port interupt?

hey guys, im a newbie to the whole forums thing, and i only know a little about computers!
well anyway i just purchased a nice lil laptop from Ebay but i can't get onto the internet with it, it says the modem has some problems and it suggest i check the 'port interupt' and i have no idea where to locate it on the computer!

any help at all would be muchly appreciated!

 

Hey regul joe tokyo:
If you will post the kind of laptop you have, and the OS you are using, and the exact error message, it will be easier to troubleshoot this.

It sounds like an error message for a resource conflict, between IRQ assignments...
That can't be, can it? With PnP nowadays?

 

hey again,

i'm using a NEC versa note laptop, and only today did i upgrade to Windows 2000 to try and solve the problem...that goes to show i don't know a lot about computers- it didnt fix the problem because i origionally thought it was a driver problem.

the error message i get when i try to log onto the net is similar to " the modem is not responding, please ensure the phone line is hooked to the modem and to the phone line" or something like that. i went through the help tutorial and it suggested a problem with a port interupt and that i should adjust it- although ive searched and cannot find it,also i checked for any and all conflicts and none were found...tomorrow i'm taking it to a friend of mine who can probably solve the problem, but if not i was also told it could be something that requires me to go into the BIOS which is something i don't want to screw with...yet

(seriously i picture the BIOS as an old door with blood on the door handle...not something i want to go into)
thanks-signed~ the guy who ain't helping much

 

Well, the BIOS settings are nothing to be afraid of dealing with.
It sure sounds like a BIOS setting to me. The IRQ assignments are all set in the BIOS. Usually these days by "plug and play" (PnP), where during the boot process assignments are given out by the system, and don't have to be assinged by the user.

Its supposed to make everything simpler. USUALLY it works. A person can disable the PnP feature of the BIOS.

Did this modem work for the other guy? For sure?
You may want to enter the BIOS setup. As the computer boots up, you should see a little line of text at the bottom of the screen saying how to access the BIOS.

Mind you, usually, after messing with the BIOS settings, you CAN choose an "exit without saving changes" option to quit.

Just be sure not to change any speeds of any kinds, or any temperatures of any kinds.

In fact, it would be interesting, just for the sake of ruling it out, to see if PnP is disabled in BIOS.

Have you looked at the manufacturer's web site for online documentation regarding the BIOS settings?

Whew..........
Sorry to be so long winded!