Frequently Asked Questions

Table of Contents

1. How can I test my line or modem to see if I can use 56K access?
2. Why am I connecting at only. . .
3. When I get connected to ReachONE using Windows 95/98,  I get a message that says "you have been disconnected from the computer you are dialing."
4. Staying connected to ReachONE. . .
5. Where can I update my modem drivers?
6. How do I cancel my America Online account?

1. How can I test my line or modem to see if I can use 56K access?

3Com has set up a BBS for testing your 56K access.  Go to: http://www.3com.com/56k/need4_56k/linetest.html. Also from US Robotics/3COM is the modem update wizard, a program that easily allows you to update your firmware in your US Robotics/3COM brand modem. The program can be downloaded from: http://www.3com.com/56k/usr/upgrade/muw.html

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2. Why am I connecting at only. . .

Most modems should automatically try to negotiate the fastest possible connection.   However some modems may not, without having the latest driver and/or flash rom.   All of our modems are 3COM digital 56k running the v.90 standard.   You may need to download the latest driver and/or code flash rom for your modem from your modem manufacturer to update your modem to the latest standard.

A NOTE ABOUT SPEED: The modem speed listed (usually 33.6 or 56kbps) aren't always what you get. These are the things that can affect speed.

a. Your modem manufacturer firmware - (the modem operating system).

b. The software drivers - (do you have the latest from your modem manufacturer or from Windows?)

c. The modems chipset - (X2 or K56FLEX or V.90) V.90 standard - was supposed to do away with the differences between X2 and K56FLEX, but some inequality still remains. If your V.90 modem's chip set was originally X2 (like the chipset from USR/3COM) it will generally work faster with ReachONE because our modems descended from this line of products. However if you have a modem that descended from the K56FLEX line you may see as much as a 20-25% reduction in your speed (even though ReachONE and you the customer both have V.90 modems) this is the way that the modems have been manufactured.

d. Phone wiring - is probably one of the biggest factors. If you have excessive line noise (you may not be able to audibly hear it) in your house or on your phone lines, this can be the cause of a dramatic drop in your connection rate. Also having more than one phone plugged into your house line, sometimes an innocuous looking phone can be generating tones or pulses on a line (even when you think it is hung up, causing errors). Imagine hooking together a string of garden hoses, where the connections are, you get leaks from the fittings, the same thing happens with data. Your data getting sent back and forth goes through many switches and your data packets can get dropped at many places along the way. ReachONE makes every effort to ensure we do not drop your data packets.

e. Internet Traffic - If you liken the "internet" to our nations roads. Then the information you are sending and receiving are like cars carrying the information (a downloaded file, or text in an e-mail for example). Traffic jams can be a normal part of using the internet. Smaller websites (like a two lane rural road) or popular websites (like traffic in Seattle at the Kingdome after a Mariners game) often have traffic problems just like we've all experienced in our cars before. Also the time of day, just like rush hour traffic first thing in the morning from about 7:30am to 8:30am and at night time from about 3:30pm (all the children coming home from school) to about 9:00pm or 10:00 pm when people start going to bed. Also the day of the week, for example Saturday mornings are much slower internet traffic than Friday nights. This is the general flow of internet traffic. If you take the growth that we have seen here at ReachONE and multiply it across the US. You can understand that even on the Information Superhighway we will experience some traffic jams. We assure you that ReachONE makes every effort (in both our hardware and our software) to ensure the fastest connection speeds to increase your internet services.

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3. When I get connected to ReachONE using Windows 95/98, I get a message that says "you have been disconnected from the computer you are dialing."

Some modems may not have the latest driver and/or flash rom.  All of our modems are 3COM digital 56k running the v.90 standard.   You may need to download the latest driver and/or code flash rom for your modem from your modem manufacturer to make your modem compatible OR you may need the latest Dial-Up Networking and/or winsock for Windows95/98. There are three files that you need to download and install:
STEP 1. The first file is msdun13.exe and this file must be run first.
STEP 2. The second file is W95ws2setup.exe (FOR WIN95 ONLY, IF YOU HAVE WIN98/NT YOU CAN SKIP THIS STEP) and this file must be run second. The MSDUN client will overwrite wsock32.dll and other winsock files, so you won't be able to benefit from Winsock2.
STEP 3. The MS Connection Manager is named reachone.exe.

NOTE: It is very important that you run them in the order specified.
1. msdun13.exe
2. W95ws2setup.exe (FOR WIN95 ONLY, IF YOU HAVE WIN98/NT YOU DO NOT NEED THIS FILE)
3. reachone.exe If you get a message that says "some files being copied are older than the files currently on your system. Do you want to keep the ones currently on your system?" You DO NOT want the files that are already on your system, you want the files being copied to your system (Click the NO button for each file or NO TO ALL). These files are available for download from our FTP site by clicking on the following link: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FROM FTP

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4. Staying connected to ReachONE. . .

For those customers who have been experiencing connections problems, we encourage you to take the following steps:

a. Read this page completely, this page will assist you in determining if there are some minor issues with your computer or modem.

b. If step 1 does not resolve your connection issues then contact ReachONE Technical Support so we can help you in determining if the connection issues are a result of hardware or software configurations on your computer or modem.

(This section for Windows 95/98 customers only)
Occasionally we receive calls from customers indicating that it takes up to 60 seconds (or more) from the time they dial to when they connect to ReachONE. If you are experiencing this problem, one of your dial-up networking settings may be incorrect. In the Dial-up Networking folder (in My Computer), single right click on one of the ReachONE Icons. Select the Properties option. The dial-up properties window for that connection will appear. Click on the Server Types tab. If there is a check mark in the box in front of the Log On To Network option, remove it by clicking on the box. Click OK to save the new setting. Repeat this procedure if you have a ReachONE Backup number. After the change is made close all open windows.

Here is a help that may keep you connected in spite of what the phone company is doing.  These steps will tell your modem to stay connected even if the phone company drops the connection at their switch.
1) left double click My Computer icon
2) left double click Control Panel icon
3) left double click Modems icon
4) left single click Properties button
5) left single click Connection tab
6) left single click Advanced button
7) In Extra settings, type in: atz<cr>ats10=50<cr>
    * NOTE: the <cr> is a literal entry, not an actual carriage return
8) left single click OK button
9) if Port Settings button is not grayed out, left single click Port Settings
10) set Receive Buffer to the 2nd notch:  . . . .
11) set Transmit Buffer to the 3rd notch:  . . . .
12) left click OK button
13) left click OK button
14) close out all open windows

While these procedures are not a guarantee, they should improve your chances of staying connected.

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5. Where can I update my modem drivers?

Modem Drivers
Modem and PC manufacturers

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6. How do I cancel my America Online account?

Call 1-888-265-8008;
Or Fax your request to 1-801-622-7969;
Or send a certified letter to:
AOL, PO Box 1600, Ogden, Utah 84401

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E-mail your additional questions to: support@reachone.com