Installing a New Modem (Windows)

Introduction

Although the graphics surrounding the text for modem installation have changed, the text itself is the same across multiple versions of Windows from 95 to XP.

There are several ways to encounter the "Installing new modem" series of prompts. Creating a dialup networking instance without a modem installed will start the wizard, but it can also be accessed via the Control Panel (Start -> Settings -> Control Panel).

Each version of Windows organizes the Control Panel slightly differently. However, the keywords to look for are "Modem" and/or "Networking" (sometimes as "Phone and modem options," sometimes as "Modems," sometimes as "Network and dial-up options").

Once you have located the area of your Control Panel which relates to modems, double-click that item and look for something like "Add modem" or "Make new connection".

If you try to create a new dialup connection and have not installed your modem, you will see the Install New Modem window. (If you already have a modem and would like to add another, you can also choose to add a modem after beginning the dialup connection creation process.) The Install New Modem window allows you to select your modem from a list or have Windows detect it automatically.

Note: PCMCIA modem users should pay close attention to the prompts, which usually require the system be powered off and restarted, and not warm booted (i.e., with Ctrl-Alt-Delete); otherwise, the drivers may not load properly.

Before continuing, you should:

• Make sure that your modem is correctly connected to your computer.
  Some modems connect via serial ports, others via USB ports, others via PCMCIA card slots, and others are installed inside the computer's case.
  
  
• Make sure that your modem has power supplied to it.
  If it is an internal or PCMCIA modem, the computer will supply the power it needs. If it is an external modem, it will usually need a separate power plug. However, some USB-based modems take their power from the computer they are plugged into.
  
  
• Then click Next.

Windows will now try to detect your modem. From here there are two primary options:

1. Windows recognizes your modem.
2. Windows did not recognize your modem.

Case 1: Windows recognizes your modem

If Windows detects a new modem, it will return the Verify Modem window, with a message similar to the one below.

If this is your modem type, click Next to continue. (If it is not your modem type, click Change and follow the prompts to select your modem from a list, similar to the Windows does not recognize your modem scenario.)

What happens now depends on the presence or absence of the file telephon.ini in your Windows directory. This file will probably not be present the very first time you install a modem or define a dialup connection; however, after a dialup networking-related item has been configured, the file will be available to future dialup-related items.

If you have already defined a location, you will not be prompted to enter your location and will return to whichever dialup-related window you were using when you started the Install New Modem procedure.

If you have not defined a location, the Location Information window will pop up, asking you to supply the country from which you will be dialing, the area code, and the outside line prefix.

Typical answers for this window will be:

Country: United States of America

Area code: 217

Outside line: If you will usually use this modem from a place where you need to dial 9 to get an outside line, enter 9 in this box. If you do not need to dial an extra number to get an outside line, leave the box blank.

Tone or pulse dialing: The vast majority of modern American phone lines use tone dialing. However, if you dial the number 4 and hear 4 sounds, rather than a single tone which is on a different pitch than 5, you are using pulse dialing.

After you click Next, the Install New Modem window will return, telling you that your modem has been set up successfully.

Case 2: Windows did not detect your modem

If your modem is drastically newer or older than your operating system, this is not an unexpected event. If your modem is of about the same age as your operating system, however, you may wish to recheck your modem's power and connections and ask Windows to try to detect it again.

If you decide to tell Windows which modem you are using, you will be prompted to select your modem from a list:

The list is organized by manufacturer (on the left) and modem version (on the right).

• If your modem's manufacturer appears in the list on the left, choose that manufacturer. Then scan for the correct version of your modem in the list on the right. (If your modem is newer than the operating system, you may wish to use the manufacturer's drivers rather than the version built into Windows.)
  
  
• If your modem's manufacturer does not appear, you can try to use a standard modem driver (i.e. choose the list of Standard Modem Types in the left hand side of the window shown above, then choose your modem speed in the right half of the window). Or, if you have separate media which came with your modem (such as a CD-ROM or floppy disk), you can tell Windows where to find the drivers on that media.

If you don't want to use anything on the list, or to specify drivers you have on other media (such as floppy disks or CDs), click the Have Disk button. Then browse to the drive and directory containing your modem information.

In either case, once you have identified your drivers, the Install New Modem window will return and ask you to select the port to be used with your modem.

• If your machine has more than one of the type of port you are using, and you are not certain which port you have plugged it into, you may need to return to this step and try another port later.

When you have completed this task, click Finish, and you will return to your previous window.