COM port always open, interfering with modem

My modem on my desktop was working just fine earlier today. However, at some point the computer froze while online and had to be restarted. Ever since, whenever I try to connect to the Internet I get a message that the COM port is already in use and to restart the machine. Even after a restart or shutdown, I still get the exact same message. This is extremely frustrating since I can't even get online.
The modem in question is an HAMR 5600 on a Windows98 SE system. Incidently, the COM port the modem is installed on doesn't show up in the Device Manager.

Try un-installing the modem in the device manager,rebooting and reinstalling.

Try un-installing the modem in the device manager,rebooting and reinstalling.

Thanks, I think that's a much better alternative to pulling out the modem and tossing it out the nearest open window (which was the first thought I had in mind!) ;)