1. Turn on your modem.
    
2. Go to System Properties by right-clicking on My Computer or via the Control Panel.
    
3. Select the Hardware tab and you will see the screen below :-

4. Look at the Device Manager section and click on the Device Manager button.

5. This brings up the Device Manager screen.

6. Click on any of the device categories listed and then click on the Action menu.
    
7. You will see an option called Scan for hardware changes.

8. Select it and Windows 2000 will scan for and initialize your modem.
    
9. You should be able to use the modem now.

Nine steps sounds rather long, doesn't it? Well, it isn't really difficult. Try it once and you will get the hang of it. Soon enough, you will realize just how much time this workaround saves! :)

• If you click on the Action menu after opening up Device Manager, the Scan for hardware changes option will be grayed out. You need to click on any one of the device categories before the option becomes available.
   
• Remember to turn on your modem before you click on Scan for hardware changes. It's no use if your modem is powered off while Windows 2000 is scanning for it. After initialization, you can turn off the modem and it will still be available for use later.
   
• For quicker access to the Device Manager, try this tip out!

If you have a comment or question about this tip, please post them here.

Thanks for your time and I hope this tip has helped you some! :)

Adrian Wong
Adrian's Rojak Pot
http://www.rojakpot.com/
http://www.adriansrojakpot.com/