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Windows 98 > Troubleshooting Windows 98


Winmodem Problems

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There are many reports from people having trouble with their Winmodem. Here are some possible solutions:

  1. Close all applications (press Ctrl + Alt + Del and End all tasks, except Explorer and Systray)
  2. Open Control Panel > Modems, then select the Winmodem and if you have more than one installed Properties > Ports > Uninstall

    Note: If you have a Winmodem icon in Control Panel, use that to Uninstall instead

  3. In Control Panel select System and select the Device Manager tab, and look for Unknown items and delete them all

    Check Ports and Modems and if Winmodem still exists select Remove for this one also

  4. In Windows Explorer, select your Windows 98 CD and go to \ drivers \ modem \ 3com-usr \ winmodem and run the wmregdel.exe file. Follow the on screen instructions
  5. Select Start > Run > Shut Down
  6. Turn off the power to your computer, wait for about 20 seconds, then power back on. When you get the New hardware detected wizard let it proceed, when appropriate select Have Disk, and either point it to your Windows 98 CD or to the Winmodem drivers you have on a floppy. Realize that if you use the drivers on the Windows 98 CD that they are generic and you'll need to update them later

The above should get your Winmodem working.

Note: be advised that if your (3Com) Winmodem is in the 112501 or 112502 serial group that it is a known buggy modem. I suggest you call 3Com on voice and ask for a replacement.

Re-enable DosBox support after upgrading to Windows 98

After upgrading to Windows 98, some Winmodems will lose DosBox functionality. If your Winmodem supports DosBox, please follow these steps to re-enable this feature:

Go to the Winmodem icon in Control Panel and select the Port Settings tab and uncheck Enable Dos Boxes, press the OK button.

Note: if you do not see the Enable Dos Boxes section your Winmodem does not support this feature.

Repeat the process by going to the Winmodem icon in Control Panel and select the Port Settings tab and this time CHECK the Enable Dos Boxes box and press OK button. Restart your computer.

If you get an error message: There Is No WinModem Found in Your Computer, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article No. 188601.

PCI Modem Does Not Work After Installing Windows 98

After you install Windows 98, your PCI modem (Winmodem) may not be recognized. When this occurs, the PCI modem may be listed as a PCI Serial Controller under Other Devices in Device Manager. This behavior occurs because the Windows 98 CD-ROM does not include drivers for PCI serial controllers. To resolve this behavior, update the driver for the device, here's how:

  1. Select Start > Settings > Control Panel and double-click System
  2. Select the Device Manager tab
  3. Double-click the Other Devices branch to expand it, select PCI Serial Controller, and then click Properties
  4. Select the Driver tab, and then click Update Driver
  5. Click Next, click Search for a better driver then the one your device is using now (Recommended), and then click Next
  6. Insert the driver disk or CD-ROM that was included with your modem
  7. Click to select the check box for the drive corresponding to the media type (floppy disk drive or CD-ROM drive), and then click Next
  8. If you receive an Update Driver Warning dialog box, click Yes
  9. Click Next, click Finish, and then click Yes to restart your computer

Last Updated: 12 May 1999