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- DOCUMENT:Q90086 19-OCT-1993 [W_NT]
- TITLE :Q&A: Hardware and Compatibility Information
- PRODUCT :Windows NT
- PROD/VER:3.10
- OPER/SYS:WINDOWS
- KEYWORDS:
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------
- The information in this article applies to:
-
- - Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.1
- --------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Summary:
-
- This article includes the following topics:
-
- - Full Screen MS-DOS Support on RISC-based Computers
- - DELL Computer Only Recognizes 16 MB of Memory
- - Sharing Communication Port Interrupts
- - Changing Locally-Administered IBM Token Ring Card Addresses
- - DMA Speed on an Adaptec 154x SCSI Controller
- - Adaptec 154x SCSI Controller BIOS Versions
- - Cannot Print to LPT1
- - Adding a CD-ROM After Installing Windows NT
- - SoundBlaster Pro Plays Mono Only
- - NEC CD-ROM Slow Downs
-
- More Information:
-
- Full Screen MS-DOS Support on RISC-based Computers
- --------------------------------------------------
-
- Question:
-
- How do I get full screen MS-DOS support on my RISC-based computer?
-
- Answer:
-
- Full screen support will not be provided under Windows NT on
- RISC-based computers.
-
- DELL Computer Only Recognizes 16 MB of Memory
- ---------------------------------------------
-
- Question:
-
- Why doesn't Windows NT recognize any memory above 16MB on my Dell
- machine?
-
- Answer:
-
- Some DELL machines have a BIOS problem which prevents it from seeing
- greater than 16MB of RAM under Windows NT. If your machine
- demonstrates this problem, please contact Dell to obtain their A08
- BIOS upgrade.
-
-
- Sharing Communication Port Interrupts
- -------------------------------------
-
- Question:
-
- Can I share communication port interrupts?
-
- Answer:
-
- Windows NT supports two communication ports sharing the same interrupt
- on non-MCA machines. However, only one port can be in use at a time. A
- communication port will not be created if another type of device is
- using the same interrupt.
-
-
-
- Changing Locally-Administered IBM Token Ring Card Addresses
- -----------------------------------------------------------
-
- Question:
-
- Is there any way to change the locally-administered address on an IBM
- Token Ring card?
-
- Answer:
-
- There is a parameter, NetworkAddress, in the registry database in the
- IBM Tok section. This parameter sets the burned-in address of the
- Token ring card and it is called IBM TokMC01[Parameters]
- [NetworkAddress:REG_SZ:400000000203
-
-
- DMA Speed on an Adaptec 154x SCSI Controller
- --------------------------------------------
-
- Question:
-
- Can I set the DMA speed on an Adaptec 154x SCSI controller?
-
- Answer:
-
- Currently the AHA154X.SYS driver has a hard-coded DMA transfer rate of
- 5.0 MB. Even if you change jumper settings, the driver still transfers
- data at this rate.
-
-
- Adaptec 154x SCSI Controller BIOS Versions
- ------------------------------------------
-
- Question:
-
- Are there any issues regarding Adaptec 154x SCSI controller BIOS
- versions?
-
- Answer:
-
- The 1988 version 3.08 Adaptec 154x BIOS has a problem with the
- Scatter/Gather feature. This problem is detected by the Adaptec driver
- and the feature is disabled. If you have this BIOS version a message
- is displayed informing you that the Scatter/Gather feature has been
- disabled. If you get this message, you can contact the Adaptec BBS
- (408-945-7727) and get the most recent version, 3.20, of the BIOS at
- no cost.
-
- BIOS versions after 3.08 do not have this problem.
-
- The latest 154x BIOS also supports drives that are larger than 1GB
- (even under MS-DOS).
-
-
- Cannot Print to LPT1
- --------------------
-
- Question:
-
- I cannot print to the LPT1 port. If I type MODE LPT1: it claims the
- device is not found. What is happening?
-
- Answer:
-
- Typically LPT1: uses interrupt 7 which is also the default setting of
- the SoundBlaster sound card. You may be experiencing an IRQ conflict
- with this or another device. If you are unable to resolve the conflict
- you can disable one of the devices in the registry database.
-
- Use REGEDIT to alter entries in the registry database. (Note: you may
- need to be logged on as Administrator to change some settings.)
-
- Hardware configuration settings can be altered under this registry
- branch:
-
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
-
- You can enable or disable the SoundBlaster by changing the Start value
- under the \Sndblst key to one of the following values: 0x4 to disable,
- 0x1 to enable.
-
- To enable or disable the parallel port driver, you can use the same
- values for the Start value under the \Parallel key.
-
- WARNING: RegEdit is a very powerful utility that facilitates directly
- changing the Registry Database. Using RegEdit incorrectly can cause
- serious problems, including hard disk corruption. It may be necessary
- to reinstall the software to correct any problems. Microsoft does not
- support changes made with RegEdit. Use this tool at your own risk.
-
-
- Adding a CD-ROM After Installing Windows NT
- -------------------------------------------
-
- Question:
-
- What do I need to do to make Windows NT recognize my new CD-ROM?
-
- Answer:
-
- From the Services application in Control Panel, locate the Scsicdrm
- and Cdaudio entries. Set the Startup value for Scsicdrm to System so
- the service starts when the system boots. If your CD-ROM does not
- support SCSI-2 CD Audio, set Cdaudio Startup to System. Note: Some
- SCSI-1 CD-ROMs require the Cdaudio service as well.
-
- To start these services without restarting Windows NT, highlight them
- one at a time and press the Start button.
-
-
- SoundBlaster Pro Plays Mono Only
- --------------------------------
-
- Question:
-
- My SoundBlaster PRO plays mono only. Why?
-
- Answer:
-
- Work is currently in progress on a Windows NT driver that supports
- SoundBlaster Pro in stereo. At this time there is no such driver
- available.
-
-
- NEC CD-ROM Slow Downs
- ---------------------
-
- Question:
-
- When my NEC CD-ROM plays audio CDs Windows NT slows down dramatically.
- Why?
-
- Answer:
-
- It was recently discovered that NEC Intersect CD-ROM readers have
- switches that enable disconnects during accesses to the reader. This
- switch is off by default, disabling disconnects. Because of this,
- while your CD-ROM is being read, no other devices on that SCSI bus can
- be accessed. Since reads from a reader can take a significant amount
- of time, having this switch off can noticeably degrade system
- performance. This slow-down may occur even if you are not using the
- CD-ROM reader.
-
- The switch is number 5 and should be set to ON. It can be found in a
- little box labeled SW1.
-
- Additional reference words: 3.10 FastTips
- KBCategory:
- KBSubCategory:Q&AFASTTIPS
-
- =============================================================================
-
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- PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS
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- OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO
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- OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES
- SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.
-
- Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1993.