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3.3 Dialup - How to troubleshoot a dialup connection problem


If Simply Bits is your ISP, and you are experiencing problems with your dialup connection please try these steps to resolve your problem before calling techical support.

A dialup connection uses a phone line and a modem to connect you to the Internet. Therefore, the first step in troubleshootin any dialup connection is to make sure that both the phone line and the modem are working peroperly.


Testing the phone line
  1. Connect a standard voice phone with a handset to the phone receptacle into which the comouter will be connected;
  2. Check the phone for dialtone;
  3. If there is no dialtone please contact phone company;
  4. Verify that the line from the receptacle is connected to the proper port on the computer modem. Most modern modems have two ports, one labeled "Line" the other labeled "Phone". The wire from the receptacle plugs into the port labeled "Line".
  5. Connect your standard voice phone to the other port labeled "Phone"
  6. Turn on power to the modem;
  7. Pickup the phone and check for dialtone;
  8. If you do not have dialtone, check the connections to be sure they are in the proper ports. If they are, please contact your modem manufactuer as this may be an indicator of a problem with the modem.
Testing the modem - Windows XP
  1. Start, Settings, Control Panel;
  2. Double click the Printer & Modem Devices;
  3. Click on the Modems tab;
  4. Highlight your modem and click on properties;
  5. Click on the Diagnostics tab;
  6. Click Query Modem;
  7. If you receive an error message you may have a hardware conflict or failure. Please contact your laptop manufacturer or your modem manufacturer for assistance, otherwise proceed to the next step;
  8. Delete and recreate the connection (if you do not know how to do this please read the How to setup a dialup connection support document)
Testing the modem - Windows NT/2000 (support for this operating system has expired)
  1. Start, Settings, Control Panel;
  2. Double click the Phone & Modem Options;
  3. Click on the Modems tab;
  4. Highlight your modem and click on properties;
  5. Click on the Diagnostics tab;
  6. Click Query Modem;
  7. If you receive an error message you may have a hardware conflict or failure. Please contact your laptop manufacturer or your modem manufacturer for assistance, otherwise proceed to the next step;
  8. Delete and recreate the connection (if you do not know how to do this please read the How to setup a dialup connection support document)
Testing the modem - Windows 95/98/ME (support for this operating system has expired)
  1. Start, Settings, Control Panel;
  2. Modems;
  3. Click on the Diagnostics tab;
  4. Highlight the COM Port on which your modem is connected, and then click More Info;
  5. If you receive an error message you may have a hardware conflict or failure. Please contact your laptop manufacturer or your modem manufacturer for assistance, otherwise proceed to the next step;
  6. Delete and recreate the connection (if you do not know how to do this please read the How to setup a dialup connection support document)