Did they have you connect to just the dsl modem (bypass the Netgear wifi) with one machine?

Yes.

As far as the router is concerned, I'm assuming they had you go through the usual "turn everything off" then start up the DSL modem, wait for it to be fully up, then turn on the router?.

Yes. I'v done this three or four times.

It seems that they should not have had to change your settings if it was working before.

I know. But, it wasn't working at all, and I guess this is at least better than that.

Make sure the phone lines are securely in place, and that no one has swapped lines or put phones somewhere without a filter dongle, if Verison requires them.

Checked.

Make sure the phone lines are securely in place, and that no one has swapped lines or put phones somewhere without a filter dongle, if Verison requires them.

You're correct, but thank you.

Sorry about your DSL, vw. My experience with Verizon DSL is that they're a bunch of incompetent morons. (My eventual solution was to switch to Earthlink's cable internet service, which has been mostly flawless.)

I just purchased an ergonomic keyboard, and I'm wondering if there's any way to tell OSX that I want to use the Ctrl key instead of the now-nonexistant Command key? Right now, it thinks the Command key is the Windows logo key, which is better positioned than the Command key on the Mac keyboard, but still not ideal.

[eta: Found it! I lurve my keyboard now.]

vw, I pay a little extra just to belong to Speakeasy.net DSL simply because their customer service is so excellent. Of phone, gas/electric, cellphone and other utilities, Speakeasy is by far the best customer experience I have. It's not that you'll *never* get the answer that it's Covad's fault or a problem with your router. But they don't give that answer as a matter of course. They actually listen to you, they don't have attitude, they're thorough...they totally rock.

[link]

VW, did anyone have you do a "hard" reset on the netgear router?

VW, did anyone have you do a "hard" reset on the netgear router?

Um...I don't think so.

Many routers are designed so that if they are somehow hopelessly scrambled, then you can reset them with a pin or a pencil that fits a small recessed button. (Like macs used to have paper clip buttons for ejecting a floppy)

Here's how to do a reset: [link]

And The step by step instructions that netgear has for troubleshooting an Internet connection: [link]

See how far you get trying a hard reset, then startng from scratch. I've seen routers pronounced "dead" by tech support suddenly work.

Also, make sure the correct power adapter is plugged into the correct unit. I had a friend who had lousy Wifi, and it turned out he had accidently plugged the AC adapter for his speakers (26 volts) into his router (12 volts). I was amazed it still worked at all.

Unrelated iBook stuff, in handy bullet-point format:

• I just discovered that the CD/DVD drive in my iBook has topped working. When I stick a CD in it, nothing happens. I don't hear anything (such as the drive spinning up or the read/write head moving) and no application sees anything in the drive. So, I'm guessing the drive probably needs to be replaced; is there anything else that could be causing the problem that I can check?

• The other day (eta: after the optical drive failed) I spilled part of a glass of water into my iBook (I don't think that much water got into it). I didn't notice at first. The screensaver had turned the screen off (but it was not asleep, as it's set to never sleep) and it wouldn't come back on. Once I noticed the water, I unplugged the power cable and took the battery out. Then I flipped the keyboard off and set the iBook upside-down for a day. Today, it seems to be working fine. I'm guessing I dodged a bullet, but is there anything I should be looking out for?

• My friend Miriam is having problems with her G4 iBook. The trackpad suddenly stopped working. I think it started working again for a bit, then failed for good. (Rebooting doesn't help.) Currently she's using a USB mouse, which works fine. Anyone have any ideas?

Can you eject the CD? Did you try more than one CD?

Yes. And yes.

eta: Also tried burning a blank CD.

eta²: On my iBook, I can eject a CD by holding the F12 key down for a second or two. Which is cool, as there's now no CD icon on the desktop to drag to the trash.