maybe you can help

[verburgalr]

HEllo

sent here by a friend.
hope you can help

i bought an assembled computer and it was configured for DSL connection, i was assured by the seller that their was an internal modem 56k...however when i try to autodetect i get "device not found" message...does this mean that thier is indeed no modem? i am not computer confident enough to open up my machine to asess the problem myself...(please spare me your insults or pity), i tried to talk throught the set up with my isp help desk contact to no avail...the voice on the other end of the phone told me that i could not do anything with out knowing exactly what kind of modem i had...i have tried to contact the person who sold me the computer but he has convieniently moved away...
please e-mail me to let me know if you reply i am at work and don't check these often...

any help at all is greatly apreciated

if you live in san francisco or around the bay and would come out personally i would offer cash or what ever you'd take in trade for your trouble.
thanks

 

[Ladi]

If you look at the back of the computer...is there a jack somewhere that looks like a phone cord would fit into it? If you find one, try putting a phone cord plug into it...if it's slightly bigger, then you have an ethernet card (also noticeable because there are often several small lights next to it) but if it fits, you have a modem (often, there are two side-by-side with icons of a phone and of something that's supposed to represent the wall next to them).

Do you know what operating system you're running? Usually, it's on the left side of the Start menu after it pops up; otherwise, you can right-click on "My Computer" and go to properties. From that properties dialogue, you can also go to hardware/device manager which can also tell you if you have a modem installed and if so, what modem it is.

Good luck!

~Ladi

 

[verburgalr]

there is indeed a phone jack

its running windows 98
i will try your suggestions when i get home from work
thanks

 

[TonyT]

If the modem is not listed in device manager...

The modem might not be a plug and play modem, and it probably was not properly configured by the person you bought the system from. If this is the case, jumpers on the modem itself might have to be set in order to indicate a specific COM port and IRQ number to use.

Try going to "My Computer" --> "Control Panel" --> "Add New Hardware". Keep letting Windows try to detect hardware itself. Eventually, Windows might indicate that it found a "COM Port". If this is the case, it's possible that your modem is using those settings, and that rebooting the machine and trying to redetect the modem will solve your problem.

However, if this doesn't work, and the modem is not a normal plug and play modem, I'm not sure of any way to fix the problem other than going in the computer itself and visually inspecting the modem.

Let us know how this turns out. Good luck.

 

[impangit]

Device manager is a good place to look. But try doing in while in safe mode. often times you will find drivers other that the proper driver are installed. if you find any modem drivers, remove them all and reboot. Windows should automatically detect and install the drivers.

If not, you will have to open the box, find the modem and check to identify the manufacturer and model number. You should then be able to find the driver on the internet.