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tward · 07-23-2001, 11:26 AM

And looking for any and all suggestions.
I have a Dell Dimension 4100, Windows ME, 933Mhz, 256MB of memory. The modem that was installed with this computer is a U.S. Robotics 56K PCI voice modem(3CP3298-DEL). It is a hard modem but I have heard bad things about Dell OEM. modems. For the first week or so after I got the computer it would usually connect at 44 or 45 kbps. Then the connect rate dropped down to 33.6 or 31.2. Still occasionally I will connect at 44 or 45 but normally it is 33.6 or 31. I also have an old 166 Pentium computer with a PCTel Winmodem installed and it connects at 42 nearly every time. I installed an older U.S. Robotics Sportster external modem that always connected at 49.3 with my old computer and it only connects now at 33.6 with the Dell computer. I bought a new external U.S. Robotics V. 92 modem(model 5686). It only connected at 33.6 or 31, so I am returning it. I am perplexed. My new computer trying three different U.S. Robotics modems, 90 percent of the time will only connect at 33.6 or 31. I can disconnect the phone line from this computer and plug it into the old 166 computer with the cheap Winmodem and it will connect at 42, so I don’t think it’s the phone line. I tried to install the PCtel Winmodem into this new computer and apparently Windows ME does not like it. I could not get it installed. I have tried the Windows plug and play drivers, I have tried drivers from U.S. Robotics and still can normally only connect at 33.6. I have tried various tweaks with no success. I also installed JUNO so that I could try a different ISP to see if is my ISP. The JUNO connect speeds are consistent with my regular ISP.

What determines the initial connect speed other than the quality of the phone line or the modem itself? Is it possible that this computer just doesn’t like U.S. Robotics modems? Does. anyone think a different brand of modem may help. Are there any software tweaks that I could try.

This is very frustrating. I was used to a good dial up connection with my old computer and now with this new one the speeds are not nearly as good. If it wasn’t for the fact that the old 166 computer always can connect at 42 with a cheap Winmodem and the download speeds are in the high thirties, I would suspect that something happened to the phone lines. I feel the phone lines are OK and I don’t think the problem is with my ISP. It’s either I just haven’t found the right modem or there something wrong somewhere in the software. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

07-23-2001, 11:26 AM	#1
tward Member (8 bit) Join Date: Sep 1999 Posts: 175	modem dilema And looking for any and all suggestions. I have a Dell Dimension 4100, Windows ME, 933Mhz, 256MB of memory. The modem that was installed with this computer is a U.S. Robotics 56K PCI voice modem(3CP3298-DEL). It is a hard modem but I have heard bad things about Dell OEM. modems. For the first week or so after I got the computer it would usually connect at 44 or 45 kbps. Then the connect rate dropped down to 33.6 or 31.2. Still occasionally I will connect at 44 or 45 but normally it is 33.6 or 31. I also have an old 166 Pentium computer with a PCTel Winmodem installed and it connects at 42 nearly every time. I installed an older U.S. Robotics Sportster external modem that always connected at 49.3 with my old computer and it only connects now at 33.6 with the Dell computer. I bought a new external U.S. Robotics V. 92 modem(model 5686). It only connected at 33.6 or 31, so I am returning it. I am perplexed. My new computer trying three different U.S. Robotics modems, 90 percent of the time will only connect at 33.6 or 31. I can disconnect the phone line from this computer and plug it into the old 166 computer with the cheap Winmodem and it will connect at 42, so I don’t think it’s the phone line. I tried to install the PCtel Winmodem into this new computer and apparently Windows ME does not like it. I could not get it installed. I have tried the Windows plug and play drivers, I have tried drivers from U.S. Robotics and still can normally only connect at 33.6. I have tried various tweaks with no success. I also installed JUNO so that I could try a different ISP to see if is my ISP. The JUNO connect speeds are consistent with my regular ISP. What determines the initial connect speed other than the quality of the phone line or the modem itself? Is it possible that this computer just doesn’t like U.S. Robotics modems? Does. anyone think a different brand of modem may help. Are there any software tweaks that I could try. This is very frustrating. I was used to a good dial up connection with my old computer and now with this new one the speeds are not nearly as good. If it wasn’t for the fact that the old 166 computer always can connect at 42 with a cheap Winmodem and the download speeds are in the high thirties, I would suspect that something happened to the phone lines. I feel the phone lines are OK and I don’t think the problem is with my ISP. It’s either I just haven’t found the right modem or there something wrong somewhere in the software. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.