Q. What icon do I click to get online?

A. This is an issue that continues to come up, day after day. The proper way to get connected is to start with your Dial-up Networking Icon, usually found on your desktop and titled "Dial Billie's Gloucester County Account" or what ever your username and county are. If your user name is Sam, then it will say "Sam's Account" Once you have that icon open, you should make sure your username and password are correctly entered all in lower case letters. Then click "Connect". Let the system negotiate your connection and give you the message that you are connected at what ever baud rate you connect at. Once you have established this connection, then you can double click your Netscape icon, your MSIE Icon, your Internet icon or your mail software icon. You should never start out your session by double clicking Netscape, MSIE, the Internet or your email software icon. While this may work for you for a while, it WILL fail you at some point.

Q. What is my email address and what are the other settings I need to setup my software?

A. The following are the settings you will need for your software setups.

• Email address - your username@crosslink.net
• SMTP (Outgoing mail server) - smtp.crosslink.net
• POP 3 Server (Incoming mail server) - one of the following will apply to your case:

• Microsoft mail applications: your username.pop.crosslink.net
• Netscape mail applications: your username.pop.crosslink.net
• Eudora Lite and Pro - username@username.pop.crosslink.net

• Usenet or News Groups - news.crosslink.net
• DNS Server addresses: Primary DNS - 206.246.64.1 Secondary DNS: 207.199.128.1
• Local Dial-up number: Please click here for a complete list of our POP sites.

Q. What other things do I need to know to make sure my computer is setup correctly to get online?

A. Some of the most crucial steps to follow are listed in the paragraphs below.

• IMPORTANT Before getting on line, you should check some things. Double click "My Computer", then double click "Dial Up Networking". Inside the dial-up networking window you will see your new icon. Click your new icon with your right mouse button and then go to the word "Properties" when the box drops down. Click "Properties". A new widow will now appear. Make sure that there is not a black check to the left of "Use Country Code and Area Code". If there is, click it so that it goes away. Then click the "Server Type" button or tab. In that window make sure that only "Enable Software Compression" and "TCP/IP" have black checks next to them. If they don't click them so that they do. If anything else has a black check or black dot next to it, click it so that the mark goes away. Close all the "Dial-up Networking" and "My Computer" windows.

• IMPORTANT One last thing to check will be to make sure your computer is setup to get online through Control Panel. Open Control Panel. Inside Control Panel open the Network Icon. Then scroll down until you find TCP/IP or TCP/IP - Dialup Adapter. Select it by clicking it one time. Then go to the right side and click Properties. Inside Properties, select the DNS Configuration Tab. There you will need to make sure that ENABLE DNS is selected. In the blank to the right of HOST enter your login name only, all lower case letters (NOT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS). Then inside the box to the right of DOMAIN enter crosslink.net (exactly as you see it to the left here, no CAPS, nothing other than what you see to the left). Then go into the DNS server Search Order box (the one with the dots in it and enter the following numbers 206 246 64 1 so that it reads exactly as follows: 206.246.64.1 Then Click ADD. Again, in the same box that you just got done entering into, enter the following numbers 207 199 128 1 and click ADD. You should now have two lines of numbers below and they should read as follows: 206.246.64.1 and 207.199.128.1 EXACTLY. Then select the IP Address Tab, and make sure that Obtain an IP Address Automatically is selected. Then click the Bindings Tab. If you have Client for Microsoft Networks in this box, make sure you have a black check to the left of it. Once complete, click OK and OK until you don't have any more OK's to click. Then close all windows and restart Windows.

Q. I keep getting cut off in the middle of my online session. What is the cause and what can I do to prevent this from happening?

A. First, keep in mind that we have a 15 minute "time out" feature in the system. This is to prevent people from leaving their machines logged in and forgetting they are online, which ties up a line and may cause busy signals, one thing we don't tolerate here at Eagles Nest. In order to ensure you have the best possible service with NO BUSY SIGNALS, we have the time out feature. This basically means that if you are not staying busy while online, which means transmitting data to and from your computer, not just scrolling on pages, you will be logged off as the system will think that you are not on line. The best way to prevent this is to stay busy at all times. If you have large, long email messages that need to be written, the best way to handle that is to compose them off line. Then login to the system and cut and paste them into an email message. Then send the message. If you find an article or document that is too long to read in the 15 minute period, the best thing to do is print it and set it aside for later reading.

Q. System won't accept my password or login name. The system comes back with the message "Dial up Networking can not negotiate a compatible set of protocols . . . " What is the problem?

A. There are a number of different reasons for this that could be the case.

The first one is that you should make sure you are using the correct login name and password. Make sure they are entered in as all lower case letters, NO CAPS. Our system will not accept any UPPER CASE letters.

One more reason is that you have incorrect settings in your DUN (Dial up Networking). To check your settings, please follow the instructions that are locate by clicking here.

If neither one of the above solves your problem, try restarting your computer. Often times you computer will store certain bits of information in some of the shared files, and after multiple sessions on line it will fail to make a connection. Basically the computer is confused and just need s fresh start.

If these don't work, email us and we will try to solve it for you. Please make sure you give us very specific information about what the problem is so that we have enough data to work with and solve you problem. Make sure you send us the EXACT message that you received from your computer, word for word.

Q. I can't receive my email, it locks up or stops at a certain message. What do I do?

A. Nine time out of 10 this problem is caused by someone from the outside sending you a file via the email system that is too large for your email software to handle. Netscape and MSIE can't handle messages larger than 70k in size. You should inform the sender of this and have them reduce the size of the file. Or, you should download a copy of Eudora Lite and use it for your email. Eudora is a true email client, and will handle larger files much more efficiently. If your mail is locked up and you can't get past a certain message, you will need to go clear your mail box. You should go here and enter your login name and password, then click the button for "Delete Largest Message". Then go try your mail again. If it still locks up, try the same process over again, and keep trying it until you have deleted all the messages that are too large for your system to handle. Remember, Netscape and MSIE will not handle anything larger than 70k files. Eudora will handle up to 2 megs, which is the largest our system will allow to be transferred via the email system. Files larger than that should be handled via FTP.

Q. I can't send or receive email messages. What do I do?

A. Most of the time the reason for this is because you have not got your mail software setup correctly. Please find detailed instructions for this by clicking here.

Q. My computer gives me the message that there is "No response from the modem". What do I do?

A. This is most commonly caused by either your modem being incorrectly configured, or due to the fact that your modem is on the blink. To determine if your modem is in good operating condition, please run a diagnostic check on it. To do that, simply open Control Panel, then open Modems. Then select the Diagnostics tab at the top. Select your modem and com port by clicking it one time, then click MORE INFO. It will then begin a diagnostic check of your modem. Once complete, look carefully in the box that comes up and see if you see the word "Error" anywhere in the text. If you do, chances are your modem has been damaged somehow and you will need to put a new modem in your machine.

Q. I have a 33.6 BPS or 56 k modem but I can't connect any faster than 28.8 BPS. What is the problem?

A. Modem connection speeds are determined by a number of things. Line quality to your home or business, length of cable between your home/business and the Telco CO, and/or how your modem is connected to the phone lines. We have installed all the latest in technology in server equipment in all our POP sites. They all run the latest in OS software on them. So unless there is a problem with the data circuit feeding the POP site, the problem most probably lies somewhere between your modem and our POP site. We have spent a lot of time working with GTE to determine what the causes are and what can be done to correct them. Here are some guidelines to follow to ensure you have the best possible connection.

1. DO NOT have anything, not one single thing between your modem and the wall jack. This means NO SPLITTERS, NO PHONES, NO FAX MACHINES, NO COUPLERS, NOTHING. High speed ;modems don't deal well with any extraneous equipment between them and your phone jack. Anything that is in the line between your modem and the wall jack can cause line noise or distortion, which will cause either slow connection rates or no connection at all.

2. Try to determine the distance between your home/business and the closet Telco CO. If it is over 14,600 feet (roughly 2.8 miles) you should not expect the faster connection rates. The longer the distance, the more interference and noise your line will have on it, the less your connection rate will be.

3. Make sure you have a good quality, high speed modem with at least V.32/34 and 2 to 4 error correction. This will help filter out the majority of the line noise found down here. Suggested modems are as follows:

28.8 and 33.6 - US Robotics Sportster (internal or external) Do not use a Win Modem by US Robotics!

56k - Modem Blaster 56 KFlex by Creative Labs

Q. Why don't I get 28800 BPS (or more) on my connections?

A. (If you see a connection speed of 38400, 57600, or 115200, don't be fooled -- that is the serial port speed between your computer and your modem, not the speed between your modem and the remote modem. To report the modem-to-modem speed, your modem probably needs a different initialization string. Consult your documentation.)

Note: Reported initial connect speeds won't necessarily be dependable or even comparable from modem to modem or location to location. The reason is that V.34 modems can (and often do) speed shift up and down after the initial connection, and do so in a manner that is dependent on the particular connection as well as the particular equipment (including firmware versions) at each end.

FALL-BACK/FORWARD Fall-back/forward is simple speed shifting that is relatively quick, so we would like the modems to fall back when needed to keep the error rate low, and fall forward when possible to improve throughput. With the modem speaker on you will hear only a small beep or blip in the carrier hiss. If a noise burst causes a fall-back, we want the modems to fall-forward as soon as the burst is gone. What we don't want is for the modems to ping-pong back and forth between two speeds, because that would result in lower throughput than simply remaining at the lower speed. Again, fall-back/forward can be requested by either modem, but will only occur if the other modem permits it. Some modems connect at a more conservative speed and then quickly upshift as conditions allow; other modems connect at a more aggressive speed only to quickly downshift (or worse, lose performance due to excessive errors). Another problem is that software may report the receive speed for certain modems and the transmit speed for other modems, which can be substantially different. What are split/asymmetric speeds? In the past, most standard modems were only capable of transmitting and receiving at the same speed. (The exceptions were proprietary modems such as the USR HST that used greatly different transmit and receive speeds.) Since most connections were made at the maximum speed, there was little reason to support different transmit and receive speeds.

With the advent of speeds up to 28800 BPS that is no longer true. It's now quite common to have a connection where at least one (and often both) speeds must be limited to less than 28800 BPS, and it's not uncommon to find that a connection will support faster speed in one direction than the other. (One reason is that send and receive channels are separated for transmission between telephone switching offices.) Having been designed to optimize performance over a wide variety of conditions, V.34 includes an optional specification for asymmetric (differing or split) transmit and receive speeds. For example, a connection might support a transmit speed of 28800 BPS but a receive speed of only 26400 BPS; without split speed, the speed in both directions would have to be limited to 26400 BPS. For this reason split speed capability is a worthwhile and desirable feature.

Not all V.34-compliant modems support split speeds. For example, at the time of this writing most "glue 'n go" Rockwell V.34 clones, do not support split speeds.On the other hand, others, including all USR V.34 modems (Sportster 28800/33600 as well as the Courier V.34), Diamond/Supra, and Motorola, do support split speeds.Unfortunately, it is not possible to monitor the actual modem speed during the connection for most modems. Regardless, the only thing that really counts is net throughput, which can be measured by many communications applications.

If you consistently connect at 26400 or above, there may not be much that you can do to go faster -- it's simply not possible to achieve the highest V.34 speeds on many phone circuits. (This is not false modem advertising -- 28800 modems are designed to wring as much speed out of the actual real-world connection as possible, and 28800 or higher speed is only possible on a near-perfect connection.)

If you consistently connect at lower speeds (e.g., 24000 or even 21600), there may still not be much that you can do, but you can at least try the following:

• Make sure that your serial port is locked at 38400 or higher (57600 recommended). This is usually set within your comm application, not the Windows Control Panel
• How do I set a speed greater than 19200 BPS in Windows 3.x? You can set a speed faster than 19200 in the Windows Control Panel by simply typing it in. However, there is almost never a need to do so -- almost all Windows comm applications set their own serial port speed. The settings in the Control Panel are primarily for devices attached to the serial port; e.g., printers. (See "Control Panel Serial Port Settings Are for Printing Only")
• Watch out for heat. Some modems work better cold than hot, and vice versa. Generally speaking it is a good idea to make sure that the modem does not get too hot.
• With a PC Card (PCMCIA) modem in a laptop computer, try disconnecting the computer from AC power and running on battery alone.
• Try connecting to known good 28800 numbers (e.g., Hayes at 800-"US-HAYES; Multi-Tech at 800/392-2432; USR at 847/982-5092). This will at least tell you whether the problem is at your end or the other end of the connection. (The USR number is particularly useful, because you can get an on-line reading of connection quality from a USR BBS command.)
• Watch out for dial-in numbers that are being forwarded to a distant location. It's a "dirty little secret" that many BBS (bulletin board systems) and ISP (Internet service providers) use Call Forwarding to extend their local calling areas. (Where location A to location C is a toll call, and an intermediate location B is local to both A and C, Call Forwarding from B to C effectively makes A to C a local call.) Although this can work fairly well at lower speeds (e.g., 14400), the extra connection hop(s) can degrade the signal enough to limit higher speeds (even as compared to a direct long distance call). A local number does not necessarily mean a local call. While there are some local providers (Sylvan comes to mind) here in the area that are playing this "TRICK" on their subscribers, we DON'T. All of our local POP sites are independent POP sites, with their own routers, phone lines and data circuits.
• If you have your modem connected to the phone line through a surge suppresser, REMOVE the surge suppresser. Many surge suppressers can interfere with modem communications. (In general, we do not think that phone line surge suppressers are a good idea. We have found that in almost all cases they will either cause a very slow connection rate or in a lot of cases, no connection at all. The best protection against lightening strikes is to completely isolate your computer form the outside world when you know there is a storm coming. And don't forget, UNPLUG YOUR PHONE LINE as well as all power lines!)
• If possible, test for premises problems by disconnecting all your premises wiring (and equipment) from the incoming Telco terminating block, and hooking your modem directly to it. If your connections are better, you have a premises problem that you may be able to isolate and fix. Premises problems (faulty wiring and/or equipment like cheap phones and fax machines, and even other modems) are a frequent cause of connection problems. If you need to fix your premises wiring, you may be able to get help at the "Phone-Man's Home Page". Note: We cannot vouch for the accuracy of that information.
• If that doesn't help, listen carefully to the quality of your voice connections. Note that you must dial a known quiet number, since many otherwise good phone lines exhibit excessive noise until you actually connect. (Dialing a single digit is not enough.) After you connect, if you hear more than very faint hiss and/or hum, then you probably have a line problem. Contact GTE or your local Telco and have them BALANCE your line. The operative, key word here is BALANCE. A good self test for line noise and improper balancing is to pick up a regular phone set (not a portable phone), dial the first three numbers of your phone number and just listen. If you hear any noise or hum, chances are you have a battery load on your line and you need to have it balanced. Again, the key word is BALANCE.
• While a quiet line is important, there are other line problems that can reduce your speed: bandwidth (frequency response), distortion, etc. It is difficult to test for these problems without proper test equipment, but it's still a good idea to listen carefully for audible problems, particularly if you can find a number that will send you test tones.
• You may be able to get your phone company to improve the quality of your line. Since phone companies are often reluctant or even unwilling to work on data problems, it may help to report that you are also having fax problems. Or you can try asking for a data or fax "specialist." Ideally you want the service technician to bring the right kind of test equipment, a sophisticated line or transmission test set, not just the normal basic tester. It may also help to ask for a BERT (bit error rate tester) or "data test set."
• Sometimes switching to a different cable pair from the CO (central office) will help. In extreme cases the author has resorted to ordering a new line, making sure that it is good when installed, and then canceling the old line.
• You may be told that you need a special "data" line, more properly called a "conditioned" circuit, which is considerably more expensive than a standard "voice-grade" circuit. Don't waste your money. All you need is a good quality "voice-grade" circuit.

Those with a technical bent may be interested in the telecom troubleshooting information posted in the Technical Bulletins by Mike Sandman, who sells a variety of hard-to-find telecom tools, parts, and test equipment.

A final note: Common add-on noise filters will not help -- they are the modem equivalent of snake oil. Your 28800 modem already has all the filtering it can use. A common add-on filter will do nothing at best, and it may well make things worse.

Q. I seem to be logging in OK, but once logged in, I can't get any home pages or email from the system. What do I do?

A. The biggest cause of this is not logging in correctly. You should NEVER use the single Icon connection method. Even though you are able to log in sometimes by using either the Netscape or MSIE icon, then dialing in from there, there will, most certainly be a time when you will encounter this problem. The only way to make sure you don't have this problem is to log in correctly. This is accomplished by dialing in using your Dial up Networking Icon, named either "CrossLink", "Eagles Nest", or "Dial ______'s Account" if you are using our latest software issue, Netscape Communicator 4.04. The single icon method will, at some point in time, cause confusion between several of the shared files in Windows that are used by all the Internet software applications. This will cause the TCP/IP protocol to not function properly, and it will, for lack of a better explanation, vapor lock, and not let you gain a good connection with the proper protocol. Hence, you will not be able to get anywhere even though you are apparently logged in. Use your dialup networking icon, then start your browser or email software. It will get rid of a lot of errors in connecting and do away with a lot of frustration on your part.

Q. Why is my modem getting NO DIAL TONE?

A. Here are some answers.

1. The most obvious cause is that you've neglected to plug your telephone line into your modem. Double check to make sure. Or the telephone cable may be bad -- test it on a regular telephone.
2. A common problem is plugging your telephone line into the wrong jack on your modem. Many modems have two jacks, one for the telephone line and one for a telephone handset. On some of these modems (e.g., US Robotics), you won't be able to get a dial tone or otherwise use the modem if you plug the telephone line into the telephone handset jack. Double check to make sure.
3. Another common problem is that some other device on the same telephone line (e.g., a telephone answering machine) is off-hook. Double check to make sure that all other devices are on-hook.
4. There may be a problem on your telephone line. Make sure that you can get a dial tone on a telephone handset connected to and through your modem when the modem (or computer in the case of an internal modem) is turned off.
5. Many voicemail systems use a "stutter" dial tone or beeping when you pick up the phone to indicate that you have voicemail waiting. These unexpected sounds can make the modem think there is no dial tone. If you must use the modem on a line with these voicemail or similar sounds, you can try the following workarounds:
6. 1. Increase the amount of time that the modem waits for dial tone by setting the number of seconds to wait in register S6 (e.g., S6=5).
   2. Lower the Xn setting to an odd number value to make the modem ignore dial tone and dial blindly (e.g., X3 instead of X4, or even X1).
7. Your modem may not be designed for the phone system in the country in which you are trying to use it. As a workaround, try lowering the Xn setting as described above.

Q. Why do I sometimes get abruptly disconnected?

A. There are several answers below.

• If you have Call Waiting, the incoming call "beep" may sometimes (but not always) disconnect you. To avoid this problem, you may be able to temporarily disable Call Waiting when you make a data or fax call. (See below for instructions on how to disable call waiting)
• If your modem fails to negotiate error correction (V.42/LAPM or MNP4), the uncorrected transmission errors may make the remote site hang up on you. To avoid this possibility it's a good idea to force error-correcting connections; that way if the negotiation of error correction fails, the modem will fail to connect, and you may be able to configure your software to retry the connection automatically. In Windows 95 you can go to Properties | Connection | Advanced and check the Required to Connect option; otherwise, check your modem documentation for the correct option to set in your modem initialization string.
• Disconnections may be caused by momentary drops of DTR by certain comm applications. (By default most modems respond to a drop of DTR by hanging up.)
  1. With most modems you can work around this problem by disabling DTR (i.e., &D0). Note that when DTR is disabled you have to escape the modem to command mode and use the "ATH" command to hang up.
  2. With USR modems you can also use register S25 to work around the problem (e.g., S25=10 will ignore a DTR drop of less than 10/100 or 1/10 second, which is twice the default of 5/100 second).
• For those experiencing disconnects (and/or erratic connection speeds) when calling Rockwell-based V.FC modems from a USR 28800 (V.FC or V.34) modem, a firmware fix is now available for the Sportster (dated 4/18/95 or later for USA modems) by calling USR (847/982-5151); for the Courier, the fix (dated 7/5/95 or later for USA modems) is available by FTP. In the meantime, the author's workarounds (which may help in some cases even if you have the updated firmware) are:

1. Disable V.42 Detect Phase (i.e., S27=48).
2. Disable V.42 completely (i.e., S27=32). If you then sometimes get non-error-correcting connections, force error-correction mode (i.e., &M5). You may find that you have to redial several times to get connected; if so, try the following. -- and/or ---
3. Disable the highest symbol rates (e.g., S54.5=1S54.4=1S54.3=1). This will limit your top speed (to 24000 in this example), depending on how many symbol rates you disable (3429, 3200, and 3000 in this example).
4. With V.FC-only firmware (as opposed to the newer V.34 firmware) it may help to also disable the 32S-2D map (i.e., S55.2=1).
5. It may also help to set S10=255.

With a USR 28800 modem, you can determine the technical reason for a disconnect by issuing the ATI6 command immediately after the disconnection. Disconnect reasons are explained in the Courier manual.

If possible, set these options on a phone number-specific basis. With comm apps which lack that capability, you may be able to embed them in the phone number; e.g., "^H^HS27=48DT555-1212". (The two "^H" backspace characters erase the "DT" in an "ATDT" dial command so that the "S27=48" will be accepted, and then the following "DT" replaces the "DT" that was erased; i.e., "ATDT" + "^H^HS27=48DT555-1212" = "ATS27=48DT555-1212".)

Q. Why do connections sometimes seem to run slower and slower?

A. The following is a discussion of the so-called "spiraling death" problem that has been observed on the Sportster 28800 (and sometimes even the Courier V.34), where the modem will fall back over time on certain connections to ever lower speeds.

What we are really concerned with here is fall-forward, not retraining.  Retraining is normally a rare event. So the problem is really that the Sportster 28800 sometimes does not fall-forward when it is able to do so. The symptom is that the Sportster 28800 is sometimes observed to fall back to progressively lower speeds without ever being observed to fall forward back to higher speeds. The implication is that line conditions would have permitted a higher speed, which may or may not have been true. (It's impossible to say for sure without elaborate test equipment.)

THE ATO1 CONNECT RESPONSE CONFUSION

Some of the evidence used to support the claim that the Sportster 28800 doesn't fall forward has been that ATO1 (forced retraining) returned the modem to a higher speed. The problem with at least some of these reports is that people have assumed that the CONNECT response to ATO1 reports the new speed after retraining. It doesn't, as should be obvious if you notice that the response appears before the retraining sound (heard with M2) is completed. The response sometimes shows the previous connection speed, and sometimes shows the original connection speed, but never the new speed. The only way to correctly determine the connect speed after retraining is to escape to command mode and use the ATI6 command!

Suppose that a phone connection is such that the Sportster 28800 CONNECTs at a high speed (e.g., 28800), but then falls back to a lower speed (e.g., 24000) due to line conditions. Escape to command-mode followed by ATO1 might well make you think that retraining has returned the modem to the original high speed (due to a CONNECT 28800 response) when it may well not have. Disconnecting and reconnecting could produce the same misleading indications. In other words, these may just be plain old poor connections. The moral here is that you must use ATI6, and only ATI6, to check the current connection speed.

Another problem is that ATO1 may not change the current speed, or may even reduce it, depending on changing line conditions. And it's hard to keep ongoing auto fall-back/forward from confusing the issue (unless you use M2 and listen carefully for the sound of the speed shifts, a small beep or blip in the ongoing carrier hiss). The only way to know for sure whether or not the speed changed is to use ATI6 immediately before and after ATO1.

SPORTSTER PROBLEMS

Does the Sportster 28800 fall-forward automatically or not? From extensive testing (literally hundreds of hours to both USR and non-USR modems) the author concludes that the answer is: often yes, but sometimes no. The author has run many tests where the Sportster 28800 was forced back to (say) 16800, and then it rapidly fall forward to a much higher speed. But the author has also run some tests where it stayed at 16800. This seems to be a function of both line conditions and the modem at the other end of the connection.

Note that this problem is not absolute -- while some users do encounter it on some connections, many users never encounter it.

Another possibly related problem that some have reported with the external Sportster 28800 (not the internal Sportster, and not either type of the Courier) is that adjusting the speaker volume control while on-line causes the modem to fall back. Anecdotal reports suggest that higher connection speeds may be possible if the volume control is turned all the way down before the initial negotiation (and left there). Turning off the speaker with M0 is apparently not effective.

WHAT TO DO

USR now has a fix for this problem in the form of updated modem firmware. See "Sportster Supervisory Update Information". (Note: the dates in the firmware table are not necessarily the dates of the latest versions.)

While waiting for the fix, here are some workarounds to try:

• If possible try a different modem to see if the problems persist or not.
• Try to improve your connection -- the Sportster 28800 may be falling back in response to noise bursts on the line.
• If you have the external Sportster 28800, try turning the volume control all the way down before the initial negotiation.
• You can disable fallback on the transmit side (the receive side is not affected) by setting the undocumented option of S15=2. The downside is that you may get disconnected if line conditions deteriorate enough to warrant a fall-back and/or you may experience more retraining. (This option is documented for the Courier V.34.)
• If you have 11/30/94 or later Sportster firmware (date for USA modems), you can lock the transmit speed (but not the receive speed) in a range with &Nn&Un (e.g., &N14&U12 locks the transmit speed between 28800 and 24000). With an appropriate range, this may be more reliable than S15=2. (However, it does not work on the Courier.)

Q. Why do my on-line connections "pause"?

A. You are on-line to a remote system, perhaps a distant system over the Internet or a local bulletin board system (BBS), transferring data or typing in commands, when suddenly communications stops. Then after a few seconds, a few minutes, or possibly even longer, things start flowing again. The question is, what happened? The answer is, it depends. There are a great many things that can cause this kind of pausing, and determining the real cause can often be difficult, sometimes very difficult. Worse, the cause may be out of your direct control. Here is a list of possible causes, tips on how to identify them, and suggestions for ways to deal with them:

Telephone connection problems

Modem error recovery

When a transmission error occurs, error correcting modems will automatically retransmit the affected data. Under normal conditions the retransmission will be brief, but when connections are poor the retransmissions can result in "pauses" that last for many seconds. Certain modems will help you diagnose and/or detect this kind of problem (e.g., with a "link diagnostics" screen, or flashing ARQ or SQ lights). The only way to completely solve this problem is to get better connections (see "Why don't I get 28800 BPS (or more) on my connections?" on this page), but it may help to reduce the connection speed (so as to reduce the frequency of errors).

Modem retraining

While modems are retraining due to a poor connection, no data can flow. Although a single retrain lasts only a few seconds, multiple retrains (and other related error recovery) can go on for much longer, up to 30 seconds or more in the author's experience.

Network (Internet) problems

Lost TCP/IP packets

When a TCP/IP network (e.g., the Internet) gets overloaded, the network routers deal with the problem by dropping (discarding) data packets. It then takes time for the sender to notice that the receiver hasn't acknowledged packets that have been sent, and to resend those packets (which may in turn get dropped). The result is a general slowdown in data transmission speed, often with long gaps or "pauses." In extreme cases packet loss can go as high as 30% or more, bringing transmission down to a fitful crawl with nothing flowing most of the time. This problem can be diagnosed with "ping" and "traceroute" tools (the use of which is beyond the scope of this document). The only way to deal with this problem is by complaining to the network administrator, but there may not be much that can be done if the congestion problem is outside of the local network (e.g., elsewhere on the Internet)

Remote server overload

Remote servers can only handle so much load. When the load gets excessive, there is a general slowdown to all those using the server, often with long pauses when the server is busy serving other users. As the Internet grows, this is becoming an ever-increasing problem, particularly for popular sites. The only way to deal with this problem is to access the server when the load is less (e.g., in the wee hours of the morning).

Routing and other problems

Certain networks are adopting packet routing policies, particularly during periods of peak load, that discriminate against certain users, particularly smaller ISP's (Internet Service Providers). At best the network may drop many packets or route them onto slower, more congested links; at worst, the network may refuse to pass them altogether. The only way to deal with this problem is to be sure that your ISP has good connectivity (e.g., multiple "peering" points, multiple "backbone" connections and/or alternate transport providers). In the long run the smaller ISP's may simply be squeezed out.

Computer problems

Flaky serial port (UART)

A flaky serial port (UART) can cause all sorts of communications problems, including both long and short ("pausing") lockups.

Improper flow control

If flow control is not configured properly in both the comm software and the modem, the result is overruns. These overruns result in lost data, which can cause "pauses" as well as delays due to data retransmission. 

Hardware conflict

Hardware conflicts are a frequent cause of both long and short ("pausing") lockups, particularly when two COM ports are set to the same I/O address or IRQ. For example, a mouse on COM1 and a modem on COM3 will normally product such a conflict. (Sometimes moving the mouse will cause modem data to flow, but in other cases the modem may work fitfully or not at all.) 

Software problems

TCP/IP configuration

Improper TCP/IP configuration can lead to packet fragmentation and other problems that may be manifested as "pausing."

Software configuration and interference

Configuration problems in comm software applications can also result in "pausing." The only solution is to ensure that all comm applications are configured properly. It is also possible for two software applications and/or device drivers (particularly network drivers) to interfere with each other enough to cause a "pausing" problem; the only solution is to eliminate (one of) the offending application(s).

Operating system swapping

Sometime the operating system suddenly needs a lot more memory for a given application, and has to swap megabytes of data between memory and a disk drive. On less sophisticated operating systems (e.g., Windows), this can result in a "pause" in communications during the swapping. The symptom of this problem is a large burst of disk activity.

Modem firmware problems

USRobotics Sportster

Certain USRobotics Sportster modems with firmware dated in February and March of 1996 have a firmware timing problem that can cause the modem to "pause" when the modem is being used in an interactive mode on a normal dialup connection, typically when typing commands while connected to a Bulletin Board System (BBS) or asynchronous dialup UNIX shell. The "pause" will clear itself if you wait long enough (up to about a minute). To troubleshoot and correct this problem, see "Sportster Supervisory Update Information". (Note: the dates in the USR firmware table are not necessarily the dates of the latest versions.) For more SRO information see "USRobotics on the Internet".

Note: USRobotics recommends initializing the modem with S12=0 (which disables the modem escape code) as a work-around for this problem. We recommend S12=0S2=255, which is more robust.

 

Modem interoperability

Incompatibilities between certain modems can result in a variety of problems, including "pausing." If disabling V.42 (and falling back to MNP) causes the problem(s) to go away, then you probably have an interoperability problem. A firmware upgrade that corrects the problem may be available for your modem.
The simplest and most effective way to deal with a modem problem is to return the modem to the dealer from whom you bought it for refund, credit, or exchange. (Even when you are outside of the normal return period, many dealers will still take back the modem for credit or exchange, particularly if you are persistent.)

Q. Why does my Windows 95 Internet run at half-speed?

A. Two fixes come to mind here.

The MaxMTU Fix

Have you found that your Internet file transfers (e.g., downloads) are very slow, in the range of 1,000-1,600 characters per second, even on a 28800 modem connection? It may just be Internet overload; on the other hand it may be a symptom of a Windows 95 MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) problem. To find out which it is, compare the display of "Bytes received/sec." in System Monitor  to the characters per second reported by your downloading application (e.g., FTP client or Web browser). These two values should be within about 10%; e.g., if your "Bytes received/sec." is 3,300 (typical of compressed data on a good 28800 connection), your characters per second should be about 3,000. If instead the characters per second is 1,000-1,600, you are getting a lot of wasted retransmissions that are probably due to the Windows 95 MTU problem. Microsoft's Dial-Up Networking 1.3 Upgrade does not fix this problem (as previously hoped).   The only reliable work-around that we have found for this problem is to add the "MaxMTU" parameter to your Registry and set it to a value of 576. (MaxMTU and other networking parameters are documented in the free Windows 95 Resource Kit Help File.)
 

The Default Receive Window Fix and Hack

"Occasionally one sees slow downloads over dial-up PPP connections. I have never seen a plausible explanation for this in the comp.os.ms-windows.* newsgroups, but did find an explanation in one of the UNIX newsgroups.

"Apparently Solaris 2.3/2.4/2.5 have a TCP/IP bug that causes every packet to be sent twice when the network delay exceeds some threshold. You will observe the modem receiving data most of the time, but the transfer rate will be half of what it should be (1.6KB/s for 14.4, 3.2KB/s for 28.8).

"In Windows the work-around is to reduce the Default Receive Window from its default of 8192, thereby reducing the network delay. I haven't verified this myself, as I rarely see the problem. If you can verify this solution, let me know and I will get it into an FAQ.

"If you aren't using TCP/IP on a LAN, you can set Receive Window to 4096 with no drop in performance and an improvement in interactive response (while downloading) of one or two seconds. Reducing the size of the Default Receive Windows probably is probably a general fix for many "mysterious" bugs, including the Solaris bug.  

Q. How do I shut off Call Waiting?

A. Here are some answers.

Why won't Call Waiting interrupt my modem connection?

Call Waiting is a phone service option that allows you to be interrupted by an incoming call while you are using the phone line. If you are using the phone line for data or fax, the "beep" that signals the incoming call can cause an abrupt disconnection, which can be a problem.

To temporarily disable Call Waiting for a single outgoing call, there is often a special code that can be dialed before the phone number. With tone dialing service, this special code is usually "*70" without the quotation marks (e.g., instead of dialing say "555-1212", you would dial "*70,555-1212", with the comma being used to signal your modem to insert a brief pause between the special code and the phone number); with pulse dialing service, this special code may be "1170". Check with your local phone company to be sure. Better comm programs have an option to insert the special code automatically.

On the other hand, you may actually want Call Waiting to interrupt a data or fax call, so that you do not miss an important incoming call. However, V.34 modems are designed to overcome "line noise" like Call Waiting, and they may not be disconnected by the "beep." Other than getting another phone line, there may be no possible work-around.

How do I keep my data/fax call from being interrupted?

It goes like this. You have a single line with multiple extensions that you use for both voice and fax/data. You are on-line in the middle of a large file transfer. Someone else picks an extension in another room, and bang, your connection is lost sending the file transfer down the drain.

There is an easy way to prevent this problem. Obtain a "Line Protector" for each extension phone. When your modem is on-line, the Line Protector will automatically prevent the attached phone from interrupting your connection. A Line Protector is inexpensive, and readily available on the Internet (e.g., Black Box or Hello Direct) or from Radio Shack (which calls it a "TeleProtector"). Some "Call Routers" will also provide this kind of protection.

Q. I have the latest version of Netscape or MSIE, and I use Trumpet Winsock to dial in. Is this a problem?

A. Yes. You should not use Trumpet with the latest browsers and email clients in the Windows 95/98 operating system. Trumpet (the version we first handed out 3 years ago) is NOT a 32 bit application, and cannot establish the proper connections. You should be using Windows Dial Up Networking to dialup with, NOT TRUMPET. To setup a Dialup Networking connection, follow these instructions.

Q. I have general help questions such as billing status, usage status, how to configure my email, how to change my password, etc. Where can I find the answers to them?

A. We have developed a very comprehensive Online Help page. You can find that by clicking Help on the menu at the bottom on any of our web pages. You will find most of the answers to most of your questions within these pages. HELP

From time to time we will be adding to this page. In an effort to better serve you, if you have any suggestions for content on this page, please email them to us. We will be happy to accept any and all suggestions.

Q. I have lost my instructions on how to install and configure my Eagles Nest CD. What do I do?

A. Go here and print out the page. This page is the complete set of instructions on how to install our CD.

Q. When I try to access a page out on the Web, I get the response from the server that "The Web Site you have tried to access does not have a DNS entry." or some similar message. What do I do? What causes this to happen?

A. The most common cause for this problem is that the page you are trying to go to is not there anymore. That is because the author or site owner has either taken it down, or their server is not up and online. Another common cause for this message is that you are not online. Make sure you are connected. One more cause for this message is that you may have entered the web site address (URL) incorrectly. Check the entry and try reentering it.

Q. 'Save Password' gets lost, what do I do?

A. If you're using the original version of Windows 95, you could be facing one of the flaws in that version of the operating system. If you have a later version, in which those flaws were remedied, it's possible that your password file has become corrupt, or that your Dial-Up Networking application needs to be re-installed. Let's look at the first scenario before moving on to the others.

The Save Password feature of the Dial-Up Networking application uses a function called password caching, which stores passwords in encrypted files. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for password caching in the original version of Windows 95 to stop working at some point for no apparent reason; when this happens, either your password isn't saved despite the Save Password box being checked, or that box is grayed out, preventing you from using it. The good news is that Microsoft offers a fix for this problem.

To determine which version of Windows 95 you're running, right-click on My Computer and select Properties. With the General tab on top, you'll see the version number in the upper part of the window. The versions of Windows 95 released to date are 4.00.950 (original), 4.00.950a (also known as OSR 1) and 4.00.950 B (OSR 2); if you have either of the later versions, chances are your Dial-Up Networking application is working properly. But if you're running the original version of Windows 95, you should download the Windows 95 Service Pack 1 to update your version of the operating system to OSR 1, and then the latest Windows 95 Password List Update, which fixes a password bug in the Service Pack 1.

For the Service Pack 1, go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/software/servpak1/sphome.htm, click on the Individual Users link, then follow the download and installation instructions. Once the Service Pack 1 is installed, go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/info/passwd.htm to download the Windows 95 Password List Update; follow the installation instructions posted at that site.

In the second scenario, if you're already running Windows 95 OSR 1 or OSR 2, you'll need to determine if your password file has become corrupt. To do that, you'll have to delete your current password file and then re-enter all your saved passwords for various programs, thereby creating a new password file.

Search the Windows folder on your hard drive for a file name comprising up to eight characters of your user name plus the extension .pwl; if you don't have User Profiles enabled on your machine (requiring you to enter a user name and password each time you launch Windows 95), your user name is whatever you typed in when you first ran Windows 95 and were prompted to enter such a name. Make sure your Dial-Up Networking application isn't running, then delete this .pwl file and reboot. The next time you enter a password in a program and instruct the program to save it, a new .pwl file will be created.

If your problem still exists after deleting your old password file and creating a new one, the last thing to try is a re-installation of Dial-Up Networking. Go to THIS PAGE to download the latest version of the application (msdun13.exe), but don't run it immediately after downloading it; be sure to uninstall your current Dial-Up Networking application with Windows 95's Add/Remove Programs wizard before installing the upgrade, to ensure that any damaged files are completely removed. To do this, open the Control Panel, double-click on Add/Remove Programs, click on the Windows Setup tab, highlight Communications and click on Details. Uncheck the Dial-Up Networking box, click on OK and restart your computer. Then double-click on your downloaded msdun12.exe file to install the new Dial-Up Networking application.

Note that if you have any components that rely on Dial-Up Networking to function, such as Windows 95's Direct Cable Connection, those components will have to be re-installed. You can use the Add/Remove Programs wizard for that purpose.