Q I am considering the upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista but am worried my broadband modem may not be compatible. I use an AOL supplied BT Voyager 105 modem. I ran the Windows Vista: Upgrade Advisor but the advice was confusing. There were two possible references: PPPoEWin Miniport and Globespan USB ADSL LAN Modem. There was no compatibility advice for either so I don't know whether I should upgrade or not.

A AOL is not providing drivers for some of the older USB modems it has supplied for broadband customers. These models include the BT Voyager 50, BT Voyager 100, BT Voyager 105, Thompson Speedtouch 330 and Alcatel Speedtouch.

Their advice is to buy an Ethernet-based modem or modem router. These connect to the network socket on the back of the computer. This socket looks a lot like the one for the modem but is slightly wider. If the computer does not have a socket like this, an internal card can be bought cheaply. An example is the Belkin 10/100 Network PCI card that costs around £10. A wireless modem router would allow you to connect using a USB wireless adapter, easier to fit but more expensive.