Specifications
for any service in our 2002 survey.
Such troubles aside, Optimum Online
continues to please, with impressive
speed and a respectable range of services,
including server-side spam blocking and
antivirus and an optional pop-up–block-
ing utility, Panicware’s Pop-Up Stopper.
We went to Optimum’s Web site to
order the service, which includes a hard-
ware and software starter kit. When we
tested, Optimum was offering free do-it-
yourself installation, free use of a cable
modem, and a discount for the first three
months, luring people in and getting
them hooked on the service’s speed.
Three days after placing our order, we
received the cable modem
and cables for USB or Eth-
ernet connections. Instal-
lation is just a matter of
plugging cables in; anyone
who’s ever connected a
VCR can handle it. We
were up and running at
wicked speeds in just over
half an hour. Except for
one hitch, the experience
was flawless. And our
download speed consis-
tently topped 5 Mbps.
Our only difficulty
came in setting up our e-mail; we kept
getting an error message that our account
was not yet authorized. We called tech
support, and the tech was polite and
eager to help—but we had to explain the
situation twice before he understood the
problem. He said he’d have to register our
modem, which would take “24 to 72
hours.” By the next night, our mailbox
was available.—Carol A. Mangis
Road Runner
$44.95 per month. Road Runner/Time Warner Cable.
www.rr.com.
When everything else works,
even middle-of-the-road price
satisfaction (for middle-of-the-road pric-
ing) won’t deter our readers from giving
a service thumbs-up. Road Runner, which
excels in every other field, has moved up
from an A- last year to a solid A, despite
a distinct lack of extras and add-ons.
The service offers only five e-mail ad-
www.pcmag.com SEPTEMBER 16, 2003 PC MAGAZINE
109
BROADBAND
Switching ISPs: Easing the Pain
ccording to an old proverb, “A move is as bad as
a fire.” Your furniture gets damaged, possessions
get lost, and you lose time getting organized.
Moving to a new ISP isn’t nearly as disruptive, but it’s seldom
problem-free. Here are some suggestions for making the
transition as painless as possible.
n If possible, keep your old ISP account open for an extra
month to catch mail sent to your old account and to transfer
mail or files left on your old ISP’s servers. If you’re switching
from dial-up to broadband, remember that Windows lets you
dial out through your modem to your dial-up ISP without
switching off your broadband connection. (You generally
can’t access two broadband accounts simultaneously.)
n While you can also download your e-mail to your local
machine, you won’t have access to the servers where your
ISP stores it once you close your account. Before you close
the account, forward all mail to your new address—and
don’t forget to forward sent mail also. If you had your own
Web page on your old ISP’s server, use your browser’s File |
Save As... menu to store the site on your system, or import
your site into a Web site editor.
n If your old and new ISPs use POP3-based e-mail, continue
to use the in-box you already have, but tell your mail pro-
gram to create a new account for your new address. In
Outlook Express, use Tools | Accounts | Add... to create a new
mail account; in Outlook, use Tools | E-mail Accounts | Add a
new e-mail account. Set the new account as the default.
Messages from your new account will go into your existing
mailbox, and you can delete the old account once it’s closed.
n Sending a change-of-address e-mail may seem like an
obvious step, but there are right and wrong ways to do it.
If you send out a notice to everyone you know, don’t
include multiple contacts in the To: or Cc: field; you’ll
broadcast e-mail addresses that people want kept private.
Put your new address in the To: field and your contacts’
addresses in the Bcc: field. To open the Bcc: field in Outlook
Express, when you compose your message, use the View
menu and add a check mark next to All Headers. In Outlook,
use the View menu and add a check next to Bcc: Field.
n Have your mail forwarded. A service like Re-route
(www.re-route.com) works with many ISPs to forward in-
coming messages from your own address to your new one.
You have to keep your old account open and paid up, and Re-
route charges a monthly fee. With a Web mail–based service
like AOL or MSN, the cost may be justified. With POP3-based
services, you can get the same results free.
n If you’re changing your e-mail address, consider getting
one you’ll keep forever, either by starting your own domain
with a Web hosting service or by using a paid service like
Bigfoot (a “Bigfoot for Life” address, www.bigfoot.com) or
NetIdentity (www.netidentity.com). These give you an ad-
dress for use with your current ISP or any future one.
n If you set up your own domain—say, Y
ourname.net—
choose a hosting service that includes multiple e-mail
addresses. To avoid spam, create a secret mail address you
give only to trusted contacts. Create other addresses for
filling in forms or posting in public. When these start getting
spam, disable them and create new ones.—Edward Mendelson
a
Optimum Online’s setup is as easy as they come.
A