Lab 7-1 Troubleshooting Skills

In Windows 9x, produce a troubleshooting situation by assigning the same IRQ to two devices. In some computer systems that use mostly PCI and Plug and Play devices, creating a conflict can be a real challenge. Older systems that use several legacy devices will prove to be much less of a challenge.

Decide what two devices you’re going to create conflict with. Write down the original settings for the device you’re going to change below:

Original Settings:

IRQ

DMA

I/O Address

Memory Address

Attempt to use the two devices at the same time and note what happens when you do that. Possible devices to use are a serial mouse, a modem, or a parallel port connected to a printer.

Answer these questions:

1. What two devices did you use to create a conflict?

2. How did you create the conflict?

3. When you attempted to use both devices, what happened?

Now swap with your neighbors and have them troubleshoot repairing the problem you created, while you repair the problem they created.

What problems did they create?

What steps did you take to repair it?