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If Something Goes Wrong
What to do with a Hardware Conflict
mine the resource assignments for each device and to resolve the
conflict.
A Plan of Action
The smooth operation of the system depends on the interaction of
all devices, programs and features. If the system or one of its
attached devices isn't working, resolving the problem can be time-
consuming and frustrating.
The recommended procedure for getting multiple devices to work
together is to add and set up one device at a time. After you add
each device, test it to make sure it and all previously connected
devices work.
Chances are the device most recently connected to the system is
the one causing the conflict.
A word to the wise: if you get too tired and frustrated, take a
break. You'll be surprised how different things look when
you've had a chance to relax.
Resolving Hardware Conflicts on Your Own
Just as a business person needs a telephone and a computer to get
the job done, so also computer components need resources to
accomplish a task. A device, such as a CD-ROM 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 mem-
ory to store information as it works. These channels of communi-
cation are commonly referred to as system resources.
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 doesn't know which device is asking for atten-
tion. This causes a problem.
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