Announcement

MK · 6 July 2001, 00:57

Antdude - Try to give each card an own IRQ. This IRQ Holder for PCI Steering is o.k.: each card with an IRQ has it, as long as you install Win98 with ACPI support ...

MK

**antdude** · 6 July 2001, 01:01

Originally posted by MK
Antdude - Try to give each card an own IRQ. This IRQ Holder for PCI Steering is o.k.: each card with an IRQ has it, as long as you install Win98 with ACPI support ...

MK

How can I change the IRQ safely? Do I do it in CMOS? In Windows' system properties? Which IRQ should I use and for which card? Whatever is available as shown in the program?

I hope I don't have to change a lot. Maybe it is easier to only change G400's IRQ. I think I have IRQ variables for SB card in DOS as well.

**antdude** · 6 July 2001, 01:37

Ok... I tried changing my Matrox's IRQ 5 to another free IRQ. Here is the IRQ list before I experimented:

0 System timer
1 Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural Keyboard
2 Programmable interrupt controller
3 Communications Port (COM2)
4 Communications Port (COM1)
5 Creative SB Live!
5 Matrox Millennium G400 DualHead - English
5 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
5 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
5 Intel 82371AB/EB PCI to USB Universal Host Controller
6 Standard Floppy Disk Controller
7 Printer Port (LPT1)
8 System CMOS/real time clock
9 (free)
10 (free)
11 3Com EtherLink 10/100 PCI TX NIC (3C905B-TX)
11 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
12 PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port
13 Numeric data processor
14 Primary IDE controller (dual fifo)
14 Intel 82371AB/EB PCI Bus Master IDE Controller
15 Secondary IDE controller (dual fifo)
15 Intel 82371AB/EB PCI Bus Master IDE Controller

I went to Windows safe mode, and tried IRQ 9 and then 10. Both attempts failed because computer locked up hard at the loading screen (animated picture). It never got to the desktop screen. So, now what? Leave it or what?

**Grego** · 6 July 2001, 01:54

Normally the g400 should have its own irq, but if you are not having any problems I would say dont bother with it, why repair something that isnt broken!

**ayoub_ibrahim** · 6 July 2001, 01:59

if your sb card isn't in pci slot 1 then suggest you force irq 9 or 10 to pci slot 1 in bios & set PnP OS to no.
usually agp slot & slot 1 share the same irq so by default your videocard will take up the irq assigned to slot 1.

**antdude** · 6 July 2001, 02:18

Originally posted by Grego
Normally the g400 should have its own irq, but if you are not having any problems I would say dont bother with it, why repair something that isnt broken!

Well, maybe I do have problems. But I don't know if they are related to IRQ? Okay, let's list...

Half-Life = locks the computer up hard randomly and rarely. I already tried deleting cfg files, etc. Tried normal HL, OF addon, CS mod, addon single player maps, and BlueShift. It is hard to reproduce the crash since it is rare and random! I don't play HL that much though. I run at 16-bit at 800x600 (1024x768 gets slow).

Urban Terror mod for Q3A = fruity colors, corrupted textures, and major corruptions. Screen shots: http://home.apu.edu/~philpi/temp/q3a-ut/ ... You can read the details about this mod on: http://forums.murc.ws//showthread.php?s=&threadid=14116 ... Doesn't any G400er play this mod?

However, no lock ups or anything like HL. Even regular Q3A and Team Arena demo multiplayer are perfect without any problems!

Unreal Tournament seems perfect, but I don't play it often though. Diablo 2 is perfect (I don't have LOTD yet). Emperor: Battle for Dune is almost perfect. Sometimes the game locks up my computer when loading the game from the Start Menu. I think the game is trying to initialize my video card. It gets stuck right after it accesses the CD-ROM. But then, I don't know if it is a video problem or not.

Serious Sam was perfect once I had a setting fixed. Other game demos seem fine.

What do you think now?

IRQ problems or no?

**ALBPM** · 6 July 2001, 03:32

Your SB Live card should be in the PCI slot furthest away from your AGP slot. It can cause problems with almost any kind of graphics card.

Paul

**Jon P. Inghram** · 6 July 2001, 07:50

Carefull about that PCI furthest away from AGP advice, on some boards you'll end up sharing USB, or other onboard devices, or end up with a non-busmastering slot. On my CUBX (440BX based) with 6 PCI slots, the bottom two are slaved to 3 and 4. Slot two shares with the onboard UDMA/66 controller. 4 shares with the USB controller. Right now I've got an SBLive! in slot 3, and a 3COM NIC in 4 sharing with USB, and unless I want to disable UDMA/66 support I have no choice.

0 System timer
1 Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural Keyboard
2 Programmable interrupt controller
3 Creative SB Live!
3 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
4 Communications Port (COM1)
5 3Com EtherLink 10/100 PCI TX NIC (3C905B-TX)
5 Intel 82371AB/EB PCI to USB Universal Host Controller
5 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
6 Standard Floppy Disk Controller
7 ECP Printer Port (LPT1)
8 System CMOS/real time clock
9 Creative SB16 Emulation
10 Primary CMD Ultra DMA Bus Master IDE Controller
10 CMD PCI-0648 Ultra DMA IDE Controller
10 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
11 Matrox Millennium G400 DualHead Max - English
11 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
12 (free)
13 Numeric data processor
14 Primary IDE controller (dual fifo)
14 Intel 82371AB/EB PCI Bus Master IDE Controller
15 Secondary IDE controller (dual fifo)
15 Intel 82371AB/EB PCI Bus Master IDE Controller

**antdude** · 6 July 2001, 10:02

Just a note: I have an ASUS P3B-F motherboard.

**Maggi** · 6 July 2001, 10:19

Originally posted by antdude
Just a note: I have an ASUS P3B-F motherboard.

goto BIOS > PCI configuration

assign IRQs for each slot listed there, leave all other settings at "auto", set "PnP OS installed" to "no" ... reboot and have a look at the new assignments

if needed, write 'em down (pressing the "pause"-key will keep that page visible), reset, re-enter BIOS and reassign IRQs in different order ...

if it's still sharing the IRQ, put the SB Live in a different slot and repeat procedure from above.

Cheers,
Maggi

PS: If you have an SB16 emulation running, assign IRQ5, DMA1 & DMA5 to ISA legacy

**rylan** · 6 July 2001, 10:21

Eww.. yeah, IRQ5 kinda sucks for agp cards, as its a lower priority IRQ. Esepcially since its sharing with your SB card and your USB controller.. thats just asking for trouble. And from the lockups and corruption artifacts, thats exactly what it wounds like your problem is.

Make sure you have -nothing- in PCI slot1 (the one next to the AGP card). Put the SBLive card in PCI3, as that one usually doesn't share with anything else.. you can use PCI4 if you want also for the SBcard.
In the bios, make sure you have 'Assign IRQ for VGA' ENABLED.
Also make sure you have the resource assignments set to AUTO, and if you have an option for 'Update ESCD' then set it to ENABLE.
While you're in there, disable serial port 2 (Com2), and that'll free up IRQ3. If you're using both serial ports for some odd reason, then keep them enabled.

**antdude** · 6 July 2001, 10:26

Originally posted by rylan
Eww.. yeah, IRQ5 kinda sucks for agp cards, as its a lower priority IRQ. Esepcially since its sharing with your SB card and your USB controller.. thats just asking for trouble. And from the lockups and corruption artifacts, thats exactly what it wounds like your problem is.

Make sure you have -nothing- in PCI slot1 (the one next to the AGP card). Put the SBLive card in PCI3, as that one usually doesn't share with anything else.. you can use PCI4 if you want also for the SBcard.
In the bios, make sure you have 'Assign IRQ for VGA' ENABLED.
Also make sure you have the resource assignments set to AUTO, and if you have an option for 'Update ESCD' then set it to ENABLE.
While you're in there, disable serial port 2 (Com2), and that'll free up IRQ3. If you're using both serial ports for some odd reason, then keep them enabled.

Yeah, I need both serial ports. Umm, is there a quick way to back up my CMOS settings or even print them out? This is a pain in the butt to record. I will fiddle with the CMOS later. I am new at this hardware configuration. Thanks!

**antdude** · 6 July 2001, 11:58

Test #1 (Changed IRQs)

I fiddled with the CMOS and got it to show:

0 System timer
1 Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural Keyboard
2 Programmable interrupt controller
3 Communications Port (COM2)
4 Communications Port (COM1)
5 Creative SB Live!
5 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
5 Intel 82371AB/EB PCI to USB Universal Host Controller
6 Standard Floppy Disk Controller
7 Printer Port (LPT1)
8 System CMOS/real time clock
9 (free)
10 3Com EtherLink 10/100 PCI TX NIC (3C905B-TX)
10 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
11 Matrox Millennium G400 DualHead - English
11 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
12 PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port
13 Numeric data processor
14 Primary IDE controller (dual fifo)
14 Intel 82371AB/EB PCI Bus Master IDE Controller
15 Secondary IDE controller (dual fifo)
15 Intel 82371AB/EB PCI Bus Master IDE Controller

Is this OK now?

**Greebe** · 6 July 2001, 12:39

eYup!

Announcement

Matrox G400 & SB Live! share the same IRQ 5. Is this OK?

Matrox G400 & SB Live! share the same IRQ 5. Is this OK?

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