AOL users have not always had the easiest ride when it comes to the ISP updating its service and compromising the reliability of Internet connectivity. AOL, of course, remains one of the most popular choices for Internet packages - but it also remains one of the most restrictive.

AOL built a reputation as the walled garden of ISPs. A walled garden in the sense that its users are bound to connecting through the supplied AOL software. And unfortunately - as many have found - if something goes wrong with that software, it can become impossible to connect online.

AOL recently performed a migration to its new CPW servers and as a result, many users have been left out in the cold with broken connection software. The problem arose when AOL automatically triggered the migration by forcing users to download a software update. This is all very well, but the software update had a nasty habit of crashing mid-download and compromising the integrity of the Internet connection. In many cases, this prevented a connection being made entirely. While for others, the connection would break regularly.

You may notice an error stating: “Authentication Failure” Error 47-DUN-0691

A closer look reveals that AOL is now trying to connect via TCP/IP instead of the standard DSL modem. On top of this change, and assuming that you’ve managed to connect, you may notice a drop in speed which can be quite dramatic as illustrated by a mass of support topics on the AOL help site.

To get around the connectivity issue, you can go to Control Panel and enter your Network Connections. From here, click on Dial BB and then attempt to connect. AOL should load your Internet settings, but obviously, this is a slight break from the usual connecting habits that you’ll be used to. AOL will surely release a patch in the near future, but many customers have already vented their disapproval by physically removing the software update from their computers.

By rolling back to the original AOL 9 build, it’s possible to avoid the problem altogether - as long as you disable any further automatic updates to your AOL software! Though as you can imagine, this is an enormous workaround and quite unsatisfactory while AOL are trying to improve the reliability of their software.

Other users have reported issues with an AOL update that relate to a pop-up calling for a security bug to be rectified.

Security Update – Critical: Aol has identified a security vulnerability that can be used to execute malicious code. To correct, install this update. You may need to shut down applications and restart your computer.?Install Now?Update 4195.9.4

If you’ve installed the update but are still receiving the pop-up, you can get rid of the annoying alerts by removing the service anotify.exe from your system processes in the task manager. anotify.exe is the service that sends pop-up alerts to your desktop through the AOL interface. By disabling it you will prevent any further messages being displayed - assuming of course, you can’t get rid of them in your standard pop-up preferences.