Assigning an IRQ to a soundcard

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Ritual

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I recently upgraded my MB/CPU and soundcard. I am running Windows 2000 on a P4 2.4Ghz with an M-Audio AP2496. The card is sharing an IRQ with several other devices (like USB controller, modem.) If the modem is used at the same time as the soundcard it blows chunks and screws up the sound. In device manager the option to override default settings is greyed out. My system is ACPI compliant/enabled. I have free IRQs (2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12 - could free 4 & 6) but can't figure out how to change the defaults. BIOS is AMI and chipset is VIA.

Thanks
 
This kind of thing is done in the CMOS/BIOS settings. When your PC boots, enter Setup and look for something like PCI configuration. There, you should be able to reserve IRQs.

Then again, you could throw away your modem...
 
AGCurry said:
This kind of thing is done in the CMOS/BIOS settings. When your PC boots, enter Setup and look for something like PCI configuration. There, you should be able to reserve IRQs.

Then again, you could throw away your modem...
Click to expand...


I've checked. There's nothing in CMOS to allow this. Not with AMI BIOS. If I remember right, Award allowed this. I'm worried.
 
Ritual said:
I recently upgraded my MB/CPU and soundcard. I am running Windows 2000 on a P4 2.4Ghz with an M-Audio AP2496. The card is sharing an IRQ with several other devices (like USB controller, modem.) If the modem is used at the same time as the soundcard it blows chunks and screws up the sound. In device manager the option to override default settings is greyed out. My system is ACPI compliant/enabled. I have free IRQs (2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12 - could free 4 & 6) but can't figure out how to change the defaults. BIOS is AMI and chipset is VIA.

Thanks
Click to expand...

You didn't list what IRQ was assigned, but it's odd that a sound card would share an IRQ with a serial modem...? Unless you have one of those sound and modem integrated devices? I'm guessing the modem is running on COM 1 and using IRQ 1/4...? And you show the IRQ's that sound devices normally assigned (7 & 5) as being free...
In fact, with that many free IRQ's, I'm confused again as why the PnP Gods would share the modem and sound device...

Rather that tweak in Win2K settings and/or BIOS, maybe try and contact the support dept. for the modem...?

:confused:
 
BentRabbit said:
You didn't list what IRQ was assigned, but it's odd that a sound card would share an IRQ with a serial modem...? Unless you have one of those sound and modem integrated devices? I'm guessing the modem is running on COM 1 and using IRQ 1/4...? And you show the IRQ's that sound devices normally assigned (7 & 5) as being free...
In fact, with that many free IRQ's, I'm confused again as why the PnP Gods would share the modem and sound device...

Rather that tweak in Win2K settings and/or BIOS, maybe try and contact the support dept. for the modem...?

:confused:
Click to expand...


Everything is on 11. The sound, the modem, and the usb controller all share 11. The resources tab in device manager is greyed out so I can't change anything from the defaults. I think my old award bios box had more specific tweaking. AMI bios is on this one.
 
Win2000 ACPI uses a single virtual IRQ as a handler. It does not actually mean all the devices are shared on one IRQ, but it's impossible to determine the truth.
When I used Win2000, I disabled ACPI in the bios and 2000 installed in Standard PC mode which will allow manual setting of IRQ.
ACPI control is sometimes under Advanced Power Management in the BIOS.

A quick search didn't come up with an Audio specific instruction, but here's one for USB problems that has the same cure and instructions...
http://www.usbman.com/Win2000.htm
 
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You could try putting the soundcard in a different pci slot, if there are any available.
 
That's right - look in your mobo manual and it'll tell you what slots get given to which IRQs. It helped me get my soundcard on its own IRQ (not that it solved the problems I'm STILL having).
 
I would double check the BIOS. I can't think of BIOS I have seen that didn't allow somekind of IRQ tweakability.

You may have to break down and R.T.F.M. as horrible as that can be.

:eek:
 
Yeah... I guess its not an uncommon problem. But there isn't a common solution. Reinstalling windows seems to be only possible solution. If F5 is pressed when message "Press F8 to install third party SCSI Adapters" screen is up it brings up a menu that allows Win2k to be installed as "Standard PC," overriding the ACPI autodetection/configuring of the HAL. One can go from "Standard" to "ACPI" but not the reverse without a reinstall. The American Megatrends BIOS offers minimal ACPI configuration (doesn't allow it to be switched off.) This blows chunks.
 
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