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Troubleshooting Guide
Connecting to CSM’s 56Kbps modems at 303-590-0010
If you are having difficulty connecting to the CSM Computing
Center’s (CSMCC) 56Kbps modem pool, the following items may be useful
to you:
- When you dial in to the CSMCC modem pool, you are accessing "3Com
Total Control" modems. You may need to look for these key words on your
modem manufacturer’s web site to see if any specific upgrades are
available that may help your modem connect better with these type of
modems.
- The CSMCC modems will accept "X2" or "v.90" 56K modem connections
(as well as all previous modem communication standards--like v.34, for
example). The CSMCC modem pool will NOT accept 56K connections
from modems attempting to use "56Kflex." Prior to the establishment of
the v.90 standard, "56Kflex" was in competition with "X2" for 56Kbps
modem communications. Since 3Com promoted "X2," the CSMCC 3Com modem
pool supports this as well as the current v.90 standard. You should
verify that your modem is not a "56Kflex only" modem. If your modem is
running "56Kflex" code, you should check the manufacturer’s web site to
see if a "flash upgrade" is available for your modem so you can upgrade
it to the new v.90 standard—instructions for doing this should also be
available on the modem manufacturer’s web site. Make sure you obtain
the correct code for your particular modem model. It’s also a good idea
to print out any applicable instructions and follow them carefully when
"flash upgrading" your modem.
- Does your modem have the latest v.90 code available from the
manufacturer? You should verify this on the manufacturer’s web page if
possible. If you are experiencing difficulty, you might try to update
the v.90 code already present in your modem.
- For additional information regarding v.90/56K technology and some of its prerequisites and limitations (these are
simply a way for you to educate yourself about the technology—the CSMCC
makes no representation about the usefulness or accuracy of any
information obtained at or through these sites):
- Do you have the latest operating system drivers for your particular
modem? There are two pieces of software code to be concerned about as
far as your modem goes. The first is the actual code contained on the
modem itself—this is the code that would allow your modem to make a
particular kind of connection, say a v.90 connection. The second
software type that you should verify is up-to-date is the driver for
your modem for a given operating system (if this is applicable to your
situation). Go to your manufacturer’s web site to obtain these. For
example, let’s say you upgraded the operating system on your PC from
Windows 95 to Windows NT Workstation 4.0. In this case, you’ll probably
need to go to the "drivers" section of your modem manufacturer’s web
site to obtain the latest Windows NT Workstation 4.0 drivers for your
modem since all you may have available to you is the drivers for
Windows 95. Obviously, if your modem isn’t working yet, you can’t use
it to obtain new drivers! One solution for CSM faculty, staff, and
students is to come to the Green Center and use a PC in a CSMCC lab to
access a manufacturer’s web site. Be sure to bring several formatted
blank floppy disks (or a Zip disk or "Super Floppy" disk) to save any
software or documentation you may download. Be sure to bring all the
information you have regarding your modem (e.g., name, model number,
part number, etc.) so you can more easily locate the appropriate
information on the manufacturer’s web site. Computing Center
consultants (students wearing blue vests) may be able to offer you
direction on where to find the information you need from a particular
vendor’s web page—feel free to ask one of them for assistance.
- Have you tried using "generic" modem drivers for your modem? That
is, drivers NOT specific to your type/brand—this is sometimes useful if
you can’t get your modem to work at all and want to verify that it is
not a driver problem. If generic drivers don’t work either, you may
have a hardware problem (e.g., an IRQ conflict).
- Do you also have a network interface card (NIC) installed in your
PC? Is the presence of this hardware or the software settings for it
interfering with the operation of your modem? A simple test is to
remove the NIC (and its associated software settings) and see if your
modem starts working.
- Have you removed all the current settings regarding your modem and
started over from scratch? You might also try to remove the modem from
the "device manager" list and have it "plug and play" again to see if
this clears up any conflicts. After adding the CSMCC specific settings,
try it again—perhaps you toggled a setting inadvertently and going
through the setup process again is a good way to just start over with a
"clean slate."
- Are you also connecting to another ISP (Internet Service Provider)?
Are these settings interfering with your CSM dial-up networking (DUN)
settings? If this is the case for you, you may need to enter the CSM
network information under the specific DUN session rather than under
the "network" icon in control panel (e.g., for Windows 95, right click
on your CSM DUN icon and choose properties, then choose the "Server
Types" tab, then the "TCP/IP" button; you’ll want a "server
assigned IP address" and "server assigned" DNS or name server addresses). Refer to
your ISP for further instructions on how to setup their DUN session.
- Before calling the CSMCC for assistance, you should try to verify
the source of the problem: a) is it hardware-related? (i.e., is your
modem dialing/responding at all?); b) is it software-related? (e.g.,
have you already verified you’ve got the latest v.90 code and latest
drivers?); c) are your CSM DUN settings correct? (have you gone through
a "clean slate" installation already?); d) can you connect elsewhere?
The more questions you have already answered and the more information
you can supply about your particular problem, the easier it will be for
CSMCC staff to assist you in working toward a solution.
- Some basic items to check that commonly cause problems for
our users (i.e., check these first before calling!):
- In Windows 9x, make sure "log on to network" is NOT
checked and that you have entered your userid/password at the
windows DUN prompt.
- Do you have "303-590-0010" entered as the phone number you wish to dial?
- Do you need to dial anything to get an outside line? (e.g., a "9" before the phone number)
- Do you have to turn off any features on your phone line before calling? (e.g., call waiting)
- Is the modem disabled under w9x? Have you verified that the
"disable in this hardware profile" option is NOT checked (under control
panel --> system --> device manager)?
- Do you have more than one modem installed on your PC? (e.g., an
on-board modem plus a PC card modem conflicting with each other in a
laptop PC? Is the right modem being used?) You might try to disable one
of them and verify you’ve got the right settings for the one that will
be used.
- If you’re using NT Server or NT Workstation—do you have the "remote
access service" (RAS) installed? Without this service you won’t be able
to use DUN. Have you specified the dial-out options? (i.e., make sure
that "accept incoming calls only" is not checked—you’ll need the
ability to dial-out)
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