Winmodem keeps disconnecting. PLS HELP!

[curls]

Hi. I just reformatted my HD this week, and everything is running smoothly, with the exception of my internet connection.
When I was on my old, local ISP, I never got disconnects. Now, however, I am on a national ISP (supposedly the best of the best) (AT&T Canada), and get disconnected frequently.
I have a USR Winmodem 56k. (not considering an upgrade, please don't suggest).
The thing is, when I look at modem status, it seems to upload and download in short bursts, sometimes with pauses of over 30 seconds with NO activity. Is there a way to correct this? I don't think it's ISP related however, because friends of mine are on AT&T and have no problems.

Are there any setting anywhere that I can alter/edit to prevent this from happening?

Thanks a LOT!

Eric (curls)

[eyeball]

do your friends on the same isp also have winmodems? it could possibly be a problem with the winmodem and the isp. try the old isp again, or a different one at least.

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"i overclocked my 14gig monitor to 40x!"

[boganslaw]

You might want to try adding S10=50, to the extra settings option on your modem, this will make the modem wait 5 secs if it loses carrier before dropping the line, much better then then default 1.4 sec hope this helps

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"My Whole Life Has Been A BETA Test."

[bigdog5150]

I've had similar problems. Check with your isp to verify compatibility. Also, go to the modem mfg's site and check for updated firmware. Last but not least, try some different modem strings. I hope this helps...

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