My operating system runs perfectly well with the USB dial-up modem I have but it will not run with that modem after I load Vista SP1... in fact it hangs and reboots. (I have run two threads in this connection previously.) As a result of advice in of the the threads I have sought advice from Microsoft's Help site for this problem and that is pending a reply. However I have a Taicom MR56SVS Dial-up Modem which I use for Linux because that system will not recognise a USB modem and in order to use it I need to employ a USB/serial adapter (my tower has no serial port.) I have found that if I plug that modem in the Vista system it will go through the motions of connecting but a message appears "cannot find port.” How do I connect this modem to my system? I have the requisite driver but if I install it will it overwrite the driver I have, and how do I allocate a port etc. Any advice or help will be appreciated, Regards Once I thought I was wrong, now I'm not so sure!

Most of these don't use com1. They use a much higher number such as 4 or 8 or so. The modern apps can use the higher numbers if you set it. Might start at system properties, hardware manager. "Best Practices", Event viewer, host file, perfmon, are in my top 10

Out of sheer curiosity & perhaps a little despondency -- just how deeply remote or derelict is your location, that dial-up still remains the de facto highway to the internet after all these years. The other thing is, it seems you have always been beleaguered with one issue or the other, as far as modems are concerned, and -- correct me if I'm wrong -- they all seem to be external modems. While researching your Taicom MR56SVS modem, I didn't expect to run into the **various device issues** you've had in literally the last seven or more years with that external Taicom modem. Why not just get a dependable & less problematic, albeit internal, dial-up modem. That's what I'd do. Although, you still shouldn't expect just about any internal modem to work in Vista. You gotta remember, the latest OS from M$ was coded & optimized for broadband connections & with a considerably less concern for dial-up users: which is arguably an understandable thought process. Below are two internal dial-up modems that are allegedly fully compatible with Vista! U.S. Robotics USR5670 56Kbps PCI Bus (Plug & Play) Fax Modem Rosewill RC-403 Conexant 56Kbps PCI Bus (Plug & Play) Modem I think it's time you retire that Taicom relic & get another old technology widget & one that at least promises to work ;-) http://www.pctools.com/forum/showth... http://www.computing.net/answers/wi... http://forums.tweaktown.com/f34/mod...

Sabertooth you certainly keep ane eye on things and to answer this paragraph of yours: "Out of sheer curiousity & perhaps a little despondency -- just how deeply remote or derelict is your location, that dial-up still remains the de facto highway to the internet after all these years." I use my computer for general account keeping, a great deal of photographic work, uncomplicated emailing to friends and family and I have no real need for "you beaut" methods of communication. Also being of a limited income broadband (in this country anyway) does not fit my pocket and for the infrequent use I would make of it it is not a priority. I like experimenting with this thing (PC) and in order to do so I have spent the last seven years as you have chronicled doing so. I like pottering about with Linux and I have a separate drive for just that purpose. Linux does not like both an internal or USB modem so I persist with my trusty Taicom. Unfortunately Vista with SP1 does not like my present modem but it does not seem to throw it's hands in the air when I try the Taicom so it is worth the experiment and I may learn something new. If it does not work then for sure I'll try one of the excellent links you have provided. Thank you for your help, your suggestions and links and perhaps I'll be a bit more guarded in my requests for help about "various device issues" in the future. Regards PS: I should mention that the links you have provided are all my posts and instead of referring me to my early learning curves you should perhaps have given me some sound advice.) Once I thought I was wrong, now I'm not so sure!

LOL, Sabertooth take it easy on people. Maybe you should stop watching other people and take a look at yourself. Broadband has only been in this part of Rutherfordton, NC for a year. If broadband gets more expensive, I may have to go back to dial-up. Why isn't offensive clothing no more offensive? Have we lowered our standards?

Any area that has only had broadband in the last year or so, or even worse, not yet been taped for service by a non cut-throat broadband service provider, hopefully has much more civic issues on its plate than to worry about the community's internet access or other network-type infrastructures & I seriously don't mean this in a high-falutin way -- trust me! My reasoning with Ewen is that: it is perhaps counter-productive to run an OS such as Vista on a dial-up based PC, can you imagine trying to download applicable programs & install bug fixes & other related updates on or off schedule? Fact is, I really wish for Ewen to get his modem issue resolved one way or another & that is why I didn't come out & just said -- hey upgrade to broadband internet. But rather, linked to those modems that I think might work better with Vista SP1. The other deal is, I was genuinely curious as to what his internet options truly were. And JSYK, I still recall vividly, (all within this decade) paying more for 28.8Kb; 33.6Kb & later, a much generous 56Kb connection than I do for my currently humble 3MB/512KB DSL package. Incidentally, I have a relative that still pays more for his dial-up service than I do my DSL & some that don't even know how to turn on a computer, let alone owning one. I guess my point here is: mileages do vary. Furthermore, it can be argued, that for every one individual that doesn't need broadband, there is at least one or perhaps two that the "you beaut" connection is, without equivocation; a 24/7 requirement & for the latter type of user: going back to dial-up is simply NOT an option, even if broadband gets more expensive so to speak.

Alright, no harm done. It just came across another way, like you were trying to criticize him for using dial-up. There's no point in providing links to old posts, especially when it has nothing to do with the problem. To post links from other forums means you went through a little trouble to dig them out of the archives. It seems like you did that to someone else here awhile back. I would've just provided the other links and said nothing about his past with using this modem. It's off topic anyway. But like I said, no harm done, honestly. Why isn't offensive clothing no more offensive? Have we lowered our standards?