I got my computer to work to a certain point. I keep trying to get the internet but my BENQ computer keeps giving a message that AOL cannot be initiated. It used to give the message that there is no dial tone detected. I would not know if it is the same message expressed differently. I had been told that the modem is "corrupted." after trying practically everything I could, it seems that there is something wrong with the modem card in my BENQ computer. I looked in the internet and saw modem cards for as little as $6.99. It gave me a false impression as to how much they generally cost. I went to "BEST BUY" as one person whom answered my computer-use questions suggested (and that person did say that modem cards are inexpensive) but I found that the dial-up modem cards are essentially $40.00 at BEST BUY which is not inexpensive for me. I went to one computer-repair place and the person there said that he could sell me a priorly-used dial-up modem card for about $15 to $20. He said that all Dial -Up Modem cards are of a standard size and will fit all computers providing you insert them the right way. (Is this true all you computer wizzards out there?) I asked him if I could return it if it does not work. He said that if the thing does not work then it has to be something else on my computer that is not working right. He said that probably it is not even the modem but something with the software. I told him that I did everything to get AOL to initiate the modem but I keep getting messages that strongly indicate though not in the most direct way, say that it is the modem. I went into "Device Manager" and I clicked on the "modems" icon in the Control Panel and I did several clicking procedures in "Devices" (etc). I still cannot get into AOL and I get a message that AOL cannot initiate the modem.
I am afraid to pay for a modem even at $15 and then find out that AOL still cannot initiate it. The old modem worked fine until a few days back when I had to "restart" the motherboard by removing the button battery a while to get rid of the "bad BIOS" setup. Nothing has been the same since.
Can anyone tell me where I can buy a dial-up modem for no more than about $10.00? Better yet can anyone provide more information about what could possibly be wrong with the BENQ computer and what I can do to fix it ?
Thanks
