AOL pain in the rear

Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't use AOL, AOL is evil, AOL is the pits of the earth, with a maraschino cherry on top.

But I use it despite how evil it is. And I've noticed something very, very strange that I was hoping that the nice folks here might be able to help me with.

AIM, AOL's free Instant Message service, offers the ability to log individual Instant Messages with people, for free, in folders by the name of the person you're communicating with, within a folder of the screen name you're chatting under, yourself. Very nice, neat package. And free. Free is good.

AOL, which is a paid for service (I'm mooching off the rents for my own screen name, shameful as it is) does not offer this particular function. Instead, it offers only two separate functions: Chat Log and Session Log. Chat Log is nice when you're in a Chat room, but does not work on IMs. Session Log works on everything, but mushes it all together into one lump, 'organized' by the time it was typed/sent. This includes emails, IMs, chat, etc. And it's ALL smooshed together. If you send 5 emails and are talking to 7 people, all the conversations and emails get intermixed, nearly impossible to decipher.

Back when AOL was the world-domination program that it used to be, there were programs out there that would log individual IMs off AOL (among doing other, not so kosher things to AOL and its members), but as of late - and probably due to the lack of popularity of the hellish ISP - there's nothing easily obtained.

Does anyone out there know of or own a program that will allow me to log individual IMs on AOL 9.0, or am I utterly and completely screwed in this regard?

And yes, before I hear the cries, I know I should just leave AOL and never look back. That isn't an option at the moment, but I will say that it's looking better and better.

 

I keep AOL around for some features only AOL has, and the fact that a good majority of the people I still chat with tend not to talk as much when I'm not using AOL. Psychological thing for them, perhaps. But regardless, its there.

I hate to say it because I know people are just trying to help, but as well-intentioned as alternatives are, I'm looking for something that can help with the problem itself, not alternatives to using the horrible program. I already understand that AOL is a piece of junk, but as I said - eliminating the program is not an option at the moment. If a program no longer exists to log AOL IMs themselves (AIM offers the ability to log IMs, after all), then I'll be on my merry way.

All I'm looking for is a program to log AOL IMs. Not AIM IMs (again, as I said before, AIM already does that). I'm not looking for alternatives to AOL.

Thank you for your suggestions, but sadly, they don't help with the issue at hand.

 

Lol, yeah, I know all about the fact that I can chat with the folks I have on AOL using AIM, even with the same screen name. Contrary to my low level on these boards, I'm not completely lost when it comes to computers, and am actually the unofficial geek on the floor of the company I work for.

I've asked the AOL 9 folk - everyone has the same response that I could have given to begin with: "I know you USED to be able to get a program that did that, but I have no idea if those programs still exist anymore..." Hence my frustration.

Still, thanks at least, for trying. I was kind-of-sort-of hoping that someone on these boards still used AOL for one reason or another, besides myself, and had some insight that I didn't.

 

You can still use the AOL ad-on software that will do IM logging and all the other features you used to have. But there is a catch: it will NOT run with Windows 7 (not even the versions of Windows 7 that have a feature that will run some XP programs). You have to use XP and you MUST use AOL 9.0. Go to the BPS PowerTools Forum (Google it) and you can download PowerTools and AOL 9.0. But, again, you can't use them with Windows 7. If you figure out how to do this with Windows 7, please let me kn ow.

 

Useerk,

This is a three year old thread. :confused

 

Yes...I realize that it is 3 years old, but I have just recently bought a new computer with Windows 7. So the problem remains: If you use AOL Desktop 9.6 there is no way to log your IM's unless you unload Desktop and start using AIM. I am still looking for a software product that will log IM's the way you used to be able to using BPS PowerTools and AOL 9.0. Any ideas?

 

It would be much better if you would start your own thread about the problems that you are having and mentioning Windows 7. Most members, myself included, tend to see multiple replies and think that the OP is getting help from someone. Would be glad to help, but I don't use AOL.