Most Common Dial-Up Connection Issues

Even in this almost total digital age we are living in, there are some unfortunate souls that can only access the Internet through a dial-up connection. And, as luck would have it, they are the ones who experience more connection problems than the Internet users lucky enough to have DSL, cable, or satellite connections.

One important thing to remember is that the Windows operating system, in most cases, is the culprit in 85% of the connection problems users experience when using dial-up. Plain and simple - Windows is a huge memory hog. Unfortunately, it's just something the world has to sacrifice for the fast user interface that's programmed into Windows. Well, fast enough, anyway.

Also, if you are using Windows ME, you will be better off if you install either Windows 98 (for an older computer) or Windows XP. ME is the least stable of all versions of Windows, which can cause added connection problems.

That's all fine until you factor in the dial-up modem. The dial-up modem is probably more whiney than Windows itself. Hey, what do you expect with a small piece of hardware that you can buy for less than $10? If you're expecting it to save the world, it won't. Hell, sometimes you're lucky if you can get it to download that illegal MP3 you've been waiting to download for the past hour.

Keep in mind that most standard modems now are software-based, which means that they require software to operate, where hardware modems have these instructions hard coded into their chips on the modem itself.

Now, when you factor in all the memory it requires to run Windows and the additional memory it requires to load the modem's software instructions, when you run out of resources, you will also run into a lot of problems.

Understanding all this will be a great help to you when you're attempting to troubleshoot your connection issues, but also understand that your phone line may be a factor as well. Just because you can get a dial tone and use your phone for regular voice calls, does not mean the same thing for data calls. Your connection requires your phone line to be much more stable. If you're hearing echoes, static, or having any other problem with your phone line, this can greatly effect your connection. Splitters and bad phone cords can also be a problem. Always factor this in to your trouble shooting!

Now, with all of that behind us, on to the error messages!

No Dial Tone

Obviously, you will want to check your phone line first. Make sure the phone line is connected to the outlet and the modem in the proper way. If it is and you still receive the error message, then plug a regular phone into that outlet and test it out that way. If it works, then you're problem will most likely be with your modem.

Most software modems work okay with the default settings, but sometimes you have to tweak them a bit if you're having problems getting connected. Three settings you will want to look at are - port speed, flow control, and buffers.

The default setting for port speed is 115200. Try reducing this to 57600. This can be accomplished various ways for different versions of Windows (this process will be explained in later tutorials).

Now, if you're using a software modem, you will want to set your flow control to either software or XON/XOFF. Use the latter if you are running Windows XP.

If tweaking these settings don't help, you can also try adjusting your buffers. Reduce them to the minimum amount and try connecting again.

Before trying any of these fixes, be sure to restart your system before you try connecting again. Even if you're using Windows XP, it's still a good idea to restart after you make changes.

The last resort will be to re-install the modem drivers. If this doesn't correct your problem, you may want to give up and purchase a new modem.

Unable to Connect to Remote Computer (or, Remote Computer is Not Responding)

Unless your Internet provider is down, this will more than likely be an issue with your modem. Try adjusting the flow control, port speed, buffers, or re-installing the modem driver, like we did with the no dial tone error message.

Frequent Disconnects

This one has a similar solution to the no dial tone error message as well. Check your phone line for any instabilities. If the line seems okay, then try adjusting the flow control, port speed, and buffers. Re-installing the modem driver isn't necessary with disconnects.

One thing that's unique to this problem will relate to the fact that you are using a software modem. Because the modem requires so many resources to work properly, if you're starting to get disconnected on a regular basis, you may want to think about upgrading your computer.

Of course, this may have nothing to do with the phone line, modem, or resources at all. About half of the time it could be caused by your email client. Some email clients, particularly Outlook Express, have a setting that tells the application to disconnect you from the Internet after it either sends or receives mail. You may want to check that before you go messing with any other settings.

Slow Connection Speed

Unless you're Internet service is low quality, there is not much you can do to fix this one. Before you give up, try adjusting port speed, flow control, and buffers. If that doesn't help, the problem is more than likely the phone line. The FCC requirements for capable speeds on a voice line are rather low, so legally if you're only getting connected at 24000, they won't do much to help you. Sometimes they may even regulate your speed if they find out you are using it for data. It sucks, but it happens frequently.

In the case of slow connection speeds, you can always try downloading an accelerator to boost your browsing speed. They rarely perform to the high speeds that most services claim, but at least you will be able to surf a little bit faster.