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Home > Archive > General Discussion > May 2005 > Long but funny
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| acruth7284 2005-04-24, 12:37 pm |
| Another problem in the world of AOL. AOL suddenly stopped working well last week. AIM and e-mail still works (which is mainly what I use it for) but I can't access any of there news stories I like to check occasionally. So I decided to hope on down to my other computer (which works fine) and have a chat with an AOL tech support person. Thus the saga begins:
Welcome Acruth7284 ...
Connecting to server. Please wait...
Connected to tech-b.mhi.aol.com
Connection to server lost!
Connecting to server. Please wait...
Connected to tech-b.mhi.aol.com
AOLTechMAD has joined this session!
Hello, Andrew. Welcome to Live Technical Support. My name is Boyet.
Acruth7284 stated the question or problem as: AOL 9.0 Optimized freeze.
You say, Hi
Are you signed on with the same computer that you need assistance with?
AOLTechMAD says, I appreciate the time you have taken to handle this for you. Please give me a few moments to go over your issue.
AOLTechMAD says, Let me see if I have this right. I understand your AOL and your PC keeps on freezing.
AOLTechMAD says, Thank you for waiting. I appreciate your patience.
You say, I am currently having a problem with AOL Optimized on my other computer
AOLTechMAD says, Let me see if I have this right. I understand your AOL and your PC keeps on freezing.
AOLTechMAD says, Is that correct, Andrew?
You say, not the computer
You say, when i start aol i get an error box that says there is a problem
AOLTechMAD says, Okay, so it is the AOL software only?
You say, after that, no web pages or aol will work
AOLTechMAD says, I see
AOLTechMAD says, Thanks for clarifying that.
You say, although aim and e-mail is still functional
AOLTechMAD says, Please tell me the exact message you received.
You say, when i tried to uninstall it so that i could reinstall
You say, the uninstall would stop responding
You say, give me a minute and i will go copy the message for you
AOLTechMAD says, Sure! Take your time, Andrew.
You say, aol has detected an error with your connection to the internet. please exit the aol software, restart your computer, and then sign on again.
You say, I have done all of those things and the problem has not gone away
You say, it has been about a week since this started
AOLTechMAD says, I see. Are you also using AOL 9.0 on your PC?
You say, I use AOL 9.0 Optimized (not SE) on both of my computers
AOLTechMAD says, Thanks!
You say, we have an always on connection the the computers share
You say, and one works fine but the other has gone funky
AOLTechMAD says, Let's take a look and see how we can resolve this for you.
You say, Is there any uninstaller program that I could download so that I can remove it from the computer
You say, then I could use my disc to reinstall
AOLTechMAD says, Can you please tell me how did you uninstall it?
You say, Under the add remove programs, i clicked on the AOL software and clicked remove
You say, the aol uninstall screen would then pop up and then freeze
AOLTechMAD says, Did you uninstall it online?
You say, under task manager it said that the uninstaller was not responding
You say, im not sure i follow you
AOLTechMAD says, Ok Andrew.
AOLTechMAD says, Let's try something else.
You say, I tried to uninstall it via the uninstall program that comes with it
AOLTechMAD says, You can try the AOL Quick Restore or try to uninstall the software in Safe Mode.
You say, I already tried to uninstall in safe mode and it also freezes
AOLTechMAD says, How about the Quick Restore?
You say, i have also reinstalled the software over top the previous one, but the problem still exists
You say, no i have not tried that
AOLTechMAD says, Okay
AOLTechMAD says, It appears that your AOL software has been damaged. Instead of reinstalling it, we can try Quick Restore, which resets the AOL client to a default state. If that still does not solve the problem, you will need to reinstall the AOL software.
AOLTechMAD says, The Quick Restore feature allows you to reset the AOL client to a default state. It's faster than reinstalling the AOL software.
AOLTechMAD says, Not to rush you, but are you still with me?
You say, yes
You say, would you point out where the quick restore is available
AOLTechMAD says, Yes
AOLTechMAD says, The following steps require that you sign off AOL, which ends this session. Let me send you all the instructions before you begin.
AOLTechMAD says, Right-click the AOL icon in your Windows taskbar tray (usually, it's in the lower right corner of your screen by the clock). In the menu that displays, click SYSTEM INFORMATION. Click the UTILITIES tab, then click QUICK RESTORE.
AOLTechMAD says, Click PROCEED if you are sure you want to restore your AOL software to a default state. You will lose some of your non-host based settings on the AOL software that you restore. Wait for the system to restore your AOL software. Click OK when done.
AOLTechMAD says, Those are the steps that you need to perform. You should be all set.
You say, well i am on my second computer
You say, so i will not have to sign off
AOLTechMAD says, No problem
You say, i am currently running between computers
AOLTechMAD says, Follow all the steps I provided to you above
You say, ok i seem to have a slight problem
You say, the icon is no longer on the task bar
You say, i have verified that it is still in the startup for msconfig
AOLTechMAD says, If that is the case, you can click the Start button, then select Programs, America Online and click System Information.
You say, and it is not being hiden by the Windows XP operating system
AOLTechMAD says, If still you are not able to uninstall it, please run the Scan Disk first and then if you have anti-virus, please try to run it too.
You say, ok that also freezes up
You say, I have run scandisk and virus scans (with updated definitions) and spyware checks in safe mode
this very day
You say, all have turned up nothing
AOLTechMAD says, Are you also using Windows XP on your PC?
You say, Right now I am just trying to get the aol software off of the computer so that I can do a clean reinstall of it
You say, yes
You say, Professional Edition if that helps
AOLTechMAD says, Ok, did you log in to your PC as the Administrator?
You say, I am an administrator
You say, I set up my account that way
You say, in safe mode, I did use the defaul adminstrator account though
You say, default*
AOLTechMAD says, Good, but you have to make sure of that, and that your other PC is not online or open.
AOLTechMAD says, Restart the other PC and log on as the Administrator
AOLTechMAD says, Then, try again to uninstall it.
You say, I have
AOLTechMAD says, If still it is not letting you uninstall it.
You say, this is a peer to peer network
AOLTechMAD says, Yes, that is the problem.
You say, the administrator account on one pc has no affect on the other pc
AOLTechMAD says, You need administrator privileges on your Windows operating system to complete the
task. Log onto the computer using a Windows login that has administrator privileges.
AOLTechMAD says, Microsoft established administrator privileges to manage multiple users on one computer or a computer network. You need administrator privileges to install and uninstall software and make certain changes to your Windows operating system.
AOLTechMAD says, If you need assistance regarding Windows administrator privileges, contact someone
who has administrator privileges on your computer, your computer manufacturer, or Microsoft.
You say, yes i understand this, but i can not uninstall it still
You say, there is only one administrator logged on to that pc at a time
You say, and still it will not uninstall even in safe mode with out network connection
AOLTechMAD says, Ok, you may need to contact an expert computer technician to further assist you with
the issue. Your computer manufacturer may be able to help you too.
You say, there is no manufacturer
AOLTechMAD says, Inasmuch as I would love to clear up this matter but we are not equipped and qualified on that particular issue. I do not like to damage your computer. It is an easy fix for those that are equipped and experts on your computer.
You say, it is a home built machine that has been running aol fine for over 2 years
AOLTechMAD says, The best source for help with that would be the people who made your equipment. I suggest you try calling them first, or look for a Web page for them. A computer repair shop may be able to help, too.
You say, I am a certified computer technician and I can assure you that this is not a hardware problem but rather a software problem
AOLTechMAD says, That is good to know
AOLTechMAD says, If it is a software issue, then there must be a problem with the Operating System.
You say, So wait, you are now saying that it is an issue with Microsoft who has run this software for 2 years with no problems
AOLTechMAD says, Yes that is correct
AOLTechMAD says, Particularly on the PC where the problem is currently happening.
You say, OK, I will ask one more time before I go, is there any software available through aol to uninstall this software
AOLTechMAD says, There is actually no available AOL uninstaller software yet, Andrew.
You say, ok thank you for your time, I will find help elsewhere or go through the registry myself and see to the uninstallation of your software.
AOLTechMAD says, You're welcome.
AOLTechMAD says, By the way
You say, yes?
AOLTechMAD says, .. do you have Spyware installed on that PC?
You say, If I do it is able to escape Ad-Aware, Spybot, SpyBlaster and Micrsoft Anti-Spyware Beta, in which case I give kudos to the maker of that spyware
AOLTechMAD says, If you do have the AOL Spyware on that PC, I also suggest you to please run it.
AOLTechMAD says, Or if you have firewall, you can try to disable it too.
You say, I haven't run it in a while but it has yet to pick up anything the thers have missed
You say, I have a hardware firewall
AOLTechMAD says, Good
You say, aka a router
AOLTechMAD says, You may want to disable it
You say, That might put a damper on internet connection
AOLTechMAD says, No, try to disable it temporary
You say, I verified the settings and it is not blocking anything it shouldn't be
AOLTechMAD says, Ok
You say, this problem started way after I set up the firewall
AOLTechMAD says, I suggest, try to disable it.
AOLTechMAD says, Disable it temporary
You say, OK...I guess I'll do that
On top of that he IMed me after I closed the conversation and wanted to have me e-mail him my results.
At first my subject of this chat was 'uninstall aol 9.0 optimized' I kept getting a page not found error until I changed it. I am not sure if this is coincidence or not but it seems fishy.
I just noticed the guy's name (AOLTechMAD). LOL that sure explains a lot. 
After all of this, he did follow up with an e-mail and ask for results. I feel I restrained myself:
The uninstall file will not work. Your software is corrupt and I am preparing to manually delete it from the registry. Not to worry though, I am a certified technician and will be sure to backup everything prior to such an attempt. I recommend passing on the word to AOL to develope an uninstalltion program in case the default one stops working.
In reality I have yet to remove it for I hate messing with the registry unless absolutely necessary. Any other suggestions would be nice. | |
| ChrisDfer 2005-04-24, 1:45 pm |
| freaking idiot AOL tech support....
Anyways I suggest you may need to contact an expert computer technician to further assist you with
the issue. Your computer manufacturer may be able to help you too.
*run and hides* | |
| acruth7284 2005-04-24, 3:01 pm |
| As someone else once said...I have your IP and I *don't* know what to do with it. Actually I don't have your IP but if I did... | |
| Freddy 2005-04-24, 3:37 pm |
| That's too funny...
AOL strikes again. | |
|
| Damn, I know exactly what you problem is already.
Just reinstall AOL my friend - chances are that Adaware, Spybot, MS Antispy or Spyblaster have recognised AOL for what it is ..... spyware | |
| acruth7284 2005-04-25, 1:53 am |
| Reinstalling poses the same problem. Uninstallation will freeze. I fear I will have to either go through my restry entry by entry or just backup the few gigs I have before my last install and just use my most recent backup and start a new. | |
| enforcer 2005-04-25, 7:30 am |
| Here are my suggested steps
1. Format C:
2. Install OS of choice
3. Go through house and throw in trash anything that can even remotely be related to AOL.
4. Get another ISP.
NB This is not a joke. | |
| acruth7284 2005-04-25, 8:04 am |
| Actually AOL is not my ISP, Roadrunner is. We just use AOL for AIM and E-mail and the occasional news story they have. But yeah, I'm not sure if I format if AOL will find its way back on to my system Trillian and AOL Webmail may be sufficient for what I use it for. | |
| ChrisDfer 2005-04-25, 10:10 am |
| Goto yahoo.com for your news, use some other email, and download aim. Ohhh and ditch AOL. | |
| acruth7284 2005-04-25, 3:22 pm |
| I'm preparing to trash the system and reinstall from my last backup. AOL will be deleted immediately and I have trillian for aim, I will use AOL e-mail just for the few people who contact me once in a blue moon but my main account has been gmail for some time, and I really don't need the news but there is always yahoo, msn and slashdot. Needless to say AOL will probably never haunt my computer again. | |
| ChrisDfer 2005-04-25, 6:01 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by acruth7284
I'm preparing to trash the system and reinstall from my last backup. AOL will be deleted immediately and I have trillian for aim, I will use AOL e-mail just for the few people who contact me once in a blue moon but my main account has been gmail for some time, and I really don't need the news but there is always yahoo, msn and slashdot. Needless to say AOL will probably never haunt my computer again.
You may need to contact an expert computer technician to further assist you with
the issue. Your computer manufacturer may be able to help you too.
| |
| acruth7284 2005-04-25, 6:11 pm |
| Apparently I should have contacted an expert computer technician. I checked my backup before I started (it was spanned across 2 DVDs w/Roxio) and everything appeared to be ok. I backed up any files that changed since that backup and then I formatted c:. I then reinstalled Windows followed by Roxio and was preparing to recover from the format. No dice! Apparently within a hour period disc 1 decided to take a dive and Roxio would no longer recognize it (although disc 2 was ok). Roxio had no updates applied to it when i did the backup nor when I attempted the restore. Now I am redownloading all the windows updates and I guess I will just chip away at restoring my system until I get a full day off on thursday. I hate AOL so much right now. | |
| ChrisDfer 2005-04-25, 6:15 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by acruth7284
Apparently I should have contacted an expert computer technician. I checked my backup before I started (it was spanned across 2 DVDs w/Roxio) and everything appeared to be ok. I backed up any files that changed since that backup and then I formatted c:. I then reinstalled Windows followed by Roxio and was preparing to recover from the format. No dice! Apparently within a hour period disc 1 decided to take a dive and Roxio would no longer recognize it (although disc 2 was ok). Roxio had no updates applied to it when i did the backup nor when I attempted the restore. Now I am redownloading all the windows updates and I guess I will just chip away at restoring my system until I get a full day off on thursday. I hate AOL so much right now.
That is exactly why I NEVER back anything up. If you don't have backups then your backups never fail. | |
| acruth7284 2005-04-26, 2:04 am |
| quote:
That is exactly why I NEVER back anything up. If you don't have backups then your backups never fail.
LOL. Nice theory. I always have backups, but the rarely work. Stupid Roxio!!! | |
| enforcer 2005-04-26, 6:15 am |
| Confusion Says:
Becareful when backing up, as the queue for the gents may not be a straight as you thought. | |
| Joelacrane 2005-04-26, 3:09 pm |
| I would never use ANYTHING exept Trillian 3.1 Basic/Pro! MSN, AOL and Yahoo messengers all suck. | |
| ktlent 2005-05-01, 9:32 am |
| Have you tried an XP system restore to a time before the problem started?
Otherwise the Format C option is your best choice....dump AOL | |
| timothyross 2005-05-01, 10:23 am |
| The AOL 9.0 Optimized disk also has versions 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0 and 8.0 on it if you "explore" the disk. Install one of these other versions and then upgrade it to 9.0 Optimized. |
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