Modem Com Port Problem

[leart3@juno.com]

I'm having problem installing a 56k Generic Modem in W95. Everything installs alright but the com Port. My system just has one com port listed in the CMOS and in Modem Properties, com 1. The Mouse is on com1 I think and now the modem shows com 1 IRQ 4, but when I change the modem properties page the drop-down menu moves to the blank section, and the modem ends up without a com port in modem properties. How do I manually change the com port in CMOS (can't change the setting) and in the modem properties. In Device Manager there is also just Com 1 listed.

How can I create another com port for the modem. Would I just delete the port in Device Manager and delete the modem also, and reinstall the modem?

leart3

[fordvan]

Go into your bios settings and make sure both com ports are dis-abled.

[reboot]

No, don't do that, you'll have no mouse.
Take the modem out of the computer.
Boot to safe mode, remove all com ports and modems and "Other Devices" in device manager.
Restart, shutdown.
Put the modem back in (a different slot if possible).
Restart, reinstall.

[leart3@juno.com]

Fordvan:

I did disable the comp ports in CMOS, and there was no change. Actually when the system rebooted it added a com port 5 for some reason or another.

Reboot:

I had already did the above when I read your message, and I had also removed (In regular standard/protective mode) the modem and the com ports, and all it did was add a com port 5.

I didn't loose my mouse, W95 reinstalls it on boot-up. Now I've lost access to the page that displays my IRQ settings, and i'm getting the error message "Cannot open Port" when I click on "more info" in "modem properties" and usually that error message indicates an IRQ conflict. the last time I checked the IRQ section there was no conflict and I was getting the same message.

leart3

[reboot]

Your modem is sharing an IRQ with something else, most likely the sound card.
If you enter BIOS, set "PnP OS" to disabled, make sure com 2 is disabled, restart.
Failing that, remove modem AND sound card, remove all references in device manager, including com ports again, restart, shutdown a couple of times.
Put MODEM in, restart, reinstall, THEN put sound card in, restart, reinstall.
Failing that, go to device manager, system devices, PCI bus IRQ routing, and disable it.
Restart.
One of those 3 will sort it all out.

[leart3@juno.com]

Reboot:

I'll check that out tomorrow.

leart3

[leart3@juno.com]

Reboot:

I did all that, but there was no change. Removed and reinstalled everything one at a time. But there appears to be an IRQ conflict that i'm not able to find. Anyway my AMI Bios has: Serial Port one with four com ports listed with an address. I have to disable all com ports, because "disable" is listed in series just like the com ports. In other words I can't disable just one com port. When I set the bios to "disable" i'm disabling the entire serial port one.

leart3

[reboot]

Set com 1 to 3F8, disable all others if you can.
I read your other post, and you mention a 16 pin connector, this sounds like an AMR (Audio Modem Riser). Yecch!!!
Look in BIOS for AMR stuff, and enable if you can. Set it's IRQ to 3 if possible. Don't worry if it goes to com 5 with some strange IRQ, that happens some times. Even if it's on com 5, it should have it's own IRQ.
Check BIOS setup to "disable PnP OS installed".
Go into device manager, system devices, PCI bus, IRQ steering tab, and uncheck all of them except "use MS IRQ routing"...see if anything changes.

[leart3@juno.com]

Reboot:

My AMI Bios has one line for Serial Port one, and page up/down changes the com ports from one thru four with fixed addresses, and I can't switch an address from com one to com two, etc. There is also an Auto and disable setting. As I said before, I've loss the ability to access the "Resources" link for my modem to check for Resource Conflicts.

When I double click on my Modem in Device Manager the Modem Properties Dialog Box that appears has the Resources Tab missing. How did I loose a Tab off the Dialog Box? It was there earlier. How can that be restored, short of running the setup?

I'll check those items you mentioned in your post, but my PnP is just enable/disable, I think. I'll recheck my CMOS for those items tomorrow. Thanks.

leart3

[leart3@juno.com]

Reboot:

Their is no Audio Modem Riser (AMR) setting in the CMOS. Changed "PnP OS" in the CMOS to disable. There was no change in the Modem operation after rebooting. In the Device Manager under System Devices under "PCI Bus" there was no IRQ tab. There was just a General and Driver Tab.

I removed the com port and modem, rebooted and reinstalled. There was no change in the modem's operating.

leart3

[reboot]

No PCI IRQ steering?
Check BIOS for peripheral devices. Is it set to auto, Legacy, or PCI?
Have you manually assigned IRQ's for ports/slots?
*** is going on here?
Is this a proprietary HP, PB, Emachine or something?

[yabuddy]

what free irq's do you have??

[leart3@juno.com]

Reboot:

I made some manual IRQ/address changes early on when obvious conflicts were observed, but now there aren't any conflicts showing up, but In modem properties there is no "Resource Tab" which displays the IRQ for the device. This is a generic barebones system with a "PCtel, inc. HPC56k MicroModem" which plugs into a 16 male pin slot on the motherboard. This Modem is junperless and there is no cable other than the two telephone wires. By the way I transfered a Hard Drive containing w95 from another computer into this Computer.

yabuddy:

At the present time there dosen't appear to be any free IRQ when observing the IRQ List under Computer/Properties in Device Manager, but IRQ 5 indicates that the device holding that spot is unknown, and the Modem is not listed anywhere. So I assume that this unknown device at IRQ 5 is the Modem that is not been detected by w95.

leart3

[glc]

leart - I think it's about time to give up and toss that PCHell modem out and get an external serial or a hardware based internal ISA modem with its own jumpers. No PCHell modem is worth all the hassles you have had with it. It's a dog chipset to begin with.

What model is this motherboard anyway?

[reboot]

Can you say, "Audio Modem Riser"?
Check BIOS setup for AMR settings.