modem problem

[fret]

Does anyone know why my emachines modem won't dial up my isp? It tries to start to dial but doesn't make it past the initial click and ding. I called my isp and everything is ok at their end. Any suggestions?

[ChrisR]

Modems are notoriously fragile and prone to being fried by storms etc. Alternatively, have to eliminated the possibility of a fault on the line? What kind of service do you have with your ISP? Dial-Up, cable or ADSL?

[fret]

I have dial up. The isp said it may be fried too. We have not had any storms here and it was working fine. I turned off the pc and later turned it on and it would not work. I am wondering if i should take it to Staples store to get it checked or try to find a new modem to fit it? I tried new phone connections and lines. No luck there. The dial up works fine on this vista pc.

[ChrisR]

Yes, it might be worth getting someone to try it on a different PC/line and see if it still doesn't want to dial. The fact that it makes some noises suggests that the dialer software is accessing it as usual but it might not be detecting the dial-tone so it doesn't actually dial out. Bit hard to say really but I'd certainly check the modem hardware first if your provider says that your modem-dialer is configured correctly with the right phone number etc :) Also, when checking it make sure that there are no other phones/faxes attached to the phone line at the same time - just in case they are interfering - even if they are elsewhere in the house on extensions.

[fret]

Thanks. I think I'll take it to Staples and let them check it. I do have other phones on the line too. I've never had a problem like this before tho. I'll let you know how it turns out.