Troubleshooting Dial Direct Connections

If you are having trouble making a Dial Direct connection to a remote computer, or trouble receiving them, please review the following tips for a solution to your problem.

Checklist for Both Guest and Host Computers

Is a modem installed on Windows?

In the Windows Control Panel, double-click the Modems icon. Check to see that a modem is installed on your computer. If no modem is present, install the modem correctly before continuing. You will need to shut down and restart Timbuktu Pro. Check this on both the guest and host computers.

Is the modem working correctly and connected to a live telephone line?

If a modem is listed in the Windows Control Panel, make sure it is working correctly and is connected to a live phone line. From the Windows Start menu, choose Run. Enter dialer to launch the Windows Phone Dialer. Enter a phone number and click Dial. If the call is connected, your modem is installed correctly and is connected to a working phone line. Check this on both the guest and host computers.

Is TCP/IP software installed and properly configured?

Although Dial Direct connections do not require a network, they do use the TCP/IP protocol. If your computer does not have properly configured TCP/IP software, Dial Direct connections will not work. See TCP/IP Troubleshooting for more information about TCP/IP problems.

Is the Dial Direct tab visible?

If the Dial Direct tab does not appear in the main Timbuktu Pro window, it may be because your version of Timbuktu Pro does not support Dial Direct, or because Timbuktu Pro did not detect a modem. Check the About box (from the Help menu, choose About Timbuktu Pro) to make sure you're running Timbuktu Pro 4.5 or later for Windows or Timbuktu Pro 5.2.4 or later for Macintosh. Check this on both the guest and host computers.

If the About box shows that you are running the correct version of Timbuktu Pro, shut down and restart Timbuktu. When you restart Timbuktu Pro, it will select the first modem it finds. To verify the modem selection, check the Dial Direct tab in the Preferences dialog box to see if a modem is selected.

Miscellaneous

If the previous hints don't solve your problem, try using both the host and guest computer to dial different machines. This may isolate whether the problem is a host or guest issue. If you can isolate the problem computer, try the following:

If you're still having trouble, try the following computer-specific solutions.

Host Computer Checklist

When Timbuktu Pro is installed, the default setting for incoming Dial Direct calls is Do Not Answer. On the host computer, in the Dial Direct tab of the Preferences dialog box, make sure you select Answer After n Rings and specify the number of rings (1 is recommended; 0 means do not answer).

If the host is a Macintosh, make sure Dial Direct access is enabled. (See your Timbuktu Pro for Macintosh documentation.) The Macintosh must be running Timbuktu Pro 5.2.4 or greater.

Guest Computer Checklist

On the Dial Direct tab in the main Timbuktu Pro window, make sure the correct country code, area code, and phone number are entered. Make sure a Dialing Location is selected.

In the Dialing Properties dialog box, make sure the correct country code and area code for your computer (not the remote computer) is selected. Check that the Area Code Rules are correct. If you need to dial a number to access an outside line (for example, you may have to dial 9 dial out of your company's telephone system), enter it. You may wish to disable call waiting, if it is on.

Make sure the connection timeout is not set too low.