                                                             Last Revised
    AST RESEARCH, INC.        TECHNICAL BULLETIN # 1739          07/01/97

    TITLE:  Ascentia J40 and Xircom PC Cards

    ISSUE

       When the user runs a Xircom installation on an Ascentia J40
       system that is running in the DOS or Windows 3.1x operating
       system, the software may report that there is no available IRQ
       for the device.

       This issue affects all Ascentia J40 systems.

    BACKGROUND

       The Plug-and-Play (PnP) BIOS in the Ascentia J40 masks all unused
       IRQs at the interrupt controller. The Xircom drivers assume that
       if an IRQ is masked ON, it is in use.

    ACTION

       To correct this issue, perform the following:

       1. Download the file IRQ10OFF.COM from one of AST's
          On-Line! services as follows:

          AST WWW Site:  http://www.ast.com
          AST On-Line! BBS*:  See IB0001.TXT
          CompuServe:  GO: ASTFORUM
          Prodigy:   JUMP: ASTSUPPORT

          * Refer to IB0001.TXT for a list of AST's
            international BBS numbers.

       2. Save the file to the root directory of C:

       3. Edit the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The first line of the
          AUTOEXEC.BAT file should read:

             C:\IRQ10OFF.COM

       4. Reboot the system.

       The Xircom PC card should now be configured to use IRQ 10.

       For instructions on configuring your Xircom PC card, please refer
       to the user documentation included with the card, or contact
       Xircom Technical Support at (805) 376-9200 for assistance.

    NOTES

       The Xircom PC card drivers may not function on an Ascentia J40
       system running DOS or Windows 3.1x.

    TAN 000329AH

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