ISA Configuration

The ISA Configuration Utility is used to tell the system what expansion cards are installed and which expansion slots they occupy. With this information, the system automatically configures Plug and Play expansion cards and PCI expansion cards and can tell how to configure ISA cards manually by setting jumpers or switches. Plug and Play cards and PCI cards do not contain jumpers and switches; they are configured only through software.

NOTE: Dell will support only PCI video boards that meet the 2.0 PCI bus specification.

Whenever an ISA expansion card is added, removed, or repositioned, reconfigure the ISA Configuration Utility to the system. The utility reads the card's corresponding configuration file (.cfg file), which describes the card's characteristics and required system resources. After the resources identified in these configuration files are assigned to all ISA cards, the ISA Configuration Utility assigns resources to all Plug and Play cards, thereby creating a conflict-free configuration.

PCI cards do not require configuring through the ISA Configuration Utility. A PCI configuration utility in ROM automatically reads the configuration information in the ISA Configuration Utility and assigns resources to the PCI cards accordingly. If the PCI configuration utility is not aware of an installed ISA card, resource conflicts can arise.

Installing the ISA Configuration Utility
Starting the ISA Configuration Utility
Making Selections in the ISA Configuration Utility
Viewing Resources
Adding a Card
Modifying a Card
Removing a Card
Locking Cards
Locking Configuration Resources
Saving the System Configuration
Exiting from the ISA Configuration Utility

Installing the ISA Configuration Utility

The ISA Configuration Utility can be run from the hard-disk drive only if using MS-DOS. Although Dell recommends running the program from a diskette only, it runs considerably faster from a hard-disk drive than from a diskette.

NOTE: Run the ISA Configuration Utility from a diskette if using an operating system other than MS-DOS. If running an expanded memory manager, disable it before installing the ISA Configuration Utility. Once the installation procedure is complete, reenable it.

To install the ISA Configuration Utility for MS-DOS on the hard-disk drive, insert the ISA Configuration Utility Diskette 1 into drive A, type the following line, and press <ENTER>:

a:install

Then follow the instructions on the screen. After the installation procedure is completed and the MS-DOS prompt is displayed, remove the ISA Configuration Utility Diskette 1 from drive A and reboot the system before starting the ISA Configuration Utility.

Starting the ISA Configuration Utility

If running the ISA Configuration Utility from the hard-disk drive, remove any TSR programs from memory before starting the utility. These programs take up space in the system memory even when they are not running, thus reducing the amount of memory available to the ISA Configuration Utility.

The ISA Configuration Utility requires 465 KB of conventional memory. If there is not enough memory to run it, run the utility from a bootable diskette.

Also memory can be conserved by modifying the Configuration Manager for the ISA Configuration Utility. The Configuration Manager has a /nolock parameter that disables the CM_LockConfig and CM_UnlockConfig functions. This option disables the LOCK RESOURCES box in the Configuration Settings dialog box and saves 30 KB of memory.

NOTE: The /nolock parameter does not affect the Lock button or the LOCK/UNLOCK CARD item under the Advanced menu of the ISA Configuration Utility.

The /nolock parameter can be specified in the config.sys file using the following syntax:

device=c:\

directory

\config\dwcfgmg.sys /nolock

NOTE: The default location for the Configuration Manager is in the c:\plugplay directory. This may need to be modified if the default was not used.

Another method of conserving conventional memory is to load the Configuration Manager into high memory using a memory manager, such as emm386.exe. The following example does this:

device=c:\windows\emm386.exe noems

devicehigh /size=a700 c:\plugplay\config\dwcfgmg.sys

The next example loads the Configuration Manager into high memory with the

/nolock 

parameter specified:

device=c:\windows\emm386.exe noems

devicehigh /size32e0 c:\plugplay\config\dwcfgmg.sys /nolock

To run the program from the hard-disk drive, type the following:

cd \plugplay\icu

icu

NOTE: Run the ISA Configuration Utility from the MS-DOS prompt, not from within Windows.

Making Selections in the ISA Configuration Utility

The ISA Configuration Utility window is the main window of the utility and the starting point for making any changes to the expansion-card configuration. This window displays a list of all ISA, Plug and Play and PCI cards currently installed in the system. The ISA Configuration Utility window contains menus and a tool bar.

Maneuver through each menu and dialog box using a mouse or the keystrokes below:

<ALT-X-Y>

<TAB>

Up-and down-arrow keys

<SPACEBAR>

<ENTER>

Viewing Resources

The ISA Configuration Utility displays all resources currently used by the system. To view all the system resources, select SYSTEM RESOURCES from the View menu. The System Resource Usage dialog box displays all resources currently used by the system.

To determine which card uses a particular resource shown in the System Resource Usage dialog box, select the resource in question and then click on the Used By Card button. The Card Resource Usage dialog box appears with the information.

To view the resources that a particular card is using, select the card from the list displayed, and then select the CARD RESOURCES item from the View menu or click on the View button. The Card Resource Usage box displays the resources assigned to that card.

Adding a Card

Use the following procedure to add a listed card with the ISA Configuration Utility:

1. Start the ISA Configuration Utility.
2. Click on the Add button, or select ADD CARD from the Configuration menu.
3. Click on the name of the category of card that to be added. If the Add button was selected in step 2, click on OK for a dialog box listing the names of all available cards of that type.
4. Select the name of the card to be added.
   
   NOTES: If the name of the card is not shown, .select UNLISTED CARD at the bottom of the listing. Insert the diskette that was supplied by the manufacturer, click on YES, and specify the path from the Load Configuration File dialog box. Then click on the Open button. If the user did not receive a diskette, click NO when the ISA Configuration Utility asks if a configuration file for the card is available, and enter in the CARD NAME and the resources it is using.
   
   
5. To select the resources, click on the Advanced button. To change any of the resource settings for the card, select the resource setting, and then click on the Settings button. Click on the down-arrow next to the Configuration Choice box. Then click on the setting from the list of available settings.
   To change individual resource values for the current configuration setting, select the resource value that to be changed and click on the Options button.
6. Click on the OK button in the Configuration Settings dialog box when finished selecting resources for the functions.
7. Turn off the system if the system configuration was modified, and change the jumpers on the ISA expansion cards to match the settings in the ISA Configuration Utility.

Modifying a Card

Modifying a card can change the system resources used by a client. This feature is helpful when adding a card that requires resources already in use by other cards or devices in the system.

This feature can also be used to force Plug and Play or PCI cards to use specific resource values. This procedure is called locking a card. Lock a card only if it uses static device drivers.

NOTE: The resources of a PCI card cannot be modified. The resources currently assigned can only be viewed or locked/unlocked.

To modify the resource settings for a listed or unlisted card, complete the following steps:

1. Start the ISA Configuration Utility.
2. Select the card from the list of installed cards in the ISA Configuration Utility window, and choose MODIFY CARD from the Configure menu or click on the Modify button.
   
   NOTE: When modifying an unlisted card, the ISA Configuration Utility cannot show the valid resources for the card. Therefore, refer to the documentation from the manufacturer that describes the settings the card can use.
   
   
3. To add, modify, or remove a resource value, select the box beneath the resource to be assigned, and then select the Add, Modify, or Remove button.
4. Click on the OK button to complete the card modifications and return to the ISA Configuration Utility window.
5. To change the resource settings for the card, select the resource setting, and then click on the Settings button. Click on the down-arrow next to the Configuration Choice box. Then click on the new resource setting from the list of available settings.
6. To change individual resource values for the current configuration setting, select the resource value that to be changed, and click on the Options button located below the resource values.
7. When finished selecting resources for the unlisted card, click on the OK button in the Configure Unlisted Card dialog box. If the card needs to be reconfigured, record the resource settings recommended by the ISA Configuration Utility. Click on the Close button to accept the resource settings currently displayed.

Removing a Card

To remove a Plug and Play or PCI card from the system, the ISA Configuration Utility does not need to be run. However, it must be run to remove a ISA expansion card. Use the following procedure to remove an ISA expansion card from the computer system:

1. Start the ISA Configuration Utility.
2. Select the card from the current system configuration list in the ISA Configuration Utility window.
3. Select REMOVE CARD from the Configuration menu or click on the Remove button.
4. Click on YES to free the resources allocated to the card and remove its name from the list of active cards, or click on NO to cancel the operation.
5. Remove the card from the system immediately. Failure to do so can damage the system.

Locking Cards

The ISA Configuration Utility includes a locking mechanism that enables the user to allocate the system resources for all or for some functions of a Plug and Play card. Plug and Play cards are dynamic, meaning that they are allocated resources at system boot. Some device drivers support this dynamic card configuration, but some do not. Device drivers that do not support dynamic card configuration are referred to as static device drivers.

To determine whether the expansion card has static device drivers, check the documentation that came with the device driver. If using a static device driver, permanently associate resources with a Plug and Play card instead of relying on the default Plug and Play behavior. Otherwise, the device driver might not be able to find the card the next time the system boots. The procedure is known as locking a card.

NOTE: The locking feature of the ISA Configuration Utility is valid only for Plug and Play cards and PCI cards.

To lock the card resources or particular functions of the card, first enable the locking feature and then select a Plug and Play or PCI card from the list of cards installed.

To lock or unlock all the resources and configurations for a Plug and Play or PCI card, perform the following steps:

1. If it is not already installed, install the Plug and Play or PCI card. Then turn on the system. The Plug and Play card is configured automatically by the system.
2. Start the ISA Configuration Utility.
3. Select LOCKING ENABLED from the Advanced menu in the ISA Configuration Utility window. A check mark will appear next to the LOCKING ENABLED item to show that it is active, and a Lock button appears on the tool bar.
4. Select the Plug and Play card that to be locked or unlocked from the Cards Configured in System list.
5. Click on the Lock button or select LOCK/UNLOCK CARD from the Advanced menu.

Locking Configuration Resources

Individual resources for a card can also be locked. To do so, perform the following steps:

1. If it is not already installed, install the Plug and Play card. Then turn on the system.
2. Start the ISA Configuration Utility.
3. Select LOCKING ENABLED from the Advanced menu in the ISA Configuration Utility window. A check mark appears next to the LOCKING ENABLED item to show that it is active, and a Lock button appears on the tool bar.
4. Select the Plug and Play card that to be locked or unlocked from the Cards Configured in System list.
5. Click on the Modify button, or select MODIFY CARD from the Configure menu.
6. From the Card Configuration dialog box, select the function to be locked or unlocked.
7. Click on the Settings button. Modify the resource setting and/or resources offered on the Configuration Settings screen, if necessary.
8. Click in the LOCK RESOURCES box. The LOCK RESOURCES box toggles the lock state of the selected configuration setting.
9. Repeat for any other configurations settings to be locked or unlocked. Click on the OK button in the Card Configuration dialog when finished making the selections.

Saving the System Configuration

To save the system configuration to NVRAM as each card's resources are configured, select SAVE from the File menu and then continue with the operation.

Exiting from the ISA Configuration Utility

At the ISA Configuration Utility window, select EXIT from the File menu to exit the ISA Configuration Utility. If any changes have been made to the system configuration, the system asks if the user wants to save the changes.

If the Yes button is clicked, the ISA Configuration Utility saves the updated system configuration data into NVRAM and in the system.img file. If the No button is clicked, the user exits the ISA Configuration Utility without saving any of the configuration changes. If the Cancel button is selected, nothing is saved, and the utility continues to operate.