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Author Topic: I Need a New Modem!  (Read 6914 times)

Adept

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Re:I Need a New Modem!
« Reply #15 on: November 14, 2002, 18:56 »


Tried to post this around 01:30-ish this *morning*?! Tried again...... and again...... and again! Thought not only the connection had totally died, but my modem as well; then I tried another URL - successfully! So this site was down at that time?! Is it VERY sluggish for anyone else just now? It's a case of post 'n' go!


Thanks for the info the_Breeze :) Our web hosts have confirmed that there was a 20 minute outage due to problems at the data-centre on Sunday but I don't have any information about any other problems since.

A few of us have been getting random problems with our ISPs this week, especially to US-based sites. Apparently there are a lot of denial of service type attacks happening at the moment  >:(

Offline Sandra

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Re:I Need a New Modem!
« Reply #16 on: November 14, 2002, 18:58 »
Cant remember which model I had Breeze,I lent it to a friend to see how he liked it.I just rang him but hes not home yet so as soon as he gets in I have asked his wife to get him to call me  8)
The reason I dont personally like USB stuff is because of problems with a scanner I had recently,sometimes it worked,sometimes it didnt.I think a low current requirement is essential as even with a mains powered hub I still had problems.Its a nice idea to keep the required power outlets and wires to a minimum but I would rather be a bit untidy and have things work reliably.Even my USB ADSL modem occassionally isnt found when I switch on,doesnt happen much but my old US Robotics serial modem never did that and I had that longer than this one  ::)
Re the disabling the onboard modem Breeze,would disabling it in BIOS not be sufficient for those of us who arent too clued up messing about with the jumpers on the motherboard  ???

Offline the_Breeze

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Re:I Need a New Modem!
« Reply #17 on: November 14, 2002, 19:12 »
Sandra - thanks. Can't have too much information!

Adept - I've made a post in the Website Discussion forum. Seems OK now. Strange that it happened while indulging in a thread about random disconnects/poor modems. The irony. The terrible, terrible irony!
hey call me the Breeze,
I keep rollin' down the road.
I ain't gotten me nobody;
I ain't carryin' me no load.

Offline Sandra

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Re:I Need a New Modem!
« Reply #18 on: November 14, 2002, 21:11 »
Hi Breeze,its a :

 3 Com US Robotics Professional Messenger Modem

Doesnt appear to have a model number that he can see,but he has it hidden away at the back of a cupboard and cant see anymore without disconnecting everything  :o

I have the installation disc with a PDF manual on if you want to PM me your e mail address I can send you it so you can read the specs etc  :-*

Offline the_Breeze

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Re:I Need a New Modem!
« Reply #19 on: November 15, 2002, 01:16 »
Sandra -

> Re the disabling the onboard modem Breeze,would disabling it in BIOS not be sufficient for those of us who arent too clued up messing about with the jumpers on the motherboard

Yep; I suppose you could disable it in the BIOS - but I'm not too sure whether that would stop it grabbing the 16 Mb of RAM it uses - or would it? The board manual gives VERY clear instructions on using the jumper switch, so I see no real probs there.

> its a : 3 Com US Robotics Professional Messenger Modem

Right. Noted. Thanks for the PDF offer; but once I've decided which models to REALLY look into, I can find out all I want about them from a variety of sources. It's just that initial list of subjects I need, from first-hand accounts!

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Lona - re your disconnection problems......

Do you want to know a method that *may* help you in this regard? It's by no means a definite cure; but I'd say it does provide a demonstrable difference, even if - in some connections - it's only a gain of a few minutes, on average. Some connections I can stay 'on' for well over an hour - a *big* increase over my average if I *didn't* use this method.

It simply involves inputting 'init strings' into the modem's Properties Box. I could show you, step by step, how to do it; it's easy, and wouldn't cause any harm to your system. If it doesn't make any difference, or makes things worse (!), all you'd have to do would be to delete them. Interested?

As we have the same modem, it should work with you, too. Couple of things first, though......
What's your OS? I use Windows 98 Second Edition - there could be 'issues' if yours is radically different, and perhaps some of the instructions below may not work properly. Here's hoping.

You mentioned in your modem description that it was a "World" micromodem? I've never heard of the "World" designation. Can you check? Here's how :-

(1) Click 'Start' (lower-left of your screen).

(2) Select 'Settings' , then slide over to 'Control Panel', and click it.

(3) Find, and double-click the 'Modems' icon.

(4) The name of your modem should be highlighted in the window. (Mine is called 'HSP56 MicroModem). Write it down.
'OK' the 'Modems Properties' window off.

I'd also like to see what 'header' version you have, if possible. It's useful for you to keep a note of this. Here's how :-

Repeat steps (1) to (3) above.

(4) Press the 'Diagnostics' button at the top.

(5) If it's not already highlighted, select whichever 'COM' number is next to your modem's name, which will highlight it.

(6) Press the 'More Info' button, below.

(7) You'll see a few lines of text in the window - find, and write down the numbers & text alongside your modem name (mine is 'PCtel HSP56 MicroModem 7.64-PCC-06-MS'.
'OK' the 'Modems Properties' window off.

Post the necessary info (if you've managed to get it OK), and I'll show you what to do.
hey call me the Breeze,
I keep rollin' down the road.
I ain't gotten me nobody;
I ain't carryin' me no load.

Offline Lona

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Re:I Need a New Modem!
« Reply #20 on: November 15, 2002, 15:27 »
Hi the_Breeze

My OS is windows ME

Here is the information on my modem:-

HSP56 world micromodem

identifier:- WDM_modemPCT 0001

I hope that enough information for you :)
http://dinah.www.idnet.com/chrisisaac.swf


If one took the Scots out of the world, it would fall apart
Dr. Louis B Wright, Washington DC, National Geographic (1964), from Donald MacDonald, Edinburgh :thumb:

Offline the_Breeze

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Re:I Need a New Modem!
« Reply #21 on: November 15, 2002, 20:05 »
So - your OS is ME; mine is 98 SE.
My modem is recognized as a 'HSP56 MicroModem'; yours is 'HSP56 world micromodem'.
My header info is recognized as 'PCtel HSP56 MicroModem 7.64-PCC-06-MS'; yours is 'WDM_modemPCT 0001'.

As you can see, there's a few differences! Could be due to the different OS's reading info differently; or perhaps our modems really aren't *quite* the same. So maybe there could be a few 'clashes' if you use the details below...... you'll never know until you try! If, by following any of the steps below you *don't* see any of the boxes/windows/info stated, it's probably best if you don't proceed, unless you feel really sure.

If it helps, you can always do a "dry run" with all these instructions - follow the steps, but don't actually change anything until you feel really confident about doing it. You can always take notes on any changes you make so you can easily retrace your steps. Why not print-out these instructions, if you've a printer? If you haven't, you could copy 'n' paste them to a notepad (easier to read; see below for help on this), or save the entire webpage to your desktop for offline reading.
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OK. You want to do this when you're NOT connected to the net. First off, there's a couple of settings you can try changing that might improve things :-

(01) Click 'Start' (lower-left of your screen).

(02) Select 'Settings', then slide over to 'Control Panel', and click it.

(03) Find, and double-click the 'Modems' icon.

(04) You'll see the name of your modem highlighted in the window. Press the 'Properties' button below it.

(05) Near the bottom of the window you'll see the 'Maximum Speed' box. It's best if this value is set to 57600. If it isn't already, change it by clicking on the little triangle at the right-edge of the number window, then selecting this number from the drop-down list. On my system, I *haven't* got a tick in the 'Only connect at this speed' box.

(06) Press the 'Connection' button at the top.

(07) Press the 'Port Settings' button at the bottom.

(08) There should already be a tick in the 'Use FIFO buffers' box - keep it that way. See the 2 sliding-arrows in the window - drag them until they're both 1 notch from the lowest setting (ie there's 4 notches - point them both at notch 2). Note, if you ever need to, you can get back the original values by pressing the 'Defaults' button. You can also experiment by selecting the lowest settings (but not yet). Click 'OK'.
If you want to, you can keep the current window open, or you can 'OK' yourself out of what's open, and close the Properties Box.

Now we come to the strings! These are just sets of commands that instruct your modem to behave a little differently. I've got a collection of 6 that I mess around with; each has its own way of doing things. Input only *one* at any given time. This is them :-

AT&F&C1&D2&K3W1

AT&F&C1&D2&K3S37=12N1W1

AT&F&C1&D2&K3%N5W1

AT&F&C1&D2&K3%N6W1

AT&FS37=12N1

AT&FS37=12N1%N5


Best way to input them is not to attempt to write them in by hand, but use copy & paste instead (drag your mouse while holding the left button down across the string you want till it's 'coloured';
then RIGHT-click on the text and select 'Copy'). This avoids misspellings! If, by any chance, there's already something in there, copy it out exactly on paper, and delete it. But there's probably not. How to do it :-

If you closed the Properties box previously, do steps (01) to (04), then (06), then :-

(09) Press the 'Advanced' button, below.

(10) The string you're going to input is placed in the 'Extra Settings' window. Select a string from the list above, and copy & paste it into the window (copy the line of text as instructed above; and right-click in the window and select 'Paste'). The text should appear in the window. Make sure there are no trailing spaces at the start, or end of the text. That's it! 'OK' your way out, and 'Close' the Properties Box.
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Best thing to do is surf around for - say - a day, with your first string, and see how it goes. Next day, try the next one...... and so on, until you've went through the list. Take notes on whether or not you perceive any improvements using any of the strings, compare them, and stick with your favourite. Or alternate between your favourites. Experiment! Or - if things get worse, or there's no change - just delete them.

To change a string, simply go through steps (01) to (04), (06), (09), and (10).
To delete - just click inside the 'Extra Settings' window, and delete as you would any text.
Save these instructions somewhere safe for future reference.
hey call me the Breeze,
I keep rollin' down the road.
I ain't gotten me nobody;
I ain't carryin' me no load.

Offline Lona

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Re:I Need a New Modem!
« Reply #22 on: November 15, 2002, 22:07 »
Thanks the_Breeze. I have printed off all your instructions and will play around with modem to-morrow when I am off line. :) :) :)

I am thinking of trying homehighway as I can't get asdl.
I will have to check out the costs first. Maybe Santa will buy it for me for Xmas ;) ;)
http://dinah.www.idnet.com/chrisisaac.swf


If one took the Scots out of the world, it would fall apart
Dr. Louis B Wright, Washington DC, National Geographic (1964), from Donald MacDonald, Edinburgh :thumb:

Offline Sandra

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Re:I Need a New Modem!
« Reply #23 on: November 16, 2002, 00:06 »
You had me panicking then Lona,I thought you wrote Sandra  :o

Offline Lona

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Re:I Need a New Modem!
« Reply #24 on: November 24, 2002, 15:43 »
Followed all your instructions to the letter, the_Breeze but Modem worked even slower. I have gone back to original settings and find that it is working better than before. Could this be co-incidence? ;)
http://dinah.www.idnet.com/chrisisaac.swf


If one took the Scots out of the world, it would fall apart
Dr. Louis B Wright, Washington DC, National Geographic (1964), from Donald MacDonald, Edinburgh :thumb:


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