In Dell Hell!!

Hello all, I seem to be stuck with a problem I have not been able to connect to the internet , I have only dial up service out here in the boonies and I just got this Dell optiplex and I installed a fresh xp pro on it, everything is fine except it does'nt reconize the modem or it said once something about the port settings, it has an ethernet network adaptor and I do not know poopoo about the way to configure any of this, I,ve uninstalled and re-installed the modem driver said ok, same with the adaptor,nope, I don't know what to try, Please help!!

 

Hi, magickman

If you only have dial-up, then you don't need to worry about the ethernet adapter (unless you want to LAN two or more computers . . . but that's another thing).

Go into device manager and make sure your modem is showing up properly. If so, go to "Start" then "Network Connections" then "New Connection Wizard." Select the "Connect to the Internet" option, then select "Set up my connection manually." Like it says, you will need your account name, password, and a phone number for your ISP. Follow the prompts from there - XP Pro is pretty helpfull when it comes to this kind of thing.

Been a bit since I dealt with dial-up modems . . . but this should set you on the right path.

Here is a printable MS help file that outlines the procedure: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/305549

Hope this helps!

 

My apologies . . . it occured to me that you said your system wasn't recognizing the modem . . .

Go to Dell, search for your exact model Optiplex, and download the driver for your modem. Burn it and any installation instructions to a CD or some other medium that you can use to transfer it to your problem location. When you get to that PC, create a folder you are sure you can find again, and copy the driver and any other info to it. Go into device manager - if your modem is listed, opt to "remove" it. Check Add/Remove programs for any existing modem drivers, and remove them if found. Reboot.

Once rebooted, Windows will helpfully discover "new" hardware. Unless the driver download from Dell came with instructions not too, cancel out of any window that pops up offering to search for drivers.

Then go to the folder where you put the driver from Dell, and run it's installation exe - the modem drivers I saw at Dell installed that way, but without knowing your exact model I can't be sure if yours does or not. Once installed, reboot, then check device manager again and see if the modem shows up properly.

If you still have this problem, let us know, and perhaps I or someone else here can help you with it further.

 

ok thanks I will go to Dell then go from there, since this pc was part of a network is there some way to set everything back to the factory defaults and re-install a new xp? It's just a thought anyway let me try this first,thankyou....Magickman