Help needed on failed interrupt test on 3c905b NIC

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I would like to build a simple Windows network consisting of a
notebook and a Pentium-based desktop PC. I bought several network
products: a Unex hub, 5-meter TP-cables, 3com 589b PCMCI network card,
1 3c905b and 1 3c509b network card (NIC). I am a networking newbie.

I have installed a 3com 3c905b NIC in a PCI slot of my Pentium PC (with
Chaintech 5VGM1 mainboard) Upgraded Bios on my Pentium PC recently and
BIOS ID after upgrade is 09/19/99-i430VX-2A59GC39C-00 (Unicore Award
bios chip 2A59GC39C). Registered this bios chip on the Unicore website.

After the bios upgrade my PCI ISDN modem is displaying an Interrupt
resource conflict in Windows 98). The ISDN PCI modem card was working
fine in combination with the old BIOS version (Bios ID:
09/20/96-i430VX-2A59GC39C-00).

The NIC (PCI) is working properly in the Windows 98 device manager with
IRQ steering enabled.

However the DOS diagnostics test program (3c90xcfg.exe) displays a
message "Interrupt test failed". I have tried to disable in Windows 98
about each hardware device which I do not need, the IRQ test on the NIC
still fails unfortunately. Connecting the NIC to the hub a yellow led
(Collision) burns. What is the cause of this?

Interrupt 12 assigned to the NIC is shared with a system device "IRQ
Holder for PCI steering". I/O-resource for the NIC is unique.

I have read that manually changing the resource settings of the NIC in
the device manager makes it impossible for Windows 98 to configure the
NIC again automatically.

Should I remove all PCI and ISA cards from my PC and try the NIC tests
in a basic empty PC configuration? Will this approach be successfull?

Does the the Chaintech 5VGM1 mainboard support the NIC 3c905b on
my PC?

Thank you in advance.

Erik Martens
Software Engineer
Orades B.V.
Tel. (work) (023) 548.49.50
Fax (work) (023) 548.49.51

P.S.
I did not find a "plug-and-play bios" setting in the bios. Nor did I
find a way to assign in the bios an IRQ to a particular PCI slot. These bios settings seem to be important for the 3Com 3c905b network interface card configuration.

According to my experience installation of the 3Com 3509b and 3com905b network cards is a real pain in the ass.

[BoneZ]

o sjit.. engels dah kennik nie En nog verkeerde forum ook... maar ja daz natuurlijk ook nie te lezen voor een engelsman

[RvdH]

Mooooooooooooooove it.

[wildhagen]

Ik wil je best helpen hoor, maar dan moet het wel in het Nederlands...

[Vaughn]

The best thing to do in this case(i've had that problem more than often)is to boot with a systemdisk and start the 3c905cfg.exe(or a similair file) on the original 3com(the first one)diskettes delivered with the NIC and force the card on a specific IRQ where you are certain it's free by disabling PNP Config and set the IRQ manually. Removing and adding the card in Win98 will now be recognized with the IRQ you've set in the Dos thinghy. Cheers!