IRQ - Can't get a good one!!!

[osmanb]

Ugh. I've been trying to resolve various types of random lock ups with my machine for several months now. I'd really like to get my G400 and PCI devices to take GOOD IRQs, but that seems to be impossible. This might not be a problem, but the only IRQs the G400 will ever take are ones it doesn't like. Hence, my machine crashes. I've got:

- Athlon 500 on MSI 6167
- G400
- SB Live! Value
- 3COM Fast Etherlink XL (3c905b)

I've done anything and everything to get the G400 on IRQ 10 or 11, but no luck. No matter where I put my PCI cards, it ends up either on IRQ 5, 12, or sharing 10 with my network card. I've got the latest BIOS/drivers for everything... Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks,

-Brian

[Hunsow]

Can't you just change them in the bios setup?

[osmanb]

Nope. The MS6167 BIOS doesn't allow fine control over IRQ assignment, it's all handled automatically. The best you can do is designate a specific IRQ be used for either PnP/PCI devices, or ISA devices. Since I have all PCI, every IRQ is set up for that, so no luck.

[paulcs]

Have you disabled Soundblaster emulation? There are probably a few other things you could get rid of as well. SB emulation should be disabled both in Windows and DOS. Maybe you have a Com port or two you're not using. If so, they can go. Do you have any USB devices. If not, that can go as well. Once you've "cleared the decks," post your IRQ's. Maybe we can move some stuff around.

Paul
paulcs@flashcom.net

[This message has been edited by paulcs (edited 29 January 2000).]

[osmanb]

Well, the complete story is at:
<A href="http://amdzone.pcstats.com/messageview.cfm?catid=8&threadid=1084">http://amdzone.pcstats.com/messageview.cfm?catid=8&threadid=1084</a>

But the short version is that I've done everything humanly possible to make this card happy, but it prefers playing second fiddle to my SB Live, which ALWAYS takes the prime IRQs, and leaves the G400 with something it doesn't like. I'm using USB, and have both of my serial ports disabled in BIOS. I also have power management turned off, which (in theory) frees up IRQ9, but I don't think that it's REALLY free, since every device avoids it like the plague. Also, SB16 emulation is now sharing IRQ 7 with my printer port, but that's irrelevant, since that doesn't get an IRQ till after BIOS hands them out, which is when the problem happens.

-Brian

[Cmag]

This might be a pain in the ass, and you may have already tried it, but when my SB Live was using the IRQ that I wanted the G400 to use, I just took out the SB Live, set up the G400 and then went back and installed the SB after. Worked for me. Give it a try if you already haven't and see what happens.

Cmag

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Consequences smonsequences, as long as I’m rich

[osmanb]

After everything else I've gone through, that's hardly a pain in the ass. Of course, it didn't work either. (: With only the G400 in, I managed to get it on 10. I removed all network and sound devices in safe mode, and the cards themseleves. As soon as I put the big bully SB Live back, it threw the G400 back onto 12.

-Brian

[RAB]

How did the G400 get on IRQ 12? I thought the mouse always hogged this one for itself. Are you using a USB or serial mouse?

RAB

[Compton]

I *think* Greebe mentioned in General Hardware that the this board usually puts the G400 on IRQ5. But he also said that it didnt pose any problems.

[Holerith]

Try taking out the SB, get the G400 on IRQ 10, then go into the BIOS and set IRQ 10 to legacy and reinstall the SB. It *MAY* keep the G400 on 10, no guarantees though.

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Dean
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
PDP-11, Dec-writer & ZD-11 Terminal Unit, RSTS-OS

[Greebe]

Brian, I highly doubt your problems stems from an IRQ problem. I have a 6167 and it's on irq5, which is typical for slotA MB's. Most likely culprit is your SBlive.

------------------
Designer of the first commercial Athlon mod.
Anyone up for an Athlon800+? Email me (epc@netdirect.net) for more information

3000 mips, 1.172 gflops @ 900 mHz 1:3 latency w/ active cooling
CPUmark99 75
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3Dmark 99 Max (8x6 16, 16, triple) PD5.41, Athlon@850mHz
8000
15181

[Hunsow]

Maybe you should try changing the irq's in the windows device manager. First make sure that only windows assigns an irq by changing the pci bus properties. Just go to the tab irq steering and deselect the options with the word bios in it. Now change the irq of the sb live and the G400.

[Wombat]

Yes, I think it's the Live! I'm not knocking the card at all, but you need the latest drivers. Also, if you ever had LiveWare 2.0 or earlier on that machine, you have to format the HD and reinstall windows. 2.0 and earlier do not correctly update to higher versions, but 2.1 and up do.

[Tumu]

Few weeks back I replaced my old and trusty SB16 Value with SB Live! Value and had that reshuffling of IRQs happening. The only thing I had to do was putting some IRQ's to ISA mode, so that the Live wouldn't try to allocate them and swapped my PCI cards around. Now I have the same IRQ setup as before, but with SB Live coexisting with high IRQs. G200 on 11, Live! on 10 (was 3COM before), 3COM on 9 (was unused before) and SB16 emulation on 5. Also I have a Voodoo2 which I borrowed from a friend, but that doesn't use an IRQ (dunno if BIOS disables that slots IRQ line from other slots). All of those have dedicated IRQ line. Though I believe that if I have to add an another IRQ requiring card to this system, it will have to share IRQ (not a biggie though, because on one try I had the Live! sharing IRQ with my G200 and all worked fine, busmastering and AGP2x included).

My advice would be fiddling with those PCI/PNP & ISA modes in BIOS and shuffling PCI cards around.

.Tumu


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Celeron 333 (not overclocked), GigaByte 6BXE Intel 440BX AGPset (bios v3.4),
64MB PC100 RAM, G200 AGP 8MB SGRAM (not overclocked, a fan, bios v2.6),
PD5.30, SB Live! Value, 3COM Fast EtherLink XL, Sony Multiscan 100ES, HP8210i
Win95OSR2.1 finnish

[Rick]

Had a heck of a time installing my Live card. Everything would install fine, but on the final reboot it would freeze before the windows splash screen. Went in safe mode and uninstalled the driver. This went back and forth for a while. Finally while in safe mode I went into device manager and disabled the Creative SB emulation that shows up under Creative Misc Devices. Rebooted the computer and everything has been fine since.

G400 has IRQ 11
Modem has 5
Realtek NIC has 10
Live on 12 sharing with USB controller