USRobotics 56K PC Card Winmodem with XJACK®
Connector User Guide
Troubleshooting
Having trouble with your modem? Try these basic troubleshooting steps
first!
Verify that the phone cord is
installed correctly.
The phone cord should be plugged into the XJACK® connector on the modem
and into the telephone wall jack. Use the phone cord included in your
modems box, if possible.
Verify that the modem was installed
correctly.
Make sure that your modem is physically installed correctly in your computer.
You must press the modem in firmly so that it is seated properly in the
PC card slot.
Next, make sure that the modem's drivers have been installed correctly.
Follow the instructions for your operating system:
Windows XP (Classic View): Click
Windows Start, Control Panel, and then double-click the
Phone and Modem Options icon.
Windows XP (Category View): Click
Windows Start, Control Panel, Network and Internet
Connections, and then Phone and Modem Options.
Windows 2000: Click Windows Start,
Control Panel, Network and Internet Connections, and then
Phone and Modem Options.
Click the Modems tab. You should see a description of your new U.S.
Robotics modem and a COM port setting. If you do not see a description
of your modem, see the Note at the end of this section.
Make sure that your new USRobotics modem is selected and click Properties.
Click the Diagnostics tab. Click Query Modem. You should see
a series of commands and responses from the modem. This means that the
installation was successful.
If you do not see commands and responses, shut down and restart your
computer. To determine whether your modem is functioning properly, repeat
the steps above. If your modem is still not working, refer to the additional
troubleshooting steps in this guide.
Windows Me, 98, and 95: Click Windows
Start, Settings, and then Control Panel. Double-click
the Modems icon.
In the Modems Properties screen, you should see a description for your
new USRobotics modem. If you do not see a description of your modem,
see the Note at the end of this section.
Click the Diagnostics tab. Make sure that the correct COM port (modem)
is selected. Click the More Info button. You should see a series
of commands and responses from the modem. This means that the installation
was successful.
If you do not see commands and responses, shut down and restart your
computer. To determine whether your modem is functioning properly, repeat
the steps above. If your modem is still not working, refer to the additional
troubleshooting steps in this guide.
Note: If your modem is not listed
and/or you do not see a series of commands and responses, make sure that
your phone cord is attached correctly to your modem. If your modem still
does not work, refer to the additional troubleshooting steps of this guide.
Shut down and restart your computer. To verify that your modem is functioning
properly, repeat the steps listed for your operating system.
For additional troubleshooting help, review these common issues:
My computer isn’t recognizing
my modem.
Possible Solution:
You may be using an IRQ that is already in use. To function properly,
your modem needs to be assigned to a free IRQ.
The Plug and Play function of Windows should locate a free IRQ (if one
exists) for your use by your modem. If Plug and Play fails to install
the modem, you need to determine IRQ availability.
Windows XP and 2000: Right-click
the My Computer icon on your desktop. Click Properties.
Click the Hardware tab and then click Device Manager. Click View.
Select Resources by type or Resources by connection. Expand
the Interrupt request (IRQ) key by clicking + or double-clicking
the Interrupt request (IRQ) key.
Windows Me, 98, and 95: Right-click
the My Computer icon on your desktop. Click Properties
and then the Device Manager tab. Double-click the Computer icon
at the top of the device list.
You will see a listing of your system’s IRQs and the devices to which
they are assigned. If an IRQ is not present in this list, it indicates
that Windows is not currently using it and the IRQ is considered available.
Locate your modem in the list of devices. If a yellow exclamation point
appears over the modem’s description, your modem is in conflict with another
device. Either your modem or the other device will have to be reinstalled
to another IRQ in order to resolve your conflict.
If a usable, free IRQ does not exist, you may need to remove, disable,
or relocate another device. Refer to that device’s documentation for more
information about removing, disabling, or relocating it.
If Windows still fails to recognize your modem and it does not have a
yellow exclamation point next to its IRQ, or if your modem doesn’t appear
in the list, your modem may not be installed properly. Try reinstalling
your modem.
Possible Solution:
You may be using a COM port address that is either already in use
or not configured correctly. To work properly, this modem needs to be
assigned to a free COM port. Make sure that your COM port is not already
in use by another device.
Windows XP (Classic View): Click
Windows Start and then Control Panel. Double-click the
Phone and Modem Options icon and then click the Modems tab. Look
for another modem already installed in your computer. The COM port that
it is using is listed to the right of the modem description.
Windows XP (Category View): Click
Windows Start, Control Panel, Network and Internet
Connections, and then Phone and Modem Options. Click the
Modems tab. Look for another modem already installed in your computer.
The COM port that it is using is listed to the right of the modem description.
Windows 2000: Click Windows Start,
Settings, and then Control Panel. Double-click the Phone
and Modem Options icon and then click the Modems tab. Look for another
modem already installed in your computer. The COM port that it is using
is listed to the right of the modem description.
Windows Me, 98, and 95: Click Windows
Start, Settings, Control Panel, and then double-click
Modems. Look for another modem already installed in your computer.
If there is another modem installed, click the Diagnostics tab to find
out which COM port it is using.
If a previously installed modem is already using the available COM port,
you should uninstall that modem. See your previous modems manual
for uninstallation instructions.
Next, make sure that your COM ports are configured correctly.
Windows XP and 2000: Right-click
the My Computer icon on your desktop. Click Properties.
Click the Hardware tab and then click Device Manager. Expand
the Ports (COM & LPT) key by clicking + or double-clicking
the Ports (COM & LPT) key.
Windows Me, 98, and 95: Right-click
the My Computer icon on your desktop. Click Properties.
Click the Device Manager tab. Expand the Ports (COM & LPT) key by
clicking + or double-clicking the Ports (COM & LPT) key.
If the COM ports have yellow exclamation points or red Xs over them,
your COM ports may be configured incorrectly. If this is the case, you
may need to contact your computer manufacturer.
My software isn’t recognizing my
modem.
Possible Solution:
You may not have the correct modem selected in your software or
in Windows. To check which modem you are using, follow the instructions
for your operating system:
Windows XP (Classic View): Click
Windows Start and then Control Panel. Double-click the
Phone and Modem Options icon and then click the Modems tab. You
will see a list of installed modems.
Windows XP (Category View): Click
Windows Start, Control Panel, Network and Internet
Connections, and Phone and Modem Options. Click the Modems
tab. You will see a list of installed modems.
Windows 2000: Click Windows Start,
Settings, and then Control Panel. Double-click the Phone
and Modem Options icon and then click the Modems tab. You will see
a list of installed modems.
Windows Me, 98, and 95: Click Windows
Start, Settings, and Control Panel. When Control
Panel opens, double-click the Modems icon. You will see a list
of installed modems.
You can also add, remove, or view the properties of modems from this
window. The USRobotics modem you have installed should be present in
the list of installed modems. If none of the modem descriptions in the
list matches your USRobotics modem or if no modems are listed, your
modem is not installed properly. Try reinstalling your modem.
Possible Solution:
If you are using Dial-up Networking, it may not be configured
correctly. Check your configuration and make sure that the correct port
is selected.
Windows XP and 2000: Click Windows
Start, Control Panel (or Settings in Windows 2000),
and Network and Dial-up Connections. Right-click the connection
your are trying to use, and then click Properties. Make sure
that the description in the Connect Using box (under the
General tab) matches the description of the modem you are using. If
it does not match, select the proper modem description.
Windows Me, 98, and 95: Double-click
the My Computer icon on your desktop, and then double-click Dial-up
Networking. Right-click the connection your are trying to use, and
then click Properties. Make sure that the description in the
modem box matches the description of the modem you are using. If it
does not match, select the proper modem description.
Possible Solution:
Your communications software may not function properly if you
have more than one version of the software installed, you are using an
older version, or you have more than one communications application installed
on your system. We recommend using the communications software provided
with your modem on the Installation CD-ROM.
My modem is responding but is
reporting a No Dial Tone message.
Possible Solution:
Your phone cord may not be plugged into the XJACK connector on
the PC card. Also make sure the other end of the phone cord is plugged
into a working telephone wall jack.
Possible Solution:
You may have devices between the modem and telephone wall jack
that affect the quality of your phone line. Do not connect other devices
between the telephone wall jack and your modem.
Possible Solution:
You may have plugged your modems phone cord into a digital
line, which can damage your modem. If you are unsure whether your line
is analog or digital, ask your network administrator, building management,
or your local telephone company.
Possible Solution:
If your phone system requires dialing a digit such as 9
in order to access an outside line, be sure to add the digit and a comma
(9,) before the number you want to dial.
Possible Solution:
If you have voice mail provided by your phone company, your dial
tone may be altered when messages are waiting. Retrieve your voice mail
to restore a normal dial tone.
Note: If you are unable to retrieve
the messages, you may want to add five commas to the beginning of the
number to be dialed. Each comma represents two seconds. Therefore, adding
five commas will delay the modem connection attempt by 10 seconds. Since
each ISP connection may vary, you should insert as many commas as necessary
to meet your specific needs. Commas may be necessary if voice mail messages
have not been deleted before attempting to establish an Internet connection.
Possible Solution:
You may have a bad phone cord. Try a different phone cord. We
recommend using the phone cord included with the modem, if possible.
Possible Solution:
You may have a non-standard dial tone. Do the following to check
for a non-standard dial tone:
- Open a terminal program, such as HyperTerminal, in Windows. To open
the Terminal window, select Cancel at the new connection dialog
box.
- Type ATE1 and press ENTER. You may not see the letters, which is fine.
- Type ATX3DT and the phone number of a local ISP (Internet Service
Provider) or BBS number. Press ENTER.
- If the modem dials out and connects, either have your phone line checked
or try adding X3 to the Extra Settings field in your modems Properties
window.
- If the modem doesn't attempt to connect and it comes back with a No
Carrier message, the issue may not be phone line related.
- To end your HyperTerminal session, click File and select Exit.
Select Yes when the Are you sure you want to disconnect? message
appears. Select No when the Do you want to save this session?
message appears.
My modem won’t dial out or doesn’t
answer incoming calls.
Possible Solution:
Your phone cord may not be plugged into the XJACK connector on
the PC card. Also make sure the other end of the phone cord is plugged
into a working telephone wall jack.
Possible Solution:
You may have a bad phone cord. Try a different phone cord. We
recommend using the phone cord included with the modem, if possible.
Possible Solution:
You may have devices between the modem and telephone wall jack
that affect the quality of your phone line. Do not connect other devices
between the telephone wall jack and your modem.
Office users
Possible Solution:
You may have plugged your modems phone cord into a digital
line, which can damage your modem. If you are unsure whether your line
is analog or digital, ask your network administrator, building management,
or your local telephone company.
Possible Solution:
If your phone system requires dialing a digit such as 9
in order to access an outside line, be sure to add the digit and a comma
(9,) before the number you want to dial.
Voice mail users
Possible Solution:
If you have voice mail provided by your phone company, your dial
tone may be altered when messages are waiting. Retrieve your voice mail
to restore a normal dial tone.
Note: If you are unable to retrieve
the messages, you may want to add five commas to the beginning of the
number to be dialed. Each comma represents two seconds. Therefore, adding
five commas will delay the modem connection attempt by 10 seconds. Since
each ISP connection may vary, you should insert as many commas as necessary
to meet your specific needs. Commas may be necessary if voice mail messages
have not been deleted before attempting to establish an Internet connection.
My modem sounds like it’s trying
to connect to another modem but fails.
Possible Solution:
You may have a poor connection. All calls are routed differently,
so try placing the call again.
My modem isn’t achieving a 56K Internet connection.
Possible Solution:
Our research has shown that the vast majority of telephone lines can and
do support V.90 connections. The V.90 protocol allows for connection speeds
of up to 56K, but line conditions may affect the actual speeds during
a given connection. Due to unusual telephone line configurations, some
users will not be able to take full advantage of V.90 technology at this
time. In order to achieve a V.90 connection:
- The server you are dialing into must support and provide a digital
V.90 signal. Your ISP can provide you with a list of dial-up connections
and information on what those connections currently support.
- The telephone line between your ISP and your modem must be capable
of supporting a 56K connection and contain only one analog-to-digital
conversion. The 56K signal from your ISP begins as a digital signal.
Somewhere between the ISP and your modem, there will be a digital-to-analog
signal conversion so that your modem can receive the data. There must
be no more than one analog-to-digital signal conversion in the path
from your ISP to your modem. If more than one such conversion occurs,
your connection speeds will default to V.34+ or below. There may also
be impairments on the local lines between your ISP and your modem. These
impairments can prevent or limit connection speeds. All telephone calls
are routed differently, so you should try making your 56K connection
several times. One way to test this is to dial into a long distance
location. Long distance lines are often much clearer than local lines.
It is important to note that telephone companies are constantly upgrading
their systems. Lines that do not support 56K today may support 56K in
the near future.
- For a V.90 connection, your modem must be connecting to a V.90/56K
server. A pair of 56K modems will not connect to each other at V.90/56K
speeds.
Support Resourses
Are you still having problems?
If you have not fixed your problem after trying the suggestions in the
Troubleshooting steps of this guide, you can receive additional help via
one of these convenient resources:
- Support section of the USRobotics Web site at www.usr.com
Many of the most common difficulties users experience have been addressed
in the FAQ and Troubleshooting Web pages for your specific product.
You may need to know your product ID (USR3056A) to obtain information
on the USRobotics Web site.
- USRobotics Technical Support Department
Technical
questions about USRobotics modems can also be answered by technical
support specialists.
In the United States and Canada:
Telephone: (801) 401-1144
Online: www.usr.com/emailsupport
Hours: 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. CST, Monday – Friday
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