Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Arghhhhhhh A Love-Hate-Relationship

I have been spending far too much time fighting with my computer since I switched to AT&T Yahoo DSL from dial-up a few months ago and it's making me crazy -- or is that crazier? Tonight was no exception.

I've done everything I can to try to optimize this damn machine so it will run properly. I've added memory; I've been, as always, assiduous in maintenance -- running my anti-virus, checking for updates, etc. If I kept my house the way I keep my computer, would Martha Stewart would out of a job!

What irritates me most is AT&T's insistence that one uses their stupid Yahoo stuff. I don't like Yahoo. I don't want their idiotic homepage. I don't like their email -- like I needed another email addy. I don't like their browser. All I wanted from AT&T was speed -- and half the time I don't have that because the it a) runs slower than molasses in January; b) shuts down due to an error (and the error is always attributed to Yahoo browser and tells me ) or c) I get that stupid screen the reads: This web page is currently unavailable or some such.

The real riot is when I call their so called support. They are so inept it's a joke. I explain my problem and they get out their little list of excuses and tell you to uninstall and/or reinstall whatever they decide the problem is. And it never works. The next day the same errors occur again.

I'm currently trying to get so up I only use AT&T for connection. The word from those more knowledgeable than I is that I should have Mozilla Firefox so I downloaded it and installed it and every time I turn around it's shutting down due to an error. I even had the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. The good news is that instead of panicking, I shut everything down, rebooted and ran all my diagnostics and saved my poor computer from extinction. I've tried to contact their support but it seems that they think everything can be answered on their web page. Wrong! And there's no way to contact their customer service. Sigh.

Do any of y'all have any experience with this? I need help. If you can help, please let me know -- there's an email link on my profile page. I am tired and need to go to sleep as work will beckon in the morning and since what I wanted to post was lost in the latest debacle, my venting is what y'all are stuck with today. Sorry about that. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.

Happy Blogging

Kay

10 comments:

  1. Wish I had some answers for you. Had a couple reoccurrences of losing my Internet connection tonight again. Am getting out to visit some blogs, but don't know if it will hold up for me to get a new post up or not, as my last one is re-a-ll-y o-l-l-d.

    No experience with AT&T as DSL ISP.

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  2. Anonymous6:07 AM

    Tech woes are truly frustrating; I feel your pain. Firefox is absolutely the way to go and cruise around their extensions and customize it. Tabbed browsing is the best feature; you can open multiple windows at the same time.

    I insisted (when we lived in the South) that the tech guy come to the house and eventually worked up to the manager. The problem was in the line and the connection beyond my house ...it was NOT the DSL connection to my house. Since I did my studies online, it was super frustrating.

    There are people who can do online diagnostics. I've used them from time-to-time, but you pay.

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  3. This is the kind of thing that can drive you right up the wall...!
    Do you have a "computer wizard person"? When I have had problems like that...I have had to call on the Computer Geek Expert...Somehow he always can figure out where the problem lies....

    Is AT&T the only DSL you can get? I have SBCGLOBAL and I have to say I have had almost NO problems whatsover...When I first got it I had some problems...and then later, when my old computer was dying....but, since I have my new computer...Almost two years now...I have had no problems.

    Good Luck, my dear.

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  4. I also think you may want to check the physical connections...the line to the house and the connections to the house. Maybe there is a tree branch if it is above ground. We have Comcast cable for TV and the phone and the Internet and found out that they had only buried the line about 4 inches down...although they claimed they went a foot! As a result it had been knicked by the shovel when planting a flower bed. They replaced that part and also decided we need a SECOND cable at no cost and that seems to have helped.

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  5. I wish I was more tech-savvy to help you Kay. I use to have a tech-wiz available all the time when my oldest daughter was dating him. Though they are on very good terms, they are no longer a couple, and I no longer feel very secure about 'all things computer.' If something disasterous really went wrong, I know he'd be glad to help. Right now...I go to Jory for any little nuisance. She's become pretty tech-savvy....I wonder why.

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  6. I know nothing of which you speak.

    But I am good at sending hugs! :)

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  7. Kay, everyone knows more about computers than I do, so I can't help. I have had the same or similar problems in the past with earthlink, mindspring, msn and now road runner.

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  8. @#%@ ATT. I have NEVER had any luck with them. Sounds like they have continued their anti-help antics. My sis had a hotline number she could call and was always able to get a REAL English-speaking customer service person on the phone rather than a machine. But as soon as she was able, she changed phone companies. You described your woes perfectly, I have been there several times. It is particularly troublesome if you don't have anyone to help you. My hubby usually can solve my problem, but he takes up a whole evening clicking and clicking. Sometimes several tries, and can NEVER direct me how to do it on the phone, so as a result, I am still computer illiterate. grrrr
    love you, K
    a

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  9. Anonymous8:45 AM

    If I lived close enough, I'd zip right over and help you out. Been in the business 18 years, don't know all the answers, but even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and then.

    Assuming you do not have a virus or any spyware lurking in the shadows, and assuming the hardware is OK (these days it almost always is) my experience shows that there are about 3 things that will bring a computer to it's knees like that.

    1. AOL software
    2. Yahoo software
    3. Having more than one anti-virus package resident at same time. They will fight each other until they cripple the host computer.

    There should be absolutely no reason to run any Yahoo software or their hacked up version of a browser. If they won't allow you to do it the way you want, then you need to change internet service providers. I have BellSouth DSL, now AT&T, at home and office and never have any trouble. But then, I never use AOL or Yahoo, or even Internet Explorer. I don't even load the software that they send out with the modems or routers.

    One other item to make sure about. Assuming you have DSL, are the little filters properly installed on all phone connections EXCEPT the DSL modem? The modem or its configuration could possibly be a problem, but from your description, not likely. Best/quickest way to test that would be to replace it.

    You need a local version of me at this point...

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  10. I do not know much about computers other than what I have done-- if it wasn't too long ago so I still remember. I have ATT as a server back-up but it's dial-up; so probably doesn't work the same. I did have Yahoo for years but when Hughes Net, my main server began to count hours of usage, I discovered Yahoo was sucking up huge numbers of hours when I wasn't even using it. Yahoo became history. My only messenger service now is Windows Live Messenger and it does not seem to be the same problem. I don't know what Yahoo was doing but I know my computer was back to normal usage when I deleted it from this computer. My husband dislikes all messenger services but windows live is how a lot of my long distance friends and I stay in touch and it's not swallowing memory like Yahoo did. If you don't need Yahoo, I'd delete it. Everytime I install one of my upgrades, it puts AOL on my machine and I promptly eliminate it.

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