Windows Millennium Edition, while on it’s face seems to be Windows 98 with a Windows 2000 look to it; it does in fact have quite a few nice features itself. One of these being updated networking components over Windows 98/95. For this reason alone some of you may have upgraded.

Update

First of all, you should know what modem you are using. Right click on My computer then select Properties. Select the Device manager tab. Click on Modem to show the modem you have installed.

Next you need to get the latest drivers for your modem. Check your modem manufacturer for an updated driver. You should also flash your modem with the latest V90 code, if you have a V90 capable modem that is. You can find a list of manufacturers at Windrivers.

It is also a good idea to update your browser & any other related components. This will generally ensure you have the latest security patches & better-optimized online components/files. I suggest using a combination of Windowsupdate, Updates & CNET Catchup (My personal favourite). This way you're bound to find any updateable components.

NOTE on Winmodems - There is no doubt, some of you out there that are using Winmodems. These are bad for many reasons (e.g. they increase CPU usage) & you should strongly consider purchasing a proper hardware modem. They can still be tweaked to some extent though. Winmodem specific tweaks are mentioned where applicable.

Once you've installed the latest drivers/updates you can proceed onto the next step.

General

Right click on My computer then select Properties. Select the Device manager tab. Click on Modem to show what modem you have.

Bring up the modem properties by double clicking on it. Select the Modem tab. For users that have a 28.8/33.6K modem or a Winmodem (even if 56K/V90, this will minimize disconnections) select the Maximum speed as 57600. For users who have a 56K/V90 modem use 115200.

Next, select the Connection tab, & Port settings set both the Receive Buffer & Transmit Buffer to Maximum, as shown below. Should you experience any problems afterwards try lowering either of them to High.

Select Ok then, & go to Advanced.

Tick the following boxes, Use error control, Compress data (Unticking this setting may improve online game ping times, although you should only do this if you do not follow the Init string recommendation below regarding MNP5 compression) & Use flow control. Select Hardware (RTS/CTS) for best results, although if you have a Winmodem select Software (XON/XOFF).

For Modulation type select Standard.

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