Okay, I just realized that my GeForce 4 shares an IRQ resource with my modem. Both are set to "3".

My first question is:
Could this be adversely affecting my GeForce's performance? Should I attempt to change the setting so there is no sharing?

If so....how do I go about doing this properly, as in Device Manager the "change settings" box for both the modem and the geforce are grayed out?

Also, the instructions that came with the GeForce said that I should try to use IRQ 11 for the card, but that seems to already have been claimed by a video capture card I installed earlier. Why does the IRQ number make a difference?

Thanks for any suggestions on changing these without creating a bigger problem...

Bump...

Any ideas on this one, guys?

If you have an internal modem. just move it to another PCIslot.

my Geforce used to share with my soundblaster and had no trouble. i moved it more on a whim of wanting individual IRQ's.

sometimes theres a setting in the BIOS that sets the modem to IRQ3. have a look see...

One way to free up IRQ's is to disable your serial port(s) if you are not using them. There should be a setting in your BIOS for this. Windows will likely "shuffle" a device that is sharing to the IRQ freed up by disabling the serial port.

Check your BIOS if there's the option Assign IRQ for VGA.
It's always better to have your videocard on it's own assigned
IRQ.