We had a wonderful thunder storm on Wednesday night that produced enough rain to keep us from being forced into a burn ban. One flash of lightening was very intense and the boom that accompanied it was deafening and too close. Our lights did not go out but my phone died.
Sometime later one of our phones rang but it wasn't the one that is hooked into our computer system, so I knew that the problem was with the phone or lines into my computer. I started plugging and unplugging and testing until I found the problem to be with my HotCall HC2000 box.
The HotCall HC2000 is a little device that rings to let you know that you have a call coming in while you are using your dialup internet connection. This box has kept me happy for many years and I am sure that it has kept our family and friends happy as well because they didn't always get a busy signal when we were online. It has lasted many years and served us well. It will be disposed of with honors.
So, off I go to look for another HotCall box with thoughts of having to order it and how long it might take to receive it in the mail. But then, I think that with all of the new technology that is out there today and the fact that I haven't researched this in a long time that there might just be a software solution other than CallWave and some of the call forwarding programs that I have tried before. They require a call forwarding from your phone service and there is a small fee that you have added on to your monthly phone bill.
Sure enough there is a little program that works wonderfully with no fees from the phone company and it actually works great. I had it downloaded and installed in no time. I am really happy with this software. It is called PhoneTray Dialup and it is located at http://www.phonetray.com/index.htm.
They have other programs too that are free that will zap telemarketers and block callers that you don't want to talk to, but the one that you want is called PhoneTray Dialup, it is the only one that allows you to receive phone calls while being online.
It has a 30 day free trial then after the 30 days are up you have to pay $15.95 USD to purchase it. This is a one time fee that you can use on other computers and never have to pay for again. You will receive a license number that you keep in a safe place in case you have to upgrade or download a new copy to a new computer.
It only works if you have Call Waiting through your phone company and it works really well if you have Call Waiting Caller ID because it will tell you who is calling and their phone number. You even have a choice of whether it tells you in a male voice or just in a text box. You can chose to disconnect and take the call, place the internet connection on hold and take the call, ignore the call or zap the call with a choice of recorded messages.
I do have call waiting which is required but I do not have call waiting caller ID, so all calls just come up as N/A for me. I can't believe that it took a storm for me to find a program that I like so well.
If you have a dial-up and you can't get phone calls while online, you should check this out. If you have a modem that allows it, you can even put your connection on hold and take the call, then go back online without having to redial. This works for me for about three minutes before my internet connection disconnects.
Showing posts with label internet connection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label internet connection. Show all posts
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Google Reader
Thank God for Google Reader! There are several blogs that I enjoy reading on a daily basis but because the authors use complicated backgrounds and lots of gadgets, I can no longer go to their actual blogs. I don't blame them, if I had high speed internet I would probably do the same thing but since I am still on a dial-up connection that moves as slow as molasses on a freezing cold day, I cannot wait 20 minutes for a background to load.
Google Reader is just great, all that I get is the text of blogs that I am following alone with whatever pictures that they posted with that blog. All of the latest blogs from my favorite authors are there in one place, no ads and no gadgets in the side bars. Google Reader helps me to find some extra time in my day.
AT&T has finally brought DSL to one of the small towns that I live near, but it does not reach me. The other small town that I live near on the other side has cable internet service but it doesn't reach me either. I get depressed when I think about it, so I won't think about it by using Google Reader.
I do have HOPE for CHANGE in this upcoming year. Once President O gets in office, I will have both cable and DSL to choose from.
Google Reader is just great, all that I get is the text of blogs that I am following alone with whatever pictures that they posted with that blog. All of the latest blogs from my favorite authors are there in one place, no ads and no gadgets in the side bars. Google Reader helps me to find some extra time in my day.
AT&T has finally brought DSL to one of the small towns that I live near, but it does not reach me. The other small town that I live near on the other side has cable internet service but it doesn't reach me either. I get depressed when I think about it, so I won't think about it by using Google Reader.
I do have HOPE for CHANGE in this upcoming year. Once President O gets in office, I will have both cable and DSL to choose from.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Zone Alarm
My slow dial-up connection is holding me prisoner tonight. I started a download of the Zone Alarm Firewall at 8:00 this evening and it is now 12:30. I am very sleepy but I cannot go to bed and leave the connection open all night. I thought about setting my alarm to get up and shut the computer down when the download is complete but I know that I would just keep hitting the snooze button.
My download is 79% done right now and I wouldn't have to even do this download if it weren't for either a Microsoft Update or an AVG Update that killed my internet connection. This same thing happened to me back in July with a Microsoft Update and I got it fixed somehow. This time I couldn't fix it without totally uninstalling Zone Alarm.
I may be wasting my time anyway because I may install this new Zone Alarm Firewall and lose my connection again. Microsoft or AVG is doing something that makes Zone Alarm have a nervous breakdown or something. I am going to shut off the Automatic Updates from Microsoft, but since I got an update from AVG at the same time, I can't say for sure who the culprit is. I don't have time to figure out how to fix their messes in either case.
Good Morning! I ended up going to bed and setting my alarm, I finally woke up enough to disconnect the connection after hitting the snooze button around five times. I am going to do some more research on my computer problem before reinstalling my new copy of Zone Alarm. I will try to find out if there is a fix or if the offending update has issued a patch for the problem.
My download is 79% done right now and I wouldn't have to even do this download if it weren't for either a Microsoft Update or an AVG Update that killed my internet connection. This same thing happened to me back in July with a Microsoft Update and I got it fixed somehow. This time I couldn't fix it without totally uninstalling Zone Alarm.
I may be wasting my time anyway because I may install this new Zone Alarm Firewall and lose my connection again. Microsoft or AVG is doing something that makes Zone Alarm have a nervous breakdown or something. I am going to shut off the Automatic Updates from Microsoft, but since I got an update from AVG at the same time, I can't say for sure who the culprit is. I don't have time to figure out how to fix their messes in either case.
Good Morning! I ended up going to bed and setting my alarm, I finally woke up enough to disconnect the connection after hitting the snooze button around five times. I am going to do some more research on my computer problem before reinstalling my new copy of Zone Alarm. I will try to find out if there is a fix or if the offending update has issued a patch for the problem.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Thief Strikes Again
We were without phones and internet service all day again yesterday. The copper thief struck again. I had to take the neighbor's other two dogs to be groomed and I passed the crime scene. There were only a couple of AT&T trucks there this time and one police car. They were all sitting around laughing and taking a break while my phone lines were lying there shredded and my contact with the outside world was disconnected.
The problem is this; I realized yesterday that they are not replacing the lines with anything new, they are replacing it with the same old copper wire. The reason that I know this is because this is the third time that this stretch of line has been stolen. The lines hang down close to the ground in this spot and it is on top of a hill in a secluded area with no trees to block their view for a couple of miles, so they can see a car coming very easily in any direction.
Now I am not that smart but I have noticed that they only steal these lines on weekends but they do switch it around from Friday to Saturday or Sunday nights. But they are basically hitting the same areas each time. We have been without service on around six different occasions since this all started.
At least this gives the AT&T repairmen something to do, so maybe they won't lose their jobs to downsizing. Job security is good thing, I guess. How's that for a positive attitude? I do know all of these guys pretty well, since we have had a lot of phone problems in the last several years. There was a time that I talked to them at least twice a week. But other than the stolen lines, they did finally track down and fix our problem after I talked to a nice man at the Utility Regulatory Commission. Maybe I should give him another call, at the very least our phone bills should be adjusted for all of these outages.
The problem is this; I realized yesterday that they are not replacing the lines with anything new, they are replacing it with the same old copper wire. The reason that I know this is because this is the third time that this stretch of line has been stolen. The lines hang down close to the ground in this spot and it is on top of a hill in a secluded area with no trees to block their view for a couple of miles, so they can see a car coming very easily in any direction.
Now I am not that smart but I have noticed that they only steal these lines on weekends but they do switch it around from Friday to Saturday or Sunday nights. But they are basically hitting the same areas each time. We have been without service on around six different occasions since this all started.
At least this gives the AT&T repairmen something to do, so maybe they won't lose their jobs to downsizing. Job security is good thing, I guess. How's that for a positive attitude? I do know all of these guys pretty well, since we have had a lot of phone problems in the last several years. There was a time that I talked to them at least twice a week. But other than the stolen lines, they did finally track down and fix our problem after I talked to a nice man at the Utility Regulatory Commission. Maybe I should give him another call, at the very least our phone bills should be adjusted for all of these outages.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Up, up and away!
Floating a New Idea For Going Wireless, Parachute Included - WSJ.com
Maybe there is hope for me yet! A company called Space Data Corp. is sending balloons into the air to provide internet service to truckers and oil companies in the south.
The balloons are filled with hydrogen instead of helium because it is cheaper. They carry an electronic device that is the equivalent of a mini cell tower that is encased in styrofoam. The lifespan of the balloons is 24 hours before they burst and the mini cell tower drifts back to earth via a tiny parachute.
Space Data says a single balloon can do the work of 40 cell towers, by covering thousands of square miles below. With about 36% of rural Americans without high speed Internet connections (that would be me), this might be a cheaper alternative to satellite dishes, which can be unreliable and very expensive.
Space Data hires rural farmers, usually dairy farmers because of their strict milking schedules to launch their balloons daily, paying them $50 per launch. They also pay 20 people with GPS to retrieve the electronic devices after they fall back to Earth, they are paid $100 per device.
I would gladly launch a balloon everyday for a high speed internet connection.
Maybe there is hope for me yet! A company called Space Data Corp. is sending balloons into the air to provide internet service to truckers and oil companies in the south.
The balloons are filled with hydrogen instead of helium because it is cheaper. They carry an electronic device that is the equivalent of a mini cell tower that is encased in styrofoam. The lifespan of the balloons is 24 hours before they burst and the mini cell tower drifts back to earth via a tiny parachute.
Space Data says a single balloon can do the work of 40 cell towers, by covering thousands of square miles below. With about 36% of rural Americans without high speed Internet connections (that would be me), this might be a cheaper alternative to satellite dishes, which can be unreliable and very expensive.
Space Data hires rural farmers, usually dairy farmers because of their strict milking schedules to launch their balloons daily, paying them $50 per launch. They also pay 20 people with GPS to retrieve the electronic devices after they fall back to Earth, they are paid $100 per device.
I would gladly launch a balloon everyday for a high speed internet connection.
Friday, February 1, 2008
FireFox ~ Timed Out
If you are using the Firefox browser like I am, you may be getting a lot of "The connection has timed out, the server at (website name) is taking too long to respond" messages and have to click the "Try Again" button. I was getting these all of the time and especially on a forum that I visit regularly.
I googled the problem and came up with many different opinions on what was causing this, but this is the solution that I tried and it worked:
1. Open your Firefox browser
2. In the location bar at the very top of your browser, type "about:config" (without quotation marks)
3. A large list will appear, scroll down to find: network.dns.disableIPv6
4. Right click on above item
5. Choose: toggle (this should change the setting to: true)
6. Close your browser and then reopen it, your problem should be fixed, it worked for me.
I googled the problem and came up with many different opinions on what was causing this, but this is the solution that I tried and it worked:
1. Open your Firefox browser
2. In the location bar at the very top of your browser, type "about:config" (without quotation marks)
3. A large list will appear, scroll down to find: network.dns.disableIPv6
4. Right click on above item
5. Choose: toggle (this should change the setting to: true)
6. Close your browser and then reopen it, your problem should be fixed, it worked for me.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
I'm doing good
This is my 13th post, I seem to be reaching my goal of keeping a journal.
If you have read my previous posts, you know that I have an ongoing problem with AT & T. They called today to tell me that the repairman would be here on Saturday the 5th at some vague time. I reported problems on my phone line on the 28th of December and was assured that my phone would be fixed by the 5th, not on the 5th. Well the repairman showed up today and said that he didn't think that he fixed the problem but might have. Then advised me to get cellular phones and just ditch the land line, since we have so much trouble with it and they can't locate the problem.
He also said that I could get my internet connection through my cell phone since we have a good signal here, I went to the website and couldn't find any information about a wireless internet connection. Maybe the same people that built the web site for GoDaddy built the AT & T site.
If you have read my previous posts, you know that I have an ongoing problem with AT & T. They called today to tell me that the repairman would be here on Saturday the 5th at some vague time. I reported problems on my phone line on the 28th of December and was assured that my phone would be fixed by the 5th, not on the 5th. Well the repairman showed up today and said that he didn't think that he fixed the problem but might have. Then advised me to get cellular phones and just ditch the land line, since we have so much trouble with it and they can't locate the problem.
He also said that I could get my internet connection through my cell phone since we have a good signal here, I went to the website and couldn't find any information about a wireless internet connection. Maybe the same people that built the web site for GoDaddy built the AT & T site.
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