Using Other Vendor's Drivers

Soft56 - Using Other Drivers - Step-By-Step Example Part I

Windows' Add New Hardware is used to install Rockwell/Conexant Soft56 and HCF Modems. If the modem is not installed (or not properly installed), Add New Hardware is run automatically when Windows starts up.

Before you install an updated driver, you must remove the modem with Windows' ADD/REMOVE Programs - your modem will be one of the entries listed.

The driver package will contain 2 files with .inf extension. Windows will not let you install the driver if the PCI IDs of your modem do not match the PCI IDs contained in the .inf file.

Following is example of getting the 3.05.02 driver to work with the modem supplied in E-Machines ETower 466:

Determine PCI ID information of modem using PCI Tree:

My modems VID = 14F1, DID = 2013; SubVID = 155D and SubID = 6793.

Now, take a look at the .inf files included with the updated driver you are going to use. In this case, DCRCST9.inf, and DCRCST9x.inf, and modify the files to specify your IDs:

Original DCRCST9.inf

[Strings]
CompanyName = "Generic"
ProductName = "Generic SoftK56 Modem"
Author = "Generic" ;Used to make filename in \INF\OTHER
Mfg = "Generic"
PCIFriendlyName = "Generic PCI Modem Enumerator"
PCIFriendlyName2 = "Generic PCI Modem Enumerator"
ModemShortName = "Generic SoftK56 PCI Modem"
WinDiskName = "Generic SoftK56 Modem Installation Disk" ;Diskette LABEL
PCIModemID = CXT\VEN_14F1&DEV_2F00&SUBSYS_200014F1 ;This MUST match in the Child INF

[HSF_MODEM]
%PCIFriendlyName% = ModemPORT, PCI\VEN_14F1&DEV_2F00&SUBSYS_200014F1

Modified DCRCST9.inf:

PCIModemID = CXT\VEN_14F1&DEV_2013&SUBSYS_6793155D ;This MUST match in the Child INF

[HSF_MODEM]
%PCIFriendlyName% = ModemPORT, PCI\VEN_14F1&DEV_2013&SUBSYS_6793155D

Original DCRCST9x.inf:

[Models]
;This must match ModemID by Filename of child
%HSFModem1% = HSFModem1, CXT\VEN_14F1&DEV_2F00&SUBSYS_200014F1

Modified DCRCST9x.inf:

[Models]
;This must match ModemID by Filename of child
%HSFModem1% = HSFModem1, CXT\VEN_14F1&DEV_2013&SUBSYS_6793155D

Note: Most vendors supply driver packages as a zip or self-extracting zip file. To access the .inf files, you need to unzip the driver package, and should store the files in a directory of its own. Some vendors may set the file attribute of the .inf file to Read Only preventing you from saving changes to it. You can make a second copy of the driver set in another directory, delete the .inf files from it, and save the modified .inf files in the second copy's directory.

NEXT STEP: REMOVE EXISTING MODEM INSTALLATION, AND INSTALL NEW DRIVER.