PRB: Legacy-Free System with PCI Card May Install Slowly (831799)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP1
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP1

SYMPTOMS

If you install Microsoft Windows XP on a legacy-free system that has a combination of a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) card with a serial port and special BIOS settings, installation may take a lot longer.

CAUSE

Some original equipment manufacturers may permanently map in their BIOS an I/O range of 03F8 to 03FF to a COM port on a PCI card. This mapping is done so that developers can debug applications and drivers on legacy-free devices in a debugging tool. On such systems, if you insert a PCI legacy card and then you try to install Windows XP, you may experience a delay of up to three hours during installation.

RESOLUTION

To avoid this delay, remove the PCI card.

Alternatively, you can disable the PCI slot in the BIOS (if that action is supported) before you install Windows XP. After Windows XP is installed, reinsert the PCI card (or re-enable the slot in the BIOS if you disabled the slot earlier).

REFERENCES

For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

278011 Legacy-Free Computers Take Longer to Install Windows 2000

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:12/2/2003
Keywords:kbPlugPlay kbinfo KB831799 kbAudEndUser kbAudDeveloper kbAudOEM
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.