Find answers to frequently asked questions about domain names in Microsoft Office Live Small Business.
What is redirection?
Redirection is the process of telling your current domain name registrar to point your domain name to your new Microsoft Office Live Small Business Web site. You do this by changing the name server information at your domain name registrar.
My domain name is really long. Can I change it to be just a typical .com address?
See Rename a domain name for instructions.
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How do I register a new domain name?
See Register a domain name for instructions.
How do I control which domain is my primary domain?
See Change your primary domain for instructions.
What does "DNS pending" mean?
When you register a new domain name or change your primary domain, it can take from several hours to several business days for those changes to take effect. During that time, the status of your domain is "DNS pending." When the status changes to "Active," you can use the domain.
How do I use my existing domain name with Office Live Small Business?
If you already own a domain name, you can use it with Office Live Small Business. You can redirect your domain name to Office Live Small Business by using a brief process called redirection.
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The steps for redirecting a domain name vary, depending upon who your registrar is. In the following list, click the link that is associated with your registrar. If you are not certain who your registrar is, click the last link in the list:
Is redirection the same as transferring my domain?
No. Transferring your domain name consists of transferring the management of the domain name to a new registrar. With redirection, you will still pay your current registrar to manage and renew your domain name. Office Live Small Business no longer supports domain transfers.
What is a name server?
A name server is a computer that uses a Web site name to route visitors to the actual Web site location. For example, when you type www.fourthcoffee.com into a browser, a name server uses that name to connect you to the fourthcoffee.com Web site. Your domain name registrar will have a method by which you can edit your name server settings to direct your domain name to Office Live Small Business.
What domain names can I redirect?
If your current domain name ends in .com, .net, .org, .co, .uk, .de, .us, .fr, .info, .biz, .mobi, .jp, or .eu, you can redirect it to Office Live Small Business.
How can I find out who my domain name's registrar is?
To find the registrar for a domain name that ends in .com, .net, or .org:
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Open your browser, and go to the InterNIC Web site.
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In the Whois box, type your domain name. For example, type fourthcoffee.com.
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Verify that the Domain button is selected, and then click Submit. The name of the registrar appears on the page.
For Whois information about country-code top-level domains (for example, those ending in .de or .fr), go to UWhois.com.
After I've redirected my domain, will I be able to access my Web site and my e-mail immediately?
The process of redirecting your domain may take up to 48 hours to complete, although it usually is completed within 24 hours. During this time, you may experience disruption in your e-mail and Web site services.
What happens to my e-mail after my current site is redirected to Office Live Small Business?
Note: If you only do a partial redirection (domain name only), your e-mail is not affected by redirection, and you will continue to access it via your former registrar. For more information about partial redirection, see Redirect your domain name to Microsoft Office Live Small Business.
After you redirect your domain to Office Live Small Business, any e-mail accounts for that domain name will not be able to receive e-mail messages until you re-create the e-mail accounts in Office Live Small Business.
For example, if your domain name is www.fourthcoffee.com, and your e-mail account is jim@fourthcoffee.com, you can create this same e-mail account in Office Live Small Business. You can access the e-mail messages that were sent to your previous registrar for a period of time after redirection; however, we recommend that you save your e-mail messages, calendar items, and contact information either before redirecting your domain or immediately afterward.
Note: You can begin to add e-mail accounts for your domain name approximately 48 hours after the time that you began the redirection process.
I redirected an existing Web site and also its e-mail accounts. Can I now just redirect the Web site, but not the e-mail accounts?
No. After you've done a full redirection (both the Web site and the e-mail accounts), you cannot change to a partial redirection (redirecting the Web site, but not the e-mail accounts). For more information, see Redirect your domain name to Microsoft Office Live Small Business.
Can I create a second Web site that is not associated with my existing Office Live Small Business Web site?
Each Office Live Small Business account is associated with one Web site. If you buy additional domains, those domains point to your one Web site. If you want to create a second Web site with a separate domain, you must first create a second account with a different e-mail address and password. To create a new account, do the following:
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On any page in Office Live Small Business, in the upper-right corner, under your user name, click Sign Out.
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Create a new account with a different e-mail address. You can create a new e-mail account if you need to.
For more information about accounts, see Why do I need an e-mail address to sign up for Office Live?.
How do I return my domain name to my original service provider?
Returning (redirecting) a domain name to your original service provider begins with canceling it from your Office Live Small Business account. When you redirected your existing domain name to Office Live Small Business in the first place, Office Live became your domain's service provider, and Melbourne IT became the registrar.
When you cancel that domain name from your Office Live Small Business account, Office Live stops being your domain's service provider. You can go to the Web site of the registrar, Melbourne IT, and set whomever you want the service provider be. You can also change your registrar. For more information, see Cancel a custom domain name registered with Office Live Small Business.