phone rings and off goes the computer

[corvetteguy]

this is in the cpu section because the network section doesn't seem to get much attention

i have a very old computer compaq pressario 5050 366mhz 8 gig hd and such

i have a rockwell modem and when my phone rings and the computer is not on the dial up internet and is just on, it restarts every time, and it is very annoying at times considering i just lost my entire year's project for drafting(yes i know ... save often)

please help if you can

 

[mpjesse]

The phone line is probably pumping too many amps or volts thru it causing the modem to flake out which in turn sends a surge to the PCI or ISA bus causing it to restart. The fault may not necessarily be the phone line, it could also be a phone that's connected to the wiring elsewhere in your house. You can check this by unplugging all the phones in the house and calling your home phone from a cell. If the computer restarts, there's probably a fault in the wiring somewhere. If it doesn't, then one of your phones is screwing up the phone line.

The problem could also be the modem itself. Who knows. My suggestion is to follow the steps above in order to determine what is causing the problem. If none of that works, simply replace the modem. PCI modems are dirt cheap.

If the modem is integrated into the computer, disable it in the BIOS before installing the new PCI modem.

Shouldn't take more than 10 minutes if your system is easy to get into.

-mpjesse

 

[slvr_phoenix]

Or just unplug the modem's phone line whenever you're not using the modem.

And be sure to turn off that Sleep On Ring feature.

 

[corvetteguy]

I have already been unplugging it but that is annoying after a while and like the recent incident with my project i forgot.

It probably is the phone cause i only have one jack one this floor so i put a splitter on it and have the computer and phone in same jack