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01 Jan 08 - 05:20 AM (#2226041) Subject: Tech: Getting Rid of AOL? From: GUEST,Richard Bridge on Jeff computer And while I'm fiddling, how do I get rid of AoL? I've piddled with "add/remove programs" until I'm fed up with it, the list of programs says it isn't there, and still the blooming thing keeps trying to connect me to Aol to which I don't subscribe (my daughter used to when she had this computer at her flat). I'm getting fed up enough to format C ! |
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01 Jan 08 - 05:51 AM (#2226051) Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Rid of AOL? From: JohnInKansas You need an account with AOL to connect through AOL. Quite probably the account "definition" is still on the machine. If you're running Windows (other than Vista) Start|Settings|Network Connections will probably show an AOL icon as one of the choices. You'll need to delete or disable the "AOL Account" so that the connection setup won't keep trying to hook you up. You'll generally have separate accounts for the network hookup, with additional ones for each email addy that's been used. If you do, or used to, use an "email program" like Outlook, there may be an account setup there as well as the one for the internet service(s) account(s). Sometimes just making one like the AOL internet service "not the default" might work, but you may have to delete or neuter several accounts to get the machine to stop trying to connect. The "AOL program" that you've apparently already deleted doesn't really have anything much to do with the connection. It's just to make sure your browser is "AOL-standard-ugly" and that you get all the ads. Your machine's "Internet Connection" setup is where all the fun stuff happens. Your new ISP might be the most direct place to get help, assuming they have a support "phone-no" or a website with a support button. They'll need to know what OS you're using, what kind of connection you had and what kind of connection you have now (dial-up, DSL, Cable, Wireless, etc). It may also be of significance to have the rough details handy if you have any kind of LAN and/or printer sharing etc setup. John |
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01 Jan 08 - 11:48 AM (#2226179) Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Rid of AOL? From: GUEST,Ray I was told the best way to get rid of it was to skip the computer! |
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01 Jan 08 - 12:03 PM (#2226185) Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Rid of AOL? From: Geoff the Duck I seem to recall fun and games removing references to AOL from our computer. It was running WinXP. Can't recall EXACTLY what the problem was, but I think it wouldn't finish removal untl I had changed the following setings. I found that when I clicked the popup Start menu (bottom left) at the top of the list are a couple of shortcut icons to the default internet and e-mail programmes. One of these was showing AOL. On most machines it shows Internet Exploder. This option can be altered by the following :- Right click on the task bar at the bottom of the screen. Select "Properties" from the options. It brings up a box with two tabs - "Taskbar" and "Start Menu". Select Start Menu. Somwhere within this tab is a button "Customise". Clicking brings a new box "Customise Start Menu" which gives a few options. One is "Show on Start Menu" and gives tick boxes alongside dropdown selection boxes. See if the current option is AOL. If so, select a different option. With a bit of luck, once this is de-selected, you will be able to successfully uninstall the AOL references. If you are on a different version of Windoze, there may be a similar set of options. Quack! Geoff. |
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01 Jan 08 - 03:58 PM (#2226337) Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Rid of AOL? From: GUEST,Richard on Dominic Well, I'm downstairs at the moment but I followed John's advice and when I go up I'll see if it's all quiet on the Western Front.... |
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01 Jan 08 - 04:23 PM (#2226346) Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Rid of AOL? From: GUEST,Girl Friday without cookie I recall the same problem. You have to remove all the icons that say don't remove this, then kick the computer several times. We're having the same problem with Intellimail which keeps refreshing itself just when we thought it was gone. |
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01 Jan 08 - 06:26 PM (#2226397) Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Rid of AOL? From: An Pluiméir Ceolmhar About as easy to get rid of as AIDS. The only solution that I could find was to cancel my bank standing order, and after a few months AOL cancelled my "membership". |
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01 Jan 08 - 06:30 PM (#2226398) Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Rid of AOL? From: Girl Friday Cancelling the standing order is the easy part. Actually physically removing AOL from your computer isn't. They constantly hope you'll rejoin them. |
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01 Jan 08 - 06:42 PM (#2226404) Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Rid of AOL? From: JohnInKansas 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 |
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01 Jan 08 - 06:54 PM (#2226407) Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Rid of AOL? From: Mick Pearce (MCP) You also should be able to remove the AOL connection from the connections tab. Alternatively, use Start/Connect To/Show All Connections (or use ControlPanel/Network Connections) and you should something like AOL Dial-on-Demand Feature Do not remove. You can highlight this connection and use Delete Connection on it. Mick |
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02 Jan 08 - 05:34 AM (#2226569) Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Rid of AOL? From: John MacKenzie Doesn't it stand for America on Line? |
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02 Jan 08 - 09:12 AM (#2226652) Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Rid of AOL? From: GUEST,Question Mark On my wife's computer that I bought her from AOL years ago (which worked fine at the time, but in recent times froze up constantly because of all of its AOL software which I had re-routed to bypass), I finally simply re-booted a Windows XP program disk rewrite over everything in the computer. I had to give the PC permission to overwrite everything on the main partition, although at the time I left the backup partition intact...figuring I could backup up the new main partititon over it once I got the new quirks worked out of the main partition. Once I got loaded by rewriting over the main partition, I had to then load back on the utilities on the computer using the disk drive. I used a utility disk from the non-AOL Windows XP program, although some of the utilities wouldn't load because they recognized the computer hardware wasn't the correct brand. For those, I took the original AOL utilities disk and loaded it in the disk drive and separarately loaded only missing file utilities I felt were needed...like sound, etc. Since I had paid for the AOL utilities and AOL Office program when I originally bought the computer and its programs, I figured I still had rights to use them even if they were not used with all of the original bundled AOL products. At that point, I tried re-connecting to the internet including re-installing via Window's wizard and my cable company's wireless disk. I had difficulty with that one and called the cable company's customer service, telling them I was paying for the connection, had their diskette, but that I intentionally crashed all programs on my computer to re-load and clean it up. They walked me through re-hooking up to the internet wireless over the phone. Note: It was a good thing I still had their installation disk. Once that was in place and was reconnected to the internet, I downloaded McAfee from the cable company. Then, I took my original AOL program backup diskette, and from the disk drive on the computer re-loaded only the AOL Office program and files, even though the diskette warned me I had to reload the entire AOL backup program in its entirety. (That would have reinstalled all of the AOL bundled stuff again.) AOL Office had no problem reloading separately onto the computer. Then, I re-established Office's shortcut icons on Windows by dragging them from the start menu. Somewhere, I downloaded Adobe from the internet, too and made sure from one of the utility diskettes or Windows that Microsoft...Net.1 or whatever it is called was on the computer (it can also be downloaded free from Microsoft's site, if needed) to ensure add-on programs can be run. Then, I set all the security settings on Windows and McAfee that I needed to. After testing everything, I went into Windows programs as well as Windows performance/maintenance administration and checked what was on there, free space, and the two partitions' organization. Finding I now had 92% free space on the old computer's main partition and everything loaded that was needed, I went ahead and backed up the newly arranged main partition on to the backup partition. Voila...no more AOL, except AOL Office and a few hand chosen AOL utilities which were needed, the old desktop computer is now faster than the two laptops I have and matches the speed of the cable plugged in desktop that has twice the storage space than the old AOL computer, that my son bought three months, ago. BTW, I figured if something went wrong when I started all this, I could simply re-load all the original bundled AOL stuff from the original backup set of diskettes, if needed. Or, buy another computer as the fact is, the AOL computer no longer worked without freezing. This all considers that we never used our AOL mail (or personalized screens) from long ago. It's been two months now, and the old AOL based computer works like a charm now without all the bundled AOL, and should my wife once in awhile visit AOL, she just goes to it the same as she goes to Yahoo. QM |
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02 Jan 08 - 02:41 PM (#2226860) Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Rid of AOL? From: Girl Friday "Giok"- yes it does stand for America On Line, but it's "UK Branch" is situated on a trading estate in Waterford, next door to the crystal factory. |
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02 Jan 08 - 02:54 PM (#2226876) Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Rid of AOL? From: GUEST,Richard Bridge on Jeff I still have two icons - but nothing seems to pop up anymore and I couldn't swear exactly what it was that fixed it. But if you google "uninstall AoL" you get a lot of crap that is just not true saying you can get rid of it clean off the "add/remove programs" tab! |
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03 Jan 08 - 06:26 PM (#2227819) Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Rid of AOL? From: Girl Friday Indeed you do, Richard. Been there before. Tonight, what did I get when opening Internet Explorer on my HP Compaq computer? "HP AOL" I.E used to go "Refer Yahoo" and open Yahoo. Now, because AOL are involved, it took forever. So, I installed Google as my homepage, as it's much quicker on Dial Up. When I had finished emailing I did online updates for Norton. On opening again just now, I had trouble connecting to Waitrose. After a few tries I was presented with the Connection main screen. I now have a choice of Lan or High Speed connection. I opted for highg speed and it is approaching Broadband speed. Hooray! |