My computer isn't working......

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

All of a sudden, my computer keeps freezing. When it's not freezing, it's so slow that I've lost all patience with it. I'm getting ready to start kicking and punching the thing......It's a 2 year old Dell Dimension 4700C.

I keep getting an 'error message' that reads........

The main.idx database file is damaged. Error: 65-FONL (doesn't sound good)

It's telling me in order to fix the problem, I need to reinstall my software. Of course, I have no idea where that might be, or how to do that. DH has left for work. Hopefully, he will be able to do something with it, when he gets home.

For now......

[Keitht Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Keitht]

AOL is the culprit and it is that you need to remove and re-install. If you are able to access the internet use "main.idx database file is damaged. Error: 65-FONL" as the search string in Google and it returns various help links.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Angela, If you are using AOL get rid of it. You should be able to get online with Optinum online without AOL.

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

I have AOL. But I only use it for mail. I use internet explorer to get onto the net. I don't even have AOL opened, and I am still having this problem.

I need to find the software, or go to town, and get new software. Then re-install it, or I guess I can get rid of it , at that point. The problem is that I don't really know how to do that. Unfortunately, I'm not very good with computers. I will probably need to wait for DH, and he won't be home till after 7.

I probably will just stay off the computer till then. It's way to frustrating to try to use it. In fact, if I owned a gun, it would be dead by now.......

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

AOL is crap, and as you've observed it can screw things up even when you don't have it running. Actually, AOL processes are running in the background even when you don't have the applicaition open.

***

Even after AOL is uninstalled, remnants of it still lurk in your computer. Unless you are good at editing a registry, the best strategy is to reformat your hard drive and reinstall Windows and all of your software (except AOL of course). Of course, be sure to copy all of your important files and settings before doing the reformat (including your e-mail files and message store - often overlooked).

The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard can be a big help. Use the Wizard to save your settings on a hard drive, before the reformant, then bring the info back, again using the Wizard, after the reformat is completed.

[Keitht Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Keitht]

Hopefully the thoughts of the Prophet of Doom that is TROglodyte will prove to be overly pessimistic and a simple removal and re-install of AOL (if you need it for your e-mail) will prove to be enough.
I'm not an AOL user, and never have been, but I am shocked at the number of horror stories I have heard on this and other boards. I'm amazed that people still use it - the power of marketing I suppose.

[mshatty Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close mshatty]

Hopefully the thoughts of the Prophet of Doom that is TROglodyte will prove to be overly pessimistic and a simple removal and re-install of AOL (if you need it for your e-mail) will prove to be enough.
I'm not an AOL user, and never have been, but I am shocked at the number of horror stories I have heard on this and other boards. I'm amazed that people still use it - the power of marketing I suppose.

It has to be marketing. 10 years ago, you could subscribe to a dial up for $10/month while AOL was $20/mth and then eventually got to $25/month.

I predicted its downfall in prices. I was only 10 years late.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

Several years ago, before WiFi became ubiquitous, I occasionally used AOL when traveling where my only real option to get on-line was dial-up. I'd open an AOL account, taking advantage of the 45 days free, then terminate after several weeks when I was back home.

I soon noticed my system was laboring, and would occasionally start doing strange things (such as occasionally trying to open a dial-up connection while I was at home connected on broad band). Things like that continued after I uninstalled AOL.

That prompted me to start investigating further, whereupon I found entire folders created by AOL that were still on the system, AOL files and .dlls remaining in my Windows folders, and AOL keys still littered throughout my registry.

Things got better after I removed all of that junk, but it still wasn't quite back to what it should have been. And there may have been more issues than just AOL.

So that led me to reformat to finally get everything back to where it should be. I've learned to not be afraid of reformatting my hard drive. Often it's easier and less time consuming to just reformat and reinstall than to try to chase down the ghosts haunting your OS. Especially if you have another computer you can use while all of the reformatting, reinstallations, and installations of patches and upgrades are going on.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

The only time I use AOL is when I travel. They provide plenty of acess #'s and it is cheap to use them.

[Keitht Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Keitht]

So that led me to reformat to finally get everything back to where it should be. I've learned to not be afraid of reformatting my hard drive. Often it's easier and less time consuming to just reformat and reinstall than to try to chase down the ghosts haunting your OS. Especially if you have another computer you can use while all of the reformatting, reinstallations, and installations of patches and upgrades are going on.

I certainly agree that there is nothing to be scared of with regard to reformatting the hard drive and re-installing software if you follow a few basic rules.

1. Make sure you have paper copies of all your software registration codes and that you know where all the original software is.
2. Store all your data files e.g. Word, Excel or whatever in one area so that it is easy to copy off to disk. For example a directory name of My Files with sub-folders of Word, Excel ... That way it is a simple matter to find all the files you need to copy off.
3. If you have updated drivers for printers etc make sure you have copied them to CD as well. You can download them all again, but that will take time.

Better still, in the example Steve gives, if the computers can be networked copy the above to the other computer as well. Once everything has been copied you can safely reformat and reinstall. That will have the added benefit that you probably won't reinstall half the old software anyway because you will realise you haven't used it years so don't need it. Just think of all that space available for brand new junk

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

The only time I use AOL is when I travel. They provide plenty of acess #'s and it is cheap to use them.

In the rare occasions when I don't have direct access to a WiFi or another broadband connection, war-driving has always worked for me.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

It seems that many installed software programs can have a slowing effect on computers. Another culprit noted of late is Norton antivirus and I just heard a few negative comments about internet explorer.

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

My computer isn't fixed yet, but I decided to give it another try. Although, I know that it will freeze in a minute or so.

I have Norton Anti-virus, too. It seems that all my programs have problems.

I hope that we are able to get this thing fixed without too much headache.

[mshatty Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close mshatty]

Angela,

Admit it, you were having withdrawal symptoms weren't you?

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

Angela,

Admit it, you were having withdrawal symptoms weren't you?