"Line in Use" error, very odd modem issue

[crisc]

One of my users has a Toshiba Tecra notebook running Windows 98 and an internal modem. About a week ago while he was dialed in, he was suddenly disconnected, and ever since the modem doesn't even dial.
I've tried reloading the latest drivers, removing it from Dev Mgr and letting Windows redetect and reinstall it, even just trying to use the phone dialer I can only hear a faint *click* as if it is picking up the line, then a popup "Line In Use" error appears. Needless to say, the line is NOT in use. Diagnostics come back normally, so the modem IS talking to the PC, just not the phone line.
With this in mind, I turned off the option to make the modem wait for a dial tone before dialing the number, and the modem then actually dialed the number, but the line doesn't connect, its as if its not opening the line or something.
I've never seen this behavior before. I could just write off the modem as trash, but I wonder if there's anything else you guys can think of?

 

[mpnut]

Did you take a phone and connect it to the phone line to make sure that the line is working. Could be bad phone line.

 

[crisc]

Yes, thanks. I've hooked his PC up to 2 different lines here at work, and after each failure hooked a normal phone up to the line and heard the expected dial tone.

 

[crisc]

I replaced the modem, and its fine now.

 

[mattjurado]

The other test I like to tell people to run is to use hyperterminal. If you can't connect using dial up networking or hyperterminal, and you know the line is good, then you know you have an issue with the modem. I connect to 1-888-296-3892, which is a v90 AT&T line. You should get a authentication prompt, if you get garbled characters, or it doesn't connect, then that modem has some issues.

Matt J.