Modem Diagnostic Tool - how reliable is it?

Question

I have an Inspiron 1520, XP SP3, equipped with a Conexant HDA D330 MDC V92 modem and for the past 3 or 4 weeks, I've been unable to connect from home dial-up. The modem dials and initially, the "handshake" seems to go okay but when I get the "Regsitering your computer on the network" message, everything stalls. Even the clock stops, and I'm forced to do a hard shutdown.

I have deleted and reinstalled the modem/driver and I have tried deleting and re-creating the dial-up connection. To no avail. I called my ISP and the tech's only suggestion was that "this has to be a hardware problem." I told him that I had run the Modem Diagnostic Tool that came with the laptop.

My question is: How good is the Modem Diagnostic Tool. If the tool reports that the modem is working properly, can I take that to the bank? I'm not inclined to just start ripping things out and replacing them without having a better idea as to where the problem lies.

I should mention that I keep my McAfee virus defs up to date, so I'm not inclined to think that this is a virus/spyware problem. But I am open to any suggestions.

ieee488 · Answer

Did you have a lightening storm about 3 or 4 weeks ago? It is possible for a modem to get zapped.

I have never run the Modem Diagnostics Tool.

Your option at this point is to try another PC with a modem, a USB-modem device, or an 56K modem ExpressCard.

MGenthner · Answer

I'm very careful not to leave the laptop plugged in when it isn't in use (I learned this lesson the hard way). So, it isn't likely to have been a strike though that's not to say that a power surge of some sort didn't occur. It did occur to me to borrow a laptop and try dialing out with it, though this would be a less-than-perfect test. I have also considered just buying a USB modem to try and see if the problem disappears. I may have to do that.

Thanks for responding!

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

Modem Diagnostic Tool - how reliable is it?

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