Dell OptiPlex GX150 User Guide - Page 89
Device Drivers, Memory-Resident Programs, Program Conflicts, Memory Address Conflicts, Interrupt - network driver
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Device Drivers Programs that use specialized subroutines called device drivers can also cause problems with your system. For example, a variation in the way the data is sent to the 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-the creation of a boot file made especially for that program, for example. Call the support service for the software you are using to help you with this problem. Memory-Resident Programs Many utilities and supplementary programs load 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, your operating system's start-up files (such as config.sys and autoexec.bat) contain commands to start TSR programs when you boot your system. If you suspect that one of these TSR programs is causing a memory conflict, remove the commands that start them from the start-up files. 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 your system can confirm whether or not these programs are the cause of the problem. Memory Address Conflicts Memory address conflicts occur when two or more devices try to access the same address in the upper memory blocks (UMB). For example, if a network expansion card and an expanded-memory page frame are assigned an overlapping block of addresses, a memory address conflict arises. As a result, when you try to log in to the network, the operation fails. To resolve this type of conflict, you can change the address of one of the devices. For example, in the case of the network expansion card and expanded-memory page frame address conflict, you can move the network card to an address block in the range of CC000h through D0000h. To reassign the expansion card's address block, refer to the documentation for the card. 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 expansion card. Then consult the following table to configure the card for one of the available IRQ lines. NOTE: Table 1 lists default IRQ settings. In systems with Plug and Play capabilities, you can modify the default settings. If you install a Plug and Play card in a Plug and Play system, the system automatically selects an open IRQ line if any are available. Table 5. Default IRQ Line Assignments IRQ Line IRQ0 IRQ1 IRQ2 IRQ3 IRQ4 IRQ5 IRQ6 IRQ7 IRQ8 IRQ9 IRQ10 IRQ11 IRQ12 IRQ13 IRQ14 IRQ15 Used/Available Used by the system timer Used by the keyboard to signal that the output buffer is full Used by interrupt controller 1 to enable IRQ8 through IRQ15 Used by serial port 2 Used by serial port 1 Available Used by the diskette controller Used by the parallel port Used by the real-time clock (RTC) Used by the video graphics array (VGA) interface (optional) Available Available Used by the mouse port Used by the math coprocessor (if applicable) Used by the primary integrated drive electronics (IDE) controller Used by the secondary IDE controller BIOS Recovery Utility