Broadband query - change ISP

[thegiddygambler]

Hi my sister had an orange mobile phone so I decided to ditch my tiscali dial up and move to Orange Broadband as she got it free/cheap if she had a mobile with them.

So ive got an orange livebox at the moment, lately its been playing up a bit!

It was off saturady and last night my computer says there is a connection as was on saturday but something about a DNS problem with the connection? god knows what that is" I'm a tech novice.

A couple of questions:

When I'm not using my laptop I tend to unplug the Livebox, seems like a waste of electric and fire risk to leave it plugged in when I might not even be in the house. Am I ok to unplug it! After last nights problem Ive decided to keep it plugged in all day today - tried internet today and it worked so I left it plugged in, didn't want to tempt fate!

Also, Ive heard ORANGE are crap, thinking of switching provider in case these problems are not at my end but national problem. Though to be far I aint had anything like this week's troubles in last 6 months with orange. Now I understand I'll need a MAC code from Orange, say if I then approached BT and gave them the MAC would BT need to send me out there version of a "Live box" or could I just keep on internet straight away would it would still work thru the "orange" Live box that I have even though my ISP is now BT? Sorry if that is a really silly question but I'm starting a course very shortly and don't really wanna have any internet disruption for a week or more changing provider. Or will I have to send orange the livebox back, is it valuable to them?

Can remeber with dred pratting about with the livebox, orange cd rom etc last xmas when I first entered the broadband world so I wont switch ISP unless it is hassle free and very quick? I don't want my old dial up back, but at least I never had any connection probs! Apart from it being slow!

Anyway, sorry for the long post but Im a simpleton technology wise, any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

Cheers

Giddy

[Ronnie]

As far as the DNS problem goes i would suggest this :

Go to start then run then type ipconfig /flushdns and hit ok that should solve that it.

If you change provider they usually send you a modem, BT will probably send you their homehub, which will can be used with or without wires.

Not sure if you could use your livebox as i've no experience with them, i still use my Voyager 205 i got a while back and i've used through a couple of ISP changes.

[thegiddygambler]

Originally Posted by Ronnie

As far as the DNS problem goes i would suggest this :

Go to start then run then type ipconfig /flushdns and hit ok that should solve that it.

If you change provider they usually send you a modem, BT will probably send you their homehub, which will can be used with or without wires.

Not sure if you could use your livebox as i've no experience with them, i still use my Voyager 205 i got a while back and i've used through a couple of ISP changes.

Thanks Ronnie.