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How to FTP for FREE on America Online
by Whiplash 2/5/95
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FTPing is perhaps the only thing I really use AOL for.  Now that there's a way
to do it for free, my bills are gonna be MUCH lower.  This is basically a hack
of the now-famous free-downloading technique, but this is a bit more
complicated...
Here's how:

For this to work, you MUST be using the Windows version of the FES.  I happen
to be using 2.0a, but the technique should work in 2.0 and 1.1 as well.  (not
1.5)

1- Go to keyword FTP.
2- Go to "other site".
3- Enter a site of a place really far away...Something that will give you a
   lot of delays.
4- While the service attempts to connect, you'll be waiting with the standard
   Windows hourglass.  This is where it gets tricky.  You must have entered a
   site that will REALLY be slow...  (Actually, many places are sluggish at
   connection negotiation, so it's not as hard as it sounds.)

You must do steps 5 and 6 ***QUICKLY.***

5- As soon as you see the hourglass pop up, hit alt-tab to switch to the
   Program Manager.  Hit alt-f4.  Tell Windows "ok" then tell AOL "no."

   If you've connected to the site by this time, it's too late.  Either you
   weren't fast enough, or the hourglass just wasn't there long enough.
   Drop your connection with the site and re-enter it again - it might take
   longer to connect this time.

6- If you still haven't connected (this is good), you'll notice that
   everything is the same, but instead of the hourglass, you've got your
   pointer back.  Now, quickly, go to keyword FREE.  The little free 'member
   services' thingie will pop up, and you'll be in a free area.  Now all you
   have to do is wait.  You could be waiting anywhere from half a second to
   30 seconds, but eventually the FTP window will appear IN THE FREE AREA!

   You should be viewing directories by now.  Let's say that this was not the
   site you wanted to reach (it probably isn't).  Just close up all the
   directory windows, and eventually you'll get the window that asks for the
   site you want to connect to!  Once you've got this window open in the free
   area, the world is your oyster.  You can sit here for as long as you want,
   FTPing your life away...You'll never get charged as long as you're in the
   free area.

One word of advice, though: Never select more than one file to transfer at a
time...It'll screw things up sometimes, but not always.  It's best to select a
file at a time before going on to the next...

Feel free to spread this information far and wide...Just try and keep it away
from the many lamers and pedophiles of AOL please...

-Whiplash [iLL Senior]
 ????????@aol.com

To contact me, either look for Whiplash in the 310, or send mail to the iLL
address found at the bottom of the .nfo.