56 Modem Crashing!!

[Foxie3a]

56K Modem Crashing!!

I have an "Agere Systems PCI Soft Modem" I baught it new and OEM for $10..el cheapo..but who cares..its just a modem

I have it in my p4..and it will just stop to receive..but sometimes still send..its very weird..it will usually do it overnight while I'm downloading..but sometimes while I'm on AIM or whatever. it is very annoying..

The PCI bus is not overclocked..and I've even tried it in another computer, and it still crashed.

I have my OS so that it never disconnects me, and with my problem, it doesn't try to reconnect, it acts like it is still connected, just not receiving. There is no modem configuration or anything..and it crashes whether I'm idle or at full load..and I do not have the plug fall out or anything, it is fully secured in my PCI slot also...anyone with ideas? do I just have a bad modem?

 

[stool]

Sounds more like you have some sort of driver problem. Has this been happening since you bought it?

 

[Foxie3a]

I didn't think since the very day I had been using it..but it has been for a long time.

and this is the only driver that they have

 

[stool]

Try here; http://www.driverguide.com/
to see if there are other drivers available for the modem. There is a section that contains drivers submitted by different sources. Might solve your problem.

 

[Foxie3a]

yeah, thanks but I already tried..there is only one driver PERIOD for this modem..including ones from other people and Lucent Tech.

 

[repo man11]

Windows Update may have another driver for it. With my Conexant modem, using Windows Update gave me a driver that significantly increased my connection speed.

Go online, then go to Control Panel, Modems, Properties, Update Driver. Let it search automatically for a better driver.

Can't hurt, and it only takes a couple of minutes.

 

[Foxie3a]

I know for a fact that there is no other driver..I've tried many sites. and my driver is not popular at all.

 

[dropadrop]

Is it causing your whole computer to crash, or just cutting the connection? If the connection is cutting, you have some disturbance on the line, and the modem does'nt know how to slow itself down enough to get the data through. An AT command would probably do it.

 

[ManOman]

I had a problem similar to this. Went out and bought an Actiontek from Circuit City for $30 with a $30 rebate. Fixed the problem

 

[JDXNC]

The fact that your can't find another driver for THAT specific modem doesn't mean other drivers won't work. Most winmodems use connexant/Lucent chipsets and for the most part the drivers will work on any other modem with the same chipset. Just look for drivers for the specific chipset that thing has but getting the info off the chip itself and search for it.

Honestly nothing beats a hardware modem though, no matter what the speed of the system is it on it always works 100% like its supposed to. I have used many win modems over the years but once I gave in an bought a USR courrior modem... will never use another winmodem.. EVER.

 

[Foxie3a]

this is very weird..my ISP got smart and won't let me connect while I'm at my mom's house (allows one conection at a time now) so I had my mom buy her own account since I'm teaching her all about computers now in hope that she will make more than $80/week

On this new account with the same modem same settings, it hasn't done that yet..

and it did do it at my mom's house with my dad's account. Its hilarious

 

[Foxie3a]

by the way, what is an "AT" command?

 

[repo man11]

The fact that your can't find another driver for THAT specific modem doesn't mean other drivers won't work. Most winmodems use connexant/Lucent chipsets and for the most part the drivers will work on any other modem with the same chipset. Just look for drivers for the specific chipset that thing has but getting the info off the chip itself and search for it.

Honestly nothing beats a hardware modem though, no matter what the speed of the system is it on it always works 100% like its supposed to. I have used many win modems over the years but once I gave in an bought a USR courrior modem... will never use another winmodem.. EVER.

True on the driver. The generic Conexant chipset driver from Windows Update works better than the driver supplied for my modem from Trendnet. Quite a bit better.

But, hardware modems aren't always better.

 

[Foxie3a]

I guess that I will take out my modem and look at the chip that it uses then look for a driver for that..
where should I go to look?

and what is an AT command?

 

[repo man11]

As I said before, try the Update Driver routine. If that isn't able to help, you've wasted probably 3 or 4 minutes.

AT commands are the modems communication commands, for lack of a better way to put it. Here is a site that lists them, http://www.lisa.univ-paris12.fr/Electronik/Hayes.htm .


This site might be able to help with a driver, and with general modem information, http://www.modemsite.com/56k/index.asp .

I found a link to Windows Update that allows you to choose, rather than using the Update Driver routine, http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/catalog/en/HardUpdates.asp?cat=Modems&clan=en&lcat=Modems

 

[Foxie3a]

thanks. and I will try update driver now.

 

[Foxie3a]

the best driver is already being used

 

[dropadrop]

by the way, what is an "AT" command?

I don't know what you would call it in english, but you can give commands to the modem to set a maximum transfere speed, or change the protocol to something that will not be so bothered by errors. (V34 vor example)

the commeand would generally start by AT+MS= (hence I called it an AT command)

 

[Foxie3a]

yeah, one of the links up there described them nicely..

 

[Zuzzz]

It sounds like line interference since it will not drop you like that at your mom's house