Windows 95 Does Not Start on Dell Omniplex (132784)
The information in this article applies to:
This article was previously published under Q132784 SYMPTOMS
After you install a PCI card in one of the PCI expansion slots of the Dell
Omniplex computer, Windows 95 does not start.
CAUSE
The Dell Omniplex has two PCI slots and four interrupts available for PCI
cards: 9, 10, 11, and 15. The Dell Omniplex ships with three interrupt-
claiming PCI devices installed: a video card on the motherboard that claims
IRQ 9, an NCR 810 SCSI card on the motherboard that controls the hard drive
and the CD ROM, and an external NCR SCSI. Each of these devices uses a
different interrupt, leaving one PCI IRQ line available for the remaining
PCI slot.
If you use the remaining interrupt by installing an ISA card (for example,
an ISA network card or sound card), and then try to plug a PCI network card
into the remaining slot, the PCI network card is forced to share an
interrupt.
According to the specification for this bus architecture, PCI devices
can share interrupts. However, the NCR SCSI controller does not share
interrupts correctly. If the controller for the hard drive is forced to
share an interrupt, the computer stops responding (hangs) when the
controller tries to access the disk when Windows 95 starts.
RESOLUTION
Remove the PCI card that you added and adjust the resources of your non-PCI
cards so that none of them are using interrupts 9, 10, 11, or 15. Then
reinstall the PCI card so that Windows 95 can redetect it.
The Dell Omniplex computer is manufactured by Dell Computer Corporation, a
vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise,
regarding this product's performance or reliability.
| Modification Type: | Major | Last Reviewed: | 12/17/2000 |
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| Keywords: | KB132784 |
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