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Thursday, May 04, 2000
Q: Is it safe to load America Online software on my system?
A: America Online is one of the most popular Internet services. But we also hear from a lot of people who have problems with certain aspects of their systems after loading AOL software. Among the problems: screen fonts that grow for no apparent reason, problems with sound cards and printer troubles. We have tracked some of these problems to user error -- what we like to call "cockpit error" because they are caused by the person in the cockpit who is running the controls. Others have actually been caused by the installation of the software.
Have a question for David Radin? Contact him at his Web site
To understand why this happens, you need to know a few basic concepts related to your PC:
1. Your operating system (typically Windows) is made of thousands of files on your disk., many of which end in .exe, .drv, .vbx, or .dll.
2. Many of these files are meant to be common files, accessed by your applications programs so that each application doesn't need to re-create common capabilities in order to run properly.
3. These system files don't always do what the applications vendors want them to do in relation to the application.
Many software vendors, AOL included, create their own versions of these files to make their applications run better. Then, on installation of their software, they replace these system files with their own "enhanced" versions of the files.
The result is that the newly installed application typically runs the way the application vendor wants it to run; but often, other applications run poorly or not at all due to the supposedly enhanced file. This is why you get problems.
AOL users, for instance, will notice that your version of Internet Explorer has an AOL logo in the top right corner instead of the standard Internet Explorer logo. That's not the problem. It's a tell-tale sign that your software has been changed from the standard IE to the AOL version of IE.
These replacement problems are often hard to find, and if found can sometimes, but not always, be corrected.
In the case of an AOL installation causing problems with Internet Explorer, you have several options -- one or more of which might work.
First, check the Internet Explorer options to find out whether AOL has changed a preference during the installation. If it has, change the preference back to the one you want. This will correct problems such as AOL changing your start page without your permission.
Second, the next time you log into AOL, minimize the AOL software after you've connected, then double-click on the Internet Explorer icon to launch it as a separate application. This won't remove the problem files. But it may make your browsing experience better, and in some cases you will avoid the problem.
Third, if the problem is specifically with your browser and is not rectified when running IE as a stand-alone application, consider re-installing IE from the Internet. When you install the latest version of IE, it should overwrite the problem files with newer files and clear up most problems. Or, install Netscape on your system. This will not remedy the problem with IE or AOL. But it will give you a second option with which to browse the Web. Be aware, though, both Internet Explorer and Netscape downloads are large. So plan for a long connection time during the download process. If you're using a dial-up connection, you might want to consider doing it while you're sleeping so you don't tie up your telephone line during your prime talking hours.
The other major area in which AOL seems to play havoc is when the system has already been set up for a different Internet Service Provider. In these cases, the problem seems to stem from a change to the Dial-up Networking on your computer. The best way to fix these problems is to contact your other ISP directly, and have them walk you through the fix. If AOL is your first connection to the Internet on this computer, this problem will not arise at all.
David Radin is host of the nationally syndicated radio show Internet Insider, a local version of which is aired on KDKA AM 1020 at noon Saturdays.
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