Okay here is my problem. I have an iBook, it has both OS X and 9 on it. We tend use OS 9 more because the majority of the programs we like to use (ie: Netscape and Outlook Express) always made the classic environment pop up when we run OS X. Okay so once in a great while I decide to switch to OS X for kicks. Well here is my problem. I cannot get the internet to work in OS X, but it works just fine in OS 9. We just got a new modem and I even opened a browser window (in OS X) and typed in the modem's IP to -*test*-('") that -- that will come up and tells me everything is running smoothly. I even see the lights blinking at me. I will try to go a webpage, see the lights blink and then I get nothing -- no page loads and I get a message telling me that it cannot find the page, but as soon as I switch to OS 9 -- I am fine. Got any ideas?

you know, the same thing happened to me a while back when i tried to switch from X to 9. i don't know the answer.

BigJohn has been super busy at work. i'll email him & tell him about this topic though. i'm sure he'd know what to do.

ok, i copied your question & emailed it to him & this is what he said...

That's a tough one ... It's a multi-step process. Best bet is to open System Preferences, go to Network, and click on the "Assist me" button on the bottom. From there, after that's set up, I think you go to Internet Connect (in the applications folder) and set up a dialup connection. I'm not sure about that last part, though.

J

if that makes any sense to you.

That totally makes sense, but the problem is we have DSL -- so we are connected using an external modem and an Ethernet cable.

i had a feelin you were gonna say that. i'll email him again & see what he sez...

Okay here is where we stand. I called my ISP to see if they could help me, needless to say the guy I spoke to admitted that he is not Mac proficient. But he tried to help me, he thought maybe I was having some firewall issues. I also called my mom and had her tell my step-dad what is going on because he is a Mac guru. He didn't think it was the firewall at all, he suggested I try reinstalling the modem software on OS X since I only did it for OS 9 -- so I had to wait till Carl went to work to do that, well things were running pretty smoothly till the end when the installer stopped and gave me a message saying it couldn't connect to the internet -- no DUH!! -- well it said to reconfigure the modem again and if the same message came up to call the help desk to my phone company. Well tried it again and received the same message. Called the phone company and explained to them the whole thing. He checked some things out and basically said it sounds like it on the ISP side -- told me to have them check the authentication for their servers. Perhaps that might fix it. GRR!! I feel like I am going in circles. So tomorrow I need to call them and get the guy who is Mac proficient -- he's helped me in the past, so I know he knows Macs and see if we can get this all straightened out. I got reprimanded by my step-dad for not giving OS X a longer try

he's right, cuz X is way better.

i still haven't heard back from BigJohn... so i'm somewhat hesitant to send him the new stuff you said. i'll wait & see if he writes back today first.

BigJohn said this...



Uh ... I dunno. I think it might be worth trying anyway; my dsl doesn't use an external modem at all, and I've never heard of that kind of configuration unless it's PPPoE, in which chase I think my original suggestion may still be the right way to go.

BJ

Well I got it straightened out. When I was in the Network setting TCP/IP section, I had some really old DNS numbers set up and all I had to do was delete them and I am now posting using Firefox on my outdated Mac X -- 10.1.5 thank you very much.

that's great news, Christy!

i have 10.2.8 so i think mine's kinda old too.

hey, did you know that most Macs have ethernet built in, & you don't even need a DSL modem? i never knew, but that's what BigJohn told me. if you're renting your DSL modem, you might wanna look into it. i already paid for mine ($60) so i guess i'll just keep it hooked up anyway.

I bet ours doesn't since we bought our computer over 3 years ago. We already paid for our modem, so I am just gonna keep ours too.

i bought mine over 3 years ago too. i think they've been like that for a long time though, but i don't know for sure.

What kind of mac do you have? You said you have an ibook, right? Most laptops have the RJ-45 jack - it looks like a phone jack, but wider - which is your built-in ethernet. If you have that, you don't need an external modem, unless you're using PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet) which doesn't seem like it's the case. At any rate, most of the laptops have that port built-in.

Oh, well, sorry I wasn't around to be of any more help.

BigJohn

well, i passed on all your answers, so it all worked out.

i guess i didn't need to buy that $60 modem. stoopid phone company.