Re: OT: Oh woe is me:-(

Mrs Nemo wrote:
the Omrud wrote:
Mr
Broadband modem USB drivers are notoriously unreliable. If at all possible, you should switch to using Ethernet for connecting to your broadband. This is standard networking and if your PC has the correct port it will almost certainly just work when you connect it.

I haven't a clue - how do I tell whether it has the correct port? Presumably this would also entail a different "piece of wire" to connect modem to pc would it?

You may
need to force your modem to reset by pressing a hard reset button so that it will pick up the fact that you've switched connection models.

The modek doesn't have any buttons to press.

If this doesn't make sense, or if you don't have an Ethernet option, post the model name of your broadband modem so that we can check the specs online.

It's a Thomson SpeedTouch 330. I've just checked the version number on the CD which came from Virgin and it says "Version 4.1" but I see on Virgin's website that they say the latest driver for XP is 3.01 and for Vista it is 4.1. Could it be that I was actually given the wrong driver by Virgin, but that didn't matter until I got SP3 and now Windows XP doesn't like this driver?

I've just read this on Wikipedia: "the Speedtouch USB to work. The absence of an Ethernet interface also means that a Local Area Network, or LAN, cannot be built using this modem, even with the use of a USB capable router or a USB Hub." I expect you're going to advise a new modem! (assuming I have this Ethernet thingy.)

You should also uninstall the USB drivers from your PC. Ethernet is supported natively and requires no installers at all from your ISP. I always recommend that any CD or other software delivered by ISPs is forwarded directly to the bin.

Yes, this modem and its accompanying disk were what was supplied by Virgin. Interestingly (fsvo of interesting!) they actually supplied 2 and one of them seems not to work on this machine, but the one I was using successfully on my "proper" computer does work fine, even though I get an error message about the modem every time. (This machine has an old pre-SP2 version of WinXP.)

You could invest in a broadband router which would allow you to have more than one computer connected at the same time. These are not expensive - about £30 gets a decent one, but we'd need to know what sort of broadband you have to make a recommendation. Is it ADSL (over the BT phone line, no matter who is the ISP) or Cable (provided by Virgin Media)?

Yes, it's ADSL. Connecting 2 computers at the same time is probably never going to be a requirement as this one will only be for use when the other one isn't working.

Thanks for your interest. I'm feeling a bit more positive already.


As you know, I'm no expert, but I've had problems in the past with our Zyxel modem/router, including spending hours at expensive rate on the phone to technicians whose only response was to tell me to send it back so they could have a look at it. The last time I was told this, loath to lose my connection with Umra for a few weeks, I hunted around on the net and found there was an update for the driver, which I downloaded and installed. It made a big difference and I didn't have to send the modem/router back to be repaired :-)

I don't know if this page would be of any help to you?

http://www.thomson.net/GlobalEnglish/SelfService/dsl-modems-download/Pages/default.aspx

And maybe wait for more advice from David before doing anything about it, because I have no knowledge, I'm just a persistent fiddler.. (Why do I think "Brritski" when I type that?) Last week, dorter's pooter came back from getting its hard drive copied before we reinstalled Win XP and for a couple of days afterwards, husbad and I fiddled around trying to get her wireless connection to work. Didn't help that the machine didn't see the adapter which was plugged in, nor that we have lost all three Linksys installation CDs which are somehow in our possession.. To cut a long story short, I finally got her connection to work - the only problem is, I've forgotten how to find the place where I finally got the set up right.. So you see, my input is not of the most accurate..

--
Tout de bonbon, Anne, Seriously, Extra-Traditionally Built Curvey Gumrat
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