YJ wrote:

Sorry if I wasn't clear enough. I'm quite sure that before I
reinstalled the PC, when I entered 2125551212 and tabbed to the next
field the tel number was shown as (212) 555-1212. Now it remains
exactly as entered: 2125551212. I'm trying to have it go back to the
'Before' condition, when I didn't need to enter the parents, dash,
etc.

As Russ said, use COntrol Panel's Modem and Dialing Options applet to set
your dialing location properly.
--
Brian Tillman