no modem!

hi, i broke down and bought a new laptop -- more details when i can SEE what i'm typing. suffice it to say, tho, it's a w7 machine with way better specs than what i had. and the screen is LIT UP!! so i'm basically happy.

when trying to dial up, however, i get "modem already in use" on netzero and "no modem found" on juno. i thought it might be b/c these were XP-era programs, but even fishing around in the control panel (can't find the tree-like "device manager" i'm used to), i see no evidence of a modem anywhere.

is it POSSIBLE that dialup is so antiquated that the modem port is not connected?! i asked every relevent question before committing to this machine, but i did not think to ask THIS particular one!

still...i'm not really seeing the "wireless" modem either -- which i'm SURE it has -- so i think it's more a matter of me not being used to w7. is there a "device manager" per se somewhere? is there some TRICK to kickstarting a modem for the first time?

until then, i am -- SIGH -- back on the "dark" one. unless i head out in search of a wifi zone.

 

Hi CatT,

to find the device manager in win 7 go to Start > rightclick Computer > Properties on the next window device manager is in the top lefthand pane.

iain.t :major

 

huh? not on mine, it isn't!

i get "taskbar and start menu properties" there, with 3 subtabs "taskbas", "start menu", and "toolbars". and there's no lefthand "pane" per se -- just a popup the size of a typical "properties" ones.

 

I always use Computer Management to access DevMan, System logs, etc.; from Explorer > Computer, or the Computer icon in the Start menu, right-click > Manage.

Without full details, inc s/n#, it'd difficult for us to tell if your new toy has a dial-up modem installed. From your notes, it may be something simple like the Country settings for the modem might not be set correctly to decipher the 'phone line tones. You do have a modem port as well as an ethernet port on the side or rear of the laptop?

Once you have a dial-up connection set, you can access it easily via the Start menu > Connect to function.

 

Hi CatT,
try this ...Here's How: from Control Panel ....
1.
Click on the Start button and then choose Control Panel.

2.
Click on the System and Security link.

Note: If you're viewing the Large icons or Small icons view of Control Panel, you won't see this link. Simply click on Device Manager.

3.
In the System and Security window, click on the Device Manager link located under the System heading.

or..... from Computer Management...
1.
Click on the Start button and then choose Control Panel.

2.
Click on the System and Security link.

Note: If you're viewing the Large icons or Small icons view of Control Panel, you won't see this link. Simply click on the Administrative Tools icon and proceed to Step 4.

3.
In the System and Security window, click on the Administrative Tools heading located near the bottom of the window.

4.
In the Administrative Tools window, double-click on the Computer Management icon.

5.
When Computer Management opens, click on Device Manager on the left side of the window, located toward the bottom of the list under System Tools.

Device Manager should now appear on the right side of the Computer Management window.

Note: If you don't see Device Manager listed, you may need to click on the |> icon next to the System Tools icon.

or.... from Command Promt....
1.
Click on the Windows 7 Start button.

2.
Type the following command in the search box and then hit the Enter key:

devmgmt.msc

Note: Technically, opening Device Manager from the Command Prompt would require that you actually open the Command Prompt program. However, running an executable program like this from the search box accomplishes the same thing.

3.
The Windows 7 Device Manager will display immediately.

hope this helps.

iain.t :major

 

If you do find that your computer does not have a modem, I would see if one of these would meet your needs.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16825180014

 

ok, thanks. the last couple of methods got me there. i'm not seeing any entry called "modems" specifically, tho (like i think i did in XP).

under "network adaptors", i have "MS Virtual WiFi Mini Apaptor", "Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller" and "Realtek RTL8188CE 802.11b / g/n WiFi Adaptor"

is "family controller" for ethernet? the other 2 are clearly WiFi-related.

so...should my dialup modem be sitting in the list with them there? the fact that it's NOT...is it conclusive now that i HAVE NONE?

i went thru every other line in the other entries (disk drives, keyboards, monitors, ...) and i don't see anything jumping out as "modemish". tho i cannot account for every one of the 50-or-so entries under "system devices". anything special i should be seeing there?

owners manual does in fact list WiFi, Ethernet, and Dialup with "(on selected models)" after each. worse yet, one of those "get online" wizards lists "WiFi" and "Ethernet" specifically, but only shows "Dialup" when you check a little box "Show options not currently available on this computer".

again, that could be some initialization issue as satrow mentioned, but on top of everything else, it doesn't bode well.

oh, and yes, i've got the JACK itself on the side of the PC. it's just a question of whether it's a DEAD PORT, i guess....

PC is a HP2000-2190X with athlon dual-core E-360, i think. frankly, it's gonna take me a while to find out where all these "about..." things are located.

-----
btw, why is the next cheapest USB modem 3 times the price? i see all those other "modes" listed; are those things i should be paying attn to?

$15.99 sounds good to me!

 

Probably because the linked modem is a "software" modem, which uses the os to do some of the functions, for example this modem wouldn't function under linux very well, as theres probably no drivers for it. A true "hardware" modem, has more of its functions built into the device.

 

Yup, the USR at $45-50 would be my choice, it'll work on almost anything with a USB connection.

 

oooh, don't say THAT! i was just abt to commit to the CHEAP one!!

 

Read the comments and check the *ratings before committing.

 

Get the exact model number to be sure no modem is there (probably not there since it is off the shelf with HP drivers but it can't hurt to check). Go to Start type HP and select Hp support assistant and look for the product number.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf-JAVA/Doc/images/c01931840.gif

 

ok, i went and bought a USB modem. didn't want to wait for newegg, but i may go and buy a spare next week anyways.

ran NZ, got connected, and was happier than a pig in you-know-what. whereupon it unceremoniously DUMPED me, then gave me all sorts of crap re: "NZ already in use" when i tried to restart it.

killed off in TaskMan, still wouldn't let me run it, so i tried uninstalling for a reinstall. wherein it gave me crap like "sorry, already uninstalled" and "currently uninstalling; wait till finished". i waited half an hour, finally gave up and moved on to juno.

similar hassles, similar error msgs, somehow i got back to NZ and got it to uninstall long enuf to reinstall. and here i am...ONLINE! (holding breath)

on the PLUS side, i now see "USB Modem ...." under a new DevMan heading "Modems" (ruling out "Networks" once and for all). and since there are no OTHER modems there, i guess it's definitive. besides which, guy in Staples claims that **NONE** of the current models have onboard (dialup) modems. so i guess my first instinct ("is it POSSIBLE....") in my OP was correct.

[i am embarassed to admit it, but i think the "port" i've been using is an ethernet port! are they REALLY the same size these days?]

lastly, i tried "HP support asst" as requested, and on the VERY FIRST ATTEMPT it gave me "Sorry, only one user at a time may use this"!!

sigh. par for the course.....

 

Your Ethernet port uses a RJ-45 jack while your modem uses a RJ-11. The RJ45 is slightly bigger so it is possible to plug in your telephone line into the Ethernet port but not the other way around.

 

boy, w7 is REALLY not dialup friendly! i have to perform a dance of uninstalling netzero, reinstalling, changing IDs, and forced killoffs via TaskMan for 3-4 HOURS before i get that one lucky session (like now) when i can actually connect. and even now i'm ignoring a popup which says "NZ has encountered a problem; pls restart computer to correct" (yeah...not gonna fall for THAT again!)

my gut says that something like a firewall is overruling some of NZ's actions. but it's not doing so in an explicit manner, e.g. throwing error msgs up at me.

when i started to install avira, btw, it warned me that "Windows Defender" was on and that i might have conflicts. well, i aborted the avira install for now (ditto zonealarm), but could THIS be the source of all my woes?

worse than runtime, actly, is the program uninstaller. does that do ANYTHING?! i click on netzero, say, and it puts up an info banner down the bottom. that's it. if i click uninstall/change or the equivalent via right-click, it says "already uninstalling; wait till finished". i could wait for hours, it just isn't doing ANYTHING.

those many uninstalls i performed above were all via NZ's own uninst icon. and even THAT was hit or miss. 4/5 of the time it would just hang similar to the w7 one; any second attempt would read "already in progress" unless i fiddled with TaskMan and/or did a reboot. when i finally DID get it to uninstall, it was usually (always?) off a fresh boot.

anyway, i'm on now. via NZ attempt #37 or so. which is more than i can say for JUNO -- everything i try on that one results in "sorry, could not write to PW file; ID creation cancelled" or summat. again, some sort of FIREWALL issue, in that w7 is BLOCKING juno from accessing w/e fundamental files it needs?

modem itself seems fine, FWIW. my gut says all my probs are softare issues.

 

make that "softWare". 10 mins too short to edit!

btw, i note that the NetZero site reads "Platforms: 98/2000/ME/XP and Vista". izzat it? is w7 just hopeless from the gitgo?

i'm DLing an update to the dialer. still doesn't list w7, but at least it's a year or two more recent than the one i'm struggling with now.

 

Try the new installer. (One difference between Xp and Vista is that Vista/Win7 is much stricter about what can be written to the Program Files folder. So a Vista version may store certain files in a different location.) Make sure you right click the installer and select Run as Administrator.

If you still have problems right click the Netzero program (not the installer) shortcut and select Properties and then Open File Location. Then right-click the netzero program exe and select Troubleshoot compatibility. Go with the suggested settings. See if it helps.

 

ok, thx. i DID try the "toubleshoot compatibility" option early on, but it didn't get me anywhere.

i agree on ur other comment, w7 definitely seems intent on blocking changes to program files or the registry or wherever. wish it would at least TELL me -- nothing worse than clicking on an icon and having NOTHING happen.

what abt that UNinstaller? does that actly WORK for others here? that is the biggest offender in my case. i don't rly like doing uninstalls by hand or hack app deletes except as a last resort.

i usually have a copy of UninstallerPro around (SECOND to last resort), but again, ideally not too often. since i got the new PC, tho, i seem to have no choice whatsoever -- default uninstaller doesn't work ON ANYTHING.

could w7 be blocking its OWN uninstaller? that's what it looks like.

 

Does your account have administrator privileges (Control Panel>User Accounts)? I've never had a problem with uninstalling anything. I use Revo uninstaller just because it double checks for leftovers.

 

yeah, i'm the sole user and it lists me properly as admin.

 

I can't really say too much more. I only get the click on an program and have it do nothing rarely, usually for a stand-alone program that needs to access hardware or partition information or wants to format a drive.

 

well, i finally solved ONE problem. when i shut down NZ, 2 NZ processes ("exec.exe *32") remain in TaskMan. as soon as i kill them off by hand the uninstaller proceeds just fine! geesh, why doesn't it just TELL me?! (if i try to delete nz FOLDER, for example, it says "cannot perform this action; folder is in use")

still doesn't help much with the nz INSTALL/RUN problems, but at least it cuts down on the 2 hr streches trying to UNinstall it in between. as evidence of this, it only took me *47* minutes to get online just now...down from a high of 3-4 HOURS this afternoon!

oh, and i'm back to the older dialer. new one seems to install easier, but could never make a connection. after about the 20th attempt, i gave up and decided to try them in alternation. older one won out, getting me online here in only 16 or so more tries!

rolleyes

otoh, MG is the only site IE can access atm! other tabs pointing at things as basic as google and NZ itself are coming up "Internet Explorer cannot display..." as if I weren't even online. what thu...?!

(clicked on that "Diagnose Connection Problems" bar, btw, only to get "Your connection is just peachy-keeno!!" or words to that effect)

lastly, NZ has a new "connection wizard" of its own to analyze problems, which runs great and tells me that my MODEM DRIVER is lacking. that is, (snip) "...while it may work, it is not the ideal one...pls update or find better driver at manufacturer's site".

did exactly that, and got "you already have the best driver for this modem"(!).

i give up.

 

hi, have gotten used to using a USB modem, but still annoyed there is no modem port on laptops anymore (and with the HELL i went thru before realizing this fact!)...as well as with having to carry around this "just waiting to be lost" dongle everywhere.

were i at all skilled in these matters, i would cut a hole in the case (or use the LAN port...since that's where i thought it was to begin with...) and implant my USB modem somehow. anyone have experience doing this?

furthermore, i am pitching my old laptop now. i opened up the onboard modem to have a look -- it's about the size of a postage stamp, and connected via a cable (i.e. not socket). is there anything that can be done with this?

diff model laptop, diff manufacturer even. but would the modem itself be standardized somehow? or is it somehow tailored to the board it sits on, such that even getting the wiring right, i'd need a real pro to reconfigure the protocols/handshakes somehow?

 

ok, i have been using that Zoom one you see everywhere for 40-50 bucks, but now i need a replacement (long story). back to newegg i go, and am happy to see that they have models below $20 once again (to remind everyone, i was just about to commit to a $13 one last time when it said "out of stock; next cheapest $37" which rly ticked me off. so i made other arrangements (even if they ended up even more than the $37!)

does this comparison chart show up ok outside my ID: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...64-006^25-164-006-TS,25-164-005^25-164-005-TS

if so, i'd appreciate any feedback on the 5 models listed!

why, for starters, are the first 2 called "tools", the next 2 "modems", and the last one a "hub"?!

and what's the deal on those "imagestore" entries? that's some kind of 3d-party supplier, right? something to be AVOIDED??

obviously i'd just as soon buy the cheapest one available. any reason NOT TO from the details there?

and why is entry #2 so darn COMPLICATED? i'm having a hard time seeing what the diff is between that and #1 or #5 -- which cost the exact same -- but the photos and the description s are oh so different.

for that matter, what is the material diff between 1 and 5?

seem about the same to me...except for the aforementioned categorization as a "tool" vs a "hub".

:confused

 

All of those modems should work fine, CatT. My preference would be for the Rosewill hardware modem - hardware means that there's no windows emulation involved for it to work - a visitor with any recent laptop/OS (even Linux/Mac., etc.) should be able to connect using a hardware modem.

You do realise that any voltage spike grounding via the modem/phone line could take out the modem? Any modem acts as a breaker - blowing it - when the spike goes to ground.

Many items are wrongly categorized on most large sites - a good way to find a bargain on eBay

 

hoo boy...put this off for a few days, now the 3 cheap ones are "out of stock".

i never learn!

:cry

 

satrow's selection of the Rosewill modem was a good one and it is in stock for $19.99 which is a good price for a hardware based modem.

 

yeah, i may do that. the cheapskate in me is hesitating over the $3 bump tho.

and what is all that about a voltage spike? how is that any diff for one model vs another?

btw, how are you guys seeing all 5 entries? i certainly did when i CREATED the link, but now every time i click on it, i juit get ONE of the 5! (the one under "hubs")

what thu...?!

 

I guess that if they're not available, they won't show up? (not checked the link today).

For the 'spike', no difference, it'll likely kill any modem; it was just a heads up - especially worthwile if you're not within walking distance of a real hardware supplier during a 5-day snowstorm Get a spare if you rely on a dial-up connection - or spend $$$ on a good UPS that'll protect your modem as well as the PC.

 

i don't need no stinkin' SPARE -- this is already the spare for my WIFI !!

nor do i think i need a HARDWARE version -- is the only plus being able to use linux and mac? i assume both the device and my laptop will be long gone before i ever get around to either of those. basically if it lasts me 6 months or a year on my current (w7) PC, that's more than i can ask for.

cheapest still holds the day, all else being equal. (e.g., if you think a given model won't even make the 6 months...)

newegg has pissed me off once again. is their entire MODEL bait-and-switch? every time i get worked up over something there it sells out before i get around to committing.

and tigerdirect is at least $5-10 more on these atm. so i had a look at this tiny little store in my neighborhood:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Wintec-FileMate-56k-USB-Modem-CX/15074369

whoa! that's 2 bucks cheaper than newegg was even BEFORE i missed it! and i can pick it up/return it w/o any shipping costs.

ok, i'm stoked. yea or nay on this model? i need to commit before they too "pull a newegg" on me....

:-D

5 year warranty?!

 

The Walmart offering looks fine, the reviews (if they're all referring to this exact model) are very good too.

(Another reason many of us would opt for a hardware modem is that they don't require any 3rd party software to function, therefore less to go wrong and less work for Windows/the CPU to do when using it.)

 

hmmm. i just noticed this IS a "hardware" one. and here i was thinking that was the reason for the $3 increase in the last batch.

so...2-5 bucks cheaper, hardware-based, and 5x the warranty of all the rest...WHAT AM I MISSING HERE?!

i must say, this sounds too good to be true. walmart is walmart, but i actually don't recall it ever being cheaper than newegg.

hesitating....