OK, I got some update on this issue. There seems to be another connection involved in one time or another. They still have to use AOL to connect at first before getting internet access. I connected and saw that there is a new connection under the Direct category (instead of under LAN where it normally is). Both say connected. The LAN is at 100Mbps and the Direct connection is at 10Mbps. I think that direct connection is related to AOL. It says something about a Mini WAN port or similar.

What's even stranger now is that even if he closed AOL (presumably signs off?), we can access the internet using Internet Explorer. I checked the connections window again and this time that direct connection is gone. ALL the computers in the network immediately has internet access also (even with AOL closed/signed off now). I did an ipconfig before and after the AOL fiasco. Only thing I see different is an extra PPP adapter setting with an IP address, gateway and DNS server filled out. When we closed AOL (still has internet at this stage even with AOL gone in the picture), I did another ipconfig. Doesn't show PPP adapter anymore but still online.

This is really puzzling the heck out of me. I had to work on two other computers in this guy's office and they both needed Windows to be reinstalled. I thought this would be a good test to really see if AOL was required. So after reinstalling Windows XP on both of them and all the necessary drivers, I tried going online. Nothing I connect to AOL on that other (third) computer, boom....everything is running. Even closing AOL at this stage doesn't interfere with the connection.

I really don't see how AOL could be affecting the cable connection at this stage.

Any other ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

But then, if i don't recall wrongly, their ISP is not AOL right?

Maybe you can explain a bit more on the external connection from the ISP to the LAN. We don't use cable service here, so don't know how it was configured. We only have ADSL via copper line, running on PPPoE

Make sure AOL doesn't dial the modem. What I think is happening is this:

1) Cable comes up, gets IP 1.2.3.4 from DHCP, default gw is 1.2.3.1. Right here, everything is fine.
2) AOL comes up, gets IP 2.3.4.5 from DHCP, default gw is changed to 2.3.4.1. Still fine, though AOL is handling your traffic.
3) AOL goes down, forgetting to restore the default gateway. 2.3.4.1 is not reachable from 1.2.3.4 so packets go nowhere fast.

This is a classic problem with windows and multiple connections.

Well, here is my guess...

The user obviously used AOL in the past and may have signed up for their AOL Broadband service. The AOL Broadband service allows people used to the AOL system to continue using AOL with a broadband connection. AOL has for a long time been manipulating the computers of its users to hide the true internet from them. At one point in time, AOL had a software version that would allow it's members to fully interact with non-AOL email addresses. Really irritated a lot of people!

My point is, the AOL software on the system has probably made changes that are causing the problems. Since many AOL users don't fully understand the internet, AOL has managed to continue getting monthly service fees without any real service! What is really funny is that their are many AOL users that have never made it beyond the AOL network and into the true internet.

So the AOL software sets the computer up so that when a user tries to use the internet, the AOL login screen is shown so that the user can gain access to his or her account. The settings are such so that if you choose not to login or you logoff, the browser is closed. Again, this is AOL assuming that the user is only using the AOL interface. And, this also propagates the idea that you can only connect to the internet with AOL. AOL wants it's users to believe that the only way to use the internet is with their serve so they designed their software to make that dream a reality.

You should be able to use the internet by opening a seperate browser without logging in first. My suggestion is to uninstall any AOL software on the systems you are inspecting.

vujsa

That's correct. His ISP is Cablevision and it connected fine a few days before he called me in to take a look at the problem. They have a cable wire coming down from the roof to his office room. That's connected to a cable modem which is in turn connected to a router. All the computers are connected to this router using a CAT5 network cable.

The problem is that it will NOT even connect without logging into AOL first. If we try to go online directly using Internet Explorer, it will give us a connection error or page not found message. I tried Google, Yahoo and other common sites that should come up easily. So what he has to do is open up AOL and sign in from there first. Then the internet access kicks in.

The other two computers are having the same issues though. I thought it was AOL causing some conflict so I reinstalled Windows XP on two of his three computers (they needed to be reinstalled anyway ). Now he has a clean install of Windows without any AOL garbage ... but no internet access.

This is why I'm stuck on this issue. It looks like once he's signed onto AOL, he can log off from it and still have the internet working after that. I have no idea why, but all the other computers (the other two with new Windows installation) will work perfectly fine after this.

I don't see any reason why these two ISP's would be connected to each other as they are totally different companies as far as I know. I even took a look at the computers and they don't have a phone line plugged in. Even if he does use AOL dial up, I assume that the cable connection will take over if no other connection is found.

Now i think of something. We need to isolate the issue see if it's relate to each pc or just the router + modem.

After you login using AOL say on PC A, then PC A can go online, now can PC B and go online as well? Or each of them has to login via AOL before they can access internet?

I'm not that sure bout cable modem, but does it need to configure with username and password on the modem, and login as well? If so, could be that the AOL login trigger the modem to login? (If this is the case, then the earlier scenario would be, PC A login AOL, then all other PC can go online, right? )

If it's not the modem that does the login, then it's configure via the router.

For us, using ADSL, if it's a modem, the login is done either on the PC side or the router side. If it's a "router modem", then it itself can login.

Another thing is, your router has a built in ethernet hub/switch? (that has nothing to do with AOL login, just curious)

At first I thought all of them needed to login to AOL since he had it installed on all three. But nope. Once one of them is connected, it seems like all of them will be able to access the internet via Internet Explorer.

I'm narrowing it down to the modem like you are now and will be calling Cablevision on my next visit if I still can't resolve it. I'm not sure, but I think it does require some login. Is there a way I can find out either from the modem or router? The modem has the cable line connected to it and from there to the router.

All I know is that the router has 4 ports and all of them are used except for one (only has 3 PCs).

OK, at least can see some light now. There's 3 ways that the modem and router can be connected to work.

1. The modem is in PPPoE or ATM or something similar as for our ADSL case. Then then router is doing the dialing or login via the modem. You should be able to access the web base configuration on the router by login in to the gateway IP configured on the PCs. From there you can check those configurations.

2. The modem is a modem router, which itself has an IP can capable of dialing or login. It itself also has a web base configuration. You can try connect direct to it and see if it's auto assign IP. If it does, take a look at it's web base configuration. Most modem router can be configured as a "bridge", which it will work as per case 1 above. In bridge mode, the web configuration will be disabled. The only way to access it is to do a full reset to return to router mode. In bridge mode, the configuration is not necessary since which ever device is dialing it will be taking care of that.

3. Similar to case 1 above, bout this time, your router is acting just like a hub/switch. This way, the dialing/login is done on the PCs, once 1 of the PC has login, the rest of those connected to hub/switch will able to go online. This method is less use, and for me, i only seen it used at my ex-college, which they decide to change to case 1 after a few months. In this case, since no router is there, so IP will not be auto assign, each PC must have it's own IP configured manually.

Hope this give you some clue. Good luck