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Compaq Presario V3030CA Notebook PC Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting Dial-Up Connections (Windows Vista)

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This document pertains to HP Notebook PCs with Windows Vista.

Using a dial-up connection

To connect a PC to the Internet, you must have an Internet Service Provider (ISP), and a physical connection through either a cable service, DSL, or a telephone dial-up service. The ISP provides you with a user name and password, and the phone numbers to one or more of their connection points to the Internet.
You may encounter periodic problems with your dial-up service. This document describes some simple troubleshooting checks and some detailed adjustments you can make if you encounter problems with dial-up connections in Windows Vista.
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Simple dial-up network troubleshooting

The following actions assume that the dial-up connection was correctly set up and has been working properly, but you are now experiencing a connection problem. Be sure you have downloaded and installed the latest version of the software, patches, and updates from HP and Microsoft.
  • If there are multiple phone extensions, check that the line is not being used by someone else.
  • If there is a phone connected to the line, dial a single number to stop the dial tone and listen for noise or static on the line. Excessive noise will cause connection problems.
  • If there is a phone connected to the line, dial the connection number provided by the ISP to verify it is the correct number, that it is answered, and that it automatically sends a series of audible tones to establish a connection with the modem.
  • If the phone has voice mail, listen to and delete any voice mail messages.
  • If the phone has call waiting or call forwarding, disable these features temporarily.
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Advanced dial-up network setup and troubleshooting

The rest of this document contains procedures for setting up a new dial-up connection or adjusting an existing connection. If the default dial-up connection is already set, do one or more of the following specific procedures to adjust: Waiting for the dial tone, Disable call waiting, or Change the initialization string for extra error checking.
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Set up a connection for dialing into the Internet

To set up a new dial-up connection, follow the steps below using the access phone numbers and computer setup information provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). You may adjust the settings later based on information from the ISP.
  1. Click Start , enter network in the search field and then select Network and Sharing Center from the list.
  2. In the Network and Sharing center window, select the Set up a connection or network option.
  3. Select the Set up a dial-up connection option and click Next to open the Set up a dial-up connection window.
  4. Enter the Dial-up connection phone number provided by the ISP.
    • Type the numbers only. Do not use dashes or periods. Example: 2815551212.
    • Enter two to six commas before the number to cause the modem to pause before dialing the number. Example: ,,,,,,2815551212.
  5. Enter the Dial-up connection phone number , User name , and Password provided by the ISP. Select the Remember this password option.
  6. Enter a unique Connection name . If the ISP has multiple dial-up numbers, you may want to set up and name a second connection for one of the backup numbers.
  7. Click Dialing rules to open the Phone and Modem Option window.
  8. Select your default My Location area code , and click Edit to open the Edit Location window.
  9. Select the desired Country/region for your area code from the drop-down menu.
    Figure 1: Edit Location window
    Image of the Edit Location window.
  10. Select the To disable call waiting, dial: option on the General tab, and select the code required your phone system.
  11. Provide information for any other dialing options, and click OK to accept the information.
  12. Click OK to return to the Set up a dial-up connection window.
  13. Review the fields for accuracy, and click Connect . The system will attempt to dial the ISP number and will report any problems.
    When the connection to the ISP is established, click Close to exit the setup program.
Now that the connection to the Internet is ready to use, you can open a browser to access the Internet. If opening the browser does not automatically establish a connection to the dial-up service, you should verify the dial-up connection is set as the default action.
To set the default connection, follow these steps.
  1. In the browser window, select Tools and then Internet Options .
  2. On the Connections tab, select Dial-up Connection (default) , Dial whenever a network connection is not present and then click OK .
The default connection for the internet is set to dial-up.
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Adjust the 'Wait for dial tone before dialing' network connection option

If the phone signal is weak or it takes a few seconds to establish the phone service, do the following steps to force the modem to wait for the dial tone before it starts dialing the ISP dial-up connection number.
  1. Click Start and enter Modem in the search field, and select Phone and Modem from the list.
  2. In the Phone and Modem Options window, click the Modems tab to display a list of modems.
  3. Select the modem that is present in the computer and click Properties to open the Modem Properties window.
  4. In the Modem Properties window, click the Modem tab.
  5. Place a check mark next to Wait for dial tone before dialing to select the option.
  6. Click OK to accept the information.
  7. Click OK to close the Phone and Modem Options window.
If the phone signal is good and modem connects easily, you may want to repeat this procedure but de-select the Wait for tone before dialing option to allow the modem to dial the ISP blindly and connect more quickly.
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Adjust the 'Disable call waiting' network connection option

A dial-up connection can be interrupted, if the phone service provides call waiting and another call is received while the modem is connected to the Internet. This can be true even if while using the modem-on-hold feature. Turn off call waiting before connecting to the Internet by following these steps.
  1. Click Start , enter Modem in the search field, and select Phone and Modem from the list.
  2. Select your default My Location area code and click Edit to open the Edit Location window.
  3. On the General tab, select To Disable Call Waiting, dial: and then select *70 , 1170 , or 70# from the drop-down box, or enter the number sequence that the phone service requires to disable call waiting.
  4. Click OK to accept the call waiting information.
  5. Click OK to close the Phone and Modem Options window.
The dial-up connection should remain connected.
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Adjust the 'Change the modem initialization string' network connection option

The modem initialization string is part of the information that is needed for your modem to communicate and share data with the ISP. The coded instructions in the modem initialization string can also tell the ISP to turn on special features for improved error checking and performance. This change is normally not needed if the dial-up connection is working properly. Do the following steps to adjust the modem initialization process to correct connection problems with your ISP.
NOTE:AOL (and other major ISPs) may have software that does not allow changing the initialization string in the same way that this document describes. Contact your ISP to find out how and when to adjust initialization strings using their software and if any special adjustments are common for this circumstance.
  1. Click Start , enter Modem in the search field, and then select Phone and Modem from the list.
  2. In the Phone and Modem Options window, click the Modems tab to display a list of modems.
  3. Select the modem from the list, and click Properties to open the modem properties window.
  4. On the Advanced tab, enter AT&F&C1&D2&K3+M3=V34 in the Extra initialization commands field.
  5. Click OK to accept the initialization information.
  6. Click OK to close the Phone and Modem Options window.
Close any other open windows. Connect to the Internet to test the connection.
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Related links

HP Notebook PCs - Unable to Connect or Slow Connection to a Dial-Up Network
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