The first question for a
dial-up modem is, does your modem actually dial the phone? If you have a
desktop PC, there should be a little piezoelectric speaker on the modem itself.
Many people (and computer vendors) turn down the volume for this in software,
which you can find on the "Properties" tab of the modems in Windows
Control Panel. Notebook computers will normally run the sound through the
notebook speakers, which means the volume controls in Windows and the volume
dial built into the notebook body must both be turned up.
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Does the ISP answer? You
should be able to hear the ISP's modem pick up and whistle and hiss back at
your modem through the speaker. If not, make sure you are dialing the right
phone number and that the ISP isn't temporarily down. Just dial the number from
a regular phone handset and the ISP modem should pick up and whistle at you.
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Make sure you have the area
code and any prefix for an outside line correct, especially if you are dialing
from a business. Dial-up lines in a business must have a clean path through a
business phone system (PBX - Private Branch eXchange), just like fax lines. If
the phone is always busy, call the ISP's tech support or try one of the other
phone numbers they provide. It could simply be that they don't have enough
modems available for the traffic in your area at certain times of day.
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If you hear the modem dial
but the dial tone remains until an operator picks up and tells you that your
phone is off hook, you're trying to use "tone" dialing on a
"pulse" system. This is easily changed in the "Dialing
Properties" of the basic modem page in Control Panel.
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Do you get an error stating
that the ISP can't negotiate a connection, protocol, anything along those
lines? Unfortunately, this error is too generic to help much with
troubleshooting. Even messages telling you to check your password can be caused
by just about anything. Try redialing several times without changing anything
to make sure you aren't just encountering an overloaded modem pool. While
standards such as V.90 and V.92 are backwards compatible, it pays to match your
standard to the ISP's for both 56Kb/s performance and reliability.
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Call your ISP on the phone
to confirm your login information if it's the first time you're dialing in.
Re-enter your password, remembering that caps usually count. Assuming you have
your username and password right, the odds are any errors reported aren't due
to any protocol settings on your part, especially if you haven't changed the
defaults. If the error crops up at random, it's usually due to the weather and
the time of day, as both play a major role in the circuit conditions of the
telco infrastructure. Stormy or damp weather can badly degrade the lines of
older telephone networks. The time of day is also important, with the beginning
of the business day, and a period in the mid-afternoon usually being the worst
times. I've actually run non-Internet modem applications on dedicated lines
that showed a huge increase of line noise during these periods, whatever your
telco tells you.
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Will your modem connect at
a lower speed? You can change the maximum speed the modem will try to connect
at in Control Panel, but I've noted that the settings don't always take effect,
even after rebooting. You can search on the Internet for the modem control
string to force your modem to V.34 compatibility, then insert it in the
Advanced Settings for the modem which can be accessed through the Modem
Properties in Control Panel or Device Manager. If you succeed in connecting at
a lower speed, try going through the Modem Performance diagnostics.
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Can you connect to a
different ISP? The best test for eliminating modem failure is to see if it will
connect to a different service. If you can connect to a friend's ISP, it's a
definite proof that the modem isn't bad. It doesn't mean that the ISP you can't
connect to is at fault, it could be a question of matching modem standards. By
the same token, if you can't connect to another ISP, it doesn't prove your
modem is faulty, it could still be a problem with line conditions. The current
56Kb/s standards in use are V.90 and V.92 although some service still support
K56Flex and X2.
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If the software reports,
"No Dial Tone", make sure you have the patch cord from the modem to
the wall jack plugged into the "line" jack of the modem. The
"phone" jack on the modem is for plugging in a regular telephone to
use when you aren't online. If the wall jack is live, try changing the
telephone patch cord running from the "line" jack on the modem to the
jack on the wall. Check the phone jack at the wall with a telephone handset. If
it doesn't work you need to repair the in-wall wiring or try a different jack.
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Have you installed the most
recent driver you can find on the modem manufacturer's web site? If your modem
is integrated on the motherboard, it would be an update to your motherboard
driver. Even if your modem is brand-new, hardware often ships with obsolete
drivers, either because it's been sitting on the shelf somewhere for a year, or
because a recent operating system release has overtaken it and a better driver
is available.
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Does the operating system
report the modem as present and operating? This information appears in Device
Manager in Windows. If not, reinstall the driver for the modem. If an IRQ
conflict is reported in Device Manager, resolve it by either changing IRQ in
software (with a plug-n-play modem) or changing the IRQ jumper on the modem for
an old card. If you absolutely can't get around it, you may have an extremely
unfriendly sound card or other adapter on the bus which is hogging the IRQ the
modem is capable of dealing with. Note that a modem can share an IRQ with a
serial port in some cases, though it can't be used when a device is actually
attached to that port. If you can't resolve the Device Manager problem, either
you have a hardware conflict, or the modem is bad. Proceed to the Conflict
Resolution chart.
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Does the operating system
or dialing software report the port is "in use" when you try to dial?
In Windows Control Panel > Modems, go to "Diagnostics," select
your modem, and click on "More Info". Try shutting down and
rebooting. The "port in use" error is due to another active software
application claiming the port the modem is set on. You could get this error if
you're already using the modem but don't realize it for some reason, but it's
more likely that you've recently installed software for synchronizing a palm
device or for a camera that's colliding with the modem driver.
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