Hoodooman......i am a complete computer dummy so i can feel your frustration, but i agree with what others say... IB does zero handholding but they are the best online broker. if there was better i would go there but never found it in the past.
There was a new TWS version yesterday, I think, and if using the browser-based TWS it has to download a bunch o' bytes to your machine during these all-to-frequent "upgrades." The browser version always has to load some stuff, but nowhere near as much as when there is an upgrade. I've had problems occasionally trying to get the browser version downloaded and running. But it is almost always because of a slow or junky internet connection. Barely works at all on dialup and my satellite isp pukes it up sometimes too. The answer is to ALWAYS use the TWS that installs and stays on your machine, then TURN OFF the "TWS auto update" feature. Or at least never update within a few hours of the market open. C
Buy one of those new Sony Laptops with the 15.1" "brite" screens and keep your 98 machine to converse with the "fast folks", here in ET and email and print server. Get one of those 8 port switches and keep adding computers as your trading matures... Michael B.
For the life of me I don't understand why everyone says IB support sucks. I've got a moderate size account, don't trade that frequently and I've called support maybe 3 times over the last 4 years. EVERY SINGLE TIME the support person was polite and took whatever time was necessary to answer my question. This cannot be by accident. I don't wish to start an argument, but for lurkers checking out brokers, I think it's only fair to present views on both sides. Good trading to all
lol. My first computer. I wonder if you can load XP? http://images.google.com/imgres?img...ages?q=timex+sinclair&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&sa=G (the 1016 RAM expansion is a must have)
I got one of those timex sinclairs in my storage room, i think....to the thread starter...if i find it you can upgarade? I will send it to you for free....(wait, maybe I can plug that into my switch....how can you get ethernet to a sinclair?)
I have got to echo Bundlemaker on this one. IB bashing is a full contact sport on ET and I do enjoy some of the sniveling. Voyeurism...cognitive dissonance...what ever. In the spirit of non confrontation I have to suggest you go out and drop $500 on a new box...maybe an Asus MB ...1 gig...cheap Caviar HD...plain CD/DVD and whatever new card will drive your video. If money is a problem then "borrow" a copy of Win 2K and burn a new OS. This same copy can be put on all your machines as you grow (tell Bill's black helicopter guys to not bother visiting me:>)).Load any drivers pertinent to the setup. I would bet money that a download of TWS would load FLAWLESSLY on the first try. I would estimate having done over 8000 trades with TWS and maybe 20000 cancels. I have only had a handful of frozen cancels and maybe 20 logoffs in all that time. Many of these episodes were likely not entirely IB's fault. Upgrades can create special amusements but, in my own experience, have never kept me out of the game. Like many members here I can code in several languages and can build boxes from scratch. This possibly makes us more tolerant of glitches for we can speculate in an informed manner about what the problems are. In the absence of good hands on computer skills a NEW system will help to perserve your hairline.
Absolutely no offense to Hoodoo, but I have used Macs, Win 95, Win 98, Win NT, Win XP Pro...and by far Win98 was the absolute worst. You really should get a new computer...preferably loaded wth XP Pro.