Instruction Manual
User's Manual If Something Goes Wrong 4-7
Version
1
Last Saved on 22/09/00 09:50
Equium 8000 User's Manual – 04CHAP.DOC – ENGLISH – Printed on 22/09/00 as 04_800UK
Resolving hardware conflicts on your own
Computer components need resources to accomplish a task. A device,
such as a CD-ROM drive or a modem, needs a channel to the computer’s
processor. It also needs a direct channel to the computer’s memory to
store information as it works. These channels of communication are
commonly referred to as system resources.
Interrupt request channel
An interrupt request (IRQ) is the channel to the processor which enables
the device to interrupt what the processor is doing and request some of
the processor’s time. If two or more devices use the same IRQ, the
processor does not know which device is asking for attention. This is one
type of hardware conflict.
Direct Memory Access
Similarly, the data required by the device are stored in a specific place or
address in memory called the Direct Memory Access (DMA). The DMA
provides a dedicated channel for adaptor cards to bypass the
microprocessor and access memory directly. If two or more devices use
the same DMA, the data required by one device overwrite the data
required by the other. If this occurs, you have a hardware conflict.
Plug and Play
When supported, Plug and Play prevents hardware conflicts. Plug and
Play is a computer standard that helps the system BIOS and the
operating system to automatically assign system resources to Plug and
Play-compliant devices. In theory, if every device connected to the
computer is Plug and Play-compliant, no two devices will compete for
the same system resources. You simply plug in the device and turn on the
computer. Windows automatically sets up your system to accommodate
the new device.
However, if you install an older (legacy) device that Windows cannot
recognise, Windows may have difficulty assigning system resources to it.
As a result, a hardware conflict can occur. To see what resources
Windows has assigned to the device, see Checking device properties.
Resolving conflicts
You can do three things to resolve hardware conflicts:
YDisable the device.
For an older device, remove it from the computer. For a Plug and
Play device, see Fixing a problem with device manager below.
YDisable another system component and use its resources for the new
device.
See Fixing a problem with device manager below.
YReconfigure the device so that its requirements do not conflict.
Refer to the device’s documentation for instructions about changing
settings on the device.