AOL Version 9 (AOL Version 9)

Member Name: Nigel1

Product:	AOL Version 9
Date:	23/01/09 (90 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None, apart from the fact it will grant you access to the internet eventually

Disadvantages: System hogging, bloated, almost unusable

Let me start off by saying that AOL 9 is probably the worse software for internet access that there has ever been. It is a complete system hog, and is the only ISP that thrusts its own software down our throats whether we like it or not.

After installing the AOL9 software, I rebooted my pc and when I got back on to my desktop there was this annoying icon in my taskbar from AOL which was searching for the internet network connection. This went on for at least 3 minutes, during which time my pc was almost unusable due to that searching. Then, if that wasn't bad enough. AOL's own spyware scanner (which again was thrust upon me unawares) started to kick in, again slowing my pc to a crawl until this bloated piece of software finally loaded up. Incidentally, these things were not a "one off" they happened each and every time I rebooted my pc to my great annoyance.

I put up with these annoyances for almost a year but what really got me to change from AOL eventually was the fact that about every couple of hours or so my internet connection would fail. That horrible little AOL icon in the taskbar would state that a "network cable was unplugged" and eventually again it would search for a connection taking almost 3 minutes during which time my pc would be unusable until this crap piece of software was satisfied that my network cable was indeed plugged in. These events happened more frequently until I eventually decided that enough was enough and moved to a different ISP (and I haven't looked back since).

AOL is trying to corner the market regarding internet access. They have a policy of "the internet in one place". Meaning AOL software, AOL web browsing, AOL instant chat, AOL security.

Unfortunately, it simply fails to work. They even have the audacity to have their own (AOL) webpage open up when you click on the AOL 9 icon on the desktop to access the internet,with AOL news and AOL suggesting this and that to you.

I appreciate that you can minimise AOL to the taskbar and open up your regular browser, but the thought of the software still sitting there is most annoying.

Also there are constant update downloads to this piece of worthless software and hardly a day goes by that when you log out of AOL it doesn't want you to download an update for this and that. Extremely annoying!

Also customer service is laughable. To ring them up before used to be free of charge, but now,every phone call will cost you.And whatever you complain to them about they will argue that it is all your fault and not theirs. They will tell you that your pc is faulty in some way and that it couldn't possibly be their fault.

My strong advice to anybody new to the internet is to leave AOL 9 and its bloated, unusable software well alone. To the rest of you who are already internet savvy, well I need not tell you because you will already know.

Summary: Stay well clear of this bloated system hogging software

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