Tech Support Forum - View Single Post - Dial-Up Modems Question!

Mad Jack · 06-21-2009, 07:03 PM

Hi, all. Please keep in mind that I am a beginner! I have a question that is probably simple to answer...

Can I have both an internal and external modem installed on the same computer and have both enabled?

I have a 2005 Compaq Presario with Windows XP SP2. I am presently using just a plain PCI internal Agere software modem for dial-up Internet access (there are no other options other than satellite where I live). The modem itself has been fine for years, but recently I have been having line noise on my telephone line and my telco can't seem to fix the problem. So I read that external modems can sometimes handle line noise problems better than internal modems, so I bought a TRENDnet 56K external serial port modem to try.

My question pertains to the fact that there is nothing 'wrong' with my PCI modem, but that I would simply like to try and install and use my new external modem to see how it performs in comparison.

Can I install the new external modem without disabling the internal modem in device manager? Also, if I have both modems installed, how does my computer determine which it will use to dial-out with when I attempt to make a connection? Thanks so much!

06-21-2009, 07:03 PM	#1 (permalink)
Mad Jack Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Location: USA Posts: 15 OS: Windows XP SP2	Dial-Up Modems Question! Hi, all. Please keep in mind that I am a beginner! I have a question that is probably simple to answer... Can I have both an internal and external modem installed on the same computer and have both enabled? I have a 2005 Compaq Presario with Windows XP SP2. I am presently using just a plain PCI internal Agere software modem for dial-up Internet access (there are no other options other than satellite where I live). The modem itself has been fine for years, but recently I have been having line noise on my telephone line and my telco can't seem to fix the problem. So I read that external modems can sometimes handle line noise problems better than internal modems, so I bought a TRENDnet 56K external serial port modem to try. My question pertains to the fact that there is nothing 'wrong' with my PCI modem, but that I would simply like to try and install and use my new external modem to see how it performs in comparison. Can I install the new external modem without disabling the internal modem in device manager? Also, if I have both modems installed, how does my computer determine which it will use to dial-out with when I attempt to make a connection? Thanks so much!