User guide

OWNER’S HANDBOOK
4/2 Expansion Cards
Configuring the card
Part of the installation procedure for an expansion
card involves setting up or “configuring” the card so it
will work correctly in the computer.
Most modern PCI cards employ a feature called “Plug
and Play” (PnP). This allows Windows 95 – and
other PnP-aware operating systems – to configure the
card automatically the first time you turn on the
computer after installing the card.
However, many ISA cards (and some PCI cards)
require manual configuration. If manual
configuration is required, you will probably need to
specify at least two of the following:
♦ Interrupt request level (IRQ)
♦ Direct memory access (DMA) channel
♦ Base input/output (I/O) port address
♦ Base memory address
The important thing to understand is that the settings
of the card you are installing must not conflict with
the settings used by other cards already in the
computer or by components on the computer’s
motherboard.
The documentation accompanying the card should
tell you whether the card supports Plug and Play, or if
not, how to configure it. Remember to check any
diskettes supplied with the card for README or
other help files.
Some cards require you to move jumpers or set
switches on the card to configure them. This is best
done before installing the card in the computer.
Other cards can be configured by running a
configuration program after installing the card. Some
cards use a mixture of both methods.
Cards often come with pre-configured or default
settings. It is best to rely on these settings as much as
possible, and change them only if they conflict with
other devices.