Questions from a newb

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Been scouting these and some other forums and am getting a handle but i have a few issues/questions.

1. The modem i have to mod is a Webstar2100 (R2). Is is a good choice being a VM issue with the 'bricking' atm? (it is not my original). In another thread lincsat mentioned that by setting a custom telnet login and syncing some serial numbers this could be avoided but someone else said this would only work short term....... can anyone clear this up ?

2. I have a legacy free motherboard (no serial interface). Will a simple serial-usb cable do the trick or am i better off buying a serial interface card?

3. If i buy a ready made Max232 its simply a case of hooking it up, no soldering, right?

Cheers