User Guide

User Guide
Using the ISA Configuration Utility: Dell Precision WorkStation 410 Desktop Systems

Using the ISA Configuration Utility: Dell™ Precision™ WorkStation 410 Desktop Systems

Overview

The ISA Configuration Utility (ICU) is used by the system to track what expansion cards are installed and what resources are used. With this information, the system automatically configures Plug and Play expansion cards and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) expansion cards and can tell you how to configure non-Plug and Play Industry-Standard Architecture (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 basic input/output system (BIOS).

CAUTION: The ICU is intended only for configuring non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards. It should not be used for assigning resources to Plug and Play expansion cards and PCI expansion cards. These cards should be configured automatically by the BIOS.
NOTE: The Windows NT operating system does not provide full Plug and Play support. Therefore, some Plug and Play cards (such as modem, sound, and network cards) may not work with Windows NT. If your system is running a Dell-installed Windows NT operating system and you want to use Plug and Play cards, Dell recommends that you use the card manufacturer's configuration utility to set the card to legacy mode, enter the card's resources through the manufacturer's utility, and then use the ICU to add the Plug and Play card to your system configuration. On systems with a Dell-installed Windows NT operating system, the ICU is installed on the hard-disk drive as a diskette image. Use the Program Diskette Maker (located in the Dell Accessories program folder) to make an ICU diskette from this diskette image.

The remainder of this chapter describes the various features of, and the various ways to use, the ICU.

Quick Start

To quickly get started using this utility, follow these steps:

  1. Determine whether you need to run the ICU.

    See "When to Run the ICU" found later in this chapter for detailed instructions.

  2. Perform any required preparatory steps before starting the utility.

    Preparatory steps include making a program diskette, copying your mouse driver to this diskette, and making a backup copy of this diskette. See "Preparing to Use the ICU" found later in this chapter for detailed instructions.

  3. Start the system using your ICU diskette.

    Verify that Boot Sequence in the System Setup program is set to Diskette First. Then insert the backup copy of the ICU diskette into drive A, and turn on your computer or press the reset button.

    NOTE: The ICU takes a few minutes to load. During this time, the cursor may appear as a pointer rather than as an hourglass.

    When the utility has finished loading, the ICU window (see Figure 4-1) is displayed.

  4. Add, modify, or remove a card, or view resources for a card or other device.

    Depending on what you need to accomplish with the ICU, you may need to perform one or more of these tasks:

    • If you are adding a non-Plug and Play ISA expansion card, see "Adding a Listed Card" found later in this chapter for detailed instructions. If the card you are adding does not have a configuration file, see "Adding an Unlisted Card" found later in this chapter for detailed instructions.
    • If you are modifying a card that is already installed, see "Modifying a Card" found later in this chapter for detailed instructions.
    • If you are removing a card, see "Removing a Card" found later in this chapter for detailed instructions.
    • If you want to examine the resources already assigned in the system, see "Viewing Resources" found later in this chapter for detailed instructions.

  5. Save your configuration, and exit the utility.

    See "Saving the System Configuration" and "Exiting the ICU" found later in this chapter for detailed instructions.

About the ICU

Before your system was shipped from Dell, a technician used the ICU to enter the correct information for the expansion cards initially installed in your computer.

If your system was shipped with Dell-installed software, the ICU diskette image (from which you can make an ICU diskette) is installed on your hard-disk drive. (Your system may also be accompanied by an ISA Configuration Utility Diskette.)

The ICU is also available through online services such as Dell's TechConnect bulletin board service (BBS). See the chapter titled "Getting Help" in your Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide for information on accessing the BBS.

Whenever you add or remove a non-Plug and Play ISA expansion card, use the ICU to reconfigure your 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 non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards, the system assigns resources to all Plug and Play expansion cards, as well as PCI expansion cards, thereby creating a conflict-free configuration.

ICU Database

The ICU provides a database of configuration files for a large variety of non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards. The database is located in the \db subdirectory. Listed cards are non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards that have configuration files stored in this database.

Unlisted cards are non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards that do not have configuration files stored in the ICU database. Unlisted cards are not displayed in the list of cards provided for the various card categories. The unlisted cards may be cards for which no configuration file exists or new cards that include a manufacturer-supplied configuration file on diskette.

When you supply a configuration file and the ICU is running from the hard-disk drive, the configuration file is copied to the directory that contains the rest of the ICU database.

When to Run the ICU

Whenever you add or remove non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards, you must run the ICU to ensure that no two cards attempt to use the same resources (such as interrupt request [IRQ] lines).

Run the program before adding or removing any non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards. The ICU can identify and resolve any resource conflicts and indicate the proper jumper and switch settings for each expansion card to avoid such conflicts. Running the program first helps you determine how to configure a non-Plug and Play ISA expansion card before you install it in your computer.

After you have run the ICU for your non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards and it has configured all your Plug and Play and PCI expansion cards, you can use the utility to lock the configuration of your Plug and Play and PCI expansion cards so that they are always assigned the same resources. See "Locking and Unlocking Cards" found later in this chapter for details.

Preparing to Use the ICU

Before using the ICU for the first time, you must complete the following steps:

  1. If your system includes Dell-installed software, make a program diskette of the ICU from the diskette image on your hard-disk drive.

    For instructions on how to create a program diskette from the diskette image, see the online help provided in the Program Diskette Maker, which is available in the Dell Accessories program folder.

    NOTE: If you received an ISA Configuration Utility Diskette with your system, skip to step 2.
  2. If you want to use your mouse with the ICU, copy your mouse driver file (mouse.exe) to your ICU diskette.
  3. Make a backup copy of your ICU diskette, as described in the next subsection, "Backing Up the ICU Diskette."

    Use the backup copy whenever you run the utility; store the original diskette in a safe place.

Backing Up the ICU Diskette

Before using the ICU, make a backup copy of the ICU diskette by performing the following steps.

NOTE: If you received an ISA Configuration Utility Diskette with your system, you should use this procedure to create a backup of that diskette.
  1. Make sure you have a blank, high-density, 3.5-inch diskette.
  2. Turn on your computer system if it is not already on.
  3. Make a copy of the ICU program diskette.

    See your operating system documentation for instructions on making a copy of a diskette.

  4. Store your original ICU diskette in a safe place.

    Use only the backup diskette when running the ICU.

Starting the ICU

After you have completed the procedure in "Preparing to Use the ICU" found earlier in this chapter, insert the backup copy of the ICU diskette into drive A. Then either turn on your computer or reboot it by pressing the reset button.

Accessing Help

You can access online help in the ICU in four ways:

  • Select Contents from the Help menu to display a list of topics. Select a topic and click Help. Help text on that topic appears in a dialog box.
  • For most dialog boxes, you can click Help to display information on the action you are performing.
  • From the ICU window, press the <F1> key to display a list of available help topics.
  • To redisplay the last message you received from the ICU, select Previous Message from the Help menu.

Making Selections in the ICU

The ICU window is the main window of the utility and the starting point for making expansion-card changes. This window lists all non-Plug and Play ISA, Plug and Play, and PCI expansion cards currently installed in the computer. The ICU window contains menus and a tool bar, as shown in Figure 4-1. When you choose a course of action, the ICU displays dialog boxes to guide you through the various steps.

Figure 4-1. ICU Window

You can maneuver through each menu and dialog box using a mouse. If a mouse is not available, you can use the keys shown in Table 4-1.

Each menu and menu option has an underlined character in its name; when you press the <Alt> key in conjunction with the key for the underlined character, that menu or menu option is selected.

Table 4-1. ICU Keys
Keys Action
<Alt><x><y> Displays the menu containing the underlined letter x and performs the operation indicated by the menu item containing the underlined letter y. For example, to save a file (that is, to display the File menu and select the Save menu option), press <Alt><f> and <s>.
<Tab> Moves from one control button or list to another.
Up- and down-arrow keys Moves up and down through items in a list.
<Spacebar> Highlights an item in a list.
<Enter> Selects the highlighted button or item in a list.

Adding a Listed Card

NOTE: If you want to add a configuration file that you received on diskette with a new expansion card, you must copy the configuration file to the \db subdirectory on the backup copy of the ICU diskette. You should then reboot your system and perform the following procedure to add the expansion card.

Use the following procedure to add a listed card with the ICU:

  1. Start the ICU as described in "Starting the ICU" found earlier in this chapter.
  2. From the ICU window, click Add or select Add Card from the Configure menu.
  3. Click the name of the category of card that you want to add. If you clicked Add in step 2, click OK.
    4.

    A dialog box like the one in Figure 4-2 appears, listing the names of all available cards of that type.

    Figure 4-2. Add Network Card Dialog Box
  4. Select the name of the card you want to add.
    5.

    If the card is not listed, see "Adding an Unlisted Card" found next in this chapter.

  5. If you want the ICU to select the resources for the card, click OK. Otherwise, skip to step 6.
    6.

    The ICU uses the default resources set by the card manufacturer whenever possible. If the ICU cannot find a resource that is valid for the card and available in the system, the utility generates an error message. See "ISA Configuration Utility Messages," for an explanation of the message and a possible solution to the conflict.

    If you are satisfied with the default resources assigned to the card, you can skip the remainder of this procedure.

  6. To select the resources yourself, click Advanced.
    7.

    The Card Configuration dialog box (see Figure 4-3) displays all resources used by the card. Some cards have multiple functions, each having one or more resources associated with it. For example, a communications card can have fax, modem, and scanner functions, each of which may have one or more associated resources.

    Figure 4-3. The Card Configuration Dialog Box
  7. To change any of the resource settings for the card, select the resource setting and then click Settings.
    8.

    The Configuration Settings dialog box (see Figure 4-4) displays the name of the resource that you selected in the upper-left corner of the box. The resource values currently associated with the selected function are displayed in the Resources for Choice box. The resource values displayed are IRQ, DMA, Memory (Hex), and I/O Port (Hex).

    Figure 4-4. Configuration Settings Dialog Box for Assigning an IRQ Line
  8. To change the resource settings, click the down-arrow next to the Configuration Choice box. Then click the new resource setting from the list of available settings (see Figure 4-5).
    9.

    You cannot manually enter a value; you must choose a setting from the list. If there is only one setting listed, no other settings are available.

    The setting that you select may affect the resources available. For example, if you are offered the Disabled option and select it, all resource values are blank, indicating that a disabled setting uses no resources.

    Figure 4-5. Available Settings List Box
  9. To change individual resource values for the current configuration setting, select the resource value that you want to change and click the Options button located below the resource values (see Figure 4-6).
    10.

    For example, when you click the value under DMA, the Options button changes to the DMA Options button. When you click this button, a smaller dialog box appears. By clicking the down arrow next to the current resource value, you can display a list of the available values for the resource.

    Figure 4-6. Configuration Settings Dialog Box for Assigning a DMA Channel

    Choose the desired value and click OK. The value you selected is displayed under the resource heading in the Configuration Settings dialog box.

    The Options button is disabled if no alternative values are available for the selected resource.

    NOTE: If you change one or more resource values using the Options button and later change the setting in the Configuration Choice box, the changes that you made to the resource values are overwritten by the default values for the new configuration choice.

  10. Click OK in the Configuration Settings dialog box when you have finished selecting resources for the function.
    11.
NOTE: After modifying the system configuration, you must turn off the system to install, remove, or change jumper settings on the non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards to match the settings you selected in the ICU.

Adding an Unlisted Card

Unlisted cards are non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards that do not have configuration files stored in the ICU database.

NOTE: If you want to add a configuration file that you received on diskette with a new expansion card, see "Adding a Listed Card" found earlier in this chapter.

To add an unlisted card with the ICU, perform the following steps:

  1. Start the ICU as described in "Starting the ICU" found earlier in this chapter.
  2. From the ICU window, click Add or select Add Card from the Configure menu.
  3. Click the name of the category of card that you want to add. If you clicked Add in step 2, click OK.
    4.

    A dialog box appears, listing the names of all available cards of that type.

  4. Select Unlisted Card from the bottom of the list of cards displayed in the dialog box that appears. Then click OK.
  5. Click No when the ICU asks if you have a configuration file for the card.
    6.

    The Configure Unlisted Card dialog box appears with blank fields.

  6. Enter the name of the card that you want to add in the Card Name field.
  7. For each resource you want to assign to the card, click the box beneath the name of the resource to be assigned and then click Add.
    8.

    For example, if you click the box beneath IRQ, the button changes to Add Interrupt. When you click this button, a Specify dialog box (in this case, Specify Interrupt) appears. Figure 4-7 shows the Configure Unlisted Card dialog box with the Specify Interrupt dialog box opened.

    Figure 4-7. Specify Interrupt Dialog Box

    If you are providing a value for the IRQ or direct memory access (DMA) resource, click the down arrow beneath Available Resources. A smaller Specify list box appears (see Figure 4-8). Click the value you want to assign to the resource. Then click OK.

    Figure 4-8. Specify Interrupt List Box

    If none of the values for the DMA or IRQ resources match the allowable values for your unlisted card (as indicated in the card's documentation), select one of the available values offered by the utility and click OK.

    If you are providing values for the input/output (I/O) port or memory resources, you must enter the starting and ending addresses in hexadecimal format using the two fields provided by the Specify Memory or Specify I/O Port dialog box. Click each box in succession to enter the beginning and ending addresses, and then click OK to complete the selection. Figure 4-9 shows the two fields.

    Figure 4-9. Specify I/O Port Dialog Box
  8. When you have finished selecting resources for the unlisted card, click OK in the Configure Unlisted Card dialog box.
    9.

    A message box appears, notifying you either that the card is using its default settings or that it cannot use its default settings and must be reconfigured.

  9. Click OK. If the card must be reconfigured, record the resource settings recommended by the ICU. Click Close to accept the resource settings currently displayed.
  10. If you had to assign a disallowed resource value to the card in steps 7, 8, and 9, click each of the other cards, and then click View until you find another card using a resource value that is allowed for the unlisted card. Reassign the resource setting for this other card using the procedure in the next section, "Modifying a Card." Then modify the resource settings for the unlisted card so that it uses an allowable value.
    11.
NOTE: After modifying the system configuration, you must turn the system off to install, remove, or change jumper settings on the non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards to match the settings you selected in the ICU.

Modifying a Card

Modifying a card allows you to change the system resources used by a card. This feature is helpful when you want to add a card that requires resources already in use by other cards or devices in your computer. You can allocate different resources to the cards currently in your computer to free the resources necessary for the card you want to install.

You can also use this feature to force Plug and Play or PCI expansion cards to use specific resource values. This procedure is called locking a card. You should lock a card only if it uses static device drivers. See "Locking and Unlocking Cards" found later in this chapter for more information.

NOTE: You cannot modify the resources of a Plug and Play or PCI expansion card. You 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 ICU as described in "Starting the ICU" found earlier in this chapter.
  2. Select the card from the list of installed cards in the ICU window, and choose Modify Card from the Configure menu or click Modify.
    3.

    If the Card Configuration dialog box appears, the selected card is listed (it has a configuration file in the ICU database). Continue with step 3.

    If the Configure Unlisted Card dialog box appears, the card is unlisted (it does not have a configuration file). Proceed to step 5.

    NOTE: When you modify an unlisted card, the ICU cannot show you the valid resources for the card. Therefore, you must have documentation from the card manufacturer that describes the resources and resource settings that the card can use.

  3. Follow steps 7 through 9 in "Adding a Listed Card" found earlier in this chapter. Then continue with step 4 of this procedure.
  4. Click OK to complete the card modifications and return to the ICU window.
    5.

    You have completed this procedure; do not proceed to step 5.

  5. To add, modify, or remove a resource value, select the box beneath the resource to be assigned, and then click Add, Modify, or Remove, respectively.
    6.

    For example, if you click the box beneath IRQ, the Add, Modify, and Remove buttons change to Add Interrupt, Modify Interrupt, and Remove Interrupt. When you click one of these buttons, a smaller Specify list box (in this case, Specify Interrupt) appears.

    If you are providing a value for the IRQ or DMA resource, click the down arrow beneath Available Resources. Click the value you want to assign to the resource. If the resource can be shared with another card or device, click Sharable. Then click OK.

    If none of the values for the DMA or IRQ resource match the allowable values for your unlisted card (as indicated in the card's documentation), select one of the available values offered by the utility and click OK.

    If you are providing values for the I/O port or memory resource, you must enter the starting and ending addresses in hexadecimal format using the two fields provided by the Specify Memory or Specify I/O Port dialog box.

  6. When you have finished selecting resources for the unlisted card, click OK in the Configure Unlisted Card dialog box.
    7.

    A message box appears, notifying you either that the card is using its default settings or that it cannot use its default settings and must be reconfigured.

  7. Click OK. If the card must be reconfigured, record the resource settings recommended by the ICU. Click Close to accept the resource settings currently displayed.
  8. If you had to assign a disallowed resource value to the card in steps 5, 6, and 7, click each of the other cards, and then click View until you find another card using a resource value that is allowed for the unlisted card. Reassign the resource setting for this other card. Then modify the resource settings for the unlisted card so that it uses an allowable value.
    9.
NOTE: After modifying the system configuration, you must turn off the system to install, remove, or change jumper settings on the non-Plug and Play ISA expansion cards to match the settings you selected in the ICU.

Removing a Card

Before you remove a non-Plug and Play ISA expansion card from your computer, you must use the ICU to remove the card from the system configuration.

NOTE: When you remove a Plug and Play or PCI expansion card from your computer, you do not need to run the ICU. To remove a Plug and Play or PCI expansion card, complete steps 2 through 8 in "Removing an Expansion Card".

Use the following procedure to remove a non-Plug and Play ISA expansion card from your computer:

  1. Start the ICU as described in "Starting the ICU" found earlier in this chapter.
  2. Select the card from the current system configuration list in the ICU window.
  3. Select Remove Card from the Configuration menu, or click Remove.
    4.

    The ICU requests verification that you want to remove the card.

  4. Click Yes to free the resources allocated to the card and remove the card's name from the list of active cards, or click No to cancel the operation.
    5.

    The ICU returns to the ICU window.

    CAUTION: After removing a card from the system configuration using the ICU, you must turn off the system and physically remove the card. Failure to do so can damage your system.

  5. Remove the non-Plug and Play ISA expansion card from the computer.
    6.

    See "Removing an Expansion Card" in for instructions.

Viewing Resources

The ICU displays all resources currently used by your system.

To view all system resources, select System Resources from the View menu or click View. The System Resource Usage dialog box (see Figure 4-10) displays all resources currently used by the system.

Figure 4-10. System Resource Usage Dialog Box

To determine which card uses a particular resource shown in the System Resource Usage dialog box, select the resource in question and then click Used By Card. 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 in the ICU window, and then select Card Resources from the View menu or click View. The Card Resource Usage dialog box displays the resources assigned to that card. Figure 4-11 shows resources that might be assigned to a network adapter card.

Figure 4-11. Card Resource Usage Dialog Box

You can save the information displayed in the resource usage dialog box by clicking Print To File. The ICU then prompts you for a filename.


Saving the System Configuration

You can save the system configuration to nonvolatile random-access memory (NVRAM) as you configure each card's resources. To do so, select Save from the File menu and continue with your operation.


Exiting the ICU

At the ICU window, select Exit from the File menu to exit the utility. If you have made any changes to the system configuration, you are asked whether you want to save the changes.

If you click Yes, the ICU saves the updated system configuration information into NVRAM. If you click No, you exit the ICU without saving any of your configuration changes. If you click Cancel, nothing is saved and the utility continues to operate.


Locking and Unlocking Cards

The ICU includes a locking mechanism that enables you to allocate the system resources for all or for some functions of Plug and Play and PCI expansion cards. These expansion cards are dynamic, which means that they are allocated resources at system start-up. Device drivers that do not support this dynamic card configuration are referred to as static device drivers.

To determine whether your expansion card has static device drivers, check the documentation that came with the drivers. If you are using a static device driver, you need to permanently associate resources with a 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. This procedure is referred to as locking a card.

NOTE: The locking feature of the ICU is valid only for Plug and Play and PCIexpansion cards.

Locking and Unlocking All Resources

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.
    2.

    Complete steps 2 through 8 in "Installing an Expansion Card".

  2. Start the ICU.
    3.

    See "Starting the ICU" found earlier in this chapter.

  3. Select Locking Enabled from the Advanced menu in the ICU window.
    4.

    A check mark next to Locking Enabled signifies that the feature is active; a Lock button appears on the tool bar.

  4. Select the Plug and Play or PCI expansion card that you want to lock or unlock from the Cards Configured in System list.
  5. Click Lock or select Lock/Unlock Card from the Advanced menu.
    6.

    Both options toggle the lock state of the selected card.

Locking and Unlocking Configuration Resources

You can also lock and unlock individual resources for a Plug and Play or PCI expansion 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.

    Complete steps 2 through 8 in "Installing an Expansion Card".

  2. Start the ICU.
    3.

    See "Starting the ICU" found earlier in this chapter.

  3. Select Locking Enabled from the Advanced menu in the ICU window.
    4.

    A check mark next to Locking Enabled signifies that the feature is active; a Lock button appears on the tool bar.

  4. Select the Plug and Play or PCI expansion card that you want to lock or unlock from the Cards Configured in System list.
  5. Click Modify or select Modify Card from the Configure menu.
  6. From the Card Configuration dialog box, select the function you want to lock or unlock.
  7. Click Settings.
  8. Modify the resource setting and/or resources offered on the Configuration Settings dialog box, if necessary.
    9.

    See "Modifying a Card" found earlier in this chapter for more information.

  9. Select Lock Resources.
    10.

    The Lock Resources box toggles the lock state of the selected configuration setting.

  10. Repeat steps 6 through 9 for any other configuration settings that you want to lock or unlock.
  11. Click OK in the Card Configuration dialog box when you have finished making your selections.
    12.
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