AOL PSO HELP!!!

[MetaKnight]

My friend just bought the modem adaptor for GC and on the box its says "DOES NOT WORK WITH AOL" I was wondering if this is true and if it is, is there anyway around it? Thanks

[Sedyne]

No, there is no way around this. It's due to AOL being a closed network I think.

[SLyNKee]

AOL doesnt support PPP (Point to Point Protocall) thats why it doesnt work, since the software is required to go online a company would have to make a deal with AOL like Sony did with the Network Adapter, and the box says it so nope, ditch aol and get a local ISP for half the price and double the quality or join me and alot of others and open your eyes to the wonderful world of broadband

[Xion810]

lol

Yeah, just get a new ISP. I have a provider that gives me internet for about 9 bucks a month. 18 bucks for a month of PSO...I'll take it.

[Cloud_01]

02A: In theory, all of them. A lot of people will tell you America Online does not work with PSO, but that is not true. It does not work with it directly, and, assuming that you have a Windows PC, you will have to set up Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) and buy the necessary components. For Windows XP, this is impossibly easy. For Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), it is a bit more complicated, and if you have anything older (Windows 98 First Edition, Windows 95), unfortunately, you will not be able to do it. If you are in charge of your ISP account, it's recommended that you get something other than AoL, such as Earthlink (http://www.earthlink.com). You can also find a huge, unbeatable list of ISPs here, known as "The List" (http://thelist.internet.com/). There's more than enough room to pick and choose, but ideally, you want to avoid something that makes you run proprietary software in order to connect, like America Online, CompuServe, and so on. You will not be able to use any ISPs like those without setting up ICS and using your computer as a server. If you have a standard ISP like Earthlink or BellSouth which does not require any software to be run in order to connect, you should be able to fill in your generic information in PSO's setup and connect just fine. If you have no choice as to what your ISP is, are currently using something like AOL, and are willing to set up ICS...

* Necessary Items: A GameCube Broadband Adapter (BBA), a networking card (NIC), and an RJ-45 Crossover Cable that will link your networking card and GameCube BBA. (Please make sure you get a Crossover cable, because a standard RJ-45 cable will not work. I recommend buying one off of eBay (http://www.ebay.com) since they are expensive in retail stores.)

** Windows XP

* Step 1: This will assume that you have some rudimentary Windows XP knowledge. There is a way to do this automatically, by using Windows XP's ICS Wizard, but that has failed on me a few times, so I recommend doing it manually. First, navigate to the "Network and Dial-Up Connections" folder, and open it. Are you connected to the internet? If you are, disconnect before you proceed. Now, click on the "Internet Gateway" icon for your connection (modem), right-click if necessary to bring up a sub-menu, and select "Properties". On the window that comes up, hit the "Advanced" tab, and check "Allow Other Network Users To Connect Through This Computer's Internet Connection". (Self-explanatory, isn't it?) Connect to the internet.

* Step 2: Connect your GC BBA to your NIC by plugging in the RJ-45 Crossover Cable to both. Start up your GameCube, and when PSO's title screen loads, go to "Options", then "Network Option", then "Provider Option". Hit "Yes" to proceed. If you do not already have a networking file, let PSO create one, and if you already have one, hit "Yes" to edit it. Click on "Network Setup", select the name you want to use, and hit "Edit Menu". After you have modified the name of the ISP connection to your liking, hit "Next", and then click the radio button (circle) for "Automatically Obtain IP Address (DHCP)". Keep hitting "Next" until you have the option to hit "Save", and do so, saving your settings.

* Step 3: Try to connect to the 'net with your GameCube. If the connection does not work, you will have to manually set an IP. Proceed with step 4 only if you have to do this.

* Step 4: Return to the "Provider Option" menu in PSO. This time, click on "Manually Set An IP Address". Hit "Next", and for your IP address, put in 192.168.0.200. For your Subnet Mask, put in 255.255.255.0. For your Default Gateway, put in 192.168.1.1. Hit "Next", leaving the DNS fields blank, and "Save" these settings. You should now be able to connect.

* NOTE: I have heard that it is very difficult to get AOL to work with ICS under Windows XP, but I do not know why. I used the above configuration to get a GameCube to connect through a BellSouth DSL USB modem. It should work just as well with an AOL DSL USB modem, so you shouldn't have any problems. If it does not work for you, then sadly, there is nothing more I can offer.

** Windows 98 SE

* Step 1: In Win98SE, ICS is not already installed: You will have to install it yourself. Click on "Start", then "Settings", "Control Panel", and "Add/Remove Programs". Click the "Windows Setup" tab, and double-click "Internet Tools". Check the box for "Internet Sharing", then hit "OK". Keep hitting "OK" until all the windows close, and the ICS installer pops up.

* Step 2: Hit "Next", select your respective connection, and hit "Next" again. Choose your NIC, and hit "Next". Windows will prompt you to create a client disk, but since your GC is not a computer, you do not need this. Hit "Next" until you can hit "Finish", and then set up your GameCube according to steps 2, 3 and 4 under "** Windows XP" in the section above this one.
--------------

According to that, taken from the Tech Support FAQ guide, AOL does work with PSO. It just takes some time to set up and you need a high speed connection(BBA). I wouldn't go through all that trouble though. It's much easier just using another ISP that works better with PSO.