STELE: 
 http://www.computeruser.com/articles/2007,5,21,1,0701,01.html

says: "PCI bus IRQ steering gives Windows 98/SE/Me the flexibility to reprogram PCI 
interrupts when reconfiguring Plug-and-Play PCI and ISA resources around non-Plug-and-Play 
ISA devices. This gives Windows a very powerful tool that can automatically resolve 
many possible IRQ conflicts without direct intervention on the part of the user (or 
technician). If PCI bus IRQ steering is disabled in Windows, the BIOS assigns IRQs 
to PCI devices. But if PCI bus IRQ steering is enabled, Windows will assign IRQs 
to PCI devices. When your system supports PCI bus IRQ steering, you will notice numerous 
IRQ holders when you view IRQ assignments (such as "ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering"). 
An IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering indicates that an IRQ has been programmed to PCI 
mode and is unavailable for ISA devices-even if no PCI devices are currently using 
the IRQ."

there is a separate screen in the BIOS for disabling/enabling Plug-and-Play by Windows.

suggest you try IRQ steering in the BIOS both ways and see which one works for you...






On Friday, July 9, 2004 at 10:00 pm, STELE E wrote:

>Hi Everett and Friends,

>Well, my …. IRQ SHARING related real bummer issue is that I have been tryyyyyying 

>to replace a dead 3COM 56k PCI controller based modem with the exact same model 
but 

>there are no IRQs available anymore even though I have not added anything new and 

>don’t have much hardware on it anyway. I have a 5838 Presario. The installer software 

>says “no IRQs available” right away whether I have the new modem in the computer 

>or not during the install sequence.

>

>COM2 is “missing” in the Device Manager under the “PORTS {COM & LPT}.

>When I fake it… and “install a modem” using the modem install dialog box in the 
control 

>panel … just to see what happens… it installs it on COM1. COM2 and COM3 are not 
listed 

>when I check the DIAGNOSTICS tab… is that relevant? 

>

>However, the COMs listed in my HKEY are COM1, COM2 and COM5. Also, when I put the 

>modem it is recognized as new hardware but it thinks it is a “serial port device”, 

>not a modem. 

>

>To “check” the new modem out I have tried putting another modem in, and in different 

>PCI slots… wheww… but the responses have been the same. Flashed BIOS. Reinstalled 

>WIN98. Yeh sure.

>

>When the non-functioning modem first died, I used the diagnostic program on the 
3COM 

> CD to look at it. It saw it and said it was AT”ing”and looping OK but it was unable 

>to detect dial tones. After I messed around with un-install and whatever else I 
did??? 

>To prepare for the new modem, the 3COM’s diagnostic soft could not see the modem 

>at all. The same diagnostic program can’t see the new modem either…  DANG me darn 

>it.

>

>ANY clues for me, Stele E  /Boulder, CO 

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