Manuals

ISA Configuration Utility: Dell Dimension XPS P133s, P166s, and P200s

Overview

The ISA Configuration Utility is used to tell the system what expansion cards are installed and which expansion slots they occupy. The system can then automatically configure 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.

In the Microsoft� Windows� 95 operating system, 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 (.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 you through the various steps.

You 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-arrow keys	Moves up and down items in a list.
<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 and then click 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 View. The Card Resource Usage box displays the resources assigned to that card.

You can save the information displayed in the resource usage dialog boxes by clicking 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:

Start the ISA Configuration Utility.
Click the Add button, or select Add Card from the Configuration menu.
Click the name of the category of card to be added. If the Add button was selected in step 2, click OK.
Select the name of the card to be added.

NOTE: 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 Yes, specify the path from the Load Configuration File dialog box, and then click 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 type the card name and its resources.

To select the resources yourself, click the Advanced button. To change any of the resource settings for the card, select the resource setting and then click the Settings button. Click the down-arrow next to the Configuration Choice box. Then click 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 the Options button.
When you have finished selecting resources for the functions in the Configuration Settings dialog box, click the OK button.
If the system configuration has been modified, turn off the system and change the jumpers on the ISA expansion cards to match the settings in the ISA Configuration Utility.

Modifying a Card

You can change the system resources used by a client by modifying a card. 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, called locking a card, should be used only if the card uses static device drivers.

NOTE: You 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:

Start the ISA Configuration Utility.
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 the Modify button.

NOTE: When you modify 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.

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.
Click the OK button to complete the card modifications and return to the ISA Configuration Utility window.
To change the resource settings for the card, select the resource setting, and then click the Settings button. Click the down-arrow next to the Configuration Choice box, and click the new resource 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 the Options button located below the resource values.
When you have finished selecting resources for the unlisted card, click 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 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, you do not need to run the ISA Configuration Utility; however, you do need to run this utility when removing an ISA expansion card. Use the following procedure to remove an ISA expansion card from the computer system:

Start the ISA Configuration Utility.
Select the card from the current system configuration list in the ISA Configuration Utility window.
Select Remove Card from the Configuration menu, or click the Remove button.
Click Yes to free the resources allocated to the card and remove its name from the list of active cards, or click No to cancel the operation.
Remove the card immediately.

CAUTION: Failure to remove the card immediately can cause damage to the system.

Locking Cards

The ISA Configuration Utility includes a locking mechanism that enables the user to allocate the system resources for all or 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 resources or particular functions of the card, you must first enable the locking feature and then 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:

If it is not already installed, install the Plug and Play or PCI expansion card by performing the removal procedure in reverse order. Then turn on the system. The expansion card is configured automatically by the system.
Start the ISA Configuration Utility.
Select Locking Enabled from the Advanced menu in the ISA Configuration Utility window. A check mark next to the Locking Enabled item shows that the lock is enabled, and a Lock button appears on the tool bar.
Select the Plug and Play or PCI expansion card that to be locked or unlocked from the Cards Configured in System list.
Click the Lock button or select Lock/Unlock Card from the Advanced menu.
Select Save from the File menu, exit the ISA Configuration Utility, and reboot the system.

Locking Configuration Resources

You can lock individual resources for a card by performing the following steps:

If it is not already installed, install the Plug and Play or PCI expansion card by performing the removal procedure in reverse order. Then turn on the system.
Start the ISA Configuration Utility.
Select Locking Enabled from the Advanced menu in the ISA Configuration Utility window. A check mark next to the Locking Enabled item shows that the lock is enabled, and a Lock button appears on the tool bar.
Select the Plug and Play or PCI expansion card to be locked or unlocked from the Cards Configured in System list.
Click the Modify button, or select Modify Card from the Configure menu.
From the Card Configuration dialog box, select the function to be locked or unlocked.
Click the Settings button. Modify the resource setting and/or resources offered on the Configuration Settings screen, if necessary.
Click the Lock Resources box, which toggles the lock state of the selected configuration setting.
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 by selecting Save from the File menu and then continuing with your operation.

Exiting the ISA Configuration Utility

At the ISA Configuration Utility window, select Exit from the File menu to exit the utility. If any changes to the system configuration have been made, you are prompted to save the changes.

Click the Yes button to have the ISA Configuration Utility save the updated system configuration data into NVRAM and in the system.img file.

Click the No button to exit the ISA Configuration Utility without saving any of the configuration changes. If you click the Cancel button, nothing is saved and the utility continues to operate.