How can I reinstall older (stable) modem driver

I recently installed an updated modem driver from the HP website, but sorry I did. I now want to 'drop back' to my older driver, which I have on a recovery CD, but the Windows mechanism for 'Update Driver' sees that I'm trying to install to an older driver and won't let me do it. The actual window designed to do it LOOKS like it'll let you do it - (see Control Panel-System-Device Manager-Modem-Properties-Driver-Search-Specify location-Device Driver Wizard) - but in fact, regardless of whether you click 'Next' or 'Back', Windows leaves the current one un-updated..???

I'm loathe to 'remove/install' mechanism for the modem, as when I did this a month or so ago, W98 could not 'find' it, and 'adding' a modem got ******* up 'cos it tried to put it in COM1 vs. COM3 which is where it actually is..... a Gates conundrum..

 

You are correct. BAD move.

Sorry, But that is not a Gates Problem. That is an Internal Modem problem.

Once one of same has been set up so that it works LEAVE IT ALONE Once they are set they very seldom will change.

You may need to go so far as removing it ( physcically if not builtin ) and put it in another slot and then see if it will use the newer driver.

BillyBob

 

You can manually delete the driver for the modem. it will be stored in the system32 dir you just have to find it.

 

Instead of "Search for Updated Drivers ", select "Display a list of all the drivers ", your old drivers may be listed there.

 

Look on the HP website and on Driverguide.com for the old version of the driver. Driverguide.com very likely has it, although HP may have discontinued it. Then add it through Add Hardware in Control Panel, not via Device Manager. Click for Have Disk and direct it to your new/old driver. But try the suggestion above, first. If it works it will save you a lot of time and trouble.

 

BillyBob - thanks, you'd think I'd learned my lesson, eh?!!

Crucial - thanks too, but there were so many drv's in there that I couldn't determine which were for the modem... there are audio drivers, midi drivers, wav drivers, etc., all of which 'might' be to do with the modem....?

markp62 - thanks, it's not that I can't find the driver I want (it's on my W98 CD), but W98 won't let me replace the newer (unstable) with the older....

pstanhope - thanks, but, as encountered several weeks ago, when I use 'add hardware', it all goes smoothly until it asks me where I want to put it... the only two choices it gives me are COM1 and LPT1, and the modem is on COM3... and it won't let me assign it to COM3...!!

All further suggestions welcome.. thanks to all..

 

To expand on Crucial's advice about deleting the files. Go into Device Manager, double click the Modem entry, then click on the Drivers tab, then click on Driver Details button. There you will see the names of the modem's drivers, and their locations. Simply rename them, do not delete.
Note: do nothing to the file 'Vmm32.Vxd', this is a very important system file, a compilation of several system files into one, and is shared by various componets of the operating system. If in doubt, post the names of them here.

 

"as encountered several weeks ago, when I use 'add hardware', it all goes smoothly until it asks me where I want to put it... the only two choices it gives me are COM1 and LPT1, and the modem is on COM3... and it won't let me assign it to COM3...!! "

Put it on Com1 then and when you reboot, Windows will, or should, reassign the modem to match it. If not, at least you'll have the driver installed and we can work from there.

 

This is not an unusual situation for an Internal Modem. Many times when they get messed up they will not re-install properly.

The worst part of all this is the fact that IRQ conflicts can exist But DO NOT show in device manager.

A better ( a 99.5% permanent fix ( and better overall )) is to get an External Modem. Plug it into a Serial Port. Restart the machine and unless something is drasticly wrong you will have a modem to us immediately.

I have a US Robitics External that has been on many machines and OSs from win3.1 on up to and including Windows XP Pro and has NEVER refused to work or be recognized by the OS.

Just need to check Serial ports as being 9 or 25 pin so you get the proper cable. ( or adapter for same )

But I am refering to a Home built machine not an OEM. But it still should ( and has in the past ) work(ed).

Drivers will not install properly if they can not find the Modem. If the Modem was on COMM 3 once it got messed up something else many have grabbed the IRQ that is was using. ( usually the Sound card )

I believe that any and all modems will need to be removed from the device mangar. And maybe even a new one purchased.

Shut the machine down ( POWER OFF ) Physically remove the Modem. Restart the machine without it. Check the Device Manger for any Modems again. Remove them if any show up.

Shut down and reinsert the modem in a different slot and restart. Hopefully it will be found and drivers will install.

If this does not work, go get yourself an External.

BillyBob

 

COMM 1 is a BIOS dedicated External Serial port ( unless changed in the BIOS ) and I doubt the Internal modem will connect to it.

BB

 

Well guys (and gals?) .. thanks a lot for all your insight and suggestions..... I've gone batty working on this thing all day and have been scared several times when the damned modem wouldn't even chirp.. but I am now at the point where everything works except the connection to my ISP just hangs after a few minutes.. takes a reboot to reestablish... there'll be no warning but my connection icon (incoming) will just not light at all, despite my outgoing (XMT) icon flashing when I XMT.... I had attributed this to the updated driver from HP, but I think I now have the original driver installed and it still does it. Everything's relative though, and I am just glad to be back where I was yesterday! Good info from you all, THANKS very much!

A BBS Q: when I post these responses, does everyone in the thread get notified by e-mail that new info has been 'added' to the link?

 

"A BBS Q: when I post these responses, does everyone in the thread get notified by e-mail that new info has been 'added' to the link? "

I can't speak for everyone, but I get notified....How did you solve your problem? Did Windows reassign the modem after you installed the old driver?
Glad you're up and working again, albeit imperfectly. Thanks for posting back with your results.

 

pstanhope - I wish I knew what I did, or at least what it was that got me back to 'useable'... I did end up removing (via Device Manager I think) the modem, and ask W to find new hardware, which it didn't, but at some point after a reboot it spontaneously 'foun new hardware' and asked for a CD, which I happily supplied.... At one point I did see that a modem was assigned to COM4 (!!??) but don't ask me how I (it?) did that. I AM comforted by the fact that you supplied, e.g. that one can assign a modem to COM1 and a subsequent reboot will place it in COM3... that info will serve me well in the future, I'm sure... thanks.!

OK, now to salvage what is left of the weekend!

 

Billybob: Thank you also for your insight.. and the observation that COM1 is a committed port that will not be corrupted by my antics.. I will also consider getting an external modem if this folly persists.. this is a great forum, much more fruitful than the MS and HP 'support' websites... I had 31 years as technical support of Unisys mainframes and we've had been out of business if we'd done no better than MS and HP ....!

 

One more post-mortem observation:

Now when I reboot, I get a whole page full of MS-DOS commands between the Windows98 logo appearing and my Desktop screen..... The commands all appear to be remarks, so I'm going to 'live with them', but FYI, they look something like:
C:\
C:\
C:\
C:\REM CD-ROM
C:\
C:\REM Mouse
C:\
C:\REM Display
etc., etc.,....
I did make one attempt to examine the step-by-step commands on reboot, but the steps didn't look like those above, so I abandoned the examination..

 

Those are coming from your C:\Autoexec.bat file. If you put the following line at the beginning of the file, they will not appear again.
@echo off
If you have nothing loading in the Autoexec.bat file, such as an AV scanner running at bootup, you can either delete all the lines and have that file as empty, or you can delete Autoexec.bat, Win98 does not need it.

 

OK, I'll get into autoexec.bat and edit it.. thanks for the tip. I don't have anything exotic running on this box. Still not completely stable with this modem yet.. still hangs at various intervals (twice today so far) and it takes a reboot to fix it. Disconnecting the call by right-clicking the icon and redialing gives a very scratchy sound as it redials, so I know it's not the ISP or other lines transient doing it, it's the modem or drivers... and it all started after I downloaded an updated driver from HP, dammit..

 

It may or may not be the modem drivers. You may still have an IRQ conflict. It reads like there may be one between the Audio and the Modem.

This is not a unuual situation. Internal Modems are well noted for this.

Take a look at the Device Manager and check the IRQs that the Sound and Modem are using.

And even if you do not see and Yellow marks does not mean that the conflict does not exist. And if you do see yellow mark there is for sure a conflict. Drivers for either the audio or sound will not install properly if a conflict does exit.

BillyBob

 

BillyBob - you may have hit on something.. although I can't see any conflicts this morning, in all my efforts on Saturday I do remember seeing yellow question marks in (I think) Device Manager.... aklthough I can't rmember the circumstances or where I was in the mess....

Could you elaborate on where/how I can determine if a conflict exists? I've looked in Device Manager just now and the following two categories show:

1) 'Ports (COM & LPT)' shows COM1 and COM2 as Communications ports... no mention of COM3 which is where the Modem is;

2) 'Sound, video and Game controllers' shows two items:
ESS Maestro PCI Audio (WDM), and Wave Device for Voice Modem.
Looking at the Properties for ESS, it shows an Interrupt Request 05.... is that the IRQ number? I seem to remember that there is a correspondence between IRQ# and COM port#....

 

BillyBob - well my connection just went down again - I was on Outlook Express. As always, nothing short of a reboot will re-enable it... re-dialing before a reboot yields a very 'dusty' sound as it dials. While it was bad, I looked at Device manager again and did not see any yellow ...

BTW, is there a less drastic way of restoring this modemn other than a reboot??

(Gonna go offline here for a couple of hours - get some outside work done here in this gorgeous N. Fla weather today...)