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Date:	Mon, 9 Feb 2004 20:17:54 PST8
From:	waynec@linkline.com
Reply-To:	scoug-help@scoug.com
To:	scoug-help@scoug.com
Subject:	SCOUG-Help: Re: Actiontec modem setup success?

Content Type: text/plain

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waynec@linkline.com writes:

Update on the modem and scsi drive problems:

I spent the afternoon fooling with these problems and learned a few things,
and I managed to resolve the problems somehow (and discover a new problem),
although I'm not sure how I fixed it... so I'm not sure it'll last!

Narative of today's activities follows.

Scsi:

I put the modem back in the machine (I'd removed it saturday to see if it
was causing the scsi problem; it was not) and switched cable connections
around (powering down & back up between changes), first I moved the scsi
cable connectors, without success, then the power connectors. It suddenly
started working again after a power connector change, sync'ing both drives
at 160mb, so I thought I was in good shape. In fact it worked fine most of
the afternoon while I did other things on the computer, even through several
reboots, but that did not last.... read on.

Modem:

With the scsi drives working correctly, I turned my attention to the MB bios
and the modem. I found my bios manual on a cdrom in pdf format, but then was
unable to print it (33 pages) to my laser using Adobe Acrobat 3, so I
downloaded Acrobat rel 4 and tried that with the same results: I could print
a single-page file, but when I tried to print the manual all looked correct,
but only a couple of pages of the manual printed out and the queue was
empty. I did multiple retries, checking printer setup, etc. I was able to
print some small pdf files, but not the manual. Even under WinXP (Acrobat 6)
I ended up with only 2 pages. Same story for the V.90 manual from the
Actiontec website. I still have not resolved this.

While looking for the MB bios manual cdrom I came across (what I thought
was) the first Actiontec modem I had purchased off eBay some months ago; it
was a V.92 modem (full card, not a half-card), that the seller had said was
a hardware modem that would work with all operating systems (that turned out
not to be the case... I had foolishly believed the seller without
double-checking). Then I started poking around at the Actiontec website for
modem information, and as I looked at modem descriptions in their archive
section (they no longer sell an internal modem with support by OS/2) I
realized the modem I had put in the machine was actually the V.92 modem, not
the V.90 I most recently purchased from eBay! Somehow I'd gotten the two
mixed up.

Eureka, I thought, that's my problem! So I installed the V.90 Actiontec
modem, including checking with the PCI sniffer and the pmdmcfg program and
making config.sys adustments. It didn't work, either, same immediate "could
not connect" message from Compuserve CIM.

And, after I'd put the V.90 modem in the machine and powered up, scsi
started acting up again, the first scsi drive (address 2) was having sync
problems, sync'ing at 40mb instead of 160mb.

Now, I had put the scsi cable connector that formerly was on the address 2
drive onto the address 4 drive, so maybe that should tell me something,
since the primary scsi failure stayed with the first drive even though the
connector moved. But, it's still not clear what is causing the scsi problem,
since yesterday both drives were having sync problems... is it the power
down/up sequence (maybe not, since it tends to keep failing once it starts),
is it flexing the MB while seating PCI cards, or tipping the tower on it's
side, or disturbing the scsi cable while mucking around inside the machine
(even when connectors aren't reseated or moved)????

In checking the descriptions on Actiontec's website (they have no search
facility, so I had to look through a lot of descriptions of internal modems)
I found that the V.90 modem is a "PM560LKI PCI Master" which is supposed to
work with OS/2. Troubling was some further information: there is a bios
flash for this card that is needed for Win2K (and works with Win98 and Win95
too); but a note said the flash will not work with other operating systems,
although it's not clear to me whether they just meant that the downloaded
flash can only be applied using a Windows operating system or whether the
card is rendered not usable under other op systems. Further, the
instructions with the flash give no method of backing it out, or even a way
to tell if it's been applied. I made a mental note and pushed forward.

I rechecked the modem using the Actiontec pmdmcfg.exe program and it said
address CC00 and IRQ 5, as does the PCI sniffer (which is different than the
IRQ 11 it showed yesterday); I tried dialing with the CIM program set for
com2, and again set for com4, making appropriate changes to my config
"device=D:\os2\boot\com.sys (2,CC00,5)" statement and rebooting each time.
Still got the "could not initialize port" message. Brought up WinXP and
checked the modem settings there. I haven't actually been able to tell if
the modem works under WinXP; I tried a simple dial program but got no sound
feedback so I don't know if it actually dialed... it hung saying it was
dialing (I dialed my own phone number). But interestingly, the properties of
the modem said it uses com4 and IRQ 16.

There was a free PCI port below the scsi adapters, so the next-to-last thing
I did this evening was to move both adapters down one PCI slot (left the
modem where it was, in the lowest PCI slot). Now both scsi hard drives were
sync'ing at 160mb again, so maybe the day wasn't a total loss.

Then I brought up Warp and rechecked the modem once again with the Actiontec
program and this time it said the modem is using IRQ 3. What the hey?!! So
once again I changed config.sys, rebooted, and the modem WORKED! ...my
worries about the bios flash were unfounded.

But I still don't understand what's been biting me, maybe you can clue me,
but all is wonderful at the moment... I only hope it'll last!!!!

Thanks,
Wayne

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