I have an antique pos compaq computer running 98 se, I'm using a usr 5699b modem. my problem is that i keep getting disconnected from the internet. my time online varies from less than a minute to about 17 minutes. I seem to be able to stay on line longer when i first get on line. help!!!!! this is driving me crazy. I'm running avg anti virus and it's up to date. I also use spybot and ad-aware and they don't show any spy ware. any help would be appreciated. my isp is sbc. and yes they suck. later, ahgar
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need help form computer gurus
- Thread starter ahgar
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It is possible that your modem can't handle the accelerated dial-up speeds that are currently out there. While dial-up is slow it is much faster now than it was in 1998. Are the cables secure or do they flop around in the port? Slight movement in the port could disconnect you. Running Win98 probably isn't helping either and your system most likely can't run anything newer as far as operating systems go. Sounds like your pc would be better served as a wheel chock. 
You're probably also a few revs behind the current modem standard. I assume you're running a V.90 modem and I believe the current standard is V.92. See if you can flash your modem for an upgrade to the current standard.
My other guess is outside your control. Line noise. Not much you can do about that.
But I agree with KVC. Time for a massive system upgradee. Turn the current box into a linux router/firewall.
Phil
My other guess is outside your control. Line noise. Not much you can do about that.
But I agree with KVC. Time for a massive system upgradee. Turn the current box into a linux router/firewall.
Phil
glockman99
RIP Dann, you were a good guy.
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Also, check to make sure that there is NO corrosion on the ends of your phone cables, as well as in the phone jack itself.K.V. Collucci said:
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ahgar said:
Your first problem is your OS , 98SE was dandy when it came out - do yourself a favor and get WinXP Pro (not home , home is better than nothing but Pro is far better).
Now that I've said that , you didnt post your computer's specs , hopefully it is robust enough to run XP Pro , if not..... then forget it and time to buy a new box.
Seriously Dell has fantastic deals , if you have half ass credit you can hook yourself up on a nice payment plan.
No offense bythis either , but Compaq is a horrible machine ,every one I have ever layed hands upon was a convoluted mess, so what i'm saying is dont be tempted to buy another Compaq , go with Dell :thumbup:
Now if you get that shiny new Dell and your still having problems then it's your phone line , an old house/apartment more than likely has old phonle lines which can cause problems in itself , then it's time to spoil yourself with either DSL or Cable Modem , I prefer Cable Modem and it's really not that expensive.
You will become addicted to watching pages load in microseconds as opposed to a minute or two.
Now if all of the above is out of your price range then you can try to update your modem drivers , find out what kind it is , hopefully something like USRobotics , and find your model and then update those drivers.
Make sure your Hard Drive is defragmented often as well , if the HD is older , it is also slower , fragmentation can affect overall preformance big time !
Good luck.
a wheel chock???? how dare you suggest my computer is anything less than state of the art! oh wait, dang, you're absolutely right. this computer is kind of like that pair of tennis shoes your wife has been trying to get you to throw away for the last 10 years, you know they need to go but you get kind of attached. as far as a current standard being v92 you are correct, everyplace but arkansas our standard is something like v46. it's just a little above 2 dixie cups and a string. as far as the other suggestions, checked connections, checked slot and even moved to another port, still same thing. line noise is affirmative but hasn't changed lately so i don't think it is the culprit. I probably need to chunk it but it has become a matter of principle to me to get it running right or kill it trying. thanks for the help,ahgar
rebeltf thanks for the post. and i fully agree with you that compaq sucks so hard you have to come up with a new scale to adequately measure the negative pressure. I also agree with your preference for dell they seem to be about the best out there now. i work at a fire dept and we use dells and even we can't kill them. can't get dsl where i live, and cable companies are evil.my drivers are current. i regularly defrag and scandisk my computer so that's not it. as a matter of fact i agree with everything you say except your blasphemy regarding 98se. windows xp is most likely of the devil and should be avoided at all cost. what i'm saying is after 8 years of messing with 98 i finally got used to it and don't want learn a new os. thanks for the post, ahgar
right now i'm using sbcglobal. you'll notice i said "right now" i've only had them for a short time but i'm getting the impression they suck. I had compuserve for years and while it had it's quirks it was always reliable. I may be moving back if this continues. later, ahgar
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More often than not, the problem is noise on the phone line. You may not hear any noise, but modems use pitches higher and lower than the frequencies the human ear can hear .... so you can have a LOT of static on the line without it interfering with your voice usage of the phone.
Call the phone company and request a data integrity test. You might have to cdall them a few times to get someone that actually knows what you are talking about. But, this is by and large the most common cause of frequent disconnects with a dial up connection.
You might also start your computer in safe mode and check device manager to see how many modems show..... sometimes there are a lot of extras that only show up in safe mode but confuse windows, and prevent the modem from working correctly. If you have multiple modems showing in safe mode, delete them all and reinstall the modem software from scratch.
Those USR winmodems work pretty awful unless they are installed perfectly.
Call the phone company and request a data integrity test. You might have to cdall them a few times to get someone that actually knows what you are talking about. But, this is by and large the most common cause of frequent disconnects with a dial up connection.
You might also start your computer in safe mode and check device manager to see how many modems show..... sometimes there are a lot of extras that only show up in safe mode but confuse windows, and prevent the modem from working correctly. If you have multiple modems showing in safe mode, delete them all and reinstall the modem software from scratch.
Those USR winmodems work pretty awful unless they are installed perfectly.
just a quick update, I AM A GENIUS, all bow before the king of antigue computers. After an exhaustive day dealing with my scooter i took the existing modem out of the computer and threw it as far as i could{about 30 feet like i said i was tired} and dug around in my box of computer goodies. found a modem {well actually an antigue modem-like object} installed it and now i am cooking with gas. I'm connecting at the blinding speed of almost 24000bps. yes i know hard to believe i can attain that blinding speed with my crappaq computer. thanks for all the help and posts. i think i'll keep this computer for at least a couple more years. later, ahgar
Just a comment on older computers:
As long as you just need a computer for internet browsing and office work, an older box will continue to serve you for many years to come. My primary computer is a PIII running Windows 98SE. It does everything now that could do when it was new, and can even run most new software titles (except the latest high-graphic games).
Sounds like you found the problem! Way to go! Keep that old machine running as long as you can - the landfills and environment will thank you.
I do despise off-the-shelf computers (Compaq, eMachines, whatever). Mostly because of the junk "onboard" components, and also because of the crap software that generally comes crammed on them.
Best Wishes,
-Bob
As long as you just need a computer for internet browsing and office work, an older box will continue to serve you for many years to come. My primary computer is a PIII running Windows 98SE. It does everything now that could do when it was new, and can even run most new software titles (except the latest high-graphic games).
Sounds like you found the problem! Way to go! Keep that old machine running as long as you can - the landfills and environment will thank you.
I do despise off-the-shelf computers (Compaq, eMachines, whatever). Mostly because of the junk "onboard" components, and also because of the crap software that generally comes crammed on them.
Best Wishes,
-Bob
And if it's just for browsing and such you could try a Linux Distro on it?
Download or order Ubuntu Live and you can boot off the CD without affecting your classy Windows setup
Your web browsing would be handled by Firefox, which you should get either way, it works for windows also but blocks attacks and pop-ups way better than IE! Your Instant Messenger of whatever flavour are all on one program in Linux, you enter usernames and passwords and then pick if you want AIM, MSN, Yahoo or whatever as your preffered messenger program.
It's a good way to try Linux without committing to it. There are even smaller versions out there, including one that comes on a "Business Card" type CD! Any older PC is viable with a mini Linux distro running on it
Download or order Ubuntu Live and you can boot off the CD without affecting your classy Windows setup
Your web browsing would be handled by Firefox, which you should get either way, it works for windows also but blocks attacks and pop-ups way better than IE! Your Instant Messenger of whatever flavour are all on one program in Linux, you enter usernames and passwords and then pick if you want AIM, MSN, Yahoo or whatever as your preffered messenger program.
It's a good way to try Linux without committing to it. There are even smaller versions out there, including one that comes on a "Business Card" type CD! Any older PC is viable with a mini Linux distro running on it
I never became a fan of Linux, although I've tried many different distros (installed and LiveCD) on this computer. Just never felt comfortable, and they never really ran faster or better than Windows.
BeOS, on the other hand, absolutely flies on this old Pentium III! QNX also runs very well, especially for internet browsing.
-Bob
BeOS, on the other hand, absolutely flies on this old Pentium III! QNX also runs very well, especially for internet browsing.
-Bob
You really should let your isp know about the problem, there may be something they can do. Also if you have the "mantainace plan" from you phone co. they will come out and check you lines for issues, I pay something like $3 a month extra and the phone co will take care of any issues I have, both in and outside the house.