Domain Renewal

I registered my domain with Yahoo when I first launched my website but then transfered the hosting to Dreamhost. My old credit card expired recently and I forgot to update my information on Yahoo, so my registration expired, and now I'm having issues trying to renew it there, which apparently I have to do before I can transfer it to Dreamhost. I've got all my information up to date with Yahoo now, but whenever I try to go t hrough the steps to renew my domain, I get an error message that says the domain is already 'associated with other services' so it can't be renewed or something. I have absolutely no idea what to do, and Yahoo fails at being helpful.

Working it out with Yahoo would be best, even if it's not easy. Especially true if it's something that someone would snap up if it becomes available again.

Yeah, but the thing is that they won't allow me to even register it again. They keep giving me an error message when I do. Is there anything I have to change for my domain's info so that they don't keep doing that?

You wouldn't be able to just register it, at least until it completely drops from the system. If you're lucky, renewing it would work.

Beyond that, by working with Yahoo, I basically mean show them that you're the legit owner, that you messed up, and that you'd really like to do what it takes to avoid losing the domain. Being polite and not letting any frustration show will definitely help out here.

It will require someone actually looking at it and helping you, though--not something that a script on a sign-up/renewal page will be able to do.

I'm not sure if they'll do it, or what proof they'd require from you, but it's worth trying.

There is one way you'd be screwed, and that would be if you used a fake name/address/email address to protect your privacy. I'm not suggesting you did, but some people do, rather than spend the $ for a privacy guard service. And this one of those times you want your personal info to be known and verifiable.

Hope that helps!