PVR350 Errors out when installing drivers on new Dell Dimension 2400

[tundrwd]

I get an error 10 everytime I install my PVR350 in a new Dell Dimesion 2400.

The card was working properly in another system (AMD Duron 950).

Why won't card initialize properly?

[gplasky]

Try your card in a different slot. There may be IRQ issues. Don't use PCI slot1.

Gerry

[tundrwd]

Have tried all 3 PCI slots - same results.

Have tried 4 different versions of drivers - same results.

I have printed out device report - showing IRQs and I/O ports.

I show that I'm using IRQs 0-9, 12-19, and 23

IRQ 10 and 11 are open. Are there specific IRQs and I/O ports that the 350 will use? Instead of a "normal" PCI card?

[gplasky]

No-but in your report do you see any other device using the same IRQ as your 350? What I have done on mine before installation was to disable anything other port I wasn't going to use that had an IRQ. I was able to disable my printer port, both com ports. And just to be clear you install the card. New device is found so you install the drivers. You then install the decoder. You try to use the card but get an error 10. Or you get this error 10 after the install and before the drivers. Little more info please. OS? version of drivers?

Gerry

[tundrwd]

Originally posted by gplasky
No-but in your report do you see any other device using the same IRQ as your 350? What I have done on mine before installation was to disable anything other port I wasn't going to use that had an IRQ. I was able to disable my printer port, both com ports.

XP won't assign it any resources because it says it has a problem.

So it shows up in the device list, but NO resources.

And just to be clear you install the card. New device is found so you install the drivers. You then install the decoder. You try to use the card but get an error 10. Or you get this error 10 after the install and before the drivers. Little more info please. OS? version of drivers?

Gerry

Yes. Hardware installed, "sees" card and says it's a "Hauppauge Win TV PVR PCI II". Asks for drivers, I take "default" option to search for drivers, makes "system restore" point, then gives me the error 10 "can't initialize device".

I have tried:
1.7.21283
1.7.21288

A beta version Hauppauge recommended during Dec. to clear up a problem with B/W composite input

1.8.22020 beta from the SHS PVR site.

The problem occurs with every version of the driver, in every slot on the mobo (only 3 PCI slots).

[tundrwd]

Returning system, if interested, here's the scoop:

The 2400 has a boot utility that shows all PCI devices the system sees (or is supposed to). Never showed the PVR 350 (or another PCI card I tried).

BIOS has a setting that enables/disables the PCI slots. If disabled, is supposed to keep the OS and all other software from seeing anything in the PCI slots. Made no difference what the setting was. XP always saw it, and would allow installing drivers, but the card would not initialize.

I spent 3 hours with Dell's "tech support" (and I do use the term loosely). I must admit, after 5 hand-offs, their English was getting much better (I'm generally not bad with accents, but the first guy - Awam(?) - was barely understandable).

Anyway - since the part was not a Dell part, they would have to charge me for support. I could never get them to tell me if the utility I earlier mentioned (their utility on it's own boot partition), would actually function as I assumed, nor could they tell me anything about the BIOS setting.

Conclusion:
While the unit in and of itself seemed OK, I suspect either a BIOS problem or some chipset issue with the motherboard that would not propely initialize the 350 (and possibly other PCI cards), on the PCI bus. Because the BIOS wouldn't initialize it properly, XP "sees" the card, but can't initialize it since it wasn't assigned an IRQ or IO by the BIOS during boot.

Other comments:
The Dimension 2400 has the ability to house 2 hard drives, but Dell uses a proprietary HD mount that puts the drive vertically at the bottom front of the case. There was no mount for a second drive. After some research, there does seem to be a part that will cost you $17 shipped, but no one can seem to get it. Customers are instead pressured into buying a second hard drive in order to get the mount by Dell sales. (I was going to go to the shop and work out some old mounts and just make one).

The case was nice and sturdy, it was an EXTREMELY QUIET unit, with adequate airflow over the processor. However, other than the P/S fan, there was no real airflow through the case itself, so cards like the 350 would probably get hot without some extra cooling, and I'm not sure how you do that without getting midieval with the case.

All in all, if you want it exactly like you get it, not a bad unit. If you want to use it to expand a bit - forget it.