Understood. I don't think linux will fix the modem, but I've had success using linux to diagnose problems like this. I suppose a windows expert could get the same stuff, but linux makes it relatively easy to get detailed hardware information. Linux is transparent, predictable. I'm never sure what windows is doing behind all those GUIs (graphical user interfaces).

Anyway, the two commands (lspci and dmesg) can be issued any time after the system has come all the way up. Log in, open a command window (it'll be called something like "command shell", "xterm", "console", etc.), and type "lspci" (no quotes). Then type "dmesg" (no quotes). Neither one will do anything to the hardware. Both just print some information that may or may not be helpful. I'm hoping lspci at least shows your modem even if it's not being assigned to a device. If your modem doesn't show up, it might be dead. :-(

Edit: As you know, there are several different linux distributions. They're all slightly different. If you get "command not found" for either of the above commands, you probably still have the command but it's not in your default PATH.