56K modem.....stalls

[bobwatford123]

Here is my situation. I recently switched my 80GB storage drive and my 20GB O/S drive (i figured out my 20 gb had basically had it when I reinstalled Windows98 SE and it just wouldn't take the installation without a bunch of errors etc) I made my 80GB my primary master changing it from my secondary master etc, and made my 20GB my garbage storage drive for any temporary downloads etc. Switch went fine, and my computer runs great. BTW, thanks GLC......I had gotten myself into quite a mess with that XP installation. But, at the same time I got rid of the Cable internet and reverted back to 56K dialup. The main reason I got cable in the first place was my computer couldn't seem to handle my software modem and constantly froze on dialup, or if watching videos, listening to music etc.
So when I reverted back, these problems remained. Plus, the modem stalled endlessly (which was a new problem it didn't used to have). I would click a link and it would stall long enough for me to play a game of Freecell before it actually started kicking.
So, I got a USB modem on EBay, and it actually solved all of my problems except the stalling. It never freezes on dialup anymore, I can watch videos etc while connected, but the stalling remains (not every new link though, it seems to go in waves and happens about once every minute or two while surfing the web. It never kicks out during a continuous download of a video or music file using a download manager, but will stall in the middle or beginning of loading a page.
I'm thinking it may not be the modem, but something else. I use IE6 and have tried Avant. Anyone have any suggestions where the problem may lie??

[glc]

Get rid of that USB modem and get a real hardware controlled modem - either PCI (rare) or external serial.

The USR 2976/2977 OEM PCI modems are true hardware controlled modems. An excellent serial is a USR 5686.

Do you by chance have an ISA slot in your computer?

[bobwatford123]

The thing is, I don't think the problem is the modem (although I have read some of your posts and realize I should have gotten an exterial serial, I just can't bear to spend any more money on this computer). The USB solved all the problems my old modem had. Except a new problem that developed after my recent format.
Here's an example...
Say I'm downloading a file using Download Accelerator, and I pause the download (just so I can temporarily surf faster), and begin looking at various web pages. The internet will stall after a while...although everything continues to move (bar, upper right hand windows sign etc), but the "connected" icon (two little green monitor looking things) on the task bar stops flashing the way it does when its active. At this point, if I resume my file download, it will resume right away. Downloads are never stalled, and never have any problems. I'm thinking it may be some sort of software problem. One thing I did change since the reinstall of windows98 was I am now using ZoneAlarm. Could this maybe be causing the problem??

[glc]

I'd be more suspicious of Download Accelerator than I would be of Zone Alarm - but you can certainly disable ZA as a test.