PCI Simple Communication

[startacc]

I'm trying to get my Mini PCI Type 3b Data Fax Modem by 3COM on my Gateway Solo 9300 following my upgrade from 98 to 2000 professional. I have the driver for the modem that I downloaded for the Gateway site but the installation is causing me problems.
I don't have a "Unknown Devices" tab in the Hardware profile dialog box, or the "PCI Simple Communications" tab either. It in under the PCI Simple Communciations tab where I am supposed to update the modem drive.
Any ideas on where I got from here?
Kevin.

 

[RACaluste]

1) From control panel go to Add/Remove Hardware
2) Go to Add/Troubleshoot a device
3) If no device was found, select Add a new device from the list.
4) If asked Do you want windows to search for your new hardware, select No,...
5) Select modem
6) Check Dont detect my modem, I will select it from a list
7) Select Have Disk
8) Select and Install your updated modem driver.

Hope this helps.

 

[startacc]

Arcanist,
I've tried what you suggested already. I have the driver but I don't have the Mini PCI Type 3b Data Fax Modem in my list of modems. I've tried choosing a Standard 56kb V90 modem but when I select the driver from my floppy, it reads the floppy and comes back with a message saying that the driver does not correspond to the modem selected.
Any other ideas?

 

[echoecho]

Are you sure yuo have 2000 drivers? Maybe check 3COM's site

 

[jpm121]

startacc,

You missed one important step in arcanist's instructions -- click on the Have Disk button, don't select one from the default list. This should access your disk that has the driver on it, and you'll see a new list, with probably one to choose from -- your modem (hopefully).

Give that a try, and good luck.

 

[Jasen]

In my experience, if windows does not automatically detect a plug and play device like that, manually adding it doesn't help either.

 

[FilthPig]

You also might want to update the BIOS on your laptop. Perhaps the version of the driver you're using has a dependancy that's only met by a more recent BIOS.

jasen - In my experience, manually adding a driver is sometimes the only way to make it work. Marc Creviere

 

[Jasen]

In the days of Win95 and NT4 I certainly agree. I've never had much luck with this in 2K though, except with legacy devices. Invariably, devices that *should* have been found automatically, often have to be to work right.

You could also try removing your ports and making windows "refind" them. This sometimes works when dealing with modems.

 

[startacc]

Thanks to all for your help and suggestions. I still am not getting very far however. The modem is internal and I'm wondering does that qualify under the "plug & play" category that Jasen talks about? I've tried adding an external modem and that was detected straight away and installed without any problems.
But getting back to the original question, does anyone know why, when I go to Hardware Profile in System, I don't see "Unknown Devices"?
Jasen,
How do I go about removing the port - is it simply be deleting it from System Manager?

 

[Guest_imported]

Calm down, slow down, and be exact; There is no such thing as System Manager,
it is Device Manager under the Hardware Tab of Control Panel\System Icon. My
point is, you may be making a wrong turn, overlooking the solution. You
mentioned Hardware Profile under System - Stay outta there. Select/use only
Device Manager (to see and edit what the PC is aware of) and Hardware Wizard
(to add a device). Reread, carefully, (and write down your steps) the previous
advice of [arcanist] and [jpm121]. Then you still may have to fool with
Resources (base memory & IRQ assignments) after the modem is "installed" (shows
up in Device Manager, possibly with the yellow exclamation mark indicating
"Conflict" of Resources).

 

[doodleboppa]

As to 'Unknown Device': If it is the modem, delete ("Uninstall&quot it from within Device Manager before you use the Hardware Wizard button to add the modem.

 

[startacc]

Thanks doodleboppa.
I've gone through the installation process many time before so I know I'm doing that fine. I've no problem installing a Standard Modem on my laptop but when I go to use it, it is not recognised. Also, when I use the Diagnostics tool, it is not detected. Don't forget that these problems follow my update to Win200 Pro. from Win98. It worked fine in Win98. I know the modem model and have the latest driver from Gateway (I've got a Gateway Solo 9300). The problem is that when I do the installation and get to choose from the list of modems proposed, the modem I have in not in the list (I have a Mini PCI Type 3b Data Fax Modem by 3COM). I've used a standard modem (V90 56k) but when I use the drive I got from the Gateway site, I get a message saying that the drive in not for the modem I selected - logically. Looking at the installation instructions on the Gateway site, it says that I need to find the "PCI Simple Communications " item in System under "Unkonwn Device". But when I go into System (via Control Panel), Unknown Device is not on the list.

 

[FilthPig]

Sorry about being redundant here, but have you tried updating your BIOS? Marc Creviere

 

[startacc]

Marc,

I haven't tried the BIOS update yet. I'm a bit worried about doing this as I've never done a BIOS update before. Is it a straight forward process?

 

[FilthPig]

It's pretty simple - check Gateway's website for the update you need. Most vendors have a download that creates a floppy disk containing the update. You just boot to that floppy and confirm that you want to update the BIOS. Pretty straight forward. Marc Creviere

 

[tlcscousin]

You are not looking for an unknown device, you are looking for PCI simple communications controller. If it has a conflict it will show the yellow exclamation mark. If it is there, with or without the conflict, you could try to re-install the drivers and point to the drivers you downloaded.
When you download the drivers they are zipped. Unzip them in to a folder. Then when you install the modem dont pick from the list windows gives you, select have disk and point to the folder containing the unzipped drivers. It should then show the proper modem to install.

 

[startacc]

Thanks Marc, I will try updating the BIOS. Gateway indeed have the latest BIOS upgrade for my machine on their site.

Futuretech204. I have not got a PCI Simple Communciations contorller listed. I know where it should be as I've seen screen shots in the driver installation documentation that Gateway supply, but I haven't got it on my machine.

 

[romdos]

startacc,

I have the same problem after upgrading to W2k pro from ME. There is no modem listed and the only thing in device manager is a PCI Simple Communications Controller that doesnt have a driver.
Did the BIOS update work? My 'puter is an HP desktop with an internal modem. I've tried all the things listed in this thread, except BIOS update but to no avail.
Any help will be greatly appreciated, TIA