I have just built a new tower with an ASus P5K MB and ASUS 8600GT video card running XP Pro.
I have also installed a Motorola 56k PCI modem which works (but not as fast as it should). It assigned itself to com port 3 on installation.

Question, should this port not show up under device manager when I click on "Ports".

It does not.
Only com port 1 is there. (I don't know what com port 1 is used by; it got assigned automatically when I installed the video card and DVD writer.
.....kind of a computer newbie)

Anybody know the answer.

Thanks

Com 1 and 2 are usually assigned to external serial ports. Com ports above 2 are in essence virtual ports (for example within the PCI card itself) and so are part of the card rather than an individual physical port that would be shown in Device Manager.

(but not as fast as it should)

What speeds are you getting? About the max you can expect with a 56 k modem dial up connection is in the 40 to 45kbps range. The actual speed depends very much on the vageries of the public switched network thru which you are connecting.

OK. So com port3 or 4 for PCI modem is virtual and explains why it is not shown in device mgr.
I see com port 1 is assigned to APCI\PNP, so that looks OK.

My modem speed is 26.4k on the new modem and machine. I say this is too low because my old W98 machine with a USR 56k modem V.90 consistently connects at 48k. These machines are sitting side by side and all I'm doing is moving the tel. line from one to the other machine; same ISP and phone no.
Problem probably stems from fact that modem in XP machine is V.92/90 and ISP doesn't support V.92. However I don't understand why it doesn't fall back to V.90 speed of 48k. Maybe there is a way to disable the v.92 part. Will look on modem forum.
Thanks you both for your help!

In the first place the "connected at" speeds are probably the speed of the ports and not necessarily that of the downloads. The only way to really determine/compare download speeds is to measure the time it takes to download a compressed file of known size.

v90 versus v92 protocols wouldn't of their own right create a 50% drop in speed.

Upgrading the drivers or changing to a hardware modem are more likely to produce results than any other "tweaking".

I have done a speed test on a file download; old modem connects at v.90 and 48k and download rate was = 30kbps, new modem connects at v.24 and 26.4k and download rate was = 10kbps.
Drivers are the latest available.
This is a hardware modem.
Think problem is with my ISP which is not compatible with a v.92 modem (they are only v.90) or at least with this manufacturer as I do get higher speed with other ISP sites
Will contact manufacturer and see if they can suggest anything otherwise it goes back to the store.
Thanks again

I got better speed using an external 56k modem than a internal one.

Agree that if same modem produces different rates with different ISPs it does point the finger at the ISP. However, in my experience, very few dial-up ISPs ever got round to upgrading to V92 and yet, here in Ireland for sure, using V92 modems with V90 ISPs never caused any slowness.

Fianally got hold of manufacturer tech support .
They told me this is a known defect with this modem....will not connect at more than 26.4 period.
They said return it to store!!

Dam what a waste of time !$$%$#@$%^%%@!

Modem is made by Encore and is a 56k fax modem model ENF656-ESW-MOPR.

as I do get higher speed with other ISP sitesSo this comment related to different modems rather than the use of different ISPs as such.

No, the supposedly defective modem did get higher speeds (42k) with other ISPs. I know this doesn't jive with what the Encore tech support said, so I will chaulk the discrepency up to serendipity or not having all the "defect" facts.
Didn't want to pursue it any further so returned modem and now have a different one I will try today. Will let you know how I make out later.

It might be of interest to note for the future that hardware V92 PCI modems using Intel chipsets that have been produced in the last 2 to 4 year period are very reliable, cheap and much superior to earlier PCI soft/winmodems.

IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D :D :D

New PCI modem....AOpen model FM56-PX...worked out of the box and even faster than one in old computer. Now getting 40kbps downloads (connected @ 45K) versus old one loading at 30k.

FYI chipset is a Conexant .

Thanks again for your interest....ffom the frozen woods of Quebec Canada!