My Mantra: I LOVE ISDN…!!! (kidding)

ISDN install epistle #43:

ISDN modem #3 will come from the nice FedEx delivery man Friday.

ISDN modem #1 (purchased off Ebay) was ancient, but I didn't know it.
An Eicon Diva SERIAL cable modem will not work with AudioTX. I know
that now.

ISDN modem #2 (also purchased off Ebay) was newer, and if you’ve
ever seem ‘em has that prehistoric black shell-fish look to it. But it
was a Version ONE USB ISDN modem. It doesn’t work with AudioTX either.
I know that now.

The V1.0 modem sadistically comes with V4.0 driver software, which
everyone will flat-out tell you will not work. “That’s OK”, I said,
“I’ll just go to the Dialogic website, and download the previous
driver”, which is said to work fine with the USB modem…according to a
very well-meaning and helpful Frank Frederick, who is wrestling with
the same issues.

5 install/uninstall sessions later, I found that none of the
Dialogic USB ISDN Eicon Diva driver sets work with the V1.0 Eicon Diva
USB modem.

Dave Immer of Digiphone who is pretty well recognized by most everyone
as being among the top-3 ISDN experts in the country is my answer-man.

I’ve been back and forth with him all through this. I’ve resisted
buying HIS solution to everything on sheer principle. I knew better.
I’ve come to the expensive conclusion that I’m just obstinate.

HIS solution is to buy the Eicon Diva USB ISDN Modem V2.0 (note the
version TWO) for $275. He flat-out told me he’s pretty-much purchased
all of this version of the modem in North America, since he’s found
it’s the only Eicon Diva modem that will work with AudioTX.

NOW he tells me that. He could have told me that at first…but I was
pretty headstrong, and unwilling to listen to him… and there’s
probably a little part of him that wanted me to suffer so I’d HAVE to
come to him to buy the $275 V2.0 modem out of frustration and
desperation. V1.0 and V2.0 APPEAR the same to the eye.

All that is just business, and I’ll chalk it up to experience.



Now comes the real shockeroo…

Others who have gone down this path tell me that the native Windows
XP drivers WORK JUST FINE with the Eicon Diva USB ISDN modem V2.0, that
you don’t EVEN NEED any DigiPhone drivers. BTW, the V2.0 modem is now
on it’s way from Dave Immer for $275, plus extra 2-day ground delivery
fee.

Great…but here’s the real kicker:

Installing the old/new/bad/defunct (whatever you want to call them)
Dialogic drivers on your XP CORRUPTS the native Windows XP drivers, so
that your computer is rendered useless in recognizing the ISDN Diva
Eicon modem with the Windows drivers.

Dave Immer of Digiphone tells me he went through THREE computers to realize that.

“What did you do with those computers?” I asked. He said he set
them aside, and can’t use them with ISDN anymore. They’re ruined.

RUINED….!!!!!!

Yep, you guessed it. All along I’ve been trying to install the ISDN
modem on my precious DAW….my custom-built, lightning-fast,
LOADED-with-voice-acting-software in-studio computer.

I asked Dave whether he tried re-installing Win XP as a repair
install. He said that gets into a whole different set of challenges he
was unwilling to tackle. (I’ve later found that wouldn’t work either)

I also asked Dave if he had considered rolling back his XP machine to a previous RESTORE point. He hadn’t thought of that.

I did. A few days ago I rolled mine back a couple of weeks, and
tried to install the crappy drivers (before I knew all this). So THAT
restore point is shot.

Now I have to go back to an even earlier RESTORE point, to find the native Win XP drivers.

I’m also starting to wonder what the AudioTX return policy is.

That is really my final chance at making this work….short of
handing my computer over to my computer guy, and asking him a complete
re-format, re-install of Windows XP, and start ALL OVER again with a
million software installs….and I haven’t even gotten to the point to
find out if my ISDN wires are even properly installed and switched.

That’s another battle to fight.

Luckily, I still have my armor on.

Whadya think? Got any other ideas? Are you asleep yet? Didja even read this far?

Thanks for listening.

CourVO