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**Maggi** · 23 October 2000, 10:45

Originally posted by Tuna:

Now, I've read every single "free beer" post on the murc search. I've updated all the mobo and G400max drivers from the websites, I've read the mobo manual cover to cover and I CAN NOT figure out how to force the G400Max to IRQ 11 (which is open) on the AGP port.

It looks like your SB is plugged into the most bottom PCI slot .. try to move it into a different one and check again your IRQs.

Cheers,
Maggi

**Tuna** · 23 October 2000, 11:02

Hi Maggi,

Thanks for the reply. The SB Live is plugged into the #2 slot, with the #1 slot empty (as I believe you recommended on another thread) so as to have a space between the AGP port and another card.

I didn't add the sound card until I had the BSOD problem. I only added it because the real-time application that crashes Win2k has audible alerts and I thought that might be the problem.....looking for a sound card that wasn't there. But the addition of the SBLive didn't help the blue screen blues.

I have the NIC card plugged into the #6 bottom slot. I tried to force it to use the empty IRQ #7 via the mobo bios, but when I looked at the IRQ party list, it hadn't moved.....it was still listed on #9. Win2k doesn't seem to want to relinquish control of the guest list.

Is it still important to have the G400Max on Irq 11 or higher these days, even with plug and play Win2000 automatic mapping ?

Thanks,

Tuna

**Sisyfos** · 23 October 2000, 12:03

Originally posted by Tuna:

10 PCI Device

In Win2K ACPI you can't have it your way with IRQS, but that shouldn't be a problem.
Rather it seems you haven't installed the Intel inf update for the i815 chip set, or at least it isn't installed properly judging by the "PCI Device".

**Technoid** · 28 October 2000, 05:13

Check Q244617 in MS Knowledge base!

**dZeus** · 28 October 2000, 05:43

The problem I'm having is blue screen of death when I try to run a real-time stock quote service that requires a lot of system resources. The blue screen message reads: "Beginning Driver IRQL not less or equal"

the "IRQL not less or equal" error message is some kind of "general" error message in win2k. It can mean a lot of different things.

Now, I've read every single "free beer" post on the murc search. I've updated all the mobo and G400max drivers from the websites, I've read the mobo manual cover to cover and I CAN NOT figure out how to force the G400Max to IRQ 11 (which is open) on the AGP port.

If you've read all the messages, you should also know that IRQs in ACPI systems are not controlled trhough the BIOS, but by the OS (Win2k), and there is no easy way to change them, and you don't need to change them, because WIn2k does ACPI very well, and you can have all the PCI/AGP devices on one IRQ, which does not even have to be in the IRQ 9 - 12 range. I have got all the devices on IRQ 7, and all is working just fine.

The award bios will allow setting a fixed IRQ for all 6 pci slots, but NOT #7 pci slot which is the AGP port.

The AGP irq is the same as PCI slot #1, so you can adjust it by adjusting the setting for PCI Slot-1. However, you don't need to, because it won't make a difference in Win2k, since it doesn't look to the IRQ assignments in the BIOS at all.

I'm really not sure that the problem lies with anything in hardware, but I had a free beer bash going on IRQ 9 and I've read all the scary admonitions about running the G400 at IRQ 11 or above.

Again, this only applies to non-ACPI systems, and even then, every IRQ between 9 and 12 is fine, as long as you don't share that IRQ with a device that uses busmastering extensively.

**Sisyfos** · 28 October 2000, 08:27

On CUSL2 the AGP slot shares IRQ signal with onboard VGA and not PCI #1.
The only way to control which IRQ the AGP slot uses is to force the PCI slots, so as to only leave the desired IRQ free for the AGP.

In all this talk about IRQs I think it's left out, that they work on two levels, in software and in hardware.
Eg. if two PCI devices don't/can't/won't coexist on the same IRQ signal (BX has 4, i815 has 6 for PCI bus), ACPI won't help (I should think, he )

**dZeus** · 28 October 2000, 08:36

your probably right.. I am not too familiar with the i815, I was still thinking about the BX.

Nice to see that it has 6 IRQ channels in stead of 4 (BX).

About hardware/software IRQs I have no idea... I will look around if I can find some place where they give a good explenation about this....

**Sisyfos** · 28 October 2000, 08:46

dZeus

If you find something useful please post back, 'cause my knowledge on this is very much on the "intuitional" level, if you know what I mean.

**HDOutfitter** · 28 October 2000, 18:47

I am almost 100% sure that it is the Linksys NIC that is causing the problem because I had the exact (hard to believe huh!!) a couple of months ago and ran into the same problem. I swapped out the Linksys NIC and use an Intel NIC and everything is fine now. I think this only happen for Linksys LNE100TX Version 4.0 cards; older version of Linksys LNE100TX doesn't have this problem. I wrote Linksys tech support (if you can actually call them tech support, sigh!) a few times complaining the problem but they didn't even reply. So, I bought an Intel NIC instead.

**Tuna** · 31 October 2000, 15:28

Hi HDoutfitter,

You're right. It was the linksys NIC card ! (or drivers or both)

I sure wish I would have talked to you a few days ago.......I didn't read your reply until just now, and it's already fixed with a 3Com Nic card.

My experience with Linksys tech support was also the same as yours.........NONE. They never bothered to call back.

There must be some kind of incentive program to sell these POS linksys NIC cards.......I originally asked the mail order salesman for a 3Com but he recommended a (much cheaper) linksys, and since I bought the router/switch at the same time, I figured "why not?"

Five days of web-wide searching later.....I finally eliminate the problem by sheer (yechh!) trial and error.

All's well now, but I sure hope this thread saves someone else the Hell of Linksys products.

By the way, the other posters were correct as well......the Matrox G400Max works just fine with Windows 2000 on the 815e motherboard while "sharing" the IRQ 9 with the sound card, Nic card and 2 USB ports. No IRQ 11 needed in Win2k it seems.

Thanks again for the fine discussion.

Tuna

AJ · 1 November 2000, 07:44

Glad you found the problem. As far as dZeus' comment about ACPI working perfectly in w2k, I don't think so. I had to reinstall with the standard PC Hal to get my system stable (w2ksp1 on an Asus P3v4x). Now, I've added the w2k via chipset agp patch, and all is wonderfull. Perhaps that patch would have solved my w2k problems even under ACPI, don't know and I won't find out (one reinstall is enough for me!).

I think that w2k will be a great OS, in about a year But at least it's better than any Win9x.

-AJ

**dZeus** · 1 November 2000, 10:10

of course it only works properly if you have a BIOS that implements ACPI correctly (and drivers for other devices).

If so, everything should work just fine.

**Brian R.** · 1 November 2000, 23:53

Just so the world knows how interupts are shared in I815E land (CUSL2), here goes:

Shared:
Onboard VGA and AGP (Pro)
PCI 4 and CNR LAN (Communication and Network Riser)
PCI 1 and PCI 5
PCI 3 and Onboard USB controller HC1

Unshared:
CNR Audio/modem
PCI 6
Onboard USB controller HC0
PCI 2

That means if you don't need both USB channels or the CNR LAN, you have 4 unshared PCI slots. Including one of the shared slots, there are 5 PCI slots available without worry.

[This message has been edited by Brian R. (edited 02 November 2000).]

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Win2000, Cusl2, and G400max problems..

Win2000, Cusl2, and G400max problems..

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