How do I resolve a resource conflict?

My computer is a 4 yr old Dell Latitude CSx H500T laptop with 128MB RAM. I'm running Windows 2000 Professional.

My problems started with my computer hanging in startup and found it started working again when I pulled the Xircom Modem/Ethernet Card out of the cardbus slot (it used to work but it stopped sometime since I got a wireless adaptor which is plugged into my other Cardbus slot of which I have 2).

Now the bottom cardbus slot will not work at all. It recognises the card but cannot find resources to work it (both the Xircom and the Wireless adaptor in that slot). The Xircom card still works in the other slot so I don't think its a problem with the Xircom or its configuration.

Note that both slots used to work fine (ie. Xircom in the slot, D-Link Wireless Adaptor in the top slot).

I thought it might be a corrupt hard drive (as I was using the original 8GB drive the laptop came with) so I bought a new 20GB drive (as that is all the laptop can take). The new drive works great but I still have the problem with the bottom card slot.

I loaded up McAfee Antivirus software last night and received some memory errors when it tried to update the scan engine over the internet.

In device manager the Coms Port has a yellow exclamation mark. It says it cannot find any resources.

Alright, in the device manager, right-click the COM port with the yellow exclamation mark. Go to the resource header and underneath that should be its I/O Address and it's IRQ. Tell us what those are.

Go back to your device manager, there should be another COM port, do the same thing and list the resources.

There is only one Communications Port.

The I/O Range is 0358-03FF
The IRQ is 04

The conflicting device list reads: System Board

Remove both items, do a safe mode boot. Restart the computer with only one in the either slot, then do the same for the other to ensure each device is working.

Ensure you have the latest bios drivers
http://search.dell.com/results.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&cat=sup&cs=&k=Dell+Latitude+CSx&img=True&sum=True&ssum=False&qmp=10

You can also run the Dell DX tools. Get them here:
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/pmac2cm/en/en_ug/diag.htm

If you have something that changed, remove it to see if that fixes the problem. It can help ID the problem.

If every thing looks fine you can go to the device manager click on the offending item click on the resources tab and uncheck the box that says use automatic settings. Change it to any other and see what you can do.

resource conflicts are the hardest to get running, even harder to do over a forum... Let us know what information you get back.

I am currently using the most up to date BIOS.

Ran a quick test in Dell Diagnostics - everything OK.

I'll run a full test after this as I understand it will take a while.

both devices work in the top slot. just have problems with the bottom slot.

Can't understand why as they were both working at one stage and I haven't really changed anything.

Didn't you say you installed a wireless adapter?

Alot of times if you just go back into Device Manager ,Right click on the
ComPort and UNINSTALL IT ,reboot ..It will find new hardware (install it)
and your problem will be fixed...try it

Yes, I installed a wireless adaptor which currently resides in the top Cardbus slot (and still works fine), but that was about 2 months ago and both devices (in both slots) were working fine after that.

Then I started having problems starting up only a couple of weeks ago and after a few days finally managed to get it to boot when I removed the Xircom card from the bottom slot.

I reinstalled the O/S after I changed the hard drive (as I thought it might have been corrupt and wanted a new one anyway) but still have the problem so I thought it might be faulty memory or dodgy motherboard.

Maybe it's a problem with the system board? I ran a full diagnostic last night but that said everything was working fine.

Did you put the Xircom card in the top slot to see if it worked ?
the Card that is.

and have you stuck anything else in the bottom to see if it works
(another card) .

That slot might not be bad ,the Xircom card ,might be .

you still have to go into device manager and look...when you get there
go to the view tab and click devices by connection ,and look for any
yellow !

yes, Xircom card works in the top slot. i will try and update the driver for it anyway.

I only get yellow if i use the bottom slot. My wireless card won't work in the bottom slot either. The devices are recognised but there are no free resources.

also, i get yellow for my Comms Port whether I have something in the slots or not.

you don't have to reload didly,just go in and right click on them,
and UNINSTALL THEM, then reboot.And 99.99% of the time,it will find them again and fix the problem...don't worry about drivers.

Should take abut 1 min for you to do the un-install .lol ,na maybe 49sec.

it worked!

i did what you said to do MOC - just unistalled the Communications Port and rebooted with the xircom card in the bottom slot.

now in Device Manager there is no Communications Port (COM 1) but that does not seem to be an issue.

thanks for the help!

Seems like you could of had some overlaping IRQ conflict
with it ,once I wake-up ,i'll try to explain it better.lol
but I am glad it's working,sometimes you have to take what
you get an run .