run out of IRQ's

[pawz]

hello all. I have been given a computer to check over, and, while I am at it, to add a network card , in addition to the dial-up adapter which is already in place. The machine is a Gateway P4 running Windows ME.

I put a Realtek card on, but it has taken IRQ 9 and is in conflict with system resources such as ACPI and keyboard. Device manager will not let me change the settings, and anyway, apart from Com 1, which isn't being used ( and would that only be for ISA?) I can't see any others free or shareable. Can you tell me if all network cards use IRQ 9 and is there any way around the problem - would using usb or infra-red devices free up some IRQ's or would it make no difference??

 

[pawz]

sorry, meant IRQ 4, which is for Com 1, and not keyboard, dunno why I thought that, but several acpi features.

 

[ImpetusEra]

Usually you can make IRQ adjustemnts within the bios which will trump windows.

 

[smah]

I don't think the IRQ assignment itself is the problem. The machine that I'm currently using has 7 devices sharing IRQ9, including a modem, ethernet card, audio controller, video card, ACPI-compliant system, etc.

Does the ethernet card have a problem in Device Manager? I assume that you've installed the latest drivers. If you take the ethernet card out do any of the remaining IRQ9 devices still have a conflict?

 

[pawz]

I think you are right smah, I moved the card to another slot, and so another IRQ, but it still wasn't happy. Then I replaced the card with another and everything was fine. Don't quite know what the problem was, but as usual I came out wiser than when I went in, thanks to the advice of more experienced folk