How to disable dialing sounds and noise from a modem

  • October 12, 2004
  • Read 59,193 times
 

Modems can be noisy when they dial up and connect to a remote location. Maybe you work late at night and don't want to wake anyone up or maybe the modem sounds just drive you crazy! Whatever the reason is we will walk you through disabling the sounds of your modem.

The steps given in this tutorial apply to Windows XP, but will pretty much work for all versions of Windows. For other versions of Windows the steps may not be exactly the same, but will be close enough for you to figure it out.

Step 1:

Enter your control panel and double click on the icon for Phone and Modem Options. When the screen opens up you should now click once on the Modem tab. You will then be presented with a screen similar to the one below:
 

Modem Control Panel Image
Figure 1. Modem Control Panel



Step 2:

You should now see a listing for your modem here. Click once on the modem listed to select it as shown in the figure above and then click once on the Properties button. You will then be presented with a screen similar to Figure 2 below.

 

Modem Properties Image
Figure 2. Modem Properties



Step 3:

Click once on the Modem tab and you will be presented with a screen similar to Figure 3 below.

 

Modem Tab Image
Figure 3. Modem Tab

 

Click once on the slider labeled Speaker Volume, designated by the red box in Figure 3 above, and while pressing down on the slider, slide the mouse to the left until the slider is in the Off position. Then press the OK button to close the Modem properties and then press the OK button again to exit the Phone and Modem Options control panel. Your modem should no longer make any sounds.

If your computer still continues to make sounds proceed to the following steps:

Step 5:

Perform Steps 1 and 2 again, but instead of clicking on the Modem tab, click on the Advanced tab. In the field labeled Extra initialization commands enter one of the follow AT commands based on the amount of sounds you want to hear:

Code
Description
ATM0
No sound at all
ATM1
Speaker on until remote carrier is detected by the modem.
ATM2
Speaker is always on even after you connect.
ATM3
No Dialing sounds, but speaker makes noise until it connects.

 

For example, if you want no sounds at all, then we would want to enter the ATM0 command in the Extra initialization commands field as shown in Figure 4 below.



Advanced Modem Tab Image
Figure 4. Advanced Tab

 

Once you have entered the desired command, press the OK button, and then the OK button again. Your modem should now no longer make any noise.

As always, if you have questions about this tutorial, please do no hesitate to ask them in the computer help forums.

--
Lawrence Abrams
Bleeping Computer General Microsoft Tutorial
BleepingComputer.com: Computer Support & Tutorials for the beginning computer user.

Users who read this also read:

  • How Hard Drives work Image
    How Hard Drives work

    Almost all desktop computers have a hard drive inside them, but do you really know what they are? Many people when they hear the word hard drive, think that it refers to the computer as a whole. In reality, though, the hard drive is just one of many different pieces that comprise a computer. The hard drive is one of the most important parts of your computer because it is used as a long-term ...

  • Cleaning the Interior of your PC Image
    Cleaning the Interior of your PC

    Most people think computers, being electronic devices, don't require any mechanical maintenance, but this is not so. Many computer faults are caused by components overheating due to poor airflow in the case because of a buildup of dirt and dust over time. It's worthwhile cleaning your computer annually or even more often if it is in a particularly dusty environment, on carpet or in a ...

  • Understanding, Identifying and Upgrading the RAM in your PC Image
    Understanding, Identifying and Upgrading the RAM in your PC

    This tutorial is intended to explain what RAM is and give some background on different memory technologies in order to help you identify the RAM in your PC. It will also discuss RAM speed and timing parameters to help you understand the specifications often quoted on vendors' websites. Its final aim is to assist you in upgrading your system by suggesting some tools and strategies to help you ...

  • How to partition and format a hard disk in Windows Image
    How to partition and format a hard disk in Windows

    In order to use a hard drive, or a portion of a hard drive, in Windows you need to first partition it and then format it. This process will then assign a drive letter to the partition allowing you to access it in order to use it to store and retrieve data.

  • Understanding Hard Disk Partitions Image
    Understanding Hard Disk Partitions

    When a hard drive is installed in a computer, it must be partitioned before you can format and use it. Partitioning a drive is when you divide the total storage of a drive into different pieces. These pieces are called partitions. Once a partition is created, it can then be formatted so that it can be used on a computer. When partitions are made, you specify the total amount of storage that you ...

 

Comments:

blog comments powered by Disqus
search tutorials
Mandiant mWise Conference 2024

Login