Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : Computer Learning -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: bosquedog who wrote (16701)	2/23/2001 12:30:55 AM
From: mr.mark	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 110631

"Gateway and HP may have sold "tens of thousands" of machines affected by the modem freeze...." February Glitch Halts Modems on Some Notebooks Modems shut down on some HP, Gateway models, but downloadable driver fix is available. Matt Hamblen, Computerworld Thursday, February 22, 2001 Human error is being blamed for a software driver problem that caused modems to freeze up on some late-model laptops at the stroke of midnight February 21. The problem with modems on laptops with Windows operating systems has set teams of developers scurrying to provide online fixes to users at several companies, including Hewlett-Packard, Gateway, and ESS Technology, which wrote the problematic software. ESS officials and one industry analyst put the number of affected machines worldwide in the tens of thousands. Since the error is located in an algorithm inside the time-based software coding for Windows modem drivers, users must reset the date on their notebooks to February 20 or earlier to reactivate their modems, ESS officials say. ESS refuses to name which companies use the troublesome modem driver but acknowledges that there are several worldwide. It has posted a generic fix for four operating systems: Windows 98 Special Edition, Windows 2000, Windows Me, and Windows NT. HP Pavilion, Omnibook Hit According to an HP spokesperson, affected models include the Pavilion n5000 and the Omnibook XE3, both of which hit the market last November. The affected Gateway model is the Solo 3350, which went on sale last September, a Gateway spokesperson says. Neither HP nor Gateway initially posted explanations about the problem or any online fixes specific to their machines. Officials at both companies say the only solution so far is to turn back the date on each computer's clock. Gateway and HP may have sold "tens of thousands" of machines affected by the modem freeze, notes IDC analyst Alan Promisel. He says the problem could hit Gateway harder because it is having greater financial problems and recently announced layoffs. "For Gateway, an announcement such as this does little to rebuild confidence in its product lines," Promisel says. Fixes in Progress When the software problem was discovered early Wednesday morning, teams at ESS went to work to create the generic replacement driver that has already been posted, says Bill Wong, the company's director of marketing. "We're over the hump with the fix, but that's only in a sense because it was an easy problem to fix," says Skip Effler, senior vice president of worldwide sales at ESS. "But the logistics of working with our customers are the issue. We will make all...efforts possible to get the drivers" customized for each customer. HP officials say they're working to find a solution that allows laptop users to use their modems with their computers set to the correct date. ESS says any software fix is required to meet the Windows Hardware Qualifying Laboratory standard. That way, it won't adversely affect other laptop functions. Wong says the error was introduced months ago when an ESS worker updated the modems from older Windows operating systems to newer ones. The particular code in which the error occurred is designed to prevent users from harassing others on a network with repeated calls and is required in some European countries and in Japan, Wong says. "There was a problem with the constant value for time, and it's fixed," he says. The problem is a first for ESS, Wong adds. "We've definitely learned already that customer service is a number-one priority and that with software, something like this could happen to any company," he says. Story copyright 2001 Computerworld Inc. All rights reserved. pcworld.com