Need help with old ailing computer

I cannot afford to buy a replacement for my seven year old Micron Millenium with win 98. Recently it has been sluggish, slow to shut down, and will not run the maintenance programs. I got Spyware Doctor and cleaned it out, but it is still sluggish, and now suddenly the modem will not connect. The error message says it is not connected; I reinstalled and the system says it is connected but the error message says not. I am an extremely low-tech person, use the computer only for word processing and the internet. Any ideas anybody can offer, especially those that don't involve spending money, will be much appreciated.

 

Follow this first http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=35407

 

I cannot follow these recommendations until I can get the modem to connect; cannot download anything and can only work with what I have. I have no online access right now except at work. Any suggestions on the modem problem?

 

Ok first I missed the modem not connecting part, whats the error message that says you can't connect. Also have you tried contacting you isp to get connected to the internet?

 

Is your modem internal or external? I mean is the modem a card that fits inside your computer, or is it a box that is separate from the computer. What make, model and speed is your modem. The original packaging that came with the modem, if you have it, may help. Did a CD or floppy come with the modem? Any driver version info on the floppy or CD? Any, or all, additional info will help us. Bazza

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It is an internal modem, US Robotics Sportster 33600. I have a floppy that came with it. The ISP tech support people told me to remove and reinstall, which I did. But I am still unable to connect, getting a couple of different error messages: 630: modem not installed, or 666: modem not connected.

I noticed that when I went to uninstall, the modem seemed to be connected to both comport 3 and to comport 5. I removed both, and when I reinstalled it was in comport 1.

 

Do a google search on US Robotics Sportster 33600. That might help. Try for an up to date driver. Check that your internal modem card is seated properly. Earth yourself on a metal bit of your case EVERY TIME before delving inside the PC. Don't forget this.

If you can afford it, buy a 56kb internal modem and forget the 33600. Much better. I have an internal V90 dialup modem in my laptop that gave me speeds of 50,000kb before AOL sold out to Primus here in OZ. Now I think they have limited me to 31,200 on an Australian wide number. B*stards. Keep us informed. Bazza

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Try this when you get home:

1. Click the Windows Start button, point to Settings and select Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Modems icon.
3. Select the Diagnostics tab.
4. Click the appropriate Com Port where your modem is listed.
5. Click More Info.
6. If your modem is configured correctly, it should display port information regarding your modem. Click OK to exit.

7. On your desktop, double-click the My Computer icon.
8. Double-click the Dial-Up Networking icon.
9. Click the internet icon of your ISP to highlight it.
10. From the File menu, select Properties.
11. From the Connect Using drop-down menu, select your modem.
12. Click OK. Close all windows and attempt to connect.

Steve

 

OK, I tried your suggestion. When I clicked on "more info" I got a window that said "this port is already open". But when I got to step 11, it said the modem was not connected. I've tried reinstalling it, I don't know what I am doing wrong.

 

Well you said you were not much of a tech person but what I would do is open the computer case unscrew the modem from the case take it off and then place it back in on another slot or you could do it the same and then try to reinstall the modem....Well that would be the next step I would take....

 

do you have a friend you could borrow a modem from? sounds to me like yours has kicked the bucket

 

I don't think I could borrow one. Do external modems work well with old systems? Can anybody suggest a replacement that would be effective and inexpensive?

 

Press CTRL+ALT+DEL this will display the actual program names that are running. Look for rnaapp, ending the rnaapp task may solve the problem so press End Task.

Close out and try connecting, if it doesn't work, repeat the steps 1 - 12 again.

Steve

 

I take it that when you clicked on "More Info", you got only that message, not a dozen or so lines of information all beginning with ATI.. and providing information about the modem's characteristics. If all you got was the "COM port already open" message, your computer is not talking to your modem. Something is in the way.

Some questions: when you got to step 4, how many COM ports showed up in the dialogue box? What was shown against each of the COM ports listed?

It could be that Windows has assigned the resources your modem needs to another device, or there is a resource conflict. Go to your Control Panel, and bring up the System applet. Look down that list for items marked with a yellow exclamation point icon, or a red X. Check the properties of any devices marked that way, and make a note of any conflicts shown. They'll probably have to be resolved somehow, but we'll need to know just what you find to take that one any further.

Try to make sure whether the modem is set for "Plug 'n Play" (PnP) or is set for a specific COM port. If the latter, find out what COM port it wants and what IRQ and base address is set. You'll probably need to check the modem documentation and pull the card to do that. If you don't have the documentation, it may be possible to find it on the Web. If your modem is not a PnP type, you may have to tell Windows to reserve the resources your modem needs so that they aren't assigned to other devices.

Bazza's advice to consider a 56K modem does make some sense if your machine runs faster than about 300MHz. If so, your machine has enough horsepower to run a Winmodem; they are quite inexpensive because the computer's CPU does most of the work. If you have a machine slower than 300MHz, you'll need a hardware modem at perhaps 3x the price. The advantages of an updated modem are (1) faster connections; (2) more recent technology, and (3) probably an easier install.

If you have to buy a hardware modem, the 50% increase in throughput may not be worth the cost. You can see that difference, but it's not huge. And that assumes that your phone lines are clean enough to keep a 56K modem running wide open. That's not always the case.

And of course, if your existing modem is toast, the above comments are somewhat irrelevant. You have no choice but to upgrade or do without.

 

Thank you to Rob M! With his suggestion I was able to get the modem back on line, follow Colemanguy's procedures, and get the computer functioning again. You guys are awesome!

 

For a while there I thougnt the problem was solved. Now I am having modem problems again, and in a very strange way. The modem does work, until the computer is shut down, then after a start or a restart I get the message that the modem is not responding. If I delete and reinstall it, it still does not respond. However, if I delete the modem, shut down, and then start up again, the first thing I get is a message telling me that Windows has detected a new modem and is installing the software. After that the modem works fine, until there is a shut down, then the cycle repeats.

This is getting ridiculous. Any suggestions?

 

Bumping...

 

you could try replacing the modem i pretty sure you can find an internal 56k modem at Walmart for under 40 dollars maybe less.

and if you still get the problem you could always bring it back.

 

Next time you restart (assuming that the modem craps out as usual), try the following before you reinstall the modem and let us know the results:

• run the modem diagnostics (see Matacumbie's post of 12-07-04 12:10)
• check for conflicts in the Device Manager (see my post of 12-08-04 22:49)
• What identification does the Device Manager provide for the modem? Is it correctly identified?
• open the properties dialogue for the modem in the Device Manager, and check the Resources tab. Are any conflicts noted? What resources are assigned to the modem?

Windows may be having some difficulty interrogating the modem at startup, and therefore isn't reserving appropriate system resources. If that's the case, you may have to force assignment of needed resources to the modem so that they don't get assigned elsewhere.

There's a reason why "PnP" is sometimes taken to mean "Plug 'n Pray"!