Connecting to the internet

[mizfiesta]

I have just bought myself a new desktop pc (windows vista operating system). My old pc was still running windows 98SE so I've finally stepped out of the dark ages ha. Anyway I have a query with relation to my internet connection. I have been with AOL for years and with my old pc I had to double click on the aol icon, put in my screenname and password in order to access the internet. Now it seems that when I start up my pc all I have to do is double click on the internet explorer icon and I have access to the 'net'. How is that possible? Without accessing aol first as my internet provider? I would much prefer it for my access to be only through accessing AOL as I ban my daughters from using internet when they have misbehaved. So even if I 'unstore' my AOL password they can still access the internet anyway using internet explorer!! I could of course not allow them to have windows vist user id's and passwords but surely there is a more suitable solution? And why is it possible to access the internet without first accessing my AOL account!!! Oh my head is spinning! I am easily confused!

[Ethel]

With your old pc, when you originally had broadband connected, did you install AOL software from a cd or dvd?

If so, have you done the same on the new pc?

[mizfiesta]

Hi there, yea with my old pc I installed aol using a disc they sent me. This time I used another disc sent out to me by aol that was also for using the wireless speedtouch router to connect to the internet with my new pc (windows vista op).

[ChuckFickens]

silly question but did you ever try just clicking on internet explorer on your old system to see what happened..

I'd be willing to bet that if you did it would work just the same as your new one does.

thats the way a router works, the router connects to the internet and provides the connection for the computer to use and any application that wants the internet can use it with no need to log on.

if you don't want your daughter using internet explorer then the simple way to stop it assuming she is not very computer literate is to simply delete all the IE shortcuts so she can't run it.

[Jugglering]

Didn't AOL broadband change over to *always on* some time ago ? This meant that you no longer had to open your AOL account to have access to the internet - it was always available.

[ChuckFickens]

yep when they started supplying routers instead of the old speedtouch USB modems