Ever since installing a new modem, the computer exhibits some really strange behaviour. Without any user intervention the computer turns itself on, however if the modem is disconnected from the computer it will not turn itself on. When the computer turns itself on, and I attempt to establish an internet connection, a message appears stating that the modem is in use, however the phone line is clear. If I restart the computer I can establish an internet connection without a problem. Once on the internet, web pages load very slowly and occasionally Internet Explorer cannot even access these web pages and returns a message ‘Site not available’. However, if I try to access the site immediately again the problem does not occur. The computer is running Windows XP with ZoneAlarm firewall.

Some new computers support a feature called ‘Wake on Modem’. When enabled, this causes the computer to wake-up (i.e. turn on) when an incoming call is detected on the modem phone line, or the line is in-use. If your modem is connected to the same line as your phone, this could explain why the computer automatically powers-up. Even if the modem is on a separate line, it is possible that variations in the phone line may be triggering your computer to start. The setting is one found on your motherboard (not in Windows), so we will need to use the BIOS setup to change this setting. The BIOS setup is a configuration utility built onto motherboards to allow settings to be changed through a software interface (as opposed to having to change hardware jumpers/switches on the physical motherboard). This is a delicate part of your system and accidentally changing settings can result in serious consequences such as hardware damage or rendering your computer unbootable. If you are unsure of whether to proceed or not, err on the side of caution and seek help from someone who is more experienced. If you are happy to proceed, you normally access the BIOS setup by pressing a special key during the computer boot-up sequence. Restart your computer and during the power-on self-test (everything that appears on the screen before the Windows splash screen) you should see a message like ‘Press DEL to enter setup’. When you see this message, press the nominated key (in this case, DEL). The BIOS setup should appear. This is where things become a bit less detailed, as the setting can be found in different places on different motherboards. So, you will probably need to go through the menus systematically until you find this particular setting. Once found, disable the setting and exit the BIOS and save the changes. If you inadvertently change another setting, don’t panic - just exit the BIOS without saving the changes.

The problem of web pages loading slowly (or not at all) will always be a problem with dial-up internet, since this has telephone lines for the connectivity (and thus access may be slow). However, from what you have been saying it appears the connection is slower than usual and there are a few things we can try. A note of warning: before changing any settings, make sure you always note down the original setting. Dial-up connections have a habit of becoming unstable (i.e. high drop-outs) if incorrectly configured. Firstly, go to the ‘Start’ menu > ‘Connect To’ > ‘Show All Connections’. In the window that appears, right-click on your dial-up connection and select ‘Properties’. In the properties window, click the ‘General’ tab and then the ‘Configure’ button. Make sure the ‘Maximum speed (bps)’ is set to the speed of your modem (i.e. if you have a 56k modem the speed should be 57600. While tempting, do not set the speed to higher than your modem’s speed. This will not do anything (your modem cannot go faster than its nominated speed) and it could lead to your connection becoming unstable, resulting in drop-outs. If the problems continue, it may be the modem drivers are not correct for your modem. Visit the modem manufacturer’s website to see whether you can download updated drivers for the modem. Of course, if the speed of web pages becomes especially frustrating you could always considering switching to broadband. The price of broadband internet has significantly dropped in recent times and now is comparable with the price of dial-up.