Problem With Modem

[BattyBatty]

Hi all

I was planning on selling a spare desktop I have, however after discovering its low (ish) value have decided to use in the spare room.

Problem is, i have just tried to connect to the web, but it will not dial out. It clearly has a modem....As it only has one port for a phone line that fits correctly, and i have opened the box up to check it sits snug with the motherboard, and it does. However, under connection settings, my newly created dial up connection has a cross against it and says 'device missing'. I checked in device manager, and it shows no modem listed.

But i dont get it.... The desktop is only a few years old, and is a Dell Business Series model so you would figure it has a modem?

In the event of it indeed having a modem, but for whatever reason it does not show, is there anything i can do? Do i need to download a driver or something?

Any tips or ideas?

I could probably just buy a 56K modem from pantip, but would prefer to get this one working if poss.

Thanks in advance

[Crossy]

The first question is, are you sure that's a phone port on the back? Phone plugs (RJ11) do fit in the RJ45 network ports (the RJ45 is somewhat wider and will leave a gap either side of the plug).

IIRC The Dell buiness class PC's NEVER came with a modem, it's not a requirement as most were used with office networks.

If it is a modem it's an after market job, I would expect Windows to detect it and install the drivers, unless it's actually busted.

Pop the beast out and see if there's a manufacturer / model number that you can use to search for drivers.

[johng]

May well be a lan/network/ethernet card..

You could get an internal modem

they are very cheap now about 300 baht,but usually need drivers so sometimes cause compatibility problems.

If I was you, I'd find an external modem ( one that connects to the serial port ) as they are compatible with much more hardware..( no drivers needed) they can be found very cheaply too,as everyone is moving to ADSL so you can get second hand modems for 300 - 500 baht even brand new ones for 1000 baht.

[lopburi3]

I have never seen a modem card with only one RJ11 socket so am quite sure you do not have a modem installed. You can buy a card modem for next to nothing as shown in above post.

[BattyBatty]

Thanks guys for the input. Is it possible for me to simply purchase a usb 56K modem?

[Crossy]

Thanks guys for the input. Is it possible for me to simply purchase a usb 56K modem?

Yep, any computer shop should be able to help.

A visit to Pantip / Fortune / Zeer / IT Square should yield a number of small, reasonably priced beasties.

Any particular reason you want a USB one? Regular serial modems may be cheaper and PCI ones to go neatly inside the case even cheaper

[Guest endure]

Thanks guys for the input. Is it possible for me to simply purchase a usb 56K modem?

It's possible but not advisable. A USB modem will steal your cycles and make a mess on the floor. Better you get an external modem (assuming you have a spare serial port) or get a PCI card with a HARDWARE modem (not a Winmodem) on it. Better still if it's made by US Robotics (USR).