in jamaica we don't use aol.i didn't ask my isp for the setup cd cauz i didn't think i'd need it.
i unchecked the wait for dial tone option.i hooked up a phone to the same cord and i got a dial tone, so the jack is fine.(btw its the same jack i use to connect to the internet from my room...i just used a splitter so both computers could share the same jack at different times).
different phone cords didn't solve the problem.i guess i've tried everything but i'll try it again in a while.
thanks for the help.