|  Winmodem is a generic term for a modem that uses software in place of hardware for certain functions. In technical terms, winmodems lack an instruction processing chip called a controller; winmodems are also referred to as controllerless modems or host-based modems. Winmodems that also lack a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) are referred to as HSP (Host Signal Processor) modems. The term "Winmodem" is a registered trademark of 3 Com/U.S. Robotics. It was first applied to the U.S. Robotics Sportster line of 33.6Kbps controllerless modems and was later the name for the controllerless 56K Sportster modems as well. But while Winmodem is a registered trademark, most people have accepted the word winmodem as covering both controllerless and HSP modems made by any manufacturer for the Windows platform. Because winmodems lack a controller and sometimes a UART, they depend on the computer's CPU for these functions. With 486 and Pentium computers, this was a significant amount of processing power taken away from applications. New computer CPUs are powerful enough that this is no longer a problem. Installation Instructions: The instructions that came with the modem were adequate for basic installation of the modem. The process included installing the modem and re-booting. When Window's detected the modem we selected "Have disk" and inserted the floppy that came with the modem. The last step of the installation process is more important if you ever want to upgrade your drivers or firmware or contact 3Com. Step 6 of the Installation guide says to "Install the Connections CD and register your modem". If you follow the instructions and do everything including registering your modem the rest of the process is easy. If you don't, it becomes very difficult to do it later. It is very important to make sure you follow the instructions regarding installing the Connections CD and register your modem if you ever want to upgrade your modem firmware or drivers. If you have trouble the process can be started by going through the following steps. You can also install the Connections CD and look at the modem manual to get these instructions. -
Install the Connections CD as per the instructions. -
Click on Customer Support -
Click on Modem Software -
Click on 3Com Modem Manager -
Click on Install -
Click on Modem Update Wizard -
Click on Install -
Follow the on screen instructions. | 
