AOL on XP

[FrankSG]

I just bought a new computer. It's a HP Pavilion 502n. The OS is Win XP.
I like it fine, but it came bundled with AOL--and there is a *lot* of it. AOL is all over the place. I don't like AOL, never did and probably never will. What sort of ticks me off is the fact that there is no way that I can see where I can even remove it. I went to Add/Remove in Control Panel and I don't see it there. I don't want to just go and delete the folders as that's not the proper way to un-unstall. So, does anyone know of a way to get rid of it? Would appreciate your help. Thanks. Frank

[Paul Komski]

THIS (http://bizforums.itrc.hp.com/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,,0x16e6ed6464a6d611abdb0090277a778c,00.html) seems to indicate that you can just delete the folders. I would imagine you can also delete the AOL DUN if it has been installed. Only other thing would be to then run a RegCleaner - but I know that AOL just likes to "take over your pc". :mad:

Also if there are any AOL adapters in the Networking Settings they will also have to be removed. (http://www.techsoup.org/qod_answer.cfm?qotdid=276&topicid=2)

.. and Google Uninstall AOL (http://www.google.com/search?q=uninstall+aol&sourceid=opera&num=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8)

[FrankSG]

Thank you Paul. I went to the sites that you directed me to. From the information that I got there along with reading what someone else from the forum sent me, I concluded that the reason I couldn't find AOL on the Add/Romove was because it really was not installed. On my hard drive were a lot of AOL files. Most of the files were in a bloated folder called AOL. This folder (AOL) was a sub-folder of another folder called OnLine Services. One of the files in the AOL folder was AOLSETUP.EXE along with a lot of other folders. There was another folder called INTERNET SIGNUP which had a "ton" of AOL files. So, all in all, all the stuff I was looking at was just to install AOL and to use it after installing. So, I just went ahead and deleted the bloated ALO folder. I say "bloated" because the size was over 70MG. Before I deleted it, I of course, went into System Restore and created a Restore Point in case things didn't work out. So far everything works just fine. I guess I mislead everybody into thinking that AOL was actually installed. Sorry about that. That was the only mistake I made that day.
But, then, that was the only thing that I did .
Frank SanGregory :) :)

[Paul Komski]

Glad you got your space back.

I am considering signing up to AOL since, in Ireland, they are now very competitive as an ISP for off-peak unmetered access - BUT - I don't really want all their stuff on my pc.

Anyone know if one can use them as an ISP without having to use their "browser/interface" or does this have to be running and minimised? :confused:

[Mitch Hatfield]

Hi Paul

My advice, for it's worth.:D

Steer well clear of Aol - it's very bad news for your system. It's just Like an octopus!!!!!!!! "Aohhell" is how a lot of folks refer to it.:rolleyes:

What about Freeserve, excellent for unmetered access, or Iiscali.... in the RoI, I really don't know?

I don't suppose that you have Broadband where you live?

Hope these comments are of some use to you.:) :)

[Paul Komski]

Unfortunately, in low-populated rural areas, there is very little choice. No Broadband for the forseeable future here. ISDN is available for what is called "high speed" but a total rip-off (always metered and pay for two telephone lines and their rental). Up until Easter I got 48K on a 56K modem, nowadays it is only 20K!! most of the time (just no bandwidth) though up to 38K after 2am. :mad:

Just to put in some values; ISDN (at the max of 128K) will cost 85euros/month rental, PLUS 5.80euros/hour (peak) or 1.50euros/hour (off peak)!! Euros and US$ are about the same nowadays.

[Paul Komski]

Funny coincidence; but I just came across THIS PAGE (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/26931.html), which may be of special interest to any Irish Peeps, which in turn points to THIS ONE (http://www.eircomtribunal.com/index.html). (The satirical comments referring to "Tribunals" may be lost on those outside Ireland).

[Fruss Tray Ted]

Today 04:40 PM
Where you say your connection speeds halved themselves, brings to mind the fact that I choose to dial into my isp with their own shortcut. That way I can heart if it dials twice. Reason is, if it dials once my connections are 53.333kbps versus 38.000kbps if it 'stalls for a sec' and dials a second time. If the latter, the 'logging in' takes nearly double as long too. ;)

Bear in mind, this has nothing to do with OS. :rolleyes:

[Paul Komski]

FTT not sure if that was directed at me?

I'm pretty sure that mine is a bandwidth problem, since if I stay on line until the early hours (even without redialling) the speed picks up. It is one of the reasons I have become an owl and not a cockrel! :D

I think what probably goes on with a "double-dialling" is that it could create a delay in connecting to the ISP's modem. On first dialling-up, a modem will try to connect at the ISP's fastest available speed. After a delay it will try a lower speed. This can be done on purpose (since a lower connection speed can sometimes create a better connection) by putting in two commas immediately after the telephone number. This creates a four second delay and allows the lower speed to be chosen. ;)