Computer help

[48Rob]

I need help from some of you computer folks.

When I go to AOL to check my mail, all goes well until I click on and read the mail.

Sometimes, but not always, when I'm done reading the mail, and try to close that window, it freezes up, and the "program not responding" window pops up.
When this happens, I close it, and I have to start AOL up again.
Good thing for high speed internet!

Sometimes I can open and read several mails before I get knocked off.
And sometimes it only happens when I open another window while reading the mail, such as an E bay notification of a watched item.
I open the link to view the item, view the item, but then when I try to go back to look at another item, it locks up again.

It does this on a regular basis while on AOL, but it has (rarely, twice) done so on another site.

Is this a problem or bug in my system, or is it something AOL is causing?

Rob

[Nitetimes]

For my money I'd blame it on AOL, switch to a different email, dump 'em and use Firefox.

Seriously tho, I haven't used AOL in so long I really couldn't say but it sounds like the same old same old to me.

[toypusher]

Rob,

If you wish to continue to use AOL, then your best bet would be to completely uninstall and then download and reinstall. Good luck!

[subtearanean]

Get yourself off of AOL......

Procure a freebie account, ie gmail, or something equivalent that will allow you to set up POP access in a decent email application.

Set your AOL prefs to forward all incoming mail to the gmail account.

Set a sig file to attach automatically to your outgoings (from the gmail account) stating that the AOL will be going away soon, and to note the new address.

After 6 months, all of the needed people you stay in touch with will have your gmail address.

Cancel the AOL account.

You'll never look back...........

[caryeastwood]

When I go to AOL....

That is your first mistake

I got off of "AOHell" years ago.

[mikeschn]

Well it sounds like the gang has said it all...

I got off of AOL in 1998. I never looked back.

Get yourself a broadband connection, and don't look back...

I use comcast for me email server, but if I ever drop comcast I'll be in trouble. One of these days I'll have to look for a good email address that doesn't have tons of spam... Yes I have Yahoo, gmail, and a few others, but have not really found anything that I really like... someday somebody will come up with the right email system... until then, I'll just wait.

Rob, you can probably get Comcast, AT&T or Adelphia in your area... do it... you'll like it!

Mike...

[subtearanean]

Mike....


What you need is not a provider that can filter the crap out for you, you need an email application that you can train to your own wishes.

Eudora (the paid version) comes to mind.

Me, I'm a Mac guy. I use Mail.app, comes with the OS. I'm 95% pleased with the automatic trainable filtering capabilities, and the 5% of angst hasn't gotten to me yet. I've got 8 email addresses set up in it (yes, they all do serve a purpose), and I can do "one stop" checking of them all.

[sdtripper2]

Rob:

As someone who held on to an AOL account even though I had high speed from another source. Let me say this if it isn't obvious by now. Get a free email account from "Hotmail, Yahoo, or Gmail" to name a few. Don't walk but run away from AOL. If you have any alternative just say yes and go for the first one you find and you will be better off than AOL.

That said ... do find a high speed net in your area either DSL or Cable if possible. AOL is like another layer of over head before you get to the net. It is bad seed or bad spawn in most peoples estimation.

You will look far and wide on this forum for someone that likes AOL that has any Internet savvy.

Rob: Just say NO and find another provider and if not a new provider use AOL to on-ramp but get a free email service and you will be much happier.

Best wishes,

[madjack]

...friends don't let friends AOL...send me an email madjack53 at Gmail dot com and I will send ya an invitation to Gmail...very hard to beat and there are a ton of other worth while tools available to Gmail account holders.......
madjack

[asianflava]

Wow, lots of AOL bashing. I hate them as much as the next person but I have my reasons why I keep them. They are offering something where you can keep your e-mail address for free even if you use a different ISP. You may want to look into that.

I hate the fact that their software is so invasive. It installs so much junk on your system. That said, I agree, uninstall it and reinstall AOHell and see if that works.

BTW: he is on broadband. You can use AOL with a broadband connection.

[Kevin A]

You will look far and wide on this forum for someone that likes AOL that has any Internet savvy.

Steve,

Ya ain't gotta look that far, I've been on AOL since Feb of 1996. I still use it exclusively for my e-mail. I also have broadband through the local cable company that I access AOL with. I'll admit that most of my internet useage is done outside of AOL, but I still utilize much of the content that is offered in AOL that until recently has not been available outside of the service. AOL is changing, they are opening up their content, free of charge, to anyone who has internet access through an independant ISP and is willing to download the software.

[sdtripper2]

Kevin:

So glad you are happy with AOL. I used it from 95 till 2006 and that was my fair share. I will let yourself and anyone else have all AOL thinks it gives you for benefits. After my nightmare with trying to get off their billing list, I have a little different opinion. Know they are changing with free services. They could have told me uP front that I could have had it all for free while I was working time and again to get off their service while paying~ Now we hear they are giving uP all browser searches by their users to the powers that be.

AOL's content isn't that great as far as I am concerned ... Kevin. I can get anything I want outside the fish net of AOL.

Again I am glad you are happy.
Still I say there are more out here that will say Nix on AOL even for FREE.

[curiouswill]

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,125772-page,8/article.html#


see what the PC World Magazine have to say about the top 25 worst tech product of ALL time.

Guess what is at number 1?

How do we loathe AOL? Let us count the ways. Since America Online emerged from the belly of a BBS called Quantum "PC-Link" in 1989, users have suffered through awful software, inaccessible dial-up numbers, rapacious marketing, in-your-face advertising, questionable billing practices, inexcusably poor customer service, and enough spam to last a lifetime. And all the while, AOL remained more expensive than its major competitors. This lethal combination earned the world's biggest ISP the top spot on our list of bottom feeders.

AOL succeeded initially by targeting newbies, using brute-force marketing techniques. In the 90s you couldn't open a magazine (PC World included) or your mailbox without an AOL disk falling out of it. This carpet-bombing technique yielded big numbers: At its peak, AOL claimed 34 million subscribers worldwide, though it never revealed how many were just using up their free hours.

Once AOL had you in its clutches, escaping was notoriously difficult. Several states sued the service, claiming that it continued to bill customers after they had requested cancellation of their subscriptions. In August 2005, AOL paid a $1.25 million fine to the state of New York and agreed to change its cancellation policies--but the agreement covered only people in New York.

Ultimately the Net itself--which AOL subscribers were finally able to access in 1995-- made the service's shortcomings painfully obvious. Prior to that, though AOL offered plenty of its own online content, it walled off the greater Internet. Once people realized what content was available elsewhere on the Net, they started wondering why they were paying AOL. And as America moved to broadband, many left their sluggish AOL accounts behind. AOL is now busy rebranding itself as a content provider, not an access service.

Though America Online has shown some improvement lately--with better browsers and e-mail tools, fewer obnoxious ads, scads of broadband content, and innovative features such as parental controls--it has never overcome the stigma of being the online service for people who don't know any better.

Just remember, anything that AOL offers, most people have everything, or can find it easily, for free.

[sjptak]

Rob, you can probably get Comcast, AT&T or Adelphia in your area... do it... you'll like it!

Mike...

Mike, Adelphia is no more. The Bankruptcy case was settled and Comcast and Time Warner cut Adelphia up.

I always disliked AOL. Had it for 2 weeks a long, long time ago. Even free, I didn't like it.

[48Rob]

Well...quite a can of worms!

Thanks for all the responses.

We stopped using AOL to browse the net a long time ago, when we got high speed cable.
I have 4 other E mail accounts, but really prefer the AOL version.
No pop ups, no ads, no wading through multiple pages.
Just quick and easy.
However, if the problem is indeed being induced by them, I'll have to change.

It's kind of like moving...I have my (aol.) address posted on so many sites, there is no way I can ever even dream about going back to change them.
And all the cards over the years I've handed out...

Once I change E mail, anyone who isn't quite close will not know how to make contact.
I suppose that is the biggest concern that comes with dropping them.

Guess I'll try removing the program, and re installing first.

Thank you for the tips and advice!

Rob