I have a large number of devices sharing an interrupt request. Is this OK?

A. It's OK to have a large number of devices sharing an interrupt request (IRQ) if you're not experiencing any problems. You can use the Device Manager to view resource usage. Right-click My Computer, select Properties, and on the Hardware tab, click Device Manager. From the View menu, select "Resources by type." Expand IRQ to display the device usage.

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In Windows 2000, PCI devices can share IRQs by design. Per the Plug and Play (PnP) capability that the PCI specification defines, the computer's BIOS configures adapters, which the OS then examines and changes if necessary. PCI devices typically share IRQs, especially on Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) computers with Win2K ACPI support enabled.

The PCI slot that's in use can sometimes cause problems. In the event of a freeze, try moving something (e.g.,the sound card) to a different PCI slot.