Abit AH6E User Manual
AH6 Pentium II Mainboard
USER’S MANUAL
Chapter 1 Introduction of AH6 Features
¬ Specifications .................................................…….1-1
- Layout diagram ...................................................... 1-3
® The system block diagram........................................1-4
Chapter 2 Installing the Mainboard
¬ Installing the Mainboard to the Casing ....................2-3
- Standard External Connectors .................................2-4
® Jumper and Switches ............................................. 2-11
¯ Installation of the CPU ..........................................2-13
° Installing System Memory
Chapter 3 Introduction of BIOS
¬ CPU Setup ¡i CPU SOFT MENU™¡j .......... 3-3
- Standard CMOS Setup Menu .......................... 3-7
® BIOS Features Setup Menu ............................3-9
¯ Chipset Features Setup Menu ........................3-15
° Power Management Setup Menu ...................3-17
± PCI & Onboard I/O Setup ............................. 3-22
² Load BIOS Defaults ..................................... 3-26
³ Load Setup Defaults .....................................3-26
´ Password Setting .................................................3-27
µ IDE HDD Auto Detection ............................ 3-28
¡i
DRAM Memory
Table of Contents
¡j
2-16
Chapter 4 Bus Master IDE Driver
Rev 1.11
Appendix A Quick Installation
Appendix B General Discussion about HDD Installation
Appendix C Flash BIOS User Instructions
Appendix D How to install Ultra DMA/33 drive
Appendix E How to install the PCI bridge driver for 440LX chipset
Appendix F Technical Support
Introduction of AH6 Feature 1-1
Chapter 1 Introduction of AH6
Feature
The mainboard is designed for the new generation CPU. It supports the Intel CPU
SLOT1(PentiumII), up to 384MB of memory, super I/O, and Green PC functions.
The mainboard provides high performance for the server system and meets the
requirements of the desktop system for multimedia in the future.
¬ Specifications
1.
CPU
l CPU SOFT MENU™ eliminates the need for jumpers or DIP switches
needed to set CPU parameters
l Employs switching type regulators to stabilize CPU operation
l Supports 66, 75* and 83*MHz CPU external clock speeds
l Supports Pentium® II 233 ~ 300 MHz processor cartridge
2.
Chipset
l Intel 440LX chipset (82443LX and 82371AB)
l Supports Ultra DMA/33 IDE protocol
l Supports Advanced Configuration and Power Management Interface(ACPI)
l Accelerated Graphics Port connector supports AGP 66MHz/133MHz
(Sideband) 3.3V device
3.
Cache Memory
l Level 1 and Level 2 cache built into Intel Pentium II processor card
4.
Memory(DRAM)
l 3 168-pin DIMM sockets support SDRAM and EDO DRAM modules
l Supports up to 384MB
l ECC support
1-2 Chapter 1
5. System BIOS
l Award Plug and Play BIOS supports APM, DMI, and ACPI
6.
Multi I/O Functions
l Floppy port supports up to 2.88MB, and 3 mode floppy
l Ultra DMA/33 bus master IDE supports up to 4 IDE devices
( Including LS-120 MB floppy drive )
l Built-in Standard/EPP/ECP parallel port connector
l Two built-in 16550 fast UART compatible serial port connectors
l Built-in PS/2 keyboard and PS/2 mouse port connectors
l Built-in standard IrDA TX/RX header and SB-LinkTM header
l Two built-in USB connectors
l Built-in EISCA 12 pin header
7.
Miscellaneous
l ATX form factor
l One AGP slot, Three PCI slots and Two ISA slots
l PC97 Compliant
l Board size: 305 * 170mm
Note: All brand names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
* Above 66MHz bus speed supported but not guaranteed due to the PCI specs.
* Specifications and information contained in this manual are subject to change
without notice.
Introduction of AH6 Feature 1-3
- Layout Diagram
Figure 1-1 Component Locations
1-4 Chapter 1
® The System Block Diagram
Installing the Mainboard 2-1
Chapter 2 Installing the Mainboard
This AH6 mainboard not only provides all standard equipment for classic
personal computers, but also provides great flexibility for meeting future upgrade
demands. This chapter will introduce step by step all the standard equipment
and will also present, as completely as possible future upgrade capabilities.
This mainboard is able to support all Intel Pentium II processors now on the
market. (For details, see specifications in Chapter 1.)
This chapter is organized according the following features:
ΠInstalling the Mainboard to the Casing
• Standard external connectors
Ž Jumpers and switches
• Presentation and Installing of the CPU.
º Installing the system memory.
NNNN
Before proceeding with the installation
Before installing the mainboard please be sure to turn off or disconnect the
power supply unit. Before making any modifications to the hardware
configuration of the mainboard, the power supply to any areas of the mainboard
you plan to modify should be turned off to avoid unnecessary damage to the
hardware.
2-2 Chapter 2
&
User friendly instructions
Our objective is to enable the novice computer user to perform the
installation by themselves. We have attempted to write this document in
a very clear, concise and descriptive manner to help overcome any obstacles
you may face during installation. Please read our instructions carefully
and follow them carefully step-by-step.
Installing the Mainboard 2-3
¬
Installing the Mainboard to the Casing
Most computer cases will have a base on which there will be many mounting
holes that allows the mainboard to be securely attached and at the same time,
prevents short circuits.
There are two ways to attach the mainboard to the base.
l with spacers
l or with bolts
In principle, the best way to attach the motherboard is with bolts, and only if
you are unable to do this should you attach the board with spacers. Take a
careful look at the mainboard and you will see many mounting holes on it. Line
these holes up with the mounting holes on the base. If the holes line up, and
there are screw holes this means you can attach the mainboard with bolts. If the
holes line up and there are only slots, this means you can only attach the
mainboard with spacers. Take the tip of the spacers and insert it into the slots.
After doing this to all the slots, you can slide the mainboard into position aligned
with the slots. After the mainboard has been positioned, check to make sure
everything is OK before putting the casing back on.
Note: If the mainboard has mounting holes, but don’t line up with the holes
on the base and their are no slots to attach the spacers, don’t panic,
you can still attach the spacers to the mounting holes. Just cut the
spacers (along the dotted line) (the spacer may be a little hard so
be careful of our hands). In this way you can still attach the
mainboard to the base without worrying about short circuits.
2-4 Chapter 2
-
Inside the case of any computer several cables and plugs have to be
connected. These cables and plugs are usually connected one-by-one to
connectors located on the mainboard. You need to carefully pay
attention to any connection orientation the cables may have and, if any,
notice the position of the first pin of the connector. In the explanations
that follow, we will describe the significance of the first pin.
Standard External Connectors
PN2(Pin 4-5-6-7) - Speaker Connector
Attach the system speaker to connector PN2.
Pin number Name or significance of signal
4 + 5VDC
5 Ground
6 Ground
7 Speaker data
Installing the Mainboard 2-5
Knowledge
PN2(Pin 1-2) - Hardware Reset Connector
Attach the cable from the case’s Reset switch to this connector. Press and
hold the reset button for at least one second to reset the system.
Pin number Name or significance of signal
1 Ground
2 Reset input
PN1(Pin 13-14) - Hardware Suspend Switch (SMI Switch)
Attach the cable from the case’s suspend switch (if there is one) to this switch.
Use this switch to enable/disable the power management function by hardware.
Pin number Name or significance of signal
13 Ground
14 Suspend signal
PN1(Pin 1-2-3-4-5) - Keylock and Power LED Connector
Attach the case’s keylock to the connector.
Pin number Name or significance of signal
1 +5VDC
2 No connection
3 Ground
4 Keylock inhibit signal
5 Ground
Computer
The “keylock switch” is used to lock the computer’s keyboard.
This disables the keyboard so that unauthorized persons cannot
use it. When this function is in use, you will need to use
the unlock key to activate the keyboard.
2-6 Chapter 2
PN1(Pin 7-8) - HDD LED Connector
Attach the cable from the case’s HDD LED to this connector.
Pin number Name or significance of signal
7
8
LED power
HDD active
PN1 (Pin 10-11) - Power Switch
Pin number Name or significance of signal
10 Ground
11 Power Switch signal
PN2 (Pin 9-10) - Green LED
Pin number Name or significance of signal
9 LED Power
10 Green LED Active
Installing the Mainboard 2-7
MOUSE - PS/2 Mouse Connector
Attach a PS/2 mouse to this 6-pin Din-connector.
Pin number Name or significance of signal
1 Mouse data
2 No connection
3 Ground
4 +5VDC
5 Mouse clock
6 No connection
KB - PS/2 Keyboard Connector
Attach a keyboard to this 6-pin Din-connector.
Pin number Name or significance of signal
1 Keyboard data
2 No connection
3 Ground
4 +5VDC
5 Keyboard clock
6 No connection
2-8 Chapter 2
ATX PWR - ATX Power input Connector
Caution: If power supply connectors are not properly attached to
ATX PWR, the power supply or add-on cards may be damaged.
Attach the connectors from the power supply to ATX PWR.
Pin number Name or significance of signal
1 +3.3V
2 +3.3V
3 Ground
4 +5V
5 Ground
6 +5V
7 Ground
8 Powergood
9 +5V
10 +12V
11 +3.3V
12 -12V
13 Ground
14 ON/OFF control signal
15 Ground
16 Ground
17 Ground
18 -5V
19 +5V
20 +5V
FAN1(CPU FAN), FAN2 - DC-FAN Power Connector
Pin number Name or significance of signal
1 Ground
2 +12V
3 Sense
Installing the Mainboard 2-9
IR - IR Connector(Infrared)
Pin number Name or significance of signal
1 +5Vcc
2
3 IR_RX
4 Ground
5 IR_TX
No connection
I/O port connectors
Name
IDE1 40 IDE channel 1 connector
IDE2 40 IDE channel 2 connector
FDC 34 Floppy disk connector
LPT 25 Parallel port
COM1 9 Serial port COM1 connector
COM2 9 Serial port COM2 connector
USB 8 Universal serial Bus
Notes: *IDE1, IDE2 are high performance PCI IDE connectors. Up to
four IDE interface devices are supported.
Pin number
Description
2-10 Chapter 2
LM1 - EISCA Connector
Pin number Name or significance of signal
1 I2C CLK
2
3 HCT
4 KEY
5 VCC
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
I2C DATA
Speaker out
GND
VCCP
FAN1 sensor
VCC3
FAN2 sensor
+12V
WOL1, WOL2 Connector ( Wake On LAN )
Pin number Name or significance of signal
1 Sense Input
2
3
GND
5VSB
SB-Link - Connector
Pin number Name or significance of signal
1 GNTA
2
3
4
5
6
GND
KEY
REQA
GND
SERIRQ
Installing the Mainboard 2-11
®
Jumper and Switches
You can set jumper switches on the mainboard to configure various
hardware options. See Figure 1-1 for jumper locations.
Throughout this section, the following symbols are used to indicate jumper
settings.
For 3-pin jumpers, the symbols below are used:
Short Pins 1 and 2 with a jumper cap.
Short Pins 2 and 3 with a jumper cap.
For 2-pins jumpers, the following symbols are used:
Place the jumper cap over the two pins of the
jumper to Short the jumper.
Remove the jumper cap to Open the jumper cap.
Note: To avoid losing jumper caps, attach the removed jumper cap to one
of the jumper pins.
2-12 Chapter 2
CCMOS 1 - CMOS Discharge Jumper
Jumper CCMOS discharge CMOS memory. When you install the
mainboard, make sure this jumper is set for Normal Operation(1-2). See
the jumper below.
Setting CCMOS
Normal Operation
(Default)
Discharge CMOS
Installing the Mainboard 2-13
¯
Installation of the PentiumII CPU
1. Mount the two black plastic pegs onto the mainboard. These pegs will
be used to attach the fan heat sink supports. Notice that one hole and
the base of one peg are larger than the other hole and peg base. Push
each peg into its hole firmly to the end until you hear it “ click ” into
place.
Retention
mechanism
Large peg and hold
2. Slide a black plastic support onto each end of the fan heat sink , making
sure that the hole and clip are on the outside edge of the support . Slide
each support toward the center of the processor until the support is
seated in the outside groove in the fan housing .
Top of processor
Groove in fan housing
2-14 Chapter 2
3. Slide the clip (A) on each support toward the processor , exposing the
hole that will fit the peg on the mainboard . Push the latches (B) on the
processor toward the center of the processor until they click into place.
4. Hold the processor so that the fan shroud is facing toward the pegs on
the mainboard. Slide the processor ( Direction C ) into the retention
mechanism and press evenly and gently. Ensure that the pegs on the
mainboard slide into the holes in the heat sink support and that the
alignment notch in the processor fits over the plug in Slot 1 .
Installing the Mainboard 2-15
5. Slide the clips on the supports (D) forward until they click into place to
hold the pegs securely. ( Apply slight pressure on the peg and push the
peg foward the clip while pushing the clip forward.) Push the latches on
the processor (E) outward until they click into place in the retention
mechanism. The latches must be secured for proper electrical connection
of the processor.
Fan power
cable
Note:
l Installing a heat sink and cooling fan is necessary for proper heat
dissipation from your CPU. Failing to install these items may result
in overheating and damage of your CPU.
l Please refer to your boxed Pentium
II processor installation or
other documentation attached with your CPU for detailed installing
instructions.
D
2-16 Chapter 2
° Installing System Memory
The mainboard provides three 168-pin DIMM sites for memory expansion.. The
DIMM socket supports 1Mx64(8MB), 2Mx64(16MB), 4Mx64(32MB),
8Mx64(64MB), 16Mx64(128MB), and 32Mx64(256MB) or double sided DIMM
modules. Minimum memory size is 8MB and maximum memory size is 384 MB.
There are three banks of Memory on the system board.
In order to create a memory array, certain rules must be followed. The following
set of rules allows for optimum configurations.
l The memory array is 64 or 72 bits wide. (Without parity or with parity)
l Those modules can be populated in any order.
l Support single and double density DIMMS.
The following is the valid memory configuration:
Bank Memory Module Total Memory
Bank0
(DIMM1)
Bank1
(DIMM2)
Bank3
(DIMM3)
Total System Memory
8MB,16MB, 32MB,64MB,
128MB
8MB,16MB, 32MB,64MB,
128MB
8MB,16MB,
32MB,64MB, 128MB
8MB ~ 128MB
8MB ~ 128MB
8MB ~ 128MB
8MB ~ 384MB
l If DRAM module size will increase in the feature , the supported
memory size will increase as well according to the available DRAM
module on the market .
Introduction of BIOS 3-1
Chapter 3 Introduction of BIOS
The BIOS is a program located on a Read Only Memory chip on the
mainboard. This program will not be lost when you turn the computer off. This
program is also referred to as the boot program. It is the only channel for the
hardware circuit to communicate with the operating system. Its main function is
to manage the setup of the mainboard and interface cards parameters, including
simple parameters such as time, date, hard disk drive, as well as more complex
parameters such as hardware synchronization, device operating mode, CPU
SOFT MENU™ techniques, setup of CPU speed. The computer will operate
normally, or will operate at its best, only if all these parameters are correctly
configured through the BIOS.
M
Don’t change the parameters inside the BIOS unless you know what
you are doing
The parameters inside the BIOS are used to setup the hardware
synchronization or the device operating mode. If the parameters are not
correct, they will produce errors, the computer will crash, and sometimes you
will even not be able to boot the computer after it has crashed. We recommend
that you do not change the parameters inside the BIOS unless you are familiar
with them. If you are not able to boot your computer anymore, please refer to
the section “Erase CMOS data” in Chapter 2.
When you start the computer, it is controlled by the BIOS program. The
BIOS first operates an auto-diagnostic for all the necessary hardware,
configurations the parameters of the hardware synchronization, and detects all
the hardware. Only when these tasks are completed does it give up control of
the computer to the program of the next level, which is the operating system.
Since the BIOS is the only channel for hardware and software to communicate,
it will be the key factor to system stability, and to ensure that your system
performs at its best. After the BIOS has achieved the auto-diagnostic and autodetection operations, it will display the following message:
PRESS DEL TO ENTER SETUP
3-2 Chapter 3
Three to five seconds after the message is displayed, if you press the Del
key, you will access the BIOS Setup menu. At that moment, the BIOS will
display the following message:
Fig 3 BIOS Setup main menu
In the BIOS Setup main menu of Figure 3, you can see several options. We
will explain these options step by step in the following pages of this chapter, but
let us first see a short description of the function keys you may use here:
l Press Esc to quit the BIOS Setup.
l Press ¡ô¡õ¡÷¡ö (up, down, left, right) to choose, in the
main menu, the option you want to confirm or to modify.
l Press F10 when you have completed the setup of BIOS parameters to
save these parameters and to exit the BIOS Setup menu.
l Press Page Up/Page Down or +/- keys when you want to modify the
BIOS parameters for the active option.
Computer
knowledge
CMOS DATA
Maybe you have heard somebody saying that their CMOS
DATA was lost. What is the CMOS? Is it important? The
CMOS is the memory used to store the BIOS parameters that
you have configured. This memory is passive. You can read its
data, and you can also store data in it. But this memory has to
be powered by a battery, in order to avoid any loss of its data
when the computer is turned off. Since you may have to
change the CMOS battery when it is out of power and in doing
so, you will loose all CMOS data, therefore, we recommend
that you write down all the parameters of your hardware, or to
put a label with these parameters on your hard disk.
Introduction of BIOS 3-3
¬
CPU Setup
The CPU can be setup through a programmable switch (CPU SOFT
MENU™), that replaces traditional manual hardware configuration. This feature
allows the user to complete more easily the installation procedures. You can
install the CPU without configuring any jumpers or switches. The CPU must be
setup according its specifications.
In the first option, you can press <F1> at any time to display all the items
that can be chosen for that option.
¡i
CPU SOFT MENU™¡j
CPU Name Is:
ä Intel Pentium II MMX
Fig 3-1 CPU SOFT MENU™
3-4 Chapter 3
CPU Operating Speed:
This option sets the CPU speed. In this field, the CPU speed is
indicated like this: CPU speed (external clock x multiplier factor)
Select the CPU speed according the type and the speed of your CPU.
¡i Note 1 ¡j For Intel Pentium II MMX CPUs, you can
choose the following settings:
ä 233 (66x3.5) ä 266 (66x4)
ä 300 (66x4.5) ä 333 (66x5)
¡i Note 4 ¡j User define external clock and multiplier
factor:
ä User Define
/ External Clock:
ä 66MHz ä 75MHz
ä 83MHz ……………
/ Multiplier Factor:
You can choose the following multiplier factors:
ä 2.0 ä 2.5
ä 3.0 ä 3.5
ä 4.0 ä 4.5
ä 5.0 ……………
However, differences will exist because of the
various brands and types available.
Normally, we do not recommend that you use the “User Define” option to setup
CPU speed and multiplier factor. This option is for setup of future CPUs whose
specifications are still unknown. The specifications of all present CPUs are
included in the default settings. Unless you are very familiar with all CPU
parameters, it is very easy to make mistakes when you define by yourself the
external clock and the multiplier factor.
/ Turbo Frequency:
This item will only be displayed if your CPU external clock supports
Turbo mode.
The Turbo mode allows you to speed up the external clock by
approximately 2.5%. This feature is used to verify the design flexibility.
It is a very important tool for test units to verify CPU stability. Do not
use this feature.
äDisable: CPU external clock is operating within
the normal limits.
äEnable: CPU external clock is operating within
the limits of the Turbo mode.
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