On 21 Oct 98 at 9:06, Gorden McFarland wrote:

> The 56K modem I purchased the other day had written on the package
> that the minimum requirement was at least a Pentium 133 or it might
> not operate correctly.

  I suspect that if you look closely, you'll find that it also
requires Windows.  This is called a "WinModem" (USR's name, but it
gets used generically); many modem functions are implemented in the
Windows driver software and not the modem hardware, and so dial-up
use puts some load on the CPU.
  The requirement you allude to is the manufacturer's best guess as
to how fast a CPU most people need in order not to notice this load.

  WinModems offer an opportunity to save money, for people who run
only Windows and have more CPU speed than they really need.  They're
a poor choice for those who use (or just insist on) best system
performance, and who need/want their modem to work with DOS, Linux,
etc.

> Jean Bourvic wrote:
>
> > Win 98 OS; Modem Master 8000 series 56KFlex modem.  (Its an older
> > computer that has Win 98 loaded on it.)

  From

http://www.silicom-multimedia.com/mm800056k.htm

which describes this particular modem:

> Also featuring Host-Signal Processing, the Modem Master 8100/56KT
> runs at peak efficiency by utilizing today's ultra-fast Pentium
> and Pentium II processors with MMX (using only a small percentage
> of cpu capacity).

which bills this approach as a "feature".

> Jean Bourvic wrote:
>
> > What is happening - the system will sometimes give a "blue screen of
> > death" (windows exception in some type of VxD device) OR cause the
> > system to reset back to an initial turn-on condition without any
> > warning.

  The VxD is almost certainly the one that implements the rest of the
modem functionality.


  I've been a fan of internal, rather than external, modems for
years.  But no more -- I've seen too many recent internal modems that
worked this way, but didn't clearly say so on the box, and so I now
join other experienced folks in recommending external modems.

David G

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