It has arrived, it is big, it is beautiful, but I can't connect to the internet HELP!!

[gingerbear]

I need help. I have my lovely new iMac, but no internet. I have a sagem 800 ASDL modem provided by Tiscali. I have tried to install it on my new mac, but it wont work, and the tiscali helpline are useless. If it ain't windows or a PC, they can't help.
I will ring Apple in the morning.
Humpf!
Hub2dee, I know you have a lovely fragrant new babe and all, and I loved your pictures, could you be my personal apple helpline in the morning? Pleeeesssee??? How do Mac users get on the internet, should I ditch Tiscali and use an ISP who is more Mac friendly?

hiya,

1handed...

modem install soounds great; lights=good.

Q: during install did it ask you anything about the isp network you were connecting to ? (like that weird pppoa line I posted ? Did it ask username and pass ? Does the modem icon on your desktop lead to any config type window (where you could twiddle pppoa / e settings etc) or merely a 'diagnostics' window which shows how happy the modem is ?)

Also - presume this is a new mac with OS X Tiger (10.4.something on) ?

Re: pppoe or a - From what I gather you intall modem telling it tiscali is 'a' but you do all your logon / settings info in the pppoe box within your network settings area IYSWIM

Ohhhhhhhhhh gingerbear

for your sanity leave tiscali NOW NOW NOW NOW

If you like talking to INDIA and ghetting nowhere then stay with them

I was for over a year not worked at all for 24 hours withoput stopping connection

If it works then great if not then leave please

Hello Hub

The icon on desktop is ADSL monitor (ie how healthy modem is ? says connected and green dot).. During installation I ticked the box for PPPoA VCMUX038 as advised. Went to System Preferences ;Network; - Ethernet adaptor(en2) appeared clicked configure ? then stumped ? there are tabs for TCP/IP, PPPoE, AppleTalk, proxies and ethernet. On TCP/IP tab there is a box for Configure IPv4 ? you have to select manually or using PPP. I don?t have IP address, subnet mask, router, but I do have DNS server numbers for Tiscali. In the PPPoE tab.I have tried my account name and password, but when I try and connect to the internet it says ?could not find PPPoE server.

My Version of OSX is Tiger 10.4.

You have been an angel helping me out, but I am rapidly losing patience. I rang Arnold and Andrew today, and they said if I decide to cancel Tiscali (30 days!) then they could connect me via an ethernet router with no problems. They were so helpful, thanks for the recommendation.

Unless a miracle happens, and I can find Tiscali, I am going to switch ISP.

BTW, have been playing with iTunes tonight ? I love it! Have downloaded stuff via my tosh, put it on a USB memory pen jobbie and plugged it into my iMac. Still have a lot to learn. Have also transferred all my photo albums onto iPhoto.

deffo please leave tiscali pleaseeeeeeeeeeeee

Ok RTKanga, would that then be Deffo Brill??

OH yes MEGA DEFFO BRILL

for your own sanity

I know some people are fine with them but if you are having probs go with HUBs advice

Hiya !

Very glad A&A were so helpful even for a non-customer ! LOL

They are a good bunch. You want your ISP to basically provide you with a perfect connection and then never talk to them again.

Tiscali will be nothing (probably) but grief and admin c*ck ups and when you do need tech support they will think you are just being dumb.

Anyways - to the modem in question...

Install sounds nice.

Sysem Prefs / Network / Ethernet (2 ?)

Click the PPPoE tab (even if Tiscali is PPPoA)....

Click the check box at the top 'Connect Using PPPoE' - this will enable all those pale greyed out options.

You will need Account Name and Password. I think this is the same as your login name and pass, but it may not be. Try your login and pass you have been given.

Tick 'Show PPPoE status in menu bar' for now as you may get some useful messages in the menu bar showing you wtf is going on...

When you've done all that, could you confirm if you are joyous or if you are still sobbing ?

(I think you've done all this already anyway...)

You may then need to go to the TCP/IP tab and do stuff there, but tbh I am not sure exactly what.

I'd guess it was 'Configure ipv4' - DHCP - and leave it to Tiscali's access servers to throw you a correct IP address, but I don't know how they work...

Give it one more bash tonight, but then, for sanity's sake, and to move to a more helpful ISP, I'd go with A&A or perhaps Zen that has been suggested. A&A's router, if you buy it from them will be probably 30 - 50 quid, and have your ADSL setup info already programmed into it by a nice geek. If you plug it in, I estimate you will be on the Net in 22 seconds.

Honest.

PS - Yes, iTunes and IPhoto totally rock. They are SO deliciously easy to use and stable.

Enjoy. Hope your IP connection gets sorted soon.

can i gatecrash??? sorry, thanks for your advice re, my spyware hub, i have cleaned up my computer and am now using firefox as my web browser.
dh has given in and says we can by a mac for xmas!!!
however noticing gingerbears prob, think i will have to ditch tiscali as weare with them and they are rubbish anyway.
would a btbroadband modem work ok, with apple???

Hi spacey (and congrats btw), yes, Macs handle broadband / Internet connections INCREDIBLY well. Built in decent firewall in the operating system. Never be bothered by spyware, you can turn off popups in the browser, and it is all easy to use and setup.

TBH, it's not helpful that Tiscali doesn't support Macs, it means that in their support centre there's no experts to field calls from Apple users, and no one has tried to install it on a Mac etc.... this is pretty poor, but perhaps economical from a marketing / business strategy perspective.

A&A support Windows / Linux / Mac / whatever, and if you make sure you have an ethernet ADSL modem, or a wireless ADSL modem you will be a happy bunny.

WiFi in the house to a laptop, IMHO, is a very nice way to work / play .

Glad your PC is behaving. You should keep scanning for spyware regularly, with different applications, keep the signatures up to date (same on the anti virus), and really run a firewall like Black Ice to keep your computer safe. It is all such a big YAWN.

Oh and Internet Explorer on Windows needs to be updated more frequently than you look at active convos. It's sadly a prime target for spyware writers and has historically been FULL of security flaws.

Mac you plug in and forget about it. You will go weeks or months without rebooting too.

Love it.

Specifically re: BT broadband modem... you want one which connects to your PC / mac with an ethernet cable, NOT a USB cable.

(USB works, it just needs an extra hardware-level driver that needs to be maintained by the manufacturer and is an extra burden on the OS. Ethernet drivers are much more nicely embedded in the OS and as old as the cows).

I have not had terribly good experiences with BT as an ADSL supplier, particularly when there is a fault with the service. They seem to be big and clueless IME, though YMMV.

thanks hub-i wont touch IE again,
the tiscali call centre i find is dreadful and when ever i have had to ring them they alwaysask which version of windows im using, so they assume straight away that you are only using windows.,
i will start looking into apple macs.
at the moment the firefoxseems to be doing its job and stopping popups etc, thank goodness.
time to start planning our xmas pressie!

hi, another mac fan here, sorry to interrupt but gingerbear, are you sure that your new iMac doesn't have an internal modem? sorry if this is stating the obvious but just thought I'd mention it

hello folk
hub, tried all that - nada!
A&A here i come.
ediemay, the mac has an internal modem for dial-up, not broadband, unfortunately, else I wouldn't need the ever helpful Hub2dee's advice.

You won't be disappointed, ours de gingembre.

BTW - In system preferences, check out 'Sharing'...

After you have plugged in your ethernet cable to your A&A ^pre-configured router you can turn your Mac into a wireless base station for any wireless visitors / PDAs / old laptops you might have knocking around (presuming it has Airport Extreme built in, which I suspect it does)...

This is pretty nifty.

Good luck !