I’m running Windows 98 with a Pentium II 300, I recently formatted my computer and when I was reinstalling my modem drivers I came across an error on my disk. The disk is version 2.1 , I’ve obtained from the internet version 2.2 because that’s as close a match as I can get. Now I can’t get Internet Explorer to work because the Microsoft Referral Service is not running properly. It says it’s connecting but after a minute of that my modem disconnects the call. Now I can’t run Internet Explorer or Outlook Express which is what I want.

The version of your modem drivers should not make a difference. It is probably a problem with your modem trying to connect to your ISP with a faster speed than it can handle which results in connection drop-outs. You can stop these dropouts by slowing down your modem’s speed. Firstly, lock down your modem speed at whatever speed it is designed to go at (eg. 56k modem should run at 56000). You can do this by going to the ‘Start’ menu > ‘Programs’ > ‘Accessories’ > ‘Communications’ and opening ‘Dial-Up Networking’. Right-click on the Dial-Up connection which you use to connect to your ISP and select, from the menu which appears, ‘Properties’. Under the ‘Connect Using’ heading, click the ‘Configure’ button and your modem properties box will appear. Under the ‘Maximum Speed’ heading, select the speed of your modem from the drop down box. Connect to the internet and see if you still have the same problem. If you do, you may need to lock down your modem at a speed which is lower than your modem’s normal speed . If you still have no result using these methods, you may need to decrease your FIFO buffer size (FIFO buffers were explained in a previous column). You can decrease the FIFO buffer size by going back into your modem’s properties (as described in the previous step) and select the ‘Connection’ tab. Click the ‘Port Settings’ button and the FIFO buffer sizes will appear. I suggest you move both down to the lowest setting and after establishing your connection you can gradually move these settings back up until you reach a optimum setting which gives you both good speed without the connection dropouts. If you still have a problem, you need to talk to your ISP about matching your configuration to their hardware.