OBTAIN AN IP ADDRESS BY USING DHCPBEFORE YOU BEGIN THIS EXERCISE, YOU...

15-21Lesson 2 Configuring Dial-Up Connections

you specify whether Windows should wait for a dial tone before dialing numbers.

Users in some locations might find that their modem does not recognize the dial

tone used in that area, or users might need to dial the phone manually.

■

Diagnostics The Diagnostics tab lets you issue a query to the modem to deter-

mine whether it is receiving and sending commands properly. Click Query

Modem and wait a few moments to see the result. This command is the single

most useful modem troubleshooting tool in Windows because it helps you deter-

mine whether a modem is working properly. If the query returns an error stating

that it cannot communicate with the modem, you know you must troubleshoot the

modem itself. If the query returns results, you know the modem is working and

the problem lies elsewhere—most likely in the dial-up connection configuration

or in the application trying to make the connection. The Diagnostics tab also lets

you enable logging for the modem.

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Advanced The Advanced tab lets you configure initialization commands for the

modem—commands that control how the modem sends and receives data.

Mostly, you do not need to worry about using extra initialization commands

because the most common uses for these commands (such as waiting for a dial

tone, dialing 9 to get an outside line, or using a code to disable call waiting) are

all configurable options within Windows.

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Driver The Driver tab displays version information about the modem driver;

and provides tools for updating, rolling back, and uninstalling drivers. For more

information about using the options on this tab, see Chapter 6.

Note Many modems are compatible with Windows XP. However, many difficult-to-detect prob-lems are the result of older, incompatible modems. Plug and Play modems are cheap enough these days that it is usually easier and more cost-effective to replace an old modem than troubleshoot it. To find hardware that is supported by Windows operating systems, visit the Windows Catalog on the Microsoft Web site.

Configuring a Dial-Up Connection

Dial-up connections work much like LAN connections, but have additional options

that let you control when the connection is dialed, the number for the connection,

and other criteria for use. To create a dial-up connection, you use the New Connection

Wizard (which was covered in Lesson 1, “Configuring Local Area Network (LAN)

Connections”) to create a connection to the Internet or to a private network.

After the dial-up connection is created, you can view the connection in the Network

Connections window, as shown in Figure 15-10. Right-clicking a particular connection

provides a shortcut menu with commands for working with the connection.

F15us10.bmp

Figure 15-10 Dial-up connections are shown in the Network Connections window.

Setting Options for a Dial-Up Connection

To configure options for a dial-up connection, right-click the connection and click

Properties. The Properties dialog box for the connection, shown in Figure 15-11, con-

tains the following tabs:

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General The General tab shows the modem associated with the connection.

Click Configure to open a Modem Configuration dialog box that allows you to set

the maximum port speed, configure hardware options for the modem, and enable

or disable the modem speaker (although not control the volume level). The Gen-

eral tab also allows you to configure the phone number for the connection. Con-

figuring the phone number entails the following:

❑

Typing the phone number itself. You can also click Alternates to open an

Alternate Phone Numbers dialog box that lets you enter additional phone

numbers for the connection to try if the primary number is busy. The Phone

Number text box is the only option available in the Phone Number section

unless you enable dialing rules.

❑

Enabling dialing rules. When you select the Use Dialing Rules check box, the

other options in the Phone Number section become available. Click the Dial-

ing Rules button to create new dialing locations. Each location you configure

can use an entirely different set of dialing rules, such as area code, number

dialed for access to an outside line, and even calling card information.

❑

Selecting an area code. The list of area codes available is derived from the

dialing locations you configure.

❑

Selecting a country/region code.