Troubleshooting - PCI RS-232 or PCI RS-485 Windows NT

The following is a standard troubleshooting procedure:

• The serial configuration utility niports contains configuration information for serial hardware it is aware of that is installed in your system.
  
  To start the configuration utility, select Start»Settings»Control Panel, and double-click on the niports icon.
  
  If your PCI card is missing from this list, make sure the card is properly installed. Verify that the National Instruments serial driver serial.sys is installed.
  
  
• Resource conflicts occur when your system contains hardware that is configured to use the same resources as your serial interface. The serial driver detects some resource conflicts when it loads. When the driver detects conflicts as it loads, it records an error message describing the conflict. You can use the Event Viewer to see which resource is in conflict. To run the Event Viewer, select Start»Programs»Administrative Tools»Event Viewer.
  
  After you have identified the resource that caused the conflict, change the resources of the device that caused the conflict.
  
  To help in the selection of conflict-free resources, Microsoft has provided a utility called Windows NT Diagnostics. This utility displays a list of the I/O port addresses, IRQ levels, and DMA channels that are currently being used in your system.
  
  To run the Windows NT Diagnostics, select Start»Programs»Administrative Tools»Windows NT Diagnostics.
  
  
• This section lists possible diagnostic error messages, along with solutions:
  
  
  • If the No National Instruments serial port found error message appears, refer to the verification page to follow these troubleshooting steps:
    
    
    1. Verify the hardware resources.
       
       
    2. Verify that the National Instruments serial driver is installed.
       
       
    3. If either the serial hardware or serial.sys file is missing, reinstall the hardware and software.
    
    
  • If the utility reports fewer ports installed than it should, refer to the verification page and follow these troubleshooting steps:
    
    
    1. Verify the hardware resources.
       
       
    2. Verify that the National Instruments serial driver is installed.
       
       
    3. Check the hardware installation to make sure the correct number of boards/ports are installed.
    
    
  • If the I/O address test failed, Interrupt test cannot be performed error message appears, you probably have an I/O address conflict with legacy boards in your system. Change the base I/O addresses assigned to your legacy boards.
    
    
  • If the Interrupt test failed error message appears, you probably have an IRQ conflict with legacy boards in your system. Change the IRQ level assigned to your legacy board.