'678': The 666 of DSL Users
Source: Wired
Anyone who sees those three numbers and is suddenly overcome by an irresistible desire to scream is probably a Windows XP user who has been trying unsuccessfully to set up a DSL connection.
In Windows XP, "Error 678" is supposed to indicate that a remote computer did not respond to a connection attempt. In reality, it's simply a vague indication that something, somewhere, has somehow gone wrong.
And something has gone wrong for an awful lot of XP DSL subscribers -- including Wired News editors -- judging by numerous reports of "678" errors in newsgroups and help forums.
Not every XP user hits a solid wall of DSL "678" errors, but those who do say the problem has been extremely difficult to fix. Typically, the standard troubleshooting tests indicate that the DSL service, modem and connection are working perfectly.
They just can't access the Internet.
XP users who have been subjected to a few futile rounds of tech support may or may not be happy to hear that the cause of many 678 problems appears to be a simple generation gap: DSL connection software provided by some major Internet service providers contains a bit of old code that cannot peacefully coexist with part of the new XP operating system.
