Q I switched my Dell PC from Windows Vista to Windows XP in order to go from a dial-up Internet connection to a faster broadband connection from AT&T. Now I want to go back to dial-up access to save money, but I can't make XP work with the modem. I keep getting a "692" hardware error message and no modem dial tone. What can I do to make the modem work? Or, if I removed Windows XP, would Vista come back so I could easily use dial-up?
ED MEYER, KEY BISCAYNE, FLA.
A The error code 692 just means your modem isn't working. It worked with Vista because you had a Vista-compatible software driver pre-installed on your PC.
To make the modem work with XP, you need to download XP-compatible driver software. (You can get someone to download it, then transfer it to your PC with a portable flash drive.) Ask Dell to tell you the modem's manufacturer and model number so you can find the right website, then search for an XP driver for that modem.
Uninstalling Windows XP won't bring Vista back; you'd have to reinstall it with the Vista disk. But back up your data first, because it will be deleted.
Q When I try to change my PC settings back to the way they were on Aug. 9 using Windows System Restore, I get a failure message. Why did it fail?
DEAN REINKE, MINNEAPOLIS
A One of several reasons.