Physically Removing and Reinstalling Modem

[drdan]

I ordered a USB 2.0 card for my motherboard (Biostar M7VKQ). There are only 3 PCI slots so I'll have to remove the modem to free one up. The problem is that I just found out after I ordered it that I may be losing my wireless DSL connection. The business next door which has let me be on their network for a nominal sum is moving. So I may need to regularly switch these out. If I have to go back to a modem I would like to occasionally take it out and install the USB 2.0 card to make complete system backups to my external hard drive faster.

What do I need to do as far as uninstalling modem and/or USB card in the OS before physically pulling it off the board? What about reinstalling it? Will the current driver automatically be reinstalled or will it go to default XP drivers? If the current driver needs to be saved and manually reinstalled with the modem, what is the best procedure for that?

[drdan]

Actually I just realized (insert sound of me slapping forehead) that if I'm going to modem only I can take the the wireless receiver card off one PCI slot. I would still like the above question answered if possible. For now I will be replacing the modem with the USB card.

[Budfred]

If you would be swapping the modem in and out, you would leave the drivers as they are. However, if I were in that situation, I would get an external modem with a USB or even serial connection.

[drdan]

Makes sense. Oh good, now I get to go research external modems and prices. I always feel less guilty when I'm doing "real" research rather than just "playing" on the internet! LOL

[drdan]

I'm going to replace the modem with the USB card tomorrow. Do I need to uninstall, disable or otherwise remove from the system the modem before pulling it off the board? Can I just switch them and then let XP figure it out when I boot up?

[mjc]

You can leave the modem drivers on the system, just disable the device in device manager until you need it again or you can remove the drivers. Since you are going to put it back in I would leave the drivers and just disable it for now. When you do go to use it again, go into DM, re-enable it, power down, put it back in then power up, you should be set to go.

[drdan]

Well, switching the modem for a USB 2.0 card went fine. I disabled the modem in device manager, popped one out and the other in and booted. XP found the new card and had it working in a couple minutes.

USB 2.0 is great! I hooked up my Maxtor external drive to the new USB 2.0 port and a 192 MB transfer took about 15 seconds. A 2.9 GB transfer took 3 1/2 minutes. Whoopee!

[no-mbr]

I would have used the hardware profile manager. Just guessing, less chance of "resource jumping" between devices....

[drdan]

The what? What do you mean exactly?