I am having trouble with my 56k dialup internet connection (Windows XP).
For some reason, it will almost never let me connect on the first attempt. I click the ‘connect’ button, and then I hear the phone number getting dialled, then the modem makes its usual screeching noises, but then instead of saying “Verifying username and password” it just disconnects and redials.
The text that is appearing in the dialup box looks like this:
Dialing…
Dialing…
Dialing…
Redialing in 5 seconds.
Dialing attempt 2.
Dialing…
Dialing…
Dialing…
Redialing in 5 seconds.
Dialing attempt 3.
Dialing…
Dialing…
Dialing…
Redialing in 5 seconds.
Dialing attempt 4.
Dialing…
Dialing…
Dialing…
Redialing in 5 seconds.
Dialing attempt 5.
Dialing…
Dialing…
Dialing…
Redialing in 5 seconds.
You will notice after each ‘Dialing attempt #’, the word ‘Dialing’ appears 3 times. While the modem is screeching, only the first of the three ‘Dialing…’ is displayed. Once the modem stops screeching, there’s about a 5 second pause (where it is supposed to then display ‘verifying username and password’) and then the 2 more ‘Dialing…’ appear in quick succession before I hear my modem disconnect, and attempt another connection.
Also, sometimes I will connect first go, sometimes on dialling attempt 2, sometimes on dialling attempt 3. Occasionally it will go up to 4 and 5. It appears to be quite random.
Please note that when the dial attempt fails, it is not because of an engaged line, as the modem does not screech when this occurs.
Also, I have tried dialling the same number from a different computer (in a different house) and it always connects first go, every time.
It’s usually a server-side problem. When I had AOL dialup, it would very often fail to connect on the first go. Unfortunately, besides truying different local access numbers or switching ISPs entirely, there’s not much you can do.
Dial up servers have banks of modems for you and other customers to connect to. Ofen, one or more of the modems go bad. If you hit one of the bad ones, you’re not going to connect. Redialing right away is best since you can hopefully attempt to connect to the next modem in the hunt while the bad one is resetting itself.
Back in the old days when modem was your only choice, these modem servers would actually be full – all connections used by customers. And if you tried to dial in, you would get a busy signal. Sometimes, the only unused modem was a bad one, and no matter how many times you redialed, you kept getting that bad one and couldn’t connect.
One assumes and hopes that the techies administering your modem server check the logs daily (at least once a week) and can see when a modem goes bad and take it out of the hunt. Until they do, you may have several days of having to attempt to connect several times before you do.
Or, as mentioned, you phone line is crummy. But often if that’s the case, you’ll find that you’re connecting at a lower speed (say 28.8 rather than 56k).
I did connectivity tech-support for a while, and was surprised by the frequency of physical problems involed in dialing issues. Longer phone cords, dirty connections, bad jack wiring, and loose cords were the culprit more often than I expected.
Our go-to option for seemingly unsolvables was “have you shut your computer down in the last month/year”? If no, it usually worked. Disk maintenance is also key, especially when using dial up.
Lastly, check to make sure that your primary connect number is the most optimal. My 2 cents, clean the drive throughout, shut down for a minute, check your settings (including dialers) and then raise holy hell with your ISP. That’s what they’re paid for. Sweet vengeance.