AOL? Why thousands are leaving AOL.

[admin]

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It's an AOL problem and was reported last month.

The way around it is to go to:

http://www.ipiu.org/forums/

And then manually click on the small button
near the top of the page that says REGISTER
and follow the exact instructions.

[Robert Donovan]

More websites are no longer using AOL and Netscape Browsers.

Here's one solution:


3. You May be an AOL User

Solution: AOL users may experience problems with our site due to compatibility issues with the AOL browser.

Solution: Please use a separate browser when viewing this site. Follow the steps below to open and configure your browser to effectively navigate our site.

To use Internet Explorer:

Click the Internet Explorer icon on your computer screen. Select "Tools," then "Internet Options"

Click the "Settings" button in the center of the window. When the next window pops up, select "Every Visit to the Page" and then hit "OK"

While still in the "Internet Options" window, choose the "Connections" tab, and then select "LAN Settings" at the bottom. In "LAN Settings" be sure no options are chosen.

You should now be able to access many more sites with Internet Explorer.

To use Netscape:

Click the Netscape Navigator icon on your computer screen. Select "Edit" then "Preferences"

Choose "Advanced" then "Cache." While in "Cache" click on "Proxies"

Be sure "Direct Connection to the Internet" is selected and then hit "OK"

You should now be able to access many more sites with Netscape Navigator.


If you're having problems with registering for a password at the Private
Investigators Forum, then do this:

The way around it is to go to:

http://www.ipiu.org/forums/

And then manually click on the small button near the top of the page that says
REGISTER and follow the exact instructions.

If you are using NETSCAPE as a browser, then you have a bigger problem:

NETSCAPE VERSUS EXPLORER:

You may be using Netscape as a browser. We have
been informed that since Microsoft released their
new Explorer Browser Version 6.0 (available free)
that many websites are not allowing Netscape
browsers to access.

Your Windows 98 has a free Explorer. Just
activate the Explorer Browser in your Programs
(and not use Netscape) and try registering again.

Other hints:

The first suggestion is to hit the F5 Key to
REFRESH the page because of a "time out" on the
connection. If your F5 key does not refresh, the
Refresh Key can be found on the tool bar under
VIEW (for Explorer Browsers).

We have been told that NETSCAPE is now having
severe problems with the internet, and we are
suggesting to use Microsoft Explorer Version 6
as your browser.

If you are using EXPLORER for your Internet
Browser, then make sure you are upgraded to
Version 6.0

To check your version, go to the tool bar and
click on HELP, and then click on ABOUT INTERNET
EXPLORER. The version will appear there.

If you want a FREE UPGRADE TO EXPLORER VER 6.0,
then go to the START BUTTON on your desktop, and
scroll up to the top and click on WINDOWS UPDATE.
It will automatically take you to Microsoft's
website for updates. Choose the option titled
PRODUCT UPDATES. It will then read your
computer's components to determine any critical
updates you should download, and give you options
to include Version 6.0 Explorer.

"PAGE DOES NOT DISPLAY" usually has to do with a
down website, slow Internet traffic, Internet
Worm, Internet Virus, or a poor Internet
Connection from your computer to you local
Internet Provide.

While you have the Page Does Not Display up, go
to the START BUTTON (Windows), then to PROGRAMS,
then click on MS DOS PROMPT.

This will load the MS DOS WINDOW UP. It will
usually come up with the path of c:\windows

Next, type in this phrase: tracert www.ipiu.org

Hit the ENTER KEY once.

You will then see your Internet Connection go
through hops from your computer to your local
connection to the state to the world and end up
some place at the website you are tracing to. The
last command will say TRACE COMPLETE.

If you see any DOS commands that say "REQUEST
TIME OUT" along the way, it means there is a poor
internet connection from your town to the
website.

If you don't get ANY hops, it means you may have
a down connection in your town, or you may be
trying to use your company computer which may
have a "firewall" at the connection to guard
against employee use of outside connections
without authorization.

If your trace route is completed to the IPIU
website, then try your application again.

You may also try to go directly to their website
at http://www.ipiu.org/forums .

Your computer may also need rebooting to refresh
it's memory after a long day.

Another cause can be the virus and the worm that
has been circulating the Internet. It may not
affect your computer or IPIU's website, but it
certainly can SLOW DOWN the Internet at times to
a CRAWL, which can then cause PAGE DOES NOT
DISPLAY.

If you are connecting through AOL, it may be
AOL's problem. None of the staff at IPIU uses AOL
anymore because of several problems connecting to
the Internet through the,. We suggest to save the
$20 a month and go direct, or do DSL connection
for speed. Everything AOL offers for a price is
FREE on the Internet elsewhere.

[admin]

AOL uses the following:

1) A phone line to dial into their system;

2) Their own Internet Window to browse.

The BEST is the following:

1) Contact your local phone company and
subscribe to their DSL line, or their local
Internet Phone dial up connection. The dial
up rate is cheaper than AOL, and you can use
your computer's web browser EXPLORER which is
the best in the world.

2) If you're looking for similar content
and entertainment items that AOL has, you
will find ALL of these contents are available
free on the worldwide web.

-----
Because AOL uses dial up connection, they
are losing thousands of customers who are
spending a few dollars more a month to use
the high speed DSL line (which is at least
10 times faster). Plus, DSL piggybacks on your
existing phone line in the background so that
you never have a busy signal when on the net.
Or, you never have to bother paying for a
second phone line for Internet.

-----
Many times our web links do not work in the
AOL browser. It requires you to copy and
paste the web links .

-----
The future:

The Internet is only going to get more graphic
with video stream, audio, and other high quality
sites that require faster connection speeds.
A dial up service will become so slow you will
want to throw your computer out the door. :(

CABLE Internet Connection is okay, but the
more cable subscribers in your neighborhood,
the slower your connection will become.

DIRECTV Satelite 2-way Wireless Internet is
a very good alternative (no wires, just point
your dish to the sky and surf the Internet
while your spouse watches the movie channels).
But the equipment to ADD to your dish runs
about $600, and the monthly service is about
$69/month. Still, as competition gets stronger
the prices will either come down, or inflation
in the next few years will make $69 look like
$20. :)

DSL costs about $39-$49 a month, is ten times
faster (so if you work on the computer your
payroll time is worth the cost of the upgrade).
A DSl modem is required and costs from $89 up.
Installation and hook up fees can be free from
some local providers.

In either event, we are always concerned with
members being able to load up the forum pages
without having to wait 5 minutes. :)

[Lynne D. Perry]

Just a note here... :)

AOL does have a DSL link (at least in the United States), but it's at quite an additional cost, and is on TOP of the basic service.

Also, you don't have to use AOL's browser if you use AOL. As long as you have the internet connection through the AOL ISP, both IE (I use versions 5.0 and 6.0 with no problem) and Netscape work as they usually would.

Not many people are aware they have their choice of browsers on any given service. The "trick" is that once you have logged on, simply minimize the ISP screen, and start up your alternate browser. In fact, I frequently multi-task, browsing one topic on AOL's browser, and another with IE, and just switch back and forth between them. As one is loading, I go to the other to read what was loaded. :D

I do notice that this forum seems to run with less glitches using IE, though.

I use dial up to AOL, and it can be slow, for sure, and the more graphics and streaming on the site you are URLing out to, the slower things get. But one of the reasons I prefer AOL is the email process is on THEIR computers (minimizing my exposure to worms, trojans, and other email nasties), and I don't have to depend on the highly virus-vulnerable Microsoft email softwares (Outlook, Outlook Express) to process my email.

One other "tip" for AOL uses... watch the logon process as it is happening, and you will see that one of the "steps" reports the ISP Port Speed that you have connected to.

If it's less that 14k, I just immediately disconnect and re-dialup. The port linking process isn't random, the fastest ports get filled first, but sometimes within 2 or 3 dial-up attempts during peak hours, you can catch a high speed (relatively speaking) open port that someone has just disconnected from.

But if you can afford it, DSL is the best option for FAST internet browsing.
:)

[John Fromm]

If your running Windows XP,have AOL and want DSL your going to have to download a patch from AOL to be able to log on.

In my case,I found that I had to either keep my computer on 24-7 or download the patch everytime I wanted to log on.

I was disgusted by this and cancelled the service. I still have AOL dial up but thats about to change also .

Funny thing was, when I signed up for the service,which was about 4 months ago, AOL didn`t inform me of the compatability issues they were having at the time! It was only after I contacted them did did they say" Oh yeah were experiencing a compatability problem with XP right now blah blah blah"..

My experience with the set up was not a good one so anybody considering DSL while running XP w/AOL as your ISP . . . good luck to you .

[Lynne D. Perry]

Whew!

John, that sounds just like what happened to me on a ME PC I got talked into buying from Dell! I had a ton of problems with that PC, and everytime I called tech support, I got the same thing as you did with AOL. "Oh, yeah... that's a known problem, you have to call Microsoft." :(

The ME is definitely not a software development machine, and from what you say, it sounds like AOL DSL is definitely not an XP option! Thanks for the input!

I'm wondering if anyone out there has had any experience (good or bad) with DSL and W2k PC's? Just in the event I can afford the switch later, I don't want to be the beta test. :D

[William R. Larson -]

W2K & Drugs, just say no! :)

I have talked to a number of computer type gurus and they said if you are buying an OS, get either W98SE & WXP. They said all of the W2K OS' are not as stable as W98SE & WXP.

DSL is available by many providers. I have MSN, and have been very happy.

[Lynne D. Perry]

I would definitely go with the XP.

But just for the record, my W2k OS has been more stable than any other previous windows OS pcs. I've been using it for about 1-1/2 years, and I have yet to see one of those dreaded "This program has performed an illegal operation" errors. (Always hated those!)

HOWEVER, this platform seems to be WAY more susceptable to hacking attacks. I just today finally shut down my net bios port, it was just getting too buggered all the time. It's a pain to think that everytime I'll need to use it, I'll have to re-enable it, do my thing, and disable it, but the constant badgering of my firewall and port monitors warrants it. Plus, I'm completely beleaguered with patches for this, patches for that, to prohibit the hacking vulnerabilities in this platform.:(

[John Fromm]

XP has been very very good to me so far,my ISP was the problem.Just today,when I cancelled them,they told me that" 8.0 is due out this fall and all the bugs will be gone for sure .Think I`ll sit that one out.

[William R. Larson -]

I have DSL through MSN and have had no problems, generally speaking. Occassionally MSN has issues that cause hiccups or downtime, but they are usually rectified fairly quickly.

With a change to DSL or Cable, be sure to get an excellent Firewall and Virus protection program. Many other members, including myself, fell strongly on the quality of Norton products. There is a thread within this forum discussion anti-virus software, etc.

I have Norton SystemWorks and Nrton Firewall. I can't believe how many attacks were blocked even on medium security settings! I bumped it up to the highest level. I figure I have at least a half dozen attacks or so every few days.

[Mr. Craig Pifer -]

Just thought I would comment on what I have working here at home.

I use Direcway from DirecTV for my internet. It is a two way satellite system, and I enjoy it very much. I am one of those people that live in a small town where DSL and Cable Modems are not available. The intial cost of the equipment was a good chunck of change, but after you make it through that your monthly bill is just about the same as DSL or Cable Modem, I pay $59.99 a month.
I also have a second PC here at home that I have hooked up to a network, and it also connects to the internet through the satellite. They both work real well when two people are on them surfing at the same time. The only downfall is that some online games do not work because of the Latency factor involving the satellite.

MY OS on my main PC is Windows XP, and the OS on the Second PC ins Win 98. The only problem that I have had since I upgraded to XP is very once in awhile my PC will all of the sudden start dumping physical memory. I still have not been able to figure that one out yet. It will dump the physical memory, then restart itself like nothing ever happened. I upgraded my memory to 256mb (I had 128mb) because I thought that was the problem but it still does it every once in a while.:confused:

[Kevin M Erick]

I use earthlink dsl and I love it. Earthlink has a no spam filter that I couldn't live without after having it. no more deleting 50 e-mails to read 5. I too am also an EX-AOL user :D :D :D

[Tony Simonton]

I had dsl and loved it. However, the cost was too much, especially when your job is in uncertainty. I have had Norton and McAfee and didn't like neither. I used ZoneAlarm and had no problems with it. My brother has Norton on his dsl and he has gotten bit many times by viruses. Check out www.techtv.com and see what they recommend or ask local computer shops.

[Aloysio Botello Jr.]

well having aol you will have your ups and downs.

The good about it is that you can use it for free for 3 months and after you try to disconnect they give you 2 more months to think it over.

The bad, well i can give some of my own problems i had and some stuff i found out.
you can erase aol from your system and for some reason it still there and your CPU start acting up, most of my tec friends say that AOL is a bad habbit that wont go away.

When i first started to use AOL i found that the so called AOL adm and Tec where using my account. I intercepted an email that was sent by someone from admin to his little brother saying, how to hack into AOl accounts, thats when I turned off my service.

[Janice Foster]

Being an ex Computer Consultant I've seen and used all the different Internet connections. I was a big Cable fan until I decided to go into this field. With a cable connection, there are many as in hundreds + some that are using the same connection. Because of that, nothing is secure if you have someone out there "playing" (hacking). So I have switched to DSL which is more secure. It is your direct connection if you want to put it that way, because you are using your phone line for the data to transmit across and you are the only one with "that" phone line (phone #). Granted, nothing is foolproof, but I find DSL more secure. As for dial-up connections, I'm just not a fan of any of them.

[Ms Chris Norm]

AOL promotes email spam according to my grandmother, who is constantly getting the porn spam. Not good. I dont know what kind of spam filters AOL is using, but my grandmother says they don't work. I have cable and attbi is my server. Never had a problem..."knock on wood.";)

[George R. Newman]

First, AOL is not an ISP, it is an internet access service.
I used AOL for about 6 years before I learned better. I now use DSL through my local phone company. The connection gives me 1.2 MG download and 130K upload, which is much faster than any dialup and very stable. I am on an XP Pro machine that I built myself. Some of the problems with connectivity with DSL are inherrent wit XP Home edition.

I also have used McAfee anti-virus and a hardware firewall. I have a subscription to McAfee clinic so that I get updates at least weekly. It has caught a few virus's over the last few years.

For more info on DSL look on the web for DSL Reports.
Or send me a private email and I will send you a link where you can get all the info you need.

IMHO, your best bet is a private ISP either for DSL or Dialup. Then use Internet Explorer for your browser and Outlook for your email. You then set things the way you want them, not someone at AOL, MSN, Earthlink, etc.

[Christina Tedesco -]

I have moved around a lot and tried many ISP's and DSL services

My overall experiences are--

1) AOL offers DSL over the dial up but I believe the DSL charge is around $20 and the dial up is $21.35 - which makes it a compatible price - to regular DSL of around $49

2) I get NO SPAM with my AOL account - I mean it - this AOL account and my old Earthlink account I have to say were the absolute best in eliminating spam. I have a @hotmail account and I used to have an @msn account and the SPAM is unbelievable -- to quote another entry on this topic you get 25 e-mails a day 5 of which you read.

3) The absolutely worst DSL service in the world is Verizon. They still charged me or DSL service for up to 3 months after I cancelled and the could not disconnect it properly which stopped me from being able to get long distance service for the same amount of time.

4) For speed I recommend cable modem

5) Best search engine/most reliable e-mail is yahoo. I have stayed with that account the longest.

[Michael Whiteaker -]

There are millions of people on the Internet, and it seems nearly as many ways to connect to it. The way I see it, if you are happy with your connection history, you are happy. The grass can always look greener on the other guy's property, but he might be thinking yours is greener, too.

I have experienced different methods of connection along with the different mentality of techs to go with them. Sometimes it isn't the connection type that is the problem, but the techs lack of knowledge.

Personally, I am a Netscape person. I use it religiously, except for some places (like this forum). I have always been a Netscape person for years and years. This doesn't mean I.E. is bad, if you prefer it. I just prefer Netscape for various reasons.

Cable over DSL is also a personal preference. It can also be a location thing. I have cable, and because I live in the cheap part of town (because I am cheap!), I don't have many neighbors who have cable connections. Sure, I guess they have cable TV, but not many computer savvy folks in my neck of the woods. Maybe someday this will change, but so far, so good.

I do see a problem if you live in an apartment complex, or the like. This will likely be people who are not home owners and are willing to spend their money on fast Internet, fast cars, and maybe a fast lifestyle. Just one of the things you notice, when you get older, I guess.

In an apartment complex you will be on the same cable connection as all of your neighbors and if you all happen to be on the same time schedule, all of you will be getting limited speed with your fast connections.

DSL will stop this, but it isn't free from it's problems, either. Some areas don't even have DSL available, and if it is, there are usually multi vendors who will install it. If you don't know much about this, it can be a real nightmare. And, there are still problems in the older switching hardware that can cause problems.

AOL isn't one of my favorites. I've never had it, but I have done tech support for people who do. It doesn't hold up, in some cases against your basic ISP. But, if you have AOL and like it, then who cares what is out there. We like things for a reason, and if you're happy, you're happy.

Some DSL could be great in one city and lousy in another. Cable can be the same. There is an area of my city where the large cable company is getting competition from another cable company. That isn't the norm, you know. Like the other utility companies, they are usually the only method for you to get cable, and can charge what they want. So, we have a bit of a war that may soon take costs down and service up!

Wireless is easy and it seems convenient. No wires or nasty drivers to mess with, and you can have computers and printers where ever you want them. But, watch out for outside connections to your hub. Wireless signals don't just go to your inhouse devices.

The signal goes in a circular fashion from the source and anybody who has the ability can connect to your little home network. And, they will be connecting BEHIND any firewall you may have. They can then see your sensitive information, such as charge cards and bank records. Wireless can be great, as long as you take the necessary precautions to keep the riff raff out!

Only time will tell what will survive in this ever changing technology. If you have been into computers for a while, you know nothing stays the same for long. You can be top dog with the latest gizmos, but that tends to keep your pocketbook empty.

A few rules of thumb I have learned over the years.

Don't get anything that is just coming out. Most new things can and probably will have bugs in it, and I like to let others find this out. I wait until the fix comes out and get that. It is much less likely to cause problems.

Don't upgrade even the simplest things without backing up your present information. It may not ever be a problem, but that one time it is will drive you bats!

Don't be tempted to go out and buy the latest speed horse, if you don't need it. Sometimes some additional RAM or a larger hard drive will work just as well, at a much cheaper cost.

If you have a 24-7 Internet connection, I have 3 words for you...
FIREWALL, FIREWALL, FIREWALL! There are crazy people out there, and they are looking for an open IP address to pilfer! Don't let it be you. ZoneAlarm (http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/home.jsp) is a nice free one, if you want to check it out (they hide the free firewall link at the bottom of the page). There are many out there to choose from, not just Zone Labs.

When it comes down to the wire, we all live in different areas, and not all areas are created equal. We are all human, after all, and you know how humans tend to mess things up at times. This, coupled with some of the quarky technology we live with, and life can be very interesting.:D

[Deborah W]

My husband wanted to get a DSL line when it became available in our area two years ago. I wouldn't let him do it because one of my friends had a terrible time with hers. Her phoneline was cut off for two days.
Also, I am not one to grab the hottest new software program the second it hits the shelves. The companies that develop these programs don't bother to weed out the bugs and incompatibilities before they market their product. This leaves the buyer to waste a lot of time downloading patches in order to solve that should have been fixed. I usually wait a year, maybe two before I invest in anything.
As for my setup, I've been using AOL on my Mac for six years. Some days, it runs incredibly slow. IE is worse. My preference is Netscape. I don't have to rely on Shockwave or Flashplayer to upload websites. Like Lynne, I multitask between between servers, which saves an incredible amount of time.
I've been thinking about converting to a PC, since the majority of the programs available are incompatible with a Mac. But hearing about all the hacking problems has made me leary. Then there is the cost of buying all the software, which is too big of an investment.
The best safeguard against hackers that I can think of is to keep your personal information stored on an external hard drive. LaCie has some good ones.

[David Copeland]

Originally posted by Christina Tedesco
I get NO SPAM with my AOL account - I mean it - this AOL account and my old Earthlink account I have to say were the absolute best in eliminating spam.
Yes, that may be very true.

And because AOL has their SPAM filters turned up so HIGH, many IPIU members using AOL are not even getting their emailed assignments!

AOL and other email providers have the choice in using a software titled Spam Assassin. As an example, if the email does not contain a full name of the person sent to, such as "Dear Christina Tedesco", then AOL may choose to BLOCK that email if other factors are also absent from the incoming email.

Another "factor" they want is the full name of the sender, such as "Sincerely, David Copeland".

There are thousands of "factors" that AOL can choose to BLOCK or not. And as a result, IPIU and all of their member agencies do not endorse it.

As for YAHOO, they are better than Hotmail. They have a Spam Assassin tha allows you to determine if an incoming email is spam or not. And you choose to have it blocked. If using Yahoo, choose NOT to have it listed. If you want spam, then set up another yahoo box for just that.

[David Copeland]

Originally posted by Deborah Woehr
IE is worse. My preference is Netscape.
If you have not used IE since Ver 6 was released, then you may find it superior to Netscape.

When Netscape was running Ver 4, none of the forum members could access the forums. Netscape then corrected it with a new version and has since gone to Ver 6+

In the last 6 months, IE Ver 6 has had 27 critical updates (which is easily downloaded with a fast connection.)

Windows XP with the latest IE is the preferred choice for IPIU, but the new Netscape seems to be good also.

Cost for upgrades is free.

[William R. Larson -]

Originally posted by David Copeland

Windows XP with the latest IE is the preferred choice for IPIU, but the new Netscape seems to be good also.


WXP Home with the most recent IE updates is wonderful, running on MSN 8 DSL internet access! :cool:

[Deborah W]

Originally posted by David Copeland

If you have not used IE since Ver 6 was released, then you may find it superior to Netscape.

When Netscape was running Ver 4, none of the forum members could access the forums. Netscape then corrected it with a new version and has since gone to Ver 6+

In the last 6 months, IE Ver 6 has had 27 critical updates (which is easily downloaded with a fast connection.)

Windows XP with the latest IE is the preferred choice for IPIU, but the new Netscape seems to be good also.

Cost for upgrades is free.

Hi, David!

I'm not sure what the latest version of IE is for the Mac. I'll have to check that out. My system is due for a major upgrade soon because of the leaps in web technology.

[David Copeland]

Here is a very important new announcement on AOL:

Click here: AOL Announcement Topic (http://www.ipiu.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5813)

[Christina Tedesco -]

I'm not clear on the new information. The posting from Legal Affairs is dated 10/30/02. Becky's posting below it is new - which shares her personal experience but it does not appear that the resolved issue has been reopened with AOL or that there are new problems specific to IPIU.

Is there additional information that we need to be aware of?

thx
Chris

[David Copeland]

Originally posted by Christina Tedesco
Is there additional information that we need to be aware of?

The AOL is not just an IPIU issue. It is a worldwide issue.

Yes, that posting was in October, and it appears no one trusts AOL anymore. They keep coming out with new versions of their own software, and they advertise heavily for dial up service, yet each time they have a customer that doesn't receive their email or cannot access a website using the AOL browser... they just ignore it.

What's more, they just laid off thousands of employees and we suspect AOL customer service is going to get worse.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why anyone would pay money each month for old dial up service on a browser that does not work half the time on the worldwide internet. I heard they are offering limited DSL service, but they charge on top of the monthly fee, which totals more than normal, and AOL members still have to deal with their goofy incompatible software and email screening issues.

[Christina Tedesco -]

Your personal views on AOL are respectable - however other persons might have had different personal experiences which I think falls in a different category then advertising it as a known issue across all systems. Don't get me wrong - AOL is not my cup of tea either - it is very slow and provides way too many pop up windows then my patience has to close every time I log on. However - fair is fair and I have never had any technical issues or problems with my computer with AOL - it's just a personal preference - or not - to use it. Everyone is on this site trashing AOL like it is the only ISP out there causing problems. Every provider has issues. Anyone working professionally from home obviously has to have DSL or a broadband connection to be able to function at all for an 8 hour day. The average cost where I live is $49.95 a month - that's for AOL and all other providers - which is a pretty penny anywhere you look. My point is if you want to recommend an ideal solution for IPIU users to access information the fastest and easiest way possible, which should be the point to this topic, you should research multiple providers and then post an accurate analysis on each. No 2 people have the same system and all applications you have loaded on your PC effect the performance and stability in addition to the operating system and internet access providers you choose.

[David Copeland]

Thank you for your comment.

It may seem everyone is trashing AOL, but not really - especially here where we have over 7000 forum members, most of whom have no issue with AOL (hence the lack of their comments in this topic).

I must admit you are correct in recommending a good source. For the record, we recommend to first contact the local phone company. They are registered with the state Public Utilities Commission, and customers have access to the president's office for consumer affairs if there are any service related problems with broadband. Going with a local unknown source may be a risk for escalating a trouble ticket to resolution.

I also do not believe any "national provider" would be better in local customer service (given access to the president's office).

On the other hand, AOL requires a change so dramatically in the computer's operating system, that a local telephone company set up is far less taxing on the resources.

Thanks again for your comment, and I apologize if my comments seem to be personally bias.

[Christina Tedesco -]

The phone company is a great place to start. They usually offer some kind of $$$ deal in addition to the DSL service if you are a local customer so - good point - it is wise to check there first. I am sure all the complaints on AOL are valid and I can definitely appreciate the frustration that comes from your PC or ISP not working correctly. People sharing what they know in a place where others are looking for answers is always beneficial - regardless of the point of view. I know I appreciate all the information on this site regardless of whether I agree with it or not.

thx
Chris

[Michael Whiteaker -]

I used to work at a place where the company president came to us (not that computer literate, I might add), and asked what we thought of AOL. He was hearing of other options, and was wondering if he should leave AOL for another local ISP. Keep in mind, this was at least 5 years ago.

My boss and I both gave several reasons why we didn't like it, from their Intranet setup to the problems of viewing web pages and graphics. My boss said his sister had it and he didn't know why she kept it, because he could see problems with it. I had never seen an AOL setup, but I had talked to many who had problems with theirs.

The president took our AOL bashing with great interest, but after the dust had all settled, he asked if a local ISP could let him connect from a remote location. Obviously, this wouldn't be possible with a local ISP, so he chose to stay with AOL...at least that time. I guess AOL supplied an 800 number for out of area connections.

We told him about Earthlink and other national ISPs that might also do that, but he said his family also liked the other things that AOL had to offer, and he wouldn't be able to get them to make a switch. Understand this is a president lf a midsized national company, and he wasn't the boss in his own home.

I don't know if he is still with AOL, but all he seemed to want it for was so he could get his emails from anywhere. Maybe after his kids move out and go their own way, he would think of changing? I don't work there any more, so I don't know that answer.

I have another friend who would always call me with questions, when he was connected. This has just been a couple years ago. He lived in another city, and I would take him step by step to different web sites, to help him get updated drivers for his audio and video cards, and that kind of thing.

I noticed that AOL doesn't view web pages the same as other ISP connections, even making some 2 page connections compact into 1. It was difficult for me to help him, in some situations, because this wasn't a regular pattern, but was inconsitent in the amount of change, depending on the web page it viewed.

My friend thought it was his inability to understand my directions, or something in his computer that was malfunctioning. Until he found out this was because of his AOL connection he has switched to another ISP.

I sometimes send links to web sites in my emails to friends. Some of these friends have are AOL users. I have been told by these AOL friends that my links don't always work. I know they work for the other recipients, because I have asked. It is only the AOL folks who have problems.

Unfortunately, the only help I get from my friends with AOL is "if the red heart shows up by the link, it will work". That was another thing that told me AOL was a breed all it's own.

It seems to me that a lot of AOL users have grown to like what AOL gives them in the Intranet they offer. The buddy list and the different chat rooms, and the safe places for kids to browse create something of a friendly place for them to visit. And, when most of their friends are also AOL users (AOL to AOL seems to work fine), nothing seems to be wrong to them and all is well.

It just goes to show you that when someone finds something they like, they stick with it. Only until it fails to do what they enlisted it to do, or what they thought it did, do they see a problem.

And, it is not uncommon for people to pay more when they feel they are getting more for their money. And, it is also not uncommon for someone to stick with "an old friend", when they have been happy with the service for a number of years. I am sure not all AOL users have been having problems, or knew they were having correctable problems when they were.

I also had the chance to work for Time Warner, in my city. They do the tech support for the cable ISP Roadrunner and because of their new AOL mother, they now do the connection work for the new DSL version of AOL. I had the chance to sit with a tech while he was doing his job. He was always busy, and always had calls waiting.

He had a 21 inch monitor and such a small resolution that made it difficult for me to make out what some of the windows said. He said he needed that so he could use the extra space. He said the cable connections were bad enough to trace, but with the addition of the AOL to his job, he had to spend more time with each call. This backed up his quota, because he still would get the same amount of calls no matter if his solutions were quick or lengthy.

And, this was a rather large room, full of cubicals. I was surprised to see so many of these cubes empty, on a mid-afternoon shift. And, I am sorry to say, they don't make very much money.

Last year, there was an article on MSNBC.com that was interesting. Yes, I know the MS part of MSNBC stands for Microsoft and it is possible the article was slanted, but interesting, just the same.
When AOL bought Netscape I didn't mind it much, because I heard the whole deal was that Netscape was going to stay an independent company, just under the wing of AOL. But, they were recently messing with it, trying to make it work with their AOL email and force the corporate Time companies switch to it.

It seemed to only cause problems, being an email primarily for home use, and allowing small attachments. I also think ease of use was one complaint. They finally relinquished, and let everyone use the email of their choosing. But, it seems the deal of not messing with Netscape is no longer the plan?

[Cynthia Ford]

That was a very nice post, Michael.

Our employer purchased WordPerfect in the last 1980's at a cost of $500. It included toll-free support for the life of the registered user.

Eight years later in the mid-1990's, and after multiple upgrades, patches, fixes, and windows, we were forced to eliminate WordPerfect from all of our computers because of a conflict built into the Windows 95 and WordPerfect. It seemed everytime we ran WordPerfect on the same day we used Microsoft Word, our systems would crash and all work was lost.

After 8 years of a fond relationship with WordPerfect, and after spending 8 years learning the entire program, it was not our choice to say goodbye. But if we wished to move forward then we had to say goodbye to our dear friend. :(

Now that we are a Microsoft Family of compatible software and systems, we have never looked back.

My point? If it's time to leave, then it's time to leave as sad as it may be.

I also believe AOL (for the most part) is a very nice "casual" entertainment item for families who do not depend on always getting their email, or always getting into a business site, or always having compatibility. It is the choice of many who do not run a business. If you're looking towards your own website someday, then get your own .com name and ask IPIU for suggestions on where to host your .com for as little as $90 a year, including your own email .com too.

[Christina Tedesco -]

I also believe AOL (for the most part) is a very nice "casual" entertainment item for families who do not depend on always getting their email, or always getting into a business site, or always having compatibility

I think this hits the nail on the head. AOL is designed for the new end user to get them involved with the internet. It is not designed for home offices or business purposes. It is what it is. And say what you want about it but I believe AOL is partially responsible for the popularity of the internet today. That's from the marketing that's from Time Warner and that is what TW's strong suit is - not business technology or e-commerce.

Keeping this in scope- you can have a local ISP and still have a national e-mail address from any search engine (yahoo, hotmail, msn, lycos...) as long as you have the internet connection just log onto the web site - you can get e-mail from anywhere.

The bad thing about local DSL/broadbands - is if you move frequently -you can't take it with you which may result in fees and surcharges.

I have AOL because I am in between DSL services - it was much easier to just get connected rather then subscribe to yet another service temporarily. For the record - Time Warner Cable also supports Earthlink.

http://www.aoltimewarner.com/companies/time_warner_cable_index.adp

[Deborah W]

After 8 years of a fond relationship with WordPerfect, and after spending 8 years learning the entire program, it was not our choice to say goodbye. But if we wished to move forward then we had to say goodbye to our dear friend.

I enjoyed WordPerfect as well and hated to give it up. But it was incompatible with Word, which everybody was using. So, I forked out the cash for MS Office.

As for AOL, I've been a loyal user for over six years. Yes, I have my gripes and complaints. I'm noticing that AOL isn't expanding with technology. I've had all the problems that were mentioned above.

We've tried several providers (such as Earthlink, Prodigy, etc.), and all of them have issues. That's why I stuck with AOL.
Thanks for the suggestion about the phone company. I'll call them and see what kind of package deal I can get along with the DSL connection.

[Mary Lynn Warner]

Originally posted by Christina Tedesco
The bad thing about local DSL/broadbands - is if you move frequently -you can't take it with you which may result in fees and surcharges.
My Christmas present took care of that. :)

My new Dell Laptop with a wireless signal device connects me to a satelite internet site.

And my new DirecTV dish has one setup for TV watching, and another connection for DSL connection to their satelite, which means wherever we move the dish and the Internet move along with us. :)

[Michael Whiteaker -]

Originally posted by Christina Tedesco
Keeping this in scope- you can have a local ISP and still have a national e-mail address from any search engine (yahoo, hotmail, msn, lycos...) as long as you have the internet connection just log onto the web site - you can get e-mail from anywhere.
If this was a reference to my last post, I agree with you. It is very possible to use Yahoo, etc., for a "local" email, from anywhere in the world, actually (I did that for years, until Yahoo started charging for allowing us to route our incoming and outgoing mail from a local program on our machines). But, if you will check my message, I noted the president of the company was not very computer savvy.

It was never a good thing to try something new on him, even something as simple as this seems. And, he had so many business contacts, just that would have been a headache to change.

On a bit of a side, his step son would install games on the home computer, and call the game tech support line and they would help him tweak the machine to play the games to the ultimate. Then, the prez would come home and the computer would basically be hosed, unless he wanted to play Doom or something.

The next day, I would be requested to go restore the computer back into a normal working computer for the rest of the family. This happened more times than I would like to mention. Like I said, this guy was president of a mid-sized corpration, and he wasn't in charge of his own computer, or even his own home.:)

Also, I totally feel a local ISP is going to do better by you than a national one will. Sure, if nothing ever goes wrong, you might be tickled pink with some national place. But, the first time you need to talk to tech support, good luck. There isn't any, except maybe some email address that doesn't let you ask your own question, but pick one of the questions they want you to answer.

Even if you have a problem with your local ISP, you can at least go visit the office and talk to the person face to face. That will sometimes get their attention. The national guys know you have no idea where they are.

I also agree that AOL's Intranet setup has a lot of its member's attention. With any other ISP, you just get a connection, and most of the rest is up to you. AOL people might see this as not getting their money's worth, after having the buddy list, chat rooms, and all the rest.

[Caterina Christakos]

Hi

I have used XP on three of my computers and have had more problems than I can count. All of the computers are Dell so it could be a bug in the Dell system.

I had our tech install Win 98 and segragate the drives and they have worked much better and faster.

As for internet access, we have a cable modem which we love. It is so much faster than the 56K we were using with AOL. During peak times, it does get bogged down a bit but I have found that if you reboot and unplug the cable modem we you replug it it gets right back up to speed.

Caterina

[Gaetano Di Primo]

Caterina,

I do not like the Windows XP program. I find it very problematic. I tend to have good luck with the Windows 2000NT system and we have it running on all different computers in our facility.

We also have 2 computers with Windows 98 and they work great.

Thanks

[Cynthia Ford]

Originally posted by Caterina Christakos
Hi

I have used XP on three of my computers and have had more problems than I can count.
Xp brand new out of the box requires over 23 free critical upgrades from your internet browser. Once completed, there have been no problems.

Check for updates once a week to be free of bugs.

[May K. Toney]

Originally posted by Lynne D. Perry
Whew!

John, that sounds just like what happened to me on a ME PC I got talked into buying from Dell! I had a ton of problems with that PC, and everytime I called tech support, I got the same thing as you did with AOL. "Oh, yeah... that's a known problem, you have to call Microsoft." :(

The ME is definitely not a software development machine, and from what you say, it sounds like AOL DSL is definitely not an XP option! Thanks for the input!

I'm wondering if anyone out there has had any experience (good or bad) with DSL and W2k PC's? Just in the event I can afford the switch later, I don't want to be the beta test. :D

[May K. Toney]

Hello Everyone.
It's interesting that you're all speaking of dial up vs DSL problems and issues. To that end, I'll share my tale. The just of it is, we converted to DSL a few months back and we love it!

I wasn't much for the Internet and had grave concerns about privacy and protection. My husband, on the other hand, contends that we must remain technologically strong. Thank God he did! He first began by buying one of those devices you connect to your TV allowing you to surf the web. The salesperson told him there were no additional phone charges and all we needed to pay was one flat monthly rate. At the time, I was calling long distance quite frequently so didn't notice the HUGE JUMP in my phone bill. When my personal long distance calls subsided, WOW did I notice the bills BIG TIME! Since my husband felt hours of Internet browsing through the TV web device was totally unrelated, I was totally confused. Of course, after numerous complaints to our local and long distance providers{:mad:} (and several conversations with any technical wizard I knew...or could find) we finally learned the truth. My husband disconnected the device and its been gathering dust ever since.

His determination for increased technology didn't dwindle though and so began the several year search for "the right computer". If you've ever shopped for one, I need not describe what a mind blowing experience this can be. {:confused:}. Everyone claims to have the best, the most proficient, excedera, excedra...{:rolleyes:}. Anyway, my husband grew tired of the process and late last year just closed his eyes and bought a Gateway (I hope I'm allowed to say that...). It came right to our door and was ready to go in minutes (just like they said...imagine that). But when we began surfing the net, the phone bills went crazy again.

Then lo and behold, I overheard co-workers talking about DSL as a better Internet alternative. But it wasn't available in all areas. Wouldn't you know we just moved to an area where DSL was available and, as long time customers with prior complaints, we had no installation or start-up fees. Since then, Internet life has been wonderful! I've checked the bills each month and, because we still use land lines, they fluctuate here and there. But no where close to the $5-$600 monthly bills {:eek:} we'd seen in the past.

I cant say enough about DSL. It didn't cure my privacy or security concerns. Rather, I've found that many have the same concerns and we're all doing what we can to safeguard our information. DSL and our computer has truly been a gift that keeps on giving. Learning opportunities are endless and I've traveled to more places (virtually, of course) than I ever thought possible.

After all, had it not been for DSL, I may never have discovered the world of PI and the employer's site that brought me to IPIU.
What more can be said after that? You know, I've always been told I'm too detailed. But now, I believe I've found a career where detail counts!

Thanks for the attention. Hopes this helps someone. :cool:

[Michael Whiteaker -]

Originally posted by May K. Toney
Hello Everyone.
It's interesting that you're all speaking of dial up vs DSL problems and issues. To that end, I'll share my tale. The just of it is, we converted to DSL a few months back and we love it!
An interesting tail, for sure.
The TV thing sounds like Web TV. Do you know?
And, so you know, your dial-up connection were not the cause for your long distance charges. Now, don't get me wrong. I know you found out that changing to DSL stopped them, but the costs are not "because" of dial-up, itself.

The costs were probably due to some dial-up ISP you were using that didn't provide a local access phone line for you. Some will give you an 800 number to call, but some won't, and don't even tell you. You probably didn't know this, and were paying for a long distance call every time you got on the Internet. That is not uncommon, for some of the National dial-up companies of the day.

Any self respecting local ISP would give you a local number to call so you would not have to worry with any long distance charges. Then, all you had to deal with were missed incoming phone calls because you were using your phone line for surfing.

And, I am sure your DSL is light years faster than dial-up. It is still using a phone line, but because of how it is configured, you get more bandwidth for the computer and you can also talk on the phone at the same time. You pay a flat fee for DSL, but it is much cheaper than those $600 bills from your past. It is about the same as paying for two phone lines, in most areas. The same is for cable modems.

And, depending on your local area, DSL cab be better than a cable modem, and sometimes cable is better. It has a lot to do with wiring in your local phone company or how well your cable company is with Internet connections. Some are good and some are lousy! The technology is really not the cause as much as your local area and technical support is.

I am glad you are happy with DSL. That probably means it is working fine in your area.

I have a cable modem, and my area of town is not very savvy, so I don't experience much slowness during peak times. That is one thing you have to think about with a cable modem. You are on a shared connection with your neighbors. That can be a hassle if you live in an apartment complex, etc., when all of your neighbors are on cable modem, too. But, none of my neighbors have computers. :)

I just wanted to clarify those phone charges for you. Dial-up is only slow, not expensive. Sounds like a salesman sold you a bill of goods, so to speak.

Actually, dial-up is the least expensive way to connect to the Interent, after DSL and cable modems. You do have to pay for your faster connection speed.

The cheapest dial-up ISP in my area is still $9.95 a month for unlimited connection. That gets you 56Kb connection speed, an email address and 10 megs of their disk space for a web page, too. If you can handle the slow modem connections, you can't beat that. But, with today's larger file sizes, dial-up is quickly becoming outdated.

By the way, I hope you have anti virus software installed and a firewall.

[May K. Toney]

Hello to Everyone.
I've read all the prior notes and found them quite enlightening. My first Internet experience was directed by MSN but I didn't use it long enough to form an opinion except for slow dial up. My next experience was DSL which I truly enjoy. My older daughter lives out of state and uses yahoo with no known complaints. My younger daughter also lives out of state and uses earthlink with no known problems.

The only dedicated AOL user I've known was a former boss who thought it was the next best thing to buttermilk pancakes (a favorite of mine). These notes cause me to wonder how she's fairing now.

Thanks for the tips. The notes just let me know that I've been spared at least some of life's bad experiences. Keep the tips coming, I'm learning quite a lot!

[Ronald Treitner]

i used to use aol at first
the biggist reasons i no longer do and now use earthlink are
to many teens in chat rooms including the adult rooms .

they were very rude always cursing and messing up the chat rooms any way they could

i always got kicked off by aol usually 20 min. or less this way very
annoying especially while downloading a large file like an update and in the middle boom you'd get kicked off and have to start again.

[Robert Smith -]

As an AOL member, I can tell you that AOL really sucks. Sometimes when I am on the internet I get kicked off of some sites out of the blue, then I have to connect again, and even checking the AOL search engine is not good. Last time I did a search engine using AOL, I couldn't even open any of the web sites that came up for my search. I have been looking for another internet provider that offers better quality, but there is just too many choices, who can give me some suggestions?

[Deborah W]

Robert,

Yahoo is very good. Their price is reasonable, and I haven't gotten many porn sites. I still have my AOL account, which gets flooded with porn and every ad imaginable. Their spam blocker is very poor, and it takes forever to upload a website. You would think that with all the upgrades AOL has made, they would have fixed this very major problem.

I'm glad I switched to Yahoo. There are several ISPs out there that might better suit your needs. Shop and compare.

[Robert Smith -]

Thanks for the info. Deborah. It may come in handy, but I will shop around and compare.

[Sara Livingston]

Originally posted by Robert Smith
when I am on the internet I get kicked off of some sites out of the blue, then I have to connect again, and even checking the AOL search engine is not good.
I think the majority of investigators have gone to DSL connection (or maybe satelite or high-speed cable).

I believe AOL still uses the old and very slow dial-up internet connection, which is like going back to 8-track audio tapes in a CD Age. :D

[Edwina Berlijn -]

that was sure interesting to read all the news ...I still use AOL, but had some probles with them, like I discontinued an e-mail address and used another and my daughter had also her e-mail address..well, I have a hell of a time to get the other e-mail address off the bill, and I am still trying!!! I was unable to remember my pass-word, and I have tried everything that I can think of (of all the pass-words) to get the old email address off the account! Does anybody know how to talk to the AOL personel??? I have asked for help so many times, to delete that account of the many months of un-used email address! Any suggestions are svery welcome:D

edwina berlijn

[Mary Lynn Warner]

Originally posted by Edwina Berlijn
I have asked for help so many times, to delete that account of the many months of un-used email address! Any suggestions are svery welcome:D

edwina berlijn
Keep a copy of your disconnect request, and notify your credit card bank (if there are any more charges).

[Edwina Berlijn -]

Thank you Ms Warner !!!! That is a very good advice, I will do that, and will call the credit card company too. Thanks alot!! :D

edwina berlijn

[Kathleen Padgett]

AOL won't be billing me much longer :) :) Now that broadband has been installed and is so far working quite well, I'm working to change my e-mail with all contacts and complete the transition. It's so nice not to have my system lock up or crash and I can clearly see the problem was AOL. It's nice to see so many people agree and have experienced similar issues. Thanks for sharing, too bad AOL doesn't seem to take their customer satisfaction seriously. In order to remain competetive and hold onto their valued customers, they seem to be in dire need of drastic change.

[Edwina Berlijn -]

Do you really like Broad Band??? I have not checked it out ...can you tell me more about that? I see commercials all the time, but is it also a phone??? Like to hear more about your experiance with that company...

Edwina Berlijn

[Kathleen Padgett]

Hi Edwina,

I love Broadband compared to dial up and so far have had no problems with it. It's a lot faster and it's always on, so never need to wait to get connected. I also got a wireless router and now have networked several computers and my laptop to be online at the same time, nice benefit. I got broadband through the cable company, in this area, we have Comcast. Since the connection is through a cable modem, it leaves the telephone line free. Broadband connection costs about $45 extra on my cable bill, and took about 20 minutes for the cable company to install.
I highly recommend it and if I can be of any further help, please let me know.

[Byron Burke II]

I got rid of AOL back in March, and got a cable modem from a local cable provider that I already had cable with. The provider could not keep us up, but I did not care to much because it was not important that 20%-30% of the time it was down. After joining the IPIU it became important that I could get online and stay online after months of having repair people to the house we went to WOW. Now I get way better cable, the cable modem has not went down and I pay just over half of what I was.

[Michael Whiteaker -]

Originally posted by Kathleen Padgett
[B...It's nice to see so many people agree and have experienced similar issues. Thanks for sharing, too bad AOL doesn't seem to take their customer satisfaction seriously. In order to remain competetive and hold onto their valued customers, they seem to be in dire need of drastic change. [/B]
I have Roadrunner, which is the cable ISP through Time Warner. AOL purchased the whole Time Warner (Time mag., Warner Bros., too) a while back. Also, they purchased Netscape Navigator.

Personally, I wish it hadn't purchased all of these, but it does tend to pad your pocket book, when you own such large companies. That means they can fudge more on the AOL customers. Don't forget when (about 1 or 2 years ago?) when AOL tried to FORCE Time magazine and all other New York Time Warner companies to use their AOL email and messenger to communicate among themselves. They also had "converted" a version of Netscape that they also tried to FORCE upon their workers. After many, many problems, and down time with the fast paced New York offices, AOL relented and allowed all offices to use their email of choice.
I think they were using their own people as guinie pigs, in a way. It's too bad a company that is so large has such a woaful reputation.

I personally prefer Netscape over I.E., but since AOL owns it, it has been aboard the same sinking ship!

And, maybe something that is similar, since it has become very hot in my neck of the woods, my cable modem connection has disconnected itself over and over again, even many times an hour. I get it to reconnect only to see it disconnected while I was reading a web page.

Time Warner/Roadrunner hasn't admitted it to me, but there is talk that the hot temperatures cause strange things to happen somewhere in the mess of wires that are outside in the weather. Nobody has said where, what, when or how, but I have seen a bit of a pattern, since finding this out.

Today it is 102 degrees, and I have had a terrible time staying connected. Also, when I am connected, it is sometimes half as fast as it should be.

I'm not one to be hornswaggled, so I will get to the bottom of this, in time. Anything I find out, I will pass on to the IPIU forums, either in this thread or the DSL or Cable thread. Maybe even both! That is, if I can stay connected long enough to get it done!

Now...time to hit enter. Any bets on if I am still connected after typing this message? :rolleyes:

..........

Edited this to let you all know...I was still connected. Oh how thankful we become for small favors. :D

[Mr Jose Bonavich Jr]

Hey everyone,

I have never had AOL (thank goodness). Everyone I know who has ever used AOL has had nothing but problems. I've been using Visionary the last few months and really like it. Though I think it's local to my area of the country Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, etc.

I've always found the best service by checking around with the different options available in my area.

[Michael Harris]

I am still locked into AOL because some members of my family are so locked in that they are forced to stay with AOL.:mad:

I use Comcast cable on my desktop, but I still use AOL (through NetZero) on my laptop.:o

I still maintain 6 email accounts -- each for a different purpose.:eek:

[Colleen L Hayes -]

I'm so confused now! I thought I would get on this forum and a few people would discuss their favorite ISP. So now I don't know what to do. I have AOL on dial-up and haven't had any problems. It's a little slow, but nothing I can't handle.

Thanks for all the input from everyone, but like I said "I'm so confused".

[Michael Harris]

Colleen,

I am now up to AOL 9.0a (Optimized). AOL and Comcast do not like each other. And neither likes the McAfee Personal Firewall. :(

I use Comcast on my desktop, but access the internet through NetZero on my laptop. I have several machines, several users, and two physical locations. ;) :confused: Confusion reigns. :p

[Michael Whiteaker -]

Originally posted by Colleen L Hayes
I'm so confused now! I thought I would get on this forum and a few people would discuss their favorite ISP. So now I don't know what to do. I have AOL on dial-up and haven't had any problems. It's a little slow, but nothing I can't handle.

Thanks for all the input from everyone, but like I said "I'm so confused".
Colleen, contrary to what some Information Systems people may want you to believe, computer technology is not rocket science. What works for one might not work for another.

This thread is only to advise you of what might happen, because of what others have experienced. It isn't intended to mean anything will happen.

The more advanced things are, more things can go wrong. Just because DSL and cable connections are faster and seem popular doesn't mean they will work for your needs. Faster isn't always better, when it is also more expensive. And, your particular area may not have good service in one of these choices.

I know of more than one person in my town who complain that DSL is full of problems. And, I'm very sure there are about the same number of people who love it. The same goes for cable. Sometimes, it seems it's just the luck of the draw. Unfortunately, I've had my cable ISP guys questioning their savvy, more than once.

If you are happy with your present situation, and not experiencing problems, stay with it. But, if something does happen, you have the info here to help you figure it out.

And, there are more than a few "techie" PIs who can assist you, if you come up against one of those insurmountable technology walls.

[Mark Aloise]

Originally posted by Deborah Woehr
Robert,

I'm glad I switched to Yahoo. There are several ISPs out there that might better suit your needs. Shop and compare.

I am an avid DSL user, and will probably never switch back. I have a brother in Melbourne, FL who is very happy with his AOL association, BUT, he recently moved and signed up with the dial-up service you can get at Wal-MArt. Low and behold, it is AOL, marketed under the WAL-maRT BRAND NAME, and it costs only HALF of what he's been paying for years. So far, he reports that the services are identical.

FYI,

Mark

[Michael Whiteaker -]

Originally posted by Mark Aloise


I am an avid DSL user, and will probably never switch back. I have a brother in Melbourne, FL who is very happy with his AOL association, BUT, he recently moved and signed up with the dial-up service you can get at Wal-MArt. Low and behold, it is AOL, marketed under the WAL-maRT BRAND NAME, and it costs only HALF of what he's been paying for years. So far, he reports that the services are identical.

FYI,

Mark
That's interesting. I guess there is a Walmart brand equivalent of just about everything?

I recently switched from Roadrunner cable to DSL. I was having connection problems. But, my problem was getting lost in the Time Warner cloud. In my area, Time Warner is the tech connection for Roadrunner, AOL, AOL Broadband and Earthlink High Speed Internet, just to mention the main ones.

This matrix of confusion has to have them on the road to customer problems like mine that just get lost in the cracks. I can't imagine another AOL copy via Walmart that is surely under their umbrella, too.

Time Warner recently decided to take the initials "AOL" off their logo and name. It seems the partnership might also be becoming a byproduct of the same confusion. Only time will tell (no pun intended).

Time Warner is huge. AOL is (well...was) huge. Bigger isn't better for the consumers, in the end. It just looks good on the stock market ticker.

[Michael Harris]

Michael/Mark,

I moved to the other side of my town about 7 moths ago and I got cable TV and cable Internet from Comcast. Comcast has always had trouble in my part of NJ, so I have trouble with the Internet connection.

I had AOL for years and too many people and companies had my AOL account(s). My estranged wife is too wedded to AOL to ever change. I still have her on my account.

My daughter and I are moving away form AOL. The problem is that I have AOL 9.0a on my desktop. This is so far superior to any other email that I have had. The anti-spam feature has cut down on my email - 75 or more emails a day.

Comcast mail did not even have a Reply All feature until Wednesday of this week. They also added some anti-spam features, but I have not had it long enough to test it.

As a browser, AOL is weak, but I always had IE running anyway.

I still have both IE and Netscape running - there are so many sites that can handle one and not the other.

If Wal-Mart is offering AOL for half of what AOL is charging, I would consider it.

[Thomas J Nicol]

Originally posted by Michael Harris
I moved to the other side of my town about 7 moths ago and I got cable TV and cable Internet from Comcast. Comcast has always had trouble in my part of NJ, so I have trouble with the Internet connection.

My estranged wife is too wedded to AOL to ever change. I still have her on my account.

My daughter and I are moving away form AOL.
Hi Michael, :)

I was pretty locked into AOL, myself, with my wife an avid user. The service was marginal, with me being knocked off "too often". The opportunity for hi-speed internet through local RoadRunner offered me the potential to increase speed, stop being dropped, and have better all around service. I was even one of the beta test sites in my area. :eek: :p

The biggest problem was to get my wife off AOL mail and onto Outlook Express. :( Once she made the jump of faith, with a bit of grumbling, may I add, to the new service, I think going back to the old speed would be prohibitive. Actually, she is using the internet considerably more since the change-over.

It's too bad about the service in your area. I get between 30 and 60 emails a day. Recently, I was out of town for a few days and upon arriving back, I had an enormous number of messages to wade through.

All the best with your service, but considering paying about $23.00 a month for dial up would raise a red flag for me. I guess if you could get the exact same service for half would be an option.

Have a great day, ;)

[Michael Harris]

TJ,

I pay $9.95 for AOL and will be leaving it soon. My estranged wife is concerned that I have the ability to read her email.

AOL and McAfee's Personal Firewall do NOT get along. AOL crashes daily. I will be out of AOL by the new year.

[Thomas J Nicol]

Michael, :)

That must be limited access for the AOL, since I'm pretty sure, in general, unlimited access costs $22.95 +/-.

Anyway, hi-speed is so nice! :p

Take care, ;)

[Michael Harris]

TJ,

I have the Bring Your Own Access plan. I have full, unlimited access to AOL for many accounts (I think were are down to 4). I alos have the very latest version (9.0a). There are some nice features in the email, but the rest of what they offer is minimal.

I travel and cannot use Comcast cable for my laptop; I use NetZero for that.

[Angela Virgo -]

Originally posted by John Fromm
If your running Windows XP,have AOL and want DSL your going to have to download a patch from AOL to be able to log on.

In my case,I found that I had to either keep my computer on 24-7 or download the patch everytime I wanted to log on.

I was disgusted by this and cancelled the service. I still have AOL dial up but thats about to change also .

Funny thing was, when I signed up for the service,which was about 4 months ago, AOL didn`t inform me of the compatability issues they were having at the time! It was only after I contacted them did did they say" Oh yeah were experiencing a compatability problem with XP right now blah blah blah"..

My experience with the set up was not a good one so anybody considering DSL while running XP w/AOL as your ISP . . . good luck to you .


:D Hey thank you John. I am using XP and have some difficulties myself. Any and all information is really helpful. I very recently switched from msn to earthlink, however the links through aol are sometimes too distressing.
:cool:

[Michael Whiteaker -]

Originally posted by Angela Virgo



:D Hey thank you John. I am using XP and have some difficulties myself. Any and all information is really helpful. I very recently switched from msn to earthlink, however the links through aol are sometimes too distressing.
:cool:
The problem with XP and DSL isn't AOL's fault. Well, I shouldn't say for sure, but there are problems with XP and most DSL connections, depending on the version of XP you have installed.

There is an installable patch, and that fixes it, as far as I know. I don't have XP, but I have a several friends who do. They all have a new enough version that the patch isn't needed, and their connection is fine.

My DSL provider said the patch fixes the issue. AS far as I'm concerned, I would be more apt to blame Microsoft for the glitch than AOL, at this point. AOL isn't always the cause. :)

[Angela Virgo -]

Originally posted by Michael Whiteaker

The problem with XP and DSL isn't AOL's fault. Well, I shouldn't say for sure, but there are problems with XP and most DSL connections, depending on the version of XP you have installed.

There is an installable patch, and that fixes it, as far as I know. I don't have XP, but I have a several friends who do. They all have a new enough version that the patch isn't needed, and their connection is fine.

My DSL provider said the patch fixes the issue. AS far as I'm concerned, I would be more apt to blame Microsoft for the glitch than AOL, at this point. AOL isn't always the cause. :)

;) At this point I am really apt to agree with you. MSN is not really rating high in my book either. Thanks for responding:cool:

[Glenn N Klipp]

I was on AOL for about 10 years or so. About a month ago, I finally came to my senses and ordered a local internet provider. I know pay half of what I paid for with AOL, have less connection problems, and find I miss very little. The weird thing is that when I tried to dislocate my AOL services, they insisted on giviing me this long spiel on why I should stay. When I tried to interrupt him, I was told if I did not let him continue, he couldnt disconnect my services. Sounds like blackmail to me.

[Angela Virgo -]

Originally posted by Kevin M Erick
I use earthlink dsl and I love it. Earthlink has a no spam filter that I couldn't live without after having it. no more deleting 50 e-mails to read 5. I too am also an EX-AOL user :D :D :D

I agree. I have recently changed to earthlink and I use an XP. I did find that I had a lot of problems getting AOL programs uninstalled from my computer. I had never used AOL, the the Comp USA, I purchased the computer from, had tried to install it at the time of purchase. AOL has a lot of problems when it comes to being compatible.:cool:

[Angela Virgo -]

Originally posted by Angela Virgo


I agree. I have recently changed to earthlink and I use an XP. I did find that I had a lot of problems getting AOL programs uninstalled from my computer. I had never used AOL, the the Comp USA, I purchased the computer from, had tried to install it at the time of purchase. AOL has a lot of problems when it comes to being compatible.:cool: :cool: Or disconnected.

[Michael Harris]

I had to lodge complaints with the Offices of the Attorney General in both Georgia (where EartLink is located) and in New Jersey (where I live).

EarthLink caused me so much trouble and computer damage.

I still have AOL (9.0 Optimized) and it has some nice features in e-mail - spam filter is the best I have seen. I am leaving AOL as soon as one of my family gets her own account.

I use Comcast cable and it is not UP offen enough to say it is 'always on'.

I am not happy with anything that I can use at home.

[Mark Aloise]

Michael,

I'm sorry to hear your tale of internet trouble. I used Road Runner in California, Verizon DSL on the west coast of Florida and now BellSouth DSL on the east coast of Florida. My brother, 23 minutes south, has Road Runner and loves it. The BellSouth has no spam or pop-up blocker and it's making me nuts. Version was okay.

For my money, Road Runner (although now owned by AOL) is still the best. I'll soon be relocating to New Jersey and intend to look into Road Runenr there as well, but not before some research. I have some friends in the city that have great success with MSN dial-up, but I've had high speed for so long, I'm afraid no dial up will make me happy.

Mark Aloise

[Michael Whiteaker -]

It is not always the company that will make your connection good or bad. With DSL, the city's phone system hardware has a lot to do with a good connection. DSL is still rather new technology and new technology needs a good connection. Older switching hardware can inhibit that. The closer you are to the local hub, the better for your connection and ultimate speed.

With cable, it has a lot to do with how the cable is used in your imediate location. Cable is run in continuous loops. They feed it out in several directions, but your connection could suffer if there are a lot of appartments close by. Your connection could be slower at times, because it is likely that whole appartment complex is on your loop. When another person is added to your loop or someone is a heavy user, your connection will suffer slighty.

Also, cable has problems, like anything else. Anything that exists in the extremes of weather will have problems from time to time. How fast your local company deals with these issues should also be part of your investigations in choosing.

I had Roadrunner, but had multiple problems keeping a connection. I found a way to reconnect on my own, but the local help didn't seem to want to find or couldn't find the problem. When one tech told me it could be the sun's heat on the cable causing my problem, I decided to make a change.

Time Warner and Roadrunner are now using commercials to get new customers to go with Roadrunner. The main tag of the commercial is their "UP TO 50%" increase in speed, and also the fact that Roadrunner is "nearly 50% faster than the basic DSL connection".

Don't be swayed by such commercials. Roadrunner in my area has a monthly charge of about $45. Basic DSL has a starting charge (for the first year) of $29. That will move to $39 after the first year. In my area, the best choice is to go with DSL, because you are saving money in the first year, and even the second year is cheaper.

True, the cable connection is faster, but to be 50% faster, you have to be in special areas where the cable is new and the connection is short, and there are no multiple dwellings connected with you. That's too many ifs, in my book.

Also, DSL has several choices. The basic will be $39 after the first year. There are at least two upper level choices which compete more with the cable. One is $49 (after the first year ot $39) and another is $59 (after the first year of $49).

These have more speed, up and down the pipe, and also offer more options within the package itself. There is only one option for Roadrunner and only one price.

Keep in mind that any DSL connection will be independant of any of your neighbors. So, your speed shouldn't change much in the course of a day. That is a real difference between cable and DSL.

BUT!!!!

The whole thing boils down to where you are in your local area. In some cities, cable is the preferred connection because DSL either isn't available or the system hardware is very old. Older cities can potentially have this problem, but again that is not always true.

So, when others say they like cable or DSL or Earthlink or whoever, that is only in their area. Unless you happen to live next door to them, you can't use that opinion, in choosing your ISP.

You should talk to people in your area to find out what works for them. In my city, some still prefer Roadrunner, as it works well for them. But, in my particular part of town, and on south from me, DSL is prefered.

This cable problem included Roadrunner, though Time Warner, and also Comcast connections. It seemed my problem was not local to just me.

As I said once before, it is the luck of the draw in some cases. But, if your neighborhoods like cable, and there are more than one with that impression, that is a good chance it will work for you. But, that also works for DSL.

Don't think that someone having problems with cable in New Jersey is going to mean you will have the same problems in Colorado. If you want to know about a connection problem, check with your neighbors or people in the area very close to your home.

Now, as for AOL, I wouldn't ever want it. It isn't cheap and it isn't easy to uninstall. It is possible, but the average person will have problems. One thing is that AOL adapter it installs. You have to get rid of that, and the uninstall doesn't seem to do it.

But, people are all different. I know some who LOVE AOL and wouldn't be without it. It does hae some good features in it, if you have kids that get on the Internet. You can control what they see and don't see.

My cable problems were through Time Warner. Were they because AOL is largely the owner of Time Warner? I would hope that isn't the case. I would prefer to say it was because Time Warner is so large, they don't see the individual as they should and just look at the total numbers.

If they have an X number of connections for a month, they are happy. It doesn't seem to matter if these connections are new or old, satisfied or unsatisfied. Of course, that's just my opinion and you should't use it as a template. I'm a little disgruntled from my experiences. :D

[Mary A Young -]

I will quickly chime in here and tell you I just love my DSL. Prior to this, I had ISDN and it was a real pain in the neck!

As far as internet security, I have just installed Zonealarm Pro and I couldn't be more pleased. It is supposed to be one of the stronger programs out there for security. I like it better than Norton as it seems to be more thorough.

Mary

[Mark Aloise]

Thanks for the info Mary, and thanks to Michael for some GREAT dialog on a very confusing subject!

This is what makes these forums so valuable.

Mark

[Alfonso Pelote]

I gave up AOL about 4 years ago, because of problems that they kept saying was due to Mirosoft. After, switching to MSN I have not had any problems. I now have MSN 9, for dial-up. I tried to get DSL but you have to be close to a DSL networking area.

[Michael Whiteaker -]

Originally posted by Alfonso Pelote
I gave up AOL about 4 years ago, because of problems that they kept saying was due to Mirosoft. After, switching to MSN I have not had any problems. I now have MSN 9, for dial-up. I tried to get DSL but you have to be close to a DSL networking area.
Keep in mind that MSN is obviously going to be compatible with Microsoft because it is made by Microsoft. But I would agree (from what I've seen of AOL) that it would be difficult for it to be compatible with much else. When you sign up with them, they supply you with all you need for a reason.

[G. Jean Davis]

I've had AOL for many years and switched to satellite connection a couple years ago. I've had many issues with AOL through the years and thank goodness I was in the tech support field as I had to do all the fixing myself. I just received the new modem from Direcway and had more issues with it. I finally got all those solved and it works well now. The only thing that affects it adversly is freezing rain. I get about 600 down usually and did not order the up as I never hardly upload anything. When you bring your own access, AOL switches you to that price plan which is 14.95 a month. The SAT connection is 39.95. Here in my local area the DSL is 60.00 a month plus your phone bill. I may switch to it later on after their prices drop. If anyone needs assistance with AOL or broadband issues. Please let me know. I keep AOL as all my friends are on there. Everyone have a great day. ;) http://www.aaa-clipart.com/data/icons/comp/comp2.gif

[G. Jean Davis]

I'm using Win XP and AOL 9. They work well together after you get the bugs worked out. They have a tendency to scrap it out to begin with. If you need help breaking them up, just let me know. :D

http://pupart.netfirms.com/sports/boxing/box5.gif

[G. Jean Davis]

http://nowgoplay.com/clipart/sprt/sprtpics/0028c.jpg

[Shannon Hudson]

Hey there,

I finally found your post and am hoping you can help me get this aol dsl thing working with my outlook 2002, Office XP.

This isn't a constant problem, but it is getting to be one.

Attachments drop, emails don't go, error messages like:

....Sending and Receiving' reported error
(0x800CCCof) :'The connection to the server was
interrupted. If this problem continues, contact your
server administrator or Internet service provider (ISP).'

AOL knows there is a problem, but doesn't offer support
for Outlook, I know there is a work around, but have no
idea what it is. I am able to use XP to work around
using their software (which they deny is possible
hahahah), but the problem remains. I am planning on
moving over to Bell South, but I afraid there still be a
problem-and the move is going to cost me since I need to
use a different line (new jack installed) to get the
residential service (cheaper) dsl as oppose to my home office line. They will have good
tech support I know, but I want to solve the problem now.
I believe it has something to do with the random ips the
dsls use for protection or what ever, but that is the
only guess I have.

PLEASE HELP ME ....

Shannon





Originally posted by G. Jean Davis
I've had AOL for many years and switched to satellite connection a couple years ago. I've had many issues with AOL through the years and thank goodness I was in the tech support field as I had to do all the fixing myself. I just received the new modem from Direcway and had more issues with it. I finally got all those solved and it works well now. The only thing that affects it adversly is freezing rain. I get about 600 down usually and did not order the up as I never hardly upload anything. When you bring your own access, AOL switches you to that price plan which is 14.95 a month. The SAT connection is 39.95. Here in my local area the DSL is 60.00 a month plus your phone bill. I may switch to it later on after their prices drop. If anyone needs assistance with AOL or broadband issues. Please let me know. I keep AOL as all my friends are on there. Everyone have a great day. ;) http://www.aaa-clipart.com/data/icons/comp/comp2.gif

[G. Jean Davis]

Try this and let me know if it fixes for you. I have lots of problem solvers so I can help you.


Go to Start>Run>>> type in cmd and hit enter
At command prompt type in ipconfig/release
then type in ipconfig/renew

That will release and renew your ip settings.

Please do let me know if this helps.

:)

[Mary A Young -]

I love your graphic! I need to find one for me!

Mary

[G. Jean Davis]

There are tons out there. I hope you find one that is just you.

Have a great evening. ;)

[Michael Harris]

Shannon,

I noticed that this was your first post in the IPIU forums. You need to go to the Introduction's Lounge to post information about yourself.

Once you have posted there, the Moderators and other experienced members will know that you are loose in the forums. Then they can give you all the advice and guidance you will need to make the most of your time in the forums.

W-E-L-C-O-M-E to IPIU and the IPIU forums!!! My personal advice is to read, read, read, and reread, then make some comments and read some more, and do not forget to have fun. :) :D :cool: ;) :rolleyes:

[G. Jean Davis]

If it ain't broke>>>> don't fix it.



Originally posted by Michael Whiteaker

Colleen, contrary to what some Information Systems people may want you to believe, computer technology is not rocket science. What works for one might not work for another.

This thread is only to advise you of what might happen, because of what others have experienced. It isn't intended to mean anything will happen.

The more advanced things are, more things can go wrong. Just because DSL and cable connections are faster and seem popular doesn't mean they will work for your needs. Faster isn't always better, when it is also more expensive. And, your particular area may not have good service in one of these choices.

I know of more than one person in my town who complain that DSL is full of problems. And, I'm very sure there are about the same number of people who love it. The same goes for cable. Sometimes, it seems it's just the luck of the draw. Unfortunately, I've had my cable ISP guys questioning their savvy, more than once.

If you are happy with your present situation, and not experiencing problems, stay with it. But, if something does happen, you have the info here to help you figure it out.

And, there are more than a few "techie" PIs who can assist you, if you come up against one of those insurmountable technology walls.

[G. Jean Davis]

Quote>>
I was pretty locked into AOL, myself, with my wife an avid user. The service was marginal, with me being knocked off "too often". The opportunity for hi-speed internet through local RoadRunner offered me the potential to increase speed, stop being dropped, and have better all around service. I was even one of the beta test sites in my area.

If your inclined to keep AOL and do not want to be knocked off frequently>> go to www.tpasoft.com and download the Terminator. It will stop AOL from knocking you off. It really works well. I've had it for years and never got knocked off again after intalling it.

:cool:

[David Byers -]

Originally posted by Mr. Craig Pifer
Just thought I would comment on what I have working here at home.

I use Direcway from DirecTV for my internet. It is a two way satellite system, and I enjoy it very much. I am one of those people that live in a small town where DSL and Cable Modems are not available. The intial cost of the equipment was a good chunck of change, but after you make it through that your monthly bill is just about the same as DSL or Cable Modem, I pay $59.99 a month.
I also have a second PC here at home that I have hooked up to a network, and it also connects to the internet through the satellite. They both work real well when two people are on them surfing at the same time. The only downfall is that some online games do not work because of the Latency factor involving the satellite.

MY OS on my main PC is Windows XP, and the OS on the Second PC ins Win 98. The only problem that I have had since I upgraded to XP is very once in awhile my PC will all of the sudden start dumping physical memory. I still have not been able to figure that one out yet. It will dump the physical memory, then restart itself like nothing ever happened. I upgraded my memory to 256mb (I had 128mb) because I thought that was the problem but it still does it every once in a while.:confused:

[David Byers -]

It is possible a program "Clean Ram" free download at Infonews. This might fix that problem, Craig.
David Byers

[G. Jean Davis]

Originally posted by David Byers


David,
The dump of physical mem is caused by drivers that are not signed by Microsoft. Try uninstalling whatever you have that said the driver was not signed. That will fix it. If you want to keep the program, try going to it's website and upgrading to xp driver. If nothing else, just put up with it. That is what I do cause one of my programs that is causing the driver problem I need.

Need anymore help, just let me know. :)

[Richard Maxwell]

I had AOL many years ago when it was the only way to use the Internet outside Mozilla. The service model is so outdated I find it sad that so many people pay a premium price for a mediocre service.

I use EARTHLINK DSL and my XP Home platform has never given me a problem. The new dial-up accelerators are not as good as DSL but they definitely speed up a dil in connection.

IMHO, if you're using AOL and you can get around easily, then you're Tech Savvy enough to use a less expensive ISP.

[David Byers -]

I have Netzero platinum(at $14.95), with accelerator, and am happy with it. their tech support is third party, but it is good.
David Beyrs Aspirant. :-)

[Shannon Marble]

thank you for the info.

[David Byers -]

You are quite welcome.

David Byers

[TC Infantino]

I have to say that I was a slow learner when it came to dumping AOL for a faster and more reliable connection. I switched from AOL to Netzero just 2 years ago. I found that you could have the Hi-speed NZ connection for $10 less than AOL. I was happy with that for a while. Now I have moved to an area that I can get DSL, and I am totally sold on it. I still use the free Netzero mail service, but I love the speed and reliability of the DSL connection.
I also have a home network, with 2 desktops, and a laptop. Even with all the computers surfing simultaneously, the speed is much better than dial-up. My service is only costing me $34 a month, and I got the DSL modem free during a special they were having.

[Michael Harris]

TC,

In my area, AOL is very reliable on dial-up; I did cancel after trying for many, many months. NetZero, on the other hand, sucks in my area. The dial-up numbers are the same ones I used for AOL.

I tried NetZero Hi-Speed and it was slower than the regular NetZero. I guess that it depends on where you live (or access the net). The only reason I have a dial-up is for my laptop when I travel on business.

I use cable at my home and office.

[John Zettler]

I use AOL at home, yet to use the forms, I have to jump over to Netscape. Not a major fan of AOL, yet I have tried Earthlink, and some how it freezes a lot on my computer.

I know if I was not able to come here due to AOL, they would lose my $ fast. At work I use DSL, and sometimes DSL has it moments..

John

[Michael Harris]

John,

I will not bore you with my horror story about Earthlink, but I had to leave them because they do not work well in my part of New Jersey.

[TC Infantino]

I kept the Netzero dial-up software installed on my laptop so that I would be able to connect when I am away from home, or if the DSL fails for some reason.
I also have a cable and software so that if I am in my vehicle or otherwise away from a phone line, I can connect with my cellular phone. I have tested the connection through my cell and I was surprised at the speed. This is something that would be great for a surveillance job if you need to keep a client updated.

[Michael Whiteaker -]

AOL, Earthlink, NetZero, DSL, Cable...they all have their problems. A lot of your connedtion speed will be decided by the area in which you live. In my part of the town in which I live, cable is lousy. DSL is great! But, in other parts of the same town, cable is good and DSL is bad.

Phone hardware has a lot to do with making DSL work. And, if you're close to the switch, that means you "should" have a good connection, most of the time. Cable working depends on how many of your close neighbors have it.

Dial up can also depend on the local access numbers in your city. Some can have noisy lines and modems don't like noise on the line. That can cause you're connection to stall, and even disconnect you in the middle of your browsing. Some ISPs have auto reconnect as a feature to get past that, but it still can be a hassle.

But, as for AOL, I think it's only worth it, if you enjoy it. And, this is only my opinion, but I think a lot of AOL users would enjoy another ISP, if they just had the option to try one for a while. A lot of people stick with what they know, too. They don't want to venture into something they aren't familliar with. I understand that, too. Nobody wants to get lost and have to constantly call someone for help. Independence rules!

[Michael Harris]

AOL, Earthlink, NetZero, DSL, Cable...they all have their problems. A lot of your connedtion speed will be decided by the area in which you live. In my part of the town in which I live, cable is lousy. DSL is great! But, in other parts of the same town, cable is good and DSL is bad.

Phone hardware has a lot to do with making DSL work. And, if you're close to the switch, that means you "should" have a good connection, most of the time. Cable working depends on how many of your close neighbors have it.

Dial up can also depend on the local access numbers in your city. Some can have noisy lines and modems don't like noise on the line. That can cause you're connection to stall, and even disconnect you in the middle of your browsing. Some ISPs have auto reconnect as a feature to get past that, but it still can be a hassle.

But, as for AOL, I think it's only worth it, if you enjoy it. And, this is only my opinion, but I think a lot of AOL users would enjoy another ISP, if they just had the option to try one for a while. A lot of people stick with what they know, too. They don't want to venture into something they aren't familliar with. I understand that, too. Nobody wants to get lost and have to constantly call someone for help. Independence rules!

Michael,

I do not usually quote an entire post, but yours summarizes the issue so well.

[Michael Whiteaker -]

Michael,

I do not usually quote an entire post, but yours summarizes the issue so well. Well, thaink you, for that. I know you agree that it's best to help people understand things as they are.

We aren't talking about toasters, here. A toaster will usually work the same where ever you put it, once given an electrical connection. From that point on, what counts is how well it toasts.

With an Internet ISP, it only starts with the electrical connection, and maybe you've heard how well one particular ISP "toasts" for a friend.

From that point on, it also involves an awful lot about the area where you live. Even how good the local tech support guy is, if you happen to need him.

It's good to see posters start off with phrases such as "in my area" and "my experience has been", because that's exactly the truth. :D

[Stacey Fjerkenstad -]

I use AOL Broadband with Windows XP and cable modem and have zero problems, in fact the pop-ups are all gone too! :)

[Danny Joines]

Several years back my first internet experience on our home computer was with AOL. At first we thought it was great, but then other family members would come over and get in the chat rooms and and I begain to get emails from porn sites and lunatics. I couldnt figure out what was going on so I began looking for help. A friend of mine who is Computer specialist informed me that the chat rooms was where the porn link was coming from. Evertime an email was opened that had porn in it somehow advertised to the porn sites that here is another "prospective customer". So we tried to ditch AOL. It took about 4 months to finally get them to stop billing us. Also I am told that if you buy a computer from someone used there cookies history becomes your problem and that this could also be why you recieve the porn spam. I currently have a dial-up connection with bellsouth and havent had a porn problem with my emails but i do get slews of emails from people in other countries wonting to send me millions of dollars for them to invest in the USA. I even reported this to the FBI once for fear that I would be tied in to an investigation of money laundering or aiding terrorists. I am now thinking of changing my email service to get away from this. I dont claim to know the solutions but these are some of the problems I have had. All responses to this are welcome.

[Danny Joines]

Just a note here... :)

I use dial up to AOL, and it can be slow, for sure, and the more graphics and streaming on the site you are URLing out to, the slower things get. But one of the reasons I prefer AOL is the email process is on THEIR computers (minimizing my exposure to worms, trojans, and other email nasties), and I don't have to depend on the highly virus-vulnerable Microsoft email softwares (Outlook, Outlook Express) to process my email.


:)

Could you please ellaborate more on the vulnerability of these softwares?

Thanks, Danny joines

[Michael Whiteaker -]

... A friend of mine who is Computer specialist informed me that the chat rooms was where the porn link was coming from. Evertime an email was opened that had porn in it somehow advertised to the porn sites that here is another "prospective customer". So we tried to ditch AOL. It took about 4 months to finally get them to stop billing us. Also I am told that if you buy a computer from someone used there cookies history becomes your problem and that this could also be why you recieve the porn spam. I currently have a dial-up connection with bellsouth and havent had a porn problem with my emails but i do get slews of emails from people in other countries wonting to send me millions of dollars for them to invest in the USA. I even reported this to the FBI once for fear that I would be tied in to an investigation of money laundering or aiding terrorists. I am now thinking of changing my email service to get away from this. I dont claim to know the solutions but these are some of the problems I have had. All responses to this are welcome.The AOL chatrooms could have been sending you cookies and those cookies had "feelers" in them. Depending on the type of chat room someone goes into, you might get different emails in response. But, porn doesn't always work that way.

Porn spam is an equal infector, for the most part. You might get one email at fiirst, but if you open some of them, they have the ability to send back code that says you did. It's just like when a friend might send you a message and wants to be notified when you read their mail. It works the same way.

Don't open any spam, especially porn spam. If it's set up that way, you will only get more spam, because they know you're is an active email account.

Now, back to the AOL chatroom as being the reason these porn emails began? That's possible, I guess, but I thought AOL was trying to be more holesome than that. But, spam is just a marketing tool, and people are paid to allow it. Spammers pay for email accounts, and if you signed up for a chat room, you might have had your address stolen or sold.

If you buy a used computer that has Windows already installed, it is possible you can get the previous owner's spam, to a point. Their Internect cookies could still be there, and if they are, other temp files could be, too. But if they are savvy users, they should wipe the whole computer out and start with a new Windows install.

I would never sell a computer with information of that potential on there. It's not professional, and it's also not very smart, either.

I' ve never received emails from strangers asking for me to help them invest their money in the U.S., but I know that happens. They are all spams, and that's a sneeky one.

I do, however, receive emails from my bank and credit card company telling me things have changed and I should verify my account info with the link they've provided.

I don't think so! Actually, those are not m bank or credit card companies. They don't do business that way. If they were to need that information, they would send me a letter.

Those emails are fake, just to see if I will send my account information to them. You'd be suprised how many people do, without thinking.

They are very real looking, with the correct Icons and such, but the text is usually not something a bank or credit card company would say. The wording is like it has ben spoken by someone that has English as their second languarge, or it has been analized and translated that way.

Watch out for those spammers, folks. They are constantly changing their methods of attack to get you to fall for it.

[Cheryl Gipfel -]

Michael,

Your article was awesome!! Thank you for taking the time to share. I very much appreciated that information.

Cheryl

[Michael Whiteaker -]

Michael,

Your article was awesome!! Thank you for taking the time to share. I very much appreciated that information.

CherylYou're very welcome, Cheryl. Upon reading it, just now, I really wish I had proofed it before posting. I guess I typed too quickly and actually left off some letters. That will teach me to be sure I proof and spell check next time.

And, with no "after the fact" editing possible, you sure better have all your letters in a row before you hit submit! :rolleyes:

[Cheryl Gipfel -]

Michael.

I am with you on the "no after the fact" editing - you only see the mistakes after you hit submit! ;)

Cheryl

[Kenneth L Myers]

I'm a long-time AOL user and so far I have no problems accessing the various forums. Should I experience any problems, I do have a Yahoo! e-mail adddress. I am near the end of my 2 year contract with AOL and looking to get DSL in keeping with the need for speed. I'm always open to new ideas and technology so any helpful suggestions is well received by me.

Kenneth L. Myers

[MARY L. HOGGE]

I guess not many people know that if you have DSL with one company you can still use AOL (broadband / DSL) at the same time. AOL will offer you a deal to keep you as a customer. Since you are not using their dial up services, but connecting thru another carrier they will allow you to keep your AOL service for only $9.95 a month. So far I have had not problems connecting to this sight using the AOL with the DSL. Just wanted to let you know.

[MARY L. HOGGE]

Just thought I might make mention a few things about AOL. I use XP as my operating system with no problems, I've had AOL for about 10 years now, yes the dial up has gotten pretty slow. I finally had to switch to a company with DSL. But I don't like it. I like the speed, I'm just not used to a different browser. I guess its all in what your used to. However, what you might not realize, AOL will allow you to keep your AOL service for only $9.95 a month since you are not accessing their dial up service. You are connecting thru the other DSL service. So far its working out really well and I've had no problems with it, nor with connecting to this site. I guess you can tell I like my AOL.

[Ruby Garson]

I would like to thank you all for the info. For now I will stay with what I have and hope for the best. And Pray that I don't get my computer Hijacked again. I tried to load one of those protection or detection softwares and I was so ignorant as to what I was supposed to do to set it up. I stopped because I didn't have a clue. I have a two of them downloaded on my computer, at least I did. I went somewhere and clicked on the most popular free ones. I did the download, tried to set it up and was stuck. I don't have the terms or tech. expertise. I know enough to be dangerous. that's about all.

At present I use I.E.(I believe it is 6.0), Cox Cable, not sure if it is DSL. I know I have to have a modum box or whatever it is to connect it. And mostly I use hotmail. I have a free Juno account that I reconnected on my dial up phone connection, but I don't use it much.

Recently, I came accross a Posted link suggesting I get a free AOL Email. When I did, I did the download OK, but when it tried to install it on my computer. It came back with an error about I.E. which before then, I wasn't having any problems. Then I went and downloaded the critical updates that they said were needed.

Since then, I have had one time where I got another error message about I.E. and that it had to shut down. Since then I have been using the Forums most of the day on I.E. without any problem. So who knows. You all have a good evening.

[Brenda Templin]

Just seeing a post with "AOL" in the title made my stomach turn. Of all the problems with AOL, getting rid of them is the worst. For those using AOL and happy with it, I hope it stays that way. For others who wish to cancel, start 2 or 3 years ahead of time trying to get rid of them. Maybe you will finally stop being billed some day.

I have to get out of here and adjust my attitude now. (Yes! My experience was that bad!)

[Rob Grimm -]

I feel the need, the need for speed! Once you go Broadband, you never go back!

[Ruby Garson]

Rob,

I wish I knew how broadband plays into the difference between Cable DSL and all the rest. :o I not only don't know much about any of it, I'm not sure about the details of what I do have. :eek: For all I know maybe Cable connection has broadband. Anyway I feel like I have enough speed, I just haven't figured out all the ins and outs of the technical language, :( so when it comes to protecting myself, I'm ignorant so to speek. :o Previously I posted all of what I have, not really sure if it is protecting me any though. :confused:
<marquee>You have a good night! ;) </marquee>

[Amalia Martinelli]

Before I had DSL I had AOL. Now I know a lot of people like AOL, but when I was with them, it was the worst time of my life. I had soooo many problems with them. And to top it all off, they were double charging my account for 3 months and I was never able to recover the money. My bank tried several times but AOL had some kind of story that they stuck to. I would never recommend them or ever even think about using them again. Just my 2 cents though. :D

[Rob Grimm -]

Hi Ruby,

You are correct! A cable connection is broadband. It doesn't get much faster than that. So, good for you in taking that step into the future. Dial-up is a single band of information and speed, hense the extremely slow speed. As far as protecting yourself, pretty much all internet services these days have protection against viruses, spam, identity, etc. However, if a hacker really wants to get into your computer, they will, and there isn't much that your internet service can do about it. There are all kinds of free protection software that you can download at download.com. I hopw this helps you. Have a good day! :)

[Richard French -]

Another good reason to read the forums! :) I currently have AOL (came free with the Dell). However, the six months are up and I am going with DSL. AOL is slower than Earthlink. I will follow earlier advice and get a Yahoo account as well. Thanks for the information.

[Mark Miller]

First off... The person saying that AOL in not an ISP is very wrong!!! AOL just happens to be the BIGGEST internet service provider in the world. Now, George was right when he said that AOL is an Internet Access Service because of their newly added broadband service which simply means that people with high speed internet access can go through AOL. I've been using AOL for 13 years and the only thing they lack is speed. When I originally signed up for IPIU I had no troubles at all with anything. To each his own when it comes to ISP's.

[Katrina Burton Todd]

I have tried AOL service but was not a satisfied customer. In my area I use Cox High-speed Internet service. It works great for me, becasue I do not have to worry about dial-up and trying to get on the net.

[Paul Franco]

I too have had several bad experiences with AOL. I was double billed and when I tried to recover my money. I dont recommend AOL at all.

[Michael Harris]

... In my area ...
Katrina,

This is the key - In my area,...

I have used several ISPs for my laptop (I traveled on business) and some work well in one part of the country and poorly in others. It depends on where you live. It is unfair to the major ISPs to bad mounth them based on one case.

I use cable at my home office - the same cable company who supplies my TV cable service. I use one of the new ISPs for my laptop. The one I use now works everywhere I have been - at least, in the last year.

[Cheryl Gipfel -]

I had AOL for six years and got my screen names hacked into twice. The first time was in early 98, the second time was last month after I updated to the Security Version.

I have since been searching for an ISP that I like. I did take IPIU's advice and acquired a Yahoo ID. That I do like.

Cheryl :)

[Michael Harris]

Cheryl,

Our names were hijacked three or four times. When that happened, AOL shut us down. I had to reestablish all the family passwords. It was a pain.

I have never talked to anyone other than an AOL user who had an email account name hijacked.

I am sure that they have fixed most of the problems. If I were a hacker, I would pick on AOL because they have so many members - ripe pickings.

[Michael Roberts -]

WOUld highly reccomend staying away form DSL if you have to download soft ware to use it. Local DSL really messed up my computer

[Chris Towns]

I still have AOL.It has worked fine for me in most cases.I do also have Yahoo,which also works fine.

[Lori Stime]

I have had a pretty good experience with them so far. I have had AOL for just over 3 years. While there are features that I do not like, for the most part I've been quite happy with what it offers me. We use DSL with SBC as our ISP. I have heard plenty of bad stuff about them though. Most of it old now. Just haven't had that experience myself.

It seems like such a hassle to switch.

Lori

[Brenda Templin]

I have had a pretty good experience with them so far. I have had AOL for just over 3 years. While there are features that I do not like, for the most part I've been quite happy with what it offers me. We use DSL with SBC as our ISP. I have heard plenty of bad stuff about them though. Most of it old now. Just haven't had that experience myself.

It seems like such a hassle to switch.

Lori

Lori, why pay for AOL when you have SBC DSL? You get email with your SBC DSL account. I had a VERY heated argument with an AOL rep who refused to just cancel my account like I asked, but instead he insisted that I HAD to have something besides my DSL account.

He said that I was obviously computer illiterate, and had no clue about how to use the internet, saying that SBC was just my ISP, and that I wouldn't be able to access anything if I cancelled.

I asked him how he supposed that I ran a very high traffic internet business of my own that hit the top 5,000 in Alexa ratings, and also managed dozens and dozens of memberships in other programs WITHOUT using AOL if I HAD to have it in addition to SBC DSL. They will tell you anything to keep you from cancelling your account. And it is VERY hard to report them. It probably wouldn't do any good anyway, because this is just the way AOL operates.

Every one of their reps I talked to was like this, although not quite as abusive as this particular one. I finally got the account cancelled after repeatedly telling one rep over and over..."cancel the account now", and even this conversation went on for more than 30 minutes before she gave up!

The reps are paid bonuses for every person they talk to that does not cancel, so when you call to cancel, the person that has the most time to stay on the phone wins! I spent close to an hour most times when I tried to cancel...they outlasted me.

It took me over a year, and numerous conversations, to get rid of them. I would never have AOL again even if they paid ME to use it!!

[DeNita Wilson]

:eek: Runs from AOL in horror.

I was the Head Computer Lab Assistant for a College here in Ohio. What I learned about AOL is that the software causes corruption in your computers registry files.

(Short Definition-Registry files tell your computer what to do and when to do it.)

Most software will have to 'talk' to your registry files in order to work. This is OK. However, AOL will reMove :eek: and reWrite :mad: some of these files so that it can function at an optimum level.

AOL doesn't give a hang :( if your other software programs need the removed or rewritten files. Eventually, your computer will crash. :mad:

Don't install AOL on your computer. (Avoid Compuserve, and Prodigy in all incarnations)


Use the disks as drink coasters, :cool: create some wall art, or use them as :o frisbees. Just don't install them.

[Jackie R Rutherford]

When I got my computer in the late ninties. I had dial up and then switched to dsl and that was a whole lot better. I am now on cable and i haven't had no trouble with the cable. I hope everyone have a great day. :)

[Joyce Jameson -]

I totally agree, I had AOL and had nothing but crash after crash, finally I wised up and got cable but when I called AOL to cancel my acct he was outright livid about it! When I refused to back down he said he was going to charge my card anyway, that was totally illegal but he did it before I made it to the bank, I had to cancel my card and get a new one issued, and they have an extra $29.00 of mine that they have no right to, my brother said he'd never heard of such a thing because AOL is terrific, well last month my brother canceled because he was moving, he ended up going through the exact same thing!
I cringe when I see AOL CDs in stores now, there's NO WAY I'd EVER go back to AOL! :mad:

[Freedom Torrence]

I'mSAorry to hear about everyones problems with AOL, I wish I had met you guys years ago, when friends of mine told me how bad it was going to get with those guys. :(

[Shawn Fair]

I dont believe DSL is faster than Cable. I guess nobody has the cable internet in my neighborhood.

[Antonios Simoglou]

I remember having AOL in 1995. Before that we use to dial up local b.b.s line/chats and share/download information along with chatting.