Does XP give you more IRQ numbers than 98?....

[plh]

..... or is that a function of the computer hardware? There is a reason
why I am asking. I installed an Ethernet card on a computer running
windows 98, but had only problems. It installed OK, but every time I
touch anything that would use it, like starting a browser, I get the
illegal operation message. The site for Linksys said look and see if
the card is sharing an IRQ with something else (besides IRQ holder
for PCI Steering). It's sharing IRQ 10 with the sound card. Problem is
all IRQs are taken. I could disable the printer or COMM port, but I do
have an XP update disk, so if I go that route will I get more IRQ
selections? Will XP be painfully slow on a computer with 128MB ram? I
am not sure what the clock speed is, I think it is about 400 or 500 if
memory serves. How can I find out? I remember putting something in the
"run" window that told me, but I do not now remember what it was.
Thank you all in advance for any help and advise!
-plh

 

[Jerry]

Go to www.belarc.com and get The Belarc Advisor or www.lavalys.com for
Everest. Either or both of them will tell you more about your system than
you probbaly want to know.

RAM is cheap. Why not buy a lot more an upgrade from 128Mb?

 

[Bob Harris]

As for IRQs, XP can handle about twices as many as win98, BUT only if (1)
the motherboard supports APIC, (2) it is turned on in the BIOS settings, and
(3) only if XP is installed (or in-place repaired) with APIC support turned
on. See the following webpage for more info about installing XP with APIC
truned on. The info is towards the bottom of the web page:

http://www.theeldergeek.com/clean_installation_of_windows_xp.htm

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

The problem is possibly the component with which it is sharing an IRQ.
Assigning IRQs in XP is problematic. The "easiest" way to deal with it is
to pull all the cards, then start over, adding them back one by one, this
will force the system to reassign IRQs. This time place the Ethernet card
in a different slot, that should change the IRQ and then you'll have to run
the system a bit to see if you have the same problem, if yes, you'll need to
move it again.

Upgrading to XP won't likely resolve the issue. Usually, if you have an
issue and you upgrade the OS, at the very least the problem is carried over
and often gets worse. Also, note, if any of the cards on the 9x system are
in ISA slots as opposed to PCI, they should be replaced as both XP and 98
have issues with such legacy cards and they also might be the source of the
issue.

That 128MB of ram is pretty light and depending upon what else you are
running on this system, yes, it could be painfully slow, it certainly won't
have the pep you are used to with 9x. XP is extremely graphics intensive
and even with a graphics card with plenty of memory, 64MB or more, much more
if you are into games and graphics, it could be painfully slow.