high-speed cable questions

Hope I'm in the right forum....I'm considering getting high-speed cable and a few questions came into mind. I have Win98 1st ed., PIII 450 MHz, dial-up and IE6, and am considering Roadrunner.

1. Roadrunner supposedly comes with its own "branded" version of Internet Explorer. Will this allow me to keep my current favorites and settings or will I have to start from scratch? Or can I just continue to use my existing IE6?

2. Many applications such as Norton Live Update, Quicken, etc., regularly access the Internet. Will they automatically detect the change or will settings changes/reinstallations be needed?

3. I infrequently use Microsoft Fax--I assume that once on cable I will need to connect my 56k modem to a phone line to use this app. Or are there any fax applications that can be used with cable?

Not being a computer whiz, I would greatly appreciate any info, and to hear any suggestions regarding cable. I should mention also that I already have TimeWarner digital cable, and it would be relatively cheap and easy for me to add roadrunner to the package, hence my interest in this particular service.

docbombay

 

high speed cable modem

docbombay ,
good for you. Once you get high speed internet there is no looking back.
it is all very straightforeward. No big change except in your case you will have to dial out your faxes. There are services to send/receive faxes over the Internet if you fax a fair bit and it is worthwhile to you.
I do not think that the Roadrunner Ie will be much different otherwise there would be tons of complaints. However to play it safe you can always copy your IE or netscape favorites to a floppy or elsewhere on your hard drive. In Win 98 it is a "favorites" folder in the "windows" folder.
A very good resource for high speed cable service is www.askmarvin.ca
He says that there are two main ways to increase your cable speed.
1)use a "proxy server "
-there is a listing of the Roadrunner proxy servers on the site .
2) there is a fix on the site to optimize your settings.
However I did not find it helped at all- even slowed me down. Beware the various products offered to speed up your speed- again they often slow you down.
To test your download speed Marvin recommends downloading a large Microsft download from their site. (I'm sure msoft loves that). He says that even the sites to test your speed
are vary erratic.
Lastly if you want to start endless debate ask your friends
which is better DSL or high speed cable. Most answers are rely on misinformation for their arguments.
There are usually two different services for DSL -residential
and business- which are they referring to ?
With DSL speed is constant. Whereas with cable it is a network and will slow down at peak times- a question to ask when are you on the net ?
Dsl though is preferred by those with concerns for security.
The DSL user is only visible when online wheras the cable connection is always "on" whether or not the user has his computer on.
Hope this helps.

 

firewall good idea

One other point it might be a good idea to have a firewall.
Ohter people on this forum know more than me about this topic.

 

docbombay--I switched from Eartlink dial-up to Road Runner and it's like going from a Chevy to a Mecedes.
I was running Win 98SE when I did it and the only thing I had to change was my e-mail address-

GO FOR IT--you will never regret it!
Paul

 

Thank you to schamish and paul143 for your info and encouragement--the installation appointment is made and I await my new "Mercedes. "

docbombay

 

It's actually more like going from a skateboard to a Ferrari.

As to question #1. You do NOT need to install any of their software. Windows has everything built in, so if you can sweet talk the installer, you can keep exactly what you have, and not install their stupid browser, nor any other proprietary software.

Qeustions to ask:
Is my IP static or Dynamic, and what is it?
If it's Dynamic, how often does it change?
Do I get my IP from the MAC address, or some other way?
If I get a router, what do I need to do to get online, regarding my IP?
Will cloning my MAC to the router solve the problem (if the IP comes from the MAC addy)?
Are there any bandwidth limits?
What are my guaranteed speeds, up and down?
Are there any caps on the speed?
Are there any data transfer limits?
What is the tech support help line phone number?
How much (if any) downtime should I expect every month?
Will I be reimbursed for the downtime from my monthly bill?
Can I run a server?
Do I get any free web space?
How do I access it (via FTP)?
What would my URL be?

This is just a partial list, and you may not care one whit what the answers are (you may not even understand the questions), but later on you just might need some bit of this info, and it's better to get it all up front, than be on hold to tech support later for something as silly as an IP addy.

 

To that I fully agree. I have had RR for a year or two. Their software is still sitting in the unopened box where it was left by the Tech that came to install the Cable Modem. In fact he told me to leave it there.

All he did was install and attach the Modem to my already exisitng HUB, made one phone call to activate the modem and was outta here in 15 minutes.

3. I infrequently use Microsoft Fax--I assume that once on cable I will need to connect my 56k modem to a phone line to use this app

If you have an Internal Modem that may or may not be a problem. Some systems will handle a cable and a Dial-up Modem and some won't If by chance you have and External Modem then there should be no problem. I ran both for about 6 months untill they got the cable to be more reliable. It was something brand new here. And they had gotten some bad equipment.

BillyBob

 

Thank you

Just wanted to say thanks to those who helped--cable is now installed and I wonder why I waited so long! It was much simpler than I was thinking, even without a lot of computer knowledge. My biggest thrill was updating IE/OE yesterday--a 90-100 minute dial-up download in less than 3 minutes! Thanks again--I doubt I would have tried new things like this without the information gleaned from this group.

docbombay