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Applies to all editions of Windows Vista.

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See also

Advanced dial-up settings

There are six dialing features that can help you customize the dial-up connection process. The table below briefly describes them, and the sections that follow explain how to use them.

Dialing features

Dialing feature

Function

Callback

Reduces your phone charges by having the remote access server call you back after you connect. The server administrator must set up callback on the server before you can use it.

Autodial

Automatically dials a destination based on network traffic (for example, your Internet service provider (ISP)).

Phone number modifiers

Inserts characters to force dialing behaviors, such as "pause" or "suspend dialing until input is provided." (These characters are useful if you need to get an outside line first, for example, or if you need operator assistance.)

Redial options

Specifies the number of times your connection automatically redials if you don't connect the first time. You can also set this feature to reconnect automatically if you're disconnected because the dialed connection has been idle for a certain amount of time.

Multiple phone numbers

Assigns more than one destination phone number to your dial-up connection. (This is useful if you have a list of phone numbers to connect to, because if the first number is busy, the next number in the list will be dialed automatically.)

Operator-assisted calls or manual dialing

Overrides automatic dial-up when you need to go through an operator or dial manually.
Tip

Tip

To configure dial-up options (such as dialing 9 for an outside line, disabling call waiting, or using pulse dialing instead of tone dialing) for a group of connections within a location:

Open Phone and Modem Options by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Hardware and Sound, and then clicking Phone and Modem Options.

If you haven't opened Phone and Modem Options before, a dialog box will be displayed, prompting you to type your area code and access codes.

Show all

To configure callback

If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might prevent you from completing these steps.

  1. Open Network Connections by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet, clicking Network and Sharing Center, and then clicking Manage network connections.

  2. Select the dial-up connection, press the ALT key, click the Advanced menu, and then click Remote Access Preferences.

    Note

    Note

    If you haven't opened Phone and Modem Options in Control Panel before, the Location Information dialog box will be displayed, prompting you to type your area code and other access codes.

  3. Click the Callback tab, and then do one of the following:

    • To never use callback, click No callback.

    • To decide whether to use callback each time you connect, click Ask me during dialing when the server offers.

    • To use callback consistently, click Always call me back at the number‍(s) below, and then select the modem or device that you want to be called back on.

    • If Phone number is blank for the selected device, click Edit, and then type the number.

    • To remove a modem or device from the list of possible callback devices, click the modem or device, and then click Delete.

Note

Note

The system administrator for the server you are dialing into can override any callback settings that you set up by denying the use of callback or requiring callback to a particular number. If you think your callback options might be limited, contact your system administrator.

To configure autodial

If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might prevent you from completing these steps.

Autodial is enabled by default, but you can choose where you want to enable it.

  1. Open Network Connections by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet, clicking Network and Sharing Center, and then clicking Manage network connections.

  2. Press the ALT key, click the Advanced menu, and then click Remote Access Preferences.

  3. On the Autodial tab, select the check box next to the location where you want to enable autodial, and then click OK.

To configure phone number modifiers

If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might prevent you from completing these steps.

  1. Open Network Connections by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet, clicking Network and Sharing Center, and then clicking Manage network connections.

  2. Right-click the dial-up connection that you want to configure, and then click Properties.

  3. On the General tab, modify the phone number by using one or more characters from the following table.

    Phone number modifiers

    Character

    Function

    , (comma)

    Pauses briefly (two seconds for most modems) before continuing. For example, when you dial from a hotel room, you might have to add 9 to the number you are calling to get an outside line. For example: 9,555-0100.

    The comma after the 9 creates a pause long enough for the hotel's phone system to connect the modem to an outside line before continuing to dial the number.

    P

    Switches from touch-tone to pulse dialing.

    T

    Switches from pulse to touch-tone dialing.

    $

    Waits for a calling card prompt tone.
Tip

Tip

By selecting the Use dialing rules check box, and then clicking Dialing Rules, you can create a location that specific dialing rules automatically apply to. For example, if you frequently connect from home and need to turn off call waiting, you can create a location that automatically dials the code to turn off call waiting before the connection call is placed. However, if you see unfamiliar characters being dialed before your number, make sure that the Use dialing rules check box is not selected. If it is, a location might be enforcing a dialing rule that you do not need, such as automatically entering a 1 for long-distance dialing.

To configure redial options

If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might prevent you from completing these steps.

By default, a dial-up connection redials three times (at one-minute intervals) if it cannot reach the remote access server. Also by default, a connection does not redial if the line is dropped. Follow these steps to change these options.

  1. Open Network Connections by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet, clicking Network and Sharing Center, and then clicking Manage network connections.

  2. Right-click the dial-up connection that you want to configure, and then click Properties.

  3. On the Options tab, in Redial attempts, specify the number of times the dial-up connection is redialed if the first connection attempt fails.

  4. In Time between redial attempts, click the arrows to set the amount of time to pause between the end of one attempt and the beginning of another.

    This time is designed to let the device and the phone line reset before redialing and for the destination number to become free if it is busy. The default is one minute. If that's not enough time, increase this setting. You can also experiment with shorter times, but if you make the pause too short, the device or the phone line might not have time to reset.

  5. In Idle time before hanging up, click the arrows to set the amount of idle time before hanging up a connection.

    The remote access server also has a disconnect timer. If you set Idle time before hanging up to a high time-out number, the connection might disconnect before the time passes because the server might have a shorter time-out setting.

  6. To have the connection automatically redial if the line is dropped, select the Redial if line is dropped check box.

Note

Note

Some web browsers also have settings for dial-up connections. Make sure they don't conflict with these redial options.

To assign multiple phone numbers to a dial-up connection

If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might prevent you from completing these steps.

  1. Open Network Connections by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet, clicking Network and Sharing Center, and then clicking Manage network connections.

  2. Right-click the dial-up connection that you want to configure, and then click Properties.

  3. On the General tab, click Alternates, and then do any of the following:

    • To have the connection try a different phone number if the first number in the list is not successful, select the If a number fails, try the next number check box.

    • To have the connection move the first successful phone number to the top of the list under Phone numbers and use it on the next connection try, click Move successful numbers to top of the list.

    • To add a new phone number to the list, click Add, and in Phone number, type the phone number.

    • To change the order of phone numbers under Phone numbers, click a number, and then click the arrows until the phone number is in the correct order.

    • To remove a phone number under Phone numbers, click the number, and then click Delete.

    • To have the connection use established area code and dialing rules, on the General tab, select the Use dialing rules check box.

Tip

Tip

If you have alternate phone numbers defined for a connection, you can specify a particular phone number at the time you make your connection.

To enable operator-assisted calls or manual dialing

If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might prevent you from completing these steps.

  1. Open Network Connections by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet, clicking Network and Sharing Center, and then clicking Manage network connections.

  2. Select the dial-up connection, press the ALT key, click the Advanced menu, and then click Operator-Assisted Dialing. (If operated-assisted dialing is already enabled, Operator-Assisted Dialing on the Advanced menu is selected.)

  3. Double-click the connection that you want to dial.

  4. Pick up the telephone, and then dial the number or ask the operator to dial it for you. The number assigned to the entry is displayed in the dialog box for easy reference.

  5. Immediately after you finish dialing, click Dial on the connection dialog box.

  6. Hang up the phone after the modem takes control of the line (you'll hear a click followed by silence).

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