How to Use Device Manager to Check the Status of a Resource

This article describes how to use Device Manager to check the status of a resource (such as an IRQ line, DMA channel, memory address range, or I/O address range).

You may need to check the status of a resource when you are installing a new device in your computer, or when you suspect that a resource conflict is causing a device not to function.

To check the status of a resource, follow these steps:

1. In Control Panel, double-click System.
2. Click the Device Manager tab.
3. Click Computer, and then click Properties.
4. On the View Resources tab, click the option button for the type of resource you want to check. You see a list of resources and the hardware using each resource. If a specific resource is not listed, Windows 95 has not detected that a device is using that resource. If a resource is listed more than once, Windows 95 has detected that more than one device is using that resource. If Windows 95 reports that an unknown device is using a resource, the resource is in use but Windows 95 is unable to detect the device using the resource.

You can also print reports containing information about the resources in use. The Resource Summary report lists the current resource settings. The System Resource report lists current resource settings, the hardware using each resource, and additional detailed information about each device installed in your computer. To print these reports, follow these steps:

1. In Control Panel, double-click System.
2. Click the Device Manager tab.
3. Click Computer, and then click Print.
4. Click either option in the Report Type box, and then click OK.

Definitions

An IRQ (interrupt request) is a signal generated by a component in the computer or a device installed in the computer indicating that the component or device needs processor time. The number associated with an IRQ indicates the interrupt request line that the component or device uses to communicate with the processor.

DMA (direct memory access) is a technique that some components and devices use to transfer data directly to and from memory without passing through the processor. The number associated with DMA indicates the direct memory access channel that the component or device uses to transfer data to and from memory.

A memory address range is a range in memory that a component or device is using to store data. An I/O address range is a special range in memory that the computer uses to communicate with a component or device.

For additional information about troubleshooting device conflicts with Device Manager, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: