US Robotics V92 PCI Fax ("Error 11: Unable to connect")

A friend of mine was having modem issues so I installed a new US Robotics Gaming Modem, which I don't use anymore because now I have DSL. The modem always worked flawlessly for me. After I installed it, everything worked fine and they got better connections than they did before.

However, just recently, the modem stopped working!

When she attempts to dial, it tells her to do a "Safety Check ". Whether or not she says "Yes" or "No" to the Safety Check, this error pops up on attempt to dial:

"Error 11: Unable to connect "

I had her try reseating the modem, reinstalling the drivers....nothing, absolutely nothing works. Anyone have a clue?

 

First test I would do would be to connect a telephone handset to the line and see if the there was a dial tone. Also, dial a number with the handset and check for static/noise. That tests everything back to the modem.

After that, I would try setting it up on another computer. That will test the modem hardware.

You have reinstalled the drivers. Did you uninstall the old ones?
I would uninstall the old drivers (Control Panel > Modems, Device Manager and Add/Remove Programs) in Safe Mode . Also check for old modem drivers or software from previous modems.

Matt

 

Well, the phone line they use to dial is the same phone line they use to talk on the phone. So I'd assume there has to be a dialtone, otherwise they'd be calling me and telling me they can't use their phone.

As for the drivers, yes, I uninstalled the old drivers, removed everything....I said "Have Disk" for the new Drivers located on the US Robotics CD "F:\DRIVERS ", and installed the modem drivers for this particular modem. There is only one modem listed in the Device Manager and Phone and Modem Options. Aside from the "Error 11: Unable to connect" error, I also remember the girl telling me that something popped to the effect of "was unable to detect a modem "---even though there clearly is a modem installed. It is seated properly, and the correct drivers are properly installed. Never in my entire computing career have I run into type of modem error.

 

Nope, there is no static. We hooked the phone to the modem and even talked without static.

Can anyone tell us what this "Error 11" is? Do I have to replace the modem? Did it die so soon after such little use?

 

Alright, under Device Manager, Modem Properties, and the Diagnostic Tab, we hit "Query Modem ", and it says :

Command: "ATQ0V1E0 "
Response: "Success "
....then according to the girl, a whole bunch of other stuff she really can't identify...

Strangely, before, when hitting "Query Modem" it was "unsuccessful ". Now it shows as successful, but the modem still doesn't work and will not dial.

The Modem also says it is using COM1. Shouldn't it be using COM3? I don't seem to find the option to change the ports.

 

Uninstall the drivers again and reboot. Even if Windows identifys it and loads drivers, rerun the driver installation program on the CD.

The important part now is not to try to connect to the internet until you reboot.

Check which COM port it is on after reboot, it should have changed to COM3. When it is on COM3 it should be working.

Matt

 

Well well, I found out that the problem has to do with the stupid MSN Internet. This family logs on through each of their own unique MSN IDs, and it's the only way to dial to the internet, by using their personal IDs. They log on using MSN's browser....and in the MSN's logon window, you have to manually go in some sort of settings and make sure that "US Robotics 56k V92 FAX PCI" is selected as the default modem.

We don't know how that got disabled, but after someone figured that out, it dialed fine.

I don't like MSN browser, at all, but unfortunately these people do.

I can't believe a simple google search doesn't clear this up. Seems like it would be a common problem.