PCWorks: Too many PCI devices?

With one of my computers I had to reinstall windows and the
install went 
                 smoothly enough until the key had to be
typed in and 
the keyboard would not respond, tried a different keyboard
and same 
result. Tried installing win98 and Ubuntu and same result
each time.

Now this computer had 6 PCI slots filled, it's an Abit KT-7A
with 1 AGP, 
6 PCI, and 1 ISA with no onboard devices. So I swapped out
the PCI 
Geforce 420 and put in an older ATI Radeon 7000 AGP. Problem
solved.

Now the items on the PCI bus are a USB 2 card, a USR analog
modem, a 
Audigy sound card, a D-Link network card, and a Promise SATA
card. I 
wonder why the system locked out the keyboard for an install
yet when I 
had all the PCI slots filled for an existing installation it
worked fine.

Any ideas?

Peter Kaulback
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A truly heroic effort, Peter.
I'd have removed a PCI device or tried a USB keyboard
first.
The Keyboard uses IRQ 1, and I don't know that any other
device would 
try to use it. I wonder if there isn't another hardware
problem of some 
kind? How are your resources allocated in the BIOS?


Peter Kaulback wrote:
With one of
> my computers I had to reinstall windows and the install
went 
>                 smoothly enough until the key had to be
typed in and the 
> keyboard would not respond, tried a different keyboard
and same result. 
> Tried installing win98 and Ubuntu and same result each
time.
> 
> Now this computer had 6 PCI slots filled, it's an Abit
KT-7A with 1 AGP, 
> 6 PCI, and 1 ISA with no onboard devices. So I swapped
out the PCI 
> Geforce 420 and put in an older ATI Radeon 7000 AGP.
Problem solved.
> 
> Now the items on the PCI bus are a USB 2 card, a USR
analog modem, a 
> Audigy sound card, a D-Link network card, and a Promise
SATA card. I 
> wonder why the system locked out the keyboard for an
install yet when I 
> had all the PCI slots filled for an existing
installation it worked fine.
> 
> Any ideas?
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The IRQ issue Hugh mentioned would generally make sense, but
if 
the keyboard is not the same IRQ on '98, then that can't be
the 
problem.  There's very little similar with IRQ's comparing
XP 
to '98.  Since the keyboard is a generic basic item, it
could 
be #1 on both OS's, but I can't remember.

It could be flaky keyboard (or port) that coincidentally
worked 
when it did, or maybe it's some unusual keyboard that must
have 
drivers other than the generic standard M$ keyboard
drivers.

Could be the video card or the PCI slot it was using is
about 
to fail and drawing to much current or borderline
"shorting 
out" something, that's affecting the keyboard port.

You don't say if this is a USB or PS/2 keyboard.  It could
also 
be settings in the BIOS, like maybe in the area where you
setup 
USB devices (Legacy USB Support, High-Speed only USB
support, 
etc.), or the area where you tell it whether or not a PnP OS
is 
installed, or the area where you choose between letting the
OS 
handle IRQ's/let the BIOS assign them.  What you should do
is 
see if the keyboard works in the BIOS or DOS, or before the

installation gets to that point.  Then that could determine
if 
it's a hardware/BIOS issue or OS issue.
-Clint

God Bless
Clint Hamilton, Owner
http://www.OrpheusCom
puting.com
http://www.Comput
ersCustomBuilt.com


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Kaulback"


With one of my computers I had to reinstall windows and the

install went
                 smoothly enough until the key had to be
typed 
in and
the keyboard would not respond, tried a different keyboard
and 
same
result. Tried installing win98 and Ubuntu and same result
each 
time.

Now this computer had 6 PCI slots filled, it's an Abit KT-7A

with 1 AGP,
6 PCI, and 1 ISA with no onboard devices. So I swapped out
the 
PCI
Geforce 420 and put in an older ATI Radeon 7000 AGP. Problem

solved.

Now the items on the PCI bus are a USB 2 card, a USR analog

modem, a
Audigy sound card, a D-Link network card, and a Promise SATA

card. I
wonder why the system locked out the keyboard for an install

yet when I
had all the PCI slots filled for an existing installation it

worked fine.

Any ideas?

Peter Kaulback
============= PCWorks Mailing List =================
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make sure you've followed proper posting procedures,
http://pcworkers.com/r
ules.htm
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Unsubscribing and other changes: http://pcworkers.com
=====================================================

More bullheaded in hindsight but it worked out. As I don't
have a USB 
keyboard or a driver based one I thought only of the PCI
video card as 
all my pc's are older and have no onboard devices save for
legacy USB ports.

Since I do employ many PCI devices the BIOS is doing a lot
of steering 
for all these IRQ's and the PCI bus is getting bottle necked
handling 
all these items. I need to upgrade to PCI express to
continue to do this.

Peter Kaulback

Hugh Vandervoort wrote:
> A truly heroic effort, Peter.
> I'd have removed a PCI device or tried a USB keyboard
first.
> The Keyboard uses IRQ 1, and I don't know that any
other device would 
> try to use it. I wonder if there isn't another hardware
problem of some 
> kind? How are your resources allocated in the BIOS?
> 
> 
> Peter Kaulback wrote:
> With one of
>> my computers I had to reinstall windows and the
install went 
>>                 smoothly enough until the key had
to be typed in and 
>> the keyboard would not respond, tried a different
keyboard and same 
>> result. Tried installing win98 and Ubuntu and same
result each time.
>>
>> Now this computer had 6 PCI slots filled, it's an
Abit KT-7A with 1 
>> AGP, 6 PCI, and 1 ISA with no onboard devices. So I
swapped out the 
>> PCI Geforce 420 and put in an older ATI Radeon 7000
AGP. Problem solved.
>>
>> Now the items on the PCI bus are a USB 2 card, a
USR analog modem, a 
>> Audigy sound card, a D-Link network card, and a
Promise SATA card. I 
>> wonder why the system locked out the keyboard for
an install yet when 
>> I had all the PCI slots filled for an existing
installation it worked 
>> fine.
>>
>> Any ideas?
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ules.htm
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=====================================================

The keyboard has IRQ 1 on both 98 and xp, and the keyboards
I have are 
all PS/2, I never have any luck with USB one's with these
older systems. 
And none require extra drivers either.

As you do point out the keyboards do work in the BIOS and at
the command 
line in DOS and Linux but when the install shell loads they
fail.

The video card is great and have had it run in many
different systems in 
the past.

I would like to try this with a newer board with PCI express
and see if 
it is a bandwidth issue as my systems have at best a 133 mhz
bus.

Peter Kaulback

Clint - OrpheusComputing.com & ComputersCustomBuilt.com
wrote:
> The IRQ issue Hugh mentioned would generally make
sense, but if 
> the keyboard is not the same IRQ on '98, then that
can't be the 
> problem.  There's very little similar with IRQ's
comparing XP 
> to '98.  Since the keyboard is a generic basic item, it
could 
> be #1 on both OS's, but I can't remember.
> 
> It could be flaky keyboard (or port) that
coincidentally worked 
> when it did, or maybe it's some unusual keyboard that
must have 
> drivers other than the generic standard M$ keyboard
drivers.
> 
> Could be the video card or the PCI slot it was using is
about 
> to fail and drawing to much current or borderline
"shorting 
> out" something, that's affecting the keyboard
port.
> 
> You don't say if this is a USB or PS/2 keyboard.  It
could also 
> be settings in the BIOS, like maybe in the area where
you setup 
> USB devices (Legacy USB Support, High-Speed only USB
support, 
> etc.), or the area where you tell it whether or not a
PnP OS is 
> installed, or the area where you choose between letting
the OS 
> handle IRQ's/let the BIOS assign them.  What you should
do is 
> see if the keyboard works in the BIOS or DOS, or before
the 
> installation gets to that point.  Then that could
determine if 
> it's a hardware/BIOS issue or OS issue.
> -Clint
> 
> God Bless
> Clint Hamilton, Owner
> http://www.OrpheusCom
puting.com
> http://www.Comput
ersCustomBuilt.com
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Peter Kaulback"
> 
> 
> With one of my computers I had to reinstall windows and
the 
> install went
>                  smoothly enough until the key had to
be typed 
> in and
> the keyboard would not respond, tried a different
keyboard and 
> same
> result. Tried installing win98 and Ubuntu and same
result each 
> time.
> 
> Now this computer had 6 PCI slots filled, it's an Abit
KT-7A 
> with 1 AGP,
> 6 PCI, and 1 ISA with no onboard devices. So I swapped
out the 
> PCI
> Geforce 420 and put in an older ATI Radeon 7000 AGP.
Problem 
> solved.
> 
> Now the items on the PCI bus are a USB 2 card, a USR
analog 
> modem, a
> Audigy sound card, a D-Link network card, and a Promise
SATA 
> card. I
> wonder why the system locked out the keyboard for an
install 
> yet when I
> had all the PCI slots filled for an existing
installation it 
> worked fine.
> 
> Any ideas?
> 
> Peter Kaulback
============= PCWorks Mailing List =================
Don't see your post? Check our posting guidelines &
make sure you've followed proper posting procedures,
http://pcworkers.com/r
ules.htm
Contact list owner <owner-pcworksimagicomm.com>
Unsubscribing and other changes: http://pcworkers.com
=====================================================