Troubleshooting Device Conflicts with Device Manager

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     This article discusses a Beta release of a Microsoft
     product. The information in this article is provided as-is
     and is subject to change without notice.

     No formal product support is available from Microsoft for
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The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Windows 98
• Microsoft Windows 95

SUMMARY

You can use Device Manager to examine and change software-configurable devices. This article lists steps you can use to troubleshoot hardware configuration problems using Device Manager.

If the device uses jumper pins or dip switches, you must configure the device manually.

MORE INFORMATION

To view Device Manager, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Control Panel.

2. Double-click the System icon.

3. Click the Device Manager tab.

Troubleshooting Information

• If there is a problem with a device, it is listed in the hardware tree list under Computer. The problem device has a symbol indicating the type of problem:

  A black exclamation point (!) on a yellow field indicates the device is in a problem state. A device in a problem state can be functioning. A problem code explaining the problem is displayed for the device.

  A red "X" indicates a disabled device. A disabled device is a device that is physically present in the system, consuming resources, but does not have a protected-mode driver loaded.

  A blue "i" on a white field on a device resource in Computer properties indicates that Use Automatic Settings is not selected for the device and that the resource was manually selected. It does not indicate a problem or disabled state.

  NOTE: Some sound cards and video adapters do not report all the resources they are using to Windows 95. This can cause Device Manager to show only one device in conflict, or no conflicts at all. This can be verified by disabling the sound card, or using the standard VGA video driver too see if the conflict is resolved. (This is a known problem with S3 video cards and 16-bit Sound Blaster sound cards, or those sound cards using Sound Blaster emulation for Sound Blaster compatibility.)

• When you select a specific device in Device Manager, then click the Properties button, you see a property sheet. The property sheet has a General tab.

  NOTE: Some devices may have other tabs besides the General tab. Not all property sheets have the same tabs; some devices may have a Resource tab, Driver tab, and Settings tab, or some combination of these.

  At the top of the property sheet, there is a description of the device. When you click the Resource tab, the window in the middle of the tab indicates which resource types are available for the selected device.

  The scroll box at the bottom of the contains a Conflicting Device list. This list indicates a conflict with an error code.

• Note the Use Automatic Settings check box. If Windows 95 successfully detects a device, this check box is selected and the device should function correctly. However, if the resource settings are based on Basic Configuration <n> (where <n> is any number from 0 to 9), it may be necessary to change the configuration by selecting a different basic configuration from the list. If the particular configuration you want for the device is not listed as a basic configuration, it may be possible to click the Change Settings button to manually adjust the resource values.

  For example, to edit the Input/Output Range setting, use these steps:

  1. Click the Use Automatic Settings check box to clear it.

  2. Click the Change Setting button.

  3. Click the appropriate I/O range for the device.

Notes

• If you click Computer, then Click properties, you see a property sheet with a View Resources and a Reserve Resources tab.

  You can use the Reserve Resources tab to exclude a resource from use by Windows 95.

  The View Resources tab displays the resources allocated by Windows 95 or inherited from a Plug and Play BIOS or PCI bus computer.

• To disable a device in Device Manager, click the Original Configuration (Current) check box to clear it on the General tab in the device's properties.