Bellsouth DSL

I helped a member of my family install their Bellsouth/AT&T DSL Service tonight.  Upon initial inspection it seemed you had to use the CD provided with the modem in order to register for a user ID.  Nonsense, I thought..but I decided to proceed. After listening to a narrated audio recording of how to install DSL filters, the software generated a very helpful error..

"An error occurred that requires the assistance of the Helpdesk" or something similar.. 

The system was getting an IP address from the modem, I could surf to 192.168.1.254 and get to the "login page" on the modem, and no other problems were obvious.   After a quick Google search on another machine I found http://dslinstallation.bellsouth.net.  I used that site to register for a user ID and password.  Then I logged into the modem with that login information and voila.. Internet. 

Bellsouth/AT&T installation CDs remain useless. They could at least provide meaningful error messages.