Vodafone Mobile Connect

Excuse the cross posting but I'm hoping someone can assist with a problem.

A couple of months ago I signed up for Vodafone Mobile Broadband - one of
the cheap contracts which gets you the pebble shaped USB modem and runs
VMCLite.

Recently the act of plugging the device into my laptop has caused a BSOD
with an immediate re-boot. No matter which USB socket I use the result seems
to be the same and I don't suffer the problem with other USB devices.

I've uninstalled the VMCLite software but it does not re-install when the
device is reinserted.

I've had various suggestions - not enough available memory on the laptop;
need to reinstall USB drivers; ask Vodafone for another modem.

Can someone please sugegst which of these may be the problem - or give some
other clue? Has anyone else had similar problems?

Thanks in advance.


Steve

---

› See More: Vodafone Mobile Connect

<uk.comp.sys.laptops>
<StevePlym>
<Wed, 1 Oct 2008 21:47:35 +0100>
<[email protected]>

> A couple of months ago I signed up for Vodafone Mobile Broadband - one of
> the cheap contracts which gets you the pebble shaped USB modem and runs
> VMCLite.
>
> Recently the act of plugging the device into my laptop has caused a BSOD
> with an immediate re-boot. No matter which USB socket I use the result seems
> to be the same and I don't suffer the problem with other USB devices.
>

Usually if i have a driver problem - and if i cant fix the problem
fairly quickly - the first thing i do is a system restore to a previous
date where the ****er was known to work .


--
www.phpguestbook.co.uk/phpgb
(the best php guestbook on planet earth)

StevePlym wrote:
> Excuse the cross posting but I'm hoping someone can assist with a problem.
>
> A couple of months ago I signed up for Vodafone Mobile Broadband - one of
> the cheap contracts which gets you the pebble shaped USB modem and runs
> VMCLite.
>
> Recently the act of plugging the device into my laptop has caused a BSOD
> with an immediate re-boot. No matter which USB socket I use the result seems
> to be the same and I don't suffer the problem with other USB devices.
>
> I've uninstalled the VMCLite software but it does not re-install when the
> device is reinserted.
>
> I've had various suggestions - not enough available memory on the laptop;
> need to reinstall USB drivers; ask Vodafone for another modem.
>
> Can someone please sugegst which of these may be the problem - or give some
> other clue? Has anyone else had similar problems?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
It is, of course, possible that your USB stick has failed. Try plugging
it into another system & see if it crashes that one. Drastic, but you
could always take it into your local Vodafone shop & plug it into one of
theirs.

How much memory do you have? As long as your system exceeds the minimum
spec for XP with respect to HD space, memory & processor speed, you
should be OK.

Have you tried rolling back to a date when it was working, using either
system restore or rolling back the driver?

There's a troubleshooter on the Vodafone website, which I hereby
nominate as probably the most frustrating website in the world:-

http://troubleshootinghelp.vodafone....arch&LG=1&PR=1

I use the older PCMCIA card & I've got better results by using the
manufacturer's own driver. My experience is that the Vodafone dashboard
software is absolutely 'orrible, crashing at random times & losing
connections without any apparent reason. There is a 9.3 version, if you
can work your way through the maze & find it, but it's apparently still
in Beta. 9.2.5 is the one you should be using at the moment.

There's also a forum:-

http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/

Someone there might have a solution.

Hope this helps.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

Interestingly there is no "System Restore" tab as part of my "System
Properties" dialogue.

Might this be expected on an Acer laptop?

As a result there are no System Retore points to which I can backdate the
system.


Steve

"John Williamson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> StevePlym wrote:
>> Excuse the cross posting but I'm hoping someone can assist with a
>> problem.
>>
>> A couple of months ago I signed up for Vodafone Mobile Broadband - one of
>> the cheap contracts which gets you the pebble shaped USB modem and runs
>> VMCLite.
>>
>> Recently the act of plugging the device into my laptop has caused a BSOD
>> with an immediate re-boot. No matter which USB socket I use the result
>> seems to be the same and I don't suffer the problem with other USB
>> devices.
>>
>> I've uninstalled the VMCLite software but it does not re-install when the
>> device is reinserted.
>>
>> I've had various suggestions - not enough available memory on the laptop;
>> need to reinstall USB drivers; ask Vodafone for another modem.
>>
>> Can someone please sugegst which of these may be the problem - or give
>> some other clue? Has anyone else had similar problems?
>>
>> Thanks in advance.
>>
> It is, of course, possible that your USB stick has failed. Try plugging it
> into another system & see if it crashes that one. Drastic, but you could
> always take it into your local Vodafone shop & plug it into one of theirs.
>
> How much memory do you have? As long as your system exceeds the minimum
> spec for XP with respect to HD space, memory & processor speed, you should
> be OK.
>
> Have you tried rolling back to a date when it was working, using either
> system restore or rolling back the driver?
>
> There's a troubleshooter on the Vodafone website, which I hereby nominate
> as probably the most frustrating website in the world:-
>
> http://troubleshootinghelp.vodafone....arch&LG=1&PR=1
>
> I use the older PCMCIA card & I've got better results by using the
> manufacturer's own driver. My experience is that the Vodafone dashboard
> software is absolutely 'orrible, crashing at random times & losing
> connections without any apparent reason. There is a 9.3 version, if you
> can work your way through the maze & find it, but it's apparently still in
> Beta. 9.2.5 is the one you should be using at the moment.
>
> There's also a forum:-
>
> http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/
>
> Someone there might have a solution.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> --
> Tciao for Now!
>
> John.

StevePlym wrote:
> Interestingly there is no "System Restore" tab as part of my "System
> Properties" dialogue.
>
> Might this be expected on an Acer laptop?
>
It depends on your OS & the options used when it was installed. System
restore on this machine (A`Toshiba running XP pro) is a program on the
start menu, in accessories/ system, not on the system properties tag.
It's not a default component of Windows XP Home, IIRC, but I could be
wrong. The driver rollback is in the devices tab on the system icon in
the control panel.

> As a result there are no System Retore points to which I can backdate the
> system.
>
Try the forum, then check the modem on another machine, you don't need
to install the driver software, as if it's a hardware problem causing
the crash on your laptop, it'll probably also crash the other machine or
cause strange & wondrous things to happen.

It has been suggested that some USB 1 ports don't provide enough power
to run the modem, so try it in a USB 2 port, as these often have a more
robust power output. Another suggestion is that if you've got more than
one USB port, plugging the modem into a port other than the one it was
first installed to can cause permanent problems later on. The cure
involves using Device Manager to remove all references to the USB hub
built into the modem in the devices section of your system panel, then
trying to reinstall.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> Drastic, but you
> could always take it into your local Vodafone shop & plug it into one of
> theirs.

Unlikely. Laptops in shops are usually secured in such a way that you
cannot physically access the ports.

--
Regards
Jon

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected]
says...
> Interestingly there is no "System Restore" tab as part of my "System
> Properties" dialogue.
>
> Might this be expected on an Acer laptop?

It's possible to turn off system restore, but unusual for a laptop to
come out of the box like it.
--
Regards
Jon

"Krustov" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> <uk.comp.sys.laptops>
> <StevePlym>
> <Wed, 1 Oct 2008 21:47:35 +0100>
> <[email protected]>
>
>> A couple of months ago I signed up for Vodafone Mobile Broadband -
>> one of
>> the cheap contracts which gets you the pebble shaped USB modem and
>> runs
>> VMCLite.
>>
>> Recently the act of plugging the device into my laptop has caused a
>> BSOD
>> with an immediate re-boot. No matter which USB socket I use the
>> result seems
>> to be the same and I don't suffer the problem with other USB devices.
>>
>


You might learn more if you stop the auto reboot.

Right click on My Computer and select Properties.

Click on the Advanced tab, then select Start-up and Recovery.

Uncheck the automatic restart box, then click on OK.

Next time the problem occurs the BSoD will stay on display until you
manually reboot and you will have a chance to find what is causing the
problem (Google the result if necessary.)


The Vodafone software is a pain in another area as well - or at least
the latest version that came with my PCMCIA card is. If you have the
laptop set up for wi-fi, when the software is installed it grabs the
settings and removes them. Net result is that when you next go for wi-fi
you have got to reset it, passwords and all.

If I were cynical (Moi?) I would suggest that this is a deliberate ploy
by Voda to catch out the unwary. If you are one of the user types (as
distinct from someone who knows how to use a computer properly - geek if
you like) it could lead you into thinking you were on a wi-fi network
when you are really using cellular. If you don't pay the bill it could
be some considerable time before anyone finds out.


--
Woody

harrogate three at ntlworld dot com

Jon wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] says...
>> Drastic, but you
>> could always take it into your local Vodafone shop & plug it into one of
>> theirs.
>
> Unlikely. Laptops in shops are usually secured in such a way that you
> cannot physically access the ports.
>
The sales droids can, though. Plus, they've usually got one in a back
room you can persuade them to use, if it's a Vodafone shop & you've got
a problem with a Vodafone phone/ modem.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> > Unlikely. Laptops in shops are usually secured in such a way that you
> > cannot physically access the ports.

> The sales droids can, though. Plus, they've usually got one in a back
> room you can persuade them to use

With around 400 shops I very much doubt they have spare demonstrators.
--
Regards
Jon

Jon wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] says...
>>> Unlikely. Laptops in shops are usually secured in such a way that you
>>> cannot physically access the ports.
>
>> The sales droids can, though. Plus, they've usually got one in a back
>> room you can persuade them to use
>
> With around 400 shops I very much doubt they have spare demonstrators.

Unless you know something I don't I'd expect there to be a computer in
the back office, probably a laptop, with an accessible USB port that's
in working order.
There should be a way of testing these things at least for go/ no-go on
site for warranty purposes. If all else fails, wander into your local
independent PC store & ask them to check it.

Heck, if I was about, I could test it on my machine in about 5 minutes,
including setting up the required restore point, but you've got to catch
up with me first.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> > With around 400 shops I very much doubt they have spare demonstrators.
>
> Unless you know something I don't I'd expect there to be a computer in
> the back office, probably a laptop, with an accessible USB port that's
> in working order.

Corporate security?

The computers in there will be heavily locked down, you certainly would
not be able to use any of the USB ports or install any software at all.

--
Regards
Jon