In the Run line type in
msinfo32

then go to Components/Ports/Serial

Device Manager, the View item on the menu bar.
When I check 'Show Hidden Devices' it trees out the com ports.

Mikie,

Thanks for the tool identification, unfortunately:

the msinfo32 comes up with an empty on "serial" and
DM Show hidden devices (which was not checked) doesn't come up with anything I can see that looks like "com" or "serial"

I did run a restore taking the system back about a week to when all was working well relative to the dial up modem, no improvement.

Another piece of information. When I run "Query Modem" from the device manager properties on the modem I get the error:.....currentlly open by another application" which is what I can't find. I note the notebook has builtin WiFi and IEEE 1394, I've turned both of those off to no avail.

I dunno.

I'd might go to Control Panel and double click Add Hardware and see if it finds new hardware.

If not - I'd probably go to Phone and Modem and look around there, perhaps delete the modem and reboot to see if Plug and Play finds and reinstalls it, if not go reinstall it myself again at Phone and Modem. It may ask for windows or system CD.

You're not showing any Ports at all, so nothing else is using it. Windows does not need and probably doesnt install any COM ports unless something is plugged into one. So maybe flip it over and take off the modem cover and unplug it and put it back in again... maybe its got a bad connection.

My COM drivers are
serenum.sys
serial.sys
Might search to see if they exist. But yours may be different.

Mikie,

Thanks again for the details on a path forward. I was completely lost, but reinstalling the driver did occur to me, but I didn't do that yet. The modem is built in to the notebook and I have plugged the RJ11 phone plug directly into the notebook. I did test the plug with a phone, it got dial tone, and I tried on a different phone and jack, clearly the problem is inside the computer/OS.

I will confess that during the flight home on Tuesday afternoon I got bored and ran CC Cleaner, this may have made some changes to the registry... That is why I first tried the Restore OS to an earlier time, and that did not solve the problem.

Mikie,

I uninstalled the modem using the DM, then on reboot the OS detected new hardware and I said to install. It wanted to use the web, I said no. Problem, the installation couldn't find a driver (there should be one on the XP load, right?) So it seems I'm now stuck, no driver and no way to get to the web to get one. I do have the Gateway OS Boot disk. I can also go to the web and get a driver (if I can figure out which one) using the computer I'm typing on right now. Put that on a CD and tell the installation program to use the CD for the driver.

One new piece of information. Now that I don't have a modem boot up now says it can not install "hotsyc" for my Palm desk top because there is no Com3. So it seems the modem, even when not working had allocated a Com 3 that the Palm DT could use.

Palm probably uses the computer modem and its drivers to talk back and forth. Thats most likely why that 'hotsyc' can't install. Once modem is reinstalled it'll probably work.

You can try aiming the install new modem to c:\windows\system32\Drivers folder. Hopefully it'll find the files it needs sitting in there.

Thanks again. The notebook may still be under free technical support from Gateway, I purchased it the end of February. As for the Control Panel and "Add new hardware", I didn't see it, I do recall it from the past going back , I'll look on this computer, no, no "add hardware", programs yes, hardware no. Maybe I need to go back to the W9X classic control panel to see that. Yep, that view has "add hardware".

Well so much for an easy way out. I called Gateway tech-support and got the needed driver identified to me, and I downloaded it with another computer form the Gateway web site. Unfortunately, the drive didn't work and now Gateway tech support is talking about a complete system rebuild. Not a happy ending, and I'm still sitting on the proposal.

jerry, for wat it`s worth i downloaded drivers to a disc. they didnt work, downloaded to a flash drive no problem,
seemingly to do it with a disc its missing some files,
worth a try ,
denny

denny,

Thanks for the encouragement to save my current load. As it turns out: READ THE INSTRUCTIONS applied here, that goes double for the Gateway Tech Support personnel who didn't catch my error on use of the download. I tried to apply the down loaded driver using the MS Installation Wizard, i.e., restart the computer, when the New Hardware Wizard comes up, point to the driver. As it turns out the download (zip file) is self installing, i.e., use the Install.exe program included in the unpacked zip driver file. Now I may be back to my original problem, not being about to bring up the modem/dial-up because Com3 is busy with another application.

Back in business, sending from fixed notebook.

Thanks to all for the heavy lifting of ideas and for all who are following along to see what works.

The new load of the modem driver fixed the problem which manifested itself as a Com3 busy problem.

Back in business, yes, back to normal, no.

After my joy of getting the dial up to work I disconnected. The next time (same boot on computer) I tried to connect via dial up the modem appeared to work, but the connection failed with the statement: "all devices connected", then the phone call dropped. Same for all subsequent attempts to reconnect. Next I shut down XP, waited a few seconds, and restarted the computer/XP. Upon boot I tried to connect to the ISP, and it worked. Upon disconnect I could not connect again. This seems to be a disagreement between something in my dial-up software and what the ISP expects. It is clear I have the correct name and password in my dial-up script as the connection works the first time, but does not work in subsequent attempts to connect. Any ideas on how to trouble shoot? I may go back to Gateway Tech Support, but I think they take the weekend off, the Tech Support web chat and email isn't working today.

Interesting, but not the problem. BIOS provides for USB support of Legacy ports, i.e., Com3, the serial port. It turned out that this was enabled on my computer, but had it not been it would have prevented the modem from working, I believe.

Once upon a time
I had to suddenly use dial up.
Been a long time since I had done so ... I could not stay connected more than maybe a minute and not surf during that minute. After maybe three tries, couldnt connect at all for ten minutes or so.

After dickering around for probably hours a little bell went off in my head and said call my isp, verizon support - Well after hanging on hold forever ....the person whom spoke to me spoke like I was just another dummy for not putting VZ/ infront of my user login name.

I did contact Worldnet, twice, via the "Chat". The first time the agent didn't respond when the going got rough. The second time, I may have phrased my question better, they come back with a "canned" fix, for Error 50, bla,bla.. It didn't work. Remember, after the reload of the modem driver I can make one solid connection per boot, e.g., this time. So I went back to Gateway and after a number of good reading fix ideas, including the BOIS check, Gateway has decided to send me a return for repair. Guess there must be a hardware problem.

Now my problem is how do I get all my private stuff off the HDD before shipping. My biggest concern is the Palm Pilot Desktop. I will save the Palm files both on the Palm and on a back up drive, then do a defrag to jumble the "free space", I don't have a wipe/erase tool. I think most of the files I have elsewhere are not so sensitive. In any case I don't like sending my HDD out to be in the hands of others.

hmmm,
Did the issue begin shortly after installing the Palm software? This reminds me of an issue that nearly made me go completely gray a few years ago.

Pam

Interesting question on Palm. I had problems with the Palm (Z21 Handheld) desk top dropping data in the datebook/calendar. I finally reloaded the desktop software and the calendar problem hasn't returned. I can't remember how that load related to the current dial-up problem time-wise. I may be able to get a date on the re-load of the desktop. It also uses Com3. I did turn the desktop off along with the wireless and tried the dial-up, still works only once per boot. This may suggest trying a "restore" to a time before the palm desktop was reloaded. Then what, all the old problems return?

To Gateway's credit the pre-paid DHL shipping box and packing materials came today to provide for my mail-in repair. In an ongoing email exchange on the repair subject with Gateway I learn their first step on receiving the computer is a complete Restore, thus all private data is erased. Given I can do a Restore myself without giving up the computer I suppose the benefit of having Gateway do it is: they'll restore to the current XP Home system, i.e., all the patches up to near the current date and, if they then find the notebook has a hardware problem, they can make hardware repairs. I don't look forward to having to rebuild my operating environment/applications/support tools.