modem headache

[ozarkbunnyboy]

Running Win2kPro build 2195 SP4--

I have a "Broadxent" modem which continually fails and needs to have its driver re-installed. More specifically, when it fails the only way to fix it is to:

1. uninstall the driver
2. reboot
3. cancel the PnP wizard
4. reboot
5. install the driver

Could there possibly be some way around this tedious exercise? Maybe some kind of registry back-up or simple registry edit? Is there a way to at least turn off automatic hardware detection so I don't have to wait for it to relinquish control of my system?

Any clues appreciated.

[Tom]

Howdy ozarkbunnyboy,

Sorry for the delay in responses. Yes, you can disable PnP in your BIOS (press Del or F2 at startup - the right key should be shown on your startup screen - they are all different). However, this would be a drastic resolve for a modem issue. If you are still having the problem, could you describe what you mean by a modem failure? Is there a constant to the failure, such as the actions you are taking when it fails? Also the modem specs would help. Why not post back more info and let's see if someone can assist.

Tom

[ozarkbunnyboy]

Thanks, Tom, for responding.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I disable PnP at the BIOS level, won't that cause all of my PnP devices to stop functioning? Anyway, all I want to do is configure my system so that I have to manually tell it to look for new hardware, rather than having it automatically try to detect it every time I boot.

By "failure" in this case, I mean that the modem simply stops receiving bits. I can send out a ping, but nothing ever comes back. I have not been able to correlate it with any event or type of data. The frequency of failure ranges from five months to less than an hour.

I'm not sure what you mean by "specs." This is a Broadxent V.92 PCI DI3631-1, cheapo made-in-China piece of junk, but so far it's the best performing of three other PCI modems I tried in the same price range. Do you want to know the driver files? As far as I've been able to tell, they're the latest, greatest from the manufacturer (Creative).

My plan for next time it happens is to try restoring a "system state" back-up that I've made. I just worry how this might effect other programs or devices, so I guess I'll make another before I do the restore. Then if it doesn't work or causes other problems, I can undo and go through the old process.

I guess what I really want to know is what actually happens in the registry when I go through the uninstall-reboot-reboot-install sequence, which always fixes the problem. Skipping the 2nd reboot dooms the reinstall to failure. Is there some way I can take a "snapshot" of the registry before I do it and again after and run a direct comparison to see which keys have been changed?

Sorry to be so long-winded. Just trying to cover all the bases.

Thanks for any ideas,
Bunny

[Tom]

Hey ozarkbunnyboy,

I was more leading towards trying to assist taking the 2000 PnP Wizard out of the loop. Most of the modern BIOS do a pretty fair job loading devices (I'm logged on with 2000 right now after disabling PnP in BIOS for a test run). I'll put some more thought about what you posted and get back to you. I use Regmon from Systernals to monitor registry activity (free, check it out Here, though 7.0 is a later version than my copy). It will I.D. the activity you want to look at.

Tom

[Tom]

Before you direct your attention to the registry, have you checked in your Admin Tools (Ctrl Pnl) yet?
1 - Right after a failure, check Component Services-Event Viewer-System. Check any Errors and Warnings - also a readable log of registry activity.
2 - Computer Mngmt-Device Manager. Exclamation Points and Red X's for problems.
3 - Sys Info-Hardware Resources. IRQ assignments (might want to post back this list, though some sharing is normal). Audio device/modem conflicts can show here.
I agree with the "Cheap" concept. Many modems are really very inexpensive, and 2000 sometimes has trouble with older versions (I often think it smells out-of-production issues in advance). I have suggested swapping out problem ones in the past to avoid elaborate workarounds.