Hi!

Most OEM modems are more effective as fishing lures
than reliable devices - I'd bet they cost PC mfrs less than $5.

That would be funny if it wasn't true. These days most modems don't even
have proper circuitry to handle the phone line since it's all integrated
into the almost-microscopic "placeholder" IC on the modem card. Which means
that a surge that once would destroy only the line facing circuitry in the
modem now usually eats the motherboard as well. (I have a huge pile of
modems with "craters" in the IC that I steal parts off of for projects.)

But to bring this back on topic...

I think the OP may have some options, if they go into the modem entry in
Device Manager and look at the advanced properties, they might be able to
change the resources the modem is using. Today's modems can handle almost
unlimited placement in the system's resource table. They're no longer
limited to COM1/COM3 or COM2/COM4 and the underlying fixed resources.

William