I have obtained an old Pentium running Windows 95. I have attempted to install the internal modem from my 486 in the Pentium but have not been able to connect even though I have had the telephone assistance of my internet provider who has told me what to check and held my hand while doing all the checks. A friend told me that an internal modem would not work on a Pentium and that I should buy an external modem. My question is ‘is this right?’. The internal modem is a 33.6 and works when installed in the 486. A standard modem driver is used and it is installed on COM3.

In theory there should be no reason why the internal modem from your 486 shouldn’t be able to be inserted into your Pentium computer. Even so, I am not discounting the advice provided by your friend as I don’t know the exact configuration of your computer. Assuming that you are using the standard modem driver, when you have the modem installed in either the 486 or the Pentium, then as it works in the 486 it should be working in the Pentium. The scenario that you describe almost seems like there is a hardware fault with the expansion slot(s) in which you have the modem installed. Try inserting the modem card into a different expansion slot to see if that makes a difference. Another possibility is that you are installing the modem on COM3. Installing internal modems sometimes leads to quite a few problems, as generally the user cannot specify the location of the modem and thus the computer does not know where to look (as opposed to specifying a specific COM port when installing an external modem). However, generally computers only have two COM ports - COM1 and COM2. As you are installing the modem on COM3 this indicates that you are correctly installing the modem and the computer does in fact recognise its presence. So, I am not sure why this modem is not working. You might try to borrow an external modem to see if that works on your system. If it does, you may wish to buy an external modem as they are quite inexpensive.