Gerry, After looking at the list of IRQs from, I would assume, your own system, it looks much more like I would expect to be showing up, rather than the lop sided listing I am seeing on my own system.
Since modem and ethernet operations are similiarly based, having both dealing with the same IRQ would make sense, as would others showing up on your list. Likewise for several others you have showing as well. What I am totally blown away by is the weird combination of devices that Win98SE decided to group together on my system - how it decided to come to this set of combos is non-understandable. Here is the break down on my system: 00 system timer 01 keyboard 02 interrupt controller 03 com2 04 com1 05 Ethernet PCI adapter SB Audigy PC DVD Encore VIA PCI to USB controller ACPI IRQ holder for PCI IRQ steering 06 floppy disk controller 07 printer port 1 08 system real time clock 09 SCI IRQ used by ACPI bus 10 firewire host controller from ethernet card ACPI IRQ holder for PCI IRQ steering 11 firewire host controller from sound card AGP Pure/Deluxe ACPI IRQ holder for PCI IRQ steering 12 mouse 13 numeric data processor 14 VIA bus master PCI IDE controller Primary IDE controller (dual fifo) 15 VIA bus master PCI IDE controller Secondary IDE controller (dual fifo) WHY would it need to assign multiple IRQs to several system devices is what I have to wonder, since, for example, ACPI IRQ holder for PCI IRQ steering is assigned 05, 10, and 11??? Why put the firewire controller on different IRQs - why not both on the same IRQ??? It put the video card IRQ on the same as one of the firewire controllers - weird. Some of these I can understand needed exclusive use of an IRQ, such as the floppy controller, timer, and similar. BUT since I dont use a parallel port printer anymore (mine is USB based), cant IRQ 07 be used for other than the parallel port??? Any sugguestions you might see of how to change/distribute this conglomerate of devices to make more sense, based on what you have seen??? This is one area that I have not had to handle/deal with in my years of PC work. Usually the assignments that windows makes has proven to be without any problems. So this time it is proving to be problamatic for me to try and solve. Now I am also wondering if the drivers and related software, possibly hardware, for my video card could be a problem, since am noticing weird flashing and other things showing up at times the last couple of days on my monitor. After going to OrangeMicro's web site, and looking for info regarding my ethernet/firewire card, in their FAQ section, one thing they bring up A LOT is things regarding the video drivers/IRQs and similar being a problem with system stability. So not sure if my video card could be one of the root causes of the system problems I have been going through with the windows reinstalls I have been doing lately. Also, the software for my audigy sound card, it turns out, is from the first commercial release of the unit from Creative - was adviced today to call customer service and request a new CD of the latest drivers and software for the sound card, which I am going to do Monday. So this gets more and more currious as the issues keep coming up, it would seem. Ralph Gerald E. Boyd wrote: > > At 01:31 PM 1/25/02 -0800, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote the following: > > >Actually, the problem is, supposedly, that windows is constantly, with each > >install of Win98SE, putting TOO many devices in the same system IRQ value, > >by itself, since it is finding all the daughter boards installed in the > >system right when the install happens - in this case, it is IRQ 5. This > >includes the sound card, DVD decoder card, the LAN card, and 2 system > >devices. The tech at Creative Labs thought that this many devices all > >sharing the same IRQ was a MAJOR problem waiting to happen, and would end > >up giving me the kinds of problems I have been having with the system after > >Win98SE was installed - that is, totally random problems with the windows > >registry, system problems, and other things happen, on a random basis. That > >was the reason for his sugguestion of taking all the boards but video card > >out, and then do the Win98SE install. Once the system was up and running, > >then install each board and its drivers and software, one at a time. This > >would, hopefully, get windows to distribute the drivers and related items > >among the various IRQs, instead of lumping them all together in one single > >IRQ. > [snip] > > There are a limited numbers of IRQs (15 to be exact). Each of these is used > by some device. So if you have more than 15 "things" then the IRQs must be > shared. No getting around this problem. If you look at System Information > (Start -- Programs -- Accessories -- System Tools -- System Information) > and click on "+" in front of Hardware then click on IRQs. You should see > something like this: > > 0 System timer > 1 Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural Keyboard > 2 Programmable interrupt controller > 3 Communications Port (COM2) > 4 Communications Port (COM1) > 5 YAMAHA OPL3-SAx WDM Driver > 6 Standard Floppy Disk Controller > 7 Printer Port (LPT1) > 8 System CMOS/real time clock > 9 Zoom PCI 56K HCF Faxmodem > 9 NETGEAR FA310TX Fast Ethernet PCI Adapter > 9 Zoom PCI Modem Controller > 9 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering > 9 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering > 10 Intel 82371AB/EB PCI to USB Universal Host Controller > 10 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering > 11 Intel740-854 Win9x PV2.0b 3.1.1927-980727 > 11 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering > 12 PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port > 13 Numeric data processor > 14 Primary IDE controller (dual fifo) > 14 Intel 82371AB/EB PCI Bus Master IDE Controller > 15 Secondary IDE controller (dual fifo) > 15 Intel 82371AB/EB PCI Bus Master IDE Controller > > As you can see, IRQ 9 is shared by a modem and an Ethernet card. If I added > more devices to this computer, some other IRQ would also have to be shared. > The trick is to figure out which items can be shared but not interfere with > one another and then move them around until things work. > > You are going to have to do the same thing. That is why I gave the link > about disabling IRQ sharing. There is no easy way to do this except by > trial and error or help from the manufacturer's web site. In my case, my > Ethernet card was moved from another IRQ (I forget which one but it was > causing problems) to IRQ9 (instructions were included by Netgear) > > -- > Gerry Boyd ============= PCWorks Mailing List ================= Don't see your post? Check our posting guidelines & make sure you've followed proper posting procedures, http://pcworkers.com/rules.htm Contact list owner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Unsubscribing and other changes: http://pcworkers.com =====================================================
