Modem FAQ's

In today's world, many of us are on the Internet almost daily, and it can be quite addictive. What if something goes wrong and you are not able to get online? How do you know when a problem is serious enough to take it in to the repair shop? Here are answers to a few of the questions we are most frequently asked.

Do you get the message "no dial tone"? Make sure you have the phone line cable plugged into the LINE port, not the PHONE port. The phone port will be shut off the moment you click on the connect button. This is to prevent you from picking up the phone to dial and interrupting the modem connection. If it is plugged in properly, plug a telephone into the PHONE port and pick up the handset. Do you hear a dialtone? An answer of "no" means to check the phone lines. Does the modem take the line off-hook and keep it off even if you tell it to hang up? Answering yes to either of these questions usually indicates a bad modem.

Are you attempting to use the telephony software that came with your modem and do not get any sound? The speakers on your computer are connected to the sound card. Some telephony software will require you to unplug them from the sound card and connect them to the modem sound output port. Another option is to use a headset for that feature. Don't confuse this with using an online service such as dialpad or msn's software to make free phonecalls over the internet. These applications require the headset or speakers to be plugged into the sound card.

Have you ever received an error similar to this one? "Http404 - 404 Not Found. The Web server cannot find the file or script you asked for. Please check the URL to ensure that the path is correct." This error results when your web browser requests a page from a website which the remote site is unable to find. Try a few other URL's. If you are able to visit other sites, rest assured this error has nothing to do with your computer, your system is fine. However, if you can't go anywhere at all, the problem could be that your internet provider's domain name server is down. If this is a first-time setup, you're changed your hardware, software, or reformatted your hard drive you may have something installed improperly. Call your internet

provider for help or take the system in for repair.

How can I get rid of the loud noises the modem makes when attempting to connect?

Go to start, settings, control panel, modems. Under the general heading you should see your modem listed. Highlight the modem and click on properties. You should see a slider bar labeled "speaker volume". Slide the tab all the way to the left to set the modem to its lowest setting or off. Select OK on each screen to back out of the menus. Do not, I repeat NOT change any other settings as you may cause the modem to stop functioning or need to be reinstalled.

What if your question is not listed here? Click on start, help, then search for the word MODEM. You will find the troubleshooter among the list of topics. Click on it and you will be presented with a number of possible problems. This may help you with certain minor errors and software related issues. Of course if all else fails, you can always turn to a professional. Now if we could just increase the speed of these dial-up modems!