Dell Inspiron 3000 Reference and Troubleshooting Guide - Page 52
Input Errors, Memory-Resident Programs, Program Conflicts, Avoiding Interrupt Assignment Conflicts - audio drivers
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Input Errors If a specific key or set of keys is pressed at the wrong time, a program may give you unexpected results. See the documentation that came with the application program to make sure the values or characters you are entering do not conflict with the application program you are using. Make sure the operating system is compatible with the programs you use. Keep in mind that whenever you change the parameters of the computer's operating system, you may affect the successful operation of the programs. Sometimes, after modifying the operating system, you may need to reinstall a program that no longer runs properly. Memory-Resident Programs There are a variety of utilities and supplementary programs that can be loaded either when the computer boots or from an operating system prompt. These programs are designed to stay resident in system memory and thus always be available for use. Because they remain in the computer's memory, memory conflicts and errors can result when other programs require use of all or part of the memory already occupied by these TSR programs. Typically, the operating system's start-up files contain commands to start TSR programs when you boot the computer. If you suspect that one of these TSR programs is causing a memory conflict, remove the commands that start them from the start-up file. If the problem you were experiencing does not recur, one of the TSR programs probably created the conflict. Add the TSR commands back into the start-up files one at a time until you identify which TSR program is creating the conflict. Program Conflicts Some programs may leave portions of their setup information behind, even though you have exited from them. As a result, other programs cannot run. Rebooting the computer can confirm whether or not these programs are the cause of the problem. Other programs use specialized subroutines called drivers that can cause problems in the computer. For example, a variation in the way the data is sent to an external monitor may require a special screen driver program that expects a certain kind of video mode or monitor. In such cases, you may have to develop an alternative method of running that particular program- for example, the creation of a boot file made especially for that program. For help with this situation, call the support service offered by the manufacturer of the software you are using. Avoiding Interrupt Assignment Conflicts Problems can arise if two devices attempt to use the same interrupt request (IRQ) line. To avoid this type of conflict, check the documentation for the default IRQ line setting for each installed device. Then consult Table 3-4 to configure the device for one of the available IRQ lines. NOTE: Installed devices cannot share the same COM port address. The default address of the computer's serial port is COM1. Table 3-4. IRQ Line Assignments IRQ Line Used/Available IRQ0 Generated by the system timer IRQ1 Generated by the keyboard controller to signal that the keyboard output buffer is full IRQ2 Cascade to second interrupt controller IRQ3 Reserved IRQ4 Reserved IRQ5 Used by the audio controller IRQ6 Generated by the diskette drive controller to indicate that the diskette drive requires the attention of the microprocessor IRQ7 Used by the parallel port IRQ8 Generated by the system RTC IRQ9 Software redirect to INT0A IRQ10 Reserved IRQ11 Reserved NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary in the online System User's Guide. 3-10 Dell Inspiron 3000 Reference and Troubleshooting Guide