I am having a problem with a Lucent winmodem in WinME. It seems that the modem does not reset itself so the line stays open, which ties up my phone line. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling. I am not able to find any updates for the driver but I thought that someone would have an idea what I could try next. I am about to install a USR modem as I am pretty much fed up with the lucent. HELP!!!

Try the 8.30 Lucent Winmodem Update: http://www.agere.com/support/client/modem_driver2.html Bill.

I've been using the Lucent WinModem that came preinstalled in my P3 750MHZ for 4 years now ! Many have advised me to ditch the WinModem claiming it uses up to many processor cycles, however its performed very well for me and I have'nt seen the need to change it ! The last driver I updated to was 8.22. These modems a very inexpensive at $15, so if its not a configuration or software problem ,and you decide its some kind of H.W. prob,replacement would be very affordable. You could always pop for a more expensive modem with its own proccessor, however if you are looking for ease of installation and configuring the new H.W. sticking with a WinModem may be the way to go ? My M.B. also has an AMR slot ,which is designed for modems ,however its a interface that never caught on , even the manufactuer of my PC , did not use this slot and went for PCI instead. Good luck on your prob ! Nick

After posting my reply above I went to the agere web site and doewnloaded and installed the driver update 8.30 ,to update my current driver 8.22. After installing the driver update and restarting the PC ,I tried to log onto the net and I quickly recieved an "cannot dial a connection" error ! I check all the settings and everything seemed correct .Frustrated, I did a system restore and it reversed the update (thank God for system restore) I think I will stay with my current driver ! Take Care NicRic

Nick, noted your reply re the updated driver problem. Thank you. Bill.

IMO, you can't beat USR Performance Pro modems, best investment for internet I ever made. HSP56 Micromodem (WinModem) can't compare. I connect at 53333 now, best I ever got with HSP56 was 36000. Downloads take less than half the time they used to.

Been using the Agere Systems Lucent/Agere LT WinModem driver modem830 driver for awhile now and they work great. Depending on the exact Lucent/Agere chip set on your modem card, these drivers will upgrade your modem to V.92 and V.44 compression if the hardware supports it. And if your ISP supports it. When you upgrade to this newest version, you may have to re-select the modem in the dialing properties. As to the original problem of this thread. Not disconnecting from the line is not a driver problem. That is a hardware problem with the modem. Most WinModems have a solid state DAA (Data Access Arrangement) front end on them that interfaces to the phone line. This group of resisters and transistors are often damaged by lightning hits on the phone line. The normal symptom of lightning damage, is that the modem can not hang up the phone line. Another common symptom is that it can not take the phone line "off hook" to dial. Some times if the damage is bad enough, it will completely disable the phone line until you unplug the phone line from it. You should always unplug the modem from the phone line when not in use. The system does not have to be on for the modem to be damaged by lightning. A lightning hit miles away can damage your modem and cause no other damage. Most of the time, you have no other choice but to replace the modem. The Agere chip set based WinModems (were Lucent) are good low cost modems and often work better than the much more expensive one. Look for one with the Agere 1648C chipset. They only cost $10-$15 range with solid state DAA. For about $5 more you can get one with an old style relay and transformer DAA that can handle minor lightning hits a lot better. One source of this type for USA mail order is Modemsite modem.