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Service Hints & Tips

Document ID: YAST-3GPML2

Preparing your IBM PC Plug and Play BIOS for Windows 95

Applicable to: World-Wide

If your IBM computer utilizes a Plug and Play BIOS, and you are using (or are planning to use) Windows 95, disabling a serial port in the system setup may not have actually freed the resources for Windows 95. This may cause a resource conflict between the physical serial port and the internal modem and may prevent it from functioning properly. It is therefore recommended that you check that the serial port you disabled has actually freed it's resources before you physically attach or install the modem. To check that a disabled serial device has freed it's resources, perform the following steps:

1. Start your computer with Windows 95.

2. Double click on the "My Computer" icon.

3. Double click on the "Control Panel" icon.

4. Double click on the "System" icon.

5. Click the "Device Manager" tab.

6. Double click the "Ports (COM & LPT)" icon.

7. Check for the presence of the serial device you had previously disabled.

8. If the device you deleted (appearing as a COM port) is not present, or it appears with a red "x" on it, the resources have
been freed up successfully and you may continue the installation.

9. If the device is still showing up, you need to disable it in Windows 95.

10. Double click the COM port entry so that the port properties are displayed, click the "Resources" tab.

11. Check under the "Resource settings" heading, if the serial device is still holding resources they will be shown here as "Interrupt Request" and "Input/Output Range".

12. Uncheck the "Use automatic settings", then click "Change Settings".

13. Double click on the "Interrupt Request" entry and scroll to a setting other than 3 or 4. A setting of IRQ 5-15 is suitable (a conflict appearing in the "Conflicting device list may appear at this point, you may disregard this warning as you will be disabling the device in the next step) click "OK".

14. Click the "General" tab, then under the "Device usage" box, un check the "Original Configuration" box. Click "OK" to close out the device, then click "OK" to close the "System Properties" dialog box.

15. Perform a shutdown and restart of Windows 95.

16. If the device you deleted (appearing as a COM port) should now appear with a red "x" showing the serial port is present, but disabled. These system resources have been freed up successfully and you may continue the installation.

If your disabled serial device is still holding resources, you may re-install Windows with setup /pi command. This will cause Windows 95 to not report the presence of a Plug and Play BIOS. See your Windows 95 documentation for more information on Windows 95 setup. The setup command is referenced in the "Welcome" section of the "Introducing Microsoft Windows 95" manual which came with your preloaded system.

If reinstallation is not possible, an alternative method is available to free the resource:

1. Double click on the "My Computer" icon.

2. Double click on the "Control Panel" icon.

3. Double click on the "System" icon.

4. Click the "Hardware Profiles" tab.

5. Click "Copy" to copy "Original Configuration" and rename it to "Alternate Config".

6. Click "OK".

7. Click the "Device Manager" tab.

8. Double click the "Ports (COM & LPT)" icon to expand the list.

9. Double click on the port you are trying to disable.

10. Click the "General" tab, then un check the "Original Configuration" box.

11. Click "OK", restart Windows 95.

12. You will now have a menu appear at Windows 95 startup. Choose "Original Configuration" from the menu.

You will now find the serial port no longer appears on the list in Device Manager. These system resources have been freed up successfully and you may continue the installation.

Keywords: OBI Plug and Play BIOS Windows95

	Search Keywords
	Hint Category	General Information, BIOS, Windows 95
	Date Created	02-05-97
	Last Updated	01-12-98
	Revision Date	19-11-99
	Brand	IBM Options
	Product Family	Modems
	Machine Type	2400, 9600, 14.4K, 19.2K, 28.8K, 33.6K, 56K, 128K, Accessory
	Model	All
	TypeModel
	Retain Tip (if applicable)
	Reverse Doclinks and Admin Purposes