My previous PC had an internal Compaq Data Fax Modem in it, and an immense number of reinstallations of XP3 were done on that machine, and the Modem was recognized every time: getting online was dead-easy; just set up an account with the New Connection Wizard, and hey presto = online. But then along came a disastrous series of mishaps which saw the Compaq Data Fax Modem being replaced with a different Modem. Everything worked okay until it was decided to do a reinstall of XP3: during the installation process the panel that always used to pop up asking for your Area Code and telephone number Prefix, failed to materialize. Apart from that, everything was the same as always until the dial-up account was set up and attempts were made to get online. It would not connect. It was not even trying and failing to connect, but instead was literally dead with no activity whatsoever. Going into Network Connections > Properties revealed nothing abnormal, and nor did other investigations also. Ended up having to send the PC to the repair shop and they sent it back (together with an eye-watering bill!!!) with the connection working, but an intensive scrutiny of all of the settings in the Modem/Internet Connection programs on the XP3 desktop did not reveal what kind of "tweak" they employed to get the OS to recognize the Modem. Have read on the Web that the Windows XP3 installation disk carries a vast array of generic drivers for all sorts of programs/functions and from which XP3 allocates drivers as and where required: have, ever since reading that, been suspecting that the XP3 installation disk has got generic drivers for the original Compaq Data Fax Modem, but not for the Modem that replaced it. And which would mean that the local Tech shop did not do any kind of "tweak" to the Modem/Internet Connection settings, but instead downloaded a driver or drivers for the Modem??? Dial-Up Modem problems might seem like dinosaur stuff, but it's a fact that the overwhelming majority of people in the world who can get Internet access on their PC's are on Dial-Up, and so this technology and all of it's associated problems/solutions are not going to be going away in a hurry anytime soon. So could any Tech-type who might be looking at this please say what you think about how my local Tech shop got that "new" Modem cooperating with XP3??? How did they do it??? Am no Tech at all so need help to try and understand this stuff. Thank You.
First of all, where did the second modem come from ? When you buy a modem from a shop or store, it comes with a driver Cd... If you take out the modem and look at it, It will have some numbers on it, Or on one of its chips..You can download almost ANY driver now days straight from the net..
Howdy Ghostman: first of all apologies for the long delay in this reply to your Post - there's been a bunch of upheavals at this end of the line, and have been way behind sorting thru a whole lot of back-emails that have built up and replying to them. Thank you Ghostman for your Post: in my initial thread should have mentioned that when the original Compaq Data Fax Modem was in the PC, a time came when it was suddenly getting harder and harder to get online and stay online: it got so bad that the PC was sent to the local Tech shop for them to check the Modem, and they ripped it out and put another one in it. The PC, when it came back, was if anything worse at connecting, and pretty soon it was impossible to connect at all. The phone-line was dead!!! Got the Telco to check it out and the problem was found to be a massively corroded phone jackpoint (on the wall)!!! With the jackpoint sorted out, everything was good again (apart from substantial trauma from the bills - got hammered); time went by, and eventually decided to do a reinstallation of the OS as described in the opening thread, and that is when it was discovered that the Modem could not be induced to connect to the Web. The Tech shop did not provide any CD with the "new" Modem. Ended up having to send the PC (tower) back to them, and they sent it back in working condition. Have been wondering ever since how they did it: if the OS cannot "see" the Modem then how do you install Drivers for it??? If the Tech shop had a Driver CD for the Modem, can the CD system actually "find" the Modem, install the Drivers in the correct place, and by doing so then enable the OS to "see" the Modem??? As said Ghostman, am no Tech, and am finding this stuff extremely perplexing trying to figure it out. And am gonna have to get to understand it, as have recently obtained another computer and it has got exactly the same problem with its own Modem: did a parallel installation of the OS as an experiment to see if everything was ok with getting this 2nd deck online, and could not get it to recognize the Modem: the Dial-Up Icon in Network Connections had a big red "X" on it plus a padlock symbol!!! When "Properties" was opened there was no Modem listed in the "Properties" anywhere. This is a real headache: am a big downloader of programs from the download websites and as a consequence do a heck of a lot of uninstallations, and which ultimately builds up a lot of junk in the Registry. Reformatting the HD and reinstalling the OS is how I always got a clean system again (also did this to solve any problems/glitches as well). But now this cannot be done until an absolutely bulletproof way can be found to make the OS recognize the Modem. Thanks again Ghostman for your answer.
Every Modem will need a Driver in order for it to work, You just have to find the right driver.. If you take out the modem, and look at it, IT will have its make and model.. Then you can go online and download the driver for that modem, Next you want to burn this driver to CD/ disk.. You can also run some software to identify your hardware... Check out Everest or Belarc to identify your hardware/ modem.. Or if you can get me the make and model of your modem, I will look it up for you..
I second the motion: look at the device if all else fails. If you can't figure out the device model, you can also use the chip numbers in an internet search to track down the driver.
Very much appreciate your answers Ghostman 1 and Big B: have got SIW and this system analyses program says that the Modem is a LSI Corporation 56k V.90 Modem [LSI Corporation Agere PCI Soft Modem, and it's Driver is listed as being this: {4D36E96D-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0000 In Device Manager under Modem > Driver > Driver File Details, the list of files in the window on the panel are: C:\Program Files\LSI SoftModem\agrsmdel.ico C:\Program Files\LSI SoftModem\agrsmsvc.exe C:\WINDOWS\agrsmdel.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\agrscoin.dll C:\WINDOWS\system32\DRIVERS\AGRSM.sys C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\Modem.sys Had found a program called "DriverMax" and it has actually found on the Web and downloaded (and installed) an updated (and signed) version of the Modem Driver (it's the one shown in Device Manager). Have backed-up (using DriverMax) into a Zip-file all the Drivers (including the Modem Driver) that DriverMax can find with it's Scanner. Am planning to install, next to the present XP3 OS, a parallel XP3 OS (have tried this before, as described earlier but the Modem Icon in Network Connections was, and will be again, completely locked with the red "X" on it and the "padlock" emblem) so that using the Driver Zip-file in a USB Drive, perhaps the Modem-Driver can be "forced" to install and unlock Network Connections/make the OS recognize the Modem??? Have no option except to try and get a parallel XP3 OS to "find" the Modem, even though I know it is not good to have two identical OS's installed on the same HD, and also last time it was done the second OS was horribly unstable and did some weird things (the "main" OS can do some strange things too, but nowhere near as strange as the parallel OS was; something that wont be helping is that the HD is on it's last legs); but am not going to take the risk of reformatting over the present OS, reinstalling XP3, and then hoping it can be gotten connected to the Web, because if it can't be am then going to be in a bad dilemma!!! Gotta go, but hope to be back later in the week able to say that the experiment has worked!!! Again, many thanks everyone: very kind of you Ghostman 1 to offer to find a Driver for me to download, but I have never burned anything onto a DVD before so will try the Zip-file first and no doubt end up back here to bleat about how it failed to do anything!!!
