Disabling dial-up modem

[kris p lettuce]

Hi, I'm new here and I have a quick question about modems. Last month I got a $500 phone bill due to a dialler program being put onto my system, so I reformatted and did a clean install of Winxp home and since I never use dial-up (there is an internal modem installed) but use a cable modem, and I really don't want another 'surprise' phone bill, is there any way of permanently disabling the dial-up connection option (or making sure that the dial-up modem is never used)
Thanks!

[geoscomp]

Yep..just right click on 'MyComputer', and choose properties. Choose 'Hardware" and then 'Device Manager' click on the plus sign next to modems, and highlight your modem that is listed..right click on that and choose disable from the drop down menu

[NooNoo]

Welcome to Windrivers lettuce

Do not connect your modem to the phone line. It then does not matter what happens, the modem is physically unable to access the telephone line to dial anything.

This way you have control, and if you want to use your modem for say faxing someone, you only have to plug it back into the phone jack and then remove it again when you are done.

[geoscomp]

Will that stop a dialler from trying to dial and using up system resources?

[NooNoo]

No, but it will make the user aware, since it will error out on no dial tone AND it cannot be enabled by software and run him up a huge phone bill again.

Disabling in device manager is a software option, which I am sure some clever kiddie has a script that will re- enable it...

[kris p lettuce]

Welcome to Windrivers lettuce

Do not connect your modem to the phone line. It then does not matter what happens, the modem is physically unable to access the telephone line to dial anything.

This way you have control, and if you want to use your modem for say faxing someone, you only have to plug it back into the phone jack and then remove it again when you are done.

Thanks for the welcome!
There's only one thing about your solution - my phone line has NEVER been plugged into the modem. That's why I was so confused as to how my bill had these charges/calls to Guinea-Bi and Sao Tome. (the sad thing is that although Bell Canada reversed most of the charges, I'm still responsible for $77.00!) How can a dial-up modem not even connected to a phone line be used?!

[NooNoo]

It can't. Think about it, if there is NO physical connection between your computer and your phone line, it cannot use it.

Are you sure it was a dialler that caused it? Or did you give your phone details away and they charged your account?

[kris p lettuce]

It can't. Think about it, if there is NO physical connection between your computer and your phone line, it cannot use it.

Are you sure it was a dialler that caused it? Or did you give your phone details away and they charged your account?

Bell canada informed me that the calls orginated from an adult/gaming site and were made from my computer! They told me to disconnect my internal modem and take the comp. to get it serviced. (a friend showed me how to re-format)

[geoscomp]

Very strange...you didnt have any internet dialling services installed before did you? I've never heard of them being used this way, but I suppose anything is possible

[NooNoo]

Aaah so it was connected.... how did you disconnect it?

If you are ABSOLUTELY sure it was not connected, have your phone company investigate how the charges where laid against the account. Not just the girl looking at the billing page.....

[kris p lettuce]

Aaah so it was connected.... how did you disconnect it?

If you are ABSOLUTELY sure it was not connected, have your phone company investigate how the charges where laid against the account. Not just the girl looking at the billing page.....

As I said earlier it was never connected, but none-the-less some evil doer figured out a way to connect it and even though I never physically dialed the numbers, I am responsible for paying the $$! (BTW,the next months bill had no long-distance calls, since I put a blocker on all of those types of calls, there were 2 collect calls that were billed to me from Boston)

[NooNoo]

Well don't blame your computer, someone had access to your account that allowed them to charge it. Someone may have just brought a laptop in and used their dialup on your phone line!