I have a Compaq laptop that no longer will hook-up to my dial-up. I know the phone line is live, I share it with my phones. The dial-up number is the same one I always use, nothing has changed there. It goes thru multiple attempts at dialing & never gets connected. It just started this shit last week.

What gives?????????

Thanks in advance.

It wants DSL

Use Hyperterminal and see if you can run AT commands against the modem.

I had that happen once becuase Earthlink changed thier local access number.
If you call the number on a regular phone do you get a modem answering ?

Does it make dialing/squealing noises?

If not, turn your modem speaker on in Control Panel

With the modem speaker on, if it makes a dialing noise, the modem is working

If not, new modem time...

Quoted: I have a Compaq laptop that no longer will hook-up to my dial-up. I know the phone line is live, I share it with my phones. The dial-up number is the same one I always use, nothing has changed there. It goes thru multiple attempts at dialing & never gets connected. It just started this shit last week. What gives????????? Thanks in advance.

You using the onboard modem in the laptop?  I had not one but two Compaq laptops that wouldn't hold a connection with their onboard modems past 14.4.. Shitty components.  Both were fixed by the addition of a USR PCMCIA modem (XJACK is your friend).  Of course, these were like that out of the box.  

 One trick we usta tell people when I worked phone support for an ISP.. Pick up a CORDED phone.  Hit a number (just one, you want the dial tone to quit, that's it).  Now, listen to the line 'til it errors out.  If you hear hissin, poppin, or any sort of interference, it's a line problem, call the telco. (Don't tell them you can't connect to your ISP, they don't generally guarantee the lines for data, only analog voice service.  Tell 'em you have noise, that's it.) Now.. Call the dialup number with the same phone.  If you get a modem tone (you know, the cat in a blender noise), your problem is probibly with your modem/laptop.  Most of the time, if an ISP cuts off service for nonpayment, they just automatically change the login info (we added an asterisk to the end of the p/w).  This will result in the username/password entry dialog popping up repeatedly.

 What's the actual error you're getting?  "Doesn't connect" is pretty vague.

Yes, I get the screeching sound when I call the ISP with a standard phone. Yes, my account is paid up in full.

Why would it all of the sudden quit working correctly? GD computers!

Keep in mind I'm a computer novice, I know just enough to be dangerous so please limit your questions to the dummy level.

Thanks.

Yes, I get the screeching sound when I call the ISP with a standard phone. Yes, my account is paid up in full.

Why would it all of the sudden quit working correctly? GD computers!

Keep in mind I'm a computer novice, I know just enough to be dangerous so please limit your questions to the dummy level.

Thanks.

 Sounds like interference.. aka- noise on the line.  Those Compaq built-in modems really don't deal with it well.  Bob, if you call your ISP they may be able to walk you through some setup stuff on the phone that will diagnose (and maybe fix) this better.  In the meantime, common causes of sudden noise on the line include adding jacks or otherwise altering the house phone wiring, having a phone cord (PC to wall) that is very long (esp. if it's all tangled around other wires or around electric gear), adding a new phone to the line, or running your PC phone cord through one of those female/female adapters that let you plug two phone wires together.  I had a wicked problem with this in an old house, turned out to be a staple punched through the wire by the installer. Problems like this can lie dormant for years, or creep up the first time you try it.

Try it on a different phone outlet in the house.  If you can, try it on someone else's line.  If it works in either of these situations, you may have narrowed your problem a little.  I'm hesitant to tell you to get a new modem.  Cheap or no, I hate seeing people spend money on stuff that only MIGHT fix the issue.  Either way, the ISP can guide you through some stuff that will be more definitive than what some dude on a gun forum can cook up.  if you end up needing to buy any computer components to fix this, shout on here before you hit Staples or whatever.  My father (not real savvy) went in there to get a few $5 extension cables for various gadgets he has on his PC.. Should've run no more than $30.  $100 later, I'm standing in Staples tearing some little bastard a new one for handing my dad the $25 USB extensions and all sorts of crap he didn't need.  The manager seemed not to understand the problem.  Great bunch.  

No, I haven't changed anything. No new wires, no new phone, nothing. Everything was as it was before this GD problem started.

I did call Bell South IT help & they were about as stupid as I am, i.e. no help at all. I think I will carry it to another phone line & see if it works off of another number though.

Thanks for the suggestions.