I have been using a certain model of modem in my computer for a few months, though I am on the third one now. I've taken them back to Walmart for exchange due to malfuntions.<br /><br />The first one worked fine at first. But after a while, we started noticing that it would not release the phone line after I disconnected from the net. Okay, no problem, right?<br /><br />So I take it back and exchange it. The next one (same model) works fine for a few weeks and then suddenly one day refuses to dial a number at all. D-E-A-D! So, I take it back for an exchange, and I bring home the third one of the same model.<br /><br />This one works fine, after a fashion. But one evening about a week ago, my wife was one the phone talking to a friend, and the modem starts trying to pick up the line. She unplugs the modem from the phone line, continues her conversation, and all's well. I decided there's a program somewhere that wants to do an update or something of that nature, but I didn't know what it is and didn't investigate due to time constraints. So, I start powering down the computer while I am not on line.<br /><br />I come home from work a couple of nights ago and my wife starts telling me about her phone conversation with a friend. She has this funny look on her face and tells me that my computer is messing with her phone calls again...so she comes in here to turn the computer off. But the computer was ALREADY OFF!<br /><br />(Yeah, I know what you must be thinking---she needs to lay off the sauce, huh? No, not her---the world's most sober person.)<br /><br />So, she has to unplug my modem from the phone jack, even though the computer is powered down!<br /><br />Only thing I can figure is that there's some circuitry in the modem that is powered by the phone line itself in addition to some firmware that is trying to do something. That's believable, but I most certainly never heard of such a thing.<br /><br />Anyone else ever have such an experience? Any definitive explanation?<br /><br />(I'd attach the theme music to The Twilight Zone if I could).<br /><br /> ![Eek! :eek: :eek:](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)