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America Online

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interlaced

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 16, 2005
564
2
Argh, so I hate this program and I never use it. But I have to install it on my PB for my mom when she visits since AOL is all she knows. She thinks she needs to be on AOL in order to use the internet, even though I'm permanently online through a wireless router. I've tried to install it on my Mac, but it keeps hanging during the connection process, saying that there was an error in the connection. No clue what is going on. Can someone help me out?
 
WHY!???

Take ten minutes, sit her down, and explain the internet. Tell her there are different companies that allow you to "explore" the internet, and that AOL is just one (crappy) way of doing so. Show her how to enter urls, search, check her email, and use AIM (iChat; if applicable). Make drawings if you have to! There is no need to go through all this trouble. Your time would be better spent coaching her for another ten minutes while she discovers the better side of internet browsing.
 
Toreador93 said:
WHY!???

Take ten minutes, sit her down, and explain the internet. Tell her there are different companies that allow you to "explore" the internet, and that AOL is just one (crappy) way of doing so. Show her how to enter urls, search, check her email, and use AIM (iChat; if applicable). Make drawings if you have to! There is no need to go through all this trouble. Your time would be better spent coaching her for another ten minutes while she discovers the better side of internet browsing.
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That sounds simpler then it sounds, i have tried for so very long to get my mother to not use the aol client but she always goes back to it even if she doesn't for a while. The mac aol client just sucks, way to out of date. Well if she is using AOL mail use this to set it up so that her aol mail is automatically forwarded in to Mail.app. http://downloads.channel.aol.com/macproducts

the aol service assistant will set mail.app properly as i said as well as get all her book marks and other things of that nature from the aol client. It works well give it a go. There are a few other useful little apps on there for working with the aol services but not having to use the aol client. :)
 
Tell her AOL went out of business. If she asks why she keeps seeing commercials and CDs from them, tell her that the "local" AOL went out of business and that she has to use what you normally use for Internet access.

Also add that the email accounts were bought out by your current ISP and that's why they still work. :D

Desperate times call for desperate measures.
 
Seasought said:
Tell her AOL went out of business. If she asks why she keeps seeing commercials and CDs from them, tell her that the "local" AOL went out of business and that she has to use what you normally use for Internet access.

Also add that the email accounts were bought out by your current ISP and that's why they still work. :D

Desperate times call for desperate measures.
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Haha!! Brilliant! Deceiving your mum, thats dark! :D
 
I use AOL and will admit it sucks. If my needs were not as simple as they are, I might actually do something about it. Maybe things will be reviewed when I buy my new Mac.
 
Deepdale said:
I use AOL and will admit it sucks. If my needs were not as simple as they are, I might actually do something about it. Maybe things will be reviewed when I buy my new Mac.
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Oh indeed! Review things! My dad used to use AOL and its like cyberfascism. I hate it. I do feel for you :(
 
I agree, just lie to her a bit, say there is no AOL client for Mac but you've got a really good internet connection program made by microsoft...
 
Has your mom always used AOL on a Mac? The PC version is tolerable at the most, but the Mac version is horrible. I never had any luck with it. I really wish you could talk her out of using AOL...they are such a rip-off. Plus, you don't need a software program like AOLs to bog down your system just to surf the internet. But I know how people can be set in their ways. ;)
 
jadekitty24 said:
The PC version is tolerable at the most, but the Mac version is horrible. I never had any luck with it. ... they are such a rip-off.
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I've been an AOL subscriber since I bought my first computer (Performa 578) in 1995. Over that span I have posted many messages to various boards in their television and entertainment area.

Approximately four months ago some change was made on AOL's end that made it impossible for me to continue posting to those same areas. Monthly fee of $23.90 is a ripoff when also considering how regularly the connection is abruptly ended.
 
I know that AOL is awful, but I've had that e-mail address for a really long time and am not quite ready to give it up. That said, I'm having the same exact problems connecting and have tried the service assistant with AOL and it gets hung up importing my address book. I've got a MacBook and have talked to AOL and Apple about getting onto AOL and have had no luck at all.
 
eml711 said:
I know that AOL is awful, but I've had that e-mail address for a really long time and am not quite ready to give it up. That said, I'm having the same exact problems connecting and have tried the service assistant with AOL and it gets hung up importing my address book. I've got a MacBook and have talked to AOL and Apple about getting onto AOL and have had no luck at all.
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back when the first of the intel macs started to appear somebody posted an explanation of how they got AOL working on their new intel imac (I think it was an iMac but might have been a MBP).....it required an odd step or two during installation but it worked. I don't remember the details but if you search back through these forums you should find his explanation.......good luck!
 
Deepdale said:
I've been an AOL subscriber since I bought my first computer (Performa 578) in 1995. Over that span I have posted many messages to various boards in their television and entertainment area.

Approximately four months ago some change was made on AOL's end that made it impossible for me to continue posting to those same areas. Monthly fee of $23.90 is a ripoff when also considering how regularly the connection is abruptly ended.
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I've had that kind of experience with AOL features too....AOL does indeed quietly update and make changes to things without announcement and you can find yourself using out of date software without realizing it. In my caase, the fix was to download the most recent version of the AOL software and reinstall.....so try that if you havent updated their software recently
 
Yes... do your mother a favor and teach her not to use AOL. I would never let my parents continue to use such garbage... even if they complained.

My dad sure complained about giving up his Mac IIsi for an iMac. Do you think that stopped me? No... a simple unplug of his HD when he wasn't looking.. and he got an iMac, and the IIsi wasn't harmed in any way. I "magically" got his files off of it for him, too.
 
dpaanlka said:
Yes... do your mother a favor and teach her not to use AOL. I would never let my parents continue to use such garbage... even if they complained.

My dad sure complained about giving up his Mac IIsi for an iMac. Do you think that stopped me? No... a simple unplug of his HD when he wasn't looking.. and he got an iMac, and the IIsi wasn't harmed in any way. I "magically" got his files off of it for him, too.
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Easier said than done... It took me three days to get it in my mom's head that to get her digital photos to her computer she has to plug in the usb cable.
 
adk said:
Easier said than done... It took me three days to get it in my mom's head that to get her digital photos to her computer she has to plug in the usb cable.
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That gets her a "Way to Be" award.
 
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