Hi, my business host is just not good enough, so I need to find a new one. I need PHP5, mySQL DBs, cronjobs, subdomains, parked domains, and probably some other bits and pieces. Bandwidth and storage space requirements are not massive. I'm really hoping for some good experiences, rather than 2nd hand reviews, since this is for the company. TIA, j
http://www.powweb.com I started with powweb about 4 years ago when they offered something like 2GB of space, 30GB of transfer, and one MySQL database, since then, they started offering 12GB of space, 5 MySQL databases, and 300GB of transfer per month! On top of that, they added these features (and more) to my website, and the price has never changed. They are here in the states though, so I'm not sure if you'd be interested, but as a small business owner, I have turned away clients based on the fact that they won't use this service. I've spent too long on godaddy's (and others') tech support lines troubleshooting simple webhost issues. With powweb I can count on one hand the number of issues I've had in those 4 years, and there isn't a single one that wasn't corrected within hours. (once I accidentally added a 6th database, which charged me a setup fee, I emailed them and within an hour and a half I had my money back, even though they weren't required by law to refund it) Sorry for the long rant, but powweb is basically a small business gone big, making it still willing to help customers, and find ways to up their service. And yes, they have PHP 4 and PHP5. (I only use PHP5)
.php4 and .php5 or something? Is there any reason why someone shouldn't use a host based in the States (if they live elsewhere)? //I'm shopping for a web host too
I have friends using US hosters - the only problem is *personal* contact and the obvious time differences; if immediacy is your problem then you might want to think looking closer to your own timezone. Saying that my friends have not had anything that *couldn't* wait 24 hours.
Good question - how does it know which to use? I think I should use a UK (or Europe) based service - for that time-zone issue.
hosting unlimited are a uk host, but all of the servers are in the US. They have 24 hour support at the uk end, and the data center is also 24 hour support. I don't think time zome issues are a problem with a decent host.
The problem with any host with servers that aren't in the UK is that, unless you use a country-specific domain name (i.e. .co.uk), you won't appear in Google's UK-only search results. The only UK host I've had real experience with are www.clook.net. They are fantastic but unfortunately don't think they offer all the features you need. Good luck finding a good host Sam
(the timezone thing is an issue if there aren't staff there to answer emails) clook look reasonable actually - will hopefully make a decision 2mw.
well tbh, if a host doesn't provide 24/365 support then I wouldn't bother. There are plenty that do. I have sent off loads of support queries at hours that would be considered out of office hours. Even if I had a uk host they would have been unanswered till the next day if it wasn't 24 hour.
Their support has been excellent to me. Had my site defaced due to a php exploit and they had it restored to a proper version within 3hrs. Never had to wait more than 20mins for a reply either.
First off: And to answer a question: By default, .php launches php4 and .php5 launches php5, but I change my .htaccess to set .php as a PHP5 script, bypassing php4 altogether. Sounds confusing, but it's not, and it's useful for those rare scripts that won't run on php5.
hmm, just spoke to powweb and they do seem very good. (it's the wee-hours in the US so it genuinely is 24h)
I've now abandoned powweb since they refused to accept that it was they who should contact my previous host (and registrar) to request the DNS changes.
Shouldn't that be something you need to do? At least that's how it's been in my experience. I registered my domain with a registrar, logged in at the registrar's site and changed the dns info from pointing to my previous host to my new host.
You're not in the right here I'm afraid mate, it's you who should update the DNS Even if Powweb did offer to do it for you, your previous host/registrar would need you to authorise the change anyway. Sam
The host that I'm leaving was also my registrar, they would not allow me to make changes myself (they have no way to allow me either), and insisted that the new host email them to request any changes (as per ICANN requirements). PowWeb refused to believe this, would not email them, and so lost a customer. My previous host has also not been replying emails which has made the situation even more difficult. I am not going to be drawn into an argument here, as I have been frustrated about this since Thursday and will not be friendly. I have found a better host (for my requirements) anyway. My problem is that I am still dependant on my current host making the DNS changes. edit: any advice is still welcome however.
