G73J-A2 and AOL (don't laugh!)

I'm having problems running the latest version of AOL (v 9.5) on my G73J-A2. ( I know... I know... no AOL jokes, please! )

When I sign on, the entire system crashes, and I can't move the mouse or call up the Task Manager or anything. I've of course tried AOL support... but that was less than helpful, and pretty much walked me through a "Quick Restore" and a full uninstall/re-install, both of which I had already done on my own. I also used an external un-installer to make sure the uninstall was as clean and complete as possible. But still, the minute I sign on... total crash.

Has anyone run into this issue? Or any ideas that might help? I sincerely appreciate any assistance.

Thank you!

 

I don't understand. . there's still a front end program for AOL? I thought you could do everything from AOL.COM

Have you tried running in XP compatibility mode, or disabling windows aero and desktop composition via compatibility mode?

 

Yup... still a front end. I have it installed on other Win7 64-bit systems just like this one, and there's no problem at all-- no need to turn off Aero or run in XP mode. It actually runs very well on those systems-- fast and clean, never any issues. That's why this is so confusing/frustrating.

 

Dude, this isn't a joke. Drop AOL. It's probably more of an OS deal since this has nothing to do with specific components of the g73 like the 5870.

 

I wish I had something constructive to add. I don't.

However, I was using AOL back before there was an internet worth using. There was Compuserve, AOL, and one more that started with a J that I can't remember. Anywho, AOL was cool. It had email and all those channels and all kinds of stuff. When they started, you could go to keyword "Ford" and find all kinds of cool stuff about ford trucks and what was on sale and whatever. You went to ford.com and got one lame web page with a phone number to get more info.

What I was going to say before I started waxing nostalgic was that last time I used AOL like eight years ago it was 9.X. That's the latest and greatest? Also, I vaguely remember AOL screwing with your TCP/IP stack and adding extra bindings on your network adapters. You could be having trouble with a network binding it's trying to add to the bluetooth stack or something goofy like that.

 

It might not be a solution, but you could always use Trillian (thats what I do), which supports a host of messengers, including AOL.

Also, it seems to me that there is probably a conflict between the AOL application and some other processes running in your machine. See if they have an updated version of the application (one that is built specifically for the 64 bit Windows 7 version).

Goodluck!

 

There is an old computer Haiku I remember:

"Yesterday it worked
today it is not working
Windows is like that"

It may not be a compatibility setting, but it can't hurt to try. Failing that, maybe the install itself went sour somehow. Try uninstalling/reinstalling. Possible firewall incompatibility? Antivirus? A necessary service not enabled, or a conflicting service enabled? Computer posessed by some infernal supernatural entity? That's all I can think of ATM...

 

Yeah dude. Honestly. Kill AOL. Use the web base browser if need be. Im surprised the front end GUI even starts up.

Its just garbage software. Its like asking us why norton antivirus 1997 edition wont work on the G73. Its not working because its not going to work

 

http://help.aol.com/help/microsites...OTING_1_1&dialogID=431526902&stateId=wrong Id

 

Thank you to everyone for the help!

Hey, Jody... I know... I've been on AOL since version 1, and before that I was on Q-Link, the Commodore-based predecessor. But I digress.

And I know "just don't use AOL" is one way to fix the problem, but I do believe that it's kind of ridiculous that a system like this can be taken down by a program like AOL. As I mentioned, I have 9.5 running on four other Win7 boxes (2 desktops, 2 laptops), and never had a problem. Being forced not to use it is not the best solution.

In any case, interesting update: I noticed that AOL always crashed right at sign-on, right when it would play the "welcome" wav. Then later on, even after I completely uninstalled AOL, I was just playing with the system sounds, and when I played certain sounds the same thing would happen-- complete freeze of the entire system. So I was thinking that it might not be AOL at all, but a problem with the sound. I attempted to install the latest audio drivers, but that just made things worse, as I kept on getting "SRS device" errors all over the place. Long story short, I used the backup discs to restore the system to the factory original, and have been re-setting up my system since then-- AOL and all. No problems so far.

Thanks again to everyone for the help and suggestions. I really do appreciate it. And Chastity, I actually found that page after talking to the AOL techs. I think it's funny that they neglected to mention half of those solutions!

 

Sound crashes could also have been fixed with the some suggestions in my 1st sig link. Use the CMSS-3D option.

 

Wow... good read, and great work, Chastity! Maybe I was on the right track when I suspected sound issues. (And yes, bass boost was enabled when this started to happen!) But by the time I had the thought that it might be audio related, however, I assumed that I had already done too much damage and blitzed out something, and that's why I didn't bother to even search for threads on sound-related crashes.

Excellent info. Again, thank you!

 

You're very welcome, and I hope it solved your AOL issues, except for the one where you pay them monthly.