Dell 8250: Error 633

The Dell 8250 desktop, from the company's Dimension series, runs the Windows XP operating system, and contains an Ethernet card and V.92 modem that transmits at 56 kbit/s. A message of "Error 633" indicates a problem with your dial-up or broadband connection, rather than the computer's modem or network card.

Driver Incompatibility

If you encounter Error 633 when you attempt to use the V.92 modem to dial into a phone-based server such a bulletin board, then a driver incompatibility exists, meaning that you installed a device or software suite whose drivers weren't designed for Windows XP. Resolving this entails removing programs one by one from the Add or Remove Programs interface of the Control Panel until the problem disappears.

Bluetooth Interface Power

Error 633 also may occur on your Dell 8250 if you upgrade its operating system to Windows XP Service Pack 2 and add a Bluetooth wireless interface. In this case, an attempt to establish a dial-up connection via the phone fails because you accidentally or purposefully turned off the Bluetooth interface before trying to establish the connection. Rebooting your computer powers the interface and solves the problem.

Improper Settings

If the error message includes a notification that your "modem is not installed or configured for Dial-Up Networking," then the Telephon.ini file is corrupted or the Telephony Application Programming Interface is missing from the registry. To resolve the former problem, you must locate the file through the Start menu and rename it to "Telephon.old" before typing "Tapiini.exe" in the Run box. To compensate for the missing TAPI entry, however, you must locate the following key using Regedit, and change its value to "TSP3216L.tsp":

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\ Telephony\Providers

Overlapping Broadband

Only one active broadband connection may exist on a Windows desktop computer. If you attempt to create a new broadband connection and encounter Error 633, it means another active connection already exists. You will need to locate the active connection in Network Connections, disable it and then reboot your computer. Once the computer boots, creating the new connection should resolve the error.

References

• PC World: Dell Dimension 8250 Desktop Computer Specs
• Microsoft Support: Error 633 Modem Is Already in Use
• Microsoft Support: Error 633 Occurs When You Try to Create a Dial-Up Connection
• Microsoft Support: The Modem Is Not Installed or Configured
• Microsoft Support: Error 633 When Starting Broadband Connection