Registered: Mar 2000
Location:
Posts: 7

Fatal Error with Handspring Modem

I recently purchased one of the discounted Handspring modem springboards from Staples, but am having no luck. Anytime I try to use it, I get a Fatal Error
message, with Reset being the only option. After contacting
Handspring, they seem to think that it might be the Visor itself (that
is, the software version on it) I have done a hard reset, with the
same result. I supposedly have a replacement modem on the way,
but thought I'd just ask: Anybody have any other ideas why this
would be so difficult? It's a VDX, with the latest OS patch.

Thanks,

Jason

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 1571

When

When do you get the Fatal error? Did you check to make sure the batteries are in properly? Make sure the polarities (+ and -) match. DOn't assume that the Spring side is the (-) side. It could be the (+) side as well.

Registered: Mar 2000
Location:
Posts: 7

A little more detail....

Yep, the batteries are in correctly....the exact sequence is:

try to connect to dialup service
modem tries to login
handshake
fatal error.
Reset.

Jason

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 1571

Did you test

Hmm...Did you test the modem right after the hard reset or did you hotsync first?

Registered: Mar 2000
Location:
Posts: 7

more modem info

Nope...right after reset. Didn't hotsync.

I'm just not sure what might be going on.....

jason

Registered: Jun 2001
Location:
Posts: 17

Modem error also

I have a Visor Platinum and a Xircom modem.
I have a Netcom email address, which is now part of Earthlink.

When I use the modem it connects, and signs on ok, but then on the 'Service Connection Progress' screen I get an ERROR: Authentication failure (0X1233).

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks,

Mike Raphael

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 152

Re: Modem error also

quote:

---

Originally posted by mraphael
I have a Visor Platinum and a Xircom modem.
I have a Netcom email address, which is now part of Earthlink.

When I use the modem it connects, and signs on ok, but then on the 'Service Connection Progress' screen I get an ERROR: Authentication failure (0X1233).

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks,

Mike Raphael

---

Registered: Jun 2001
Location:
Posts: 17

Tried it -- same result.

other ideas?

Registered: May 2000
Location:
Posts: 209

mraphael-- A couple of questions: Are you using the same username/password on your PC/Mac connection to Earthlink? I know it may sound like a dumb question but none of us here can assume anything

If so, are you dialing into the same access number with your Platinum?

If so--

- Do you know if that access number is an original Earthlink number or a legacy Netcom or Mindspring number? (it can make a difference on the username syntax).

- And... since it sounds like you weren't using "us,ppp,UserName" as your username at one point in the past, what is the syntax of your username when you call in using your PC/Mac? dvIceT's suggestion was the first thing I thought of but when you said it was no go, it's leading me to believe your username syntax is different and/or you're calling into a Mindspring or Earthlink POP number instead of a legacy Netcom number.

If you happen to find out that you're calling into a Mindspring legacy or Earthlink POP, is your username syntax "[email protected]" or "[email protected]"? If it isn't, try that syntax (but only for Mindspring/Earthlink POPs... not all legacy Netcom numbers support the newer login syntax).

Registered: Jun 2001
Location:
Posts: 17

ok, I'm not certain I understand all the questions, but

I am using the same number as my PC dial in number.
I don't know what 'legacy' means.

I'm using [email protected]

On the Visor Platinum, I can't add us,ppp, to the username as there is not enough space on the line!!!

I do use the POP.

What can I try?

Registered: May 2000
Location:
Posts: 209

(this is to Jason, since the last few messages, including mine, aren't addressing his issue)

Jason, I don't think is the software version inside of the Visor that's causing the problem, as Handspring Support suggested-- I'm leaning towards a bad modem, or a bad Springboard slot in your Visor Deluxe.

I just tried out a co-worker's Handspring modem that he picked up at Staples (still quite a few at the new cost at the store around here) and popped it into my VDX (which, too, has the HS OS patch).

No fatal errors... the module and Visor operated as expected.

Now, when you receive the replacement modem and it still causes the fatal error on your Visor Deluxe, then I would suspect that your Visor's springboard slot is out of whack. The only way to test that is to find a fellow VDX user to try out your replacement modem. If it doesn't reset his/her device, then your Visor is BO. At that point, it doesn't matter if other Springboard modules you have don't cause this problem-- if your HS modem doesn't cause the fatal error on another person's Visor, then that's the proof.

Hopefully, it's just a bad modem.

Registered: May 2000
Location:
Posts: 209

When I stated "legacy", that's how Earthlink refers to the slew of additional dialup phone numbers it got when they aquired Mindspring (and, when Mindspring was their own boss, it was the same when they bought up Netcom-- dialup numbers that came with the Netcom deal). The Point of Presence, or POP numbers.... not POP3 as in e-mail.

Mindspring then, and Earthlink as of a few months ago, required you to use different username syntax if you call into dialup number that originally belonged to Netcom or originally belonged to Mindspring or originally belonged to Earthlink, Sprint, etc.

Over the last couple of months, Earthlink has been changing their dial-in servers to support the many domains (i.e. ix.netcom.com, sprintmail.com, sprynet.com) with a single username syntax. In other words, there will be one way to log in.

But not all of the servers haven't quite made the switch.

So, if I understood your message correctly, when you use your PC to connect to the Internet, your Username for your dial-up networking profile or Mindspring/Earthlink dialer is:

[email protected]

(with the "username" replaced with your actual one, of course )

On your Visor, in the Network panel of the Preference app, I take it that you've already tried the following for the user name field:

us,ppp,username

and

[email protected]


Is that correct? I ask this because you typed that you couldn't add "us,ppp" because there isn't enough space on the line. We must not be on the same page because you can add quite a bit of characters on the User Name field in the Network panel. My Netcom user name is 6 characters long and it fits quite nicely with the us,ppp prepended to it.

Speaking of the Network panel, what else have you entered there? Besides phone number, password and user name, what do you have configured in the "Details" portion?

Registered: Jun 2001
Location:
Posts: 17

us,ppp,username

and

[email protected]


Is that correct? YESI ask this because you typed that you couldn't add "us,ppp" because there isn't enough space on the line. We must not be on the same page because you can add quite a bit of characters on the User Name field in the Network panel. My Netcom user name is 6 characters long and it fits quite nicely with the us,ppp prepended to it.

Speaking of the Network panel, what else have you entered there? Besides phone number, password and user name, what do you have configured in the

IN THE DETAILS I HAVE PPP FOR CONNECTION TYPE
POWER OFF FOR TIMEOUT
AND THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY DNS SETTINGS

AND YES I TRIED US,PPP,USERNAME

AND I TRIED [email protected]

WHEN I SAID I RAN OUT OF SPACE ON THE LINE WHEN I TRIED TO TYPE IN US,PPP,[email protected]

SUGGESTIONS?