User manual TERRATEC CORRECTLY INSTALLING PCI CARDS

[. . . ] It is likely because the quality and functionality of these chips is often less than desirable that you are holding a new PCI soundcard in your hand at this very moment :-). Best is to uninstall the old soundcard drivers and then remove the old card before you even open the anti-static bag on the new card. Should you have questions about the proper method of achieving this goal please contact your mainboard or soundcard manufacturer, who should be very familiar with every last detail of their components. Due to the fact that modern mainboards come in many flavors and revisions, it is impossible for TerraTec to provide you with adequate information regarding proper deactivation of integrated devices. Consult your mainboard manual or contact the manufacturer for specific information. [. . . ] It is in any case a much better idea to completely disconnect the PC and place it on a flat surface such a table. Take a moment to impress yourself with the technology :). This time can be used to prepare yourself for a safe installation process. Be careful to discharge any static electricity by first touching a grounded part of the PC case or some other well grounded metal object such as a heating system radiator. The right PCI Slot Although the PCI slots all look the same, there are invisible differences in the electrical and electronic properties. The slots are usually bound physically to a so-called IRQ (Interrupt Request), a technology that regulates the communication timing between PCI cards and the processor. It often takes two or three tries to find the optimal slot, but a basic rule is to avoid the last slot (from the top) as well as the slot right below the graphic card (PCI slot 1). This is because soundcards don't like being installed in slots that must share IRQs as soundcards are particularly sensitive to distortion. Tip: Further information on this theme can be found in the Audio Tweaks tutorial available at www. terratec. com. After the installation the PC's IRQ allocation should be checked for conflicts in the Windows Device Manger or the BIOS PCI Device Listing (important for 2000/XP), which is displayed briefly during boot-up. Windows Device Manger -> Computer -> Model by 98SE/ME Connection -> Interrupt Request (IRQ) Windows 2000 / Device Manger -> View-> Resources by Type XP > IRQ After removing the card from the ESD (Electro-Static-Device) bag simply insert it as shown above in the chosen PCI slot and screw it down. The PC is not running during any of this of course :). The First Test Run In general after installing a new device, only the necessary peripheral devices should be re-connected to the PC before restarting it. As soon as the system boots it should announce that new hardware has been found. Select to choose the driver yourself, which is normally the second option , , Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)" or , , No, I want to select the hardware from a list ". In the dialogue that follows choose the path in which you unpacked the DRV file(s). By , , update. exe" packets point to the driver sub-folder inside the destination folder. This is best done using the , , Browse" function. For Windows 2000 or XP Users A window may appear warning you that the driver indicated lacks a digital signature from Microsoft (LOGO-Test) and the installation is not recommended by Microsoft. Driver signatures are a Microsoft innovation that many hardware manufacturers - having devices with short driver lives, undergoing constant functional improvement, - simply cannot fulfil due to technical, economic, and organizational reasons. Accordingly, this message is likely to appear regularly when installing devices and can be overridden by pressing the , , Continue Anyway" button without worry :). The installation routine may cycle through several times as many soundcards are designed as multi-function cards and require additional drivers. The TerraTV cards, for example, are quite complex ­ requiring a total of four drivers to be installed before the card can be used correctly. After the installation it should be possible to start the card's control panel (which was installed within the framework given above) and use the soundcard. [. . . ] This is displayed by the PC BIOS directly, and very briefly, after the POST (Power On Self Test i. e. RAM test, HDD detection, etc. . . ) and can be paused on screen by using the pause button. The right moment is quite difficult to hit, as it is usually less than one second long. Here, manufacturer and configuration information is displayed for all installed devices. [. . . ]