companies. This information takes up to one week to finalize. This procedure involves sending an email to the technical contact (usually your old hosting company) and to you, the owner. You then both need to respond to the message with an affirmative response. It will be a form letter that requires a 'Yes' or 'No' placed in the appropriate place. You then return the email to the registrar.
Your New Domain Name Register
If you are changing hosting companies you will need to know the information for their DNS servers to change you domain name information. This requires both the names (usually something like NS1.hostingcompany.com and NS2.hostingcompany.com) along with their DNS indicator numbers. This information can be obtained in the help section of the hosting company website. Sometimes it will be in the welcome email that the hosting company sends to you. If you can not find the information, send an email to their webmaster requesting the domain name server information.
Contacting Your Previous Domain Name Host
It is customary to let the old hosting company know that you are planning on switching servers. This is so they know that they need to respond affirmatively to the email that they receive from the registrar. As long as your domain hosting package term is complete, there should be no problems. If your hosting period is not complete, you will need to negotiate with the company to release your domain name. As long as you were the one who registered the domain name, this should not be a problem.
If they register the domain name for you, you may be obligated to continue with your hosting contract until it expires. Either that or register a new domain name and use both domain name register accounts.
