h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm sorry folks, I've been absent here of late because of ongoing problems with my net access.

It's not been what it should be for long now but at least I had *some* degree of access. The modem would lose the connection every now and then but it would get it back again after a few minutes. But on the day before New Years it started to go off for long, and on only sporadically, and at the end of the evening it was off permanently. I tried getting online on New Year's Day but without success, and I tried the whole day long. So I phoned the kind folks who provide my 'net access.

The guy I spoke to asked me to do a few things, and at the end told me the problem was on their end, not on mine. He said I should give them an hour and then it should be fixed.

I gave them an hour and a half just to be sure, then tried getting back online ... no success.

So I phoned again. This time I was again asked to do a few things, which didn't work, then I was told to re-set my modem. This I did, and the person on the other end tried to restore my account. It didn't work.

So they said they would send a technician over. All right ... but my dear little cat Poplap is doing very poorly and I had to take her to the vet, so I told them I would take her to the vet around four the afternoon, but I would be available the rest of the day. That was about at one the afternoon, so I was hoping there would be enough time for the technician.

The technician phoned me at half past three. So I said but what about my cat and the vet, so he said, all right, he would come the next day.

So right, another day without access. I was getting worried about folks here perhaps worrying about me so I asked my sister to email Peanut.

Anyways the next day! The technician did arrive at around one the afternoon (he spent a lot of time just trying to get my attention ... for some reason the doorbell didn't work, he phoned me on my landline ... which doesn't work since it always stops ringing just before I reach it) and finally phoned me on my cell phone, at which point I let him in) and tackled my computer. He tested the phone line and it got a 'fail', but then he connected his own modem, which worked. So at the end he told me to get a new modem. He left around two the afternoon, so I had the afternoon to go modem shopping ...

When I returned to my computer, I saw he had left his laptop here.

I tried to phone him but this time I couldn't reach *him*... his phone kept refusing my call!

I had to call technical support *again*. This time to find out who he was so he could get the message to come pick up his laptop. Another huge amount of time because this tech centre is always busy, it's always 20 minutes or more just to get in touch with a person. I had to go through several 'levels' to get to someone who could give him the message. They asked if I would be at home to give him his laptop, I said I would wait for him.

He arrived after five the afternoon. As I suspected, he had difficulty remembering where he had left his laptop ... and it seems at this point that he did *not* get the message I was trying to get sent to him.

So I could not get to the shop for the modem on that day either.

Today I went, I found the shop this morning, got myself a new modem. Got home, got it connected ...

It gave me the exact same problem the old modem did. It took over two hours to get it installed. It goes online just briefly, then cuts off again for a long time. I can barely get anything done. At least I have *some* browsing ability. I'm going to try and post this as soon as it is on again. But tomorrow is Sunday so I don't know if I will get any help tomorrow.

What a complete mess! I do hope you get things sorted soon. Best of luck.

Willem I had a similar problem a short while ago. Eventually my son brought a new modem and various other techie bits and sorted it thankfully. It is really frustrating and upsetting so I hope you get it sorted soon.



Websailor

Thanks Websailor and Milla! But actually it seems to be getting better ... I've been having fairly regular access over the past while. I still wonder what is causing the connection to break? Now I hope that when the guy shows up the problem shows itself! What if he comes and for the time he's there, my access is all right, and then when he leaves, the problem returns? But I guess I should be happy that finally something is happening again after having spent a few days with no access at all.

If he knows his job I am sure he will sort it.

Websailor

, and thanks for keeping in touch!

Hi folks, thanks for the messages! Today it's still been a mess. This morning and afternoon I've been unable to get online; this evening at first things went well, then it started intermittently cutting off again.

Anyways ... Websailor, I'm happy you were able to get your problem fixed. Over here I must say I sometimes wonder about the expertise of the people involved. The technician who was here to help me for instance ... he logged into his account four or five consecutive times (on his own computer), each time having to put in his username and password which he read each time from a piece of paper, and eventually I showed him there was a little box he could click so that the computer would remember it and he wouldn't have to keep typing it in all the time. He also seemed not to know that he can click on a button to redial rather than have to wait 60 seconds until the computer automatically redials for him ... or that, to reset the modem, he needed to press the paperclip into the redial socket and then hold it for 60 seconds.

OK posting this now, I see I have a signal ...

I meant he had to push the paperclip into the *reset* socket! Comes from typing so quickly while the connection is working!

Hello again everyone! If you've been watching you'll see I managed to post a journal entry this evening, and I also managed to upload a bunch of photos to Photobucket. So, my 'net is working again! But still not perfectly. This morning it didn't want to connect at all. But in the afternoon and evening, it went well! I'll see how it goes tomorrow. Maybe I should do all my internet-ing in the afternoon and evening, then?

Understood your error Willem, no problem. Maybe you should try afternoon and evening then and see how it goes. it can get sluggish to the point of stopping here at busy times, though of recent years it has got better. I think it depends who you have got, and maybe how much you pay. Not sure how you stand over there.

anyway.

Websailor