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Exploring Your Computer’s Features
Setting up for communications
5.375 x 8.375 ver 2.3
There are many other ways to connect to the Internet in
addition to those discussed in this section.
For troubleshooting information related to this topic, see
“Modem problems” on page 190 and “Wireless
networking problems” on page 191.
Determining the COM port
Your modem is connected to one of the computer’s COM
(communications) ports. The default setting for the modem is
COM3.
The following procedure is intended to support you if you
need to either upgrade your modem or reset the port to the
default settings.
If you are having trouble connecting through the modem, you
may need to determine the current COM port name and
possibly change it.
To find out which port your modem is connected to:
1Open the Start menu, and click Control Panel.
2Click Printers and Other Hardware.
3Click Phone and Modem Options.
The Phone and Modem Options Properties dialog box
displays.
4Fill in the Local Information text boxes and click OK.
5Click the Modems tab.
Your modem should be listed next to one of the computer’s
COM ports.
6Make a note of the COM port number.
7To verify that the modem is set up properly, select the
modem you wish to check, and then click Properties to
NOTE