In Internet Explorer, Click Tools on the top bar, Choose Internet Options, Click the Connections Tab. In the big box at the top there should be one or more "services." Click anything except the one that was used to connect to AOL, and then click the button marked Set Defaults. Make the other one your default, and AOL should quit trying to open its connection.

(Changing to another connection as default doesn't guarantee that AOL won't attempt to set itself back as default, so you still need to get rid of the obsolete connection. IF THE DEFAULT SETTING "STICKS," it will give you some time to play around with where the permanent changes need to be done.)

John