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com port madness

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  • com port madness

    I just replaced a 28.8 modem in a Gateway 233 (old huh?) win 95 pc with a 56k voice/fax modem. It defaults to com port 4 even though nothing is using com port 1. Win Fax is installed on this pc, could that be the problem? I put the modem in the same isa as the old one was. Maybe the old drivers? The old one was a USR sportster. Check the modem install and the phone line. Any ideas? Thanx:cheers:

  • #2
    Well to tell ya my idea is that ya should have really got an external modem and ya wouldn't of had this problem. :smokin:
    <center>:cheers:</center>

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    • #3
      The modem being on com4 is normal. As long as it connects and you have no problems, you shouldnt need to worry about it.

      External modem are, of course heaps betterer than internal. Especially internal ISA ones.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Bahamut Zer0
        External modem are, of course heaps betterer than internal. Especially internal ISA ones.

        Huh? Internal ISA modems, by and large, are HEAPS better than internal PCI modems. Why? The vast majority (95%+) of ISA modems are Hardware controlled, whereas the vast majority (98%+) of PCI modems are software controlled. Especially on a slow machine with a 233MHz CPU, the hardware modem will offer significantly better performance.

        As for the IRQ problem, IRQ 4 is perfectly normal for an internal modem, if it works don't worry :)

        And external Serial modems are the best, many external USB modems are software controlled these days and the performance sucks on slower machines
        What came first - Insanity or Society?

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        • #5
          I never said internal isa modems are better than internal pci ones.

          I said external modems (bar usb ones) are better than internal isa ones.
          Even though they are both hardware controlled, the isa bus, well....isa bus. That, and most, if not all mobos made these days dont support legacy devices no more.

          Anyway, some of the greatest modems ever made were internal isa ones. My old generic-branded one is still going strong. Even works in WinXP!
          Just isnt as fast as my external com modem....

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          • #6
            Strange, I find internal hardware modems slightly faster than external serial ones, but the difference is very minimal (0.1KB/sec at most) :)
            What came first - Insanity or Society?

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            • #7
              Thanx, I tested the modem and the phone line and they work. When I try to connect I get an error message "no dialtone". The machine finds the modem ok. I don't see a com port 4 in device manager ports, only com 1 & lpt 1. This brings back memories of having to fix a dreaded winmodem problem for someone. I sure was happy when cable was offered here, it is :flames: I can't see what is using com 1. Thanx Ed

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              • #8
                I finally got it fixed. I moved the card to the next isa slot and all worked fine. I still don't know why it didn't work in the original slot. I used a program that removes all the old modem
                files and drivers but nothing. Oh well thanx for the help.
                :thumb: Ed

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                • #9
                  1) A bit about COM ports in general: COM ports are normally 1-4, using IRQs 3 and 4 (COM1 and COM3 use IRQ 4, while COM2 and COM4 use IRQ 3). That's a reason why if you use a modem and a mouse, one in COM1 and the other in COM3, when you use the modem, the mouse won't work. An internal modem, will occupy the "space" of a non-existing COM port, since the existing COM ports are usually directed to the external ports of the PC (modifiable through BIOS). Now, if the scenario I mentioned before happens here (the same IRQ), you'll have problems. A last note...if the COM port is something strange (like COM5), you're probably dealing with a winmodem.

                  2) Albinus: LPT modem? Interesting. I've only seen serial ones in Greece. I think I've heard about LPT ones, but I've never seen them.

                  3) Albinus: Well, unfortunately non-winmodem ISA modems are hard to find (especially at 56Kbps)....heck, ISA modems in general are hard to find... :(

                  4) No dialtone: Dialtone is the kind of constant tone you often hear when someone picks up the phone to make a call in a US movie. Windows activates the wait for dialtone setting of the modem by default, although in many countries there is no dialtone (including Greece, so I had to do quite a lot of searching when I got my first modem). Depending on the version of windows you're running, there is a checkbox "wait for dialtone before dialing", either in the dialing properties of the "phones and dialing" option of the control panel, or in the modem config dialog of the Internet connection you 're using. Uncheck this box and you're done....Alternatively: In the "additional parameters" of the modem initialisation parameters, append "X3".
                  Note: Some of the dialogs I mention may be a bit different...Sorry, but I cannot check them right now, so I write them as I remember them.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Orestis
                    2) Albinus: LPT modem? Interesting. I've only seen serial ones in Greece. I think I've heard about LPT ones, but I've never seen them.

                    3) Albinus: Well, unfortunately non-winmodem ISA modems are hard to find (especially at 56Kbps)....heck, ISA modems in general are hard to find... :(

                    Oops..... I meant serial - I must be going

                    And 56K ISA modems were all the rage here until about mid-1999 - ever since then though it's been only enternal COM or USB or Internal PCI.
                    What came first - Insanity or Society?

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