Tag Archives: bigpond

Bigpond webmail is now Microsoft Live Mail

Computer Aid Posted on by

Another confusing day for customers of Bigpond internet services.

This time, it seems that Bigpond have decided that providing webmail services for customers is just too hard (or too expensive), and they seem to be re-directing new customers to using Microsoft Live Mail for online access to their email accounts.

Obviously I can see whats happened here:

Bigpond are paying Microsoft to transparently hold bigpond webmail, and to use a branded version of the Live Mail front end.

Its probably cheaper for Bigpond to farm out this service, than to continue to provide it in-house… particularly when it comes to software updates.

But this is an area where tech-naive customers (ie many of them) are already finding it difficult to understand whats happening with webmail… so the sudden flip from bigpond to live mail will make them even more confused.

Which is exactly how I discovered it…

I was showing someone (with a new bigpond account) how to check webmail for large attachments, and I found myself on Live Mail.

I thought I had clicked the “wrong” button, so I went back and tried again, and this time I saw that they are actually telling you that you will be redirected to live mail.

Get set for more confused customers!

connect to bigpond nextG using Vista and BP3USB Maxon modem

Computer Aid Posted on by

I had setup a customers laptop (Vista) with AntiVir (I kept the standard vista firewall and windows defender), and tested that her NextG wireless USB modem (BP3-USB) was working correctly and made sure the system had fully updated itself.

She then travelled out of town for about 3 months, and when she got back, she contacted me, saying that soon after I installed the antivirus, she could no longer connect to the internet.

After a bit more digging, she says that when the problem first happened, she called Bigpond (Telstra) and spent over 1 hour with technical support, until they said it isn’t their problem: it must be the antivirus that’s blocking access to the internet (I suspect they think AntiVir is a full security suite, with firewall, etc… so they point the finger at the antivir firewall… which doesn’t exist in the free version)

I can already smell something fishy.bp3USB

I do a scan with malwarebytes, and it only detects some minor adware infection… nothing that would cause problems connecting to the internet.

Next, I try connecting using the USB modem. It connects correctly, but I can’t view web pages, and pings don’t work.

I look at the Antivirus, defender, and windows updates, and I see most have been updated between 1 and 2 months ago… looks like this has worked, in some fashion, since I last worked on it.

Since it seems to connect, then I start suspecting the firewall. I reset the Vista firewall back to its default settings.

Now, it seems to connect properly. I can view a few web pages, and then: nothing… no internet again.

Hmmm, looks like the firewall problem was masking another problem.

Maybe the BP3USB is damaged or overheating (the internet has many reports of the BP3USB being DOA, and all sorts of reliability problems with them).

So I download the latest drivers from bigpond: http://www.bigpond.com/res/images/helpcenterFAQs/wireless/bwbcmwin32_fullcd_2.13.zip

Hmmm, I notice the Vista laptop has bigpond software version 2.10.6 installed… Yet I’m downloading version 2.13.16

I setup the bp3usb on my own XP laptop, and it works perfectly for over 30 minutes. That means no overheating or other physical faults.

So, back to the customers Vista laptop: uninstall the V2.10.6 software, reboot, then install the V2.13.16 software that I downloaded (and re-enter the username/password)

And now the connection is perfect.

Now, the questions are:

  • why couln’t BP tech support guide the customer into resetting the Vista firewall settings?
  • why couldn’t BP tech support send the customer a CD with the latest software?

Customer says she will try billing telstra for my charges… I wonder how far that will fly?

bigpond nextG 7.2 MF636 usb modem: Vista problems

Computer Aid Posted on by

Another problem with the bigpond 7.2 usb modems. This time its a Vista problem.

Customer has an intel-based laptop (HP), but cannot seem to make it work.

Whats supposed to happen: plug in the usb modem, and at first, it will appears to the computer as a USB drive, and it will auto-run the install software.

What actually happens: Vista cannot detect the USB drive (so it cannot auto-run the setup application). In fact I cannot even manually copy the setup files from the USB drive.

I plug the 7.2 USB drive into my XP laptop, and it tries to run the Bigpond setup files automatically. OK, I cancel the Setup, and copy the Bigpond setup files to my own usb drive.

I plug both my USB drive, and the bigpond 7.2 USB into the Vista laptop.

I manually run the setup. It doesn’t seem to work correctly, but at least I can now go into the Control Panel -> Programs and settings … and uninstall the bigpond software correctly.

After a reboot, I can now plug in the Bigpond 7.2 USB drive, and its detected correctly. It auto-runs the setup, and before long, the bigpond software is running almost normally.

The problem now, is that the bigpond software wants to register with bigpond… fine, but after a short while, the software says that the registration failed.

I call Bigpond support, and I get some interesting solutions:

Shift-Click on the Options tab on the Bigpond Status window… This reveals a hidden diagnosis tab.

In the diagnosis tab, I tick the box that says: “signup has been completed for this device”.

I’m then told to go to the Account tab, and to enter the username (email address), and password.

After that, I can finally connect to the internet…

bigpond nextG 7.2 MF636 usb modem doesn’t like an AMD PC

Computer Aid Posted on by

A customer recently got a bigpond MF636 USB modem for her Compaq desktop PS (she can’t get ADSL).

She Installs the modem, and it works for about an hour, and then stops connecting to the internet.

I’ve not seen this model before, and find it works in an iteresting way:

– When you first plug it in, it acts like a USB drive, with the all the driver software automatically installing itself.

– After the driver software installs, it resets itself into USB modem mode (and the USB drive is no longer visible).

In this case, however, the software says that it can see the modem, it detects a signal strength of 4/5 bars, but pressing the connect button will have different effects, depending on which usb port you plug it into.

Mostly, it will appear to be connected, but no browsing, no ping, no email.

At first I thought: its trend thats interfering as usual.

But removing trend and resetting the windows firewall doesn’t fix anything.

I eventually start running out of ideas.

The only thing thats unusual about this PC is that it uses an AMD CPU, and that the USB modem (and the drivers) are probably less than 1 year old.

So its possible that the modem drivers have not been tested much on AMD hardware.

All I can suggest is that the customer returns the modem, and gets a different brand (a few days later, I’m told that the different modem worked correctly).

The risk of using bigpond webmail within outlook (0X80070057)

Computer Aid Posted on by

Customer was using outlook (NOT outlook express), as his email client.

I’ve not yet seen outlook configured to download from a webmail account before.

The account information seems simple enough, but every time outlook goes to download emails, it throws up the error: 0x80070057

The net doesn’t have any answers, so I decide to try the webmail directly vie ie7.

Thats when the bigpond login repies with: incorrect email or password.

OK, looks like a wrong password. But the password within the modem is correct (as we can still get to the internet).

Oh well, a password reset should fix it.

Once contacting bigpond support, we find out that the broadband was setup by my curtomers son (who is overseas, and unreachable)… and only his son is allowed to do stuff like request a password reset.

Nevertheless, the tech support lady is helpful. She explains that bigpond webmail will lock the email account if it receives more than 3 failed password attempts.

Now that explains why the internet still works, while the email doesn’t.

I try setting up a pop account within outlook, but doesn’t work either.

Looks like the customer doesn’t have any choice, but to wait for his son to get back in touch with him!

Bigpond 7.2 home network gateway needs install CD

Computer Aid Posted on by

A customer just got a new Bigpond 7.2 home network gateway, and needed some help installing it.

This device is like an adsl wireless modem/router, except it uses telstras nextg 3G network instead of ADSL over a wired telephone line.

What makes it nice is that it also has a wifi (802.11G) network, as well as 4 ethernet ports.

Anyway, I try to setup like any other router (by connecting directly to router web interface), but the nextG section will not accept the customers username/password.

We call bigpond, and ask for a password reset (as customer is not sure about the password). The bigpond tech says there is no “transit” delay in changing the password, so I should be able to try it straight away, and to call back if there are any problems.

I try with the new password, but it still won’t accept the username/password (the NextG page has boxes for username and password, and a connect button, and a (greyed-out) disconnect button).

Every time I press “connect”, the modem thinks for a few seconds, and then the connect button becomes available again.

I call telstra/bigpond, and the tech gets me to enter a “test” username and password. It actually connects this time (connect button greyed-out, and the disconnect button is active), but the PC still cannot see the internet (no web browsing and ping fails).

Restarting the router/modem and PC doesn’t help.

The tech eventually tells me to re-install the software from the bigpond CD, and call back if I have further problems.

I can’t see how installing the CD software will help, but I try it anyway.

I hate it when I’m proved wrong… it worked.

At this stage, I figure the PC needs some kind of telstra “authorisation” software, in order for the PC to talk to the modem/router.

Or the network propagation of the new password took longer than I was told.

Next, I try configuring a laptop… and its able to connect to the internet (by just setting up its wifi settings).

So that proves my “connect software” theory wrong as well.

A possible explanation (at that stage) is that telstra has gone back to the dreaded “heartbeat” software they once used on their cable internet system.

To test the theory, I replaced the initial PC (the one with the CD software installed), with a vanilla PC (no telstra software) this was actually the customers original PC (I had to uninstall 2 sets of Telstra 3G software… one for a usb 3G modem, and one for the “home network gateway”… a possible source of many conflicts.

The “cleaned” PC also works on the internet without any problems.

So, the only real explanations for what happened are either:

– There is a long delay (over 30 minutes) between when a password is reset, and when it is active within the mobile network.

– The install software (which can take over 10 minutes to run) makes some specific changes to the modem, without which, no connection is possible.

telstra bigpond adsl modem (2wire) restarts if username is wrong

Computer Aid Posted on by

A new customer was having difficulty getting a new broadband connection to work.

Most times, its just something trivial, but this one was unusual.

When I got there, I started the modem and PC, and they both started correctly.

Customer says she contacted Telstra, but they eventually said “there is something wrong with your LAN hardware”.

The modem (one of the new telstra-branded white modems, with the word “2wire” on the side), had the usual LEDs that can be either red or green.

As expected, I found most LEDs turned green, except the internet LED (which flashed red). OK, it looks like I just need to connect to the modem, and enter the correct username and password.

So I start IE, enter 10.0.0.138 into the address bar, and then nothing happens (I’m expecting the modem web screen). A glance at the modem shows most LEDs switched off (except for a flashing power led)… looks like the modem either lost power, or reset itself.

I check all the cables, and everything looks ok.

I go get a usb to ethernet adapter from the car (to eliminate a failed ethernet port), but it also gives the same error.

I also change ethernet cable, in case there is a faulty wire.

But the modem still resets most times it is accessed.

At this point, I’m ready to say “its a faulty modem” (or maybe an XP problem).

Before I do that, I decide to remove windows XP from the equation, and I boot my mepis live cd.

And would you believe I can access the modem without any problem?

I find the username / password page, and I notice the username is something like: a@pigpond.com@pigpond.com ie two @ and two domains.

I correct the username and check that I can access the internet (It works!).

I restart into XP (I get the feeling it won’t work… but I’m proved wrong) and it connects to the internet as if there was never any problem.

The antivirus starts updating, I check a few websites, I run an adsl speed check, play a quick game on teagames.com, and after 5 minutes, decide that the problem must have been the double @ in the username field.

I restart the PC, just to be sure, and then I’m back on the road again.