Quick question re ISP's and Roadrunner..

[C.Ann]

Good morning, all!

I'll be moving my computer over to my DD's house within the nexr week or two and I have a question about their internet service..

They have Roadrunner - and I belive their ISP is MSN...?? (Not sure how that works or if I'm correct in that statement though..) Anyhow, their computer has become SOOOOO infected with pop-ups the darn thing is practically useless.. So - when I bring mine over there, is there something that I should do right away so it won't happen to mine as well?

Also - how much of a hassle will I get from AOL when I try to cancel? I have heard that they simply won't take "no" for an answer - and often continue the automatic billing via checking accounts.. I was thinking of telling them I just won't HAVE a computer anymore (so they won't give me the speel about "free this, free that", etc..)

And when I change to the Roadrunner and MSN, is there anything else I need to change other than my email addresses? Do I need to change anything here on the DIS?

Thanks all.. I'm still not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to computers and the internet.. LOL

 

[Molly Meow]

I'll try to answer your questions.

"They have Roadrunner - and I belive their ISP is MSN...?? (Not sure how that works or if I'm correct in that statement though..) Anyhow, their computer has become SOOOOO infected with pop-ups the darn thing is practically useless.. So - when I bring mine over there, is there something that I should do right away so it won't happen to mine as well?"

No, all of that is happening on that specific computer, not the internet service. Yours will be fine as long as you don't hook them up to each other.

"Also - how much of a hassle will I get from AOL when I try to cancel? I have heard that they simply won't take "no" for an answer - and often continue the automatic billing via checking accounts.. I was thinking of telling them I just won't HAVE a computer anymore (so they won't give me the speel about "free this, free that", etc..)"

They're a pain in the butt. Just be firm, and go with your plan to tell them you won't have a computer. Expect to receive things in the mail from them for quite some time. For extra assurance, you can get the name and operator number of the rep you talk to, and tell them that if they take money out of your account that is not owed to them, then you will pursue legal action.

"And when I change to the Roadrunner and MSN, is there anything else I need to change other than my email addresses? Do I need to change anything here on the DIS?"

No, all you really need to do is change your email address, and get the software from the new internet company. Your DIS account will be fine.

Hope this helps!

 

[oogieboogie]

1. Get Spybot and Ad-Aware and run it on the infected computer. That should help get rid of the pop-ups that are caused by spyware.

2. Go to Roadrunner, sign up and get the EZ Armor suite. It has firewall, anti-virus, and pop-up blocker. Install this on each computer.

3. Get a router. Don't care if it's wired/wireless. Routers have built in firewall software, which will protect you.

4. (Optional) - Change your browser to Mozilla firefox, or Opera. These 2 have built-in pop-up blockers. You'll see a dramatic decrease in the number of pop-ups immediately. Junk IE.

5. Most of these ISP (whether RR or MSN) have an email address importer which allows you to take your address book to the new provider.

6. Never dealt with AOHell, but I say just be absolutely firm!!!!

7. The DIS will stay the same. Everything on the internet will not change. Only your email address changes.
If you're up to it, you can get a browser based email address like hotmail (which is MSN's puppy), yahoo, gmail from google, etc and use that for your DIS emails. Then you'll be able to access your emails from any computer with an internet access.

8. I love Roadrunner. Their customer service is excellent. I've had them for years now and not once have had a complaint against them!

Good luck!

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by Molly Meow
I'll try to answer your questions.

No, all of that is happening on that specific computer, not the internet service. Yours will be fine as long as you don't hook them up to each other.

-------------------------------------

Okay - this part confuses me.. My son-in-law is doing something where he has to "split it off" (the Roadrunner) from his computer to mine (he mentioned something about a CAT wire or something?) - so does that mean the 2 computers will be hooked to each other somehow?

Also - for oogieboogie - what is a "router"?

Thanks for your patience - I'm SOOOO computer illiterate!

 

[oogieboogie]

because you have only 1 roadrunner account and you're using that 1 account between 2 computers, you need a router.

A router is a device that lets you use 2 or more computers hooked up to 1 cable modem. It allows you to surf the internet at the same time as your son-in-law and only use the one RR account.

The setup is like this:

Cable modem
|
router __ computer 1
__ computer 2
__ computer 3, etc

There are 2 types of routers - wired, which requires LAN/Ethernet cables and wireless - which doesn't require cables.

If both computers are going to be in the same room, using cables makes sense and it's much cheaper. If one computer is going to be in a different room (which I suspect yours will be), going wireless is by far the easiest to setup since you won't be needing to run cables all over the place.

Setting up a home network is very easy. Roadrunner is one of the easiest providers to setup. If you need any help setting it up, PM me, and I can walk you thru it.

 

[Straycat]

We use roadrunner, love it of course..

The cable from the wall goes to the modem..
Then you run a cat5 wire (like a phone cord but lil bigger) to the router.

Then from the router, you run cat5 cables to each computer/gaming system that needs and internet connection..


As far as pop ups go.. I agree with using ad aware from lavasoft.. you can get a free copy at www.download.com. I would suggest running it at least once or twice a week, making sure you check for updated definitions each time b4 you scan.. Do this on your families computer as well, they will appreciate it.

 

[Straycat]

btw, since you mentioned MSN..

I dont believe that roadrunner is partnered with MSN. (could be wrong on that of course)
Your family probably just uses MSN like you used AOL.

MSN allows anyone to use thier software for free if you bring your own broadband access, whereas AOL charges a small fee (last I heard was 9.95 or 12.95month for bring your own access).

This is good to use if you enjoy the structured set up of a program like AOL

 

[DMRick]

I happen to love my roadrunner, and like my aol. If you tell them you want to cancel, you'll have no problems. However if you want to continue to use AOL along with the speed of the RR, they most likely will offer you to keep it for a few months at no charge. Free is good. That's not a bad thing, while you are getting used to RR, and starting to use that email addy. I hate MSN, so I'd much rather have RR. It'll be really fast, but familiar.

Sounds like your sil need to do as suggested above and get all that junk off his computer. Sounds like he has a lot of spyware. He can also shut off the pop ups with any number of programs. I would suggest a firewall for you also.

 

[C.Ann]

Thanks for all the good info here! Sorry I didn't respond sooner, but I haven't been back here to my own house until this morning..

A question about keeping the AOL with Roadrunner.. Would it still be the $26-something a month - or less? All of this stuff really confuses me.. I just want speed - and none of the hassles I've encountered over the years with AOL such as getting knocked off constantly; extremely slow-loading pages; etc..

Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated!