Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
order. So, you will power down, install the new device, power up, and proceed to install
any necessary drivers and configure the device. You'll probably have to restart your sys-
tem after you are done to fully complete the configuration.
Tip
I sometimes recommend that, between installing devices, you enter the Device Manager in
Windows and print the resource settings as they are configured at the time. This way, you
have arecord ofhowthe configuration changes duringthe entire device installation andcon-
figuration process.
If you need to add additional cards to your system, here's the loading sequence I recom-
mend:
1.
Sound card
2.
Internal or external modem
3.
Network card
4.
SCSI, SASI or RAID adapter
5.
Anything else
Normally,usingthiscontrolledsequenceofconfiguringorbuildingupyoursystemresults
in easier integration with fewer conflicts and configuration hassles.
PnP
PnP represents a major revolution in interface technology. PnP first came on the market
in 1995, and most motherboards and adapter cards since 1996 take advantage of it. Prior
to that, PC users were forced to muddle through a nightmare of DIP switches and jump-
ers every time they wanted to add new devices to their systems. The results, all too often,
were system resource conflicts and nonfunctioning cards.
PnP was not an entirely new concept. It was a key design feature of MCA and EISA in-
terfaces that preceded it by almost 10 years, but the limited appeal of MCA and EISA
meant that they never became true de facto industry standards. Therefore, mainstream PC
users still had to worry about I/O addresses, DMA channels, and IRQ settings. Early PCI-
based systems also used a form of PnP configuration, but because there was no provision
for managing conflicts between PCI and ISA cards, many users still had configuration
problems. However, PnP and the replacement of ISA by PCI, AGP, and PCIe slots (all of
which are designed to work natively with PnP) enables worry-free hardware setup for all
computer buyers.
For PnP to work, the following components are desired:
