Can't connect with AOL.

[niknak]

My new laptop has pre installed Windows Vista and I can't connect with AOL(.uk or .com) using it.
Whilst some may say that's a good thing, when I dispensed with their services as my provider, I kept a free AOL email address to use for less important contacts and special offers/competitions etc and it's quite a useful thing to have.

Is it a Vista compatability problem or an AOL problem over the last 3 days?

[nurjio]

If you are running zone alarm, than you'll need a microsoft security patch. Turn off ZA, turn on Windows Firewall and connect to the m'soft update site.
:} nurj

[Keef]

I would say it's a great advantage, but I can see your short-term problem.

I have the opposite annoyance: people e-mail me, I reply with the information they ask for, then they phone weeks later to complain at the lack of response. AOL seems to block non-AOL e-mail for random reasons.

One day, there will be two Internets...

[niknak]

AOL is back up and running and I didn't have to do anything, perhaps the idea of a 2nd internet was too much for it to cope with....:p

[jimtherev]

Had a nasty case of the vanishing AOLs here in June-July, mostly at weekends and in the evenings. Since AOL is still my ISP - don't ask! - this meant I lost my internet connection for up to 75 minutes, then it was back again with no hint of aolpology. Note to self: stiffen the sinews & speak to those people at zen again!

[EI-WAT]

Had a nasty case of the vanishing AOLs here in June-July, mostly at weekends and in the evenings. Since AOL is still my ISP - don't ask! - this meant I lost my internet connection for up to 75 minutes, then it was back again with no hint of aolpology. Note to self: stiffen the sinews & speak to those people at zen again!

Did you ever think there was maintaince being carried out and giving them a call to check that before moaning. The majority of DSL problems in the UK are not the cause of the ISP but down to user themselves

[Scottie Dog]

My girlfriend is a keen fan of AOL and has been using in on an old XP laptop. She has recently inherited a Vista Home edition Aspire SA90-DB7J desktop pc and has problems trying to download the AOL version for Vista.

The download itself appears to run perfectly well, however when AOL attempts to open a connection it causes the computer to crash completely - with the result that it goes int reboot.

There appear to be three errors, but I am not computer literate to know what they mean, and AOL helpdesk are basically useless!!

1/ minidump\mini092108-01.dmp
2/ WER\49686-0.sysdata.xml
3/ WEREEE0-tmp.version.txt

The error code in the WER case seems to vary with each attempt to reload the program.

I have tried to load the program on my laptop and it runs okay, so it looks as if it is possibly a setting on her computer. I have tried looking at the security setting and there does not appear to be any difference between those on my laptop and her own.

Any help for a lady in distress would be appreciated.

Thanks

Scottie Dog

[EI-WAT]

The best thing for that type of issue would be a full system restore

[Scottie Dog]

EI-WAT

Only problem with that is that having inherited the computer from her late brother we have had to have the password changed. If we do a full system restore then it will presumably reset the original password and leave us unable to access the system again - or it that a worry that I am just imaginating?

Thanks

Scottie Dog

[EI-WAT]

A system restore wipes that computer back to new. So there would be no passwords on it

[Scottie Dog]

EI-WAT

Thanks for the info.

Can see what I will be doing this coming weekend!!

Cheers

[merlinxx]

Install Firefox, then get AOL via Google. AOL as an ISP are now awful ever since Carphone Whorehouse bought them. Call centres in India don't even suck, they know not how. I dumped AOL after 15 yrs, not had one snag since, AOL outages/snags were multi in a 24hr period with resolution time of 84hrs.

AOL now stands for something else rather then America On Line, I'll leave you to work that out. Suffice it to say, Carphone Whorehouse/AOL are lossing custom at a faster rate than any ISP in the UK.

PS Carphone Whorehouse is AOL.co.uk & Talk Talk & a few others, same crap, different name!

[EI-WAT]

LOL @ merlin AOL Broadband is actually expanding as an ISP not losing customers I should know I work for them, there was no way you could have being with them 15 years as the company has not being in the UK that long. Sounds like your just one of these people that like to do nothing but moan

[Keef]

Odd. I recall AOL being around in 1990 - I think via a separate UK service provider. I never actually used it, so memory may be playing tricks.

If AOL is growing in the UK, I'm surprised. Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AOL) has its usual problems, but gives an insight into the difficulties it is facing.

Carphone Warehouse, which bought AOL-UK, also operates TalkTalk. Both are in the "lower half" of the customer satisfaction ratings here (http://www.dslzoneuk.net/isp_ratings.php).

I believe AOL offer "free" connections in some circumstances - maybe that bit of the business is growing?

[Fly-by-Wife]

LOL @ EIWAT

Sounds like your just one of these people that like to do nothing but moan


Sounds like you are one of those people that like to do anything but think.

FBW