modem driver

[Barn_Angel]

i was just wondering if running teh wrong (and much older) driver on a modem would be the cause of completely random reboots while online? i picked up this modem but couldnt find drivers. (school was chucking it) so i used some from the windows 98 cd (no xp on this old beast) and it wored, but has been randomly resetting. i looked up modems on newegg, and the first one that poped up had a striking resemblance to the one i got...and used a 3com chipset, too. (just like mine), but i cant see which chipset it is in the pic...

anyways, i took the name and looked up the modem and grabbed the drivers, just installed them...it diddnt ask to reboot and i reconnected and everything i can find says its the new modem and seems to be working, no reboots so far. (only been mayby 10 mins)

anyways could that have been the problem?

oh, and the scary part, the one i found on newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=25-104-131&depa=0

thats right, $65 for a modem. hopefully this new driver will work...

[huneycutt]

I don't see how modem drivers could conflict with other software and cause a reboot while on line. Maybe a random, un-called-for disconnect, but not a reboot.

Back during my dial up days I learned some modems use "generic" drivers and others must have their own speical driver designed for that particular modem. Golly, been so long ago since I went DSL I can't remember what kind of modem(s) I had.

"but has been randomly resetting." I'm a bit confused, first you said it was rebooting then it is resetting. Reboot is same as restart but I don't savvy resetting.

"no reboots so far. (only been mayby 10 mins)" The "proof of the pudding is in the eating" and if it works smooth for a couple hours then you should be good to go.

WHOOPS! Just had a thought. From the way you present your rig it sounds as if it might have some age on it. Overheating can cause random reboots so might be time to open that puppy up and do some house cleaning. Get a can of compressed air at Staples or Radio Shack and blow out the central processor unit (CPU) heat sink. Heat sink is the thing-a-ma-bob under the fan with all the fins, and while you're in there blow off the motherboard and any other heat sinks. Before you start unplug it from the wall and do not touch components inside with your fingers unless you first discharge ESD from your maddening bod-bod. ;)

[Barn_Angel]

heh, its not heat, and it does have age. i'm now assured its a conflict, though.
if i disable (uninstall) my NETWORK card, it works fine. i just bought a new modem off newegg, got it today. soon as it goes to verify user name or password the computer restarts. unless my network card is removed/doesnt have drivers installed.

i've seen a faulty netowrk card reset like this before when trying to brows the network, but this is also a new neowrk card, and it did the same thing with the other network card i have in this room. (i have lkike 30, only a few are 100 base and i keep them handy for this crap)

if i go to device manager and go to install drivers, soon as it finishes before it even asks to restart (not sure if it even does) boom, restart.

i could do a clean install of windows, but i'd rather not. maybe a non-clean reinstall would do the trick? i tried changng the resources assigned with no luck... i'll be a+ within the next 2 months and this stumps me...cant be a good thing. i've yet to try another PCI slot, though...but it shouldnt make any difference...oh well...hopefully someone here can help! this is 98SE, by the way.

now, why would my network card(s) be fighting with my dialup modem(s) ? (i've tried 3 diff netowkr cards with 2 different modems, all combo's, same effect...some time delayed, one diddnt reset till the other computer was on or at least an hour otherwise)

i have one old 56K modem that i had before this started, diddnt have a problem....but it was made by "ELAMEX", which makes chocolate covered peanuts or something...and i cant get drivers for it for the life of me. not to mention its only v.90, ISA, and NOT PNP (ouch!)

so yeah, i replaced it due to lack of drivers after my last clean install (caused my a virus) and now i have this crap. help?

[Barn_Angel]

it was an IRQ conflict, i fixed it...now all i have to deal with is a stupid opaserv virus...i've been eliminating it for WEEKS, and it just comes back...