Where to find free numbers for dialup access?

cwilliamsws6

cwilliamsws6

Joined
Feb 27, 2018
Messages
838
Location
Idaho
This will probably be the dumbest thing I've ever asked but here goes. I'm 21 years old and always been obsessed with old computers, it's an autistic fixation I've always had.

I just got done building a complete retro PC with all 90s components including a modem, and I have a landline so I've already dialed into a couple bulletin board systems and telnetted into some newer ones but I'd like to try dialup internet at least once just to say I did.

Does anyone know where I can find a free dialup access number to take for a spin?
 
cwilliamsws6 said:
This will probably be the dumbest thing I've ever asked but here goes. I'm 21 years old and always been obsessed with old computers, it's an autistic fixation I've always had.

I just got done building a complete retro PC with all 90s components including a modem, and I have a landline so I've already dialed into a couple bulletin board systems and telnetted into some newer ones but I'd like to try dialup internet at least once just to say I did.

Does anyone know where I can find a free dialup access number to take for a spin?
Click to expand...
Cool project!
 
Free as in toll free?

You can probably find dial-up ISPs in Alaska, North Dakota etc places without any broadband. But it'd be a toll call for you.

AOL may still be around. It'd be amusing to dig up one of their OG floppy disks and getting that to work.
 
I'm not sure of any free ones but there still exists a couple of dial up providers. Net zero, earth link, and juno still exist AFAIK and at least used to have trials.

Otherwise if you have a landline and an extra modem you can run your own dial up.
 
WoWzers MSN still has dialup for 22 a month years ago it was not much less. Don't miss it at all, good luck with your project, build another one with windows 3.1 that's really retro!
 
What OS are you using?

In the 90's I was using Slackware Linux, Windows 95, Windows 3.11 (WFWG), and FreeBSD. Was a beta tester for Windows 98, still have the disc around here and a few of the betas as well as the NT5 betas and I think a few alpha builds from before it became Windows 2000.
 
OVERKILL said:
In the 90's I was using Slackware Linux, Windows 95, Windows 3.11 (WFWG), and FreeBSD. Was a beta tester for Windows 98, still have the disc around here and a few of the betas as well as the NT5 betas and I think a few alpha builds from before it became Windows 2000.
Click to expand...
It was Debian and FreeBSD for me, but the rest of the operating systems were the same for me as well :) We must be old. I'll add Netware 3.x and 4.x.
 
cwilliamsws6 said:
I'd like to try dialup internet at least once just to say I did.
Click to expand...
You don't know how lucky you are to be able to say that. I haven't dialed-up for at least 20 years and I'm very happy that I haven't. I used to buy OS CDs because you couldn't download them over a dial-up. Now I grab a 4GB DVD iso in < 1 minute.

Try Netzero

Free Internet Access | Free Dial-Up | NetZero

Want free internet access? Get ten hours each month of free dial-up internet access from NetZero. Get webmail, and other internet features.
www.netzero.net
 
I don’t think I’ve used dialup in over a decade. I was an EarthLink DSL customer and I looked up assorted numbers for when I was on a vacation in Hawaii. I think it was something like 20 hours a month included unless there was a DSL outage. I used it once looking up information, where my hotel had unlimited local calls included with the resort fee. I brought an older computer that still had a modem and RJ11 port.

Still, I’ve used a Western Electric phone handle on a cradle. Now that’s old school. A Hayes 1200 baud modem was downright advanced in comparison.

hayes-1200-external-smartmodem-1200-baud-modem-no-ac-adapter-4.1297__16340.1490145088.jpg
 
Blueshound said:
Cool project!
Click to expand...
Thanks! I have had a lot of fun putting it together. When my grandpa passed away I inherited a lot of old computer parts, at least 18 milk crates full of assorted crap (he was a hoarder) and so far I have built 8 fully featured and functioning 90s computers with it all. And plenty of parts to spare.

My favorite build so far included an AMD K6-II, Rage 3D graphics card, an over-the-air TV tuner card, firewire card, and a Soundblaster X-Fi sound card with the 5.25" drive bay hub controller. The IR remote for it still works, too! I use it to run older DOS games that I can't play on my newer Windows 10 machine.

OVERKILL said:
What OS are you using?

In the 90's I was using Slackware Linux, Windows 95, Windows 3.11 (WFWG), and FreeBSD. Was a beta tester for Windows 98, still have the disc around here and a few of the betas as well as the NT5 betas and I think a few alpha builds from before it became Windows 2000.
Click to expand...
I have a couple different operating systems I can use on this computer, I have an SD card to IDE adapter and I have SDs I can boot from into different operating systems. So far I have tried Windows 98SE, 2000, XP Professional, and I even got Windows 7 to run on this old beige beast, although it was painful.
 
cwilliamsws6 said:
Thanks! I have had a lot of fun putting it together. When my grandpa passed away I inherited a lot of old computer parts, at least 18 milk crates full of assorted crap (he was a hoarder) and so far I have built 8 fully featured and functioning 90s computers with it all. And plenty of parts to spare.

My favorite build so far included an AMD K6-II, Rage 3D graphics card, an over-the-air TV tuner card, firewire card, and a Soundblaster X-Fi sound card with the 5.25" drive bay hub controller. The IR remote for it still works, too! I use it to run older DOS games that I can't play on my newer Windows 10 machine.


I have a couple different operating systems I can use on this computer, I have an SD card to IDE adapter and I have SDs I can boot from into different operating systems. So far I have tried Windows 98SE, 2000, XP Professional, and I even got Windows 7 to run on this old beige beast, although it was painful.
Click to expand...
You should hunt down a copy of BeOS, I think you'd really like it!
 
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