COX.net installer and DHCP error messages during install

Several users have reported trouble using the Cox.net installer "wizard" to set up their net configurations.

Error messages John Bilak writes: "I've converted from Cox@Home to Cox.net and the installer software worked great in OS 9 but all I got in OS X were endless DHCP error messages. Cox tech support wasn't able to help but after some searching, I found out that the software deleted the Built-in Ethernet Port from the Active Network Ports panel (found by clicking the pop-up to the right of the 'Show' box in the Network Preferences panel). Nothing I tried prevented the Cox.net installer from repeating this glitch although typing a DHCP Client ID number into the Network panel's 'optional' box allowed me to connect."

Possible workaround? Robert Suznick adds: "Although the standard recommendation was to change to DHCP ahead of time, using a fixed IP, I found it didn't work. When I called support I was told that other Mac users had similar experiences and were advised to not make the change until 'transition day.' It was good advice.

In our experience, "wizards" and other kinds of network configuration utilities are worth avoiding whenever possible. Learning how to manually configure your Mac's network settings takes time, but its often easier in the long run since familiarity with the network settings makes them more useful when troubleshooting network connections.