Changing PCI cards without switching off?

[Franklin]

I usually switch off my PC before I change a PCI card but a recent
case I wanted to remove a modem card, then inspect the markings and
then restore it in the PC.

If I don't switch off the PC then what sort of damage might I cause?

 

[chris]

I usually switch off my PC before I change a PCI card but a recent
case I wanted to remove a modem card, then inspect the markings and
then restore it in the PC.

If I don't switch off the PC then what sort of damage might I cause?

Luck of the draw....You'll probably get away with it once.

You should switch off at the mains too. Front button isn't enough - the PCI
slots are still powered.

 

[Ken]

I usually switch off my PC before I change a PCI card but a recent
case I wanted to remove a modem card, then inspect the markings and
then restore it in the PC.

If I don't switch off the PC then what sort of damage might I cause?

It is not certain that you will do any damage, but you certainly won't
do any good. If you are hoping to remove it and replace it and still
have the modem recognized as it was before you removed it, I don't
believe that will happen. Your modem has an IRQ, and I believe the
computer keeps polling it. Once it fails to receive and acknowledgment,
the only way to get it is to reboot. Again, I am not 100% sure of this,
but I believe I am correct.

It would seem to me therefore, that since you MIGHT damage the card and
it will not keep the modem as hardware it recognized upon boot up, there
is nothing but disadvantages to the idea.

 

[John Doe]

Luck of the draw....You'll probably get away with it once.
You should switch off at the mains too. Front button isn't enough - the PCI
slots are still powered.

<rolls eyes, looks up at the newsgroups field>

Yup, it's crossposted.

 

[kony]

I usually switch off my PC before I change a PCI card but a recent
case I wanted to remove a modem card, then inspect the markings and
then restore it in the PC.

If I don't switch off the PC then what sort of damage might I cause?

It'll lock up the PC for one thing, just turn it off first
and unplug it.

 

[SteveH]

I usually switch off my PC before I change a PCI card but a recent
case I wanted to remove a modem card, then inspect the markings and
then restore it in the PC.

If I don't switch off the PC then what sort of damage might I cause?

Why even consider risking your PC?
Just do it properly and power down, unplug and take the card out.

SteveH

 

[Noozer]

I usually switch off my PC before I change a PCI card but a recent
case I wanted to remove a modem card, then inspect the markings and
then restore it in the PC.

If I don't switch off the PC then what sort of damage might I cause?

Do you turn the BACK of the PC off (or unplug the power?) If not you still
have power on the PCI slots and can fry your mainboard.

 

[Rene]

It is not certain that you will do any damage, but you certainly won't do
any good. If you are hoping to remove it and replace it and still have
the modem recognized as it was before you removed it, I don't believe that
will happen. Your modem has an IRQ, and I believe the computer keeps
polling it.

There is one reason why hardware interrupts were invented, and that is so
that polling wouldn't be necessary anymore.
But apart from that, You are very right saying it would be very unwise to do
what OP wants to do.

Greetings,
Rene

 

[Conor]

I usually switch off my PC before I change a PCI card but a recent
case I wanted to remove a modem card, then inspect the markings and
then restore it in the PC.

If I don't switch off the PC then what sort of damage might I cause?
[/QUOTE]
It'll most likely **** it up.

 

[DaveW]

Arcing and burning out the motherboard. Nothing serious...

 

[Jaimie Vandenbergh]

I usually switch off my PC before I change a PCI card but a recent
case I wanted to remove a modem card, then inspect the markings and
then restore it in the PC.

If I don't switch off the PC then what sort of damage might I cause?

It'll most likely **** it up.[/QUOTE]

<small round of applause for "most accurate summary of the day">

Cheers - Jaimie

 

[Iain Dingsdale]

I usually switch off my PC before I change a PCI card but a recent
case I wanted to remove a modem card, then inspect the markings and
then restore it in the PC.

If I don't switch off the PC then what sort of damage might I cause?

you might get away without doing any damage, but it will almost certainly
cause a crash so you'll have to restart anyway...

 

[Michael Salem]

There are a lot of people warning that removing a PCI card from a
running machine will cause damage. While I don't intend to do this, has
anybody actually tested removing and inserting PCI cards in running
machines, or is this just the Standard Warning? (Easy enough to test
these days, with older machine being scrapped because you can't give
them away.) I would hazard a guess that it might actually not cause
damage in most, or all, cases.

Certainly there are some flavours of PCI designed for hot-swapping.

 

[Bryan Hoover]

There are a lot of people warning that removing a PCI card from a
running machine will cause damage. While I don't intend to do this, has
anybody actually tested removing and inserting PCI cards in running
machines, or is this just the Standard Warning? (Easy enough to test
these days, with older machine being scrapped because you can't give
them away.) I would hazard a guess that it might actually not cause
damage in most, or all, cases.

Certainly there are some flavours of PCI designed for hot-swapping.

In one of my recent googling cram sessions, I think I did run across
something about pci hotswap, but I didn't go into the link -- haha, this is
how rumors get started (and perhaps innovation implemented).

I bumped my modem once, and the machine rebooted.

Bryan

 

[Mac Cool]

Michael Salem:

has anybody actually tested removing and inserting PCI cards in
running machines

I don't remember the exact circumstances but I was picking a machine up to
move it and set it down too hard and it locked up. Turned out one of the
PCI cards was loose.

I accidently touched a video card once while the machine was running and
the machine locked up. When I rebooted I eventually discovered the video
card would lock up the computer when it tried to render 3D graphics (video
games).

 

[Kevin R]

There are a lot of people warning that removing a PCI card from a
running machine will cause damage. While I don't intend to do this, has
anybody actually tested removing and inserting PCI cards in running
machines, or is this just the Standard Warning? (Easy enough to test
these days, with older machine being scrapped because you can't give
them away.) I would hazard a guess that it might actually not cause
damage in most, or all, cases.

Certainly there are some flavours of PCI designed for hot-swapping.

its the mother board that determines a hot swappable slot I had a brief
course on severs and some had a hot swap pci slots with a led to show the
difference between a live powered slot and a pci slot that was powered down
and as for doing it to a powered system you can fry a mother board I
dismantled a pc powered off with out switching of the psu and it fried the
mother board its luck of the draw which pins on the card make contact first

 

[Alex Fraser]

There are a lot of people warning that removing a PCI card from a
running machine will cause damage. While I don't intend to do this, has
anybody actually tested removing and inserting PCI cards in running
machines, or is this just the Standard Warning? (Easy enough to test
these days, with older machine being scrapped because you can't give
them away.) I would hazard a guess that it might actually not cause
damage in most, or all, cases.

I think the chance is significant. PS/2 keyboard/mouse connectors are not
usually designed to be hot plugged, and I've certainly heard of apparent
damage to motherboards arising from trying to do that. Given the fact PCI is
internal, it's even less likely any kind of protection will exist.

But the possibility of damage is a moot point: every time I've knocked a
loose PCI card (physical shock to the PC, or catching some protruding
connector/attached cable), the PC has crashed. If removing a card is
practically guaranteed to crash the PC (and it would seem so), then you
might as well turn it off anyway.

Alex

 

[Alex Fraser]

[snip]

its luck of the draw which pins on the card make contact first

Hmm, I have a feeling that things sometimes object (destructively) to having
signals connected before power. Perhaps that's the problem.

Alex

 

[Iain Dingsdale]

There are a lot of people warning that removing a PCI card from a
running machine will cause damage. While I don't intend to do this, has
anybody actually tested removing and inserting PCI cards in running
machines, or is this just the Standard Warning? (Easy enough to test
these days, with older machine being scrapped because you can't give
them away.) I would hazard a guess that it might actually not cause
damage in most, or all, cases.

Certainly there are some flavours of PCI designed for hot-swapping.

No but i've tried it with an old slot processor in a knackered old machine.
still worked after...

 

[Johannes H Andersen]

[snip]

its luck of the draw which pins on the card make contact first

Hmm, I have a feeling that things sometimes object (destructively) to having
signals connected before power. Perhaps that's the problem.

Alex

Exactly! Proper 'external' cards such as memory cards or PCMCIA are
engineered such that power is connected before signal.