Probably a stupid question but still need help

Forums: Computers
Email this Topic • Print this Page

Hi everyone: First happy new year to all.
My mom has an imac running OS 9.2 and the latest version of internet explorer. When she logs onto the internet her default homepage is
http://livepage.apple.com/?isp=earthlink
However for the last few weeks, it has been crashing when loading.
The message on the left hand corner bar reads:
exp__music.gif

In my limited working knowledge I can only guess that this file or code is crashing the homepage. So I've been typing in another URL, such as www.yahoo.com before the homepage completely loads and crashes.
Then I open her email via Earthlink (which is Outlook express) and check her email. Email service has been running fine. However, she is not going to be able to do this little type over trip herself. Therefore, has been unable to check her own email--not that she does it that often--but of course now there is a problem and she wants it fixed. I tried my default homepage:
http://start.earthlink.net -- but that has also crashed with that same message on the bottom of the screen.

Today I tried calling earthlink support. They were not helpful. My tech rep told me they were having some problems with the personal home pages, etc. Even though I said the problem was weeks old, they told me to call back, etc., but not before a pitch to switch to one of their more expensive services. This does not increase my faith in them. Anyway that is the backstory.

Can I switch her default homepage to something else? For example: Yahoo or Google and if I do that will her email be affected? I wouldn't think so--I just updated the server settings with earthlink support and did a test email. It seems okay right now, but this is the only way I can think to get around the whole homepage crashing problem. Please any advice you can think of and please keep in mind I'm not a great IT manager. I try to keep my mac up and running as well as her imac. At work I have a PC and a help line I call whenever there is the slightest hiccup. I walked around last week giving our awesome IT folks some little Christmas and or holiday thank you presents (for they are not all Christian), because I appreciate having them at work. I just wish I had a home HELP line.
Again any ideas will be appreciated, and happy new year!

Topic Stats
Top Replies
Link to this Topic

Type: Discussion • Score: 1 • Views: 664 • Replies: 4

No top replies

I don't 'work' on my imac that often, but when I run into a similar problem with my Windows xp, I go to Google to dig up my ISP, and put that in my Favorites, then make that a shortcut to my browser or first page.

0 Replies

Okay then I guess I'll try making that (google or yahoo) her first page or homepage. Thanks.
: )

0 Replies

Google is fine for a Startpage; its uncluttered, loads quickly, and has a very, very good uptime record - its pretty much gonna be there if the internet ain't down.

Since you're using Internet Explorer, open a browser window, navigate to the page you want as a a Startpage (for Google, that would be http://www.google.com ), go up to the browser's toolbar, click "Tools", select "Internet Options", and under the "General" tab on the Internet Options Control Panel (which should be what first confronts you when the Internet Options Control Panel opens, the first pane will be labled "Hompage" - click the first button, "Use Current", then, its a good idea to go to the 2nd panel and clear your cookies and temporary internet files ("Delete all offline content"). Click "Apply", then click "OK" then close the browser. If you put an Internet Explorer shortcut on your desktop, clicking that should bring you to the desired Startpage (thats why its called a "Startpage" :wink: ). If your connection is not an Always On connection, you'll prolly get the Internet Connection Control Panel so you can instruct your modem to connect and your machine to log on the first time you launch IE during a session; that too can be automated.

Whatever - your Startpage has nothing to do with your email client (in your case Outlook Express). There's no real need to open a browser befor invoking Outlook Express; again set a shortcut to Outlook Express on your desktop - click the shortcut and Outlook Express opens. If you are not connected to the internet at the time, it should present you with the Internet Connection Control Panel just the same as Internet Explorer does - go through whatever hoops you normally do to log on to the internet (or, as mentioned earlier, set up the Internet Connection Control Panel to connect and log your machine onto your ISP automatically), and thats that.

0 Replies

Thanks timberlandko.
: )

0 Replies

Probably a stupid question but still need help

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know