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Updating Your Modem
One of the most common reasons why our customers experience slow connect speeds or other
problems with their modems is that they do not have the most recent drivers or
firmware installed. Drivers and firmware are important because they provide
instructions to your computer and your modem about how to work together and access
the Internet in the best way possible. The difference between them is that
drivers are installed on your computer and are removable, while firmware (sometimes called
a "flash update") is installed to your modem in the read-only memory.
Modem and computer manufacturers are constantly updating these programs so that
you can get the best performance out of your hardware. However, since modem
manufacturers don't contact you when an upgrade is available, you must find out how
to obtain these drivers and firmware in order to receive the benefits, which may
include a better connection. This page will help you figure out what you need to
know about updating your modem with new drivers and firmware.
"Who made my modem?"
You must be sure that you know exactly the manufacturer and model of
your modem. If you install the wrong drivers or firmware for your modem, you could
damage your modem beyond repair. Follow these steps to find out what kind of modem
you have.
A. If you kept the original owner's manual, that
will be the best way to identify your modem. It may even tell you where to go for
new drivers and/or firmware (some modems use both, some use just one kind of update).
B. If you have an external modem,
identifying it will be much easier. Look for the manufacturer and model on the modem
itself, and then go to our Modem Manufacturers
page to find their Web site. You should be able to browse their modems to find
exactly the one you need drivers for.
Or, if you cannot identify your
modem this way, look for a FCC identification number. This will be about 14
characters long and be composed of letters and numbers. Go here to enter the first three characters
into a search that should tell you the manufacturer.
C. If you have an internal modem,
finding information visually will be much more difficult. You could open up your
computer and find the manufacturer's name or the FCC number, but many people are not
comfortable doing that. Here is another method of finding this information:
In Windows 95 or 98, go to the
"Start" button. Find the "Settings" menu, then go to
"Control Panel" and then "Modems". Click on the
"Diagnostics" tab and highlight the Com port on which your modem is installed,
then click "More Info". Lines ati3-ati7 usually show the information you
are looking for, or the information next to "Identifier" will also sometimes be
useful. You may need to go to the manufacturers' Web site first and find out the
format in which they list their modems in order to know what information you need.
D. If your modem came pre-installed
in your computer, the modem manufacturer may not be the company that provides drivers and
other technical support; you may need to contact the computer's manufacturer (such as
Gateway or Compaq). Since Web sites for these kinds of computers are usually more
user-friendly, you might visit them first. You can find their Web sites easily by
typing their names into a search engine like Yahoo! or Google.
E. If none of these methods worked
for you, you could try a couple of Web sites to look for more information. 808hi.com and 56k.com both have instructions on how
to identify the maker of your modem. If you still need help, call one of Internet
Texoma's support numbers listed below.
"How do I find the drivers/firmware?"
Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this since all Web sites are structured
differently and place their driver and firmware updates in different places. The
most likely place to find what you need is the Modem
Manufacturer's home page, then find their Tech Support menu. They will usually
have a link to their Drivers page since a lot of their customers come to their site
looking for them, but if they don't make their drivers easy to find then you will have to
spend a few minutes poking around and trying to find them yourself. Sometimes the
site will have a search feature and you can find what you need by typing in the model
number of your modem. If that doesn't work, try doing a search on their page for
"modem" or "drivers", and that might yield the location of their modem
drivers. Alternatively, you could look on a site that only supplies drivers for many
different purposes. Many of these such sites are listed on our Hardware Driver Information page. If
you still can't find what you need, call one of our support numbers and we might be able
to help you solve your problem.
Once you've found the drivers you need, some will come with a wizard that will
help you install them correctly, but some will not. If you have to install your
drivers yourself, you should print out and follow the instructions that
the manufacturer's Web site provides. Some instructions walk you through
uninstalling your old modem drivers, then when you reboot your computer, you have the
opportunity to install the new ones from scratch.
While you are downloading or installing new drivers or firmware, you should not
disturb your computer by trying to operate another program. This could interupt the
process or even cause your computer to freeze up.
"My modem still has problems connecting."
If you have installed the newest drivers or firmware for your modem, go here to find out other ways to improve your modem's
performance.
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