OT: Anyone here use AOL?
jfkheat
Posts: 2,740 ✭✭✭✭✭
I have been using AOL for about 20 years. I know a lot of people don't like AOL but I'm comfortable with it and I don't want to have to learn my way a new internet provider. Well, I was comfortable with it until a couple weeks ago. A couple months ago AOL started sending out emails telling it's users that we needed to download AOL Gold and that the AOL 9.8 I was using would be eliminated. I downloaded the new version and tried it but didn't like it so I stopped using it. A few weeks ago I signed on to the old AOL and was immediately kicked online. I got a pop-up that said that the old version had been eliminated and that I had to start using AOL Gold. So I switched over. The new version is terrible. It takes a long time to send emails with attachments. About every 4th or 5th page I try to open has issues. I click on the link the first time and a white page opens, I close that and click again. The second time, the white page opens and a couple seconds later the AOL search page opens. I close both of these pages and click a third time to finally open the page. About once an hour the sign on screen will pop-up with an error message. Once I close that I'm good for another hour of so. I have been having some issues with my computer over the last few months. I thought some of these issues with AOL might be caused by the computer issues I was having so I bought a new computer last week. I'm still having AOL issues. I have looked online at reviews of the new AOL and a lot of people are complaining. One would that a huge company like AOL would have all the bugs worked out of a program before MAKING their users change over. In some of the reviews I read, the person called AOL but there was no fix for he problems. Maybe it is time for me to learn a new ISP. Sorry for the long rant.
James
PS, I can't get my scanner to work with the new computer and Windows 10. I can't find the disk for the scanner and when I try to download what I need from the Canon site it won't open on the computer.
Comments
I don't use AOL but many months ago my computer upgraded to the latest edition of
windows without my permission, (I guess my computer doesn't think I'm capable of making the decisions)
and ever since then my scanner won't work. My computer no longer recognizes it as compatible
or something.
which model scanner do you use?
myslabs.to/smzcards
Canon Canoscan 9000f. My computer finally recognized the scanner and I can scan cards but the scans don't open in the same place as they did on the old computer. The scan quality is bad and I have to make a lot of adjustments to try to make it look close to what the actual card looks like. Here is a scan with no adjustments and one of the same year with the old computer,
James
Be patient. It hasn't even been 24 hours since you posted this so you're not going to see responses from AOL users until at least another 12 hours. (sorry, it was floating right out there I had to say it
)
Arthur
AOL LOL WTF SOL
I use apple, I do have an AOL email that pushes to my phone but I too had problems with AOL a few months back. I opened up a Reagan email account and will overtime just give out AOL to see those weird pictures of folks doing funny stuff. LOL
Best place to buy !
Bronze Associate member
I think it's time to just bite the bullet and move over to a new product. I think realistically that is something that is going to have to happen sooner or later so might as well do it now.
Arthur
You referred to AOL as your ISP. Are you still using dial up to access the internet? Is there no local high speed ISP provider in your area?
I live in a small town with no traffic light or post office. The small local phone company is the only way to get high speed internet. I pay for service to the local phone company and access AOL through them.
James
Not sure, but you could use HughsNet. Its one of those satalite internet thingys. I don't know anyone that has used it, so I don't know, but it does cost a bit up front I think.
I'm not interested in going to a satellite type of internet service. I have read that the service is terrible. As I said earlier, I have been with AOL for almost 20 years. I'm familiar with it. I'm old and don't like change. I don't want to have to learn my way around a new ISP.
James
Do you have cable?
No cable. I have Dish
James
You mentioned the AOL e-mail and issues with attachments. I am pretty sure once you are connected to the internet you could sign up for a gmail (or one of many other) account and use that e-mail instead of your AOL e-mail when you need to send attachments.
Get your internet through them. And use Chrome as your browser. You'll be 1000% happier after 1 week in.
do NOT even attempt hughes.net
if i had the choice, id rather insert one of those "1000hrs for free" aol compact discs into my computer.
we tried them at our vacay home for a week. entire service was flaky, at best.
we have since moved on to an att mobile device which is cheaper, 5x's faster, allows faxes, provides a "land line" and more importantly all works whether its sunny or snowy outside. plus it has a back-up battery and can be taken on the road and/or used when the power goes out.
I live in a small town with no traffic light or post office. The small local phone company is the only way to get high speed internet. I pay for service to the local phone company and access AOL through them.
James
It doesn't sound like you're using AOL's dial up service as your internet service provider. It sounds like you have modern higher speed internet service with your phone company as your ISP, and what's killing you is running the bloated and unnecessary AOL software as your internet search browser. If that's the case you don't need to run the AOL software to access the internet. It's like running with malware or a virus and will slow everything. As mentioned above use Chrome as your search browser and sign up with a gmail account and set it up to run your aol email. When up and running go into add/remove programs and remove all traces of AOL programs.
AOL is just a platform. Your internet access, if it's through your phone company, is a DSL connection. You can use any browser for internet usage. Chrome is the most popular platform in use today.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
What you guys don't seem to understand is that the problem is not with how I access AOL. The problem is with the new AOL Gold that they made people switch to. I have been accessing AOL through the local phone company since service was available here. I've never had any problems until now. Do a search for AOL Gold reviews and you will see that many people are having issues with it.
Why are you even bothering to use AOL, though, as your browser? Especially if the new format is no longer appealing. Chrome is a lot easier and you can still go to AOL.com to check email, etc.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
You can also easily set up forwarding to have your AOL email go to Gmail - a much, much quicker and easier to use interface.
I guess this is all a roundabout way of saying that the problem isn't the version of AOL - it's AOL itself. There are way easier options that have been recommended here that involve little-to-no new "learning" and solve a bunch of really annoying problems that you're surely having due to utilizing pretty dated software.
This is what I get for making jokes.
I actually have an AOL address. It was the first email address I ever got and I haven't used it in over a decade. But it's operational and what I use whenever I need to provide an email address to someone that I don't really want to give my real address to. Well, it's also the email address PSA has and sure enough, I have a sub there now. Can't get in to check my email.
Did you try the stamp forum?
I do not use AOL but I did what the OP suggested and searched the gold version and complaints. AOL gold seems about as popular as the Grader Of Death is on this board