Question: Why can't I get any further than the message "Establishing Communications, Please Wait" when I'm trying to make a connection?

Answer: This symptom is most often caused by communications errors, which can be the result of possible hardware conflicts or an incorrect configuration on one or both of the machines involved. If possible try to narrow down which of the two machines, either the Host or the Remote, is having the problem.

Step 1: Check the configuration of your modem. Windows 95/98 users, see the "How do I find out my modem configuration information?" FAQ. DOS and Windows 3.1 users, consult your modem documentation to find the configuration information, including the Com port, Interrupt (IRQ), I/O Address, and model number. If you have an internal modem, continue on to Step 2. If you have an external modem, go directly to Step 4.

Step 2: Find out which external Com Ports are installed in your PC. External Com Ports, sometimes referred to as "Serial Ports", are external connectors on your PC used for plugging in such devices as external modems, Serial Mice, etc. These connectors are always male connectors, and should be the only male connectors on the PC. They will have either 9 or 25 pins. Most Desktop PC's have 2 external Com Ports, Com1 and Com2. Some Laptop or Notebook computers have only one external Com Port set as Com1 and an Infrared Serial Port set as Com2. It is possible to have several Com Ports configured on your PC.

The best way to check which external Com ports are installed is to check your hardware configuration. Most new machines (Pentium and newer) include Com ports on the system board. The settings for these Com ports can be checked in the system BIOS.

Warning: The system BIOS is where your hardware configuration is stored. Unless you are a hardware consultant or feel comfortable looking at your BIOS settings, we recommend you contact your computer manufacturer or consultant to help walk you through this process.

On older machines, the settings for the Com ports may be read from the serial Input/Output cards. You will need the documentation for the card to check the configuration.

You can also check for your serial Com ports through your Operating System. The number of Com Ports will be listed in Windows 95 Device Manager. The Device Manager can be accessed by clicking on the Start Button. Then choose Settings from the Start Menu, and then Control Panel. When the Control Panel folder opens, double-click the icon labeled System. When the System Properties page appears, click the tab that reads Device Manager. In Device Manager, look for the small icon labeled Ports. The Ports icon should have a small plus sign ("+") next to it. Click the plus sign. At this point, you should see all Com Ports (don't worry about the LPT ports) in the PC, shown below the Ports icon. See Below.

This will show what Com ports are installed and enabled on your Computer.

For DOS and Windows 3.1, you can use MSD (Microsoft Diagnostics) to check what Com ports are installed and enabled. Please see your DOS and Windows documentation for complete instructions on how to use MSD.

Note: Sometimes the Operating System will misreport this information or it will be incomplete. It is always recommended you check your actual hardware configuration to be sure.

Step 3: Check for possible conflicts. Verify that the modem is not sharing an IRQ with any other Com Port or Device.

Compare the Com port and IRQ settings for the modem (which you found in Step 1), and the serial Com Ports which are currently installed on your machine (which you found in Step 2). Make sure the modem is not sharing the same Com Port or IRQ with the serial Com ports. For example, a modem on Com4 IRQ3 and a serial port on Com2 (or Com4) IRQ3 would be sharing the same IRQ. This will result in an IRQ conflict. This will occur even if nothing is "plugged in" to the Com2 serial port on the back of the PC. The solution is to disable the serial port (usually in the System BIOS), or change the IRQ of the modem. The modem would have to be moved to an available IRQ between 3 & 7.

Check what devices are configured on each IRQ, go back to Device Manager (Start button -> Settings -> Control Panel -> System). At the top of the Device Manager list highlight "Computer", and click on the Properties box (see picture above). The Computer Properties Window will be displayed. Make sure the "Interrupt Request (IRQ)" button is checked.

The list shows the IRQ setting on the left, and each device configured to use the IRQ. Find the IRQ that your modem is configured for, and make sure no other devices are also configured to use the same IRQ setting.

For DOS and Windows 3.1, you can use MSD (Microsoft Diagnostics) to check what IRQ each device is configured to use. Please see your DOS and Windows documentation for complete instructions on how to use MSD.

If no conflicts appear, then continue on to the next step. If you find a conflict, contact your computer manufacturer or a hardware consultant to resolve the problem.

Step 4: Verify Close-Up is properly configured on both machines. Check the following settings in Close-Up: Close-Up is configured to use the correct Com port for your modem, the baud rate is set to 38400 or lower, and the modem selected is the same as the actual modem installed on the machine. Using the incorrect modem initialization string will sometimes cause an error with the modem, and can result in communications problems. For example, using the Hayes Compatible setting will initialize certain modems incorrectly.

Step 5: Check your hardware and phone line. For external modems, make sure all connections are secure. Sometimes one of the cables (either the modem to computer or the phone line cable) will be damaged or contain a short. This can cause communications problems, so try different cables.

Make sure no other devices are connected to the same phone line. Fax machines, Comshare devices, and additional modems introduce possible breaks or shorts in the phone wire, or can actively interfere with the modem communications.

Step 6: If you are still getting the error, please contact our Tech Support for more instructions. We can be reached by e-mail at:  techsupport@norton-lambert.com

TO THE CUSTOMER:

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Additionally, if you find any errors in this document, please let us know so we can continue to provide the best possible support to our valued customers.