IRQ Settings - What's right and wrong???

[JNewbury]

First, thanks in advance for the assistance. I discovered sysopt. com last week and am very impressed. I've learned a lot in reading your posts!

My system crashed 3 day ago due to what appears to have been a problem with the HD. I am trying to reinstall programs and I am now exeriencing problems with the CD periodically throwing error screens ref "write error to disk in drive c. data or files may be lost."
As a result, I couldn't get win98 to download from CD. I moved the files to the HD and installed from there. No problem.
I can't get my soundblaster PCI card reinstalled due to the write error problem.

In trying to figure out what the problem is I am looking at IRQ and PCI issues.

Checking with MS System Information tool I see the following under conflicts/shared
resources:
IRQ 12 IRQ holder for PCI Steering
IRQ 12 Cirrus logic 5430/40 PCI

Under System Properties I see the following under PCI Bus Properties tabs:
General:
working properly
Settings:
Device Enumeration
use hardware (checked off)
use BIOS (unchecked)
override bridges (unchecked)
IRQ Steering:
use IRQ Steering (checked)
get IRQ table using ACPT BIOS (checked)
" " " " MS specification table (checked)
" " " from Protected Mode PCIBIOS 2.1 call (unchecked)
" " " from Real Mode PCIBIOS 2.1 call (checked)
IRQ Routing Status:
IRQ Steering disabled
IRQ table read from PCIBIOS using Real Mode
Could not find Miniport Data in Registry
Driver:
Provider Microsoft
Date 4-23-1999

As I read it, in one place it says IRQ Steering should be enabled, yet status shows it is disabled. Does this indicate a problem or not?

My system is an older 486/166 MHz. The heading of my BIOS setup screen read "Rom PCI/ISA Bios (2A4IBG3I) Award Software, Inc."
I have a Western Digital 30 GB HD and I am using EZ-BIOS to overcome the limitations of my older BIOS until I can upgrade in a few months.

From the info I have just heaped upon you, can you
1) Tell me if I have a problem with my IRQ configuration?
2) Advise me where to find what the"optimal" setting on my BIOS for IRQ and PCI configuration should be?
3) If I do adjust my BIOS for these settings and run into a snag, can I reset to the original settings and still have my HD in its original useable condition?

I'm sorry if I have asked too many questions for a first time inquirer, but I don't have any other resources to draw upon. This forum is the best source of info I have found yet!

Thanks again!! Take care.

[daveleau]

If you have this: "IRQ 12 IRQ holder for PCI Steering" in your device manager, you have PCI steering enabled. I would recommend leaving it that way.

It sounds like your hard drive is dying. I had a system do just that and a day later the drive was dead (If you never come back to this thread, we kow what happened). An IRQ conflict would have to be on IRQ 14 to conflict with the hard drive (hdd) assuming you are using a typical win 9x system with IDE hdds. Back up your data. You might be hdd shopping soon or RMAing the drive.

Did you do anyhthing tot he system just before you got the C drive error? Still probably a hdd death that is imminent, but just to make sure...

If you mess with the BIOS and screw things up, all is not lost. If this happenes, remove the battery and unplug from wall (not in that order) and leave sitting overnight. Then put the battery back and the CMOS is reset. (There may be a jumper to do this as well, but on a 486 I believe you have to remove the batt.). This will in no way affect your hdd except in POST detection.


Good luck
Dave