A
Winmodem is a
modem designed to work with the
Microsoft Windows operating system. A traditional
modem uses
hardware to perform its tasks, but Winmodems perform their key tasks with
software. This makes them cheaper, but also means that they cannot be easily used on other
operating systems. In addition, they take up some of the
CPU cycles on the computer to which they are attached, which can slow down application software. They are sometimes referred to as a "port-on-a-stick".