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Tekky |
Troubleshooting Internal Modems
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Step Two:
If there was no list of AT commands, we now know
there is a problem. It could be the drivers or the Com Port not set correctly. From here I always uninstall the
modem and remove the Com Ports. |
Back to your desktop screen and right-click My
Computer, left-click Properties and left-click the Device Manager tab. Look down the list of hardware, click on
the + symbol next to Modem, click on the modem listed below and click remove. Choose OK to the message regarding
removing the hardware and go back to the list. Click on the + next to Ports (Com and LPT). Highlight the first
Com Port in the list and click remove. Repeat until all Com Ports have been removed. Leave LPT1 in the list as
this is your printer/parallel port. |
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Step Three:
Shut down the PC. We need to check the BIOS and
set up the Com Ports again to make sure they are correct. When you power on your PC you should see a message appear
briefly stating "Press F1 [or similar] to enter setup". Check to see which key it suggests as it will
vary depending on your motherboard and BIOS. Press the key it suggests.
You will now be in the Configuration and Setup screen. Again, it will depend on your BIOS
and motherboard which screens you will have to look for. We need to go to the Advanced Options/Integrated Peripherals/Peripheral
Configuration page. Check down the right hand side of the screen for which keys should be used to navigate through
the BIOS. Normally it's the cursor keys and the enter key. |
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When you have found the appropriate screen, look for any references to COM
or LPT or SERIAL settings. This is a handy way to tell if you are in the right page. Make a note of what each of
the Com Ports are set to (they are also referred to as Serial Ports). Normally, you need only one Com Port
enabled in the BIOS. This is if you have a Serial/Com device connected to your PC. If you have more than one consult
the manuals for these devices and see if they need any specific settings as you can make them here. |
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I tend to set Com/Serial Port 1 to 3F8/IRQ4. Disable any other Com Ports for now. Remember you can always return
here and enable them again later :).
OK, so we have now enabled one Com port for any external Serial devices. We need to save the changes and
exit. Normally, you will have an EXIT menu or even a Hotkey (e.g. F10). Navigate to the exit screen and choose
to SAVE your changes then EXIT. Once done, your PC will reboot. |
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Step Four:
While rebooting, you may notice windows report
"New Hardware Found". If so, ignore this as it is re-detecting your Com Ports. Once done, it may even
re-detect your Modem. If it does, and asks for the Drivers, insert the driver software and follow through the instructions
for them on how to install.
Eventually you will return to your desktop. (Note: sometimes when installing the drivers you have to "specify
the location". If you need to do this, the drivers are normally in a folder on the drivers disk.
It tends to be in X:\DRIVERS or X:\WIN9X. Your manual should tell you where. X: is
the drive letter you are installing the drivers from.) |
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Step Five:
Let's go back into Control Panel and double click
on the Modem icon again. If your drivers were automatically installed or you had to install them on request by
Windows, then you should see your modem in the list. If so, return to Step One and repeat.
If your modem is not "Plug and Play", your modem may not have been detected and the
new hardware wizard will appear. Follow through the installation screens and install
the drivers in the same method as Step Four. |
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Continued . . .
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