[JohnRoss]

Hi running aol 9.1 and if I type something in the top search bar I get something like this: Typed BBC Space force and the following appears in the search bar on the page that comes up BBC%20Space%20force. The list that appears under this has lots of entries that look like this:

SALR Thread Data v2 id=2270712&lastpostdt=200701091022&lastp...
... =56946&title=BBC%3A%20%27New%20stem%20cell%20sourc e%27%20discovered ..... = What%20music%20would%20you%20like%20to%20wake%20up %20to%20IN%20SPACE%3F ... =How %20do%20we%20force%20some%20hygiene%20habits%20ont o%20this%20guy%3F ...

If I type a proper URL in the top search bar all works normally and the site comes up as it does if I click on something in the favorites list. If I use the search bar in Internet Explorer 8 all works normally with or without AOL toolbar turned on.

If I type BBC Space force in the search bar at the top of the AOL welcome page it all works normally so what is going on? Only just started doing this a few days ago.

The situation just got a wee bit stranger! I fired up my old machine which runs Windows Millenium with Internet Explorer 6, not 8 like the other machine, and with AOL 9 and not 9.1 and guess what, exactly the same problem. The only common factor here is the AOL broadband box and AOL itself. The old machine has not been on-line for weeks so I think that almost rules out the possibility of a recent downloaded Trojan or some such. I have run Spybot S&D and AVG on both machines and nothing found.I have also run Ccleaner but no good effect...............JR

Any AOL experts out there?............................................ ......................JR

[snow]

Hi there and welcome to Free PC help.

The best thing to do would be to contact AOL customer support, which you can find by clicking the following link:

Contact AOL - AOL Help

AOL also has a section for frequently asked questions, which you could browse through if you'd like:

Internet & web browser: Your questions answered - Technical - AOL Help

[JohnRoss]

Tried to ask question of AOL UK but cannot communicate with them as they don't recognise me as a subsciber as I am in France. Could not find anything helpful in their list of technical queries. AOL.fr has cancelled its English help line and from past experience they were not much help anyway. My French is not that good so just adds to the problem. I was hoping someone on your forum would recognise the problem from the examples I have given. Thanks for tryiing to be helpful anyaway..............JR

Ok this is a real mess, this is typical of AOL.

It seems that Neuf Cegetel who is your currently listed ISP have joined forces with AOL. (The exact information on this is strictly confidential and viewable to Free PC Help staff only)

This is impossible for us to sort out as you need to contact Neuf Cegetel.

Read more here and I'm surprised you have not been informed about this, mind you nothing surprises me about AOL.

Neuf Cegetel chooses AOL to provide content & services for its residential portals | AOL Corporate

[JohnRoss]

I think your information is a little out of date AOL/Neuf now have been taken under SFR's wing in France.

I had hoped that someone on your site would have been able to comment on the fact that words in the listings as shown in my example have the ASCII code 20 Hex (32 Dec) preceded by % instead of a space. This was what I wanted to kow and what to do about it of course. It must be something to do with my AOL box I would have thought and it has been suggested that a DNS change might help but I know little about DNS or how to change it.

Trying to communicate in a foreign language is not that easy for matters technical such as this and their reputation for giving help is pants!............................................ .JR

PS I am British by the way in case you thought otherwise

Yes we know you are British, the admin can see that by your sign up email address.

The simple fact is we cannot help when it comes down to a foreign internet service provider, especially one that is combined with AOL which is the worst provider in the world in my opinion.

[JohnRoss]

Originally Posted by Wolfeymole

Yes we know you are British, the admin can see that by your sign up email address..

Strange it is a French one and a typical French name in part at that and the IP address locates me in France!

Originally Posted by Wolfeymole

The simple fact is we cannot help when it comes down to a foreign internet service provider, especially one that is combined with AOL which is the worst provider in the world in my opinion.

A view held by many it would seem but I would not know as have only ever used AOL. I had hoped that the fault was not related to a particular location, i.e. France, but was related to the software, American, or the AOL box or I.E.8. Anyway thank you for your time and your considered response. I had hoped some of your other forum members might have responded with nuggets of knowledge but sadly not. I trust I would be as welcome again should I have some other problem that you would feel qualified and uninhibited to comment on............................................JR

The name in the email sign up is completely different from your forum User Name and if you wish to confer on this then feel free to private message me.

You are of course free to post any further issues on the forum at any time.

[Plastic Nev]

Hi, just to add that unfortunately there is very little else that other forum members such as myself could add, other than to confirm everything that Wolfeymole has already said.

Sorry we couldn't help much further, but do please come back if you have other problems that we can help with, we will be more than glad to assist.
Nev.

[JohnRoss]

Well even weirder the problem I reported has just disappeared today. The only Windows update today has been this one and only on one of the two machines affected which I would not have thought could be responsible but what do I know. Maybe AOL has done an update, don't know how you could tell! Still think it is something to do with the AOL box. Both computers working normally again............................................. .....JR

Definition Update for Windows Defender - KB915597 (Definition 1.63.422.0)

Date d'installation : ‎28/‎07/‎2009 09:27

État de l'installation : Réussite (Successful)

Type de mise à jour (Update) : Important

Install this update to revise the definition files used to detect spyware and other potentially unwanted software. Once you have installed this item, it cannot be removed.

[Plastic Nev]

At least it is all OK again and thanks for letting us know.
There have been many oddities created, and about the same number of oddities resolved, by the windows updates system, so you aren't on your own in this!
Once again, glad all is OK now.
Nev.