Cable Modem FAQ



PC System Requirements

Windows (r) 95

- Available full-length ISA card slot

- 486 33 MHz or higher CPU (Pentium recommended)

- 8 MB free RAM (16MB recommended)

- 5 MB free hard drive space

- 1 free IRQ for the VSP

- 2 free IRQs for the VSP plus

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 Preparing Windows 95 for your cable modem

 Before you install your cable modem, you need to make sure your 

 system has several Windows (r) 95 features installed.  They are:



- Dial-Up Networking, which enables the modem to access the Internet

  

- TCP/IP, a protocol required by the cable modem

  

- SNMP Agent, which you can find on your Windows 95 Installation CD-ROM

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 What is the difference between the VSP and the VSP plus?



 The U.S. Robotics Cable Modem VSP requires you to have an existing analog modem.

  

 The U.S. Robotics Cable Modem VSP plus comes with a 56K Winmodem built in.

  

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 Where can I buy the U.S. Robotics Cable Modems right now?

 

 You can purchase these modems at several locations.  The number of cable

 companies who offer cable modem service is growing daily.  For the most

 up-to-date information, call 800-DIAL-USR, and press 6.

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 What speeds can I expect?



 Speeds will vary.  Data is sent from the cable television network to your

 computer at rates of up to 38 Mbps.  Since this capacity is shared among

 other customers on this cable system, individual throughput will be lower

 and will vary depending on your computer and the computer to which you

 are connecting.  The following factors will affect actual speed:



- Your computer equipment and configuration, including

         processor speed, RAM amount, and available hard disk space

- Internet browsing, e-mail, or other concurrent applications that

        utilize your computer's resources

- Provider service-level offerings

- Network traffic

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What number do I call for Technical Support?



Within the U.S. and Canada, call the following numbers:

	Within 90 days of purchase date:	888-877-5040

	After 90 days of purchase date:	847-676-2550





Winmodem Troubleshooting Tips



Problem:

Windows 95 never detected my modem.



Solution:

Make sure the system has a free Com port or IRQ to use.  Valid Com ports

are 1, 2, 3, and 4, and valid IRQs are 3, 4, 5, 7, and 9.





Under Windows 95, make sure that the modem is not listed in the Device

Manager under Other Devices.  If it is, delete it and reinstall.

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Problem:

Why does my Winmodem install on Com 5 when Windows 95 indicates

that there is at least one other Com port (1, 2, 3, or 4) available?



Solution:

A damaged Registry file may only show partial data for a Com port. 



The Registry Plug and Play (PnP) files may have been affected by a

partial or incomplete install of the Winmodem, or they may have been

affected by another program.



All basic PnP settings may be in use.



Change the port manually to see if Windows 95 accepts it.

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Problem:

MSD does not see my Winmodem.



Solution:

The Winmodem will never show in MSD.  It is strictly a Windows-based

modem and can never be seen in DOS.

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Problem:

I get Error message 2007.



Solution:

ERROR MESSAGE:  "Unable to hook Comm.DRV."



You may have a damaged Communication Driver.



ERROR MESSAGE:  "Unable to hook Comm.DRV."



You might be using a non-Microsoft Communication Driver.





ERROR MESSAGE:  "Unable to open WINMODEM.VXD."



Run CHKDSK.  The Winmodem driver files may be damaged.

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Problem:

The Winmodem indicates that it has installed successfully in Windows 95,

but in the Modem Diagnostics screen (in the Control Panel, under More Info)

it shows that it cannot open the port.



Solution:

This can occur when Windows 95 already has a record for that Com port in the 

registry prior to your installing the Winmodem.

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Problem:

Reachout 5.0 For Windows doesn't work.



Solution:

If you have the 1.0 version of the software, turn off the DCD Watch option in

Reachout, and choose the Windows communications driver to fix it. 



If this does not help, turn on the Comm.drv compatible mode option.

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Problem:

I upgraded from an older version of Netscape to the 2.x Professional

version, but Netscape's dialer still cannot initialize my modem.



Solution:

Installing the 2.x Professional version of Netscape will not automatically

update the dialer; this has to be done manually.  When using the cable 

modem for Internet access, the Cable Modem Connection Center (CMCC) must

be used to establish your connection.  After the connection has been established, you may start Netscape.  Netscape's dialer should not be used 

when a high speed cable modem session is desired.

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Problem:

How do I test to see if my installed Winmodem is working correctly?



Solution:

Click Start/Settings/Control Panel/Modems/Diagnostics.  Highlight the Com port 

that  shows the Winmodem installed on it.  Click More Info.  If the lower screen 

reports back ATIx information, the modem is successfully installed.

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Problem:

I need to know my Winmodem vendor ID.



Solution:

USR1003 is the PnP ID for the Winmodem portion of your Cable Modem (VSP plus).

USR5678 is the PnP ID for the Cable Modem (VSP).







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Problem:

I installed the Winmodem successfully in Windows 95 on COM 3 IRQ 5,

and now my system hangs when I try to go back into Windows 95.



Solution:

It has been reported that some sound cards using 16-bit DOS drivers may

be set to IRQ 5, but they never show up in Windows 95.  Remove the sound card

from the computer.  If Windows 95 boots correctly without the sound card,

then this is most likely the problem.  The best way to resolve this conflict

is to download the latest Windows 95 drivers for that sound card from the

manufacturer, and move it from IRQ 5.

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Problem:

My computer reports a Plug and Play (PnP) error during bootup in

reference to the Winmodem.



Solution:

This happens when one or more of the required settings for the

Winmodem is unavailable (i.e., I/O Address, IRQ, or Com port).

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Problem:

I get an error message indicating that Windows is unable to load a program at

startup.  The message displays a program name which is "cut off."



Solution:

The Load= line in the WIN.INI file is limited to 128 characters.  If other

programs were placed on this line prior to installing the Winmodem, it is

possible that the additions made by the Winmodem exceeded the

character limit.  Move some of the prior statements from the Load= line to

the Run= line.

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Note:

The Winmodem is strictly designed to work on IBM PC-based machines

running Windows 95.  The modem will not work under DOS, a

DOS Window, or any other type of machine.



Installing the Winmodem when Auto-Detected by Windows 95:



1.  Install the Winmodem into your computer, and turn your 

       computer on. 

2.  Windows 95 will detect the Winmodem and ask you to insert

        the installation disk into your floppy drive.

3.  You must insert the installation disk at this time to properly install the 	 Winmodem. 

4.  Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. 

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Installing after Skipping Auto-Detect:

If you did not insert the disk immediately and chose the Save For Later option, you must do the following:





1.  Click Start/Settings/Control Panel/System/Device Manager.

2.  Click Unknown Device.

3.  Select Remove Device.

4.  When the device is removed, select Refresh.

5. Next, you will be prompted again to insert the installation disk,

	 and the installation will proceed successfully.



Note: You cannot install the Winmodem by selecting Add New Hardware or by selecting Run a:install.

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Uninstall Tips:



1.  Shut down and power off your computer. 

2.  Remove the Winmodem from the computer. 

3.  Start up the system and click Start/Settings/Control Panel.

4.  Click the Winmodem icon.

5.  Click Uninstall.

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Making Changes:



CHANGE PORT:



1.  Click Start/Settings/Control Panel.

2.  Click the Winmodem icon.

3.  Click Properties.

4.  Change the port the Winmodem is using as desired.



CHANGE IRQ:



1.  Click Start/Settings/Control Panel/System/Device Manager.

2.  Select Ports, and choose the Winmodem.

3.  Click Properties.

4.  Change the IRQ the Winmodem is using as desired.



CHANGE I/O ADDRESS:



1.  Click Start/Settings/Control Panel/System/Device Manager.

2.  Select Ports, and choose the Winmodem.

3.  Click Properties.

4.  Under the Resources tab, make sure that Automatic Settings is disabled.

5.  Change the Basic Configuration which changes the I/O address.

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WARNING:  Certain sections of the Winmodem installation will require modification of your registry files.  For safety, please make a backup

of your registry file before installing the Winmodem.



Backing up your registry:

Click Start and select Run.  Type regedit and press ENTER.



This will take you into the registry.  Once there, click Registry and select 

Export Registry File.



Select All, give the new registry file a file name, and select the location where you wish to 

store the folder.  Once you have completed that, click Save.  At this point, the registry file 

has been backed up.