Tech Help--Is My Modem Dead?

[BirdsWife]

Weird Harold or any other available computer techies:


I believe that what I originally thought was a problem with my ISP may have actually been my modem dying. Can anyone confirm this for me? Here is what happens.

When I try to dial up my ISP I get an error message saying that there is no dial tone. The phone hooked up to the computer works just fine, so there is definitely a dialtone.

To be safe I reinstalled the drivers and the modem shows up in the modems file in control panel, but when I click on the More Info button on the diagnostics tab to test the modem, I get an error saying that it cannot open the COM port. The modem also does not show up in Device Manager.

I'm mostly computer illiterate, so I guess what I need to know is: Is my modem dead or is there something wrong with the COM port?

BTW, I'm running Windows 98.

Thanks in advance.
BirdsWife

 

[MWG]

Weird Harold or any other available computer techies:


I believe that what I originally thought was a problem with my ISP may have actually been my modem dying. Can anyone confirm this for me? Here is what happens.

When I try to dial up my ISP I get an error message saying that there is no dial tone. The phone hooked up to the computer works just fine, so there is definitely a dialtone.

To be safe I reinstalled the drivers and the modem shows up in the modems file in control panel, but when I click on the More Info button on the diagnostics tab to test the modem, I get an error saying that it cannot open the COM port. The modem also does not show up in Device Manager.

I'm mostly computer illiterate, so I guess what I need to know is: Is my modem dead or is there something wrong with the COM port?

BTW, I'm running Windows 98.

Thanks in advance.
BirdsWife

Try unplugging the phone cord and re-plugging it into the wall.

 

[Bob_Bytchin]

Turn off your PC...unplug the power...take out the modem...plug the PC's power...turn on the PC...go into the control panel and remove the modem if it still exists there...Shut Down your PC...unplug the power...insert the modem again...plug in the PC's power...turn on the PC and see if it recognizes the modem.

You may have to try this a couple of times...Windows can be a real pain about hardware.

 

[MWG]

I forgot all about that. If you have an internal modem, the card may have some unseated from the slot. So... yeah, what Bob said.

 

[Guest]

 

[BirdsWife]

Thanks for the replies, folks.

Fuck sake

Modems cost about as much as my daily lunch


Get a new one and stick it in.

The computer is stuck inside a fancy cabinet and is impossible to get to unless I tear the whole thing apart. The modem is five years old, so if I have to go through all that effort I'm definitely going to get a new one instead of screwing around with the old one.

I was just hoping there was a less time-consuming fix.

 

[Bob_Bytchin]

Thanks for the replies, folks.





The computer is stuck inside a fancy cabinet and is impossible to get to unless I tear the whole thing apart. The modem is five years old, so if I have to go through all that effort I'm definitely going to get a new one instead of screwing around with the old one.

I was just hoping there was a less time-consuming fix.

If you have to go through all that effort to take out the old one anyways, why not try the 10 minute procedure I suggested?

It'll save you the trip to the store...which seems to me to be even more time consuming.

 

[BirdsWife]

If you have to go through all that effort to take out the old one anyways, why not try the 10 minute procedure I suggested?

It'll save you the trip to the store...which seems to me to be even more time consuming.

Well, this is the latest in a string of problems that I've been having. (See this thread: https://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=167804) My ISP on that phone line is fine with my laptop, so I've come to the conclusion that the problem was probably my modem all along. I'm just finally throwing in the towel.