Dial-up Modems

Question

I've had to replace the modem in my desktop computer probably 6 times in the last three years.

The first two times it was replaced because lighting ran in on the phoneline and killed the modems.
Over the last three months I've had to replace the modem several times for no apparent reason. The modem in the computer just stops working. I tried deleting/reinstalling and removing the actual modem from the board. But every time I end up having to buy a new modem. The new modem always seems to work for awhile. (Yes, the two brands of modems I have tried are compatiable with the computer.) What could be contributing to this reoccuring problem? Is it possible that the motherboard has been damaged?

I also tried putting the modem in an extra PCI slot on the motherboard. When I do that the computer doesn't seem to detect it. Why is that?

Any help would be appreciated.

Majestic · Answer

Here are a few suggestions..... first, considering your history with modems I hope you are running them through a surge protector.  If you are using a surge protector you might want to check with the manufacturer.  Some manufacturers offer a protection policy that will replace any devices damaged when protected by their surge suppressor.   Secondly, try contacting the phone company and have them check your line.  Possibly the phone line is having a an occasional voltage spike which is damaging your modem.  Give them a call and explain the problem.  I suspect the damage you are having is limited to the modem otherwise if the motherboard was damaged you would be experiencing problems with other hardware devices.   Thirdly, when you try switching the modem to another PCI slot and the computer doesn't detect it then try clearing the NVRAM.  The reason maybe that the hardware information stored in the NVRAM is not being updated properly with the change of hardware and it's location on the motherboard.   Back in the days when I had dialup I finally switched over to an external modem that connects to your PC via the serial port connector.  I found the external modem not only freed up a PCI slot, but would offered better connect speeds.  With my internal modem I was always connecting in the 49k to 52k range with my ISP.  Using the external modem my connection improved to 55k to 56k which helped with my on-line gaming. Message Edited by Majestic on 04-30-2005 07:18 AM

ButterflyBangs · Answer

Majestic wrote:

Thirdly, when you try switching the modem to another PCI slot and the computer doesn't detect it then try clearing the NVRAM. The reason maybe that the hardware information stored in the NVRAM is not being updated properly with the change of hardware and it's location on the motherboard.

How exactly do I go about doing that?

Majestic · Answer

@ButterflyBangs wrote:

How exactly do I go about doing that?

Click here for a Dell Knowledge Base article on how to clear the NVRAM. This article covers quite a few models although it lacks information on the newer ones. Since you state you've had modem problems for the last few years I am assuming that you have a older model that should be covered by that KB article. The posting of your Dell model number would have been helpful in directing you.

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

Dial-up Modems

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