Modems and YAC in Win 8.1

[pjpjpjpj]

I asked this on the plugins forum (for the "InfoPopup" plugin, using YAC), but does anyone know how to configure and test an old school modem in Win 8.1?

The modem I have installed is a generic, "came with an old PC" model that I stuck in my Sage server running Win XP (x32). It worked fine through the YAC software (Yet Another Caller ID) and allowed me to use the InfoPopup plugin.

I recently installed Win 8.1 (x64) on the same machine (which meant reinstalling all my software). I have tried both YAC for 32-bit and for 64-bit and I get the exact same results... when I open the YAC menu and do "select modem" (or whatever it is called), it lists this generic modem; when I click "OK", I hear a brief click or "ccchhhhhh" sound from it, so it appears to be alive and the PC is at least aware of it. When I do a test call in YAC, the popup bubble appears as it should - though I don't know whether this is a product of any communication through the modem, or just an indication that YAC is installed correctly. Regardless, when someone calls, nothing.

Anyone have any ideas how to tell whether this is the modem configuration, or YAC? And if the former, how do you even configure/test a modem in Win 8.1? The old telnet/"phone and modem" stuff in the Control Panel is no longer....

[brianrent]

You need a special modem with a modified driver for caller ID. Read this http://www.imptec.com/modems.htm
I have the Hiro50006 and works in windows 8.1 with windows 7 driver. Its not the driver from the link though. I got it several years ago. Might be better off getting the Rosewill RNX-56AG.

[pjpjpjpj]

Originally Posted by brianrent

You need a special modem with a modified driver for caller ID. Read this http://www.imptec.com/modems.htm
I have the Hiro50006 and works in windows 8.1 with windows 7 driver. Its not the driver from the link though. I got it several years ago. Might be better off getting the Rosewill RNX-56AG.

I'm confused what that link has to do with my issues, it doesn't say anything about Windows 8.1 requiring special modems. The modem I have installed has caller ID capability - it worked perfectly fine in WinXP before I changed the OS. If the problem is that there is no Win8.1 driver for older modems, then I can understand that, but your link didn't indicate that at all. And as I said, YAC seems to see it somehow, because when I choose it in YAC, it "pings" it (makes a noise from inside the case).

[brianrent]

From what I have come to understand and maybe I'm wrong but just because the chipset on the modem has caller ID capabilities doesn't mean that the driver was written to take advantage of those capabilities. This is why even the modems listed in that link have modified drivers to take advantage of the caller ID. The original drivers do not work for caller ID.

[pjpjpjpj]

So you are saying that a WinXP driver that allowed a modem to do caller ID wouldn't allow the same modem to do it in Win8?

[blade]

Originally Posted by pjpjpjpj

So you are saying that a WinXP driver that allowed a modem to do caller ID wouldn't allow the same modem to do it in Win8?

I think that would depend on your modem and the driver. It wouldn't surprise me if it worked in XP and didn't in 8.1.

Driver support for caller id was very hit or miss even in XP. I had half a dozen modems that supposedly supported caller id. I found 1 where the caller id would work and even then I had to add an item or two to the modem initialization string in order to get caller id working.

[brianrent]

The simplest solution is to spend $10 on a modem that has a modified driver that supports caller ID.

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by brianrent

The simplest solution is to spend $10 on a modem that has a modified driver that supports caller ID.

I agree you can even get a USB modem with caller ID for under $20