Really sounds like a bad modem to me even though diagnostic results show working. If you have 2 jacks on the modem plug a phone in the phone jack and see if you have a dialtone and if so how fast you go from a dialtone to busy. But you could totally uninstall the modem and then reboot and install it back to see what happens. I know I would just try another modem myself.

there is just one phone jack on my computer. There is another jack, a bit wider than the phone in, I don't know what it's called.

 I did try with an external usb modem (at the technician's) with the same result, i.e. I get a line busy exactly 8 seconds after plugging in the phone line...

do you suggest I go ahead and uninstall and reinstall the modem driver anyway?

thanks for your help!

 

Did the tech remove your old modem or uninstall it before trying the external modem? I am not sure uninstalling the modem and reinstalling will fix it but your choices are limited. But right now for something to try just uninstall the modem and use updated drivers if you can d/l them and reinstall. But if he left the old modem in that may have still caused the problem with the external. You have to have a modem problem it seems to me.

manchu  i am not a technition but when i had dial up

i had to click on *70 to keep the phone from clicking off all the time that is only

if you have call waiting  otherwise i dont know  just guessing

Do you have any messages left on your call waiting?  This can cause a busy signal when your computer plugs in because it causes a conflict

I don't have call waiting (I live in Italy) but I have had people try to call (when I was offline but the phone cable still connected to modem) and tell me the phone was busy.

I did remove and re-install the modem to no avail.

 

I still have a suspicion that FASTTRACK could be a cause. That there is still a trace of it on my computer (which I cannot find!) that occupies the modem?