I have always used aol. I only have dial up. I've been told I don't have to use AOL to access the internet. Can someone tell me step by step how to access the internet without using aol and use a different service provider? I have a VAIO using windows XP.

Time to upgrade or at least explore the alternatives. Much depends on where you are in the world and what's available. I hope this article, and the links it contains gives you good information. Most of us started with AOL, Earthlink or some other dial up providers.

https://www.lifewire.com/connecting-a-computer-to-the-internet-817763