Linda4938

I called the pc shop and talked with the tech about the possible problems as mentioned by you kind folks. I then brought in the pc for another check. Tomorrow I pick up the pc from the shop, and it's all fixed (fingers crossed). The problem WAS with the new modem; it turns out that for some unknown reason it's not compatible with MSN. This time a different tech went the extra mile and took the pc home with him and hooked it up to test the MSN download. This was crucial because, otherwise, if I simply brought the pc back to the shop and he checked it, it would have shown the previous new modem was fine, as it WAS installed properly, drivers installed properly, etc. In other words, back to square one, so God Bless this man for his efforts. He removed the other modem and replaced it with another new modem aqnd drivers of a different name brand (I'll ask the name tomorrow). He was then able to complete the download for me without incident. He stated he could now access the net..... as I'll find out tomorrow when I bring it home. I'm making this post for two reasons. One is to alert anyone with a Win 98 SE that needs a new modem to reconsider before installing the PCI SoftV92 Voice Softening modem with an MSN ISP. Secondly, I'd like to once again thank those people who took the time and effort to offer their help, especially you Charles, who spent time researching possible solutions to this problem. Bless you and my heartfelt thank you!! It is much appreciated!!

Today, I started the pc in Safe Mode and tried again with MSN. Here's the message that popped up on the screen.. "Your modem is not working properly or is already in use, please close the connection and try again". I checked the "Modem Properties" and, under "Resources", I saw this: "This device isn't using any resources because it's not currently enabled or has a problem." I looked under "Set configurations Manually" and under "Use automatic settings" I noted the box is checked. So the basic config. is "0000". The other options are: 001, 002, and uncheck "Use automatic setting". I tried all but the "002" setting, to no avail. Also, as a side note, it bothers me that port com 1 has a note of "no modem detected".Could it be a port problem? Reconfiguration of this new modem needed? How to do this?

BTW, as an aside, I looked in "Add New Hardware", and let it do a scan for new hardware. The answer was in the negative. When it scanned the modem status, here's what the result was: Checking--Com Port (com 1) Status--Looking for modem result: "Did not find any new modems connected to your computer". I didn't do anything about this, I wanted to report it to you. I did see what modems are listed ti install, and mine wasn't there. The closest was "VoiceView Modem types 9600, 19200, 28800 Does this mean anything?

Hi Charles....... I did as you suggested, only the IRQ is checked. When I did the reinstall, I could not download MSN because the pc couldn't recognize the old modem. It never did the things I listed in the above posts, it went through the dialing motions, complete with the sound the pc makes when dialing a number. Then came the pop-up box re: the modem. The new modem is a PCI SoftV92 Voice Softening Modem. Could this be the problem? That is, is there some sort of configuration that needs to be done in order to access the net? I'm on dial-up. Also, the modem is connected to Port Com 2. No modem is connected to Port 1. Does this matter? The men at the pc shop said "No". LLXX.....Is there a site to download drivers so I can burn them to CD? Why would you think I need drivers specifically? Thank you both so much for offering your help. Most people, when hearing it's a 98 SE I'm having trouble with, laugh and remind me it's 2006. No one has a clue as to what can be wrong. Even the men at the Computer Doc shop have nothing more to offer after they installed the new modem.

Thank you Charles........ I checked, and the old modem/drivers were removed at the shop. This LT modem is "Soft voice/ring". No trace of the MSN download after reinstallation. The problem, I feel is definitely with the pc....it reacts almost violently when it tries to dial the connection. I tried again today, and, as I said, at the point when it tries to dial, it either freezes (requiring a manual shut down), OR turns off immediately, OR shows a black screen with the message "Windows Protection Error. You need to restart your computer." Today it froze up so badly the only way to turn the pc off was to unplug it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would appreciate any assistance anyone would care to give with this problem. I recently reinstalled Windows on my dinosaur Win 98 SE. I brought it to a pc repair shop a few days ago to have a new modem installed since the pc didn't "recognise" the old one after installation. Other than a new keyboard, this was all that was done to it. Today, after picking up the pc from the shop, I tried to install my MSN, but was unable. The older CD kept maniacaly reinstalling itself repeatedly until the pc either froze up or the screen would go blank with a message stating: "Windows Protection Error. You should restart your computer". The more recent CD would partially download, but every time it gets to the point of dialing the connection (to show the local numbers I can choose) the pc freezes and can only be turned off manually. The men at the pc shop the computer was fine and suggested it's the MSN software. I don't feel this is the problem since I used it on another pc in July and am using it now also. The phone line connections are fine. I feel the problem is somewhere in/with the computer, but am puzzled as to what the problem may be. Thank you in advance to all who may care to offer assistance. It is greatly appreciated. __________________