Head Guru

The 55 dollars is with one free month. Look at this. Silver plan is $5.00 per month. 5X12=$60 Thus we only charge $55.00 So you get the month of free service. So your CC will be billed $55 today. Thanks

Month to Month clients are subject to any increases in pricing. Yearly clients are locked in at the price until their renewal period. Theu last month free promo is only for yearly paid clients. Thanks

Hi We can point two domains to your account without any issues. Yes you would need to submit a help desk ticket to do this. I like .com but

Yes - take a look in the security section of the forums. We have been hosting since 1999

I think this is what your asking. the location for this would be. http://www.******/page.html If this is it please advise, I now see your help desk ticket. Thanks

No! Dont be silly.

Yes, our plans allow adult content as long as it abides by local laws.

The information applies specifically to the versions listed below but some will also work on win2000 and winxp. Experiment Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition Microsoft Windows 98 Microsoft Windows 95 Windows System Key Combinations- -F1: Help -CTRL+ESC: Open Start menu -ALT+TAB: Switch between open programs -ALT+F4: Quit program -SHIFT+DELETE: Delete item permanently Windows Program Key Combinations -CTRL+C: Copy -CTRL+X: Cut -CTRL+V: Paste -CTRL+Z: Undo -CTRL+B: Bold -CTRL+U: Underline -CTRL+I: Italic Mouse Click/Keyboard Modifier Combinations for Shell Objects -SHIFT+right click: Displays a shortcut menu containing alternative commands -SHIFT+double click: Runs the alternate default command (the second item on the menu) -ALT+double click: Displays properties -SHIFT+DELETE: Deletes an item immediately without placing it in the Recycle Bin General Keyboard-Only Commands -F1: Starts Windows Help -F10: Activates menu bar options -SHIFT+F10 Opens a shortcut menu for the selected item (this is the same as right-clicking an object -CTRL+ESC: Opens the Start menu (use the ARROW keys to select an item) -CTRL+ESC or ESC: Selects the Start button (press TAB to select the taskbar, or press SHIFT+F10 for a context menu) -ALT+DOWN ARROW: Opens a drop-down list box -ALT+TAB: Switch to another running program (hold down the ALT key and then press the TAB key to view the task-switching window) -SHIFT: Press and hold down the SHIFT key while you insert a CD-ROM to bypass the automatic-run feature -ALT+SPACE: Displays the main window's System menu (from the System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the window) -ALT+- (ALT+hyphen): Displays the Multiple Document Interface (MDI) child window's System menu (from the MDI child window's System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the child window) -CTRL+TAB: Switch to the next child window of a Multiple Document Interface (MDI) program -ALT+underlined letter in menu: Opens the menu -ALT+F4: Closes the current window -CTRL+F4: Closes the current Multiple Document Interface (MDI) window -ALT+F6: Switch between multiple windows in the same program (for example, when the Notepad Find dialog box is displayed, ALT+F6 switches between the Find dialog box and the main Notepad window) Shell Objects and General Folder/Windows Explorer Shortcuts For a selected object: -F2: Rename object -F3: Find all files -CTRL+X: Cut -CTRL+C: Copy -CTRL+V: Paste -SHIFT+DELETE: Delete selection immediately, without moving the item to the Recycle Bin -ALT+ENTER: Open the properties for the selected object To Copy a File Press and hold down the CTRL key while you drag the file to another folder. To Create a Shortcut Press and hold down CTRL+SHIFT while you drag a file to the desktop or a folder. General Folder/Shortcut Control -F4: Selects the Go To A Different Folder box and moves down the entries in the box (if the toolbar is active in Windows Explorer) -F5: Refreshes the current window. -F6: Moves among panes in Windows Explorer -CTRL+G: Opens the Go To Folder tool (in Windows 95 Windows Explorer only) -CTRL+Z: Undo the last command -CTRL+A: Select all the items in the current window -BACKSPACE: Switch to the parent folder -SHIFT+click+Close button: For folders, close the current folder plus all parent folders Windows Explorer Tree Control -Numeric Keypad *: Expands everything under the current selection -Numeric Keypad +: Expands the current selection -Numeric Keypad -: Collapses the current selection. -RIGHT ARROW: Expands the current selection if it is not expanded, otherwise goes to the first child -LEFT ARROW: Collapses the current selection if it is expanded, otherwise goes to the parent Properties Control -CTRL+TAB/CTRL+SHIFT+TAB: Move through the property tabs Accessibility Shortcuts -Press SHIFT five times: Toggles StickyKeys on and off -Press down and hold the right SHIFT key for eight seconds: Toggles FilterKeys on and off -Press down and hold the NUM LOCK key for five seconds: Toggles ToggleKeys on and off -Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK: Toggles MouseKeys on and off -Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN: Toggles high contrast on and off Microsoft Natural Keyboard Keys -Windows Logo: Start menu -Windows Logo+R: Run dialog box -Windows Logo+M: Minimize all -SHIFT+Windows Logo+M: Undo minimize all -Windows Logo+F1: Help -Windows Logo+E: Windows Explorer -Windows Logo+F: Find files or folders -Windows Logo+D: Minimizes all open windows and displays the desktop -CTRL+Windows Logo+F: Find computer -CTRL+Windows Logo+TAB: Moves focus from Start, to the Quick Launch toolbar, to the system tray (use RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW to move focus to items on the Quick Launch toolbar and the system tray) -Windows Logo+TAB: Cycle through taskbar buttons -Windows Logo+Break: System Properties dialog box -Application key: Displays a shortcut menu for the selected item -Microsoft Natural Keyboard with IntelliType Software Installed -Windows Logo+L: Log off Windows -Windows Logo+P: Starts Print Manager -Windows Logo+C: Opens Control Panel -Windows Logo+V: Starts Clipboard -Windows Logo+K: Opens Keyboard Properties dialog box -Windows Logo+I: Opens Mouse Properties dialog box -Windows Logo+A: Starts Accessibility Options (if installed) -Windows Logo+SPACEBAR: Displays the list of Microsoft IntelliType shortcut keys -Windows Logo+S: Toggles CAPS LOCK on and off Dialog Box Keyboard Commands -TAB: Move to the next control in the dialog box -SHIFT+TAB: Move to the previous control in the dialog box -SPACEBAR: If the current control is a button, this clicks the button. If the current control is a check box, this toggles the check box. If the current control is an option, this selects the option. -ENTER: Equivalent to clicking the selected button (the button with the outline) -ESC: Equivalent to clicking the Cancel button -ALT+underlined letter in dialog box item: Move to the corresponding item

Wow this is a tough one. You need to print out the form that I gave to you to download. Then go to your bank and give them money in the amount of the plan you choose. Then tell them you need an international money order, bank draft or certified check in that amount. Then just mail it to us.

As in bank draft, money order, or personal check.

Start with this. http://www.cpanel.net

Hi - Thats pretty general... We love to help noooooobs. What in specific are you looking for? Tell us we can help :0 Bill

Here is a test link to test our speeds. http://www.*****/test.zip You will see it wont take long Also know that this file is on server4. Which is a fully populated server. Please post back and let us know what speeds you can pull. Bill

Nope just send a check along with the form and you will be set up upon receipt.

Print out the url i metioned and attach a money order or bank draft. We do not invoice for pre-paid services. Thanks

Thanks for the LIVE IM chat. This issue has been discussed. Thanks

Ouch... Did you delete any files? There appear to be missing files?

Well I would need your username to do that. Ok i on my way to lookseeeee

Hi there. Here is the form you need to include with your payment. http://www.*****/paybymail.html Any refund issued in the first 30 days of service is a 100% refund. No questions asked! I hope this answers your question. If not just re-post! Thanks

Well, You could go a couple different ways. I really like the services that paysystems.com has provided. They handle all of our CC here at ***** and they have been excellent. Also, they provide a fully managed shopping cart for no extra charge. I would give them a look. Http://www.paysystems.com

Hey you missed one smiley.

Firewalls Torn Apart A firewall is basically something that protects the network from the Internet. It is derived from the concept of firewalls used in vehicles which is a barrier made of fire resistant material protecting the vehicle in case of fire. Anyway a firewall is best described as a software or hardware or both Hardware and Software packet filter that allows only selected packets to pass through from the Internet to your private internal network. A firewall is a system or a group of systems which guard a trusted network( The Internal Private Network from the untrusted network (the Internet.) To understand how a firewall works, firstly we need to understand how exactly data is transferred on the Internet. NOTE: The following is a very weird, short and incomplete description of the TCP\IP protocol, I have just given a general idea of the whole data transmission process so that everyone can understand firewalls. The TCP\IP suite is responsible for successful transfer of data across a network both the Internet and the Intranet. The TCP\IP suite is a collection of protocols which are inter-related and interdependent and act as a set of rules according to which data is transferred across the network. A protocol can be defined as a language or a standard which is followed while transfer of data takes place. Lets go through a brief explanation of how data is transferred across a network following the various components of the TCP\IP suite. The whole process of data transmission begins when a user starts up an Internet application like the email client or a FTP client. The user types an email in his client and in this way provides data to be transferred. The email client is said to be a part of the application layer f the TCP\IP stack. Now this application layer (email client) provides data (the email itself) which has to be transferred to the Transmission control protocol or TCP which constitutes the Transfer Layer of TCP\IP. TCP breaks down the data i.e. the email into smaller chunks called packets and hands over the responsibility to the Internet Protocol or IP which forms the invisible network layer. This Internet Protocol adds some various info to each packet to ensure that the packet knows for which computer it is meant for and which port or application it is going to meet and from where it has come. An IP datagram contains: 1. A header which contains the Source and Destination IP, Time to live info and also the protocol used. There is also a header checksum present. 2. Remaining part contains the data to be transferred. You do not need to understand all this in detail but just remember that TCP breaks data into smaller packets and IP adds the source and destination IP's to the packets. When the data reaches the other server IP hands the packets to TCP again which re assembles the packets. Port numbers are also used to ensure that the packets know to which application it need to go to. So, basically we can conclude that a successful transmission of data across a network relies on the source and destination IP and also the ports. A firewall too relies on the source and destination IP and also the ports to control the packet transfer between the untrusted network and the trusted network. Firewalls can be classified into 3 types: 1. Packet Filter Firewalls 2. Application proxy Firewalls 3. Packet Inspection Firewalls Packet Filter Firewalls They are the earliest and the most criticized firewalls, which nowadays are not easily found. They are usually Hardware based i.e. Router Based (a router is a piece of device which connects two networks together.) Whenever a Packet Filter Firewall receives a packet for permission to pass through, it compares the header information i.e. the source and destination IP address, and port number with a table of predefined access control rules If the header information matches, then the packet is allowed to pass else the packet is dropped or terminated. They are not popular due to the fact that they allow direct contact between the untrusted system and the trusted private system. To understand such firewalls lets take the example of the secretary that sits in your office. This kind of secretary allows only those people who have an appointment to pass but if you convince her that her boss wants to meet her then she would allow you to pass. Such Firewalls can be fooled by using techniques like IP Spoofing in which we can change the source IP such that the firewall thinks that the packet has come from a trusted system which is among the list of systems which have access through the firewall. Application proxy Firewalls The shortcomings of the packet filter firewalls are addressed by the new type of firewalls developed by the DARPA. It was widely believed that the earlier type of firewalls were not secure enough as they allowed the untrusted systems to have a direct connection with the trusted systems. This problem was solved with the use of Proxy servers as firewalls. A proxy server which is used as a firewall are called application proxy servers. This kind of a proxy firewall examines what application or service (running on ports) a packet is meant for and if that particular service is available only then is the packet allowed to pass through and if the service is unavailable then the packet is discarded or dropped by the firewall. Once this is done, the firewall extracts the data and delivers it to the appropriate service. There is not direct connection between the untrusted systems with the trusted systems as the original data sent by the untrusted system is dropped by the firewall and it personally delivers the data. Let's again take the example of a secretary. Such a secretary would take a gift or something else for you only if you are available in the office and it would not allow the visitor to deliver the thing but would personally deliver it to you. Although they are somewhat slower, they are much more secure as they do not allow a direct contact between an untrusted network and a trusted network. Packet Inspection Firewalls It can be also known as an extension of the Packet Filter Firewall. It not only verifies the source and destination IP's and ports, it also takes into consideration or verifies that content of the data before passing it through. There are two ways in which this kind of a firewall verifies the data to be passed: State and Session. In case of state inspection, an incoming packet is allowed to pass through only if there is a matching outward bound request for this packet. This means that the incoming packet is allowed to pass through only if the trusted server had requested for it or had sent an invitation for it. In case of session filtering, the data of the incoming is not verified, but instead the network activity is traced and once a trusted system ends the session, no further packets from that system pertaining to that session are allowed to pass through. This protects against IP spoofing to a certain extend. Such firewalls can also be configured beforehand to act according to pre defined rules when it is attacked. It can also be configured to disconnect from the Internet in case of an attack. All along you will come across many Firewalls on various systems, basically a firewall can be established or setup in two ways: 1. Dual-homed gateway 2. Demilitarized zone (DMZ) In a dual homed gateway firewall, there is a single firewall with 2 connections, one for the trusted network and the other for the untrusted network. In the case of a Demilitarized Firewall or a DMZ there are two firewalls, each with two connections, but there is a slight difference in the case of a DMZ setup. In the case of a DMZ setup, there are two firewalls, the first having two connections, one leading to the untrusted network and the other leading to the host systems like the email server or the FTP server etc. These host systems can be accessed from the untrusted network. These host systems are connected with the internal private trusted systems through another firewall. Thus there is no direct contact between the untrusted network and the trusted internal network. The area or region between the two firewalls is termed as the demilitarized zone. In the case of a Dual Homed Gateway the untrusted network is connected to the host systems (email and FTP servers etc) through a firewall and these host systems are connected to the internal private network. There is no second firewall between the host systems and the internal private trusted network. The basic structure of the DMZ setup declares it to be a more secure system as even if an attacker gets through the first firewall, he just reaches the host systems, while the internal network is protected by another firewall. Do Firewalls provide enough Security for my Network? The answer is a simple no. There is no such thing that a firewall is enough to fulfill or satisfy all your security concerns. Yes it does protect the trusted systems from the untrusted ones, but they are definitely not enough for all your security needs. We need to protect our systems to secure the company data. The most common methods used to break into networks are brute force password cracking and social engineering. A firewall in no way can prevent such occurrences. There are other ways in which attackers can steal or destroy company data. Phone Tapping and the use of spy gadgets has become a common occurance.Although providing safety to the network to a large extend, a firewall is still not able to protect the company data from Viruses and Trojans, although some firewalls do provide for scanning everything being downloaded, the rate at which new HTML, Java and other viruses are propping up, it is becoming very difficult for firewalls to detect all viruses. Anyway firewalls provide no physical protection to the networks. It also provides no protection from fire, tornados etc.Yet another shortcoming is the fact that if the attacker is able to break into a trusted system which is provided access by the firewall, then he can easily gain access to the data at your network, as the firewall will think that he is actually the trusted party.

Hello - What is your domain name? I will take a look for you.

There are four general types of software out there: Freeware - This type of software is available for free, no strings attached, usually online. You can download, install, and use it as often as you want. A good example is the software available from AnalogX at http://www.analogx.com/contents/download.htm Shareware - This type of software is usually distributed free of charge, but you're expected to pay a small fee to the author if you like it and use it on a regular basis. For-pay Software - This type of software is purchased online or in a retail store. You fork over money to buy a license for the right to use the software. Ad-ware - This type of software, usually available online, is offered to the user at no charge. However, the author of the software still wants to get paid, so he incorporates advertising technology into the software. As a result, you get the software for free, but you have to view banner ads while using the software. Sometimes ad-ware is offered also in a for-pay version that does not include the ads, giving you a choice from free and ads, or for-pay without ads. However, there is a major catch with most (not all) ad-ware programs. In order to deliver the advertising to you, the installation program for the software not only installs the program you want, but also installs additional tracking software without your knowledge. This tracking software monitors your surfing habits and sends this data back "home" any time you're online, again without your knowledge. The advertising company analyzes the data and uses it to deliver targeted ads to you when you use said software. For example, if you have visited several web sites checking out DVDs, this information will be sent back to the marketing company, resulting in them displaying DVD-related advertisements when you use the software. Therefore, any software that tracks users' surfing habits, abuses a user's Internet connection to secretly send data "home", or employs any other techniques to profile or gather data about a user without express permission is called "Spyware". Spyware also comes in other forms such as cookies that track your surfing habits. Some Examples Here are a few examples of common spyware programs and what they do: Gator's webform completion and password saving software includes offercompanion, which is advertising software, tracking your surfing habits, sending info home, and displaying ads. It is also said to replace website's advertising with its own. Download programs like NetZip's Download Demon, Netscape/AOL's SmartDownload, and Real Network's RealDownload keep track of every file you download and assign you a unique ID number, enabling them to keep a detailed record of any files you download off the Internet. Aureate/Radiate secretly installs itself, tracks information, has the capability of installing additional software without your knowledge, hides itself, and is responsible for browser crashes. Ezula's TOPText/ContextPro/HOTText inserts ads in web pages that you view without your or the web site's webmaster's consent. Peer-to-peer file sharing software such as Kazaa, Grokster, Limewire and the likes have been known to secretly install spyware on users' machines that collects and sends personal data to another web address. Other names you might recognize that also fall into this category are CometCursor, BonziBuddy, Alexa, RealJukebox, and many more. What's the problem? Spyware enables advertising and marketing companies to gather data about you without your knowledge, abuse your Internet connection to send the data back to them, analyze and profile the data, then use it for their own profit by selling advertisement. This is an inexcusable invasion of anybody's privacy. If somebody asked you whether it's ok for somebody to look over your shoulder while you surf, make notes of sites and products you view, put this info into a database, use this info to serve you annoying ads and on top of that make money off of it, would you say "Yes, sure, go ahead" and be comfortable with that? Didn't think so. Some of the companies defend themselves by pointing out that they clearly disclaim their practices in the fine print. However, any user you ask and inform about this type of software, didn't realize it at the time s/he was installing it. The majority of companies distributing spyware is very covert about it and takes extra steps to hide the presence and activity of these spyware components, making it even more despicable. In addition, Spyware only encourages and enhances annoying pop-up ads and flashing banners, wastes your bandwidth, screen real estate, time, and disk space. Some spyware is also known to cause crashes and stability problems on users' computers. Other spyware offers a serious security risk by opening a backdoor on your system, offering the capability to secretly install software. How does that affect me? Obviously you do not want a computer that spies on your surfing habits gathers personal data about you and sends it to marketing companies takes up your bandwidth crashes your browser bombards you with more advertising secretly installs unknown software opens up secret backdoors Therefore it is important to keep your machine free of such malicious software. How do I detect and remove Spyware? Some spyware can be removed via the Add/Remove Programs applet in the Windows Control Panel, provided you know it's there and what its name is. Some of it can be removed manually. Some of it is difficult to remove due to hidden files and registry keys. In order to effectively check and clean up your system you need to be more aggressive. Right now the most complete and thorough spyware detection and removal tool is a freeware program called Ad-Aware offered by the German company Lavasoft. You can download it at no charge from their web site at http://www.lavasoft.de/downloads.html. Download and install Ad-aware on your machine. Before you use it, you will need to download the latest signature file from the same page and extract it into the Ad-aware program directory, overwriting an earlier version of the signature file. Once installed, run Ad-ware by clicking the icon in the start menu. The program is pretty self-explanatory and walks you through the process of scanning your hard drives and registry, identifying spyware components, and removing them. If you have questions about the software or need help, Ad-aware comes with a good manual, which is accessible from the Start menu. Additional Resources http://www.cexx.org/adware.htm http://grc.com/optout.htm http://www.lavasoft.de/ http://www.wilders.org/spyware.htm http://www.spychecker.com/

If you have Internet access - and you probably do, otherwise you probably wouldn't be reading this - chances are that you use a modem and a phone line to go online. But what exactly is a modem? How does it work? How do you make sure you get the best performance out of your modem? Read on for the answers to these and more questions! What is a Modem? The word modem is derived from MOdulator-DEModulator and that pretty well describes their function. Standard telephone circuits, known as POTS lines for Plain Old Telephone Service, are designed to carry analog information like the sound waves of your voice. That is not compatible with information between computers which is a digital stream composed of ones and zeros. The computers digital signal must be modulated or converted to analog sound waves to travel through the phone lines, and demodulated or converted back into digital pulses that can be understood by the receiving computer. Modems need to have a set of instructions that tell them how to accomplish various communication tasks. An early pioneering modem manufacturer, Hayes, developed a set of instructions called the Hayes Command Set, which has been modified and expanded as the technology advanced. Other manufacturers adopted these commands so that modems made by different companies would be able to talk to each other. Thus the Hayes set became a de facto standard that is usually referred to as the AT command set because commands are prefaced with AT to let the modem know that an instruction is to follow. A group of instructions is called a Command String. Modem Speed The original modems operated at the blazing speed 300 data bits per second (bps). Today the fastest analog modems are rated at 56,000 bps, unfortunately the Federal communications Commission (FCC) limits them to a maximum speed of 53 Kbps in order to protect the telephone network from interference that could affect normal voice communication. If you ever see a 56K modems speed reported over 53K, it is reporting the port speed of your computer (DTE), NOT the connection speed (DCE). This can occasionally happen when any modem is initialized, it is in error, your 56K modem will not connect at 115.2K. A modem can be forced to report port speed with an AT command so if you consistently see unrealistically high speeds reported you can correct your command string to fix it, Unfortunately, not all modems use the same command code so consult your modem manual or manufacturers web site. Modern modems are designed to adapt to phone line and noise conditions, and dynamically increase or decrease in speed as needed. When you sign on and the computer tells you that you connected at e.g. 48,000, don't worry about reconnecting to get a higher speed, that was just the speed at the moment you connected and it normally changes constantly as conditions dictate. There are other things to be aware of with the 56K modems that most of us use today. In order to deliver speeds above 28K there can only be one digital conversion between your computer and the telephone companies switch to which it connects. Since there is one in your home (your modem), that means that the phone company must have a digital rather than an analog switch. Unless you are really out in the sticks, nearly all TelCo switches are digital today. There is, unfortunately, another limitation, you must be located within about 3½ miles (5.6 Kilometers) of the TelCo switch, or line loss and noise will make high speeds impossible. Modem types Two different types of 56K modems originally were sold, the X2 modem developed by U.S. Robotics, and the Flex developed by Rockwell and Lucent. The two different types were unable to speak with each other, and it was important to use an Internet service provider (ISP) that used the same type of modem that you had. Eventually saner heads prevailed and the two camps came up with a system that combined the best features of each. This new system was adopted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and is now universal under the ITU V.90 Standard. There are still different types of V.90 modems. External modems are self contained in their own box and have their own power supply that must be plugged into a power outlet. They are preferred by some users because they are easy to set up, just connect them to an available serial port, or USB port, and they have status lights that can give you information about their operation and performance. They can be moved easily between different computers, and can be turned off when not in use. Internal type modems are expansion cards that plug into either ISA or PCI slots inside the computer. They cost less than comparable external models since they need neither cabinets or power supplies. They, of course, require you to go inside the computer to be installed and can't have status lights. They are their own serial port and so do not use up one of the ports on your computer that may be needed for something else. Most internal modems today are Plug and Play (PnP) and are recognized and assigned by a PnP operating system. Make sure that your BIOS is NOT configured to set up PnP devices, Windows will handle the PnP setup. They require installation of drivers supplied by the manufacturer on a diskette or CD ROM. Some internal modems are Winmodems, they off load some functions to the computer CPU that are normally handled by onboard processors on a traditional modem. This obviously uses some of the computational power otherwise available to run applications. Manufacturers are not always up front in identifying winmodems, so look for the fine print on the box. A winmodem will always specify a minimum speed requirement for the computer's CPU. A winmodem also must be used only with the Windows operating system Modem Installation There are differing setup requirements for modems so the best advise is to carefully read the installation instructions that come with the modem. Internal modems cause the most confusion and aggravation so let's look at some considerations. Most computers come with two Com (Serial) ports. If you use a Serial mouse, it is normally installed on Com1, you could disable Com2 in your BIOS and use Com2 for your modem, but that is throwing away a port that you could use for other purposes, you would use Com2 for an external modem. If you use a USB type mouse Com1 would be open and available Remember we said earlier that an internal modem is it's own port, so it can become either Com3 or Com4. If you have a mouse on Com1, do not use Com3 for the modem. Com1 normally shares the same IRQ as Com3. Com2 shares an IRQ with Com4. We said normally because although Com1 & 2 are sometimes hardwired, com3 & 4 can also be placed on IRQ's 2, 5, 9, and 11. Of course, you only have 15 IRQ's in total and most will be needed for other devices. The following are the usual hex addresses and ports used for internal modems: Port Hex IRQ Com1 3F8 IRQ4 Com2 2F8 IRQ3 Com3 3E8 IRQ4 Com4 2E8 IRQ3 Most modems have jumpers or switches to set the Com port, Plug and Play modems will also have a PnP setting that will let Windows assign the port and hex address. Some modems are software configurable. If your modem and OS are Plug and Play it is usually OK to let Windows assign the IRQ and port, otherwise set the modem for the IRQ and port you want to use. If your mouse is not on Com1, use Com3 or Com4. If your mouse is on Com1, use Com4. Most modems come already set to Com4 as a default. Choosing either a PCI modem or an ISA modem has no effect on modem speed, either slot is more than fast enough for a modem. An advantage to a PCI modem is that PCI devices can sometimes share the same IRQ. As with any add in card, once you open the computer case you will need to select the slot you will use. Turn OFF the power and unplug the power cord before working inside the case. ISA slots are usually black and in the rear left hand corner of the motherboard, PCI slots are usually white and shorter than the ISA and slightly farther away from the rear panel. Metal slides in the rear panel line up with each slot. Remove the slide for the slot you intend to occupy, it will either be held in by a screw, or the breakout type which can be removed by prying them with a screwdriver blade and then flexing back and forth until it snaps off. Carefully line up the card edge with the slot and firmly press it straight down into the slot, you should not need excessive force. When the entire edge of the card is evenly seated, secure the card with a retaining screw at the top of the metal bracket. There will be two RJ11C modular telephone jacks exposed on the rear of the card where it shows through the rear panel, one is marked "LINE" and you will run a telephone cord from it to a nearby telephone wall jack. The other jack will be marked "SET" or "PHONE" and you may plug a standard analog telephone into that jack if you wish. Unlike some devices for which you can use the drivers in Windows, you will want to use the drivers that came with your modem. When you turn on the computer and Windows finds the modem select the Have Disk option and put the driver CD or diskette into the proper drive and follow the instructions that came with the modem to install the driver inf file. Most manufacturers frequently release updated drivers so it pays to check their web sites for new versions even with a brand new modem. Testing the Modem To test your modem, go to Start/Settings/Control Panel and double-click on the Modem icon. A window will open that should show your modem by name, click on the Properties button and a new window will show what port it is on, there is also a slider to set the volume level of the speaker mounted on the modem card. Below that is a box for maximum speed, set the speed to 115,200 for a 56K modem and click OK. Next click on the Diagnostics tab and in the window that opens click on the Driver button, a box will tell you the driver that is installed. Click OK and then click on the More Info button, a box will say it is communicating with the modem and a results box should report the test results. Troubleshooting If for any reason the diagnostics fail, exit back to Control panel and double click on the System icon, then on the Device Manager tab. There should be a listing for Modem, click on the + in front of it and you should see your modem listed. Look also at the listing for Ports, click on the + and it should show the port your modem is installed on. If either of these are missing, or if there is a question mark (?) or exclamation point (!) in front of the item there was a conflict in the installation. Remove all references to the modem, and shut down the computer via Start/Shutdown, turn off the power for at least 5 seconds and then reboot and go through the detection and driver installation again being sure to follow the manufacturers instructions exactly. PCI modems can be slot sensitive, if computer fails to see or properly set up a PCI modem try putting it in another slot. Testing your phone line If you fail to get good connect speeds (at least 40 kbps) and your location and TelCo switch meet the requirements we described earlier, you should determine the quality of your phone line so you can ask your phone company to fix the situation. You will need to use a terminal program like HyperTerminal that is included in Windows or any of the many programs that are distributed with modems or available for download. Since HyperTerminal comes with Windows, might as well use it for our test. Go to Start/Programs/Accessories/Communications/HyperTerminal In the window double click on hypertrm.exe When the program comes up, type in TEXT for the name, and 1234 for the phone number and hit Enter. You will now be in a blank terminal window. Type ATZ and hit Enter, it will respond with OK Type ATDT###-#### (Where ###-#### is the number to your ISP) and hit Enter. After the modem dials, it will reply with "Login", type +++, it will respond OK Type AT&V1 and press Enter You should see something like the following: DISC. REASON NONE LAST TX 26400 BPS MAX TX 26400 BPS LAST RX 50667 BPS MAX RX 50667 BPS PROTOCOL LAPM COMPRESSION V42Bis Line QUAL 023 Rx LVL 012 Max Rx State 67 Max TX State 67 EQM Sum 0089 Min Dist 0000 RBS Ptrn 04 Rate Drop 00 Dig Loss 3F07 Loc Rtrn Cnt FF Rem Rtrn Cnt FF If the Line QUAL is more than 25 it indicates the line is noisy. Repeat this test several times to get an average. Note also in the above test the modem was sending data at 26,400 BPS, and receiving data at 50,667 BPS. A 56K modem is asynchronous meaning it is faster in one direction than in the other direction. Under current regulations connection to the Public Service Telephone Network (PSTN) at speeds in excess of 53K is prohibited and modems are designed to not violate this rule. If you normally see faster speeds reported your modem is showing the port speed at which it communicates with your computer, rather than the connect speed at which it communicates with your ISP. This can often be corrected by adding a command to your modem string. Go to Start/Settings/Control Panel/System/Device Manager and right-click on your modem and click on Properties, click on the Connection tab and then click on Advanced. In the advanced window is a box labeled Extra Settings, type W2 in that box and click OK. The W2 command will take precedence and should force your modem to report connect speed. (Rockwell based PCI modems use the command MR=2). Some commands can override the W2 command so if that does not fix the problem, try adding S95=0, or S95=1 to the init string. Modem Strings There are hundreds of modems on the market from dozens of manufacturers. Each modem has an initialization string stored in it by the manufacturer that tells it how to function. Even though the AT command set is standardized, the combination of commands used in a particular modem may be very different than that in another model even from the same manufacturer. All command strings must begin with "AT" and end with "^M". They can be either upper or lower case, but not mixed, and they are limited to a maximum of 39 characters not including spaces. There is a "Basic Command Set" and an "Extended Command Set". Extended set commands are preceded by an ampersand (&). The command ATZ means to use the modem default command string. A more specific command is AT&F1 which means to use the modem manufacturers command string, or AT&F0 which means to use the chipset manufacturers command string. The latter are extended commands. The possible combinations of commands number in the thousands. An init string for one model of modem can thoroughly mess up some other model by causing command conflicts. Fortunately you don't have to know anything about init strings because your modem and its manufacturer know. There are many tweaks that can modify how a modem handles certain functions. You can make it dial faster, connect only at a certain speed, change the speaker volume, and much more. All of this is mainly of little benefit for most users, and can create unforeseen problems. Only modify your manufacturers settings if you really know what you are doing, or on the advice of someone knowledgeable