Slow Modem in fast system?

canton_kid · Post by **canton_kid** » Thu May 14, 2009 7:37 pm

I'll be leaving on a trip soon and need a system working online for folks when I am away. Other system rebooting all the time randomly so that's no good, I'll replace caps when I get back home again.

I pulled the modem and put it in my newer system I use for certain things. I NEVER wanted that system online, but oh well it is now.
I killed the XP firewall and installed Tiny and just got FireFox installed and updating it. Running AVG 8.5 I think, retail, and updating it also.

Here's the bug. The other system normally connects at 37.2K with this modem. In this system I have got connections of 19.2 14.4 24.? 26.? 36.0 and right now 34.4

37-39 is the norm for this modem and phoneline. I was getting that today on the other system between reboots otherwise I might think it was from the storm we had this morning and bad lines around here.

Any suggestions how to speed this up and get a more constant faster speed.
I had most things shut down in services, so though XP found and installed the modem fast and easy, I had no Telephony or other required stuff for the modem use. I turned all that back on I think, maybe a few extra's I could have left turned off?

Executioner · Post by **Executioner** » Thu May 14, 2009 8:24 pm

In my experiences with modems, the only one that worked 100% of the time at max speed was the US Robotics Courier external. Most internal modems rely on the processor. I believe they also made a internal version also.

I still have mine that I retired in 2003 after several years of use. Can't believe that they sell for that much today LOL.

canton_kid · Post by **canton_kid** » Thu May 14, 2009 9:41 pm

Ya, I never had a 56K work above about 40K around here and I went through a few trying.

This one does as good as any others for my lines, but it's slower in this system than the other system.

I forget the specs and stuff now had it so long. I think it's a REAL modem, not any Win modem that is only half a modem. I got away from those Win modems fast back in those days.

It's a Diamond Supra Max I think it was called.

ZYFER · Post by **ZYFER** » Fri May 15, 2009 9:31 am

Well, the 56k is really just a theoretical maximum anyways. Win modems leave much to be desired, sometimes there just is no really good reason for the speeds you get. Once you factor in how the system handles the modem, line conditions, and isp. You might not get the speed you would be expecting.

canton_kid · Post by **canton_kid** » Sat May 16, 2009 11:11 pm

Well like I said I think this is a REAL modem NOT a Win junker.
I've had a couple of the Win modems when they first came out, I try not to mess with those and went back to real modems right away.

Well this modem (Diamond SupraMax PCI ) gets constant connects about 37.2K in the Iwill XP 333 system.
In the GigaByte system with XP it gets random any speeds under 36K and often no connects 2 or 3 times telling me remote system did not respond or such.

I tried down loading the driver to install from Diamond, still just as bad.
I popped it back into the Iwill system again just now and right back to the 37.2K connections again same as always.

I guess it will work fine untill the system starts the reboots again, which is why I put it in the other system!

ZYFER · Post by **ZYFER** » Sun May 17, 2009 3:44 am

May just be a matter of the modem interfacing with the chipset, every system is different and the results seem to be what what you are experiencing now. Not much magic you can really do for modems, they either work or don't.

Is everything else you are using the same? phone line? phone jack? I just don't seem to find that many using dial-up these days

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Sun May 17, 2009 2:49 pm

I remember that there were initialization strings you could use for some modems, but the only one I have is for the Winmodem (which by the way I regularly got 42-48K out of on even slow processors).