Installing a Modem

Select Certification Bootcamp :
MCSE MCSE+Security CCNA CCNP RHCE Register Course Fees Home

Leading MCSE, CCNA, CCNP Certification boot camp training provider in India, USA, UK.

Installing a Modem

Installing a modem is simple in Windows NT. After the hardware is connected, go to the Control Panel and double-click the Modems icon. If there is no modem installed, the modem installer will start automatically (see Figure 17.4). This wizard steps you through the installation of the modem. If you already have a modem, you will need to click Add.

If you have already used the installer once and it was unable to detect the modem, you probably have one of two problems. Either the modem cannot be detected and you will have to install it manually, or the system can’t see the modem, in which case you should check the port. If you need to install the modem manually, check the box, “Don’t detect my modem; I will select it from a list.” This displays a screen that enables you to select the modem (see Figure 17.5.)

After you have the modem installed, you can check your modem properties by using the Modems icon in the Control Panel. When you open the icon, you will see a dialog box that lists all of the available modems (see Figure 17.6).

From here you will be able to check and set the properties for the modems that are installed in the computer. Several different options are of interest. Select Modem, Properties to bring up the General properties for the modem (see Figure 17.7).

You need to set only a couple of settings on the General tab. The following list provides the properties and what you should check for.

Port. Displays the port that the modem was installed on. You should check the port if the hardware has been changed and the port settings if the modem is not working.
Speaker Volume. Determines the volume of the speaker during the connection phase. Turned up the volume enough to allow you to verify that you are getting dial tone and that the other end is in fact a modem.
Maximum Speed. Sets the fastest rate that the system will attempt to communicate with the modem. If this is set to high, some modems will not be able to respond to the system. If this is the case, lower the rate.
Only connect at this speed. Instruct the modem that it must connect to the remote site at the same speed you set for communications with the modem. If the other site is unable to support this speed, you will not be able to communicate.

The other tab in the modem properties dialog box is the Connection tab (see Figure 17.8), which deals with the way that the modem connects. There are a couple of settings you can check when attempting to troubleshoot modems.

The Connection tab lets you control two properties: the Connection preferences and the Call preferences. The Connection preferences are the communications settings (which were discussed previously in the “Ports” section). These settings override the port settings. The three items from the Call preferences are listed below.

Wait for tone before dialing. Normally, this should be selected; however, some phone systems in the world still do not have a dial tone. Make sure that this is set correctly for your area.
Cancel the call if not connected within. This option sets the maximum amount of time that it will take for the call to be established. If line conditions are very bad, you may have to bump up this number to allow the modem more time to establish a connection and negotiate the line speed that will be used.
Disconnect a call if idle for more than. This option enables you to set the maximum amount of time that a call can sit idle. Windows NT 4 provides an autodial service that automatically calls back a server when you get disconnected and then attempts to use a network service. This feature reduces the amount of time a user can tie up a line and can prevent massive long-distance charges. However, users need to be made aware of the time limit. If they are required to enter information for a terminal login, they should be told because the terminal screen will appear unexpectedly when the system tries to autoconnect.
Also, if a user is not aware and is using an ISP for e-mail, she needs to be told that setting the e-mail program to check for new mail at period intervals will cause the system to automatically dial the server and check—possibly using up the allowed number of hours with their ISP.

The final thing to check when doing modem configurations and troubleshooting is the Advanced Connection information (see Figure 17.9). These settings can adversely affect communications.

You will want to verify a few options in the advanced modem options. The following list describes the different options and things that you should look for.

Use Error control. This turns on or off some common settings that affect the way the system will deal with the modem. The specific options are listed here:
Required to connect. This forces the modem to establish that an error correcting protocol (such as MNP class 5) be used before the connection is established. Do not use it as the default. If the modem on the other end of the connection does not support the same class of error detection, the connection will fail.
Compress data. This tells the modem to use data compression. Microsoft RAS automatically implements software compression between the client and workstation if both are Microsoft. Turn on this option only if you are talking to a non-Microsoft server; otherwise, the modem will try to compress data that is already compressed.
Use cellular protocol. Lets the system know that the modem you are using is a cellular modem.
User flow control. This overrides the flow control setting for the port. Both types of flow control are available. In most cases, you should use hardware flow control. The use of flow control enables you to set the speed of the transmission between the computer and the modem. The choices are Xon/Xoff and hardware.
Modulation Type. This enables users to set the type of frequency modulation for the modem to that of the phone system they are using. The modulation is either standard or Bell and deals with the sound frequency that is used for the send and receive channels for the communicating hosts.
Extra settings. This enables you to enter extra modem initialization strings that you want to have sent to the modem whenever a call is placed.
Record a log file. This probably is the most important setting from the perspective of troubleshooting. It enables you to record a file that lets you see the communications that took place between the modem and the computer during the connection phase of the communications. An example of the log is shown in Figure 17.10.

You might notice in Figure 17.10 that the phone number is not shown as the modem called it. This provides added security.

Vibrant Advantage :

No Prestudy
Longest Duration Camp
Chalk Talk Training
Highest Passing Rate
Bootcamp since 1999
Guaranteed Certification ...

Testimonials :

MCSE Certification boot camp

The instructor taught real world experience and did not just teach us to pass the test. He knew the subject well and was encouraging. His lectures were very well delivered....

Colver Dennis, USA