Many people cram their PC’s so full of gadgets that they find that
they are simply out of room or have used all the resources available. So, making optimal
use of the resources makes a lot of sense.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to use a PS/2 mouse
instead of a serial mouse. A serial mouse is used through a serial port on the computer
and uses a COM Port all to its own. In some cases, you may need to use the serial port for
another device or you need the extra COM Port. Also, a COM Port always uses one of two
IRQ’s, and these IRQ’s are in the lower range of those on the PC. The lower range IRQ’s
are the same ones that all of your add-in cards demand. Therefore, people often find that
their serial mouse gets in the way.
A way around this is to use the PS/2 mouse. This type of
mouse uses its own PS/2 port, a small 6-pin round connector. It also used IRQ 12, an IRQ
that is not in heavy demand by any other component. Most newer PC’s have PS/2 mouse
support built in. Just look for the connector on the back of the case. If you don’t see
one, don’t give up. Some companies use motherboards that support it but did not include
the port on the back of the case. To find out, check the manual. Or you can enter the
setup program and see if there is a BIOS option for the PS/2 mouse. If there is, your
board supports it and all you have to do is get a port, screw it on, connect it to the
PS/2 connector on the motherboard, and load in the PS/2 drivers built right in to Windows
95.
In the rare case that you actually need IRQ 12, you can
always revert back to the serial mouse.
IRQ2/IRQ9
Many are afraid to use IRQ 2 on their system because it
is used by the system to connect to the higher IRQ’s, above 7. This leaves IRQ 3-7, which
is in high demand by other parts. But, in fact, IRQ 2 can be used by a device. The
computer automatically reverts that device up to IRQ 9, out of range on potential IRQ
conflicts. So, install that device on IRQ 2, then configure the software to look for IRQ
9.
Free Up Slots
It can happen. You have too many parts and not enough
slots. This can be a problem especially with the old ISA slots. With newer motherboards
coming out, the number of ISA slots is decreasing in favor of the faster PCI slots. But,
there are a few little things you can keep in mind that may free up a slot for you.
First, there is a such a thing as a shared ISA slot. This
slot can accept a PCI or an ISA device. So, if you need an ISA slot free for an ISA
device, but have a PCI card in it, move the PCI card up to a PCI slot. Or vice versa if
you are out of PCI slots and have a spare ISA slot.
Another thing…in most cases one or two PCI slots are
blocked off because their respective holes on the case are being used by the serial ports
or printer ports. On AT systems, these ports are screwed onto the case and connected to
the motherboard via a ribbon cable. But, if you look, the back of your case should have
punch-out holes built in a little higher up on the case. If you punch these out and screw
the ports in there, you free up the one or two PCI slots. Magic!!
Finally, if you’ve upgraded from an old outdated card and
its still there, get rid of it. Its not being used and it just takes up a slot.
IDE Channels
Here is another cool tip I’ve found.
Most motherboards come with built in connectors and
controllers for your IDE drives. Most come with two, for two drives. But, if you are only
using one drive, then you can disable the other controller and free up the IRQ it uses.
You can do this in the Integrated Peripherals part of the BIOS.
Similarly, if you are using SCSI drives and have no IDE,
then you can disable all IDE controllers. If you want to, you can disable the IDE port on
your sound card. You say "sound card?". Yes. Many sound cards come with IDE
controllers for a CD-ROM drive to connect to. This controller can be set up on IRQ 11.
Disabling this can free up that IRQ. This is usually done by changing a jumper on the
sound card.
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I have one computer that I use for one purpose. No winsock no nothing, tweaked to the hilt. I used that Auto Run, which is small obscure program by a guy from Microsoft to release every non-essential .dll and file loaded possible. I then followed these to the Registry entry and deleted it as well.
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