The following sections provide descriptions of the New Location and Edit Location settings in Phone and Modem Options.
Open Phone and Modem Options by clicking 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.
Use the General tab in the New Location dialog box to set up the basic properties of your dialing location, such as the name and the area code associated with this location. This information will be displayed in the list on the General tab.
The following table describes the options on the General tab in the New Location dialog box.
Type a name for a new location (or change the name of an existing location).
Select the country or region in which this location exists.
Identify the area code for the phone line that calls from this location will be made from.
If you need to type certain numbers to access an outside line, enter the numbers here. If you need to have a carrier code for long-distance or international calls, enter those numbers also.
If you have call waiting and want to disable it when the modem dials, select the To disable call waiting, dial: check box, and then enter the code your phone provider requires to disable call waiting. Commonly used codes are listed, but you can also type your own. If your phone provider supports disabling call waiting, it's a good idea to do this because call waiting can disconnect a call.
If you have only pulse-style dialing, select Pulse. Otherwise, select Tone.
In some places, some prefixes within an area code are considered local calls, and other prefixes within the same area code are considered long distance. Use this tab to specify those relationships and the rules for dialing those numbers.
The following table describes the options on the Area Code Rules tab in the New Location dialog box.
Area code rules
Lists the area code rules that you have already created, showing the area code, prefixes, and how numbers matching each rule are dialed.
Allows you to create a new area code rule. (See "To define an area code rule" later in this topic.)
Allows you to edit an existing area code rule. (See "To define an area code rule" later in this topic.)
Deletes the currently selected area code rule.
In the New Area Code Rule dialog box, specify how certain phone numbers in the same or other area codes need to be dialed.
The following table describes the options in the New Area Code Rule dialog box (or the Edit Area Code Rule dialog box).
Enter the area code that requires special dialing. It can be the same area code that you are dialing from.
If all of the prefixes in an area code are dialed the same way from your location, select the first option. If certain prefixes in the destination area code need to be dialed differently from the others, select the second option, and then click Add to specify each prefix.
If you need to dial numbers to access phone numbers in the defined area code and prefixes, select the Dial check box, and then type the numbers in the box provided.
If the area code is required to dial numbers in the specified prefixes, select the Include the area code check box.
The Calling Card tab lists different calling-card dialing rules. When you use a calling card, you usually have to dial an access number, your account number, a PIN, and the phone number that you want to dial. Every card could require different combinations of these elements, and could require them in a different order than cards from other providers. Use this tab to specify which calling card to use for each type of call. If a specific card is not in the list, you can create a new definition and specify its rules.
The following table describes the options on the Calling Card tab in the New Location dialog box.
Lists the calling cards currently defined on your computer. Select the one you want to use from the list.
Allows you to create a new calling card definition. See Phone and Modem Options: setting up calling card information.
Allows you to edit the currently selected calling card definition. See Phone and Modem Options: setting up calling card information.
Removes the selected calling card definition from the list.
Requires you to enter the account number from your calling card provider.
Personal ID number (PIN)
Requires you to enter the PIN number from your calling card provider.
Access phone numbers for
Displays the access numbers to be used for each type of call made with this card. To change the access numbers, click the calling card definition, and then click Edit.