Hello, I have a problem with my Toshiba laptop modem. It is a Xircom MPCI
56k (rev. 1.90.3) running Windows ME. When I dial into my ISP I get the
handshake and am able to log in to my ISP but no web page will load. If I
pick up the extension which is plugged into the same phone line I can hear
the handshake continuing. This will go on for about a minute more then the
modem will disconnect. I think there is an initialization string I can add
to stop this continuous handshaking but I don't remember it. Any help with
this problem would be appreciated very much.

"DJH" <~dhunker@yahoo0spamforme.com> wrote:
At that point one thing you can be absolutely postive about: the
modem has initialized a link with the distant end, and there is
*no* "handshake" going on at the time you are able to login.
While the "handshake" is taking place, there is absolutely no
data passed from your computer to the ISP, or visa versa.

(Hence, either you aren't really logged in, or it isn't doing a
handshake. It could be either way.)

Different problem, if you are actually logged in.

Yes, but that is *caused* by the noise you introduce into the
line when you go offhook. Basically you blow the connection
away, all the data packets are seen as errored, and the two
modems decide they have a problem and immediately try to
negociate a new link.

Yep... too much noise, and the link cannot be re-established, so
they eventually give up.

Try that again, but the instant you hear it start the handshake,
hang the telset up again. Probably (but not certainly) if you
do that fast enough, the modems will not drop the connection.
Wait 3 minutes, and pick up again, and they will still be
there... and will do it again!

Not being able to access web pages is a different problem, or...
if what you have described is correct, is it. Perhaps I should
not assume that you really are logged in though, and instead ask
just what it does that makes you say it is logged in??? If it
isn't, we have a different problem than if it is. (It's back to
the handshake if it isn't really logging in!)

Regardless, I know zip about Windows ME, so somebody else will
have to help you with why the web pages cannot be accessed.
There are lots of reasons that could happen, but it takes
someone who knows Windows ME to deal with it.

--
Floyd L. Davidson <http://web.newsguy.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@barrow.com

"Floyd L. Davidson" <floyd@barrow.com> wrote in message
news:876500cgii.fld@barrow.com...

Windows reports that I am logged in to my ISP by way of the confirmation
dialog found in the dial-up networking connections tab under settings. You
mentioned that it would be another type of problem

Could you tell me what it might be?

"DJH" <~dhunker@yahoo0spamforme.com> wrote:

Okay, that probably means you actually do have a modem
connection. Like I said, I know nothing about Windows, so I'm
not sure exactly what triggers that.

If you actually are logged in, it *can't* be that the handshake
never stopped. So it has to be something else.

See my comments about Windows...

I just don't know what Windows does with a PPP connection.
There are several possibilities though. For example, "logged
in" could have several meanings. It could just mean you have a
modem link, it could mean that you have a PPP link, or it could
mean that your access to the ISP has been authenticated. If it
means one of the first two, and then the next step fails, it
would take about 2 minutes before your connection would be
dropped. For example, if you have the wrong password, and your
system is using PAP or CHAP for authentication (those are the
most common ways to authenticate with an ISP these day), what
you have described is exactly what might happen. The distant
end rejects you, and hangs up.

But just how to trace that through a Windows system and
determine exactly what is happening is not something I can do.
Switch to Linux: 1) I'll help you, and 2) you won't have to
run a virus checker and a spybot... :-)

--
Floyd L. Davidson <http://web.newsguy.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@barrow.com

In article <112vdf6qm4q2hc4@corp.supernews.com>, ~dhunker@yahoo0spamforme.com
says...
extension will almost always cause the behavior you note.

If this is IE and other internet software works, like Outlook Express
newsgroups (which you posted with), then the problem is likely with IE, often
caused by spyware/malware/viruses. Scan for all of those. Try a different
browser, like Firefox. If you can't download anti-virus/spyware/malware
because you don't have a working browser, then download the install executables
on another machine and burn them to disk for install on the laptop.

Gary E
--
|Gary A. Edelstein
|edelsgNO@SPAMyahoo.com.invalid (Remove NO SPAM and .invalid to reply)
|"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Walt Kelly's Pogo

I went to a tech rep at Micro Center here and was told that this is caused
by the HOSTS file (not the HOST SAM
file). His suggestion was to find another ME user who was not having this
problem and copy their HOSTS
file to a floppy and then copy it over to your C:\Windows directory. I have
not done this yet because I don't know anyone with ME loaded on their
machine.

"Gary A. Edelstein" <edelsgNO@SPAMyahoo.com.invalid> wrote in message
news:423332cc$0$9035$9a6e19ea@news.newshosting.com ...

On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 18:33:27 -0600, "DJH"
<~dhunker@yahoo0spamforme.com> wrote:

operating system. I recommend against doing what the tech said.

Viruses, spyware and malware cause this sort of problem with the hosts
file. If you simply replace the file and don't remove what's causing
the problem, then it's likely the problem will return. Gary E
--
|Gary A. Edelstein
|edelsgNO@SPAMyahoo.com.invalid (remove NO SPAM and .invalid to reply)
|"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Walt Kelly's Pogo

"Gary A. Edelstein" wrote

Then they must have changed something between 95 and ME, as my
HOSTS is just a text file with URL address mappings in it. I have several
thousand lines that redirect the loading of adverts, popups and such
back to my machine, where IE can't find them and so returns an error
of "The page cannot be displayed".