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Customer Support Information
Troubleshooting Modem/Dialup
Problems
| Why does my computer say "No
Dialtone"? |
If you are not getting
a dial tone then you should first check
the physical connection. Make sure you
have your modem connected to a phone line.
Your modem may have a 2 jacks on the back,
one indicating an incoming phone line
and another one for an extra phone.The
line running from the wall should go into
the connector on the modem that says "line"
or "wall" - not the one marked
"phone". You can put a phone
into the phone connector if you have a
phone by your machine. If the lines are
connected properly and you still do not
get a dial tone, then take a phone and
plug it directly into the phone line from
the wall that goes to your computer and
see if you get a dial tone using the phone.
If you have a dial tone then it is possible
that the modem is malfunctioning or there
is a configuration problem.
Remember, a "No Dialtone"
message is generated by your computer
when it thinks it doesn't hear a dialtone
on the line - it can't dial out unless
it gets past this problem!
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| Why does it say "Could not
detect modem, it may be in use, turned off,
or not properly installed"? |
If your modem is external
(separate from the computer box), make
sure that it is plugged in and turned
on. Also make sure that your system recognizes
the modem by going into your modem icon
from control panel and making sure that
your modem is detected. (Click Start->Settings->Control
Panel, double click Modems,
click the Diagnostics
tab, highlight the COM
port next to your modem and choose More
Info. After a few seconds a bunch
of AT commands should appear. If your
modem is internal you should make sure
that the correct driver is installed and
perhaps reinstall the driver or get an
updated driver to make sure that it has
been installed properly.
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| Why does it say "The
modem is busy, or is in use by another application"? |
Usually this means that
another program has taken control of your
modem. Many times shutting down your machine
and actually turning it off will solve
this. Fax programs, or anything that can
use your modem should be suspect. Check
to see if any of these programs are running
and close them before you shut down the
machine
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| Why does my 56K modem only connect
at 26K (or 33K or...) ? |
This is a common question
because many things can cause this. First
off, it is important to remember that
while 56K is the theoretical limit a modem
can connect on a normal analog phone line,
NO modem ever connects at 56K. About the
best a modem could ever achieve is 53K
and a modem that connects at 40K or better
in most cases is doing pretty well. Causes
of slower connection speeds include:
-
Unconditioned
or poor quality phone lines. The copper
phone lines running from your phone
jack to our digital modem banks often
run through many phone switching stations
and paths of potentially old wires.
Any glitches or static caused by these
paths, even if you can't hear it on
a voice phone call, can be enough to
reduce the speed at which your modem
can communicate with us. While it's
a good idea to have your local phone
company check the condition of these
lines (if all else fails), they will
not guarantee connections clean enough
to support speeds higher than 28K (and
in some cases lower).
- Line intereference caused
by a phone line splitter or other device
like a fax machine or portable phone in
your home. Try disconnecting these other
devices or plug your computer into another
phone jack in the home to help diagnose
the cause.
- An out-of-date or faulty
modem driver. Your modem needs a driver,
a piece of software that tells it how
to talk to Windows, in order to function.
Often these drivers have bugs or get updated
to fix problems. Check with your modem
manufacture for an updated driver which
you can install on your computer. The
manufacturer's website often has these
or you can search for the driver at www.google.com
or a search page.
- A modem problem or incompatibility.
Some modems just don't work well with
other modems - often replacing the modem
will give you a much better connection
speed. If you don't know how to do this,
have a computer repair center do it for
you. Most modems are inexpensive and the
computer repair center can test it for
you if you bring your computer to them
before you bring it home.
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