Toshiba a8-ez8311 User Guide

179

more devices use the same DMA, the data required by one device 
overwrites the data required by the other, causing a hardware 
conflict.

With Plug and Play and the operating system, avoiding hardware 
conflicts is easy. Plug and Play is a computer standard that helps the 
system BIOS (basic input/output system) and the operating system 
to automatically assign system resources to Plug and Play-
compliant devices. In theory, if every device connected to the 
computer is Plug and Play-compliant, no two devices will compete 
for the same system resources. Plug in the device and turn on your 
computer. The operating system is automatically set up to 
accommodate the new device.

If you install an older (legacy) device that the operating system 
cannot recognize, the operating system may have difficulty 
assigning resources to it. As a result, a hardware conflict can occur.

There are several things you can do to resolve hardware conflicts:

❖

Get the most recent drivers from the manufacturer.

❖

Disable the device.

For an older device, remove it from the computer.

❖

Disable another system component and use its resources for the 
new device. See 

❖

Reconfigure the device so that its requirements do not conflict. 
Refer to the device’s documentation for instructions about 
changing settings on the device.

Device Manager provides a way to check and change the 
configuration of a device.

Changing the default settings using Device Manager can cause other 
conflicts that make one or more devices unusable. Device Manager 
is a configuration tool for advanced users who understand 
configuration parameters and the ramifications of changing them.

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