[BBScaller]

I have this old Gateway MD2601U laptop made in 2009. It came with Vista Home Premium x64 but I wanted XP. I installed XP but found myself with no sound, generic VGA, no ethernet, no WIFI or modem. There were never any XP drivers available from Gateway's website back then (only Vista and 7) but I wanted to try anyway.

4 days of searching/downloading/trying various drivers and I got everything working except the modem.

Here is the device ID:

HDAUDIO\FUNC_02&VEN_14F1&DEV_2C06&SUBSYS_14F10000&REV_1000\4&2D97AC69&0&0102

I tried pasting the ID into all the search engines but mostly got redirected to "MagicDriverInstaller.exe" websites.

I found this thread but all the links are dead:

[SOLVED] MD2614u devices with question marks

Hello. On my gateway 2614u in Device Manager, I have 2 devices with question marks: Audio Device on High Definition Audio Bus (Code 28) (Ven_1002 and Dev_791A) Modem Device on High Definition Audio Bus (Code 28) (Ven_14F1 and Dev_2C06) I uninstalled vista and installed windows xp...

www.techsupportforum.com

Archive.org was no help.

Just one more driver needed to get XP fully working on this old laptop.

Help me Obi Wan, you're my only hope.

 

[oldtechman]

Try thisDrivers & Downloads. Extract the driver to a folder, the update the modem to that folder, might have to do the chipset first, set system restore first. good luck

 

[BBScaller]

Try thisDrivers & Downloads. Extract the driver to a folder, the update the modem to that folder, might have to do the chipset first, set system restore first. good luck

Thanks, but I've already been to that website and downloaded every driver they had for my laptop. Unfortunately they don't have XP drivers for my model.

Most of the drivers I have for XP that work with this laptop are from Dell. I tried several from Dell's website that were similar but when I went through the install they all failed because they couldn't detect the hardware. I know the modem works because I had Windows 7 and I was able to get a dial my cell phone when I used Telix for Windows terminal program and sent ATDT commands.

Guess I'll keep searching for now, thanks anyway.

 

[Corday]

(802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n) are the standards your modem are compatible with. Any chance this conflicts with your router? I know I'm reaching here, but I can't find a driver that would work.

 

[BBScaller]

My WIFI is working fine - see above screenshot of device manager (Ralink 802.11n Wireless Lan Card under network adapters).

The only thing NOT working under XP is the Conexant v.92 analog softmodem. Analog modems are what was used back in the days before broadband and WIFI to connect to the internet (Dial-up). They were also used to dial up Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) and can also be used to send/receive faxes.

Despite my vendor's lack of XP support for this model I did manage to find compatible drivers albeit from other vendors. Clearly this will be my only option to get the modem working so it will involve more searching, downloading, trying other drivers.

I'm optimistic because let's face it, no matter what brand of PC you buy they most use use the same components as another so just because your vendor doesn't have the right drivers for the target OS doesn't mean another won't - This thread is the perfect example. Most of the drivers are from Dell and are working perfectly.

 

[Corday]

I'm an old timer so of course I know about the dial-up use of your modem. I had already done the search you're doing and never recommend 3rd party drivers, so that only left Dell and the OEM. Since Conexant is long gone, their holdings are currently with Synaptics. Alas, no drivers for your modem listed. You could call them at 408.904.1100 .

 

[BBScaller]

I made an image of the hard drive so I'm not worried about trying third party drivers. It's not a big deal, I doubt the modem will ever be used anyway. Just a pet project of mine to get XP working 100% on this old laptop. I did have Windows 7 working because I had all the drivers. I also managed to install Windows 10 21H1 - it installed all the drivers except the SD card reader. I used the Windows 7 driver and then it worked.

Oh well, I have the image I made so I'll keep looking when I have time. Thanks for all the help!

 

[Corday]

If you're unsuccessful, there are free fax sites.

 

[BBScaller]

Woohoo! No more unknown devices in device manager!

As a last ditch effort I decided to try the Gateway modem driver for Visa x86 - I thought it would throw up some error like "Wrong OS for this driver" but much to my surprise it completed the install. I wonder if there are still any dial-up BBSes or ISPs? My home phone is through my ISP (VOIP) and from what I've been reading they don't work well with analog modems.

If you're unsuccessful, there are free fax sites.

I don't know if I would trust free fax sites for sending personal/financial information. I haven't used fax in over a decade but it is still widely used in the medical and legal field. I dare you to walk through an office without finding at least one fax machine on the floor.

Many thanks to all for their help!

 

[spunk.funk]

Many All In One Printers have FAX capabilities, If you have a land line. My phone is VOIP as well, but you can also plug the printers FAX port into the wall jack to send a FAX.

 

[devidmiller]

Got it Many Thanks for your kind information, could you please recommend me a best way to find the best opportunity to resolve these issues in future please?

 

[Corday]

Obviously by posting here at TSF.