Basic Laptop Info

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

In an attempt to move us into the 21st Century, DW's supersonic Dell Vostro 1500 arrived this week. Thus far, it looks really nice sitting on the breakfast counter, sorta crouching and rumbling with sheer power.

TonyG has been helpful as we try to understand this new era of our lives, which we know enough to understand that it can't be all that difficult cuz y'all are already all doing it.

Here's my first, very basic, question. How do we connect it to the Internet?

We understand wi-fi, and that it has a card in it.

We understand that we can get DSL, and that will involved an external DSL box. We can connect to that by ethernet wire or by a wireless router.

How about dialup? We understand that we can connect to our existing AOL service with a dial-up cable. But I/we are losing it at that point. Don't we have to put an application in it in order to do that. How would it know what number to dial, for instance?
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Once that is figured out, and let's say we get DSL, what should I do if I want to keep using old POC (WIN97) with AOL. I browse with IE, not AOL. I have an old version of AOL, one that does not even update the start page, but It actually works pretty well.
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Once we have the supersonic Vostro figured out, internet-wise, should we add the things that I believe have helped ole POC--Pop-up Stopper, Zonealarm (firewall), Grisoft AVG (anti-virus), and spybot? I believe they are all available on the Internet.
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DW was thinking the same as me this morning, and just brought in the Struction Manual, which explains all this. It seems to be saying to choose broadband (DSL), wireless, or dial-up, but not all of them. Is that right?

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

forget about dial up unless your traveling, If you want your computer to work better keep AOL off, Get a wireless router and at least do a wired to the desk top if you can, once your wireless router is in place your LT should find the router. Hit connect and it should do the rest.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

So, you are saying not to mess with dial-up at all. Since we already have it, we sorta wanted to check out the LT with it.

Now that I said what I said above, spybot is not opening. I have an email saying an updated version is available.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

If you need to be on dial up then go for it but why would you ever want to go backwards when you have cable?

[Nancy Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Nancy]

Dial Up

I keep dial-up on my computers. Have used on laptop when traveling. Might also use if cable/DSL is down.

Nancy

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I guess we're having a failure to communicate.

We are going to get DSL, but we just wanted to connect to the Internet with it now to play with it. You remember Christmas morning don't you?

If you need to be on dial up then go for it but why would you ever want to go backwards when you have cable?

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

So, we can configure the LT to operate on all--Wi fi, broadband and dial-up?

I keep dial-up on my computers. Have used on laptop when traveling. Might also use if cable/DSL is down.

Nancy

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

So, we can configure the LT to operate on all--Wi fi, broadband and dial-up?

yes you can you will just have to change the way you connect when you go to log on.

[Guest Close Quarterbore]

I installed AOL on my laptop when I was on a trip and I had a crisis that forced me to get online. The latest AOL didn't hurt my Microsoft XP Pro as much as it affected other operating systems but AOL is still best avoided if you can. They just dump way too much junk in your system and removing it is impossible.

Still, I don't use the laptop for important stuff most of the time so if AOL causes me an occasional conflict with my High-Speed Internet at home I can ignore it and use the normal PC.

I have about five computers at home, not including the laptop.

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

I would suggest downloading NetZero for dial up (I think you get 5 online hours a month). AOL is bad news, but not as bad as it once was IMHO. Downloading with DSL will be quick compared to dial up- so why not wait "til Christmas". Grisoft AVG would be a first priority. You might want to decide if you want to go with one or two users when you set up the Vostro. Switching users is a PITA and takes a bit of time should you decide to go that way.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I spoke too soon. Here and somewhere else yesterday I posted about how well Ole POC has done, how we haven't been bothered by malware, etc. I shoulda knocked on the simulated wood of Ole POC's cabinet.

Cuz

Last night I was downstairs working on our guest suite when I heard, "HHHHEEEELLLLPPPP!!!!!".

Ole POC was locked up, asking us to go to an anti-virus site, and DW reported that prior to that, porn had suddenly appeared (I know, I know, where am I when this happens!!!??? ) She had been surfing the web, researching stuff for her business, rather than on the known sites that I go to every day.

It turns out she stumbled onto WinX Defender. It locked up Ole POC and took over IE. I had been trying to open spybot anyway, without success, because I have an email saying an update is available. Right in the middle of being locked up, spybot opened and I did a scan. Shortly into it, after detecting 7 items (normally innocent ocurrence), the scan aborted. I took care of those items and did another scan, whcih went all the way without detected anything.

I googled WINX, searching scanner.defender.scanner, and, yes, it is malware. It tells you you have virus and when you load it, it gives you a virus.

How about dialup? We understand that we can connect to our existing AOL service with a dial-up cable. But I/we are losing it at that point. Don't we have to put an application in it in order to do that. How would it know what number to dial, for instance.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Back to the OP, BF's last post. So you are saying to use net-zero for our dial-up. We had that at one time prior to AOL.

First, we have to get on the Internet, do we not, so we can load it off the Internet, right?

If so, should we go somewhere where they have wi fi, like McDonald's, access the Internet that way, then download Net-Zero? While we're there, I probably should pick up the other stuff.

"We would like a #6, large it, with pickles only, plus Net-Zero, Zonealarm, spybot, Grisoft AVG, and Pop-up Stopper. We'll take that here."

Is that the way it works?

Another reason why I would like proceed is the 30-day guarantee from Dell. We would like to work with the LT a bit instead of just letting it sit waiting for DSL.

Another reason is that our phone provider is advertising DSL for $14.95/month, if you bundle. I'm guessing that phone service and DSL would be a bundle.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Back to the OP, BF's last post. So you are saying to use net-zero for our dial-up. We had that at one time prior to AOL.

First, we have to get on the Internet, do we not, so we can load it off the Internet, right?

If so, should we go somewhere where they have wi fi, like McDonald's, access the Internet that way, then download Net-Zero? While we're there, I probably should pick up the other stuff.

"We would like a #6, large it, with pickles only, plus Net-Zero, Zonealarm, spybot, Grisoft AVG, and Pop-up Stopper. We'll take that here."

Is that the way it works?

Another reason why I would like proceed is the 30-day guarantee from Dell. We would like to work with the LT a bit instead of just letting it sit waiting for DSL.

Another reason is that our phone provider is advertising DSL for $14.95/month, if you bundle. I'm guessing that phone service and DSL would be a bundle.

I have not used netzero in about 6 years, I do however still use my original netzero email from that account. I set up my out look with the password and it has stayed with me since I first had NZ. As far as traveling goes I keep my AOL account for that purpose. they have a $7.99 plan that is good for when I travel. My wife still uses it and because she does I was forced to buy her a new computer this past Xmas, The one I bought I made sure it had plenty of ram so I got it with 3 Gigs, guess what, it is still not enough computer still freezes up when AOL is running, AOL is a memory hog and wants to take over your computer. if it is running by it self then it is not to bad but once you try to do something else crash!

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I got out the manual hoping to enable the LT to be able to connect to wi fi, but I quickly found that the instructions were beyond me.

I got to Internet Connection Wizard, which was familiar, but when I clicked on wireless networks available in your area, that was the end. I believe it asked if I wanted to start the Wirelss Zero Configuration Service, and since I have no idea what that is, I'm now here.

What do we have to do to be able to connect to public wireless networks--wi fi?
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It asked us to select an ISP, with the choices being to use an existing one or start a new one.

Do we have to have an ISP to use a public network?

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

I got out the manual hoping to enable the LT to be able to connect to wi fi, but I quickly found that the instructions were beyond me.

I got to Internet Connection Wizard, which was familiar, but when I clicked on wireless networks available in your area, that was the end. I believe it asked if I wanted to start the Wirelss Zero Configuration Service, and since I have no idea what that is, I'm now here.

What do we have to do to be able to connect to public wireless networks--wi fi?
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It asked us to select an ISP, with the choices being to use an existing one or start a new one.

Do we have to have an ISP to use a public network?

When you click on view available net works what do you see? If you see your home network click on connect.