We have recently had problems connecting a few (apparently those in Micron comouters - so far) USR Sportster x2 modems to our Livingston Portmaster 2 terminal servers. This problems does not occur connecting to a Shiva terminal server. The fix with the Livingston box is to use the following in the init string:
S15=128
This disables V.42

If you have connection problems, verify that &H1&R2 are in the init string. Many problems that people have with USR modems can be avoided

Sportster 144 series - If error message is given on Quarterdeck Internet Suite default initialization string, change AT&F1 to AT&F

Those experiencing problems with Windows seeing their Sportster modem as a "Standard Modem" should get the latest .inf file from US Robotics.
Got to: http://www.usr.com/home/online/files/dl07.htm
The file you are looking for is "mdmusrsp.inf." Save the file to a floppy disk. Remove any references to modems in Window's Modem Control Panel. Detect for new modems, then have click "Have Disk" for the driver. Select your modem from the list and you are ready to go.

I have had so many e-mails about USR/3Com problems and fixes that I have broken them into 3 categories:
General Issues
WinModem Isuues
My Thoughts

Please continue below...

General Issues

This is a note that I received from an internet user 7/8/96...

Problem:
Sportster PnP on Pentium systems - sometimes Win 95 will re-enable the com port and the PnP of the modem will fail if IRQ 5 is being taken up by another device.
Solution:
In Device manager go to ports and deselect "Use Automatic Settings" for Com 2. Then reboot, removing the com port again from the bios. PnP should then work. Of course if IRQ 5 is free the modem will PnP fine on Com3, Irq 5.
.
.
.
(lines deleted for anonymity)
USR Tech Support

This is a note that I received from an internet user 1/9/97...

I was looking through your usr stuff and I didn't find anything
regarding the eprom bug in sportsters made after 3/96. We were finding
many of our customers with USR products had trouble staying online. USR
sent them out (in most cases) a EPROM rev that seemed to work in each
case.

Here is the address at USR to determine the date of your Sportster EPROM: http://www.usr.com/home/online/trblshot/13015.htm

WinModem Issues



WinModem user wanting to use your modem in DOS? CLICK HERE.
Just teasing - the address where this file used to be seems to have disappeared. It used to link to:
http://www.angelfire.com/az/thg/wmodem.html
Sorry...

This is a note that I received from an internet user 7/8/96 about USR WinModems...



Do not buy one.

I did. Installing it was easy. I did not have to open the case to change
jumpers. The transfer rates are very good as I am getting 4K per second in
Netscape 2.02 while downloading files. These are the only two good things I
have to say about it.
It upgrades to 33.6.

My Internet provider is using the Practical Peripherals 28.8 modems. They
are running Windows NT servers with a PPP dial up.

My Winmodem has trouble connecting to these modems. After the modems connect
, speaker quits making noise, I get the NO CARRER game over try again
message. This happens two out of three times and changes often as to how
many times I have to redial. On a good connection in a terminal window the
other end will wait one minute to get the password etc before it hangs up.
On a bad connection it hangs up in 2-3 seconds. This was done as a test in
the terminal window to see why the Win 95 dial up program kept dialing again
with the error message "remote computer did not answer."

The same thing happens in win 3.1 with Trumpet winsock.

I have heard that another person (computer store) has had the same problem
connecting with the winmodem.

The string:

S32=16
solves the problem by choking the modem to 14.4 speeds. Used in "extra
settings" on Win95
to set it in terminal
ATS32=19
AT&W
This is the most annoying problem. The other things to look at are:

Try running the modem in:

OS/2.... No drivers for it yet, if any, according to USR tech support.

Windows NT... Should work in V 4.0 DOESN'T work in current ones

DOS... Says so on the box: Forget it!

Adds another VxD driver to cause more Windows errors.

USR recommended getting the upgrade to 33.6. This caused more problems.

I am wondering if this is just an isolated case or are a lot of other people
having trouble with the Winmodem?
I have connected to USR 28.8 modems without problems.



These are notes that I received from an Internet user 8/18/96 and 8/26/96 about USR WinModem...



FWIW ...

I just bought an internal Winmodem. I had to install it three times and
re-install Windows 95 twice, but I have no idea whether the Winmodem caused
the problems or was a victim of some other problem.

However, Windows 95 seems to have a hard time seeing it. On both
re-installs of the modem, Windows 95 said I had no modem installed, and
wouldn't recognize files on the installation floppy as belonging to any
hardware on the system. However, when I re-booted, it detected it and
installed it fine.

Right now it's running well and everything seems stable...

When you do update your page, add the following -- the Winmodem software
seemed to get corrupted every second or third time I used the thing. I
finally took it back for a refund.



This is a note I received from an Internet user 8/28/96 concerning the WinModem...



I too bit on a winmodem, I talks fine to USR's BBs; however when I dial
into the ppp server it take two to threes tries and I can not maintain a
connection for over about 3 min. Com 2 is disabled in the BIOS.
Many times I can hear the PPP server's audio but get the message " the
line is busy".




Here is a rebuttal to the above complaints that I received from an Internet user 10/14/96...


First, I've used the WinModem now for about 8-9 mos. and as a tech
support-type person for several local businesses, am comfortable with
tech issues concerning the PC. I've found the WinModem to be very stable
and easy to install. There have been times when reinstalling Windows
that Windows installed the modem twice which meant a trip to Device
Manager to remove the offending entry but I have NO other complaints
against this product and strongly recommend it to users who will be
staying with the Windows 95/3.xx environment.

That said, I've found USRobotics to be VERY unresponsive to customer
issues (even the most civil ones). Upon installing my modem I promptly
mailed in my registration card and called the BBS to dl the 33.6k
upgrade; according to the box it's the first thing I should do. After
searching the BBS for nearly 10 minutes (long-distance to Ill.), a
message caught my eye that said the upgrade patch was not available and
would not be for several weeks. I again registered thru the BBS and
requested that I be notified when it was available. I have not heard a
single word since and the appearance of the patch became known to me
through the "grapevine" of the UseNet.

As for some of the comments your readers had:

"My Internet provider is using the Practical Peripherals 28.8 modems.
They are running Windows NT servers with a PPP dial up."

"My Winmodem has trouble connecting to these modems. After the modems
connect, speaker quits making noise, I get the NO CARRER game over try
again message. This happens two out of three times and changes often as to
how"
.
.
.
with the error message "remote computer did not answer."

I have heard that another person (computer store) has had the same
problem
connecting with the winmodem."

This is not a problem with the modem as the receiving modems have no
idea what the sending modem is

"This is the most annoying problem. The other things to look at are:

Try running the modem in:"

"OS/2.... No drivers for it yet, if any, according to USR tech support."
Was never promised...it's a "WinModem"

"Windows NT... Should work in V 4.0 DOESN'T work in current ones"
Says who? According to USR, this may be available in Cairo but not now

"DOS... Says so on the box: Forget it!"
Does not! I'm lookin at the box right now and never did I get the impression
that it would work in anything but Windows

"This is a note that I received from an Internet user 8/18/96 and
8/26/96 about USR WinModem...

FWIW ...

I just bought an internal Winmodem. I had to install it three times and
re-install Windows 95 twice, but I have no idea whether the Winmodem
caused the problems or was a victim of some other problem.

Good insight!!!

However, Windows 95 seems to have a hard time seeing it. On both
re-installs of the modem, Windows 95 said I had no modem installed, and
wouldn't recognize files on the installation floppy as belonging to any
hardware on the system. However, when I re-booted, it detected it and
installed it fine.

Right now it's running well and everything seems stable...

When you do update your page, add the following -- the Winmodem software
seemed to get corrupted every second or third time I used the thing. I
finally took it back for a refund.

This guy should run Norton Disk Doctor or Norton Diagnostics occasionally.



This is a note I received from an Internet user 8/28/96 concerning the
WinModem...

I too bit on a winmodem, I talks fine to USR's BBs; however when I dial
into the ppp server it take two to threes tries and I can not maintain a
connection for over about 3 min. Com 2 is disabled in the BIOS.
Many times I can hear the PPP server's audio but get the message " the
line is busy".

Again not the problem of the modem

Your page seems to portray a one-sided view of this product. I just
wanted to offer that the issue is more complicated than this.

This is a note that I received from an Internet user 2/9/97 about USR WinModem...

The USR Winmodem problems addressed on your page are not specific to US
Robotics, most of the problems with the Winmodem also occur with other
types of m0dems. If anyone is looking for a modem, and they want to avoid the same problems that the Winmodem has, stay away from modems with the following 'features':
Winmodem Windows only modem RPI, or (most, but not all) Rockwell chipset Not for use with DOS software data compression, or error correction Software enhanced modem.

All of these are examples of modems that lack a couple of key features found on a standard modem, and try to make up for this with software. Most of the above mentioned modems lack a ROM chip, and rely on a virtual device driver to load into memory, or the modem's RAM (if it has onboard RAM, some of these don't.) They also use the VxD to do data compression, and error correction, which require CPU time, and can really have an effect on slower computers. Some of the signs that your modem is having probles in this area include slow, or rapidly degrading transfer rates, cps, or bad packet errors (usaually shwon in your dialer), unstable handshaking, and random disconnects.

Another modem type that relys on the VxD for it's operation is the PC Card or PCMCIA modem. These modems need a VxD to fool the operating system into thinking that the PCMCIA slot is a com port. These modems don't usually have as many problems, because of the fact that the software drivers have to be installed correctly just to get the os to detect the modem, and this usually fixes the software compression, and error correction problems caused by improper, or not installed VxD's.

I do technical support for an internet service provider, and deal with these issues on a regular basis. Some of the problems modem users have can be attributed to server side problems at times, but a combination of the above symptoms usually indicates a problem, especially if it happens on a regular basis. Some connection software packages don't seem to have a problem with these modems, but there is usually a compromise made to obtain this. An example is the Windows 3.1 Internet Explorer dialer (shiva) which sets your maximum connect speed at 9600. 9600 connections don't use a protocal that require data compression. AOL seems to do this also, which would to account for their complaints of low connect
speeds.

Just trying to inform people, so they don't buy a bad modem,

This is a note that I received from an Internet user 10/12/97 about USR WinModem...

I just wanted to let you know of problems I experienced recently with my new 33.6 winmodem. I had no problem installing it, however shortly afterwards I had some system problems and had it worked on. When I got it back home, everything was fine until I decided to change internet providers. I loaded the software for Southwestern Bell Internet without problems, then tried to connect. I would connect at 16.2 to 24 instead of 33.6. The tech support folks insisted I needed a init string added but I could not determine what it should be, and could dial into my old IP service at 33.6 without changing anything. The SWBell Registration server would connect at 28.8. I got tired of messing with it and removed the software and reinstalled my old IP software. Then the real problems started. I couldn't get it to connect at 33.6 any longer. I don't know if it was the swbell software or the modem, but my icons all changed to generic and I couldn't make anything work right so I had to re-install windows. That didn't fix the problem so I formatted my c drive and restored my software from the rescue disk. Then the modem was not detected. I erased the software and installed a old modem. I got the update program and tried again. I read what I could find on the internet and tried things I found including downloading software and putting it on a floppy. I ran the program that erases the entry in the registry and it started seeing my modem. Then it said no information about the modem was on the disk. This went on until I extracted software into a modem directory and pointed the installation to that directory instead of the floppy and finally got it installed. Now it is working, and I am connecting at 28.8.

My Thoughts

To be fair to both sides...
I have personally experienced problems with USR modems. EVERY one of these problems has been overcome by proper configuration. I personally use a Sportster modem and sell them on a daily basis because I believe in the product. When properly configured, they work WITHOUT FAIL on OUR system. On the other hand, considering the number of problems that I see reported, I have a hard time believing that there are not any compatibility issues with these modems. The lack of good tech support from the USR crew does not help the situation any either. I have found that with more powerful computers and the increased use of PCI and Windows 98, the "out-of-the-box" workability of WinModems has increased dramatically.