Whats the deal with AMR modems

AMR modems. You are treading in shark-infested waters here!

AMR modems aren't actually 'modems' as such. The 'modem' card is actually just a line interface which sits between the phone line, and the AC97 chipset on your motherboard. As well as performing the signal processing and other modem functions, the AC97 chipset also provides on-board audio. In order for the AMR modem to work correctly, the audio must be enabled in the BIOS (or by jumpers) and the drivers correctly loaded.

If the AMR modem is enabled, but sound is disabled (as often happens if you fit a better sound card) then the modem will not work correctly. The dial-tones and data frequencies are also determined by software and the country settings for the modem MUST be correct. An AMR modem set to USA may work in the UK and Germany for instance, but an AMR modem set to UK will NOT dial correctly in the US. Often, generic drivers are targeted at the USA and will not always work in other countries. Remember also that these modems are software based, and if you have lots of background tasks running, or you have a slow machine, the modem is the first thing to malfunction of the processor is busy doing other things.

Certain AMR modems just refuse to work on certain telephone networks. For example, AMR modems as commonly fitted to Packard Bell machines will NOT work in the UK when connected to NTL telephone lines, yet they work fine on BT lines.

Wherever possible, avoid AMR modems like the plague. In many cases however(PC CHIPS motherboards especially and the M810LMR in particular), everything is built onto the mobo and there are only two PCI slots. If your slots are full, then the only way you can fit a modem is to use the AMR slot or use an external modem. If you DO have a free PCI slot, there are no free IRQ's for a PCI modem because all the on-board devices hog them all!