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i1200 · Dec 22, 2002, 11:48 AM

anyone have any problems connecting to earthlink through this?

i1200 · Dec 22, 2002, 11:52 AM

I bought an imac friday and i'm not able to connect via earthlink dsl using the PPPOE. I have all the settings entered correctly. I spoke with apple tech support + earthlink = and they have no idea why I cannot log on.

I can ping an ip address through the terminal screen, but cannot ping a domain. When I open IE, I get timed-out.

This is my last ditch effort, otherwise i'll have to return the imac today...and be stuck with my windows pc --- arrrgh!

Atef's corpse · Dec 22, 2002, 12:07 PM

perhaps you should try entering DNS server numbers. That may be helpful.

tr · Dec 22, 2002, 12:13 PM

i had a problem connecting my mom's iMac DV SE 400 to earthlink DSL via PPPoE. talked to earthlink, and they could ping the computer and see it on the network, but i couldn't get on. then it would work for sometime, then it wouldn't. i started from scratch, and re-did all the configs in PPPoE as earthlink recommended. still flaky connection. then, after about 2 weeks, after it was down for a whole weekend, everything cleared up, and now the connection has been rock solid. it's strange. i don't think it was the computer, i think it was something with them and the DSL. who knows? i didn't change anything on the computer, just put in the same parameters in PPPoE as before.

tr

i1200 · Dec 22, 2002, 12:22 PM

I attempted to put in the DNS, but that didn't work. My situation is identical to TR's.

My windows pc works fine on the dsl line.

I exhausted all my resources in trying to isolate this problem. I've even reinstalled the os to clean out anything corrupted, but that was a waste of time.

rw · Dec 22, 2002, 12:25 PM

Maybe it would help us if you posted your network settings. Can you post screen shots of the Network control panel, TCP/IP and PPPoE tabs?

i1200 · Dec 22, 2002, 12:30 PM

actually my imac is back in the box and getting ready to go back to the apple store.

I went over the setting with apple tech support and earthlink, and according to them, everything is correct. Earthlink sees my ip up and running, but I cannot surf the web at all.

I'm wondering if it's a hardware issue, but I dragged the imac into the apple store yesterday and they hooked it up to their T1 line which appeared to work fine.

I've been at this for 2 days now...this is my last

i1200 · Dec 22, 2002, 12:46 PM

I appreciate all the help. Looks like i'll be returning the imac for a refund

Don Pickett · Dec 22, 2002, 02:37 PM

Strange - no problems here. More info is needed.

itai195 · Dec 22, 2002, 05:55 PM

Err, my guess is that more likely there's something wrong with your network setup than something wrong with the iMac. I have 3 Macs connect to earthlink dsl just fine.

Northform · Dec 22, 2002, 06:55 PM

PPPOE doesn't work well on any setup. Mac/Win/Lin, it doesn't matter.

Things to look at: Have you signed on? PPPOE is not always on (no matter what your provider claims about having always on service).

Do you have the provider name entered correctly (many providers' services won't work unless their provider name is entered EXACTLY correct).

Is your log-in/pass right?

A good thing to do is check the show PPPOE status in menu bar box so that you can see if you are properly connected.

aaanorton · Dec 22, 2002, 07:51 PM

It's probably a MAC address issue. Your DSL modem may have your PC's MAC address in it's memory and be unable to connect through a different machine. A router would solve this. Or try UNPLUGGING (!) the modem for about 10 minutes and then retry.
You may also want to try posting this in the Networking forum where you'll probably get more help.

Big Mac · Dec 22, 2002, 08:01 PM

This is the best advise you'll ever hear on ISP connections: Go get a hardware router/switch (such as the Asante FriendlyNet), configure it once, and then never worry about connections again. The router takes care of connections automatically any time any TCP connection is attempted by your machine. And don't take your iMac back -- there's nothing wrong with it.

i1200 · Dec 22, 2002, 10:59 PM

--Hello All--

I tried every possible config scenario and i'm still not able to connect. I do understand a router/switch/hardware/etc could fix the problems i'm encountering, but I don't want to shell out the $ bc it may not work. This is what puzzles me:

1. Apple tech support spent numerous hours troubleshooting and even spoke with a product specialist - in which they are scratching their heads.

2. Earthlink spent an equal amount of time as well. I'm able to connect and ping an IP & Domain, but cannot pull down any pages.

3. It appears that i'm the only one that is experiencing these types of problems.

I more or less spent an entire weekend trying to resolve this issue. Unfortunately, I have no positive results. I don't know what else to do other than return it. I don't want to, but there's no point in keeping it if I cannot use broadband.

I would like to say that everyone I interacted with, Apple tech support, APPLE STORE - they rock!, MACNN, and Earthlink were really cool with the situation and cared about what was going on.

aaanorton · Dec 22, 2002, 11:37 PM

Did you unplug the modem for a while before retrying?
Also, a router would do the trick. This is what they're for.

i1200 · Dec 24, 2002, 06:31 PM

I have tried practically everything. Seems like i'm the only one that is having this type of problem. Anybody out there experience anything like this before?

RMXO · Dec 24, 2002, 08:11 PM

better off getting a router. if it doesnt work then return it....

with a router you can configure PPPOE to always connect. my cousin has PacBell DSL which uses PPPOE & i configured it to always stay on.....

or better yet find a DSL provider that provides static IP...

did you try setting up internet sharing on your PC & share it with your mac?

i would rather spends the $ than have the headaches you are having & plus routers are affordable......

Technicolor · Dec 24, 2002, 09:08 PM

Do you have the same problem in OS9? If yes, than it's obviously a hardware problem and you should return the machine. If no, then it's a something software/configuration related.

Sounds like a DNS problem to me. Whether that's the fault of Earthlink or a TCP/IP problem on your end I don't know. If you can ping things you're definitely connected. Can you post a screen shot of your Network control panel so we can see what you've got going? Are you running some firewall software? I've had Earthlink DSL for several years and never had a problem.

nagha · Dec 24, 2002, 11:40 PM

greetings,

had the same problem, it turned out to be a problem with the ethernet cable. my DSL modem need a crossover cable to hook directly into my Mac and it came with an incorrect cable. when i got a crossover cable it worked fine.

it's unlikely to be the iMac. highly unlikely.

na

JNI · Dec 25, 2002, 06:08 AM

If you can bring your Mac to somewhere else and it works fine, then there is nothing wrong with the Mac. It's gotta be either your physical networking setup or you aren't configuring it correctly to connect to EarthLink. Someone is just not asking the right questions. The first DSL modem I got from EarthLink failed on me within a week. They sent me a new one and it has been working fine now for months.

What are you going to accomplish by returning it? If you get any other machine you are just going to have the same problems. You have to stick it out and figure it out. Two days of troubleshooting is not really a lot in the broader picture. Besides, didn't you have to pay for a one year subscription? Are you willing to lose all that money?

Don't you have a networking savvy friend or a local dealer that can come to your home and check it out for you? Even if you have to pay someone, it will be worth it. Once you've used broadband you will never want to go back.

Post some more info. Post some snapshots of your Network Prefernce Panels. The answer is there somewhere.

i1200 · Dec 25, 2002, 11:03 PM

2 days of "troubleshooting" is actually quite a bit. Considering the apple tech support/product specialist(s) and earthlink engineers cannot figure out what is going on.

far as configuring the settings...I have tried every possible method. It's not rocket science to set it up...

broadband? I've had it for over 3 years ... and i'll continue using it regardless of this particular outcome.

This whole situation doesn't make any sense. It appears that i'm the only one that has experienced this type of problem.

Technicolor · Dec 26, 2002, 02:01 AM

This whole situation doesn't make any sense. It appears that i'm the only one that has experienced this type of problem.

It's not your Mac pal. You already took it to a Apple Store and it worked fine right? It's obviously something like a bad cable, bad modem, or a configuration problem. Call Earthlink and get a new install kit.

Lots of people are using Earthlink with no problems...including me.

aaanorton · Dec 26, 2002, 12:44 PM

Did you unplug the modem for a while before retrying?
Did you try re-ordering the DNSs in the list?
Did you unplug the modem for a while before retrying?

gorgonzola · Dec 26, 2002, 01:07 PM

FWIW, I've had no problems connecting to Earthlink by just putting in their default settings. It almost never works unless the DNS servers are specified, but if you put them in, it *should* work fine. Obviously it is not, but anyway.

i1200 · Dec 26, 2002, 08:33 PM

Greetings --

get this, it SUDDENLY works tonight. I have no clue what happened. Maybe something had to get 'recycled' at earthlink.....hmmmm seems very weird.

thanks to everyone who posted....you guys rock

aaanorton · 09:13 PM

Now try the PC. I'm guessing it won't work, cause the modem remembers the MAC address of the last connected machine.
Unplugging the modem or putting a router after it will solve this. Sound familiar?

i1200 · Dec 26, 2002, 10:11 PM

Hello --

I actually plugged the cord into the pc and it logged in fine. Something very strange...but it works now. I just hope it stays that way.