This manual covers installation and operating instructions for the following 3Com modems: Sportster® 33.6 kbps internal and external modems 3Com, the 3Com logo, U.S. Robotics, the USRobotics logo, and Sportster are registered trademarks; Connections, Total Control, Courier, RapidComm, x2, and the x2 logo are trademarks and Towne Square 2000 is a service mark of 3Com Corporation or its subsidiaries. Windows and Internet Explorer are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp. CompuServe is a registered trademark of CompuServe Inc. America Online is a registered trademark of America Online Inc. Netscape Navigator is a trademark of Netscape Communications Corp. Any other trademarks, trade names, or service marks used in this manual are the property of their respective owners. Copyright © 1997 3Com Corporation or its subsidiaries 7770 North Frontage Road Skokie, IL 60077-2690 All Rights Reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS Before You Begin (Windows 95 Users) Internal Modem Installation with Windows 3.x A Word about COM Ports and IRQs How to Use ComTest to Determine Your Modem's Settings Testing an Installed Modem What to Do with ComTest's Recommendation How to Change the Modem's Settings How to Insert the Modem into the Computer Internal Modem Installation with Windows 95 Plug and Play Installation How to Prepare for Plug and Play Installation How to Insert the Modem into the Computer Installing the Modem Drivers External Modem Installation with Windows 3.x How to Determine Which Serial Cable to Buy How to Connect the Modem to the Computer 1 4 4 6 9 9 12 14 21 21 21 23 27 35 35 36 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS External Modem Installation with Windows 95 How to Determine Which Serial Cable to Buy How to Connect the Modem to the Computer Installing the Modem Drivers Manual Modem Installation Software Installation and Testing Software Installation and Registration Using the Setup Wizard Sending Your First Fax Installing Other Fax/Data Software Type of Modem Initialization String Flow Control UART (External Modems Only) Using Modem Station Why Modem Station? What Does Modem Station Do? Installing Modem Station Starting Modem Station Using Detect New Modems Using Terminal Using Modem Configurator 39 39 40 42 50 58 58 74 77 77 77 77 78 79 79 79 79 82 84 86 88 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Using Modem to Computer Using the Extended Information Screens U.S. Robotics Modem Update Wizard Installation Operation Troubleshooting and Online Help Resources Online Help Resources Are You Still Having Problems? If You Need to Return the Modem to Us RapidComm Troubleshooting Tips A Note to Users with Older Versions of RapidComm on Their Systems Glossary Technical Quick Reference Front Panel Lights (External Modems) Command Summary DIP Switches (Modems with DIP Switches Only) S-Registers The Serial Interface Regulatory Information Manufacturer's Declaration of Conformity Caution to the User 91 96 103 103 108 116 122 126 127 127 128 129 143 144 145 160 162 172 174 174 175 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS IC (Canada) UL Listing/CUL Listing Connecting to the Telephone Company Fax Branding Radio and Television Interference For Canadian Modem Users Limited Warranty Index 175 175 175 176 176 178 181 184 v BEFORE YOU BEGIN Your Sportster modem is a Plug and Play device. Windows® 95 can automatically identify a Plug and Play device and determine if your system has the resources necessary to support the device. However, Plug and Play will not work if you do not have resources available or if devices on your system are not reporting resource usage correctly. Here's how you can verify that your system has the necessary resources before installing the modem. 1. Click the Windows 95 Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. 2. Double-click the System icon. 3. When the "System Properties" screen appears, click the Device Manager tab. 4. Double-click Computer and the "Computer Properties" screen appears. 5. Select the option at the top of the screen to show Interrupt Requests (IRQs). You will see the IRQs your system is currently using. If IRQs 3, 4, 5, and 7 are being used, you need to free an IRQ before you begin installation. This process involves moving a device from the IRQ you want to use to a different (and usually higher) IRQ setting. Please read the documentation for (or contact the manufacturer of) the device that is currently using the IRQ you want to use for your modem to learn more about what you should do to free the IRQ for your modem. Be sure to read the section titled "U.S. Robotics Modem Update Wizard" on page 101 for information on upgrading your 33.6 faxmodem to x2TM technology, allowing downloads of up to 56 kbps. 1 BEFORE YOU BEGIN Determining Your Version of Windows 95 Follow these steps to determine your version of Windows 95. This information will be important during installation. 1. Click the My Computer icon on your desktop with the right mouse button. 2. Click Properties. 3. In the "System Properties" screen, look at the system information under the General tab (circled in the following screen image). The number following the text "Microsoft Windows 95" will end with "950", "950a", or "950b". This indicates your version of Windows 95. Write this number on the blank below for later reference. Then click OK. Windows 95 version _________________ 2 BEFORE YOU BEGIN Upgrading to x2 Technology Be sure to read the section titled "U.S. Robotics Modem Update Wizard" on page 101 for information on upgrading your 33.6 faxmodem to x2TM technology, allowing downloads of up to 56 kbps*. IMPORTANT! All x2 products are capable of 56 kbps downloads; however, due to FCC rules which restrict power output of the service providers' modems, current download speeds are limited to 53 kbps. Actual speeds may vary depending on line conditions. Uploads from users to service providers travel at speeds up to 28.8 kbps. An x2-capable modem, an x2-compatible analog phone line, and an x2-capable Internet Service Provider are necessary for these high-speed downloads. TM 3 INTERNAL MODEM INSTALLATION WITH WINDOWS® 3.X You'll need these items from your Sportster ® modem box: A Word about COM Ports and IRQs Most computer accessories -- a mouse, sound card, enhanced graphics card, scanner, etc. -- require a special connection through which they can communicate with the computer. For some devices, this connection is called a communications (or COM) port. Most computers have 1 or 2 COM ports, but they can have up to 4. Although internal modems do not connect to COM ports directly, they do require a COM port setting, which is determined by the setting on the modem's COM jumper pins. modem phone cord ConnectionsTM CD Plus: a screwdriver (not included) 4 INTERNAL MODEM INSTALLATION WITH WINDOWS 3.X Each COM port uses an interrupt request (IRQ). An accessory uses an IRQ to get the attention of your computer's centralprocessing unit (CPU) so that the accessory can perform a task. The computer stops what it's doing, depending on the priority of the request, to help the accessory perform its task. When two accessories share an IRQ, it's like two people asking different questions in unison to a third person. Just as the person being asked the two questions cannot understand either request, a computer can lock up or otherwise fail to communicate properly with your modem when there is an IRQ conflict. D KEY POINT: Accessories cannot share COM ports and should not share IRQs. When accessories try to share settings, they will either not work properly or not work at all. This section of the manual will help you understand the COM/IRQ settings on your new Sportster modem. U.S. Robotics has set your modem to a default Plug and Play setting geared towards Windows 95 users. In this configuration, the shunts used to set your modem's COM port and IRQ settings are hanging from single jumper pins and will not affect your modem's settings. As a Windows 3.x user, you need to run the ComTest program (on the Connections CD) to determine what settings your modem should use. 5 INTERNAL MODEM INSTALLATION WITH WINDOWS 3.X NOTE: Some communications software programs require a particular setting for your modem (RapidComm, which shipped with your modem, does not). If you wish to use a program other than RapidComm, now is a good time to read that software's manual to determine what setting is required. the program that determines which COM ports and IRQs are available for use by your modem. 3. The screen in the next column appears when ComTest starts. · If there is a modem in your computer which you are replacing with your new Sportster modem, go to "Testing an Installed Modem" on page 7 to determine which COM and IRQ settings the older modem is using. · If a modem is not currently installed in your computer, click Recommend settings for a new modem. How to Use ComTest to Determine Your Modem's Settings 1. Insert the Connections CD into your CDROM drive. 2. In Windows' Program Manager, click Run on the File menu. Type d:\comtest.exe and press ENTER. This starts ComTest, 6 INTERNAL MODEM INSTALLATION WITH WINDOWS 3.X 5. If you have a free setting, you will see a screen like this. Then click Next. 4. Click Internal Modem. Then click Next. COM2/IRQ3 is free in this example. ComTest might instead recommend COM1/IRQ4, COM3/IRQ4, or COM4/IRQ3 for your modem. Write down the displayed settings in the spaces provided on the first page of this manual. You'll need to know these settings later. Click Next. 7 INTERNAL MODEM INSTALLATION WITH WINDOWS 3.X If you do not have a free setting, you will see a screen like this. Go to "What to Do with ComTest's Recommendation" on page 8. Click Finish to exit ComTest. Go to "What to Do with ComTest's Recommendation" on page 8. 6. When you see this screen, click Finish to exit ComTest. 8 INTERNAL MODEM INSTALLATION WITH WINDOWS 3.X Testing an Installed Modem If there is a modem already installed in your computer, you can determine its COM and IRQ settings by selecting the Test an installed modem option. Follow the instructions on screen until you see the screen that tells you "Testing is complete." This screen will also tell you which COM and IRQ settings your present modem is using. These are the settings you want to use for your new Sportster modem. Write the settings down in the spaces provided on the first page of this manual. Turn off and unplug your computer and remove your present modem. Go to "How to Change the Modem's Settings" on page 10. What to Do with ComTest's Recommendation NOTE: If your communications software requires a modem that ComTest does not recommend, there is a good chance that the setting is being used by another device in your system. To free that setting in your system, consult your computer's manual. Go to "How to Change the Modem's Settings" on page 10. If ComTest recommended COM1/IRQ4 Write "COM1" and "IRQ4" in the spaces provided on the first page of this manual. Go to "How to Change the Modem's Settings" on page 10. 9 INTERNAL MODEM INSTALLATION WITH WINDOWS 3.X If ComTest recommended COM2/IRQ3 Write "COM2" and "IRQ3" in the spaces provided on the first page of this manual. Go to "How to Change the Modem's Settings" on page 10. If ComTest recommended COM3/IRQ4 or COM4/IRQ3 Do not use either of these settings. While the COM port part of the setting is acceptable (ComTest only recommends COM ports that are not being used), the IRQ part of the setting is not acceptable. When ComTest recommends either COM3/IRQ4 or COM4/IRQ3, the IRQ in the setting is being used by another accessory. You could use the suggested IRQ for the modem, but you run the risk that the modem and/or the other accessory sharing the IRQ might not work properly. 10 If you do not have a sound card, use COM3/IRQ5. Write "COM3" and "IRQ5" in the spaces provided on the first page of this manual. You will have to change the settings on your modem. Go to "How to Change the Modem's Settings" on page 10. If you do have a sound card, use COM2/IRQ3. To use this setting, you have to first disable your computer's second serial port (COM2). This is a pronged socket on the back of your computer. · Go to your computer manufacturer's manual. · Find out how to disable the COM port. · Find out which of the sockets on the back of your computer is the second serial port. · If you have something plugged into that port, find out if you can plug it in somewhere else. Any accessory plugged INTERNAL MODEM INSTALLATION WITH WINDOWS 3.X into that port will not work after the port has been disabled. · Then return to this point in this manual to continue. After disabling COM2, you can use the COM2/IRQ3 setting. Write "COM2" and "IRQ3" on the first page of this manual and go to "How to Change the Modem's Settings" on page 10. If ComTest reports that "You do not have any available COM ports and/or IRQs" We recommend you disable COM1 or COM2. When you disable one of these COM ports, you can use i ...