The instructions say that the DFE-530TX+ card must be installed into a PCI slot with “bus mastering.” What is bus mastering and how do I know if my PCI slots have this capability?
(Back to top) A bus mastering device is one that can take control of the system bus for the purpose of accessing the computers memory and other I/O devices without having to interrupt the CPU to perform the task. This feature, in conjunction with the built-in FIFO buffers, allows the network adapter card to process packet data more quickly. In the case of the DFE-530TX, the card will not install correctly if the PCI slot in which it resides does not support bus mastering. Some Intel 80486-based computers and most Pentium class computers, built after 1998, have PCI slots that support bus mastering. On computers running Windows 98, you may be able to determine whether the PCI slots support bus mastering by reading the description beside the PCI IDE controller in the Computer Properties window. To do this, go to Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager -> Computer -> Properties, browse through the list of in-use IRQs for IRQ 14 or 15, and read the description to see
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