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Subject:Re: Modems and fast serial ports ... From:Charles Good <good -at- AUR -dot- ALCATEL -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 31 Jul 1995 22:08:04 GMT
Before you go out and buy a 28.8 (or 14.4) modem, you need to determine
what UART chip your PC is equipped with. Older PCs had an 8250. Newer
PCs have the 16550 chip. The UART type makes a big difference because
the newer device has an overflow buffer that is essential for flow control
on high speed modem links.
Use the Microsoft Diagnostics (MSD) and look under COM Ports. The last
item on the listing is the UART chip type.
If you have the old 8250 chip, then talk to your local PC tech about
getting an internal modem card that provides a 16550 chip. It is not
as good as having it on the motherboard as a COM port UART, but it
will work. I have not seen this built-in feature on external modems.
