I’m trying to get a modem to work in my old modemless computer with no luck at all.
The modem itself is a PCI Communications Device AOPEN FM56-PLX, I have no software for it.
The computer is a AMD 1.4Ghz with Windows ME and plenty of empty slots for a nice modem to fit in.
I’ve tried plugging her in, but it refuses to set up. I assume this is due to a lack of a driver, but I really have no idea.
So tech ogs of the SDMB I beg for your omniscient knowledge.
I forgot to add, I am already set up for internet service on the computer, it knows the number to dial and all that jazz, I just don’t have a modem to do the dialing.
By ‘it refuse to set up’, do you mean that on plugging in and booting up Windows acts as if nothing has changed? Or that it ‘finds new hardware’, but can’t install it? If the latter, search www.driverguide.com for the appropriate drive - I’ll be surprised if it’s not there. If it’s the former, then try putting the modem in another slot. And check that the modem itself isn’t faulty - try it in another computer, if possible.
Alright, I’ve got the correct driver, but when I boot up the computer it recognizes new hardware then I get a “CMDNINST” error and have to restart, and I need to remove the modem if i want the computer to start up completely.
Um…help?
This might help: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=http://support.microsoft.com:80/support/kb/articles/Q277/9/94.ASP&NoWebContent=1
Modems can be a huge PITA to install
1: Pull the modem and delete the modem definition from the modem setup section n Control Panel
2: Go into your BIOS and defeat all your onboard COM ports.
4: Expand drivers to a specific directory and install driver without modem installed
5: Shut down and plug in modem - restart
6: For any drivers asked for during install point modem to directory you placed drivers in and subdirectory with OS appropriate drivers.
Thanks for both of your help so far.
Where exactly are the BIOS you’re talking about?
BIOS = Basic Input/Output System. It’s the very basic built-in software which controls the nuts and bolts of the computer, functioning beneath the operating system.
To enter the BIOS, you (normally) need to press Del (the one by the number pad, not Delete) during the first few seconds of the computer booting. (Although on some, it’s F1 or something else instead - there should be a message flashed up for a second or two saying “Press XYZ to enter setup” or similar). This takes you to a menu where you can control many basic functions of the computer.
Obviously, don’t change anything you don’t understand - but there’s no harm looking around just to see what’s there. You’ll probably have to do that anyway, to find where the COM ports are as mentioned by astro. Disable them all, and choose the ‘save & exit’ option - the computer will then reboot and should load as normal.
If you’re worried about doing all this, remember to back up important stuff first - but there’s normally an option in the BIOS setup to restore defaults, which should undo any harm you accidentally cause. But it shouldn’t be necessary, anyway 