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Modems and Dial-Up Networking:
Watching and Listening to Narrow Down the Problem

Use Your Powers of Observation

It can be hard to tell just where a dial-up networking problem is coming from. It could be a problem with the modem's hardware or software, a problem in Windows, a problem with the phone lines between your computer and your ISP, or a problem at the ISP. Windows may give you an error message if your attempt to connect fails. Sometimes these messages are very helpful, sometimes they are cryptic, misleading, or just wrong. On those occasions where more than one problem is happening simultaneously, making a diagnosis can be especially interesting.

Nevertheless, if you pay attention to what happens when you try to connect, you may be able to narrow down the possibilities. For instance, if you try to dial and Windows can't find the modem, it's safe to assume that the problem is in your computer, not with Bell Atlantic or your ISP. If the modem dials, but there is no answer, and you're sure you're dialing the right number, then you should suspect that the problem is with the phone company or your ISP.

The bad news is that, if when you try to connect your modem dials and your ISP's modem answers, but things aren't right (you can't log on and the connection is terminated, you get a slow connection speed, or you log on but get disconnected frequently), the problem could be anywhere. Having said that, low connection speeds and disconnects are frequently caused by poor phone line quality. For more about this, see "Testing Your Phone Line."

Use the Experimental Method

Sometimes a simple experiment can help narrow down the problem. Here are three tests to try, if you're not sure whether the problem is in your computer or somewhere else. (It can be very helpful to have a friend with a laptop for the last test.) First, make sure that everything is plugged it and turned on. Then:

Try connecting to your ISP by dialing a different access phone number. If this works, and your regular phone number doesn't, the problem is probably with the phone company or your ISP.

Try disconnecting all other devices from the phone line (telephones, fax machines, other computers, etc.), and see if the connection improves.

Try connecting to your ISP at your regular dial-up number, but using a different phone line, or at least a different phone jack, in your home or office. If one jack works and the other doesn't, then the problem is in your building's phone wiring.

Try connecting with your ISP using a different computer plugged into your phone line. If this computer succeeds in getting a good connection to your ISP using the same phone jack and wires that you are having problems with, then the problem is probably in your computer.

If, having done everything on this page, you suspect there may be something wrong with the phone connection between you and your ISP, then go to "Testing Your Phone Line." If not, then gather up whatever information you've been able to discover so far, and proceed to "Modem and Dial-Up Connection Troubleshooting Resources."

Next: Go to "Dial-Up Connection Troubleshooting Resources."

Pine Tree Folk School
RR 2, Box 7162
Carmel, ME 04419
207/848-2433
E-mail: info@ptfolkschool.org