MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-270): Installing ...

6-12 Chapter 6 Installing, Managing, and Troubleshooting Hardware Devices and Drivers
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Caution Improperly changing resource settings on devices can disable your hardware and
cause your computer to stop working.
Windows XP Professional automatically identifies Plug and Play devices and arbitrates
their resource requests. However, the resource allocation among Plug and Play devices
is not permanent. If another Plug and Play device requests a resource that has already
been allocated, Windows XP Professional again arbitrates the requests to satisfy all the
devices.
You should not change resource settings for a Plug and Play device manually because
Windows XP Professional is then unable to arbitrate the assigned resources if
requested by another Plug and Play device. In Device Manager, Plug and Play devices
have a Resources tab in their Properties dialog box. To free the resource settings you
manually assigned and to allow Windows XP Professional to again arbitrate the
resources, select the Use Automatic Settings check box in the Resources tab.
You can use the following procedure to configure or troubleshoot a device using
Device Manager:
1. From the Start menu, right-click My Computer, and then click Manage. The Computer
Management window opens, as shown in Figure 6-5.
Figure 6-5 You can access Device Manager through the Computer Management window.
2. Expand the System Tools node, and then click Device Manager.
3. In the right pane, expand the device category (Network adapters, for example),
and then double-click the device you want to configure. The Properties dialog box
for the device appears, as shown in Figure 6-6.