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Program conflicts, Memory address conflicts, Interrupt assignment conflicts – Dell Precision 620 User Manual

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Program Conflicts

Some application programs may leave portions of their setup information behind, even though you have exited from them. As a result, other
application programs cannot run. Rebooting your system can confirm whether or not these programs are the cause of the problem.

Application programs that use specialized subroutines called device drivers can also cause problems with your computer 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 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 Table 1 to configure the card for one of the available IRQ lines.

Table 1. Default IRQ Line Assignments

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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. If you install a
non-Plug and Play or legacy card, you may need to run the ISA Configuration Utility to determine the current IRQ settings and to find an
available IRQ line.

IRQ Line

Used/Available

IRQ0

Used by the system timer

IRQ1

Used by the keyboard to signal that the output buffer is full

IRQ2

Used by interrupt controller 1 to enable IRQ8 through IRQ15

IRQ3

Used by serial port 2

IRQ4

Used by serial port 1

IRQ5

Available

IRQ6

Used by the diskette/tape drive controller

IRQ7

Used by the parallel port

IRQ8

Used by the real-time clock (RTC)

IRQ9

ACPI

IRQ10

Available

IRQ11

Available

IRQ12

Used by the mouse port

IRQ13

Used by the math coprocessor (if applicable)

IRQ14

Used by the primary integrated drive electronics (IDE) controller

IRQ15

Used by the secondary IDE controller