Macintosh Troubleshooting - Cannot connect: The Open Button Unavailable - MacPPP 2.0.1 or FreePPP 1.0.4

There can be few reasons that could be causing this to happen. Before you follow the instructions below, please make sure you reboot your system and try again.

1. Open ConfigPPP/FreePPP (Under Apple - Control Panels - ConfigPPP/MacPPP/FreePPP) and make sure that your settings are all there. Check that the phone number is entered as the Open button may be grey if the number is not available. You can check your settings by comparing them to those listed in the Macintosh configuration page for your version of the Mac OS. Did that help? If not, try the next step.
2. Check that the modem is set to the correct port. If the modem is connected to the modem port, then make sure that "modem port" is selected in the settings. If the modem is connected to the printer port, make sure that "printer port" is selected.
3. If you have MacTCP, open it (Under Apple - Control Panels - MacTCP) and make sure that you have selected the correct PPP software you are using. If you have TCP/IP, open it (Under Apple - Control Panels - TCP/IP) and make sure that you have selected the PPP that you are using to connect. You can check these settings in the Macintosh configuration page for your version of the Mac OS.
4. Make sure that your PPP software is selected in the Extensions Manager (Under Apple - Control Panel - Extensions Manager). If PPP is not there (or if you don't have Extensions Manager) go to your Hard Drive then System Folder and Extensions and make sure that your PPP software is listed there and that the icon does not look like a dog-eared piece of paper.
5. If the (Free)PPP icon looks like a dog-eared piece of paper, you will need to try rebuilding the desktop. It is recommended to rebuild the desktop on a Macintosh approximately once a month. This can be done by restarting the Mac and holding down the Apple+Option keys at the same time. If that doesn't help, you might need to try running DFA (Short for Disk First Aid) or Norton Utilities for Macintosh. It is possible that you are having some problems with your hard drive. If that doesn't help, try the next step.
6. If (Free)PPP software is not showing in the Extensions list or the last step didn't work you will need to reinstall the dialer/software.
7. It is also possible that the PPP Preferences file is corrupted. Go into the Hard drive then System Folder then Preferences folder and move the PPP Preferences file to the desktop, and then restart your Macintosh. Then go back into ConfigPPP and re-enter the settings.

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