ME not (always) detecting my broadband modem

When I boot (or reboot) my usb ADSL modem is often not recognised. This means
that my ability to access broadband is purely random. This happens whether I
have made any software changes or not. I can't find any correlation between
any actions and the ability to connect.

There is only one area that may be connected with the problem. When I
started using bb I deleted my dial-up connection information and now
accessing ToolInternet OptionsConnections shows nothing in the 'Dial-up and
VPN settings'.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.