1. Choose Start➪Control Panel➪Hardware and Sound and then click Device Manager.

2. In the resulting window, click the plus sign next to Modems to display installed modems. Right-click a modem and choose Properties from the shortcut menu.

3. On the Diagnostics tab of the resulting Modem Properties dialog box, click Query Modem.

4. What appears at this point differs depending on whether the modem is experiencing a problem. If the modem is working properly, the response reads Success. You can select the Append to Log check box to add this information to your log, and then share the log with a technical support person to get help with your modem problem.

5. Click OK and then click the Close button on the Device Manager window.

6. Find the problem and click the Close button in the upper-right corner of the Troubleshooter to close it. You should also check the Resource tab of the Modem Properties dialog box, which lists any other devices on your system that might be in conflict with your modem and therefore cause problems. Disable those devices and try your modem again.

If the modem isn’t working properly, try the troubleshooting feature of the Help and Support window to try to pinpoint the problem.