PCI IRQ steering is a feature created to fix problems with interrupt sharing between PCI cards on computers. It was first supported in Windows with the introduction of Windows 95 OSR 2.5 running under a BIOS that also supported PCI IRQ Steering. When enabled, PCI IRQ Steering allows two or more PCI cards to use the same interrupt by dynamically mapping the devices interrupt using PnP.

IRQ Steering in Windows Device Manager

IRQ holder for PCI steering is an error found in the Windows Device Manager if Microsoft Windows is installed with PnP disabled. If this error is seen in the Device Manager, make sure PnP is enabled in the BIOS setup.

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IRQ, Operating system terms

  • Additional information about PC compatible system resources.