Configuring Hardware in Windows 98
It goes without saying that you need to install your hardware
device in your computer before Windows can detect it and set it. With any device,
including Plug and Play devices, follow the manufacturer's instructions for
the installation of the card.
Read the documentation that accompanies your new device to learn how to change
the interrupt request (IRQ) and input/output (I/O) settings. If
your device automatically resets to the settings imposed by Windows 98, you
do not have to manually set the IRQ and I/O settings.
Also, you might need to run any setup programs provided by your hardware manufacturer
to finish setting up your device after the Add New Hardware Wizard runs. For
older non-Plug and Play devices, these setup programs configure resource settings
on the device.
Note
If there are default positions for any settings on a device, you should leave
the settings at their defaults. In general, Windows 98 first looks for devices
at the default settings for that card. The only time you need to change the
settings from their defaults is if there is a conflict with some other device
in your system.
After the hardware has been installed on your computer, you are ready to turn
your computer back on and begin the process of telling Windows 98 about the
new device. In many situations, just turning on your computer and starting Windows
98 is enough. Windows searches for devices each time it launches and compares
each device installed with the device settings from the last time you launched
Windows. If a new device appears, Windows attempts to install the correct drivers
for the device. You might be prompted to provide the Windows Setup CD-ROM or
floppy disks, or any setup disks that came with the device.
If a new device cannot be set up automatically by Windows during the launch
stage, you're instructed to run the Add New Hardware Wizard after Windows starts.
Also, if Windows doesn't even detect a new device during the startup stage,
which is usually the case for legacy devices, you need to manually start the
Add New Hardware Wizard.
Follow these steps to start the Add New Hardware Wizard:
- Choose Start, Settings, Control Panel, and double-click
the Add New Hardware Wizard icon. The Add New Hardware Wizard
screen appears.
- Click Next. The next wizard screen tells you that Windows
98 will now look for any new Plug and Play devices on your system.
- Click Next. Windows 98 searches and installs any Plug and
Play devices (your screen might go blank for a few seconds) and presents you
with the Add New Hardware Wizard screen. Here, you can see the devices Windows
98 has detected that need to be installed. If your new hardware device is
included in the list, select the Yes, the Device
Is in the List option. Click Next, and Windows informs
you of which drivers and devices are set up. Click Finish
to complete the installation stage.
Note
Sometimes, devices appear in the Devices list (see step 3) because they
are detected but Windows 98 has a problem installing them. If this happens,
click the Finish button on the Upgrade Device Driver Wizard
to view the properties of the device.
If your device is not in the list of devices to install, select the No,
the Device Isn't in the List option.
- Click Next. If you want Windows 98 to search for your new
device, select the Yes (Recommended) option. Click Next
to display another Add New Hardware Wizard screen telling you that Windows
98 now will search for your non-Plug and Play device. This process might take
several minutes, during which you cannot use your computer. Click Next
to start this search.
If, however, you do not want Windows 98 to look for your hardware, select
No, I Want to Select the Hardware From a List. If you know
the manufacturer and model of your device, this is the quickest route to take.
The following steps assume that you select this option.
- Click Next. The Add New Hardware Wizard screen appears.
From this screen, you select the device you want to install from the Hardware
Types list box.
- Click Next. The hardware Manufacturers and Models lists
appear for the type of device you selected. Select the device's manufacturer
from the Manufacturers list. Then select the model of the device from the
Models list.
- Click Next. Or, if you have an installation disk for your
new device or your device is not listed, follow steps 9 through 11. If you
don't need to install from a floppy disk, jump to step 12.
- In the Add New Hardware Wizard screen, click Have Disk.
The Install From Disk dialog box appears.
- Specify the disk drive and folder where the manufacturer's installation
files should be copied from.
- Click OK. The Install From Disk window disappears, and
you return to the Add New Hardware Wizard.
Caution
Not all hardware vendors support Windows 98. As a result, some software drivers
might not work properly with Windows 98. Check with the hardware manufacturer
for updates to its device drivers. Also look for updated drivers on your manufacturer's
World Wide Web site, if available.
- Click Next to install the new device. Your screen might go blank for a few
seconds as Windows installs your device's software. Click Finish to complete
the installation.
An Add New Hardware Wizard screen appears if the new device conflicts with
another hardware device on your system. Click Cancel to cancel the device
installation, or click Next to install the device so that you can troubleshoot
the device conflict later.
- Click Next. Your screen might go blank for a few seconds as Windows installs
your device's software. Another Add New Hardware Wizard screen appears.
- Click Finish to see the problem associated with your device. Click the Enable
Device button. If this doesn't correct the problem, Windows might provide
a Hardware Troubleshooter to walk you through correcting the device. In many
cases, you might need to remove any other device that is conflicting with
your new hardware before the new device will work.
Changing Default Hardware Settings
Sometimes the Add New Hardware Wizard runs fine, but your device might not
work properly. If you receive an error message that your device is not working
properly, use the following steps to change the default settings that were set
up during the Add New Hardware Wizard to the ones configured on your card:
- Choose Start, Settings, Control Panel, and double-click
the Settings icon.
- Select the Device Manager page.
- Double-click the item with which you're having a problem. It will have a
yellow icon on it denoting that it has a problem associated with it. The Properties
dialog box for that device appears.
- Select the Resources page. Read the conflict message before
continuing to see which setting is in conflict and what needs to be changed.
Click the Change Setting button.
- In the Edit Input/Output Range dialog box, change the Value
entry to the I/O setting of the device. In the Conflict Information area,
watch to see whether the I/O setting you select reads No devices are
conflicting. If there are no conflicts, you can keep this setting.
If, however, another device currently is using this I/O setting, select another
setting that the device supports (make sure that it doesn't conflict with
another device) and click OK. You then need to set your device (using the
device's setup program software) to this new I/O setting.
You also can perform the same troubleshooting for problems arising from conflicts
with IRQ settings.
- Click OK and restart Windows 98.
Question & Answers to Hardware Problems
CD-ROMS/DVD
Monitors
Sound Card
Hard Drive
Video Card
Mouse
Floppy Drive
Mother Board
Modem
Keyboard
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