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| Modem Mayhem |
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Getting Started January 2000 • Vol.6 Issue 1 |
Modem Mayhem Tips For Buying, Installing & Troubleshooting | ||
 As you've likely learned from the other articles in this issue, getting the most out of the Internet isn't the complicated hassle most novices fear. The problems Internet users typically face are with hardware, and these are the most difficult to untangle without a proper understanding of the basics. Fortunately, you can install most modems in a matter of minutes, and it takes only a few configuration tricks to keep the connection running smoothly. The good news for novices is that installing the modern modems we've tested is painless. The bad news is that configuring and tweaking them for maximum compatibility and performance involves navigating a maze of settings. This article should help you find your way around.  Buying A Modem There are only a few sins customers can commit when purchasing a modem. The most grave is buying a Winmodem. Winmodems lack the necessary hardware to complete all of the communications chores, and they rely on the computer's CPU for a lot of the number crunching. This slows the computer and makes for iffy connections. Look for the term Winmodem on the box or ask a salesperson if the modem you are about to purchase is a Winmodem. Other than that, you should be fine, as long as you buy a 56 kilobits per second (Kbps) modem that is compatible with the V.90 standard. Most new modems are V.90 compliant, so finding one shouldn't be too much trouble. Get a modem that uses a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) interface instead of an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) interface if you plan to install it internally. If you're looking for an external modem, try one of the newer models that use a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface. They usually run faster and smoother than their external serial port counterparts. All of this information will be listed on the side of the modem box. Installing A Modem Modems use several types of interfaces to communicate with PCs, but installation for nearly all of them involves the same steps. Make certain the computer is completely shut down before attempting to install internal modems. ISA and PCI modems must be installed in appropriate slots on the computer's motherboard. The type of modem you have will be prominently displayed on the box, and the only trouble even a novice user should have is if there are no vacant slots of the appropriate type. Other than that, seating the card involves lining it up in the slot, giving a firm little push, and connecting the telephone line to the jack on the edge of the modem. Some modems are external, using either a serial connection or a USB interface. These devices use cables to connect to ports on the back of PCs and are more straightforward than even internal modems in terms of physical installation. Just follow the simple instructions all of these modems come with, and you should have no trouble. We recommend that you shut down your PC when connecting most external modems, but you can plug in USB modems even while the computer is running, and you won't experience any adverse effects.
This automatic procedure doesn't always work. Some older modems are not compliant with the Plug-and-Play standards that detect new hardware, and sometimes there is a glitch that prevents automatic detection. Faulty connections are the cause of most problems, so make sure the modem is properly seated in the appropriate slot. If you know the modem is seated, there are a few ways to force Win9x to take another look. One of the easiest ways is to click Start, select Settings, choose Control Panel, and double-click Add New Hardware. Click Next in the wizard box that appears to begin the process where Windows looks for the new modem. Follow the prompts, and Windows should list all of the new hardware it finds. If the modem is on the list, select it and choose the Yes radio button. Click Next and follow the prompts to install the necessary software drivers. If the device isn't on the list, choose the No radio button and click Next. You can then ask Windows to look for the new hardware, which probably won't work since the first attempt failed, or choose the No radio button to look manually. Click Next, scroll down the list to Modem, select it, and click Next. The first time you try this, click Next to let Windows look specifically for the modem hardware and, if it finds the modem, install it normally. Otherwise, put a check in the Don't Detect My Modem box, click Next, and scroll through the lists until you find the correct manufacturer and model name of the modem installed in your PC. If your modem is not listed, click the Have Disk button and try to use the software that came with your modem to install it manually. If nothing else works, use the generic drivers by selecting Standard Modem Types from the top of the Manufacturer list and then selecting the Standard model from the other list that most closely matches your modem's specifications. These generic drivers should work with any modem, but you will not get the full performance from the device. Use the generic drivers to access the Web with your modem and then browse to the manufacturer's Web site to download modem-specific drivers and read online technical support documents. After selecting a modem and clicking Next, you will have to select a port to use it with. This can get tricky because the modem will not work if another device is assigned to the same port. Avoid the LPT port, which is used for printers. Instead you'll want to use a COM port. Select one of the available COM ports and click Next. You modem is now installed. Physical Troubleshooting There are a few snags that can turn installing a modem into an exercise in frustration. Most hassles are caused by conflicts in interrupt request line (IRQ) and direct memory access (DMA) assignments. Hardware components must compete for these limited resources, and sometimes they run out, or the assignments overlap. A scanner, for example, might be assigned the same IRQ as the newly installed modem. If this happens, one device may work and the other may not, or sometimes neither device works. If the competing devices are activated at the same time, it may cause the entire system to crash. Usually Win98 will prevent these conflicts from occurring in the first place, but in rare cases users have to fix the problems manually. It is usually best to leave the modem alone and assign new IRQ and DMA settings to the conflicting device. Right-click My Computer, select properties, and click the Device Manager tab to access the settings for every device attached to the PC. Scroll down the list until you find the conflicting device entry, which will probably contain a subentry marked with an exclamation mark in a yellow circle. This symbol indicates a device with a conflict. Click the entry for the device, click Properties, and select the Resource tab. Make sure this device is the one causing the problem by looking at the Conflicting Device List. Uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and select a new basic configuration from the Settings Based On drop-down list. Selecting a new configuration will update the conflicting device box, letting you know if the change affects hardware elsewhere in the system. Try to find a setting that prompts a No Conflicts reading in the box. As an alternative, it is sometimes possible to click the Change Setting button and directly tweak the IRQ settings. Again, the conflicting device box will tell you what the changes will do. When you're finished making changes, click OK and select Yes at the prompt to reboot the system and implement the changes.
Configuring A Modem Physically installing a modem is the easy part; now it has to be configured. Some basic tools are included with Win9x to accomplish the task. Access them by clicking Start, selecting Settings, clicking Control Panel, and double-clicking Modems. Click the modem name in the box and then click Properties. The following is a short description of what the settings on each tab mean. Don't forget to check out the Dialing Properties button on the main Modem Properties tab, which lets users establish all sorts of parameters like disabling call waiting and setting up calling card numbers used only for international calls. General. The General tab simply lists the name of the modem; the hardware version, which can be useful if you are about to install a firmware upgrade; and the modem's current status. Do not manipulate or change the Device Usage boxes at the bottom of the tab. If the Disable box is checked, Windows will not even look for the modem when the computer boots up, and it won't be accessible. Modem. We talked about initially setting the port, but if the modem isn't responding, sometimes changing the port clears up conflicts. This is as simple as using the drop-down Port list and choosing a new setting. The computer needs to be rebooted before the new setting is used. Some of the easiest adjustments are the most welcome, a fact proven by the Speaker Volume setting. Users sick of the annoying bleeps and static a modem emits while connecting can move the slider all the way to the left. We recommend moving it one notch to the right of the Off position, keeping the modem quiet but still letting you hear busy signals or voices through the modem's speaker. Maximum Speed is the last entry in this tab, and it's an important one. Set it to approximately twice the modem's maximum data transfer rate. For example, with a 56Kbps modem installed, use a setting of 115200. This may cause instability with older PCs but will speed performance on faster systems. If you only want to make connections at this speed, check the appropriate box below the speed setting. We do not recommend you do this, as any connections made at lower speeds will immediately be dropped. This usually leads to lots of redials with no results. Connection. The Connection menu tab contains some of the most confusing and potentially dangerous adjustments users can make. The first three boxes, Data Bits, Parity, and Stop Bits should be left at 8, None, and 1, respectively, unless the documentation for the modem says otherwise. Call Preferences lets users establish the way their modem reacts to unusual connection attempts. If the Wait For Dial Tone box is not checked, the modem might begin dialing out before the phone line is ready for the connection. Keep it checked. Change the value in the Cancel The Call box if you want to change the amount of time the modem waits before it gives up trying to make a connection. And finally, we'll address a riddle many Web surfers face. Have you ever connected to the Web, started downloading a file, and left for a few minutes only to find the modem connection was suddenly dropped while you were away? The Disconnect A Call setting is usually the culprit. If the box is checked, your modem is monitored for activity at regular intervals. If no activity is detected during the time listed in the box, the connection is automatically terminated. If you run your Web connection from a dedicated phone line or never want your connection severed without a manual command, save yourself a lot of trouble and deselect this box. Just be careful if you do not have unlimited Internet access. With those settings established, click the Advanced button to call up even more choices. Depending on the features supported by your modem, some of the options may be grayed out. If you don't plan to play online games, make sure the Use Error Control box is checked, along with the Compress Data box below it. Note that data compression, used to speed data transfers, works only if the modem at the other end of the line supports it, too. Turn on the Use Flow Control option and select the Hardware radio button if it's available. Leave the modulation type on standard unless you have an old or unique modem, in which case this article will be of little use. Sometimes modem manufacturer's technical support departments will ask for a data log when you ask for help. Use the View Log button to open the log in Notepad; you can print it or send it as an e-mail attachment. Distinctive Ring. Distinctive ring services from the phone company are nice for users who share a fax machine and voice telephone on a single line. The Distinctive Ring tab lets users set up the service so a modem can be added to the mix. Just select the check box to activate the feature and use the drop-down menus to establish the types of calls you want associated with each type of ring. Data is the one to use for the modem, and any combination of call type and ring pattern is viable. Forwarding. If you subscribe to call forwarding services, checking the box on this tab lets the modem use these services. Set the activation and deactivation codes and click OK to engage the feature. Port Settings. Most users shouldn't have to mess with the Port Settings tab. If you accidentally press the Uninstall button, it will remove the port the modem is installed on from the computer. This means the modem won't work until the port is reinstalled, which is obviously problematic. The only other option, Enable DOS Boxes, is for advanced users, and the majority of us will never need to activate it. Driver. Consult the Driver tab before installing a driver. If the version you downloaded is older than the one displayed, don't install it. Otherwise you can use the Update Driver button to install the new one.  by Tracy Baker
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