Reinke Faces Life

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Dear Verizon Wireless Customer,

Thank you for contacting our Verizon Wireless website. We are sorry to learn that you are having difficulty with your BroadbandAccess service. We are happy to assist you with your question.

We apologize your BroadbandAccess connection is disconnecting and you are unable to pull up an IP address and you have spotty DNS resolution. We are currently not aware of any outages and you should be able to connect to the Internet. We have provided a guide to inputting the DNS on your computer.

Configuring Domain Name Server (DNS) addresses

Please be aware manually programming Domain Name Server (DNS) addresses is not a permanent solution to the issue you are experiencing. If this resolves the issue, please contact our Wireless Technical Support department at 1-800-922-0204 to escalate this issue so we can have a permanent solution.

Windows XP
1. Disconnect from the Internet.
2. Close any open applications.
3. From the Windows desktop, select Start > Programs (All Programs) > Accessories > Communications > Network Connections.
4. Right-click the appropriate network connection (e.g. NationalAccess / BroadbandAccess).
5. Click Properties.
6. Click the Networking tab.
7. Ensure that Type of dial-up server I am calling is set to PPP: Windows 95/98/NT4/2000, Internet.
8. Ensure that Internet Protocol TCP/IP is checked, select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) then click Properties.
9. Ensure that Obtain an IP address automatically is selected.
10. Ensure that Use the following DNS server addresses is selected, enter the following DNS servers then click OK.
Preferred DNS : 66.174.95.44
Alternate DNS : 66.174.95.43
11. Click OK .
12. Close the Network and Dial-up Connections window.

Windows Vista
1. Disconnect from the Internet.
2. Close any open applications.
3. From the Windows desktop, click Start > Connect to.
4. Right-click the appropriate network connection (e.g. NationalAccess / BroadbandAccess).
5. Click Properties.
6. Click the Networking tab.
7. Ensure that Internet Protocol TCP/IPv4 is checked, select Internet Protocol TCP/IPv4 then click Properties.
8. Ensure that Use the following DNS server addresses is selected, enter the following DNS servers then click OK.
Preferred DNS : 66.174.95.44
Alternate DNS ; 66.174.95.43
9. Click OK .
10. Close the Connect to a network window.

If your connection is constantly dropping, then the first item to check is your signal strength indicator. Please make sure that you are receiving 2 bars or more of signal. If you are receiving less than 2 bars, then you may experience problems with the connection dropping due to a weak signal.

If you are getting a strong signal, but the connection is still dropping then there may be a network issue in your area; however, we need to ask you to perform some preliminary troubleshooting steps. This will not guarantee a consistent Internet connection but it should allow your connection to perform to its’ full potential.

The following factors can affect your connection:

* Structural Restrictions – For example, the inside of a building can limit the signal received from the tower. If you move near a window, you have a good chance of increasing your signal; however, this would depend on how many miles you are located from the nearest wireless tower.

* Network Service issues – You might be on the fringe of the network and this might cause you to lose connection. Please visit the link below to view the broadband coverage for your location.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/CoverageLocatorController?requesttype=NEWREQUEST

* You may be using an old version of the VZAccess Manager. Please visit the link below, if your current version of VZAccess Manager is lower than the one listed on the site then uninstall VZAccess Manager and replace it with the one offered on the website.

http://vzam.net/

You can verify you current version by following the steps below.

1. Launch VZAccess manager
2. Click on Help on top bar
3. Select About VZAccess.
4. This shows the VZAccess Manager Software version.

In order to insure the most up to date coverage area for your PC card, we recommend that you update your PC cards Preferred Roaming List (PRL) once per month. Please follow the steps below to run the VZAccess Manager Activation wizard on your computer to update your PC card’s PRL.

1. Launch VZ Access Manger
2. Select “Options”
3. Select “Activation”
4. Click “OK” when “Activation Successful” Message appears

* Your connection might have become corrupted. Please follow the steps below to delete and recreate the connection.
. Go to the Network connections on your Computer.
. Delete the Broadband/NationalAccess Connection.
. Safely eject the PC card.
. Restart your Computer.
1. Within the VZ Access Manager, select “Options”
2. Select “Run Wizard”
3. Select “Next”
4. Select “Detect WWAN device only”
5. Select “Next”
6. Select “Next”
7. Select “PC Card”
8. Select “Next”
9. Select “Next”
10. Once device is detected select “Yes”
11. Select “Next”
12. Enter the 10-digit cell number if not auto populated 13. Select “Next”
14. Select “Do not make copies of any of my dial-up accounts”
15. Select “Next”
16. Select “Next”
17. Select “Run VZ Access at startup if you want the software to load every time you start your PC, otherwise leave unchecked.
18. Select “Finish”

* Also, Venturi may be the cause of the problems you are experiencing. Venturi is compression software that installs along with VZ Access Manager. It is designed to improve the apparent speed of the connection using compression and normally works fine on most PCs but can have adverse affects under certain conditions.

Please follow the steps below to disable Venturi compression via the VZAccess Manager interface.

1. From the Windows desktop, locate and double-click on the VZAccess Manager icon 2. From the top menu, select “Tools”, then “Preferences…”
3. Click on the Venturi tab
4. Uncheck “Compress and accelerate WWAN connections” to disable Venturi compression 5. Click “OK”

If the performance improves after disabling Venturi, please follow the steps below to uninstall this program.
1. On your PC click “Start”
2. Click on “Control Panel” icon
3. Click on “Add and Remove Programs”
4. Locate Venturi and select “Change/Remove”
5. Follow Prompts to finish uninstall

If you are still unable to stay connected to the Internet, please contact the Wireless Data Technical Support department at your convenience. Our representatives are available 6 AM to 11 PM Central Standard Time, 7 days a week and may be reached by dialing: 1-800-922-0204 and selecting option number 3.

Speaking with you in person is the only way to ensure that we have investigated all possible factors that may contribute to the behavior you have described. Our support technicians will obtain the necessary information and then escalate to our next tier of technical support to ensure a timely resolution.

We appreciate your business and thank you for choosing Verizon Wireless.

Sincerely,

Olukemi
Verizon Wireless
Data Technical Support

If you have received this e-mail in error or are not the intended recipient, please notify us immediately by replying to this e-mail and deleting it and all copies and backups thereof. If you are the intended recipient and are a Verizon Wireless customer, this response is subject to the terms of your Customer Agreement.

Original Message Follows:
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I have spent the better part of two days playing with it. It is disconnecting for no apparent reason. Failing to pull an ip address. And, spotty dns resolution. Is it me or is there a general problem with the service?

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http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071119/D8T114E00.html

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The Kindle device is shown in this photograph released by Amazon.com on Monday, Nov. 19, 2007. The $399 electronic book device will allow downloads of more than 90,000 book titles, blogs, magazines and newspapers.

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All I know is what I have read in the press.

$400!

Are you kidding me?

It should read the book to me, serve coffee, and do tricks.

Nahhh, I don’t think so.

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http://weblog.infoworld.com/gripeline/archives/2007/10/palms_sneakwrap.html?source=rss

InfoWorld Gripe Line | Ed Foster
October 30, 2007
Palm’s Sneakwrap Warranty

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Indeed, if you follow in the reader’s footsteps on Palm’s website (which as I write this on Oct. 29th remains exactly as he described), it is obvious Palm is trying to hide its warranty. The logical places where Palm should tell a potential customer about the 90-day warranty are silent on the subject. Perhaps the most absurd example is the “compare” page which shows more than 40 comparative features for the E2 and two other Palm handhelds but fails to mention the fact that one (the Palm TX) has a one-year warranty while the E2 and the Palm Z22 have the 90-day warranty.

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Looks like Ed nails Palm on this one. And, I was toying with the idea of getting a PDA again. Palm’s off the list.

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FOR THE RECORD:

The DELL LUGGABLE is aka an Inspiron 9100

DELL 130 w ac adapter
model pa – 1131 – 02d dp/n 9y819
input 100-240v 50-60 hz 2.5 A
output 19.5 v 6.7A

A big power brick imho.

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Under the heading of “lessons learned” recently, one really has to test one’s personal dr plan. In this case, I COULD have just carried a second laptop. That was probably the easiest solution. I COULD have completed my “uninstalled life” project where everything would have been backed up on the inet. I COULD have printed my fob’s password list. And, there are probably other things that I could have done. I’ll be working on all of those couldas in the coming weeks. It’s not that I travel much, but one should be prepared.

Upon reflection, the cheapest, easiest, no brainer solution would be to carry the second laptop.

Note Bene: For all those who say use the hotel’s business center, all the one’s that I checked only offered you a common screen – mouse – keyboard – inet connection at fifty cents a half-minute. Argh! That could run into real money very quickly. In the Golden Nugget, their “business center was two units side by side in the lobby. Not private. Not comfortable. Not conducive to work. As someone who “clocks” hours on my computer, that’s $60/hour. If I wanted to do 40 hours, then that’s $2400!! Buying a new laptop was on 500$. (It was a Gateway.) After further review, I should have pulled the trigger on Sunday night and been done with it. But, now I know.

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http://www.tripplite.com/vista

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Any Windows Vista user connecting their computer to any of the following UPS systems MUST download this patch BEFORE they connect their Tripp Lite UPS System to the computer.

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Anyone not just slightly concerned that Vista needs special help connecting a UPS?

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FROM PCMECHANIC

Resetting Your Internet Connection

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If you use either DSL or a Cable Modem and find your Internet connection has unexpectedly gone down, before you dial up tech support, try “resetting” your Internet connection. Here is how:

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My router can be accessed from the client and rebooted. I usually try that before I go crazy.

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