Question : Problem: Modem for Small Business Server 2003

Hi,
I have small business server 2003 and am currently using a US Robotics v everything 3453c external modem but am experiencing a number of problems with sending and receiving faxes.  After discussion with USR they said that this modem was not supported by SBS and these issues are 'known issues' when working with SBS.   I would like to get a modem that will work with SBS and this is where my problem lies the server has no PCI slots only PCI express slots and I cannot find either a PCI express modem or an external modem that is supported by Windows in the server catalog.  Can you recommend a modem that will work with SBS in this server?

Answer : Problem: Modem for Small Business Server 2003

You should have no problem finding a PCI Express card with serial ports on it, as well as normal PCI.  Then you could plug an external modem into it.  If you don't get your USR modem doing what it's supposed to and end up trying another modem, your next modem for reliability's sake should be an external serial modem.

Modems that connect to a legacy serial port tend to be of a vastly superior quality than ones that connect to a PCI slot or USB port.  The price reflects that.  That's because PCI and USB allow manufacturers to take horrendous shortcuts designing your modem by making your CPU "emulate" the modem's most expensive parts.  See "Winmodem" on Wikipedia for an explanation.