By T. Bartlett  ™   © 2000

The work normally done by the missing chips, is done by software which consumes memory & valuable processes of the CPU, thereby causing the system to run low on resources, which in turn causes the modem to disconnect or the computer to freeze.

If a modem is advertised as "Windows-only", "Soft" or "Winmodem", it is a software modem.

I have been building PC's for approximately 15 years & have worked the last 2 1/2 years for an ISP (Internet Service Provider) as an Internet Support Technician.  The last 2 years have definitely been a learning experience pertaining to "software modems".  Since my website has a Technical portion ( which is not complete nor readily available to the public at this time ),  I thought it appropriate to make what I know & have learned about "software modems" available to the general public & to hopefully shed some light on the subject as well as aid in awareness to consumers.

"Software modems" work great with an Analog ISP, but with an ISP which uses Digital equipment, the nightmare begins.  People who are uneducated about "software modems" tend to think that their ISP is having problems or may be overloaded with too many customers.  These are the comments / complaints I have heard from our customers over the last 2 years.
Note: We experienced very few problems with any type of modem until we upgraded to Digital equipment. The day we switched, the phone calls started pouring in & didn't stop for months
( we had approx. 6000 customers at that time ) many of which were "snowbirds".
To date, when we get a new customer, while walking them through "Setup", if they have a "software modem", we add the "init string" to prevent any problems for that customer from the beginning. I would have to say that 100% of the people I have added "init strings" to their settings, tell me they do not have the problems they had prior to adding the string.

Types of Problems

Customers report - cannot connect, frequent disconnects, computer locks up while surfing or checking email.  Some computers will not even connect until an "Initialization string" has been added, others will not stay connected for any reasonable length of time until an "init string" has been added (even if the settings have been changed to not "disconnect if idle for 20 minutes" or "when the connection may no longer be needed").

Other Factors

There are a number of factors which can play a role in problems with connections in computers that have "software modems".  The type processor, the amount of physical memory, the amount of free Hard Drive space (which acts as "Virtual Memory"), the number of applications in the System tray & the number of open applications, can all effect your system resources, which in turn can cause problems with connections.
A noisy phone line (doesn't mean you have to actually hear static on it) can cause serious connection problems with a "software modem" as well.

What Happens

The most important thing to a computer (by it's design) are "Open Applications".  When a pc gets low on resources, the computer will release whatever it can to free up enough resources to allow you to save your work before you "Shut Down" and or "Restart" your pc.  With a "software modem" consuming so much of your system's resources and the fact that it is not an "Application", the computer will release it to free up enough resources to allow you to save your work.
The thing is, a computer cannot differentiate between say, a spreadsheet and a web browser.  To the computer, all it knows is that you have an open application and it needs to be saved before it is closed (this stems from the "old days" before web browsers etc., when computers were used for work), therefore, it releases the modem (you lose your connection or are Disconnected).  By doing a "Restart" on your pc, you now have fresh resources (whatever amount that might be) and you can now connect again until your system gets low again.  This is the vicious cycle of a pc with a "software modem".  Even with an "init string", you will still have to "Restart" your pc from time to time to refresh the resources.

Fixes

Adding an "init string" will in most cases fix the problem.
Below is a list of common "software modems" & "init strings" that I know work.
The BEST "fix" would be to buy a "Real" modem.  Many people do not want to pay for a new modem when they have just paid (an outrageous price) for their new PC.  BUT, most manufacturers don't have anything but "software modems" to begin with, so, even if a customer did call to complain after learning how the manufacturer took advantage of them & tried to get a new modem, the best you would get from the PC manufacturer would be another "software modem".
A modem which we sell / install & I personally have found (as have many of our customers) to be a very good modem is the U.S. Robotics model # 2977.

Known Software Modems & Working Init Strings

Modems are grouped with the "init string" listed on the right.  The best or most commonly used is listed on top,
alternates are listed lower ( if applicable ).

Note: All  " 0 " in  "init strings"  are Zero's.