I just reinstalled windows and my computer now can not detect my internal 3com PCI modem. In the device maneger it states there is an IRQ conflict which forces me to either disable the Printer port (LPT1 & COM) or my sound card as to free up resorces of one or the other. Also in the device maniger It is unable to detect a PCI communication device because of missing drivers, I think it is possible that this unidentified device my modem but I am unsure. I have not added or removed any hardware sence the reinstall, so I dont know how this IRQ conflict came about in any event does any one know how to resolve such an issue.

Which Windows version?
By reinstalling you may unknowingly have changed from ACPI to Standard PC or vice-versa. Check in Control Panel/System/Device Manager under Computer what it says there.
Also, if you can copy it out, let us know which IRQs are used in your PC (In Device Manager, click View/Resources by type/Interrupt request

I have installed Windows 98SE in place of Windows 98.

The IRQs in use currently are as follows:

00 system timer
01 Standard keyboard
02 program interrupt controller
03 COM2
04 COM1
05 Adaptec AIC-7850 PCI scsi controller
06 Floppy Disk Controller
07 Creative AWE64 16-bit audio
08 CMOS/Real time clock
09 Nividia Riva TNT2 PRo
09 IRQ holder steering
10 IRQ Holder Steering
11 Internal USB controller
12 ps2/2 mouse controller
13 number data proccessor
14 IDE controller bus master
14 primary IDE controller
15 intel Bus master controller
15 secondary IDE conroller


I have some screen shots of some of the other aspects of the device maneger you ask me to investigate, hopefully these help.

(Note: It seems as though I can only post 1 at a time, and the service wont accept zip files, but I have the 3 others)

Unless you play games under DOS, you could take the Soundblaster-parameters out of your Autoexec.bat and your Config.sys files (just use Notepad to edit them both) and put the word REM and a space in front of each of those lines.
That should free up IRQ 7. Your internal modem will most likely want to install on COM3 (which uses the same IRQ as COM1), so you could go into your BIOS and disable COM2 there.

Do you have any exclamation or question marks in your Device Manager?