IRQ (Interrupt ReQuest) lines are like dedicated phone lines that ring up the CPU for attention, just as phone calls interrupt you. Sixteen IRQs (0-15) are addressable. You can view IRQ assignments under Windows in several ways. One method that Windows 95 and 98 have in common is under Control Panel's System option and the Device Manager tab. Double-click on Computer at the top of the tree. In Windows 98, you can view IRQs through the System Information Utility.

1. Several IRQs are already dedicated to system devices (such as system timer, disk drives, and the keyboard) and cannot be used.

2. Certain IRQs have been commonly used for the standard I/O ports--serial and parallel--usually IRQ 4, 3, and 7, representing COM1, COM2, and LPT1, respectively. The IRQs that are left can be used to add new hardware.

3. The PCI bus in most new systems permits interrupt allocation flexibility during boot-up. Replacing your non-plug-and-play ISA cards with PCI cards can be a great boon to the IRQ-challenged.

4. Installing plug-and-play hardware can reduce IRQ conflicts. At boot-up, Windows scans for available IRQs and will assign them to hardware drivers on the fly. Buy USB peripherals in the future. This should let you free up a COM or LPT port that's currently occupying an IRQ.

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