hardware.txt

PacketPeT Lite Windows
Copyright (c) 1993, 1994
Chuck Harrington Software, Inc
All Rights Reserved!


This file supplies some information regarding hardware conflicts
in PCs and their resolution.

HARDWARE CONFLICT:
Most PCs come with two serial ports standard, COM1 and COM2.
Most users will have their mouse on serial port COM1 and their
TNC on COM2. Usually these people who have a basic system without
a lot of extra adapter cards will have no problem. 

When you start adding other cards such as internal phone modems,
tape backups, sound cards, buss mouse cards or CDROMs, IRQ
conflicts can occur.

These problems are not caused by PacketPeT or Windows, but by the
design of the PC and it's numerous adapter cards. Solutions to
these problems range from easy to down right impossible. The
solution can be stated in one sentence, and if you achieve the
following goal, you will save yourself from many problems with
serial ports and other adapter cards as well!

EACH DEVICE IN YOUR PC MUST HAVE IT'S OWN UNIQUE IRQ!!!

Don't get side tracked by tips on how to "SHARE IRQs". The author
worked on this problem for many months and found the only
reliable method (and a MUST for OS/2) is to make sure each serial
port has it's own IRQ.

Check your computer hardware manuals and the jumper settings on
your adapter cards to make sure no two cards have been configured
to use the same IRQ!

Most adapter cards will have jumpers which allow changing IRQs to
another number. It is important to note, that even if you change
an IRQ, you must then install the proper software driver to
utilize that IRQ!! Happily, Windows 3.1 and OS/2 2.x, support
serial ports on alternate IRQs. 

The author of PacketPeT has a PC with a sound card, a CDROM, and
4 serial ports that work simultaneously! This was accomplished by
putting two of serial ports on IRQ10 and IRQ11, and going to the
Windows Control Panel Serial Port Advanced settings and changing
the IRQs. This also works with OS/2 2.1, but the IRQs must be
changed in the config.sys file (see your OS/2 manual).


When conflicts do occur, somebody has to move to a different IRQ,
or be removed from the PC! Often, the easiest course of action is
to move the serial port. Some serial cards can be configured for
IRQs 2,3,4 and 5. (IRQ2 is really IRQ9 on a 286 or above PC). If
you are not using LPT2, IRQ5 is often a good place to move your
serial port to, but beware that a sound card or another adapter
card may already be using IRQ5. IRQ2 may also be unused. Beware
that since IRQ2 is "cascaded" on 286 and above PCs, that it is
actually IRQ9, and you must use a software driver configured for
IRQ9!