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<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Courier New"
color="#000000">Hello,<br>
<br>
I have a question. It seems my iBook modem plug is intermittent. Are
there<br>
any known issues with this. Any quick fixes without the need of
sending the<br>
computer in?<br>
<br>
Thanks,<br>
<br>
Christoph</font></blockquote>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div>This is a known issue with iBooks and OS X, but one that Apple
refuses to acknowledge. I struggled with this a lot. According to some
Unix gurus I found on another board, the modems in the iBooks are USB
softmadems--that is they have minimal hardware and most of the work is
done by the processor. The problem is that the power manager on the
iBook motherboard puts the modem to sleep and doesn't always wake it
up. The Unix guys devised drivers that will wake it up, but nobody has
ported them to the Mac. I reported it to Apple in the hope that it can
be included in a future upgrade.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>There are several things that improve your chances of getting the
modem to respond:</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>1. Use the Modem Magic scripts from MaCaRa. Some people
find that they solve the problem alone.</div>
<div>2. Place a phone call to the line that your iBook is connected
to. Be sure to set the preference pane to wake on ring. I found this
works most of the time to activate the modem. It does not work if
there are a lot of phones and answering machines sapping the line
voltage, though.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div>The "genius" at the Apple store Genius Bar suggested a
$240 modem replacement via the Apple service dep't. Apple won't admit
that they have a problem with bad power managers/modems on these
motherboards,although there is a free repair available on a widespread
video problem on the same boards. Since it is a combination bad
software/flaky hardware problem, they take no responsibility at
all.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I scheduled a modem replacement at the Powerbook Medic for $120,
but cancelled it after I found a Microtech USB Multimodem for 20 bucks
on eBay. It's a little</div>
<div>bigger than a thumb drive, weighs nothing, and connects
flawlessly.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Hope this helps.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Bill</div>
<div><br></div>
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