Toshiba Satellite 1905-S277 User Guide - Page 206

206 If Something Goes Wrong Resolving a hardware conflict The device most recently connected to the system is the one most likely to be causing a hardware conflict. Resolving hardware conflicts on your own Computer components need resources to accomplish a task. A device, such as a disk drive or a modem, needs a channel to the computer's Central Processing Unit (CPU). 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 The channel to the CPU is called an Interrupt Request (IRQ) because it interrupts what the processor is doing and requests 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 causes a hardware conflict. Direct Memory Access Similarly, the data required by the device is stored in a specific place or address in memory called the Direct Memory Access (DMA). The DMA provides a dedicated channel for adapter cards to bypass the microprocessor and access memory directly. If two or more devices use the same DMA, the data required by one device overwrites the data required by the other, causing a hardware conflict. Resolving conflicts There are three things you can do to resolve hardware conflicts: ❖ Disable the device. For an older device, remove it from the computer. ❖ Disable another system component and use its resources for the new device, see "Fixing a problem with Device Manager" on page 207.