My modem works and dials but would not connect to the internet so i picked up the phone while it is dialing and no sound of dialing is on the phone but the modem dials away. I tryed all types of us robotics 33.6 mac modems and they all do the same thing. There are dip switchs on the back but don't know how to set them up. The guy that sold me this mac said that it worked fine on the internet but I guess I got ripped off. It is a mac performa 578 all in one 66mhz and 36 mb of ram. I am not made of money so i need help. Thank you and if you need help with your computer i will help you also.

It definitely should be capable of internet use. It sounds like you just have a configuration problem. There is a wealth of information about older Macs at LowEndMac.com including much material on getting them web ready. It may take some digging, but if you follow enough links from their main page, you can get just about anything done with your old Mac. I looked up the Performa 578, and this is the page devoted to that series: http://www.lowendmac.com/500/lc575.shtml There is a link at the bottom which goes to a brief discussion of a 550 on the net. Also try the following: http://www.rtis.com/nat/user/toolbox/oldmacs/ It deals a little more with even older models, but you might find some help there. Good luck, otto