Troubleshooting Distinctive Ring (240996)

MORE INFORMATION

Distinctive Ring requires:

• Distinctive Ring service from your phone company.
• Distinctive Ring support in your modem hardware (that is, the modem must support true Distinctive Ring, and not DRON/DROFF).
• A Windows modem .INF file with Distinctive Ring support.
• A Windows TAPI Service Provider such as Unimodem V that enables the operating system to "see" incoming Distinctive Ring responses from the modem.

How to Configure Distinctive Ring in Windows 9x

1. Make sure you have Unimodem/V installed on your computer. Depending on the release date of your Windows 95 software, you may have Unimodem (shipped with earlier versions) or Unimodem V (shipped with later versions of Windows 95 and Windows 98). Unimodem is the Windows 95 TAPI standard for modem communication. Unimodem V is a more recent Windows 95 TAPI standard with enhanced voice capabilities. To determine which version of the TAPI files you have:
   1. Click the Start button, point to Find, and then click Files Or Folders. The Find All Files window appears.
   2. Click the Name & Location tab.
   3. In the Named field, type:

      unimdm.tsp

      When the file is found, it appears in the lower portion of the Find All Files window. In Windows 95, this file is in the SYSTEM subfolder of your Windows installation folder.
      
      
   4. Right-click the file, and then click Properties.
   5. Click the Version tab.
   6. In the Item Name list, click Product Version. The version number appears in the Value list.
   7. Use the list below to determine whether or not Unimodem V is installed on your computer.
      

      Version	TAPI files installed
      4.00.950	Unimodem files
      4.10.43	Unimodem

      
      
   8. If you do not have Unimodem/V TAPI files installed on your computer and you want to use a phone service that requires it, you must install Unimodem V.
      
      The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:
      

      Download Unimodv.exe now

      For additional information about how to download Microsoft Support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

      119591 How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services

      Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help to prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.
      
      NOTE: The file is for Windows 95 only.
   
   
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
3. Double-click Modems.
4. Select the modem that is installed on your computer, and then click Properties.
5. On the Distinctive Ring tab, select the "This phone line has Distinctive Ring services" check box, and then click the appropriate type of call for each ring pattern provided by your distinctive ringing service.NOTE: If the Distinctive Ring tab is not shown, the modem may not have this capability.
   

Testing the Distinctive Ring Feature

The best way to test the Distinctive Ring feature is to use a terminal data program, such as the HyperTerminal program in Windows 95/98.

To use HyperTerminal:

1. Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click HyperTerminal.
2. Double-click hyperterm or hyperterm.exe.
3. Name the new connection test, and then click OK.
4. Change the "connect using" setting to "Direct to COM X", were "X" is the COM port used by the Caller ID device.
5. Click OK on the Port Settings window.

To test your modem:

1. Type the string ATZ, and then press Enter (OK should then be displayed on the screen).
2. Type the Distinctive Ring string to be tested.NOTE: For some modems, the string at-sdr=7 enables Distinctive Ring. Look in you modem's documentation to see if any setup string is referenced or mentioned. It is always best to verify the correct command with your modem documentation or vendor.
   
3. If OK is displayed, continue on to the next step. If ERROR is displayed, the modem may not support Distinctive Ring and you should try a different setup string.
4. Have someone call your computer and watch the terminal screen.
5. If Distinctive Ring is working, the word RING, followed by a letter or number is displayed.
6. If Distinctive Ring is not working, only the word RING is displayed for each incoming ring. If this is the case, try another setup string and go back to step 2. When Distinctive Ring data works, the most common result is the following:
   
   RING A
   RING A
   RING A