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 the user how to configure ISA expansion cards manually by setting jumpers or switches. Plug and Play and PCI expansion cards do not contain jumpers and switches; they are configured only through software. If using Windows 95, the functions provided by the ISA Configuration Utility are handled by the Device Manager in the Control Panel.

NOTE: Dell will support only PCI video boards that meet the 2.1 PCI bus specification.

Whenever adding, removing, or repositioning an ISA expansion card, use the ISA Configuration Utility to reconfigure 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

The user can run the ISA Configuration Utility 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: The ISA Configuration Utility must be run from a diskette if an operating system other than MS-DOS is being used. If running an expanded memory manager, disable it before installing the ISA Configuration Utility. Once the installation procedure is complete, the memory manager can be reenabled.

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 expansion cards currently installed in the system. The ISA Configuration Utility window contains menus and a tool bar. When a course of action is chosen, the ISA Configuration Utility displays dialog boxes to guide the user through the various steps. The user can maneuver through each menu and dialog box by using a mouse or the following keystrokes:

Keys Action

<ALT-X-Y>		Performs the operation indicated by the menu item containing 
			the underlined letter Y.  (X corresponds to the first letter  
			of the menu name.)                                            
                                                                               

<TAB>			Moves from one control button or list to another.            
                                                                               

Up- and down-		Moves up and down items in a list.                           
arrow keys                                                                      
                                                                               

<SPACEBAR>		Highlights an item in a list.                                
                                                                               

<ENTER>			Selects the highlighted button or item in a list.            

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 View. The Card Resource Usage box displays the resources assigned to that card. The user can save the information displayed in the resource usage dialog boxes by clicking on the PRINT TO FILE button. The ISA Configuration Utility then prompts for a file name.

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 is to be added. If the Add button was selected in step 2, click on OK.
4. Select the name of the card to be added.

NOTES: If the name of the card is not displayed, 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 no diskette was supplied, click NO when the ISA Configuration Utility asks whether there is a configuration file for the card, and enter in the CARD NAME and the resources it is using.

5. To select the resources yourself, 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 to be changed and click on the Options button.
6. Click on the OK button in the Configuration Settings dialog box once finished selecting resources for the functions.
7. Turn off the system if the system configuration has been 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 allows the user to 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. The user can allocate different resources to the cards currently in the system to free the resources necessary for the card to be installed. 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 user cannot modify the resources of a PCI card, but can only view the resources currently assigned and lock or unlock them.

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 the user modifies an unlisted card, the ISA Configuration Utility cannot display 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 to be changed, and click on the Options button located below the resource values.
7. Once 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 expansion card from the system, the user does not need to run the ISA Configuration Utility. However, this utility does need to be run when removing an 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 expansion card. Plug and Play expansion 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 the card is using a static device driver, the user needs to permanently associate resources with the Plug and Play expansion 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, the user must first enable the locking feature. The user must also select a Plug and Play or PCI expansion card from the list of cards installed. To lock or unlock all the resources and configurations for a Plug and Play or PCI expansion card, perform the following steps:

1. If it is not already installed, install the Plug and Play or PCI expansion card. Then turn on the system. The expansion 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 next to the LOCKING ENABLED item shows that it is active, and a Lock button appears on the tool bar.
4. Select the Plug and Play or PCI expansion 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.
6. Select SAVE from the File menu, exit the ISA Configuration Utility, and reboot the system.

Locking Configuration Resources

The user can also lock individual resources for a card. To do so, perform the following steps:

1. If it is not already installed, install the Plug and Play or PCI expansion 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 next to the LOCKING ENABLED item shows that it is active, and a Lock button appears on the tool bar.
4. Select the Plug and Play or PCI expansion card 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 the LOCK RESOURCES box, which toggles the lock state of the selected configuration setting.
9. Repeat this procedure for any other configurations settings to be locked or unlocked. Then click the OK button in the Card Configuration dialog box.

Saving the System Configuration

The system configuration can be saved to NVRAM as each card's resources are configured. To do so, select SAVE from the File menu and then continue with your 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 to the system configuration have been made, the user is prompted to save the changes. Click on the Yes button to have the ISA Configuration Utility save the updated system configuration data into NVRAM and in the system.img file. Click on the No button to exit 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.