MAC OSX v 10.4.11 friend owns, how to change default email from AOL to something else, with the something else automatically opening on start up.

Question

MAC OSX v 10.4.11 friend owns, how to change default email from AOL to something else, with the something else automatically opening on start up.

I don't have a Mac, but asking for friend who has limited computer savvy. She runs Mac OS X v 10.4.11. She doesn't want to use AOL for

email, but currently AOL is launched at startup automatically and she doesn't know how to remove the AOL from her computer, nor how to

set up different email. I was going to suggest her using webmail from various sources, though I don't know if there are problems running

that on a Mac OS X or not. I have no knowledge of a Mac OS X, have never used myself. Can someone give me links to tutorials or

a general manual that I can provide links for my friend to help her?

Thanks,

J

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.4.11), processor 800hhz G-4

Posted on Jul 8, 2011 2:14 PM

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Answer 1

Jul 8, 2011 3:18 PM in response to joannefromogden

Mac OS X is inherently a Multi-User system. This is how things get started at login:

System Preferences > Accounts > your_username > Login Items

... anything listed there is launched automatically. I expect you will find AOL sitting there.

You can use Safari, or Firefox, or Chrome (but NOT Explorer) as your Browser, and do WebMail in the usual way -- no different from Windows.

There is Help in [Mac OS X] Mail that can help you set up one or more Mail accounts, but quite honestly it IS complicated, and it helps to have the ISP "cheat sheet" of what to enter in each field.

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Answer 2

Jul 8, 2011 4:36 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thanks Grant,

So supposing my friend can get a new email address set up, per your instructions in your answer, can she

then remove the AOL from her "login items" that automatically launch, and/or delete the AOL from the computer

and instead have her browser homepage OR webmail homepage load on launch instead (once she has another working email setup of course) ?

I've ordered a Mac OS X Tiger for Dummies book for her via Ebay, so hopefully sometime at the end of the month, if she is unable to figure anything out, I will then be able to help her with some of this stuff. I may learn something

about a Mac whether I need to know it or not! LOL

Thanks again....

Joanne

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Answer 3

Jul 8, 2011 4:46 PM in response to joannefromogden

If you are talking about the AOL App (as opposed to aol.com), you can right click on it's icon in the Dock, select Options and uncheck "Open at Login".

Once you get her webmail set up, set that as her Home Page (If using Safari, go to Safari menu: Preferences: General Tab), and then set Safari to "Open at Login".

I hope that helps.

MotionMan

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