Asus A7V333: Hardware Conflicts

[Jova]

Here is my specs of my PC:
CPU: AMD Athlon 1700XP
Motherboard: Asus A7V333 without Raid
Graphics card: PNY Technologies Geforce 4 Ti4200 AGP
Memory: Samsung 256mb DDR PC2100
DVD Rom: Toshiba IDE
CD-RW: Freecom IDE
Soundcard: Soundblaster PCI 512
Modem: 3Com U.S. Robotics External 56k
Operating System: Windows 98
Power Supply: 300W

I have built my 1st PC yesterday and it works fine except when I play games, like Return to Castle Wolfenstein, No-one Lives Forever 2 Demo and Age of Empires II. They all freeze up.

In Castle, about a few mins into the game, it freezes up and there is an area in the centre when I can see my cursor arrow. However, when I move the arrow out of the area, it disappears until I move it back. The keyboard becomes non-functional, so I can't press Ctrl-Alt-Del.

This is a common occurance when I play those games, I've mentioned above. I checked the System panel in Control Panel, before the game, there was only Keyboard entry "Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural Keyboard". When the game crashed, I had to restart the PC and I checked my System panel again. The Keyboard was duplicated but the second keyboard entry had a yellow exclamation mark. I realised it was a hardware conflict.

The game would freeze up if I had pressed keys. It would freeze a few mins into the game. I also found out I have other Hardware conflicts with the IRQs and System Devices. Here's a list of them.

I believe the cause of the Game crashing is down to the Hardware Conflicts.

This is from the System panel under the Device Manager tab.
System Devices
Direct Memory Access controller - Resources tab
"Direct Memory Access 04 used by:
Direct memory access controller

Input/Output Range 0000 - 000F used by:
Direct memory access controller"

There are 2 "Direct Memory Access controllers", the second one is the one with hardware conflicts.

This is from System Information where I have a long list of Hardware Conflicts under the heading "Conflicts/Sharing". The following hardware shared the same IRQs.

IRQ 5 ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering*
IRQ 5 VIA VT83C572/VT82C586 PCI to USB Universal Host Controller*

IRQ 6 ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering*
IRQ 6 Creative SB PCI512 (SoundBlaster card)

IRQ 9 ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering*
IRQ 9 SCI IRQ used by ACPI bus*

IRQ 10 ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering*
IRQ 10 VIA USB 2.0 Enhanced Host Controller*
IRQ 10 CMI8738/C3DX PCI Audio Device

IRQ 11 ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering*
IRQ 11 VIA VT83C572/VT82C586 PCI to USB Universal Host Controller*
IRQ 11 NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 (Graphics card)

IRQ 14 Primary IDE controller (dual fifo)
IRQ 14 VIA Bus Master PCI IDE Controller

IRQ 15 Secondary IDE controller (dual fifo)
IRQ 15 VIA Bus Master PCI IDE Controller

Regarding the ones with the asterisks (*), my PC was going through the "Plug and Play" when I had built my PC. It found a resource and it asked me for a Windows 98 cd. It would ask me to find a driver for the resource within the Win98 cd. Most of the resources were found in a file named "base5" in the win98 folder of the CD.

IRQ 10 - CMI8738/C3DX PCI Audio Device is part of motherboard. I know this because I installed it with the Asus Motherboard CD. It has some software and drivers.

I checked my BIOS, the IRQ settings are put onto "Auto", could this be the problem? Plus, should I disable some of the duplicated Hardware Conflicts?

How I can change the IRQs and rectify the Hardware conflicts problem?

I apologise for the long post.

Cheers,
John

[TwoRails]

Hi Jova,

First, you'll always have items under System Information in Conflicts / Sharing. But, first, let's go to the Device Manager tab.

REMOVE all items with an exclamation point. Also remove all duplicate items, like the DMA controller. Shut down. Open the case and make sure all your Audio jumpers are Off and in the correct settings. Try a different slot for your sound card. Mine works great in the PCI slot 3. Then, on reboot, go into BIOS and make sure that the onboard sound is disabled, if there is an option. I would (and do) leave the settings to Auto

HTH

TwoRails

[TwoRails]

PS: if you installed any of the motherboard audio / sound drivers / mixers and the like, make sure to uninstall them first.

Also, is a Win 98.1 or 98.2 mahcine?

[GaryRouth]

Hi Jova, Hi Rails

Nice looking specs on that new system. Like Rails noticed, you'll need to disable the CMedia onboard sound (the 8738 chip on the motherboard) - uninstalling all of it's software first. Look in the Add/Remove Programs applet in Control Panel and remove anything that refers to CMedia. It might even be simplest to uninstall both the Creative card's software as well as the CMedia onboard, clean up the Registry, and then reinstall your Creative card and software. It's up to you: you can try just removing the CMedia 1st, if you'd like.

The jumper on the motherboard to disable the sound is called AUDIO_EN, and needs to have the jumper covering pins 2,3. I imagine you'll need to disable it in the Bios Setup also.

Since you are experiencing lockups, you might want to make sure you are using the board in Jumperless mode: set the JEN jumper to cover pins 2,3 and set all the DIP switches on the SYSCLK dipswitch to OFF. Then use the Default settings for now - no overclocking until it's stable.

If you decide to uninstall both the Creative and the CMedia to get a fresh start, in between you can try a run of RegClean to make sure no audio leftovers remain to muck things up. Then you can reinstall the Creative card. Steps involved 1) Uninstall all sound software 2) In Device Manager, remove sound devices 3)with power off, remove SoundBlaster PCI card 4) While power is off, set jumpers on motherboard [disable onboard sound, jumperfree mode, DIP switches] 5) Enter Bios Setup, disable onboard sound, set defaults for cpu/memory timings 6) Download/ Install/ Run RegClean. 7) Power off: reinsert SoundBlaster PCI card & install per SoundBlaster's instructions.

All this assumes that you installed the 4-n-1 drivers as part of the Asus setup. If you didn't, run the 4-n-1 install just after the run of RegClean. When installing or reinstalling 4-n-1s, sometimes it's a good idea to reinstall the video driver after that as well. If you installed the VIA 4-n-1 as part of your original motherboard setup, disregard this paragraph.

. . . and post if any of this isn't clear.

Best of luck, and Happy Holidays
. . . Gary

[p.s. ...you can download RegClean 4.1 at http://download.com.com/3000-2094-881470.html?tag=list ]

[Jova]

Do I do the same with my Geforce 4 AGP card? It does share the IRQ 11 with:

ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering
VIA VT83C572/VT82C586 PCI to USB Universal Host Controller

I removed the second Direct Memory Access controller with the conflict and I restarted the PC. When booting up, it asked for a Win98 and it reinstalled the Direct Memory Access controller.

So I decided to remove the first Direct Memory Access controller and rebooted. This time, I was not asked for the Win98 and the Device manager showed no more conflicts.

I'm going to work on the card right now.

TwoRails, how I do find out what version of Win98 I have? I went to Control panel and clicked on System panel. Under the General tab, it doesn't give the exact ver of Win98. Just says Windows 98 and the date 4.10.1998.

Gary and TwoRails, thanks for your help! I will take up your suggestions.

Cheers,
John

[TwoRails]

hi Jova,

Glad to hear things are working better

On that General tab, it will say Second Edition if it is. Also, that's not a date, but the rev number.

I attached a partial screen shot for clarification:

TwoRails

[Jova]

When I was fixing my PC, my monitor shorted out and my situation has gone from not so bad to worse.

LOL

Well, you got to laugh because it can't get any worse now. Luckliy, I kept my old monitor.

I only have one PCI card; Sound Blaster PCI 512.

Ok, this is how my slots looks like.

AGP
PCI 1
PCI 2
PCI 3
PCI 4

Can't remember if there was PCI 5.

Anyway, in PCI 2, when I placed my soundcard in this slot, everything was fine except when I shut down. When I clicked on the Shut Down option and pressed ok, my PC restarts. So I put it in a different slot, I was able to shut down.

In PCI 3, is where the sound card sat and when I played a game Age of Empires 2. A few mins into the game, the game shuts down with no warning and my desktop is all blue. Not the Blue Screen of Death. My desktop has turned into a variety of light and dark blue colours.

I cannot use PCI 1 because my AGP card, GeForce 4 Ti 4200 overlaps the PCI slot.

Here's a list of my IRQs:

0 System timer
1 Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural Keyboard
2 Programmable interrupt controller
3 Communications Port (COM2)
4 Communications Port (COM1)
5 (free)
6 Creative SB PCI512
6 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
7 EPSON Printer Port (LPT1)
8 System CMOS/real time clock
9 ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering
9 SCI IRQ used by ACPI bus
9 PCI Universal Serial Bus
9 PCI Universal Serial Bus
9 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
10 (free)
11 ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering
11 NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200
11 IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
12 PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port
13 Numeric data processor
14 Primary IDE controller (dual fifo)
14 VIA Bus Master PCI IDE Controller
15 Secondary IDE controller (dual fifo)
15 VIA Bus Master PCI IDE Controller

I read some where that my Geforce require a 350w Power Supply, and my Case has a 300w PS. Could this cause the game crashes?

Here's what happens with the games I play:

Age of Empires 2 shuts down with no warning, my desktop is all blue.

Return of Castle Wolfenstein, the game stops and turns black. My PC is still operating. I press space bar and my desktop fades in. But the game is not there anymore. This sounds like the PC went into Suspend mode.

I just noticed my IRQs 5 and 10 are free, yet my Sound card and graphic card is in conflicts with other resources. I just wish there was an easier way to manage the IRQs.

Thanks, for your help, TwoRails.

Cheers,
John

[TwoRails]

Hi Jova,

I understand about the laugh thing, as my spare monitor just went south and I had to buy a new one.

I'm having my morning coffee, and not awake yet, but I want to mention before I forget that I'm going on vacation, so if I seem to drop from sight, I did !

Also, before I forget, Yes, a PS can cause wierd problems. If yours is a quality unit, it's most likely Not the problem, but if it is a cheaper unit, it could be. If the problem happens ONLY during game play, then I would tend to check that last. Do you have access to a known good unit you can swap out and test with? Do you have any problems booting up?

The AGP vid card will always be on IRQ 11, but it is strange to see the SB on IRQ 6. Don't forget that just because things "share" an IRQ doesn't mean it a conflict. Use the Device Manager and run thru each item, as DM will state if there is a conflict or not.

Even though it's not an ISA card, I believe the SB 512 is still considered a "legacy" card. I would first unplug my printer, and disable the pararall port in BIOS to see if that help. Then I would swap around the SB to see if it will load up on IRQ 5 in a different slot. You can also play in BIOS to set the slot that the SB is in as a "legacy" slot using IRQ 5, though I've never had to do this.

Well, I have to leave in less than 18 hours for vacation, and I still have about 3 days work to do first! -- yes, I'm behind schedule.... So good luck if I can't get back later!!

Oh, I run the same mobo, so I'll include my list below so you can see a different setup. It was more crowed but I just recently removed my other modem which was a voice / fax modem.

BFN

TwoRails

0 System timer
1 Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural Keyboard
2 Programmable interrupt controller
3 Communications Port (COM2)
4 Communications Port (COM1)
5 VIA Tech 3038 PCI to USB Universal Host Controller
5 ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering
6 Standard Floppy Disk Controller
7 Intel(R) PRO/DSL 2100 Modem - PPP
7 ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering
8 System CMOS/real time clock
9 VIA Tech 3038 PCI to USB Universal Host Controller
9 VIA Tech 3038 PCI to USB Universal Host Controller
9 ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering
9 SCI IRQ used by ACPI bus
10 D-Link DFE-530TX+ PCI Adapter
10 VIA USB 2.0 Enhanced Host Controller
10 PCI OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller
10 ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering
11 VIA Tech 3038 PCI to USB Universal Host Controller
11 ASUS V8200 Series v14.10
11 Creative SB Audigy
11 ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering
12 Logitech-compatible Mouse (PS/2)
13 Numeric data processor
14 Primary IDE controller (dual fifo)
14 VIA Bus Master PCI IDE Controller
15 Secondary IDE controller (dual fifo)
15 VIA Bus Master PCI IDE Controller

[reboot]

There's a way to fix all this, if you're willing to take a risk.
Backup, please backup everything you need, because I'll not guarantee the results, but it usually works.
1.) Boot to safe mode, go into device mangler, remove everything.
1a.) OR do the "ENUM" trick, as described in the Tips and Tricks section here.
2.) Restart, go into BIOS setup.
3.) Set "PnP Os Installed" to NO
4.) Disable com 2 (and com 1 if you're not using it.)
4a.) Disable "IRQ for modem" if it's present. Some BIOS's have it, some don't.
5.) Set "Reset configuration data" to YES (enabled).
6.) Restart, and let windows reinstall all your hardware.
7.) Restart as needed, do not try and install multiple devices without a restart, unless Windows allows it.

[Markoman01027]

You could have faulty RAM..When I had faulty RAM, I would be playing UT2003 and then it would lock up on me..Replacing the RAM did the job.

Try putting in a new stick of RAM and see if your problem still occurs..

Nice suggestion Reboot!

[Jova]

Thanks, everyone!

I have fixed the problem. I removed the sound card and used my motherboard onboard sound chip.

Everything is running great. I can now play Ages of Empires 2.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

TwoRails, Enjoy your holiday!

Cheers,
John

[TwoRails]

Thanks, Jova, I hope I enjoy it too!!

Glad to hear you got it fixed !!

Well, break's over, back to packing...

TwoRails

[reboot]

Now, disable the onboard sound, including any "SB compatible" stuff from BIOS, then reinstall your sound card.
No doubt you'll get better quality from it than the onboard one, although Asus do include a decent sound chip.

[Wildnites]

"..My desktop has turned into a variety of light and dark blue colours. "

I am currently having a similar problem with an ASUS mobo and a nVidia based video card. I have been told by an very experienced tech that nVidia/ASUS have conflict issues. I just put an older ATI based video card in and 'voila' problem has gone away-----for now. "The Sims" and other smaller games locked up the screen (but we still had audio). We would get weird blue and black patches as if the video refresh froze right at a particular point. Sometimes the lockups could not be corrected without reseting the PC. So far, I am not seeing any problem with the ATI card. Maybe my/your card is bad. I'm sure there is a work around for your situation as there are so many users with ASUS mobo's and nVidia based video cards. Good luck with your problem. Just thought I'd add my $.02 into the mix.

[Jova]

I'm still having problems with it.

I changed my video card, I replaced the Geforce 4 with a 3dfx Voodoo 3 3000 AGP to test the AGP slot.

I still get problems with it, but not as severe with the Geforce 4. Age of Empires II still quits itself with no warning or explanation.

Return to Castle Wolfenstein - the game still freezes. The image stays stuck and the audio repeats the last note every second. I cannot get Ctrl+Alt+Del to work.

I used RegClean to sort out errors and I used the Voodoo drivers from the CD so they would be old. I'm using DirectX 8.1.

I looked at the Power Supply and it says 'Pentium IV' which sounds like that the PS is suitable only for Pentiums, not AMD systems. It does not give any Brand names or any of the sort.

I'm considering 3 options, not in order necessarly.
1) change my PS to something more reliable
2) re-format my hard drive

I do not know if it's my onboard sound chip that's the problem or soemthing else. I do not know how to alter motherboard Audio settings through the BIOS. I do know about the AUDIO_En jumpers.

I might have to start all over again and this time, I will document every changes and problems I see on my PC.

Cheers,
John

[Jade]

Perhaps I missed it but did you try the VIA 4in1 fix?

Perhaps it's just another bad Via board?

Also do you need USB devices? You can disable that too if you don't.

[RoyKelly]

to disable your onboard sound in the BIOS, read the asus manual (it may be on the CD)

I believe it is in the periphials section of the BIOS, but you may also find it in PCI.

You may also want to check your memory is in specs by checking HERE

[GaryRouth]

Hi Jova & all

Looks like Rails and I are on vacation at the same time - tis the season. . . [I imagine several techs around here are having family time]

Sorry to see that you're still having some rough spots with the new build. Since so many things are causing you grief, you could try reboot's suggestion for an "enum" re-detection plus the bios settings switches that he suggested. Might do OK with that, it's hard to tell sometimes. I'd stick with either your newer nVidia or an recent Ati card, rather than confusing things with the 3dfx. Too hard to figure what might be going on with that.

In your bios "Hardware Monitor" or "PC Health", don't forget to look for strange temps or low voltages from the power supply.

If you can't find your Asus CD, they have everything you need at their website.

Best of luck, and Happy New Year (soon)
. . . Gary

[Jova]

I finally, finally, finally FIXED the problem!

I want to say thanks to everyone who have responded to my thread. Your suggestions were very helpful.

So in case someone gets the same problem as I did, I want to document the solution here. I do not wish on anyone my PC Building Experience from Hell.

Bear in mind, my CPU was an AMD 1700XP.

In the BIOS, I fixed the problem by changing the CPU Speed and System Performance.
With the CPU Speed option, I changed it from 1100MHz to 1466MHz.
With System Performance option, I changed it from Optimal to Turbo.

I was able to play games with no freezes or crashes.

Cheers,
John

[Jova]

I finally fixed my problem. The above was a temporay slution until when I installed the software for other hardware. It was frustrating when I had to revert to 'Optimal'. Anyway, I have fixed it now.

The solution was: I moved my memory chip 256mb Samsung PC2100 from Slot 1 to Slot 2 (middle slot).

Last time, I posted about this problem was over a month ago. I decided to give up trying to fix it. It was ok working around in Windows 98 except for playing Games or auto running CDs.

The following problems were resolved:
--------------
Age of Empires II automatically quits and my desktop was blue. Note, this is not the "Blue Screen of Death", my desktop (wallpaper, icons and taskbar) were all coloured blue. (This has happened with some games).

At random times, monitor powers down for no reason. The display would fade, despite having no power managment enabled. I often had to press space bar to power up monitor.

When installing applications from CDs, the monitor would power down and errors would occur iwth the installation. The applications would not be installed. If by chance they were, they were corrupted and cannot be run.
--------------

It sounds freaky that a memory chip can create havoc. Ah well, I'm happy now with my PC, I suppose that's all that matters.

Hopefully, someone, out there, will read this post and learn from my experience.

Cheers,
John

[TwoRails]

Thanks, Jova, for the post back -- Glad that it's finally fixed.

I'm bookmarking this one!!

TwoRails