Buggy upgrade hobbles USR 56K-bps modems
By Carmen Nobel, PC Week Online
12.19.97 5:00 pm ET
Users of some of 3Com Corp.'s 56K-bps
internal and external modems are running into
problems with a software upgrade
downloaded from the company's Web site.
The upgrade is designed to help bring the
throughput speeds of the modems closer to
56K bps. Officials noted, however, that not
everyone who uses the modems is
experiencing problems. 3Com engineers
believe part of the problem may be related to
users' phone lines.
However, in some cases, the software blocks
users from accessing Internet service
providers that support the U.S. Robotics x2
56K-bps format.
Instead, "the screen fills with lines and lines
of coded gibberish as the speaker bell dings away, finally ending with a 'no
carrier' message," said one customer.
3Com officials, in Skokie, Ill., acknowledged the problem and noted that it
is limited to two code dates for modems previously called Sportster. If the
latest available code is from Oct. 3 or Oct. 6, 1997, a user's update may
be buggy, according to 3Com officials.
USR modems make up 61 percent of the 56K-bps market, 3Com officials
said.
The company has posted the affected code dates on its Update Wizard
Web site at www.usr.com/home/online/tt/sup/t052997x.htm.
Engineers in 3Com's laboratories are testing the upgrade codes to figure
out what went wrong and plan to post a corrected upgrade on the Web
site as soon as possible.
In the meantime, customers who downloaded the buggy upgrade can call
3Com customer service at (847) 982-5151 and receive a file that will
enable them to downgrade their modems back to the previous state
version, company officials said. |
