Sorry. I meant this would be an experiement that would assist my
troubleshooting. If for some reason the internal modem had no more nor no
less
disconnects than the external modem, then I might be able to rule out phone
line
problems.

That sounds reasonable.

As I've said before, I think it's unrealistic to nail down a diagnosis on
something as vague as this using an online forum where people can't actually
play with my very own computer. I am trying to keep my threads very focused.
E.g. see the subject lines of the two threads here. If my efforts seem way
off,
I'm sure someone will tell me. Also, obviously the learning curve at my end
is
steep, due to my other experience in technology.

True. All we can offer are essentially educated guesses until one of us can
actually check out your computer to figure it out.

I am set for now. Thanks again.

You're welcome. Good luck! - Reinhart