DSL and Dial Up together?

Hello:

This is my first posting so please have patience. I have a medical business that does online billing with a dial up modem. I recently upgraded to DSL and now my billing program does not work because it is looking for a dial up modem connection and it sees two modems, the dial up and the dsl. I contacted the program's technical support and they didn't have an answer for me. The only thing they told me was that their program only works with a dial up modem. They told me to talk to my computer technician. Well, I don't have one so here I am. Is there a way for me to be connected to DSL broadband and also still use my dial up modem? Is there a configuration that has to be changed for this program to see my dial up modem?

Carol

Welcome to VirtualDr.

How is the DSL seen by Windows? Do you have an icon you double-click on to connect, or is treated as an "always on" connection (ie through an ADSL router)?

Also, does the billing program actually dial your modem (when it's working), or did you have to create some sort of connection first and then let the billing program do its stuff?

Finally, what exactly happens when you try to use the billing program now?

Good questions, Tuttle. Most of the consumer DSL here requires one to manually connect with either their connection software, or window's. I've never heard of any web software that only works with a dialup connection. Usually if the pc is connected, it just uses the connection that's open. Who makes this software? Do they have a website we could look at?

Thank you for the quick responses. The software actually dials up the modem itself but what happens now is the modem never dials. An error comes up saying can not connect. The DSL is in the always on mode and connected via a DSL modem and Linksys Wireless Router. The software is called MediClaim by Verity:

http://www.verity.com/products/mediclaim/

Their support is terrible.

Carol

It's hard to fathom that they don't have a solution for DSL users in this age of broadband. I mean they're a commerical software co. and just about all businesses use some form of broadband connection. I find that bewildering.

If the software requires a modem connection I would think the first question is does your DSL also provide a dial up option.
SBC DSL allows me one dial up connection.
I would think you could use both at once but you need to still have some sort of dial up access.

You should be able to because you can still make phone calls, and that's the frequency range that dialup uses, the same you use for calls. The filters sequester part of the frequency range that the DSL uses. But you probably have to disconnect from the DSL anyway, because the windows OS only recongizes one connection at a time.

While the circumstances and solution do not apply, this article discusses using DSL and dialup up at the same time.
Here is another link discussing the subject.

Judging from Carol's description, I'd guess that the software doesn't create an Internet connection -- it just dials into a service directly. Even if it does create an IP connection, it should work fine and override the Internet while it's connected.

The PC shouldn't be seeing a second modem at all in this situation -- the DSL is presented to it the same as any other local network connection.

If you look in Control Panel | Phone and Modem Options | Modems, what devices are listed in there? What's the exact text of the error message you get when you try to dial?

Finally, it might be worth unplugging the network cable from the PC, then rebooting and trying the software. I don't really expect this to work, but stranger things have happened. :)

I know nothing about DSL, don't have it, can't get it, don't have a network connection, but I understand that you have a separate connection of the DSL cable to an ethernet card when you have DSL? I am clueless about this stuff, so forgive me for asking what is probably a dumb question, but is anything actually plugged in to your modem on the back of your tower? AS JPNYC said, I understand that you can still make telephone calls when you have DSL, so I wonder how much different it would be to have both a Dial-up connection and DSL connection compared with having a Dial-up connection while having two or more local computers networked?

Also, does the Dial-up connection of your billing software dial your ISP server or does it dial a direct connection to the billing company's server?

I spoke with the company's tech support again and they told me I have to unplug the DSL (ethernet) cable, reboot so that Windows XP will only recognize the dial up modem. I tried that and it still doesn't work. I went to the Modem and Phone tab in the Control Panel and did the Modem Diagnostics. It showed my old AOL Adapter Modem disabled and greyed out.

When I installed the DSL I also went to the startup configuration in msconfig and unchecked everything that said AOL because I didn't have to use AOL anymore. Could I have disabled the modem this way? What do I need to re-check or install to get my modem working again?

Carol

First up, is your modem still in there. If so, plug it into your telephone outlet and go into your Control Panel via "Start>Settings".

>Internet Options>Connections>CHECK "always dial my default connection">Apply.

This, if your administrator hasn't deleted the dial up settings, should give you a direct line and a dial up connection via your ISP.

For the rest of your program to work on DSL you will need to change the setting back to "Never dial a connection".

Next, I would be looking for two things. A better (updated?) program and an administrator that knows your business needs.

Finally, get a real technician in there to set up the program to function purely on DSL. Whoever is administering your systems (sorry if he/she are friends), fire them. They haven't a clue what they're doing.

Your job is to do whatever it is you do. Give the computer tech jobs to real techies, mate. Find a good one, your business will run much smoother.

Good luck.

Kirikiti,

Thanks for the moral support but I try to do everything myself and can usually find solutions but decided to use this forum for help when I couldn't succeed. I did a little research and it seems that all similar software requires a dial up modem even in this world of super fast broadband. The software dials directly to the software server therefore an ISP is NOT needed but thanks for help anyway.

My modem is still installed in the machine and is connected to a phone line but like I said before, it is greyed out and disabled in the Modem and Phone Tab in the Control Panel. I was just wondering if I could have disabled it by stopping all AOL services in the Startup (MSCONFIG).

If anybody else can be a little more understanding I would truly be appreciative.

Carol

If you system has the abiltity to system restore, i.e, running WinXP,
then its probably better to apply a system restore to enable your billing
system to function properly...

You can then take suggestions and the like from other members while
still being able to use your billing system..

Once you unplug the dsl lead from the phone socket you can plug
in your dial-up modem cable but your probably better off starting
on solid ground getting your software functioning normally before
moving forward.
hope this helps...

Disabling the AOL stuff shouldn't have done anything to your modem... but it's AOL. Re-enabling everything would certainly be worth a shot.

If that doesn't work, run compmgmt.msc and look in Device Manager -- is there any yellow ! or red X next to the modem in there? Can you add a new modem in Control Panel | Phone and Modem Options? If the modem is external, try putting it in the other serial port if you have one.

Quote:

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I spoke with the company's tech support again and they told me I have to unplug the DSL (ethernet) cable

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I would think Control Panel -> Network and Internet Connections -> Network Connections -> disable/enable would be a better answer.
I wonder if a reinstall of the billing software (if just disabling the network connection is not enough) would be worth a try? It may be necessary to disable/enable your DSL every time you use the billing software.
That's what I would try.

Ok, I finally got it working. I had to disconnect the outside phone line that went to the DSL modem and plug it into my computer modem, reboot and then the software dialed up. I just want to thank everyone who contributed to this fiasco. I knew there had to be a way! Thanks again.

Carol

Car99Gordon--If it is not too expensive, you might consider a second phone line for the dialup so you will not have to disconnect and reconnect all the time.

That shouldn't be necessary. If you connect the end of the phone line, the one that ISN'T going through the DSL filters, to the dialup modem, and then shut the DSL connection down on the pc, if you have "dial connection whenever lan isn't present" selected in IE's internet options, connections tab, then it should dial in. I have mine set that way so that when my cable is out and I open a browser, the dialup GUI opens.