Mary,

"I am curious why you were told the USB controller could not share an
IRQ..."

I just came across that bit of information on www.usb.com (I think. I've
searched so many sites trying to solve this).

"Most motherboard manufacturers give you all of this information in the
motherboard manual, so when you install adapters into the slots you can
assign IRQ's either in the BIOS or through placement."

Unfortunately, they can't be assigned in the BIOS. There are no settings for
IRQ's in the setup.

I have a Dell Dimension XPS P200s that I bought in 1996 (ancient now, I
know). There is no AGP slot and no USB ports. There are four PCI slots, but
only three are available (the fourth one cannot be used when the adjacent
ISA slot is occupied). The first PCI slot has a Voodoo3 2000 video card, the
next is one of the NIC's and the third is a PCI USB card.

I called Dell and was told the system is USB compatable, just need the card.
I ran a test from a site (usbready, I think) that also said my system is USB
compatable. Windows recognized the card, loaded all the drivers, and
displays no conflicts in Device Manager. BUT, nothing happens when I plug in
a USB device. I've tried a printer, a joystick and a USB hub. The hub has an
indicator light that, according to the manual, says there is an overcurrent.

The video card has IRQ 3. On IRQ 10 is the NIC, the PCI USB card, and 2
entries of "IRQ Holder for PCI Steering". (Why is there 2?)

Dell says the card appears to be working because there are no conflicts. The
USB company says to get a new card because it SHOULD be working. This is the
second card, different maker, that I have tried with the same results.

I am stumped. I have searched everywhere for an answer. Why is the hub
indicating an overcurrent? Why are there 2 PCI Steering entries? Why won't
this darn thing work?

Kevin Weaver


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