Windows 98 doesn't radically change the way things were handled under Windows 95, but it does include some useful new tools and tweaks. At the center of all hardware, however, is Windows 98's Plug and Play (PnP), the combination of software and hardware that allows the operating system to automatically manage devices.

For PnP to work, your peripherals, system BIOS, and operating system must all incorporate PnP technology. When Windows 98 starts, the operating system and the PC go through a series of steps to establish configurations, arbitrate conflicts, and record changes.

To see if your BIOS is PnP-compliant, look for the BIOS information on your monitor at the beginning of the boot process. A text message identifying the BIOS version should include mention of PnP. You can also check the Windows 98 Device Manager for a PnP BIOS listing.

	System BIOS (basic input/output system): The system BIOS is the low-level code that boots your system, detects the hard disk, and manages basic operations. Plug and Play systems employ a specifically tuned BIOS that has the intelligence to detect hardware and manage configuration changes.
	Operating system: Windows 98 interacts with the system BIOS and the installed hardware and keeps track of hardware resources.
	Hardware peripherals: Adapter cards and other peripherals must incorporate PnP circuitry in order to provide automated configuration. PCI add-in cards, by definition, are PnP-compliant, whereas ISA cards must be specifically designed for the feature. External peripherals such as modems and printers can be PnP as well.
	Device drivers: The final piece of the PnP puzzle is the device driver. Peripherals must use dynamic drivers (called VxDs) that allow configurations to be changed on-the-fly. You can usually get the latest driver versions from the peripheral manufacturer.

The best place to find the latest 32-bit device drivers for your peripherals is from the vendor. Often, the driver available from a vendor's web site will be more up-to-date than those found on the Windows 98 CD-ROM disc.

These components all come together to eliminate the need for the user to tell each peripheral exactly which resources it can access. IRQ, DMA, and I/O address settings are all assigned by Windows 98 based on the overall picture that PnP provides.

While Windows 98 makes things easier, you need to be knowledgeable about the resources your devices need. This enables you to diagnose and fix simple conflicts without having to resort to time-consuming or costly repair services. IRQs, or interrupt requests, are the most critical of the system resources, if only because nearly all devices need them.

IRQ numbers enable hardware devices to get the CPU's attention. A PC has 14 IRQs, but not all those are actually available to your peripherals. In fact, as PCs incorporate more and more devices, IRQs have become increasingly scarce, which sometimes results in failed installations and conflicts. Table 21.1 lists the IRQs and their most common uses. As you can see, only about a third of these may be available, and often even those are occupied.

Notice that Windows 98 makes educated guesses about the identity and resource requirements of older devices. The operating system features a large database of resource settings for older devices, which enables it to detect and configure itself to a variety of existing hardware. However, this detection process is not perfect, and it forces dynamic PnP peripherals to be configured around the static settings of older hardware.

1. Click Start | Settings | Control Panel and select the System icon.
2. Click the Device Manager tab to display the list of device types available to your PC.
3. In the scrolling list box, click the plus sign next to the hardware category you want to work with.
4. Double-click the specific device item that appears, and Windows displays the Properties dialog box for that item.
5. Click the Driver tab, and then click the Update Driver button.
6. The Update Device Driver Wizard launches. Click Next.
7. At the next screen, click the top radio button to tell Windows 98 to search for a new driver. Click Next.
8. Tell Windows 98 where to look for the new driver. If you want to try to find the latest version on the web, make sure the Microsoft Windows Update check box is checked.

   Windows 98 searches the selected locations for a new driver. Again, the most recent versions will often be found via a search of the Microsoft's Web-based index of device drivers.


Windows 98 might carry you off to Microsoft's approved driver index, but you might find more recent — if unapproved — drivers at the manufacturer's web site. This won't happen automatically, however. You'll have to use your web browser to go to the vendor's site, find the appropriate driver files, and download them to an empty directory on your hard disk. If the file is compressed (using PK Zip or some other utility), you'll need to expand it as well. Then use the Update feature to browse over to the directory containing the files and install from there.


9. Windows 98 tells you if it finds a more recent driver. If you want to install the software, click Next.
10. After the driver is installed, you will have to reboot your system.