How long does it take for the updated registration info (like phone no and email) to be shown in the whois? and how long does it take when you link your domain with a new host to work? and finally what is the free host with no banners that you suggest? Your help is really appreciated...
The complete whois takes approximately 48 hours - but some data centers will update much sooner. There is no exact time. I wouldn't suggest using any free host. You can find hosting for $2.50 a month and up and unless you are building a home page that you don't care about, it is well worth it. If you are serious about your site, why wouldn't you want to spend a few dollars a month?
i don't recommend free hosting either. ONE exception > www.doteasy.com i have 3 or 4 small sites hosted there - NEVER had a problem (5+ years) IMHO
Can I host my domain with them for free even if my domain is not registered with them? And do they place any ads or popups on your site?
I found that updating the whois is basically done instantaniously. Officially they say it can take up to 48 hours to update nameservers to a new host, but I found with Godaddy it takes about 5-20minutes to do it. In regards to free hosts, I wouldn't recommend it either.
nope. register your domain wherever you want. no ads, no popups. nothing. CATCH: one-time fee (for LIFE): $35US if you reg. your domain there: domain + hosting = $25US / year read their TOS. check it out. it works for me - for a few smaller sites. GOOD LUCK.
The thing is that the Whois information at the registar which you had your domain name registered should be updated instantly. However for the whois which are not operating from that particular registrar, it may take up to 48 hours to show. I would also not recommend free hosting. Most come and go and they have to be fill with banners in order to pay for the cost of hosting so that you can get it free. Free host do not get their servers for free and they still will incur cost like anyone else without the prospect of consistent income to cover cost. For 'fun' sites, you could use them but if you want to look professional or host business sites, never go with free or else you may just regret it.
Whois and DNS will vary based on caching and global updates. My personal experience is that DNS updates will take between 8 hrs and 24 hrs. Sometimes, they are very quick (but may still not be accessable to others). Rarely does it take longer than this. Whois data can still come up on some searches (off registrar) for a considerable period of time. Free Hosts are pretty much worthless for a commercial site. Hosting is cheap. I have dedicated servers, but used to use 15 dollar/month reseller accounts that were fine for 200 small sites.