The causes for this complaint are usually "physical" and could be caused by:

• Loose modem cable
• Loose or mis-plugged phone cable
• Faulty phone cable
• Faulty double phone adapter
• Faulty phone socket
• Phone company voicemail
• Modem has been damaged by a surge

Loose modem cable: (external modems only) make sure the cable between the modem and the computer is securely attached at both ends.

Loose or mis-plugged phone cable: Make sure the phone cable is securely inserted in the wall socket and that the modem end is securely attached to the "line" socket (it will not work if it is attached to the "phone" socket).

Faulty phone cable: Try a different phone cable, you could try unplugging the cable from the back of a telephone that you know to be working, and use that with the modem.

Faulty double phone adapter: If you are plugging the modem's phone cord into a double adapter at the wall socket (or anywhere else along the line) try removing the adapter and putting the modem's cord directly into the wall socket. Faulty adapters are a very common cause for complaint (even when the telephone works when it is plugged into them).

Faulty phone socket: Test the wall socket that the modem is plugged into, by plugging a telephone into it and making a phone call (listen for a crackling sound, line noise, or anything else odd).

Phone company voicemail: If you only get a no dialtone error message when nobody else is on the phone line, and you have voice mail through your phone company, the stuttered dialtone that tells you there are waiting voice mail messages will interfere with your modem's ability to detect a dial tone. You will need to retrieve your voice mail before connecting to the internet.

Modem is damaged: Your modem could have been destroyed by a phone line surge. Phone line surges are common in rural areas, especially in thunderstorm seasons, but also whenever wires have been ripped down from phone poles, etc. I always suggest that people on dialup should have their dialup modem connected through a phone line surge protector to help ground out these surges before they get to the modem. If a surge gets to the modem, it can fry the modem and render it useless, or even worse, fry the motherboard and the rest of the inside of the computer as well. If you believe that your modem has been damaged from a surge, contact me for assistance.