First better say to the Administrators, am re-posting the above question here, because when posting it yesterday, somehow all my PC stats ended up at the top of the page, and way down underneath all of that stuff were my questions. So am here going to hopefully get everything the right way round:



I used to have a Compaq Data Fax Modem in my PC, and when reinstalling the XP3 Home OS (have done a lot of reformats/reinstallations) the Modem was always detected automatically by the OS.

For reasons that won't be gone into here, the Compaq ended up being replaced (by a computer shop) with a "PCI Soft Data Fax Modem with SmartCP"(it uses Driver Version 7.53.0.0), and when eventually another OS reinstallation was attempted (being technically illiterate it's the only way I can get a clean system again when things go wrong) a strange thing happened during the "Internet Connection Details" part of it, because the panel that always previously (with the Compaq Modem) came up wanting you to write your Area Code and Dialling Prefix - it did not materialize!

When the installation of the OS was completed, I tried to get it to connect to the Web using the "New Connection Wizard" but it didn't work:  the dial-up Modem Icon in "Network Connections" refused to materialize.  Tried to get Windows to detect the Modem by using the "Troubleshooting" thing in "Phone And Modem Options" (the "Modems" panel was blank - no Modem listed) but to no avail: Windows could not "find" the Modem.

Sent it to the computer shop and they returned it with the Modem working properly, but have not been able to find out by examining the Settings what they did to get Windows to recognize it.

Can anyone please describe how they were able to do this?

I installed XP3 Home again "alongside" the existing one (the "Internet Details" part was missing again during the installation) to see if this time an internet connection could be made from it, but it's the same story: cannot get the OS to "find" the Modem/cannot make the Modem Icon materialize in "Network Connections".

Am hideously bewildered and also worried: my "original" OS is partially crippled from having gotten a bit carried away EXPERIMENTING with file-cleaning programs but cannot afford to send it to the workshop again (they are expensive!!!); however am unable to reinstall the OS because of the Modem situation (the inability to locate it).

Will very much appreciate any help/advice on how to manually detect/configure a dial up internet connection, just as the workshop Tech must have done.

Finally, why did XP3 (Home) always automatically detect the Compaq Data Fax Modem no problem?


   

Here are the specs for my ancient PC - do not know if anything in these specifications will help anyone diagnose the problem described above(?):

Summary
      Operating System
         MS Windows XP Home 32-bit SP3
      CPU
         AMD Sempron 2600+   58 °C
         Palermo 90nm Technology
      RAM
         1.25 GB Single-Channel DDR 133MHz (2.5-3-3-6)
      Motherboard
         MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD MS-7181 (Socket 940)   41 °C
      Graphics
         MX70 ([email protected])
         128MB RADEON 9200 PRO Family (Microsoft Corporation) (Sapphire/PCPartner)
         128MB RADEON 9200 PRO SEC Family (Microsoft Corporation) (Sapphire/PCPartner)
         CrossFire Disabled
      Hard Drives
         78GB Seagate ST3802110A (PATA)   32 °C
      Optical Drives
         HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-H10A
      Audio
         USB Audio Device
Operating System
   MS Windows XP Home 32-bit SP3
   Installation Date: 13 January 2012, 04:36
   Serial Number: Removed
      Windows Security Center
      Windows Update
         AutoUpdate   Notify prior to download
      Firewall
         Firewall   Enabled
         Company Name   COMODO
         Display Name   COMODO Firewall
         Product Version   3.9
      Antivirus
         Antivirus   Enabled
         Company Name   AVG Technologies
         Display Name   AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2012
         Product Version   2012.0
     

                                                                       
      Services
         Running   Automatic Updates
         Running   AVG WatchDog
         Running   AVGIDSAgent
         Running   Background Intelligent Transfer Service
         Running   COM+ Event System
         Running   COMODO Internet Security Helper Service
         Running   Computer Browser
         Running   Cryptographic Services
         Running   DCOM Server Process Launcher
         Running   DHCP Client
         Running   Distributed Link Tracking Client
         Running   DNS Client
         Running   Error Reporting Service
         Running   Event Log
         Running   Help and Support
         Running   HID Input Service
         Running   IPSEC Services
         Running   MBAMService
         Running   Network Connections
         Running   Network Location Awareness (NLA)
         Running   NitroPDFReaderDriverCreatorReadSpool
         Running   Plug and Play
         Running   Protected Storage
         Running   Remote Access Connection Manager
         Running   Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
         Running   Security Accounts Manager
         Running   Security Center
         Running   Server
         Running   Shell Hardware Detection
         Running   SSDP Discovery Service
         Running   System Event Notification
         Running   System Restore Service
         Running   Task Scheduler
         Running   TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
         Running   Telephony
         Running   Themes
         Running   ThreatFire
         Running   WebClient
         Running   Windows Audio
         Running   Windows Management Instrumentation
         Running   Windows Time
         Running   Workstation
         Stopped   .NET Runtime Optimization Service v2.0.50727_X86
         Stopped   Alerter
         Stopped   Application Layer Gateway Service
         Stopped   Application Management
         Stopped   ASP.NET State Service
         Stopped   ClipBook
         Stopped   COM+ System Application
         Stopped   Distributed Transaction Coordinator
         Stopped   Extensible Authentication Protocol Service
         Stopped   Fast User Switching Compatibility
         Stopped   Health Key and Certificate Management Service
         Stopped   HTTP SSL
         Stopped   IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service
         Stopped   Indexing Service
         Stopped   Logical Disk Manager
         Stopped   Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service
         Stopped   Messenger
         Stopped   MS Software Shadow Copy Provider
         Stopped   Net Logon
         Stopped   Net.Tcp Port Sharing Service
         Stopped   NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing
         Stopped   Network Access Protection Agent
         Stopped   Network DDE
         Stopped   Network DDE DSDM
         Stopped   Network Provisioning Service
         Stopped   NT LM Security Support Provider
         Stopped   PERFORMANCE Logs and Alerts
         Stopped   Portable Media Serial Number Service
         Stopped   Print Spooler
         Stopped   QoS RSVP
         Stopped   Remote Access Auto Connection Manager
         Stopped   Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
         Stopped   Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator
         Stopped   Removable Storage
         Stopped   Routing and Remote Access
         Stopped   Secondary Logon
         Stopped   Smart Card
         Stopped   Terminal Services
         Stopped   Uninterruptible Power Supply
         Stopped   Universal Plug and Play Device Host
         Stopped   Volume Shadow Copy
         Stopped   Windows CardSpace
         Stopped   Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
         Stopped   Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)
         Stopped   Windows Installer
         Stopped   Windows PRESENTATION Foundation Font Cache 3.0.0.0
         Stopped   Wired AutoConfig
         Stopped   Wireless Zero Configuration
         Stopped   WMI Performance Adapter
     
            Driver
               Date   7-1-2001
               Version   5.1.2600.5512
               File   C:\WINDOWS\system32\DRIVERS\kbdhid.sys
               File   C:\WINDOWS\system32\DRIVERS\kbdclass.sys
         Driver
               Date   7-1-2001
               Version   5.1.2535.0
               File   C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\USBAUDIO.sys
               File   C:\WINDOWS\system32\ksuser.dll
               File   C:\WINDOWS\system32\ksproxy.ax
               File   C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\ks.sys
               File   C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\drmk.sys
               File   C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\portcls.sys
               File   C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\stream.sys
               File   C:\WINDOWS\system32\wdmaud.drv
     
Network

        Dial Up Internal Modem: PCI Soft Data Fax Modem with SmartCP
   You are connected to the internet
   Connected through   WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface
   IP Address   202.89.133.79
   Subnet mask   255.255.255.255
   Gateway server   202.89.133.79
   Preferred DNS server   202.74.207.254
   Alternate DNS server   202.74.207.253
   DHCP   Disabled
   External IP Address   202.89.133.79
   Adapter Type   PPP
   NetBIOS over TCP/IP   Unknown
   NETBIOS Node Type   Unknown node type
   Link Speed   0 kbps
      Computer Name
     
         Local system uses a modem to connect to the Internet
         Local system has RAS to connect to the Internet
      Wi-Fi Info
         Wi-Fi not enabled
      WinHTTPInfo
         WinHTTPSessionProxyType   No proxy
         Session Proxy
         Session Proxy Bypass
         Connect Retries   5
         Connect Timeout   60000
         HTTP Version   HTTP 1.1
         Max Connects Per 1.0 Servers   INFINITE
         Max Connects Per Servers   INFINITE
         Max HTTP automatic redirects   10
         Max HTTP status continue   10
         Send Timeout   30000
         IEProxy Auto Detect   No
         IEProxy Auto Config
         IEProxy
         IEProxy Bypass
         Default Proxy Config Access Type   No proxy
         Default Config Proxy
         Default Config Proxy Bypass
      Adapters List
            Realtek RTL8185 54M Wireless LAN Network Adapter - PACKET Scheduler Miniport
               IP Address   0.0.0.0
               Subnet mask   0.0.0.0
            VIA Compatable Fast Ethernet Adapter - Packet Scheduler Miniport
               IP Address   0.0.0.0
               Subnet mask   0.0.0.0
            WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface
               IP Address   202.89.133.79
               Subnet mask   255.255.255.255
               Gateway server   202.89.133.79
      Network Shares
         No network shares
      Current TCP Connections
            C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe (3268)
               
Geek I just locked this thread and I'll move your post over to the original thread.

Sputnik, more than one thread on the same problem leads to a ton of confusion so please stay in the original thread.
PS, you shouldn't post your XP key in the forum.