AOL without AOL !!!

Hi all,

Friend has an AOL broadband connection on a BT line, which he likes, but
wants to 'do away' with the AOL clutter.

having never had AOL and never being interested in it, I would presume
he has to stop the software running, then use proxy servers to log onto
AOL to do his 'normal' browsing, email collections etc.

However ... even if the above were that simple, I don't know what to
advise him on how to make the changes, what to use as a proxy, what
numbers to put where etc, so can anyone help, please? A pointer to a
website describing the process would certainly help. Google has been
singularly unhelpful, or maybe that's me just searching badly.

He's remote from me so I can't do the changes for him and will have to
'hold his hand', over the phone, while he does it himself.

Here's hoping.

Cheers.

--
The Caretaker .........

> He's remote from me so I can't do the changes for him and will have to
> 'hold his hand', over the phone, while he does it himself.
>
> Here's hoping.
>
> Cheers.

I setup a friend with a router and she just uses that to access AOL
using Firefox, OE etc. She access her mail through the AOL web site.
She has no AOL software on her pc.

HTH

Dave

On Wed, 16 Nov 2005 17:56:28 GMT, The Caretaker
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Google has been
>singularly unhelpful, or maybe that's me just searching badly.

the latter.

You can use the DUN connectoid directly if its a USB modem or use a
router. With the DUN connection established you just use whatever you
want over TCP/IP, no proxy or AOL cheeseware required.

try "AOL direct connection no software" in Google.

Phil
--
Tiscali - dialup speeds at Broadband prices, see
http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/postlist...&Board=tiscali

AOL - the unlimited ISP of choice for heavy downloaders.

"The Caretaker" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:gpKef.18880$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi all,
>
> Friend has an AOL broadband connection on a BT line, which he likes, but
> wants to 'do away' with the AOL clutter.
>
> having never had AOL and never being interested in it, I would presume
> he has to stop the software running, then use proxy servers to log onto
> AOL to do his 'normal' browsing, email collections etc.
>
> However ... even if the above were that simple, I don't know what to
> advise him on how to make the changes, what to use as a proxy, what
> numbers to put where etc, so can anyone help, please? A pointer to a
> website describing the process would certainly help. Google has been
> singularly unhelpful, or maybe that's me just searching badly.
>
> He's remote from me so I can't do the changes for him and will have to
> 'hold his hand', over the phone, while he does it himself.
>
> Here's hoping.
>
> Cheers.
>
> --
> The Caretaker .........

I used to use AOL Broadband without the AOL software. Just buy a cheap
router which keeps you logged in then access sites via firefox or IE. It's
actually quite a good service when you do away with the software. I moved to
Plusnet earlier this year looking at the cheap price tag. BIG mistake is all
I am going to say. I think I will be moving back to AOL at this rate.

Phil Thompson wrote:
> On Wed, 16 Nov 2005 17:56:28 GMT, The Caretaker
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> Google has been
>> singularly unhelpful, or maybe that's me just searching badly.
>
> the latter.
>
> You can use the DUN connectoid directly if its a USB modem or use a
> router. With the DUN connection established you just use whatever you
> want over TCP/IP, no proxy or AOL cheeseware required.
>
> try "AOL direct connection no software" in Google.
>
> Phil

Remember, the drivers that come with aol modems are PPOE. Aol use, mostly,
the voyager 100 or voyager 105, get the regular (the ones that all the other
uk based isps use) PPOA drivers for that model, install them and put the
persons main (E-Mail Removed) and their password should be fine.

Beware there are certain restrictions on the username and password usage,
such as your password has to be a specific length, and the username cant
contain capitals, just follow the instructions for login into a router....

Gaz

On Thu, 17 Nov 2005 07:42:18 -0000, "Gaz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Remember, the drivers that come with aol modems are PPOE

not sure why that should be a problem, as Windows XP includes a PPPoE
client. Will PPPoA work on AOL now ?

Phil
--
Tiscali - dialup speeds at Broadband prices, see
http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/postlist...&Board=tiscali

AOL - the unlimited ISP of choice for heavy downloaders.

On 17 Nov 2005 08:04, Phil Thompson <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>not sure why that should be a problem, as Windows XP includes a PPPoE
>client. Will PPPoA work on AOL now ?

When a neighbour's connection was regraded a router lent to him with
PPPoA worked, while the (several) attempts to get the USB drivers kept
failing, with one part describing PPPoE and another place suggesting
PPPoA in use. He was eventually told (by AOL after a few hours on
their 0870 number... the switch from 0800 also happened around the
same time) that he would have to contact his PC vendor (it was out
of warranty and anyway, why would Dell care about problems with a
USB modem not working on AOL ?!?)

I went over and went through the same procedure with the AOL people
and uninstalling and reinstalling still left the USB unusable. He
now has a router from Ebuyer and is happily using 2000 kbps PPPoA.

I think the next time he has any problem with AOL will be his last
with them, as he feels he is ready to save a tenner a month :-))

--

UK ADSL <http://tinyurl.com/5jpa4>... Saving with Plus.Net.
50+ GB of traffic last month, on Broadband Plus at only 14.99.
Unsuitable for heavy downloaders, fine for video/audio streaming.

The Caretaker wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Friend has an AOL broadband connection on a BT line, which he likes, but
> wants to 'do away' with the AOL clutter.

Thanks for all the pointers, it seems even simpler than I thought.

Appreciated.

--
The Caretaker .........

Phil Thompson wrote:
> On Thu, 17 Nov 2005 07:42:18 -0000, "Gaz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> Remember, the drivers that come with aol modems are PPOE
>
> not sure why that should be a problem, as Windows XP includes a PPPoE
> client. Will PPPoA work on AOL now ?

Yes. Just put in your (E-Mail Removed) make sure your username does not have
capitals or none alphanumerical characters, and your password is at least
six characters.

Gaz


> Phil

"The Caretaker" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:AHYef.64$(E-Mail Removed)...
> The Caretaker wrote:
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Friend has an AOL broadband connection on a BT line, which he likes, but
>> wants to 'do away' with the AOL clutter.
>
> Thanks for all the pointers, it seems even simpler than I thought.
>
> Appreciated.

It may be possible to run AOL without the AOL interface but "your friend"
will miss out on things like announcements, upgrades, security patches and
the like. As far as I know these can only be received via the interface.
What I do is run a program to recover and defragment RAM immediately after
connecting to AOL which seems to guarantee a reasonably long on-line session
without technical problems..

(kim)