Dial up Connection - storm damage

Hoping someone can help please. A friend of mine has dial up with AOL, and thought he had a telephone line problem. BT came out this morning and checked the line and it was OK when he unplugged his pc modem from the extension socket? So they said there's no problem with his telephone line, but because we had a bad storm it probably blew up his modem He's not very pc minded and hasn't got a clue what to do, I suggested he just goes out and buys a new modem to plug in - would this possibly cure the problem?? The pc itself works fine, just that everytime he tries to connect to the internet, a dialogue box comes up with there is a fault (something like that!).Thanks guys.

Well you know how hopeless I am with computers Helen but I would think maybe it might be better getting a new modem like you suggested. Is his modem inside the computer or is it an external one? Tell him to get one of those surge protecter sockets to plug all his computer plugs into then it should protect it from happening again. You can get them from Asda for about £8 something or I think PC World has an offer on them at the moment.

erm tell him to get broadband :P

its as cheap as dial up now :P

if he still insists on dial up he needs a new modem, however he wotn jsut be able to buy one and plug it in and it work, it will need the settings set to that fo aol.

Helena,
I can verify everything that has been said so far. It happened to me some years ago. A storm passed over the house. Still cannot say if it was a surge in power or the effect of electric charge of the storm. As far as I know the house was not struck.

Ever since I have all my equipment, telephone, satellite, television etc...running through one of these surge protector things and I went for Belkin who definitely say that they will protect against lightening and if anything blows it should only be the the surge protector and not the equipment.

I originally purchased my surge protector from QVC but I believe that they are more generally available.

Thanks Foxy Now you got me!! I don't know do I!!!! I thought a modem was the bit on the end of the wire that plugged into the telephone socket when you have dial up???? I didn't know they were inside the pc??? Heeeeeeelp, coz he won't either!!

Thanks Ceiron. Do you mean he will have to put his AOL disc in again then??? Or how would he re=set it again then please??? He's a very nice man and he's busy fitting all our new fencing and car port, so I must help him out, otherwise he might not turn up tomorrow and leave it all half done = you know what it's like when you've got pc problems!!! Well, I do, I can't leave it alone! I think Foxy's the same too!

Thanks Gildy for your input. I too have one of those anti=surge plugs too, but I always unplug the phone line anyway if we have a storm, just to be safe. By the way, I heard on the radio yesterday morning that a kid in America was playing a game on his pc when a big storm hit, and it killed him!!!! Apparently,it's not just the pc we have to unplug, it's the actual telephone line that is the danger with a storm, and he was playing a game on the internet!!!

hold on its dial up so it mgiht self configure withotu the disc but if not then the disc will need to be run again.

ps and yes most dial up modems are internal in the pc.

pps i think i have an old internal dial up modem downstairs i could send him.

had same problem, there must be a pc shop local to your friend, best if you can shop around. all you need is the modem replaced this costs anywhere from £10 to a fortune depending on how fast you want it, we paid £30 for one that was better than the one in our pc and this worked fine. This included fitting it. Hope this helps This was a year ago so prices may be different now

No I think thats the telephone filter Helen

A modem is usually inside the computer when you buy it although you can buy computers without modems inside them. Mine has one inside and Laura and Dans do too and the laptop.

Thanks Ceiron, I'll go and ask him now

Thanks Donna and Zuki, I thought they were about £30 if I remember right when I blew ours up once!

Thanks Foxy, will he need a man who knows then to fit a new modem even if he gets one then? Or can you see it from the outside? What I mean is, do you have to take the cover off the box then?

you will have to take the cover off I'm afraid, though they do sort of just slot into the mother board, i asked pete (computer buff) and he tried explaining it to me but I am confused