Darned PakBell

[LazMan]

Ever try to get support from these guys?...

I have a rather strange problem. I ain't no dummy and I've built quite a few systems in my day. I have a friend that asked me to fix his PB, it's a Legend 880CDT (Pentium 100 with a bunch of proprietary junk and strange chips). He originally had Win98 loaded and it didn't work hardly at all, so I zapped the Hard Drive, removed all his cards (he had an AzTech sound card combo with a 14.4 modem SB clone along with a PCI 56K ZoomModem), ran a Norton Diagnostic (all's fine) and installed Win95OSR2 cherry (nothing extra). I then install Norton's SystemWorks and ran a full check - so far, so good. I installed the sound card and after a little tweaking BIOS settings, I got it to work. Then I looked at the Zoom CD, which wanted the driver installed before plugging in the card (as I suspected - why I looked first) and did that. Then I plug in the card, everything seems to go just fine, plug-n-pray does it's job and finds the drivers, etc. So , I open the control panel to check the modem (I always see if a computer can do a loopback for my paying clients...) - and get the message that the modem fails to respond.

Hmmm.... I check the Device Manager and nothing appears to be amiss. Remove and re-install - no go, same problem. Bad card, I think - try the card in a P90 I built recently for a Linux Show with a rather generic MB, it worked fine on the Win95 partition (PCI modems, in general, won't work for Linux OS, I didn't even try... if you're wondering). Tried it in another machine, just for GP (general/good practice), it worked.

Hmmm... OK, I tried a ISA PNP 56KFlex generic modem I had laying around - no go. Still no indication from Norton nor Windoze that there is a conflict or a problem. Played around with CMOS settings, nothing works. Tried an older ISA 28.8 USR card, nothing - still get the same message. GEEZ - still no indication anywhere as to what is causing the problem.

I've tried everything I can think of, short of telling my friend that he REALLY needs to trash that 'old piece of junk' and get a REAL computer.

The Question: Does anyone know where I've gone wrong or failed to check something? (I know, I'm a bit sketchy with the details, but I think I was quite thorough...) Logic fails to dictate wherein lies the rub - for me. (And no, I didn't dig into old Debug to see what was going on inside - that was beyond the scope of where I care to go anymore these days...)

Thanks,

LazMan

[Sweeper]

While you are installing these modems...is the old Sound/Modem combo card still in machine?

[LazMan]

I took out the sound card after the first failure. No, the computer fails with any modem installed - nothing else, no other cards in the machine.

I've done everything I can think of short of re-installing WIN95 - and I don't think that's the problem.

Laz

[lost1]

Well, as it seems that you have covered most of the bases, might I suggest an external modem? I had that same computer myself & was pleased with it, and my brother is still using it to this day. He upgraded the modem w/a external 56k, and chugs merrily along. I know this doesn't really address your specific problem, however it is an easy and fairly inexpensive fix, as good 56k modems can be had for around 50 bucks.
Just an idea /forum/wink.gif

[Dominus]

This probably isn't it, but have you checked the modem for a COM port jumper? Perhaps there is a conflict.

[cment]

I have a old p100 packard hell, that the only modem I could get to work in was a Diamond. I have it in my new cpu now and the **** thing wont let me upgrade the new v.90 stuff without giving me a com port I can't use. Probably no help, but never no.

[Sweeper]

That's strange. My Packard Hell 120 MHz (now at 200MMX) took anything I put in it. Desktop machine with riser card. It now has a new hard drive. 1.2 to 3.2 gig. A new video card. Diamond 4meg. 64 megs EDO Ram. US Robotics 56K modem. HAD TO SET THE COM PORT ON IT & IRQ MANUALLY. Added a Sound Blaster 64AWE ISA. And added a second cd-rom-from 8x to 24x. Not too sure what's going on with your modem problem. These aren't win-modems your installing are they. If so, they ain't gonna work.

[cment]

My personal opinion of winmodems.

THEY SUCK!!!!!

[LazMan]

Thanks alot guys, but so far no luck.

If you read through the full first posting, you'll note I tried multiple modems, some had jumpers, some didn't. PCI Modems are Plug-N-Pray, don't have jumpers, demand usage of unusual IRQ and DMA settings and are OS specific (winmodems) - you won't find a PCI Modem in any of my Linux servers (unfortunately since 32-bit technology has potential for lots of advancement...). I originally thought that was the problem (winmodem ****), but after putting in a USR standard and still having lots of problems, I realized there is a serious problem. What is confusing is that all other cards work. 3 different NICs (2 16-bit ISA, and a 3COM PCI), Sound (an ISA 16-bit AzTech card the machine came with) and a cheezy 2D graphics accelerator - all tested in this machine fine. It's only when I put a modem card in that I have a problem. I haven't tried to use an external... I should have a spare Motorola 56Flex (SURFER) laying around in my parts pile, maybe I'll try that this evening or something.

I all out of ideas.

Laz

[ocynic]

Lazman: I had the same type of problem with an older Compaq p100 using that riser card.I finally had to install a com4 through the control panel and tell windows to put the modem on that. com2 is just kind of a ghost now. Also I have that same pack bell p100 in my shop right now that I just started the same process exactly tonite hope I don't hit that wall. combo card out, pci modem,ISA awe 64 in. keep my fingers crossed for both of us.