How long should I wait for domain name to update..
 

I might not have the correct terminology, but when you get a new domain and point it to your host so your browser can find it...

I know it usually takes 24 hours or so, but I have one that has been in limbo for a week now. Can I assume something is fucked?

I have never had one take that long. I would suggest checking to make sure all info is correct from your registrar to your hosting company.

You could also post the url here to see if any of us are able to hit it.

I usually find that it takes less than four hours.

Without getting too technical, there are domain name servers all over the world and these are continually updated. It may take 24 hours for all of them to record your domain info but generally many of them will be quickly updated.

If it is more than a week then something is wrong. If you have a virtual account then make sure that you've correctly updated the name server info that your host gave you. (If you have a VPS or dedicated server then it can be more complicated as there is a whole lot more you can mess up.)

my last domian name took the longest to point correctly, but that was up within 12 hours.

It usually only takes an hour or less. If it's been a week there is certainly an error somewhere.

Not sure what happened, but it's working now...

DNS changes can take up to 72 hours to propagate, though they normally occur much quicker.