USB modem problem

[Bill Ridgeway]

I have a strange problem with my USB modem.

If I boot up the computer with the modem connected the modem is, somehow,
being used from the outset. I know this because when my fax software
(Ventafax) starts (automatically on boot up) it detects it and reports an
error message "Modem occupied by another application".

If, however, I boot up the computer without the modem connected and connect
the modem after my fax software has started all is fine.

To resolve this issue I need to disconnect the modem each evening so it
starts OK the following day. If I forget I have to stop the fax software
running, disconnect the modem, start the fax software and connect the modem.

I'm looking for a way to identify what is starting on boot up and using the
modem before the fax software. There's nothing in Start Menu / Programs /
Startup. MS Config doesn't reveal anything. I can't find anything obvious
in the Registry (searching for 'Run' and 'Load'). Where to go / What to do
now?

Thanks.

Bill Ridgeway

 

[Noel Paton]

I have a strange problem with my USB modem.

If I boot up the computer with the modem connected the modem is, somehow,
being used from the outset. I know this because when my fax software
(Ventafax) starts (automatically on boot up) it detects it and reports an
error message "Modem occupied by another application".

If, however, I boot up the computer without the modem connected and
connect
the modem after my fax software has started all is fine.

To resolve this issue I need to disconnect the modem each evening so it
starts OK the following day. If I forget I have to stop the fax software
running, disconnect the modem, start the fax software and connect the
modem.

I'm looking for a way to identify what is starting on boot up and using
the modem before the fax software. There's nothing in Start Menu /
Programs / Startup. MS Config doesn't reveal anything. I can't find
anything obvious in the Registry (searching for 'Run' and 'Load'). Where
to go / What to do now?

Thanks.

Bill Ridgeway

Check the settings in Internet Properties - make sure that in the
Connections tab, 'Never dial a connection' is selected.
What's probably happening is that your network connection is a little slower
than your modem in connecting on boot, so the modem gets the instruction to
connect.
HTH

--
Noel Paton (MVP 2002-2006)
(CrashFixPC)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.crashfixpc.co.uk

 

[Bill Ridgeway]

Check the settings in Internet Properties - make sure that in the
Connections tab, 'Never dial a connection' is selected.
What's probably happening is that your network connection is a little
slower than your modem in connecting on boot, so the modem gets the
instruction to connect.
HTH

--
Noel Paton (MVP 2002-2006)
(CrashFixPC)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.crashfixpc.co.uk

Thanks Noel. 'Never dial a connection' is already ticked so that's not the
cause of the problem. Any other suggestions please.

Bill Ridgeway

 

[Bob I]

Thanks Noel. 'Never dial a connection' is already ticked so that's not the
cause of the problem. Any other suggestions please.

Bill Ridgeway

Perhaps the BIOS is set to try booting from USB and causing the issue?

 

[Bill Ridgeway]

Perhaps the BIOS is set to try booting from USB and causing the issue?

Thanks for the suggestion. I didn't have this problem at one time and
didn't think I'd changed the BIOS setting in the mean time. I checked
anyway to find that the BIOS is not set to boot from USB so that's not the
answer to the problem. Any other suggestions please?

Bill Ridgeway

 

[Noel Paton]

Thanks for the suggestion. I didn't have this problem at one time and
didn't think I'd changed the BIOS setting in the mean time. I checked
anyway to find that the BIOS is not set to boot from USB so that's not the
answer to the problem. Any other suggestions please?

Bill Ridgeway

One obvious thought is malware of some description - a trojan trying to dial
out, most likely.
have you tried any anti-malware programs? - which ones?


--
Noel Paton (MVP 2002-2006)
(CrashFixPC)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.crashfixpc.co.uk

 

[Bill Ridgeway]

One obvious thought is malware of some description - a trojan trying to
dial out, most likely.
have you tried any anti-malware programs? - which ones?


--
Noel Paton (MVP 2002-2006)
(CrashFixPC)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.crashfixpc.co.uk

Thanks Noel. I have a very tight regime of keeping malware at bay. Norton
Internet Security 2009 is regularly and routinely updated and a scan done
every week. This problem appeared when I had NIS 2007. I am very confident
that malware is not the cause of the problem. Any other suggestions please?

Bill Ridgeway

 

[Noel Paton]

Thanks Noel. I have a very tight regime of keeping malware at bay.
Norton Internet Security 2009 is regularly and routinely updated and a
scan done every week. This problem appeared when I had NIS 2007. I am
very confident that malware is not the cause of the problem. Any other
suggestions please?

Bill Ridgeway

OH DEAR!
at this point I'll bow out gracefully before I say something that I might
regret about how Norton is worse than the malware it's trying to stop.
I can pretty much guarantee you that getting rid of Norton will get rid of
your problem.

--
Noel Paton (MVP 2002-2006)
(CrashFixPC)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.crashfixpc.co.uk

 

[Mike Hall - MVP]

OH DEAR!
at this point I'll bow out gracefully before I say something that I might
regret about how Norton is worse than the malware it's trying to stop.
I can pretty much guarantee you that getting rid of Norton will get rid of
your problem.

--
Noel Paton (MVP 2002-2006)
(CrashFixPC)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.crashfixpc.co.uk

I'll second that..

 

[Bill Ridgeway]

OH DEAR!
at this point I'll bow out gracefully before I say something that I might
regret about how Norton is worse than the malware it's trying to stop.
I can pretty much guarantee you that getting rid of Norton will get rid of
your problem.

--
Noel Paton (MVP 2002-2006)
(CrashFixPC)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.crashfixpc.co.uk

I ran Norton Internet Security 2007 from about December 2007 without the
modem problem and it was sometime in 2008 that the problem developed. This
indicates that NIS is not the culprit in this case.

Bill Ridgeway

 

[Noel Paton]

I ran Norton Internet Security 2007 from about December 2007 without the
modem problem and it was sometime in 2008 that the problem developed.
This indicates that NIS is not the culprit in this case.

Bill Ridgeway

Not true - Norton continually finds new ways to screw up peoples' systems,
by 'improving' their software, and pushing the updates out without proper
testing (at least AFAICT)

--
Noel Paton (MVP 2002-2006)
(CrashFixPC)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.crashfixpc.co.uk

 

[Mike Hall - MVP]

I ran Norton Internet Security 2007 from about December 2007 without the
modem problem and it was sometime in 2008 that the problem developed.
This indicates that NIS is not the culprit in this case.

Bill Ridgeway

NIS is always a problem..

 

[Bill Ridgeway]

Not true - Norton continually finds new ways to screw up peoples' systems,
by 'improving' their software, and pushing the updates out without proper
testing (at least AFAICT)

--
Noel Paton (MVP 2002-2006)
(CrashFixPC)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.crashfixpc.co.uk

Thanks Noel.

Norton is only a suspect at the moment: There's no proof. I've tried the
other suggestions on this thread but I'm not willing, at present, to
uninstall Norton to prove / disprove your point whilst there may be another
posible caise to investigate.

Bill Ridgeway

 

[Bill Ridgeway]

Thanks Noel.

Norton is only a suspect at the moment: There's no proof. I've tried the
other suggestions on this thread but I'm not willing, at present, to
uninstall Norton to prove / disprove your point whilst there may be
another posible caise to investigate.

Bill Ridgeway

I am dissapointed that this thread has come to an abrupt end on the
suspicion that Norton Internet Security may be the cause of my problem.
It's like the game Mornington Crescent
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mornington_Crescent_(game). I'm sure there
must be other possibilities??

Bill Ridgeway

 

[Paul]

I am dissapointed that this thread has come to an abrupt end on the
suspicion that Norton Internet Security may be the cause of my problem.
It's like the game Mornington Crescent
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mornington_Crescent_(game). I'm sure there
must be other possibilities??

Bill Ridgeway

This is an experiment I tried with the Sysinternals "Handle" program.
The trick to using it, is knowing the name of the resource. If you know
the system name of the hardware, then you can filter on it, and see
what process "owns" the port.

http://groups.google.ca/group/alt.computer/msg/dc1f49580c511c18?dmode=source

Paul

 

[Noel Paton]

I am dissapointed that this thread has come to an abrupt end on the
suspicion that Norton Internet Security may be the cause of my problem.
It's like the game Mornington Crescent
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mornington_Crescent_(game). I'm sure there
must be other possibilities??

Bill Ridgeway

Yes, there are, but until you've eliminated the most likely, there's little
chance of testing any of the others!

--
Noel Paton (MVP 2002-2006)
(CrashFixPC)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.crashfixpc.co.uk