Modem Fight

[WJWheels]

I've been rasslin' a PB Multimedia D135 / P133 all day trying to get a modem installed. It seems NOTHING gets found at boot unless I also delete comports before re-starting. I've tried 2 different 33.6 ISA modems, 2 PCI modems, and even a 56k USR External. All can be installed by using Control Panel, but when I try to make a dun connection, nothing is found. I seem to be ONLY installing the software and NOT the modem.

Any suggestions or cures???

TIA

[Xayd]

Gotta be IRQ's buttin' heads in your bios.

PnP modems tend to be "hotwired" for certain IRQ's, which may not jive with your OS's default IRQ settings.

If you plan to use one of the internals permanently, I'd just ditch Com2 in your bios, plug in the modem, reboot. Should detect and put itself on that port. If com1 and com2 are enabled, "most" modems should default to com3, IRQ 4 or 5. Might check other devices and see if they're using either of those IRQ's.

If com1 and com2 were enabled when the external was attached though, it should have detected it. Might be bad ports/cables.

I recently had this problem with Red Hat 6.1, which wants IRQ 4 for TTYS2 (equivalent of Com3 in DOS), while my Diamond Supra ISA wanted IRQ 5, and Com3 in DOS. Swapped the modem over to IRQ 4 and it worked like a champ.

Xayd


[This message has been edited by Xayd (edited 06-11-2000).]

[WJWheels]

There's no provision in this bios to disable a com port. I have both enabled/disabled PnP, however. There is ONLY 1 physical port, but there are 2 installed in device mgr. If I remove 1, it just re-installs itself. According to msinfo32, there's no sharing problems or forced hardware.

[glc]

The second com port is the onboard modem header. I have never found a way to disable it except in device manager. Boot into safe mode and blow out all the com ports and see if that helps. You pretty much have to stick with the bios defaults for your peripherals.

[WJWheels]

OK, I did that... removed comports in safe mode. I restarted and the pc found 2 comports and also the modem. I went through the install and it put it on com4. No yellow in device mgr, no conflicts, it's using irq5 all by itself. It will show diags when queried for more info in Control Panel/Modems.

BUT... the damn thing is STILL not there if I try "Phone Dialer" or "Make New Connection" in dun.

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"It's not just the ups and downs that make life difficult; it's the jerks."

[glc]

Com 4 IRQ 5 is not a valid assignment. Which modem do you *want* to use in there?

[WJWheels]

Well, I "want" the Cirrus 33.6 ASI modem to work. There's 14 jumpers to set it up about anyway I want it. Here is a page where I found drivers and instructions. Jumper settings are shown here also. Drivers are in the 336ifxcdf.exe file.

Could there be a bios setting that's %$#&-ing things up?

Thanks,

[glc]

I am very familiar with that modem. Determine whether the external com port is Com 1 IRQ 4 or Com 2 IRQ 3. Try jumpering the modem to the one that it is *not*. Some of the PB's have a jumper to disable the modem header - look at the chart on the sticker inside the cover to find it. This is most likely the situation if you can't turn it off in CMOS.

If you *have* to, set the modem to Com 3 IRQ 4 or Com 4 IRQ 3. You are just gonna have to play with it. Just don't jumper the modem to a "non standard" IRQ. You will have to install the modem as a port first.

[WJWheels]

Ok, I'll play with it, tho it's way down my list of fav toys. There is no chart/sticker inside the cover. This is the cover that wraps around to the bottom and the cards are installed from the bottom of the case.

BTW, does it hurt to run this critter upside-down, cause that's the easiest when pulling and inserting cards.

[WJWheels]

Ok, I guess I don't know what you mean when you say, "jumper to". Here's what's happening. The comports have a lot of adjustment in bios. They are called "A" and "B". "A" has the external jack.

I set "A" to be com1 irq4
I set "B" to *disabled

When I restart machine both com1 and com2 show up in Device Mgr. com2 uses irq3

So, if I jumper the modem to use irq 3 or 4, there's a conflict. How do I remedy this? Or am I wasting time with a frigged up pc?

[glc]

Disable Com 2 in *Windows* and set the modem to Com 4 IRQ 3. Pop the modem back in and add Com 4 as new hardware, then load the driver.

PB runs no worse upside down than right side up, as long as you dont need to use the CD drive..........

[WJWheels]

quote:

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Originally posted by glc:
..... add Com 4 as new hardware, then load the driver.

---

OUCH!! You got me again. How do I designate this new port as Com 4? It just wants to add Com 2 again.

[glc]

Let it add however it wants, then take it off automatic settings and change the resources to 2E8 IRQ 3.

[WJWheels]

(WHEW!). I played with com1 & com2, actually coms A&B in the bios. I could not make anything happen. I manually installed another com port. Com3, 3E8, IRQ4. I then jumpered the modem to Com3, Irq4 and all installed cleanly. However, I still can not create a DUN connection. It says I have no modems installed and looks for a new one. I can, however get the modem diags in control panel/modems.

The same thing happens with an ISA USR 33.6 and an External USR 56K. They install ok, no yellow, etc., but the computer won't set up a dial-up connection nor will it even use the "phone dialer" program.

Any more suggestions??

[This message has been edited by WJWheels (edited 06-14-2000).]

[Xayd]

I'm thinkin it's just Windows burping now. If the modem responds to "more info" and gives you ATI responses, it's working.

Add/Remove programs, Windows setup, remove communications, apply, reboot, re-install communications with DUN and phone dialer and what not, then reboot again.

Should solve your problem.

Xayd

[WJWheels]

Yup Xayd.. did that. I even put in VPN, and DUN finds that as an option to use, but NOT the modem.

Thanks,

[glc]

Jeez! The ghost of Packturd Smell strikes again!

Maybe it's time to back up your data files and wipe the sucker clean and reinstall Winblows from scratch........with a real Windows CD and not the PB recovery kit. There has *got* to be something in the registry that's hosing this up.

[WJWheels]

Another strange thing I found is if I jumper the modem(s) to com1-irq4 or or com2-irq3 and disable the corresponding hardware port, the system freezes up tight as soon as I query the modem. It doesn't matter if I let windows search for the modem or If I elect the port, it freezes to the point only a hard shutdown will correct.

[glc]

OK...last resort.......try Com 3 IRQ 5 and stuff the sound card on IRQ 10.

[WJWheels]

I mentioned this was a vo-tech school drop-out. I think official PB stuff is long gone. I put the win98 (upgrade) on it. I would've formatted, but I didn't want to have to find drivers for everything. This is NOT the original configuration tho, cause I was looking for the ISA Configurator or whatever they called it, and it's not there. It's got the 600mobo.

I'll try your last resort. If you think wiping the thing and starting over would help, I'll try it.

[WJWheels]

OK, I'm about ready to blow this candle out.

Everything is working - had to go to the USR (ISA 33.6) hardware though. I have a little red X over com2 in device mgr, but no problem, as there's no exterior jack on that port anyway.

I've got one small problem that may take a reinstall of windows. It will not go to the orange "Windows is now safe to Shutdown" screen (logow?). It stalls at "Windows is now shutting down". I may just leave it, as scandisk is NOT invoked on the subsequent boot.

Thanks glc again for all your help and digging on this.

[glc]

Failure to shutdown can be caused by an antivirus program. Try disabling fast shutdown.

[WJWheels]

There is no AV program. There's nothing but a fresh install of Win98SE on a fresh /u formatted 1gig drive.

Where do I find "fast shutdown" to turn it off???

[WJWheels]

Never mind.. I found where to find it. It's moot however as I applied WinSE shutdown supplement and it did the trick.

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"It's not just the ups and downs that make life difficult; it's the jerks."