Dial up Problem

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lol Right im stumped on this one folks.

Got a call out today to a "no dial tone" error on a dial up connection.
Got there and started troubleshooting.
Theres an extension from the modem to the phone line into an adaptor with a phone plugged into it.
Now she could get a connection with when she lifted the phone receiver.
Which i thought oh ffs, here we go.
So played about with settings to no avail.
Tried connecting the extension directly into the phone line, still no dial tone.
Connected an external modem and tried, worked perfect.
So im thinking its the modem, not sure whats wrong, but i can safely assume its that.
So install another internal modem, try connecting and low and behold no dial tone. I then try it again just to make sure and it gets connected.
So not convinced i try again and no dial tone. It continues to have no dial tone for another 2-3 attempts.
So i put it down to a faulty modem, stranger things have happened i thought, so had a modem which was exactly the same model, installed it, tried it, no dial tone.
So out of curiosty i tried picking up the receiver to see if i could get connected that way, and it wouldn't work. Progress at least.
So connected the external modem again and everything is perfect.

I have tried various accounts, another extension, phone plugged in and out of the adaptor. The modems are installed and querying fine. No conflicts and changed PCI slot in which the modems were installed.

So to sum up.

Her old internal modem would work sometimes with the receiver picked up.

The new internal modem worked once but then stopped, even with the receiver up.

An external modem works perfect every time.

This took about an hour so going to spend some more time troubleshooting at home.

Could easily just use an external modem and ask no more questions but would like to figure this out.

Ill will gladly give half of what i invoice for this job to the winning answer! lol

Neall

 

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I've got no idea why,but when reading this post shared IRQ's came to mind.

Like I said, I've got no idea why though!

 

I think you maybe onto something there simon...perhaps it is a case on conflicting IRQs Neall? but like simon I am stumped too...suffice to say I aint come across this problem at all...kinda similar to AJs problem wouldnt you say? but I would find out what else is using the IRQ with the internal modem and see if that solves the problem or at least be on the road to recovery...but good luck mate...you got a big one on your hands there....

 

Forgive me if you've already done this, but when the internal modem is installed, have you opened up device manager and seen what the status of the device is? You can also see if there's an IRQ conflict there. Also, does the modem have the latest drivers installed?

 

Thanks for the replies.

No conflicts at all im afraid.

EDIT: Modem is sharing IRQ 5 with USB but no conflicts.

Not sure what you mean about the status Trip but all modems were queried and successful.

The drivers came with the modem. The modems were bought a couple of months so i doubt updated drivers would have been released yet.

Neall

 

REN - as discussed on AJ's similar thread on this board, How many devices in total attach to the phoneline ? By which I mean phones, PC, fax, satellite box, alarms ? Each one counts towards your REN total, which is genrally 4.

AJ's similar thread:

 

One phone and the modem.

Have tried the modem directly into the phoneline without the phone being plugged in.
An external modem works fine.

Neall

 

Sorry if i have missed something but why would you want the handset open when the modem is working?
Dial up works on the principle of dialing. You couldn't dial two numbers from two different phones and the computer modem is no different.
Sorry if i have missed the point- its' late

 

these things can happen Boyce me ole son...i use to work at bt faults and we got some calls like this....

 

Internal modems are pants IMHO, a lot of them are cheap Win modems which use your PCs resources. Others conflict with sound cards and NICs.

I would go for external and be done with it

 

This is the only way she could get the modem to actually dial up without the no dial tone error.
But most of the time it only made the right sounds and not a connection.
Backwards i know, but the external modem worked fine.
Which is why i blamed the modem.

I'll probably end up doing that mate, i hate not being able to firgure things out.

Never got chance to do anything last night so going to start troubleshooting again this morning.

Thanks for all the replies so far.

Neall

 

Right heres the update so far.

The internal modem will not connect twice in a row.
The second dialing attempt always has a 'no dial tone' error. And so will the third and forth until i pull the line out of the back of the modem and plug it back in.
After which the modem will dial up and connect perfect.
Until the second attempt.

Now when i connect with the external modem it will connect perfectly every single time.

So now at a bit of a loss.

Might be worth seeing if it would have connected more than once if i had pulled the line out and in again at the customers house.

Anyone know what the difference between how external and internal modems use the line to dial up... if any?

Neall

 

Hi,

as far as i am aware there is no difference in the way they dial out.

sounds to me like either the internal modem has had it or the driver is no good.

Let us know the outcome

 

Right figured out part of the problem.

The customers original modem wasn't working.
I got the weird error with the 2 Internal modems i tried. (Unplug line and plug in again to get a dial tone)
Worked perfect with my external modem.
So tried the internal laptop 56K modem and it worked perfect everytime.
So im hoping its just the two modems that have the problem seen they are both the same model.

Going to phone ebuyer and ask if anyone else had problems with these.

Going to be out of ideas of they dont!

Neall

 

Neall,

Sounds like your problem matey. Sounds like you will be rocking with a new one!

 

did the customer have an ethernet card too? if so was this on a slot right next to the modem?

 

Only an onboard nic. Just out of interest... why?

I got hold of a different branded internal modem and it worked perfect everytime.
So im putting it down to the modems. Seems they didnt hang up the line after it was disconnected, so when i went to redial it got no dial tone untill i pulled the line out and in again.
Tested this on a phone on the same line to make sure and was confirmed.
Weird it happened to both the same modems tho, seen as they were both new and no one else reported this.

Two very strange problems in a row

Anyways going to order another modem for it and fingers crossed.

Thanks for all your replies folks.

Neall

 

I wondered that too.

Glad that you got it sorted, andthat it turned out to be something so simple as the brand of modem.

It's strange, sometimes the hardest of problems have the simplest of solutions.