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Modem/Dial-Up Tips
How Fast Am I Connected:
I
f you bought your computer any time recently, it probably has a 56Kbps-capable modem.
But chances are that when you connect to your local Internet provider, your actual
connection is much slower than that. Here is a fast way to see just how fast your
current connection is:
1. In the systray at the far right of the taskbar (where your clock is), find the
connection icon (it shows two little computer screens connected by a line in most
cases).
2. Hold the mouse pointer over the connection icon. In a second or two, a ToolTip
appears, telling you how many bytes of data you've received, how many you've sent,
and what your current connection speed is. Hope it's as fast as you expected.
Speeding up the rate that your modem dials the Internet:
By adding an extra modem setting to your Internet Dial-Up Networking connection,
you can increase the speed at which it dials up the Internet.
Start by opening Intern
et Explorer 4, click on View.
For IE5, click on Tools
.
Now click Internet Options.
Go to the Connection tab and then click Settings button.
Now, click the Properties button In this dialog box, click the Configure button.
Now go to the Connection tab.
Click on Advanced.
Finally, in the Extra Settings text box, type S11=40 and click OK.
The next time you use this connection to dial the Internet, you should see a noticeable
decrease in your modem dial-up time.
Dial Up Silence:
If you would like
to get rid of that noise that the modem makes when you dial up, here's how:
Click on Start > Settings > Control Panel.
Double click the Modems icon.
Highlight (one left click) your modem (if it isn't already) and click the Properties
button.
Click the Connection tab, then the Advanced button in the lower right.
On the line where it says Extra Settings, type in M0. (that is a ZERO, not an O)
Now click OK as many times as needed to close all those windows.
You now have a silenced modem.
Or try this:
If you want to shut off the modem speaker, and nothing else has worked, you can enter
a command to turn off the speaker.
Click Start, Settings, Control Panel. When Control Panel opens, double-click the
Modem icons. In the Modems Properties dialog box, click Properties, and then use
the slider to set the speaker volume to Off. Click OK to close the dialog box and
save your changes. If this works, you're finished.
In some cases, this method doesn't work. If you are in this situation, double-click
Modems again and click Properties. Click the Connection tab, Advanced, then click
in the Extra Settings entry box. Enter
atm0
to turn off the speaker. If an AT command is already present, add m0 to the end of
the command. If you need to add another command, say S11=55 to speed up the dialing,
add it to the end of the AT command string. For example, you could use
tm0 e1 s11=55
Whatever your command string, click OK once it is entered. Back in Properties, click
OK, then click Close when you get back to the Modems Properties dialog box.
Also, several readers reported that the modem no longer worked after they entered
the command string. The only way we could get the modem to fail was to enter ATMO
(the letter O), rather than ATM0 (the number zero). If you experienced a modem problem,
check to make sure you entered zero.
Disconnecting alot?:
Do you get disconnected a little too regularly while dialing into your Internet service
provider or sending faxes? Here's a little trick that may stop this from happening
so frequently:
Click
Start and choose Settings + Control Panel.
Double-click the Modem icon.
Click Properties.
Click the Connection tab.
Click Advanced.
In the Extra Settings text box, type "S10=50" (without the quotation marks).
Click OK; then click OK again.
Click Close.
This new setting forces your modem to remain online for as long as five seconds without
being connected to a carrier, which often gives the modem enough time to reestablish
the connection. See if it helps you.
NOTE: You can put ALL of these modem tips in your extra settings box; just make sure
you leave a space between each one. For example, S11=40 M0 S10=50 will get a faster
dial up, you won't get the sound on the speakers and you don't get disconnected.
If incoming telephone calls interrupt online activity,
disable the call waiting feature on your modem telephone line. To disable call waiting:
Cli
ck Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click Modems, and then click Dialing Properties.
Select the This location has call waiting check box.
In the To disable it, dial box, type the code that disables call waiting, according
to your local telephone book.
Click OK, and then click OK again.
Identifying your dynamic IP address with Windows 95:
As you may know, when you connect to you Internet Service Provider via Dial-Up Networking,
your computer is dynamically assigned an IP (Internet Protocol) address. If you've
ever wanted to know what IP address you've been assigned, you'll be happy to know
that Windows 95 comes with an undocumented utility called WINIPCFG.EXE, that can
help. To use this program, choose the Run command from the Start Menu and type WINIPCFG.EXE
in the Run dialog box and click OK. When you do, the IP Configuration dialog box
will appear, displaying your computer's IP address.
Modems Need Dial-Up Networking:
One possibility when that new modem won't work is that Dial-up Networking was never
set up. Double-click on the My Computer icon. Do you see a Dial-Up Networking icon?
If so, then this isn't the problem. If not, create one:
1. Click on Start and then on Settings and Control Panel.
2. Double-click on the Add/Remove Programs icon.
3. Click on the Windows Setup tab and then double-click on Communications.
4. Click the checkbox beside Dial-Up Networking. Then click on Apply.
Creating A Modem Log:
If you are experiencing problems and you think it may be your modem, here is a way
to to monitor it while it's in use:
Go to
 start > settings > control panel > modems
You will see your modem in the box. Highlight it (if needed) and click the Properties
button.
Then select the Connection tab.
Click the Advanced button. When the Advanced Connection Settings box appears, put
a check in front of Record A Log File.
Click OK to close the Advanced Setting dialog box and then click OK a
gain to close the modem properties window.
Now, each time you launch a Dial-Up Networking connection to connect to your ISP,
Windows 95 will open and add information to a log file called Modemlog.txt, which
is located in the Windows folder.
Bye-Bye Flashing Icon:
Windows 95, so eager to help, puts a flashing modem icon into the Taskbar whenever
you're connected to the Internet. If you don't appreciate that help, don't want one
more flashing whatever twitching away in the corner of your view, do something about
it:
1. Click on Start.
2. Open Programs + Accessories.
3. Choose Dial-Up Networking.
4. In the Dial-Up networking dialog box, right-click on your dial-up connection icon.
5. From the pop-up menu, choose Properties.
6. In the Modem Properties dialog box, click on Configure and then on the Options
tab.
7. Click to uncheck the Display Modem Status checkbox.
8. Click on OK.
Now that flasher ought to be gone. However, if you have several dial-up connection
settings stored, such as for several Internet services or for AOL and a separate
Internet service, you'll need to perform this neutering for each one.

Running The Modem Troubleshouter in Win98:
If you're having trouble connecting to the Internet with your modem, you might try
running Windows' Modem Troubleshooter utility as a first step. Though it addresses
only a handful of the most common problems, the Troubleshooter just might have the
fix you need to get back online. It's worth a try, for the desperate, anyway. To
access the Modem Troubleshooter, go to Start, Settings, Control Panel, and select
Modems. Click the Diagnostics tab and then the Help button. Modem Troubleshooter
will launch in an Internet Explorer browser window (though it's accessed from your
hard drive and not the Internet, naturally).
Eliminating The Prompt For Dial-up Information:
If you're tired of having to click Connect after opening your Dial-Up Connection,
you need to change your Connection settings. Go to your Dial-Up Networking folder
(by going to Start, Programs, Accessories, Communications, Dial-Up Networking) and
choose highlight your ISP, then go to Connection>Settings on the menu. Uncheck the
Prompt For Information Before Dialing box and click OK. With this setting, Dial-Up
Networking will dial your connection automatically whenever you launch your Connection
icon.
No More Modem Icon:
If you really like to have a lean and mean system tray, you can set up your Dial-Up
Networking not to display the modem icon when you're logged on. First, open Dial-Up
Networking by going to Start, Programs, Accessories, Communications, Dial-Up Networking.
Right-click on your usual Internet connection and choose Properties. Click on Configure
in the Connect Using section, and click on the Options tab. Uncheck the box that
says Display Modem Status in the Status Control section and click OK twice to exit.