Dial-Up Problems with HP Laptop

[Pogo]

If this should be elsewhere or there's an FAQ I've missed, my apologies - and please direct me to the suggested destination.

I have an HP dv1622nr laptop (dv1000 series variant). I've been trying a few Live CD distros lately and have been happy with the results. Among my favorites, PCLinuxOS 2007 and Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) seem to recognize most of my components such as USB trackball and internal wireless circuitry without a hitch. However, there's a problem with recognizing the internal winmodem.

Under WINDOWS, I'm told that I have an AC97 Soft Data Modem with SmartCP on COM4 manufactured by CXT. It's essentially a PCI modem at bus 0, device 30, function 3. I've looked for various utilities that will run under WINDOWS that will give me further data about the chipset, but no luck so far. LINMODEM suggests a scan utility, but it runs under LINUX and I'm trying to research the issue before I convert the OS on my system.

Because I have clients in rural areas where dial-up is their only internet access, I need to get the modem working before converting my system so that I can use it onsite.

HP seems to talk about their relationship with (Novell) SUSE on their website, but the details are sketchy. I'm willing to look at that distro as a solution, but I'd like to know if anyone with an HP laptop has either had luck with SUSE or can direct me to another solution.

Thanks much for any help.

[hiwa]

I think you should knock the HP door. They should give device specs. But before that try Google with [AC97 modem]. You'll find driver project(s) for Linux.

[Pogo]

Thanks for your thoughts hiwa. I thought I should show you and the community what HP had to say.

My original email to them:

"Various Linux distros get along fine with my system recognizing things like my USB trackball and my wireless circuitry. However, the winmodem in my system is a mystery to them all (as far as I've tried thus far).

Do your records suggest any Linux distro that will recognize the winmodem in this system or do you suggest another dialup solution under Linux such as a PCMCIA card modem?"

HP's response:

"Thank you for contacting HP Total Care.

I understand that you want you know that the Linux distro that can
recognize the winmodem on your HP Pavilion Notebook.

HP does not recommend that customers install Linux on their Pavilion notebooks; however, we understand that some customers may wish to
change operating systems for their personal needs. HP does not support
Linux on any models of HP Pavilion PCs at this time. Information about
Linux can be located at the following Web site:

http://h10018.www1.hp.com/wwsolutions/linux/index.html

HP pre-installed the latest version of the Microsoft Windows operating
System (98, Me, XP) on your Pavilion PC. The Warranty on your Pavilion
system does not apply to software not provided by HP and does not apply
to defects or errors in hardware resulting from software not provided
by HP with that system. Please review your PC documentation to
identify the supported operating system.

If you need further assistance, please reply to this message and we
will be happy to assist you further."

The above link takes you an HP site dealing with HP and Linux at the enterprise level and really says nothing about my level of question. Because HP has a link to the (NOVELL) SUSE site, I'd thought they might recommend that distro, but no.

Also, running a string search on the AC97 modem comes up with various manufacturers which leads me to believe that the AC97 is in effect a protocol description for a winmodem that has been addressed by different chip manufacturers in different ways.

If there's anyone out there that's successfully installed a distro on a series dv1000 HP with the winmodem working, please let me know.

And thanks again hiwa for replying to my post.

[irlandes]

Perhaps I am off base here, but if I am, wait a few seconds and someone will plainly tell us so. :)

>>LINMODEM suggests a scan utility, but it runs under LINUX and I'm trying to research the issue before I convert the OS on my system.

Boot on a live CD, and install the Modem scanner program in the live Linux, and it should work. Of course it won't stay there when you shut down, but by that time you should have the information you need.

If you have a high speed Internet system where you are, in many cases, you can connect via NIC using the Live CD and install the modem scanner on the run.

[madkid2222]

I use NimbleX and got my win-modem working perfectly.

Go to www.nimblex.net and download the live cd and burn to a disk (it's about 200mb to download).

Go to http://www.slax.org/modules.php?category=drivers&id=908&name=ltmodem and download the driver.

Boot into NimbleX, locate the file and open it.

After you click ok to the two messages, go to konsole (looks like a dos prompt icon on the bar below).

Type in: depmod -a && modprobe ltserial

Click on the blue button on the bar with a K on it.

go to the internet menu and select the dialup tool.

click on configure and ad a modem. just name it.

add an ISP connection access number.

click ok.

now type in your username and password. It should work.

p.s. this driver will run with multiple types of win-modems. But don't get too excited.

[Pogo]

First, thanks to irlandes and madkid2222 for their help. I intend to try both suggestions.

In the meantime, I stumbled across a reference to the MEPIS distribution as one that someone had luck with in recognizing their winmodem. I downloaded the latest SimplyMEPHIS (Live CD) and it found and set up my winmodem without a hitch (warning: Your mileage may vary). I'm still working out the odd details on the dialer for my ISP (earthlink for now, will work out NetZero in the future) such as needing to set "don't wait for dial tone before dialing", but it seems like progress; at least the query modem process actually yields results.

Still and all, as suggested by a friend, I may just spend a few shekels on a PCMCIA card modem just in case.

Thanks again to all and sundry.

[Pogo]

AARGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

MEPIS does indeed see my winmodem using a setup for Smartlink (it responds to the various AT commands), but I'm having problems getting connected - but that's a separate issue . . .

Howsomever, MEPIS doesn't see my Centrino wireless circuitry.

Just a warning about the problem for anyone following this thread. Maybe I'll stumble across a Live CD distro that does both one of these days.