HELP! Got a crazy computer problem!

[karlrschneider]

Both of our computers are pretty much the same, 1.2G Athlon based with same USR 56K v.92 modems in them. One connects on dialup fine & usually gets 30 Kbit or better...the other one quit connecting the other day...would attempt to negotiate but 9 times out of 10 reports "remote computer doesn't answer" but sometimes it would go ahead and connect but not over 12000 Kb. So I figure something wrong with the modem & bought a new one, same model and it does the same thing! I've installed several hundred modems over the years and never seen this before. I've checked for virus with the latest update, nothing found, ran Norton disk doctor & Windoctor, everything checks out okay there, did a defrag, no difference. I'm fairly computer literate but I can't figure out what OTHER than the modem would cause this behavior. (Oh, I also re-loaded Windoze and also removed & reinstalled the DUN. I guess my next thing is stick another hard drive in it and re-load everything from scratch in case it's a software issue but it isn't very convenient, the puter is inside a cabinet and getting at all the damn wires is a PITA. So before I do all that, thought I'd see if anybody has any ideas...?
Thanks

[Stephanie]

1. I was having a similar problem the other night

I think it is something with the ISP - I posted and got these answers from DU - the problem cleared up in the morning:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=2694380&mesg_id=2694380

[karlrschneider]

2. Uh I don't think so, I'm on the "good"machine right now at 38 Kb,

tried the other one just before calling here, it wouldn't connect. But will check the link, thanks.

[DeusIrae]

4. Connectivity

Hi,
Your error message is showing that there is no connectivity being established, so there have been no credentials exchanged yet.
Since you have a known working machine, you can aproach your issue by swapping out known working parts one at a time until you've isolated the issue.
You'll want to check, cabling, port, dialup number, etc.
Just for shits and giggles, have you tried plugging the cable from the working device into the non-working device and then attempting your connection?
Regards,
Linc
(Remote Support Specialist for a Big Company)

[karlrschneider]

6. Hi Linc, welcome to DU!

I assume you mean the telephone cable, yes I have done that. Sigh. Guess I'll have to unhook the thing & get inside. Can you think of any hardware OTHER than the modem itself that could cause this? I sure can't...
:eyes:

[Career Prole]

12. Good point. Mine slows down or fails to connect every now and again

and I've found that by going to the phone connection box outside and wiggling the plug there I can make it perk back up again.
I really should take care of that... :eyes:

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[karlrschneider]

3. Saw your other thread, I imagine it was a DNS problem, it's common.

This is a different animal. ;-)

[Oreo]

5. Cord?

Have you tried a different cord? Are they both plugged into the same wall jack?

Basic questions but I've had people tell me their PC was broken and they forgot to turn it on.

[karlrschneider]

7. Yes that was the first thing I did try...suspecting line noise or a bad

cable...got a brand new one & run from the same RJ11 the "good" machine connects to.

[ET Awful]

8. My tech support instincts are telling me to have you replace the phone

line between the computer and the wall.

If you still have the problem, try plugging in a regular phone to that wall jack and see if you get static on the phone when placing a call.

It sounds like line noise is the culprit to me.

[karlrschneider]

11. Yeah, all the symptoms are like a noisy line but I've run a new modular

cord from the modem to the same wall jack this (working fine) one uses. No audible noise on any phone. I'm baffled. Thanks...

[ET Awful]

18. Have you tried plugging the known working machine into that

outlet to test the jack with known good equipment?

One thing that can cause line noise is if you have a bad surge protector. I'm not sure exactly why this is, but I've had it happen in the past where I replaced the electric source and found that it had been causing line noise.

[MsTryska]

9. Have you scanned for Spyware?

it's possible that you picked up soem bug on the non-working machine that's blocking your access.


i would suggest downloading a copy of Spybot S&D, And AD-Aware as well, booting into safe mode and running them and cleaning out anything it finds.


(pay no attention to the DSO Exploit that comes up in Spybot)

[karlrschneider]

14. That's something I haven't done! But could spyware prevent the modems

from negotiating protocols? But will give that a try...thanks.

[MsTryska]

22. yup.

i've seen it happen.



more common is spyware shutting down fast access of various sorts.

[NV Whino]

10. Sometimes the fault is at the phone company

Sometimes there is noise on the line that prevents a consistent and constant connection.

Sometimes setting a slower speed on your modem will solve the problem.

In any event, call the phone company and have them check you lines. They can usually do this without coming out.

[karlrschneider]

15. Well, I'm on the "working" computer right now plugged into the same

jack the "non-working" one is and I'm at 38Kb/s at the moment so I really don't think it's a wiring issue...thanks.

[demnan]

13. This might not have anything to do with your problem . . .

but I lost connectivity when I installed Windows XP Service Pack 2. It installs a firewall that stopped my cable modem from connecting. I don't remember now how I disabled it (the Comcast guy lead me through it) but I could probably figure it out again if need be.

[Oreo]

16. Internal or external modem?

If internal try a different PCI slot?

You sound like you've covered all the bases so I'm sure you've done this.

Another thing is swapping the harddrives if they're the same model PC's

[secular_warrior]

17. a few things:

1. Plug in a phone to the line to check connection
2. Check bios, hardware and interrupt settings
3. Run diagnostics on the modem: control panel>modems>dianostics>query modem to see if the modem is functioning properly.
4. Check dial up networking settings.


If your phone line is good, and the modem is functioning properly within the operating system, and the dial up networking settings are correct --- then it is a problem on the ISP's end.


ps. When dealing with Windows (unlike Dos or Unix) you know that even when you unistall/reinstall, the settings tend to stay in the registry and simply come back. There is a way to delete the device's registry key, to force reenumeration/redetection of the device, so you can really reinstall it. I have an article showing how to do this in Win9x, but I'm not exactly sure how to do it in WinXp/NT. Try google. I would suggest this route before you go and do something like reinstall windows or the hard drive (which is really like burning down your house to kill a rat .. overkill).

[karlrschneider]

23. I've done all that except to delete the registry entries...will try that,

I know how to do it...thanks.

[steely]

19. You might want to verify the sw drivers are the same vintage.

Probably are, but you know for sure.
I go with card swap.
Next, the wall jack/line - sorry if this was posted aready. later, oops it was, config setting the exact same?

[LeftCoast]

20. Are both computers calling the same dial-up number?

I didn't see this asked. It's the only other thing I can think of. Sounds like a very frustrating issue.

PS: If you want an expensive, but sure-fire fix you could go for DSL or a cablemodem. Faster too! :)

[karlrschneider]

24. Yes, same number. Unfortunately no DSL or cable available here...

:grr:
If they were, I'd have one of them in a New York minute! ;-)

[LeftCoast]

26. Sorry I couldn't help

Good luck!

[CrispyQ]

21. Have you tried the computers help group?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=242

[karlrschneider]

25. Yikes! I didn't even know we HAD one! THANK YOU

:D