First or all com1 and com3 are the same thing, as are com2 and com4. The difference is the addressing and IRQ, For this reason many modems install on com5...in any case com3 is fine...If you have the drivers loaded delete the modem from device manager, be sure an active phone line is hooked to the modem, some modems won't be detected without having a phone line attached, reboot the system and let the windows98 plug and pray utility detect and configure it. If this does not work post a messege and I will walk you through the next step.

Thank you VERY MUCH for your desire to help. I have followed your instructions and I get the error mesage that there is no telephone line detected. The line is good. I have a phone attached to the computer in the phone port, not the line port. The phone works fine. The phone line to the computer is pretty long. I read that this can cause the problem. I will try a more direct line. If you have any more ideas that I can try, PLEASE post them here. I might be slow in getting your message because I have to ask someone else to let me use their computer.

I had the same problem with a BestData modem, One day I came home and I could not get it to work no matter what. It also said 'no dialtone'. I repaced it with another of the same exact model and everything worked fine. Somehow the modem suddenly became defective. Modems are cheap.. You can get a new one on Ebay quite cheap..Maybe you can borrow another modem to try in your system and see what happens?

Whippaway,
Thank you for your reply. I believe what you said about how easily modems can go wrong. The only thing that keeps me pursuing this is that it has happened to me five
times in the last seven years.
The first time, after struggling with the same problems I now have, I bought a new modem and had no trouble getting it to work, The second time, I bought a new modem but it didn't work either. I took it to two repair shops. The first one told me that the new modem was bad, also. The second shop was a lot closer to the ISP location and the modem worked fine. I took it home and it did not work. I took it back and it worked fine again. They told me that the modem so weak that it would not work from the place I live, which is about 30 miles away. So, then, I re-installed the first one that went bad and it worked fine. The third time I had this same problem, after formatting a drive, a support service that I no longer have access to helped me to resolve the problem. I wish I could remember what he had me do. The fourth time, my daughter-in-law, who knows zilch about compters, re-installed the modem that was supposed to be too weak and had no problem getting it to work. I had tried the same thing twice but it hadn't worked for me.
Now, over a year has passed and I switched hard drives with my wife and installed my old hhd as a slave on her machine while saving the driver for my modem. She had been having trouble with her drive, so, I formatted it and reinstalled programs and the same driver I had previously. It didn't work. Switching drives should not have hurt my modem. and I believe it can be fixed.
I want to learn how to do it because I am sure it will happen again. I have talked to others whose modems have gone bad when they formatted the hard drive. I believe it is a software problem instead of a bad modem. I CAN be wrong, though. My wife says I usually am.

Maybe the problem is in the phone line. Maybe the impedance is too low, or there is noise on the line. You should call the phone company and have them test the line for you.

This is going to sound very weird, but yesturday I reformatted a PC with a Conexant 56k modem, and had a huge problem finding drivers for it. That is, until I stoped searching, became frustrated, and went to http://www.Conexant.com - which to my shock, was a good resource.

Here is the direct link to Conexant's Modem Driver Page: http://www.conexant.com/support/md_driverdownload.jsp. I suggest running the "List Modem Application for PC" (available on that page) to determine what type of modem you are running - HSF (or HSP, its the same driver) or AC '97. After that, just select your operating system and the type of modem you have and download the driver, also on that page.

I guess you're lucky I did some computer work for friends yesturday. *lol*

When it comes to Poor lines.....long extension cables and cheap ISPs the best solution has always been a HARDWARE external modem.

Cheap internal modems are Usually software modems......Lucent Winmodems come to mind.....and rely HEAVILY on your CPU and your Operating Software.

There are a few hardware internal modems but most new internal modems will be software.

Agreed...external modem would be the best solution to your problems. Might be a hassle to find a place to put it but it would be a world better than what you're having to deal with right now. Good on you Doctor Who

Cheers TKS