I had a similar external modem problem recently. Turned out the serial port on a NEW motherboard was defective. I swapped an internal modem into that machine from one that had a good serial port, as the work to change MB was just not worth it. However, "enough" lights came on that it took a while to realize the problem, so I echo the concern to check the port and the cable, which is less easy to do now software tries to be so helpful. John Nash ---------------------------------------- Upgrade your account today for increased storage; mail forwarding or POP enabled e-mail with automatic virus scanning. Visit http://www.canada.com/email/premiumservices.html for more information.