Abit AR5E User Manual

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction of AR5 Features

¬ Specifications..................................................................... 1-2

- Layout diagram..................................................................1-4

® System block diagram......................................................... 1-5

Chapter 2 Installing the Mainboard

¬ Standard External Connectors............................................2-3

- Jumpers and Switches.......................................................2-10

® Presentation and Installation of the CPU...........................2-11

¯ Installing System Memory

¡i

DRAM Memory¡j...........2-14

Chapter 3 Introduction of BIOS

¬ CPU setup ¡i CPU SOFT MENU™¡j .............................3-3

- Standard CMOS Setup Menu............................................. 3-9

® BIOS Features Setup Menu..............................................3-11

¯ Chipset Features Setup Menu...........................................3-17

° Power Management Setup Menu......................................3-19

± PCI & Onboard I/O Setup................................................3-23

² Load BIOS Defaults.........................................................3-28

³ Load Setup Defaults......................................................... 3-28

´ Password Setting..............................................................3-29

µ IDE HDD Auto Detection................................................3-30

Appendix A Quick Installation
Appendix B Intel Pentium CPUs
Appendix C AMD-K5 CPUs
Appendix D Cyrix 6x86 CPUs
Appendix E General Discussion about HDD Installation

Part No:MN-086-B21-21 Rev:1.01

Appendix F Technical Support

Introduction of AR5 Features 1-1

Chapter 1 Introduction of AR5

Features

The AR5 have been especially designed for File server, Workstation and
Professional users. It can support a wide range of processors, including all Intel
CPUs (P54C) and Intel CPUs with MMX (P55C), as well as all AMD-K5 and
Cyrix 6x86/6x86L CPUs. It also takes into account, as much as possible, all
future CPUs.

The AR5 uses SOFT MENU™ technology, which means that all the
parameters can be configured without using DIP switches or jumpers. The
configuration is entirely achieved through a “Soft Switch” that allows the user to
set CPU speed and operating voltage with ease.

The AR5 uses Intel 430VX series chipsets, and has 256K or 512K Level-2
Pipeline Burst SRAM on board. It also provides an extension slot allowing the
user to upgrade Pipeline Burst SRAM to 512K.

Two 168-pin DIMM slots and four 72-pin SIMM slots meet the
requirements for all memory configurations required by high level computing.
The 168-pin DIMM slots support traditional Fast Page and EDO DRAM as a
memory standard for next generation 64-bit systems. The two 168-pin DIMM
slots have been reserved to meet requirements for both present and future
upgrades.

The AR5 also provides two Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports and meets the
Concurrent PCI Rev. 2.1 standard. It also supports IDE interface for Fast
HDD (Mode 0~4), as well as IDE Bus Master. These features also meet
present and future interface standards and needs.

System BIOS features include Plug-and-Play (PnP), Advanced Power
Management (APM), the newest Desktop Management Interface (DMI), as well
as AR5’s unique CPU operating frequency and voltage setup feature in order to
meet modern computing demands.

1-2 Chapter 1

¬

Specifications

1. CPU frequency and voltage setup with CPU “SOFT MENU™ ”

l Setup of the mainboard’s frequency and voltage without DIP

Switches or Jumpers.

l Modification of CPU operating voltage and frequency through

software configuration.

l Modification of CPU operating voltage and frequency directly on

screen.

2. Uses ZIF CPU Socket 7 for easy CPU installation

l Three voltage regulator/cooling plate sets for a more stable CPU

operating environment

l Supports Intel Pentium CPUs: 75MHz to 200MHz and P55C

CPUs with MMX

l Supports all AMD sixth generation AMD-K5™ CPUs: 75MHz to

100MHz

l Supports all Cyrix sixth generation 6x86™ CPUs: P120+, P133+,

P150+, P166+, P200+

l Reserved circuitry supports future sixth generation CPUs

3. Chipset

l Intel 430VX chipset
l Supports standard version PCI 2.1

4. L2 Cache Memory
l 256K or 512K of cache memory (Pipeline Burst SRAM)

5. System DRAM

l Four 72-pin SIMM sockets: support FP and EDO DRAM
l Two 168-pin DIMM sockets: support FP, EDO and Synchronous

DRAM (SDRAM)

l DIMM sockets use PC modules (3.3V Unbuffered DRAM)
l Up to 128MB memory configuration possible

6. System BIOS

l AWARD BIOS
l Supports Plug-and-Play (PnP)
l Supports Advanced Power Management (APM)
l Supports Desktop Management Interface (DMI)

Introduction of AR5 Features 1-3

7. Multi I/O features

l

Two Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports

l

Four fast IDE channels (PIO mode 0~4 and Bus Master)

l One EPP/ECP parallel port and one 16550 serial port

l

Two floppy disk drive connectors (FDD) (360K, 720K, 1.2M,

1.44M and 2.88M)

8. Other features

l

Standard ATX architecture dimensions

l

Four ISA bus slots and four PCI bus slots

l

Supports 3-MODE for a special Japanese floppy disk drive

l

Supports two bootable hard disks--able to run two different
operating systems

Note: All brand names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

1-4 Chapter 1

-

Layout diagram

Fig 1-1 Layout diagram

Introduction of AR5 Features 1-5

®

System block diagram

Pen tium Processor

Host BUS

CACHE

(SRAM)

PCI BUS

CD ROM &

Hard Disk

TAG

Second
Lev el Cache

Ctrl

Tag Ctrl

TIO [0..7]

Fast
IDE

PIIX3

TVX

Universal Serial Bus

Addr
Ctrl

USB

3.3V

Main
Memory
(DRAM)

Plink

TXD Ctrl

Control

Address/Data

USB

Control
Address
Data

Data

PCI Device(s)

ISA Device(s)

TDX

ISA BUS

Serial

ALi

M5123

Fig. 1-2 System block diagram

LPT

FDC

1-6 Chapter 1

Installing the Mainboard 2-1

Chapter 2 Installing the Mainboard

This AR5 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 including P55C with MMX, Cyrix
6x86, 6x86L and AMD-K5 processors now on the market. (For details, see
specifications in Chapter 1.) However, we cannot guarantee that the
description given in this manual on the circuitry of your mainboard will work for
processors not listed in Chapter 1. For example, the operating voltage of
Cyrix’s next generation CPUs is unknown at the present time. Thus we were
not able to include these specifications in your motherboard. We will supply
further information about CPU support when new CPUs arrive on the market.

This chapter is organized according the following features:

ΠStandard external connectors

• Jumpers and switches
Ž Presentation and Installing of the CPU.

• Installing cache memory--If you don’t want to upgrade the cache

memory you can skip this chapter.

• 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

Knowledge

¬

Standard External Connectors

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.

J6 - Keylock connector Please pay attention to pin position and orientation

This connector has a specific orientation. Connect the five-thread keylock
connector cable to the J6 connector pins on the mainboard.

Pin number Name or significance of signal

20 +5VDC
19 No connection
18 Ground
17 Keyboard inhibit Signal
16 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.

2-4 Chapter 2

J6 - Hardware Suspend switch

There is no specific orientation. Connect the two-thread hardware suspend
plug to the J6 connector pins on the mainboard. Since most cases do not
support this feature, most of you ignore this instruction. Furthermore, this
feature is not necessary as it is already a part of the mainboard.

Pin number Name or significance of the signal

7 Suspend
6 Ground

J6 - Hardware Reset connector

There is no specific orientation. Connect the two-thread hardware reset cable
to the J6 connector pins on the mainboard.

Pin number Name or significance of signal

1 Ground
2 Hardware reset signal

Computer
knowledge

The “Hardware Reset” is used to reset the computer during
operation without turning the computer off and back on. For
example, if you are running an application that stops
responding to the computer, you may press the Reset button to
restart the computer.

J6 - Speaker connector

There is no specific orientation. Connect the four-thread speaker cable to the
J6 connector pins on the mainboard.

Pin number Name or significance of signal

11 +5VDC
12 Ground
13 Ground
14 Sound Signal

Installing the Mainboard 2-5

J6 - Turbo switch LED connector

This connector has a specific orientation. Connect the two-thread turbo switch
LED plug to the J6 connector pins on the mainboard.

Pin number Name or significance of signal

9 Anode terminal of Turbo LED
8 Cathode terminal of Turbo LED

Computer
knowledge

The “hardware Turbo LED” indicates the status of hardware
operating speed.

J5 - IDE LED connector

This connector has a specific orientation. Connect the two-thread IDE LED
connector cable attached to the case to the IDE LED connector on the
mainboard.

Pin number Name or signifigance of signal

1 LED’s Cathode
2 LED’s Anode
3 LED’s Anode
4 LED’s Cathode

2-6 Chapter 2

JP10 - Standby connector

There is no specific orientation. Most of the present AT cases do not support
this feature so most of you can ignore this instruction. If your case has a cable
for the Standby feature, you should connect this cable to the connector on the
Mainboard.

Pin number Name or significance of signal

1 Standby power supply ¡i+5VSB ¡j
2 Control signal of computer switch of the case

Computer
knowledge

The “standby connector,” unlike the traditional mechanical
switch, is an electronic way to turn the computer’s power off.
To use this feature, the power supply system must permit a
shutdown power supply (+5VSB), support the electronic
switch feature, and must also be used with the ATX power
connector J3 on the mainboard. For example, when using
Windows 95, your computer will automatically shut down after
having saved your work when you exit Windows. You do not
need to use the mechanical switch to turn the computer off.

JP1 - CPU Fan power connector

This has a specific orientation. Connect the three-threads CPU fan cable to the
JP1 connector.

Pin number Name of the signal or signification

1 Ground
2 +12V
3 Ground

Installing the Mainboard 2-7

J1 - PS/2 Mouse connector Watch the pin number and the orientation

This has a specific orientation. Connect the six-threads PS/2 Mouse cable

provided to the J1 connector on the mainboard.

Pin number Name of the signal or signification

1 Mouse data
2 No connection
3 Ground
4 +5VDC
5 Ground
6 Mouse clock

Computer
knowledge

The “PS/2 Mouse Port” is different from COM1 or COM2 serial
ports to which you can also connect a Mouse. This mainboard
features an extra PS/2 Mouse port, so when you buy a mouse, be
sure that it is a PS/2 Mouse before connecting it to this port. But
if you cannot find any PS/2 Mouse, you can still use COM1 or
COM2 to connect a serial mouse to your computer.

J2 - PS/2 Keyboard Connector

This has an orientation pin. Connect your keyboard connector to the J2
connector on the mainboard.

Pin number Name of the signal or signification

1 Keyboard data
2 No connection
3 Ground
4 +5VDC
5 Ground
6 Keyboard clock

2-8 Chapter 2

J4 - Power input Connectors Watch the pin number and the orientation

These have a specific orientation. The three warning marks indicate that if you
make a mistake in pin number or connection orientation, you could destroy your
equipment. During installation, you just need to connect to the correct pins and
in the correct orientation, and to connect connectors P8 and P9 of the power
supply unit to the connectors on the mainboard.

Pin number

1 POWERGOOD 7 Ground
2 +5VDC 8 Ground
3 +12VDC 9 -5VDC
4 -12VDC 10 +5VDC
5 Ground 11 +5VDC
6 Ground 12 +5VDC

Name of the signal or

signification

Pin number

Name of the signal or

signification

J3 - ATX Power input Connectors

These have a specific orientation. The three warning marks indicate that if you
make a mistake in pin number or connection orientation, you could destroy your
equipment. During installation, you just need to connect to the correct pins and
in the correct orientation, and to connect connector of the power supply unit to
the J3 connectors on the mainboard.

Pin number

1 +3.3VDC 11 +3.3VDC
2 +3.3VDC 12 -12VDC
3 Ground 13 Ground
4 +5VDC 14 PS_ON
5 Ground 15 Ground
6 +5VDC 16 Ground
7 Ground 17 Ground
8 POWERGOOD 18 -5VDC
9 +5VDC 19 +5VDC

10 +12VDC 20 +5VDC

Name of the signal or

signification

Pin number

Name of the signal or

signification

Installing the Mainboard 2-9

JP7 - Infrared remote Connectors Watch the pin number and the orientation

This has a specific orientation. Your mainboard supports this feature, but you
must buy the infrared remote device as an option.

Pin number Name of the signal or signification

1 +5VDC
2 No connection
3 Receive data
4 Ground
5 Transmit data

I/O Port connectors Watch the pin number and the orientation

Connector name Pin number Name of the peripheral connected

IDE 1 40 IDE Channel 1
IDE 2 40 IDE Channel 2

FDC 34 Floppy Disk connector

LPT 26 Parallel port connector
COM1 10 Serial port COM1 connector
COM2 10 Serial port COM2 connector

USB 16 Universal Serial Bus connector

2-10 Chapter 2

-

Jumpers and Switches

JP6 : Delete the contents of the CMOS

This jumper is set on pins 1 and 2 at the factory, in order for the
computer to function normally, so please do not change this setting.
The main feature of this jumper is to solve situations where the
computer crashes due to improper usage. For instance:

l You have forgotten the password you set.
l You have changed inappropriately the settings in the BIOS

menu.

l You want to change the version of flash BIOS.

All these errors are very serious, you must avoid them. But if you have
made one of these errors, this jumper can save your life. First turn off
the power supply and open the computer case, than place the jumper
on pins 2 and 3 in order to save your computer. But if you use your
computer normally, you should not need to use this feature.

After you have deleted the CMOS information, the computer is saved, but you
still have to go back to the BIOS Setup menu, and reset one by one all the
specifications: CPU, date, hour, FDD and HDD parameters. etc., before your
computer will get back into normal operation.

JP9 : ATX Power select Power ON/OFF

(Pin1-2): High active

(Pin2-3): Low active

This jumper is set on pins 1 and 2 at the factory.

Installing the Mainboard 2-11

®

Presentation and Installation of the CPU

Jumperless Mainboard (Mainboard with no DIP Switch or Jumper)

The AR5 mainboard can be installed with CPU without the hardware

setting of the CPU.

On other boards, when you want to install the CPU, you have, more or less,
to setup some jumpers or DIP switches. With the AR5 mainboard, you will not
need to adjust any jumper or switch. The CPU speed and model is set up by
software, in order to allow the user to complete setup and installation procedures
easily. After you have inserted the CPU on the CPU socket, you can close the
computer case and turn the computer on. You just need to enter the CPU SOFT
MENU™ located in the BIOS Setup, and to setup the speed and the voltage of
the CPU to compete the installation. Even if you don’t need to setup any switch,
we recommend you to read our presentation of the CPUs, it will be useful
information for you.

Since 1996, every two or three months, Intel adds new models to the
Pentium CPU series. That is why the CPU market is filled with a lot of different
models and brands. All CPUs have different electrical specifications. That’s why
installing a CPU is becoming more and more complex. You can’t help that,
because everybody wants to be able to upgrade its hardware. So, you have to
take a bit of time to read this section, in order to be able to install a cheaper and
better processor.

The AR5 mainboard does not only support all the CPUs listed in the
specifications, but also has reserved several circuits in order to be able to support
future processors. But before we go further in our presentation, we must clarify
that “we have only tested the CPUs listed in Chapter 1”, we cannot guarantee
that this board will be able to support future products, because we cannot
forecast future developments. But we will do our best to support any possible
CPU.

Related terminology :

External clock

Also referred to as the external CPU clock, or “Bus clock”, it is the input

clock of the CPU. For instance, Intel Pentium P90, P120 and P150 all have

a 60MHz external CPU clock, but have different internal clock multiplier

factors.

2-12 Chapter 2

Clock multiplier factor

The real operation clock within the CPU is the multiple of the external

clock. We refer to this factor as the clock multiplier factor. The four factors

possible are 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3. The factor differs from one CPU to another.

For instance, the Intel Pentium 166 CPU has a 66MHz external clock, with

a multiplier factor of 2.5, so that the speed of the internal clock is 66MHz x

2.5.

Internal clock

Also referred to as the real internal CPU clock, it is the actual internal

operating clock of the CPU. The Internal Clock is a multiple of the external

clock and of the clock multiplier factor. For instance, the Intel Pentium 90

CPU has a 60MHz external clock and its clock multiplier factor is 1.5; the

Intel Pentium P133 CPU has a 66MHz external clock and its clock

multiplier factor is 2.

Internal CPU clock = clock multiplier factor x external CPU clock

AT Bus clock

Also referred to as ISA SPEED, or AT CLOCK, or even ISA Bus clock.

Ten years ago, the original specification of AT Bus clock installed in the

first generation PC/AT computers was 8MHz, this means that there are

some interface cards which can only work at 8MHz. In order to guarantee

compatibility with older hardware, we still support 8MHz AT Bus clock,

but if your interface card is newer or faster, you can choose a higher speed

for the AT Bus clock, in order to increase the transmission rate of the

interface cards. But we recommend you not to be too ambitious. An 8MHz

setup ensures maximum compatibility.

CPU Voltage - Vcore and Vio

From the voltage point of view, 586 series CPU can be divided into two

categories: single voltage CPU and dual voltage CPUs. Single voltage

CPUs include: Intel Pentium P54C series, AMD-K5 and Cyrix 6x86, etc.

Dual voltage CPUs include: Intel P55C with MMX, future AMD CPUs,

Cyrix 6x86L and M2.

The voltage of dual voltage CPUs has two components: Vcore and Vio.

Vcore provides all the power for internal processing, and its power

consumption is quite important. Vio provides the power necessary for the

external interface of the CPU.

Installing the Mainboard 2-13

P-Rating

The P-Rating was defined by some manufacturers other than Intel to rate

the performance of their CPU in comparison with Intel Pentium CPUs. For

instance, Cyrix 6x86 P166+ has a higher actual speed compared with Intel

Pentium P166, its internal clock needs only 133MHz versus 166MHz for

Intel’s product. The main reason is that Cyrix has improved the internal

architecture of the 6x86 CPU, which means that with the same internal

clock speed, the actual clock speed will be different.

Having read the related terminology above, please refer to the information in
appendices B, C or D for the type and specifications of your own CPU. We
suggest that you note down these specifications, which will help you when you
install the CPU.

CPU Settings:

¡I¡I

To configure the speed and the voltage of the CPU, you must enter to the CPU
SOFT MENU in BIOS Setup.

CPU SOFT MENU

¡I¡I

2-14 Chapter 2

¯

Installing System Memory

When this mainboard was designed, we not only have taken into account
the present needs, but we have also tried to care about demands for future
upgrades:

1. Two 168-pin DIMM sockets:
If you want to extend your memory capacity, you will have no solution

other than to use 168-pin 3.3V unbuffered DIMM sockets.

2. Four 72-pin SIMM sockets:
Currently, the most common memory modules on the market are 72-pin
SIMM modules. The four 72-pin SIMM sockets of this mainboard will
meet your needs.

3. Easy installation
You just need to insert the modules, without the help of God. Isn’t it
great?

¡i

DRAM Memory

¡j

Besides the features mentioned above, you can use simultaneously 72-pin SIMM
modules and 168-pin DIMM modules, but you will rarely encounter this kind of
configuration. Before you proceed with installation, be patient, first read what
follows:

1. Factory default setting of the mainboard is for 70ns FP or EDO
modules.

If your memory modules are faster than 70ns, say 60ns or 45ns, you can
modify the BIOS settings in order to speed up the operating speed of
the system. But if you don’t want to modify these settings, or if you
don’t know how to modify them, it’s no big deal.

But if you set the external CPU clock at 66MHz or more, we
recommend you use 60ns or even faster DRAM modules.

2. Memory error check and correction do not support this feature on
this mainboard.

Since the Intel 430VX chipset does not support this feature, since the
memory error check and correction feature may not be effective, and
since you cannot easily find memory modules with memory check and
correction feature, this mainboard does not support it.

Installing the Mainboard 2-15

3. Maximum memory capacity 128M Bytes supported by this
mainboard.

¡i

Computer
knowledge

Relationships between memory modules and Pentium

CPUs

Pentium, 6x86 and AMD-K5 are all 64 bit CPUs, but 72-pin
SIMM modules are only 32-bit. That’s why they have to be used
in pairs, because the CPU will always be only able to see 64 bits.
This means that 72-pin SIMM modules have to be installed in
pairs. For instance, SIMM1 and SIMM2 must form a pair, and
SIMM3 and SIMM4 must form another pair. Of course, the two
members of a pair must be of the same kind ¡i EDO or FP

DRAM ¡j, and you cannot use pairs from different “species”.
But the AR5 support different “pairs” and use different type of

memory modules, notice:

¡j

l ¡i SIMM1 and SIMM2 ¡j must use the same memory

type, as well as ¡i SIMM3 and SIMM4 ¡j.

l ¡i SIMM1 and SIMM2¡juse the same memory type, and

¡i SIMM3 and SIMM4 ¡j can use the same type, or a

different type, in order to permit you to obtain the best
speed configuration for each “single” pair, and to make
the system work at its maximum capacity. If one
memory pair is slower, it will have no influence on the
pair whose speed is higher.

166-pin DIMM modules are 64 bit, so you can use single modules.
On the AR5 mainboard, these modules can support not only EDO
and FR DRAM, but also Synchronous DRAM memory
configurations. The AR5 mainboard does not support SDRAM.

When you install DIMM modules on the mainboard, you don’t have to setup

anything, just be sure that you use 3.3V unbuffered 168-pin DIMM modules, and
insert them in the memory socket.

2-16 Chapter 2

¡i

Computer
Knowledge

After installing the DRAM, the BIOS of the mainboard will automatically
detect the size of the memory installed on the mainboard. Below is a list of all the
possible situations:

168-pin DIMM modules specifications

According to the standards defined by JEDEC, there are a lot of
different types of specifications for 168-pin DIMM sockets. Here
are the possible types:

l 3.3V UNBUFFERED DIMM
l 3.3V BUFFERED DIMM
l 5V UNBUFFERED DIMM
l 5V BUFFERED DIMM

These types of DIMM modules differ not only by the electrical
design, but also by their architecture. So, if you buy different
types of DIMM modules, you will not be able to insert them in the
DIMM sockets. Currently, the standard for PC is 3.3V
UNBUFFERED DIMM, which is the standard supported by this
series.

¡j

Scenario 1: You use only 72-pin SIMM modules:

l

The maximum memory size is 128M bytes.

l

Support possible for single density or double density memory
modules.

l Memory modules supported: 1Mx32 ¡i 4M ¡j, 2Mx32

¡i 8M ¡j, 4Mx32 ¡i 16M ¡j or 8Mx32 ¡i 32M ¡j.

l ¡i SIMM1 and SIMM2 ¡j is the first pair, ¡i SIMM3 and

SIMM4 ¡j is the second pair. Usually, you first insert the first
pair, than the second pair, but it is possible to do the reverse.

l

You can also directly refer to table 2-1.

Scenario 2: You use only 168-pin DIMM modules:

l

The maximum memory size is 128M bytes.

l

Support possible for single density or double density memory
modules.

l Memory modules supported: 1Mx64 ¡i 8M ¡j, 2Mx64

¡i 16M ¡j or 4Mx64 ¡i 32M ¡j.

Installing the Mainboard 2-17

l

DIMM1 is the first pair, DIMM2 is the second pair. Usually,
you first insert modules in DIMM1 socket, than in DIMM2
socket, but it is possible to do the reverse.

l You can also directly refer to table 2-2.

Scenario 3: You use 72-pin SIMM modules and 168-pin DIMM modules:

l The maximum memory size is: 128M Bytes.

l

Support possible for single density or double density memory
modules.

l Memory modules supported: Refer to case 1 and case 2 above.
l Support possible for mixed use of single density and double

density modules.

l Since there is a lot of possible configurations, no table is given.

2-18 Chapter 2

Table 2-1 72-pin SIMM Module Installation

¡i SIMM1, SIMM2 ¡j ¡i SIMM3, SIMM4 ¡j

1st pair ¡i or 2nd pair ¡j 2nd pair ¡i or 1

No

module

inserted

1Mx32 ¡i 4Mx2 ¡j
2Mx32 ¡i 8Mx2 ¡j

4Mx32 ¡i 16Mx2 ¡j
8Mx32 ¡i 32Mx2 ¡j

Since the installation described above is valid for the first pair as well as for the second pair, it will not be repeated.

1Mx32 ¡i 4Mx2 ¡j 2Mx32 ¡i 8Mx2 ¡j

2Mx32 ¡i 8Mx2 ¡j 2Mx32 ¡i 8Mx2 ¡j

4Mx32 ¡i 16Mx2 ¡j 2Mx32 ¡i 8Mx2 ¡j

8Mx32 ¡i 32Mx2 ¡j 2Mx32 ¡i 8Mx2 ¡j

1Mx32 ¡i 4Mx2 ¡j

2Mx32 ¡i 8Mx2 ¡j
4Mx32 ¡i 16Mx2 ¡j
8Mx32 ¡i 32Mx2 ¡j

inserted 32MB

1Mx32 ¡i 4Mx2 ¡j

4Mx32 ¡i 16Mx2 ¡j
8Mx32 ¡i 32Mx2 ¡j

1Mx32 ¡i 4Mx2 ¡j

4Mx32 ¡i 16Mx2 ¡j
8Mx32 ¡i 32Mx2 ¡j

1Mx32 ¡i 4Mx2 ¡j

4Mx32 ¡i 16Mx2 ¡j
8Mx32 ¡i 32Mx2 ¡j

1Mx32 ¡i 4Mx2 ¡j

4Mx32 ¡i 16Mx2 ¡j
8Mx32 ¡i 32Mx2 ¡j

st

pair ¡j

No 8MB

module 16MB

Total memory size

8MB
16MB
32MB
64MB

64MB

16MB
24MB
40MB
72MB
24MB
32MB
48MB
80MB
40MB
48MB
64MB
96MB
72MB
80MB
96MB

128MB

Perhaps you have already found out the rules from the table above. This table,
we belive, contains all possible configurations. In fact, you just need to insert
two or four 72-pin SIMM modules in the socket to complete the installation.

Installing the Mainboard 2-19

Table 2-2 168-pin DIMM Module Installation

¡i DIMM1 ¡j ¡i DIMM2 ¡j

1st pair ¡i or 2nd pair ¡j 2nd pair ¡i or 1st pair ¡j

No

module

inserted

1Mx64 ¡i 8M ¡j
2Mx64 ¡i 16M ¡j
4Mx64 ¡i 32M ¡j

Since the installation described above is valid for the first pair as well as for the second pair, it will not be
repeated.

1Mx64 ¡i 8M ¡j 2Mx64 ¡i 16M ¡j

2Mx64 ¡i 16M ¡j 2Mx64 ¡i 16M ¡j

4Mx32 ¡i 32M ¡j 2Mx32 ¡i 8Mx2 ¡j

1Mx64 ¡i 8M ¡j
2Mx64 ¡i 16M ¡j
4Mx64 ¡i 32M ¡j

No 8MB
module 16MB
inserted 32MB

1Mx64 ¡i 8M ¡j

4Mx64 ¡i 32M ¡j

1Mx64 ¡i 8M ¡j

4Mx64 ¡i 32M ¡j

1Mx32 ¡i 4Mx2 ¡j

4Mx32 ¡i 16Mx2 ¡j

Total memory size

8MB
16MB
32MB

16MB
24MB
40MB
24MB
32MB
48MB
40MB
48MB
64MB

In fact, the table above shows that you just need to insert the DIMM module in
any of the two sockets to complete the installation of the memory.

2-20 Chapter 2

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 voltage and 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,
configurates 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 auto-detection
operations, it will display the following message:

TO ENTER SETUP BEFORE BOOT PRESS CTRL-ALT-ESC OR DEL KEY

3-2 Chapter 3

Three to five seconds after the message is displayed, if you press the Del
key, or if you press simultaneously the Ctrl Alt Esc keys, you will access the
BIOS Setup menu. At that moment, the BIOS will display the following
message:

ROM PCI/ISA BIOS(XXXXXXXX)

CMOS SETUP UTILITY

AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.

¡I¡I CPU SOFT MENU ¡I¡I
STANDARD CMOS SETUP LOAD BIOS DEFAULTS
BIOS FEATURES SETUP PASSWORD SETTING
CHIPSET FEATURES SETUP IDE HDD AUTO DETECTION
POWER MANAGEMENT SETUP SAVE & EXIT SETUP
PCI & ONBOARD I/O SETUP EXIT WITHOUT SAVING
ESC : Quit
F10: Save & Exit Setup (Shift)F2: Change color
Description of each function

Fig 3 BIOS Setup main menu

LOAD SETUP DEFAULTS

¡ô¡õ¡÷¡ö : Select Item

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 indoing 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

¡i

CPU SOFT MENU™

¡j

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.

ROM PCI/ISA BIOS (XXXXXXXX)

!! CPU SOFT MENU!!

AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.

CPU Name Is : Intel Pentium MMX

CPU Type (Speed) : 133 (66x2)

-Turbo Frequency : Disable

-External Clock : 66MHz

-Multiplier Factor : 2

CPU Power Plane : Dual Voltage

-Core Plane Voltage : 2.80v

-I/O Plane Voltage : 3.30v

Esc : Quit
F1 : Help PU/PD/+/- : Modify
F5 : Old Values (Shift)F2 : Color
F6 : Load BIOS Defaults
F7 : Load Setup Defaults

Fig 3-1 CPU SOFT MENU™

¡ô¡õ¡÷¡ö : Select Item

CPU Name Is:

ä Intel Pentium ä Intel Pentium MMX
ä AMD K5 ä AMD K6
ä Cyrix 6x86 ä Cyrix 6x86L
ä Cyrix M2

But when you boot the computer, the mainboard will automatically detect
the CPU brand and type.

3-4 Chapter 3

CPU Operating Speed:

This option sets the CPU speed. Different CPU brands use different

techniques to indicate the CPU speed. For example, AMD and Cyrix use P-

Rating.

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 CPUs, you can choose the following settings:

ä 75 (50x1.5) ä 90 (60x1.5)
ä 100 (66x1.5) ä 120 (60x2)
ä 133 (66x2) ä 150 (60x2.5)
ä 166 (66x2.5) ä 200 (66x3)

¡i Note 2 ¡j For AMD-K5 CPUs from AMD, you can choose the following

P-Ratings:

ä PR75 (50x1.5) ä PR90 (60x1.5)
ä PR100 (66x1.5) ä PR120 (60x1.5)
ä PR133 (66x1.5) ä PR166 (66x1.75)
ä PR200 (66x2)

¡iNote 3¡jFor Cyrix 6x86 and 6x86L CPUs, you can choose the following

P-Ratings:

ä P120+ (50x2) äP133+ (55x2)
ä P150+ (60x2) äP166+ (66x2)
ä P200+ (75x2)

¡i Note 4 ¡j User define external clock and multiplier factor:

ä User Define

/

External Clock:

ä 50MHz ä 55MHz
ä 60MHz ä 66MHz
ä 75MHz

/

Multiplier Factor:

You can choose the following multiplier factors:

ä 1.5 ä 1.75
ä 2.0 ä 2.5
ä 3.0 ä 3.5

However, differences will exist because of the various
brands and types available.

Introduction of BIOS 3-5

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.

ä Disable: CPU external clock is operating within the

normal limits.

ä Enable: CPU external clock is operating within the limts

of the Turbo mode.

Solution in case of booting problem due to invalid clock setup:

Normally, if the CPU external clock setup is wrong, you will not be able to
boot. In this case, turn the system off than on again. The CPU will automatically
use its standard parameters to boot. You can then enter BIOS Setup again and
set up the external clock.

When you change your CPU:

The AR5 mainboard have been designed in such a way that you can turn the
system on after having inserted the CPU in the socket without having to
configure any jumpers or DIP switches. But if you change your CPU, normally,
you just have to turn off the power supply, change the CPU and then, set up the
CPU parameters through CPU SOFT MENU™ . However, if the CPU brand
and type is the same, and if the new CPU is slower than the old one, we offer you
three methods to successfully complete the CPU change operation.

Method 1: Setup up the CPU for the lowest speed for its brand. Turn the

power supply off and change the CPU. Then turn the system on
again, and set up the CPU parameters through CPU SOFT
MENU.

3-6 Chapter 3

Method 2: Try turning the system on a few times (3~4 times) and the

system will automatically use its standard parameters to boot.
You can then enter BIOS SETUP again and set up the new
parameters.

Method 3: Since you have to open the computer case when you change the

CPU, it could be a good idea to use the JP6 jumper to erase the
parameters of the original CPU and to enter BIOS Setup to set
up CPU parameters again.

Note : The increase by 2.5% of the CPU speed is not a standard feature

of this product. It is only for use by our development department
to verify that the CPU is able to work normally when CPU speed,
operating temperature and power supply are 2.5% higher or
lower than the standard values. This is to guarantee product
stability. We require the manufacturer of the Clock Generator to
meet the demands of our development department and to add a
TURBO Frequency feature used for testing purposes by our
R&D department. Of course, you can use this feature to test the
stability of your own system, but after you have tested the
product, we recommend that you set it back to its normal value
in order to guarantee system stability.

CPU Power Plane:

In the previous chapter we explained that the 586 CPUs can be divided into
two types: single voltage and dual voltage. This option will normally auto-detect
the type of your CPU, so you don’t need to make any changes.

ä Single Voltage: Single voltage CPU

ä Dual Voltage: Dual voltage CPU

ä Set up the voltage via CPU Marking

¤ When the CPU is single voltage, the following options will be displayed

to set up the voltage:

/

Plane voltage:

ä 3.60v ¡G Reserved
ä 3.52v ¡GFor Intel VRE standard CPUs and AMK-K5 or Cyrix 8x86

CPUs

ä 3.38v ¡G For Intel STD and VR standards CPUs

Introduction of BIOS 3-7

¤ When the CPU is dual voltage, two options will be displayed to set up

Vcore and Vio plane voltage

/

Core Plane Voltage:

ä 2.93v ¡G For AMD K6 and Cyrix 6x86L CPU.
ä 2.80v ¡G For Intel Pentium MMX CPUs.
ä 2.70v ¡G For future CPUs.
ä 2.50v ¡G For future CPUs.

/

I/O Plane Voltage:

ä 3.52v ¡G Reserved
ä 3.38v ¡G Some CPUs from AMD need this I/O Plane Voltage.
ä 3.30v ¡G For most of the dual voltage CPUs (default) currently

available.

The CPU voltage must be set according to voltage indications via CPU
Marking given by the manufacturer. Since the CPU voltage will decrease as
technology improves, we have reserved some options according to what we can
forecast from present documentation. We cannot give you detailed information
about the voltage required by each kind of CPU in this chapter. For the correct
values, refer to appendices B, C and D.

¤ Set up the voltage via CPU Marking:

If you consider using the Appendices to set up as too complicated, you
can use the CPU Marking: within the options under “CPU Marking Is,”
set up via CPU Marking on the CPU.

Notes:

1. If your CPU is a dual voltage one and that the voltage set up is 3.25V,
our mainboard features a hardware protection circuit that will lower
the voltage between 2.8V and 2.9V, which is within the CPU operating
voltage limits.

2. The voltage value given is the central value. For example, the voltage
range of 3.52V is 3.45V to 3.6V. The central voltage value between

3.45V and 3.6V is 3.52V.

3-8 Chapter 3

Attention: After setting up the parameters and you leave the BIOS SETUP, and

you have verified that the system can be turned on, do not press the
Reset button or turn off the power supply. Otherwise the BIOS will
not read correctly, the parameters will fail and you must enter CPU
SOFT MENU™ again to set up the parameters all over again.

Introduction of BIOS 3-9

-

Standard CMOS Setup Menu

It is the basic configuration parameters of the BIOS. These parameters

include the settings of date, hour, VGA card, FDD and HDD.

Date(mm:dd:yy) : Wed,Jul 10 1996
Time(hh:mm:ss) : 14:53:31

HARDS DISKS Type SIZE CYLS HEAD PRECOMP LANDZ SECTOR MODE
Primary Master : None 0 0 0 0 0 0 -----­Primary Slave : None 0 0 0 0 0 0 -----­SecondaryMaster : None 0 0 0 0 0 0 ------

SecondarySlave : None 0 0 0 0 0 0 ------

Drive A: 1.44M,3.5IN.
Drive B: None
Floppy 3Mode Support: Disable

Video: EGA/VGA
Halt On: All Errors -----------------------------------------

Esc: Quit
F1: Help

¡ô¡õ¡÷¡ö : Select Item
(Shift)F2: Change color

Fig 3-2 Standard CMOS Setup Menu

Base Memory : 640K
Extended Memory : 3328K
Expanded Memory : 0K

Other Memory : 128K

Total Memory: 4096K

PU/PD/+/- : Modify
F3 : Toggle Calender

l Set up of HDD operating mode

¡i NORMAL, LBA, LARGE ¡j

Since old operating systems were only able to support HDD whose capacity
was not bigger than 528MB, any hard disk with more than 528MB was
unusable. AWARD BIOS features a solution to this problem: you can,
according to your operating system, choose three operating modes:
NORMAL, LBA or LARGE.

ä Normal mode:

Standard normal mode supports hard disks of 528MB or less.
This mode directly uses positions indicated by Cylinders
(CYLS), Heads, and Sectors to access data.

3-10 Chapter 3

ä LBA (Logical Block Addressing) mode:

LBA mode supports hard disk drives up to 8.4Giga. This mode
uses a different method to calculate the position of disk data to
be accessed. It translates Cylinders (CYLS), Heads and Sectors
into a logical address where data are located. The Cylinders,
Heads, and Sectors displayed in this menu do not reflect the
actual structure of the hard disk, they are just reference values
used to calculate actual positions. Currently, all high capacity
hard disks support this mode, that’s why we recommend you use
this mode. The HDD AUTODETECTION option in the Main
Menu will automatically detect the parameters of your hard disk
and the mode supported.

ä LARGE Mode:

When the number of cylinders (CYLs) of the hard disk exceeds
1024 and DOS is not able to support it, or if your operating
system does not support LBA mode, you should select this
mode.

l FDD supporting 3 Mode:

3 Mode floppy disk drives (FDD) are 3 1/2” drives used in Japanese
computer systems. If you need to access data stored in this kind of floppy,
you must select this mode, and of course you must have a 3 Mode floppy
drive.

2 For further information about HDD installation, refer to Appendix E.

Introduction of BIOS 3-11

®

BIOS Features Setup Menu

BIOS Features Setup Menu has already been set for maximum operation. If
you do not really understand each of the options in this menu, we recommend
you use default values.

In each item, you can press <F1> at any time to display all the options for
this item.

ROM PCI/ISA BIOS (XXXXXXXX)

BIOS FEATURES SETUP

AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.

Virus Warning : Disabled Video BIOS Shadow : Enabled

CPU Internal Cache : Enabled C8000-CBFFF Shadow : Disabled
External Cache : Enabled CC000-CFFFF Shadow : Disabled
Quick Power on Self Test : Enabled D0000-D3FFF Shadow : Disabled
Boot Sequence : A,C, SCSI D4000-D7FFF Shadow : Disabled
Swap Floppy Drive : Disabled D8000-DBFFF Shadow : Disabled
Boot Up Floppy Seek : Disabled DC000-DFFFF Shadow : Disabled
Boot Up NumLock Status : On
IDE HDD Block Mode : Enabled
Typematic Rate Setting : Enabled
Typematic Rate(Chars/Sec) : 30
Typematic Delay (Msec) : 250
Security Option : Setup
PCI/VGA Pallete Snoop : Disabled
OS Select For DRAM > 64MB : Non-OS2 Esc : Quit

F1 : Help PU/PD/+/- : Modify
F5 : Old Values (Shift)F2 : Color
F6 : Load BIOS Defaults
F7 : Load Setup Defaults

Fig 3-3 BIOS Features Setup

¡ô¡õ¡÷¡ö : Select Item

Virus Warning:

This item can be set as Enable or Disable.

When this feature is enabled, if there is any attempt from a software or an

application to access the boot sector or the partition table, the BIOS will

warn you that a boot virus is attempting to access to the hard disk.

3-12 Chapter 3

CPU Internal Cache:

This item is used to Enable or to Disable the CPU internal cache. When the

cache is set at Disable, it is much slower, so the default setting for this item

is Enable. Some old and very bad programs will make the computer

malfunction or crash if the system speed is to high. In that case, you should

Disable this feature.

CPU External Cache:

This item is used to enable or to disable the CPU external cache. When the

external cache is enabled, the system works faster. The default is Enable.

Quick power on self test:

After the computer has been powered on, the BIOS of the mainboard will

run a series of tests in order to check the system and its peripherals. If the

Quick power on self test feature is Enable, the BIOS will simplify the test

procedures in order to speed up the boot process. The default is Enable.

Boot Sequence:

When the computer boots up, it can load the operating system from floppy

drive A:, hard disk drive C:, SCSI disk drive or CD-ROM. There are many

options for the boot sequence:

ΠA, C, SCSI

• C, A, SCSI
Ž C, CD-ROM, A

• CD-ROM, C, A

• D, A, SCSI (at least 2 IDE HDD can be used)
‘ E, A, SCSI (at least 3 IDE HDD can be used)
’ F, A, SCSI (at least 4 IDE HDD can be used)
“ SCSI, A, C
” SCSI, C, A

Swap Floppy Drive:

This item can be set as Enable or Disable.

When this feature is enabled, you don’t need to open the computer case to

swap the position of floppy disk drive connectors. Drive A: can be set as

drive B:, and drive B: can be set as drive A:.

Introduction of BIOS 3-13

Boot Up Floppy Seek:

When computer boots up, the BIOS detects if the system has FDD or not.

When this item is enabled, if the BIOS detects no floppy drive, it will display

a floppy disk drive error message. If this item is disabled, the BIOS will skip

this test.

Boot Up NumLock Status:

ä On: At boot up, the Numeric Keypad is in numeric mode.

ä Off: At boot up, the Numeric Keypad is in cursor control mode.

IDE HDD Block Mode:

This item can be set as Enable or Disable.

Most of new hard disk drives (IDE drives) support multi-sector transfers.

This feature speeds up hard disk drive access performance and reduces the

time necessary to access data. When this item is enabled, the BIOS will

automatically detect if your hard disk drive supports this feature or not, and

will choose the right settings for you.

2 For further details about hard disk drive installation, refer to appendix E.

Typematic Rate Setting:

This item allows you to adjust the keystroke repeat rate. When enabled, you

can set the two keyboard typematic control that follow (Typematic Rate and

Typematic Rate Delay). If this item is disabled, the BIOS will use the default

setting.

Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec):

When you press a key continuously, the keyboard will repeat the keystroke

according to the rate you have set. (Unit: characters/second ¡^

Typematic Rate Delay (Msec):

When you press a key continuously, if you exceed the delay you have set

here, the keyboard will automatically repeat the keystroke according a

certain rate. (Unit: milliseconds)

3-14 Chapter 3

Security Option:

This option can be set to System or to Setup.

After you have created a password through PASSWORD SETTING, this

option will deny access to your system (System) or modification of

computer setup (BIOS Setup) by unauthorized users.

ä SYSTEM: When you choose System, a password is required each time

the computer boots up. If the correct password is not given, the system
will not start.

ä SETUP: When you choose Setup, a password is required only when

accessing the BIOS Setup. If you have not set a password in the
PASSWORD SETTING option, this option is not available.

Notice: Don’t forget your password. If you forget the password, you will

have to open the computer case and clear all information in the
CMOS before you can start up the system. But doing this, you
have to reset all the options you had set up before.

PCI /VGA Palette Snoop:

This option allows the BIOS to preview VGA Status, and to modify the

information delivered from the Feature Connector of the VGA card to the

MPEG Card. This option can solve the display inversion to black after you

have used the MPEG card.

OS Select For DRAM > 64MB:

When the system memory is bigger than 64MB, the communication method

between the BIOS and the operating system will differ from one operating

system to another. If you use OS/2, select OS2; if you choose another

operating system, select Non-OS2.

Video BIOS Shadow:

This option is used to define whether the BIOS on the video card uses

shadow feature or not. You should set this option to Enable, otherwise the

display performance of the system will greatly decrease.

Introduction of BIOS 3-15

Shadowing address ranges (C8000-CBFFF Shadow):

This option allows you to decide if the memory block (BIOS) of an

interface card at the address C8000-CBFFF uses the shadow feature or not.

If you have no interface card using this memory block, don’t enable this

option.

Shadowing address ranges (CC000-CFFFF Shadow):

This option allows you to decide if the memory block (BIOS) of an

interface card at the address CC000-CFFFF uses the shadow feature or not.

If you have no interface card using this memory block, don’t enable this

option.

Shadowing address ranges (D0000-D3FFF Shadow):

This option allows you to decide if the memory block (BIOS) of an

interface card at the address D0000-D3FFF uses the shadow feature or not.

If you have no interface card using this memory block, don’t enable this

option.

Shadowing address ranges (D4000-D7FFF Shadow):

This option allows you to decide if the memory block (BIOS) of an

interface card at the address D4000-D7FFF uses the shadow feature or not.

If you have no interface card using this memory block, don’t enable this

option.

Shadowing address ranges (D8000-DBFFF Shadow):

This option allows you to decide if the memory block (BIOS) of an

interface card at the address D8000-DBFFF uses the shadow feature or not.

If you have no interface card using this memory block, don’t enable this

option.

Shadowing address ranges (DC000-DFFFF Shadow):

This option allows you to decide if the memory block (BIOS) of an

interface card at the address DC000-DFFFF uses the shadow feature or not.

If you have no interface card using this memory block, don’t enable this

option.

3-16 Chapter 3

Computer
knowledge

SHADOW

What is the SHADOW? The BIOS of standard video or
interface cards is stored in ROM, and it is often very slow.
With the Shadow feature, the CPU reads the BIOS on the
VGA card and copies it into RAM. When the CPU runs this
BIOS, the operation is speeded up.

Introduction of BIOS 3-17

¯

Chipset Features Setup Menu

The Chipset Features Setup Menu is used to modify the contents of the
buffers in the chipset on the mainboard. Since the parameters of the buffers are
closely related to hardware, if the setup is not correct or false, the mainboard will
become unstable or you will not be able to boot up. If you don’t know the
hardware very well, use default values (use the LOAD SETUP DEFAULTS
option).

ROM PCI/ISA BIOS (XXXXXXXX)

CHIPSET FEATURES SETUP

AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.

Auto Configuration : Enabled Delayed Transaction : Enabled
DRAM Timing : 60ns
DRAM RAS# Precharge Time : 4
DRAM R/W Leadoff Timing : 6
Fast RAS# to CAS# Delay : 3
DRAM Read Timing (EDO/FP) : x222/x333
DRAM Write Timing : x222
Fast MA to RAS# Delay CLK : 1
Fast EDO Path Select : Disabled
Refresh RAS# Assertion : 5 Clks
ISA Bus Clock : PCICLK/3

SDRAM (CAS Lat/RAS-to-CAS) : 3/3
System BIOS Cacheable : Disabled
Video BIOS Cacheable : Enabled
8 Bit I/O Recovery Time : 1 Esc : Quit
16 Bit I/O Recovery Time : 1 F1 : Help PU/PD/+/- : Modify
Memory Hole At 15M-16M : Disable F5 : Old Values (Shift)F2 : Color
Peer Concurrency : Enabled F6 : Load BIOS Defaults
Passive Release : Enabled F7 : Load Setup Defaults

¡ô¡õ¡÷¡ö: Select Item

Fig 3-4 Chipset Features Setup

You can use the arrow keys to move between the items. Use "PgUP",
"PgDn", "+" and "-" to change the values. When you have finished setting up the
chipset, press "ESC" to go back to the main menu.

Auto Configuration:

This option allows (Enable) or prevents (Disable) the BIOS from using

default values for Auto Configuration. The BIOS default is Enable.

ä When you select Enable, the BIOS will automatically use the values

related to DRAM. You will not be able to set up the following options.

ä When you select Disable, you can manually set up DRAM options.

3-18 Chapter 3

Attention:Unless you are very familiar with your computer and with the

DRAM configuration and speed, we recommend you not change
the DRAM options but enable this option.

DRAM settings:

The other DRAM settings are all closely related to hardware. If you do not

understand this very well, don’t make any changes. Our BIOS is able to

autodetect the characteristics of your DRAM and to choose the best

settings.

Memory Hole At 15M-16M:

This option is used to free up the 15M-16M memory block. Some special

peripherals need to use a memory bloc located between 15M and 16M, and

this memory block has a size of 1M. We recommend that you disable this

option.

There are small differences in the chipset feature setup according to
different mainboard models, but this has no influence upon performance. Our
default setup should be the best one. That is the reason why we do not describe
all the features of this menu.

Introduction of BIOS 3-19

°

Power Management Setup Menu

The difference between Green PCs and traditional computers is that Green PCs
have a power management feature. With this feature, when the computer is powered on
but inactive, the power consumption is reduced in order to save energy. When the
computer operates normally, it is in Normal mode. In this mode, the Power Management
Program will control the access to video, parallel ports, serial ports and drives, and the
operating status of the keyboard, mouse and other device. These are referred to as Power
Management Events. In cases where none of these events occur, the system enters the
power saving mode. When one of the controlled events occurs, the system immediately
returns to normal mode and operates at its maximum speed. Power saving modes can be
divided into three modes according to their power consumption: Doze Mode, Standby
Mode , and Suspend Mode. The four modes proceed in the following sequence:

Normal Mode===> Doze Mode===> Standby Mode===> Suspend Mode

The system consumption is reduced according the following sequence:
Normal > Doze > Standby > Suspend

1. In the Main Menu, select "Power Management Setup" and press "Enter". The

following screen is displayed:

ROM PCI/ISA BIOS (XXXXXXXX)

POWER MANAGEMENT SETUP

AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.

Power Management : Use Define ** Power Down & Resume Event

**
PM Control by APM : Yes IRQ 3 (COM2) : ON
Video Off Method : V/H SYNC+Blank IRQ 4 (COM1) : ON
Video Off Option : Susp, stby --> off IRQ 5 (LPT2) : ON
Modem Use IRQ : NA IRQ 6 (Floppy Disk) : ON

IRQ 7 (LPT1) : ON
Doze Mode : Disable IRQ 8 (RTC Alarm) : OFF
Standby Mode : Disable IRQ 9 (IRQ2 Redir) : OFF
Suspend Mode : Disable IRQ 10 (Reserved) : OFF
HDD Power Down : Disable IRQ 11 (Reserved) : OFF

IRQ 12 (PS/2 Mouse) : ON
** Wake Up Events In Doze & St andby ** IRQ 13 (Coprocessor) : ON
IRQ 3 (Wake-Up Event) : ON IRQ 14 (IDE-1) : ON
IRQ 4 (Wake-Up Event) : ON IRQ 15 (IDE-2) : ON
IRQ 8 (Wake-Up Event) : OFF

IRQ 12 (Wake-Up Event) : ON Esc : Quit

F1 : Help PU/PD/+/- : Modify

F5 : Old Values (Shift)F2 : Color

F6 : Load BIOS Defaults

F7 : Load Setup Defaults

¡ô¡õ¡÷¡ö: Select Item

Fig 3-5 Power Management Setup Menu

3-20 Chapter 3

2. Use arrow keys to go to the item you want to configure. To change the
settings, use "PgUP", "PgDn", "+" and "-".

3. After you have configured the Power Management feature, press “Esc” to go
back to the Main Menu.

We are now going to briefly explain the options in this menu:

Power Management:

Four options:
ä User Define

User Define defines the delay for accessing the power modes.

ä Disable

Disable Power Management features.

ä Min Saving

When the three saving modes are enabled, the system is set up for
minimum power savings.
Doze = 1 hour
Standby = 1 hour
Suspend = 1 hour

ä Max Saving

When the three saving modes are enabled, the system is set up for
maximum power savings.
Doze = 1 minute
Standby = 1 minute
Suspend = 1 minute

PM Control by APM:

Power Management is completely controlled by the APM.
APM stands for Advanced Power Mangement, it is a power management
standard set by Microsoft, Intel and other major manufacturers.

Video Off Method:

Three video off methods are available: "Blank", "V/H SYNC+Blank" and
"DPMS". The default is "V/H SYNC+Blank".
If this setting does not shut off the screen, select “Blank”. If your monitor
and video card support DMPS standard, select “DPMS”.

Introduction of BIOS 3-21

Video Off Option:

Select the saving mode in which the video is switched off.
ä Always On

The video will never be switched off in no saving mode.

ä All Modes Off

The video will be switched off in all saving modes.

ä Suspend or Suspend (Susp,Stby --> Off)

The video will only be switched off in Standby or Suspend mode.

ä Suspend (Suspend --> Off)

The video will only be switched off in Suspend mode.

Modem Use IRQ:

If you use a modem, enter which IRQ it is using so that the APM can control
it.

HDD Power Down:

If the system has not accessed data on the hard disk drive during the
specified time period, the engine of the HDD will stop in order to save
electricity.
You can set 1 to 15 minutes or select Disable according to your use of the
HDD.

Doze Mode:

When the setting selected for "Power Management" is "User Define", you
can define for this mode any delay from 1 minute to 1 hour. If no power
management event occurs during this time period, meaning that computer is
inactive during this period, the system will enter the Doze power saving
mode.
If this mode is disabled, the system will enter the next mode in the sequence
(Standby or Suspend mode).

3-22 Chapter 3

Standby Mode:

When the setting selected for "Power Management" is "User Define", you
can define for this mode any delay from 1 minute to 1 hour. If no power
management event occurs during this time period, meaning the computer is
inactive during this period, the system will enter the Standby power saving
mode.
If this mode is disabled, the system will enter the next mode in the sequence
(Suspend mode).

Suspend Mode:

When the setting selected for "Power Management" is "User Define", you
can define for this mode any delay from 1 minute to 1 hour. If no power
management event occurs during this time period, meaning the computer is
inactive during this period, the system will enter the Suspend power saving
mode. The CPU stops working completely.
If this mode is disabled, the system will not enter the Suspend mode.

Wake-Up Events:

When system is in Doze or Standby power saving mode, it will check for the
wake-up events (IRQ4, 3, 8, 12) defined. When it detects an activity of one
of the IRQs defined, it exits the power saving mode and returns to full
operation mode (Normal).
Wake-up events are all operations or signals that cause the system to
recover normal operation.

Power Down & Resume Events:

When one of the power down and resume events (IRQ3-15) speficied
occurs, the count down made for entry in power saving mode goes back to
zero.

Since the computer will enter a power saving mode only after an inactivity
delay specified (time speficied for Doze, Standby and Suspend modes) and
after it has no activity, during this time period, any event will cause the
computer to re-count the time elapsed. Resume events are operations or
signals that cause the computer to resume time counting.

Introduction of BIOS 3-23

±

PCI & Onboard I/O Setup

In this menu, you can change the INT# and IRQ of the PCI bus and the

onboard I/O device, I/O port address and other hardware settings.

ROM PCI/ISA BIOS (XXXXXXXX)

PCI & ONBOARD I/O SETUP

AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.

Reset Pnp Config Data : Disabled Onboard PS/2 Mouse : Enabled
PCI PnP BIOS Auto-Config : Disabled Onboard FDD Controller : Enabled
PCI IRQ Actived By : Level Onboard Serial Port 1 : 3F8/IRQ4
1st Available IRQ : 10 Onboard Serial Port 2 : 2F8/IRQ3
2nd Available IRQ : 11 -Onboard IR Function : IrDA
3rd Available IRQ : 9 -IR Duplex Mode : Half
4th Available IRQ : 5 Onboard Parallel Port : 378/IRQ7

-Parallel Port Mode : ECP+EPP1.9
PCI IDE Card 2nd Channel : Enabled -ECP Mode Use DMA : 3
PCI IDE Card IRQ Map to : PCI-AUTO
Primary IDE INT# : A
Secondary IDE INT# : B

Onboard USB Controller : Disabled
Onboard IDE-1 Controller : Enabled

-Master Drive PIO Mode : Auto Esc : Quit

-Slave Drive PIO Mode : Auto F1 : Help PU/PD/+/- : Modify
Onboard IDE-2 Controller : Enabled F5 : Old Values (Shift)F2 : Color

-Master Drive PIO Mode : Auto F6 : Load BIOS Defaults

-Slave Drive PIO Mode : Auto F7 : Load Setup Defaults

Fig 3-6 PCI & Onboard I/O Setup

¡ô¡õ¡÷¡ö : Select Item

Reset PnP Config Data:

If you want to clear ESCD data next time you boot up, and ask the BIOS to
reset the settings for the Plug & Play ISA Card and the PCI Card, select
Enabled. But the next time you boot up, this option will automatically be set
as Disabled.

Computer
Knowledge

ESCD (Extended System Configuration Data)

The ESCD contains the IRQ, DMA, I/O Port, Memory data of
all PnP cards, PCI cards and Onboard I/O. This is a specification
and a feature specific to Plug & Play BIOS.

3-24 Chapter 3

PCI PnP BIOS Auto-Config:

This option enables or disables the BIOS capability to automatically assign
IRQs. The BIOS default is Disable.
When you select Enable, the BIOS will automatically assign the correct IRQ
to the interrupt number (INT#) of the PCI slots. When this option is disabled,
you have to assign IRQs used by the interrupt number (INT#) of the PCI
slots.

Xth Available IRQ:

You can select four IRQs out of the 10 listed (IRQ3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14,

15) to be assigned for use by the interrupt number (INT#) of the PCI slot.

1st Available IRQ:

This means that the first interrupt number (INT#) found on the PCI bus will
use this IRQ. That is, this IRQ will be assigned to the first interrupt number
(INT#) found on the PCI bus.

2nd Available IRQ:

This means that the second interrupt number (INT#) found on the PCI bus
will use this IRQ. That is, this IRQ will be assigned to the second interrupt
number (INT#) found on the PCI bus.

The third and the fourth available IRQ will be assigned in sequence to
the third and the fourth interrupt numbers (INT#) found on the PCI bus.

PCI IDE Card 2nd Channel:

This option can be enabled or disabled. BIOS default is Enable.
Since this channel uses IRQ15, if you want to use this channel, you have to
enable this option to make the BIOS assign IRQ15 to this channel.

PCI IDE Card IRQ Map to:

Three options are available for this item: PCI Auto, PCI-slotX and ISA.
ä PCI-Auto: The onboard BIOS auto-detects which PCI slot has an IDE

card inserted in.

Introduction of BIOS 3-25

ä PCI-slotX: Some old PCI IDE cards cannot be detected by the BIOS. If

the onboard BIOS cannot detect a PCE IDE card, you have to specify
on which PCI slot the IDE card is inserted, to make the BIOS assign
IRQ14 for use by the interrupt number (INT#) of this PCI slot.

ä ISA: If you select ISA, it means that your PCI IDE card features a

“paddleboard” and a cable that can be connected to IRQ on the ISA slot,
because the BIOS will not assign any IRQ to this PCI slot.

Attention:Primary Channel and Secondary Channel : The BIOS needs two

independent interrupt number (INT#) lines to be allocated to the
PCI IDE card. Be careful not to choose twice the same interrupt
number (INT#).

Note: Since the interrupt number of the PCI slot is connected according

the design described below, there are some limitations, be careful.
+ The INT#A signal of the first PCI slot, the INT#B signal of the

second PCI slot, the INT#C signal of the third PCI slot and the
INT#D signal of the fourth PCI slot, are the same, so be careful
not to use them simultaneously.

+ The INT#B signal of the first PCI slot, the INT#C signal of the

second PCI slot, the INT#D signal of the third PCI slot and the
INT#A signal of the fourth PCI slot, are the same, so be careful
not to use them simultaneously.

+ The INT#C signal of the first PCI slot, the INT#D signal of the

second PCI slot, the INT#A signal of the third PCI slot and the
INT#B signal of the fourth PCI slot, are the same, so be careful
not to use them simultaneously.

+ The INT#D signal of the first PCI slot, the INT#A signal of the

second PCI slot, the INT#B signal of the third PCI slot and the
INT#C signal of the fourth PCI slot, are the same, so be careful
not to use them simultaneously.

On Board USB Controller:

This is to Enable or Disable the onboard Universal Serial Bus (USB)
controller.

Onboard PS/2 Mouse:

This is to Enable or Disable the PS/2 Mouse. When in Enable, IRQ 12 is
used.

3-26 Chapter 3

On Board FDD Controller:

This is to Enable or Disable the Onboard FDD Controller.

On board Serial Port 1:

This is used to specify the I/O address and IRQ of Serial Port 1. Five
options are available: Disable, 3F8h/IRQ4, 2F8h/IRQ3, 3E8h/IRQ4 or
2E8h/IRQ3.

On board Serial Port 2:

This is used to specify the I/O address and IRQ of Serial Port 2. Five
options are available: Disable, 3F8h/IRQ4, 2F8h/IRQ3, 3E8h/IRQ4 or
2E8h/IRQ3.

Attention:Do not select the same I/O address and IRQ for the two serial

ports, otherwise the serial ports will not be able to operate
normally.

/ Onboard IR Function:

Onboard serial port 2 can support IR (Infrared) function. Three
options are available:

ä Disable: No support for IR function.
ä IrDA (HPSIR) mode.
ä ASK IR (Amplitude Shift Keyed IR) mode.

/

IR Duplex Mode:

Set the IR mode as Half or Full. Default is Half.

/

IR Tr/Re Polarity:

Set IR transmission/reception polarity as High or Low.

On board parallel Port:

Set the I/O address and IRQ of the onboard parallel port. Four options are
available: Disable, 3BCh/IRQ7, 278h/IRQ5 and 378h/IRQ7. Default is
378h/IRQ7.

/

Parallel Port Mode:

Can be set as EPP v.1.7, EPP v. 1.9, ECP, ECP+EPP 1.7, ECP+EPP

1.9 or Normal (SPP) mode. Default is Normal (SPP) mode.

Introduction of BIOS 3-27

/ ECP Mode Use DMA:

When the mode selected for the onboard parallel port is ECP, the
DMA channel selected can be Channel 1 or Channel 3.

OnBoard IDE-1 Controller:

Onboard PCI IDE 1 controller can be set as Enable or Disable.

/

Master drive PIO Mode:

ä Auto: the BIOS can auto-detect the PIO mode of the HDD in

order to set its data transfer rate. (Default)

ä Mode 0~Mode 4: User can specify the PIO mode of the HDD in

order to set its data transfer rate.

/

Slave drive PIO Mode:

ä Auto: the BIOS can auto-detect the PIO mode of the HDD in

order to set its data transfer rate. (Default)

ä Mode 0~Mode 4: User can specify the PIO mode of the HDD in

order to set its data transfer rate.

OnBoard IDE-2 Controller:

The onboard IDE-2 controller can be set at Enable of Disable.

/

Master drive PIO Mode:

ä Auto: the BIOS can auto-detect the PIO mode of the HDD

installed in order to set its data transfer rate. (Default)

ä Mode 0~Mode 4: User can specify the PIO mode of the HDD in

order to set its data transfer rate.

/

Slave drive PIO Mode:

ä Auto: the BIOS can auto-detect the PIO mode of the HDD

installed in order to set its data transfer rate. (Default)

ä Mode 0~Mode 4: User can specify the PIO mode of the HDD in

order to set its data transfer rate.

Computer
knowledge

MODE 0~4 reflects the HDD data transfer rate. The higher the
MODE value is, the better is the HDD data transfer rate. But it
does not mean that you can select the highest MODE value just
as you like, you first have to be sure that your HDD supports
this MODE, otherwise the hard disk will not be able to operate
normally.

2 For further information about HDD installation, refer to Appendix E.

3-28 Chapter 3

²

Load BIOS Defaults

BIOS defaults are the reference settings that allow your system to work at a
comparatively low performance. When you choose the option, the following
message is displayed:

“Load BIOS Defaults (Y/N)? N”

If you want to use BIOS default values, press “Y”, than <Enter>.

³

Load Setup Defaults

Setup defaults are the settings that allow your system to operate at its
highest performance. When you choose this option, the following message is
displayed:

“Load Setup Defaults (Y/N)? N”

If you want to use BIOS Setup default values, press “Y”, than <Enter> to
complete the loading of the settings for best performance.

You should first load the best settings, than enter the CPU Soft Menu to set
up CPU parameters, otherwise the BIOS will replace set parameters by default
parameters.

Introduction of BIOS 3-29

´

Password Setting

This option allows you to set a password required to start the system
(System) or to access to the BIOS (Setup).

After you have set a password through the PASSWORD SETTING option,
you can enter the Security Option in the “BIOS Features Setup Menu” to select
the security level in order to prevent any unauthorized access.

Password setting procedure:

When you choose the Password setting option, the following message

is displayed:

“Enter Password:“

Type your password. When complete, press <Enter>. The following

message is displayed:

“Confirm Password:“

Type your password again. When complete, press <Enter>. The password

setting is completed.

Password clearing procedure:

When you select the Password setting option, the following message is

displayed:

“Enter Password:“

Press <Enter>, the message “Password Disable” is displayed. Press a key.

The password clearing procedure is completed.

Notice: Do not forget your password. If you forget it, you will have to

open the computer case, clear the contents of the CMOS, and
boot the system up again. But doing this, you must reset all your
settings.

3-30 Chapter 3

µ

IDE HDD Auto Detection

After you have installed the hard disk, in old systems, you had to know the
hard disk specifications, such as the number of cylinders, heads and sectors, and
to enter the relevant information into the hard disk information section. If the
CMOS data were erased, and you had forgotten the hard disk specifications, it
was a great problem. But now, you can use this option to autodetect the hard
disk type and specifications, and the BIOS will automatically detect all the
relevant information and place them in the Hard Disk data section of the
Standard CMOS Setup Menu, in order to allow you to use your hard disk.

Quick Installation

Appendix A Quick Installation

Appendix A will give you a simplified installation procedure, in order to

allow you to install tour mainboard quickly and correctly.

If you need further information or if you need to change some other settings,

read from Chapters 1.

A-1

Installing the CPU:

CPU on the socket, and lower the lever back in position. Don’t worry, if you
don’t respect the correct orientation, you will not be able to insert the CPU.

Adjusting CPU voltage and speed:

and speed, set up the CPU in the CPU SOFT MENU™ of the BIOS SETUP.
For information about your CPU, refer to appendices B, C or D, and to
information labeled on the CPU itself.

Installing DRAM:

Pentium are 64-bit CPUs, you have to use two 72-pin DRAM modules, or one
168-pin DRAM module. Refer to the scenarios listed below to install your
DRAM modules.

Scenario 1: Two identical 72-pin DRAM modules:

Insert your DRAM modules into SIMM1 and SIMM2
memory banks.

Scenario 2: Four identical 72-pin DRAM modules:

Insert your DRAM modules into SIMM1, SIMM2, SIMM3
and SIMM4 memory banks.

Lift up the lever of the CPU socket, insert your

According to your CPU voltage

SIMM1~SIMM4,DIMM1~DIMM2- Since

Scenario 3: Four DRAM modules, identical by pairs:

Insert two identical DRAM modules into SIMM1 and
SIMM2, and the other two identical DRAM modules into
SIMM3 and SIMM4.

Appendix AA-2

For other configurations, please refer to the section dealing with system
memory installation in Chapter 2.

Installing FDD:

with the drive to the FDD connector, and the other end of the cable to the FDC
pin connector on the mainboard.
Note: Be sure that the red line on the cable connects to the first pin of the
connectors.

Installing HDD:

with the drive to the HDD connector, and the other end to IDE1 pin connector
on the mainboard.
Note: Be sure that the red line on the cable connects to the first pin of the
connectors.

Installing CD-ROM Drive:

cable that comes with the drive to the CD-ROM connector, and the other end to
the IDE2 pin connector on the mainboard.
Note: Be sure that the red line on the cable connects to the first pin of the
connectors.

FDC- Connect one end of the 34-pin cable that comes

IDE1- Connect one end of the 40-pin cable that comes

IDE2- Connect one end of the 40-pin

Installing parallel port:

with the hardware to the LPT connector on the mainboard.

Installing serial port:

with the hardware to connector COM1 on the mainboard.
COM2- Connect the other 10-pin cable to connector COM2 on the mainboard.

Attach the bracket of Parallel Port, Serial Port and PS2 Mouse on the computer
case.

LPT- Connect the 26-pin cable that comes

COM1- Connect the 10-pin cable that comes

Quick Installation

A-3

Installing Keylock connector:

Watch the pin position and the
orientation

J6 - There is a specific orientation for pin 16 to pin 20. Insert the five-threads
keylock cable into correct pins of connector on the mainboard.

Pin number Name of the signal or signification

20 +5VDC
19 No connection
18 Ground
17 Keyboard inhibit Signal
16 Ground

Installing IDE LED connector:

Watch the pin position and the
orientation

J5 - There is a specific orientation for pin 1 and pin 4. Connect the two-threads
IDE LED connector to the connector on mainboard.

Pin number Name of the signal or signification

1 Activity LED Cathode
2 IDE LED signal ¡i LED Anode ¡j
3 IDE LED signal ¡i LED Anode ¡j
4 Activity LED Cathode

Installing Suspend switch connector:

Watch the pin position and
the orientation

J6 - There is a specific orientation for pins 6 and 7. Connect the two-threads
suspend switch connector of the computer case to correct pins of connector on
the mainboard. You can ignore this connector since most of computer cases do
not support this feature (the mainboard itself supports it).

Pin number Name of the signal or signification

7 Suspend
6 Ground

Appendix AA-4

H/W Reset connector:

J6 - There is no specific orientation for pins 1

and 2. Insert the two-threads hardware reset connector into the correct pins of
connector on the mainboard.

Pin number Name of the signal or signification

1 Ground
2 Hardware Reset Signal

Installing speaker connector:

J6 - There is no specific orientation

for pin 11 to pin 14. Connect the four-threads speaker cable to the correct pins
of connector on the mainboard.

Pin number Name of the signal or signification

11 +5VDC
12 Ground
13 Ground
14 Sound Signal

Installing Turbo LED connector:

J6 - There is not specific

orientation for pins 8 and 9. Connect the two-threads connector to the correct
pins of connector on the mainboard.

Pin number Name of the signal or signification

9 Anode terminal of Turbo LED
8 Cathode terminal of Turbo LED

Quick Installation

A-5

Installing Power input connector:

Watch the pin position and the
orientation

J4 - Connect connectors P8 and P9 or the power supply unit to the correct
connectors on the mainboard.

Pin number Name of the signal or

signification
1 POWERGOOD 7 Ground
2 +5VDC 8 Ground
3 +12VDC 9 -5VDC
4 -12VDC 10 +5VDC
5 Ground 11 +5VDC
6 Ground 12 +5VDC

Pin number Name of the signal or

signification

Watch the pin position and

Installing ATX Power input connector:

the orientation

J3 - Connect the power supply unit to the correct connectors on the mainboard.

Pin number

1 +3.3VDC 11 +3.3VDC
2 +3.3VDC 12 -12VDC
3 Ground 13 Ground
4 +5VDC 14 PS_ON
5 Ground 15 Ground
6 +5VDC 16 Ground
7 Ground 17 Ground
8 POWERGOOD 18 -5VDC
9 +5VDC 19 +5VDC

10 +12VDC 20 +5VDC

Name of the signal or

signification

Pin number

Name of the signal or

signification

Installing Keyboard connector:

J2 - There is an orientation pin.

Connect your keyboard connector to connector on the mainboard.

Appendix AA-6

Installing PS2 Mouse:

cable that comes with the hardware to the connector on the mainboard. Install
the bracket located on the other end of the computer case. When you buy a
Mouse, it has to be a PS/2 Mouse for it to be connected to this port.

Attach the bracket of Parallel Port, Serial Port and PS2 Mouse on the computer
case.

Installing CPU Fan Power connector:

orientation. Connect the three-threads CPU Fan power cable to the Fan
connector on the mainboard.

Pin number Name of the signal or signification

1 Ground
2 +12V
3 Ground

Adjusting other jumpers:

functions or are not to be adjusted in normal operation. Adjust them according to
the following recommendations.

J1 - Connect the six-threads PS/2 Mouse

JP1 - There is a specific

Some jumpers are reserved for future

JP6 ¡G Put jumper on pin 1 and pin 2.

BIOS Setup:

steps described above and completed the installation, when you power the
computer on, you will see the following message displayed:

TO ENTER SETUP BEFORE BOOT PRESS CTRL-ALT-ESC OR DEL
KEY

Press immediately Del key to enter BIOS Setup. Select Load Setup Defaults,
than enter CPU Soft Menu to set CPU parameters.

Parameters and CPU settings After you have followed the

Intel Pentium CPUs

Appendix B Intel Pentium CPUs

Pentium 75MHz

B-1

CPU CPU Internal Bus External

Speed Spec. Clock Factor Clock Vcore VIO Timing Supp. Note

P54CS Q0649 75MHz 1.5 50MHz

P54C Sx753 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C SX961 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C 75 MHz SX969 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C Q0700/S 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C Q0749/S 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C Q0837 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C SY005 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C Q0540 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C Q0541 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C Q0666 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C SX961 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C SZ977 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C Q0700 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C Q0749 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C SX998 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C SZ994 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C SU070 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C Q0689 75MHz 1.5 50MHz 2.9V 3.3V Yes
P54C SK091 75MHz 1.5 50MHz 2.9V 3.3V Yes
P54C Q0851 75MHz 1.5 50MHz 2.9V 3.3V Yes
P54C SK122 75MHz 1.5 50MHz 2.9V 3.3V Yes
P54C SU097 75MHz 1.5 50MHz
P54C SU098 75MHz 1.5 50MHz

CPU DP

STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes

MD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes

MD Yes

MD Yes

MD Yes

MD Yes

STD Yes
STD Yes

Pentium 90MHz

Appendix BB-2

CPU CPU Internal Bus External

Speed Spec Clock Factor Clock Vcore VIO Timing Supp. Note
P54C Sx653 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Sx957 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Q0654 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Sx958 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C 90 MHz Q0655 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Sx959 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Q0699/S 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Sx968 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Sx969 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Q0783 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Sy006 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Q0542 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Q0613 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Q0543 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Sx879 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Sx885 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Sx909 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Q0628 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Q0611 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Q0612 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Sx923 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Sx922 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Sx921 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Sz951 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Q0653 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Q0654 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Sz978 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Q0699 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Sz995 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C SU031 90MHz 1.5 60MHz
P54C Q0695 90MHz 1.5 60MHz 2.9V 3.3V Yes
P54C SK092 90MHz 1.5 60MHz 2.9V 3.3V Yes
P54C Q0852 90MHz 1.5 60MHz 2.9V 3.3V Yes
P54C SK123 90MHz 1.5 60MHz 2.9V 3.3V Yes

CPU DP

STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes

MD Yes

MD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes

DP Yes

STD Yes

MD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes

MD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes

Intel Pentium CPUs

Pentium 100MHz

B-3

CPU CPU Internal Bus External

Speed Spec Clock Factor Clock Vcore VIO Timing Supp. Note
P54C Sx886 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Sx910 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C 100 MHz Sx956 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Sx960 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Q0657 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Q0658 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Sx962 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Q0698/S 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Q0697/S 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Sx963 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Sx970 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Q0784 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C SY007 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Q0563 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Q0587 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Q0614 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Q0677 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Q0656 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Q0698 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Q0697 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C SZ996 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C SU032 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C Q0853 100MHz 1.5 66MHz 2.9V 3.3V MD Yes
P54C SK124 100MHz 1.5 66MHz 2.9V 3.3V MD Yes
P54C SY046 100MHz 1.5 66MHz Yes
P54C Q0784 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C SU110 100MHz 1.5 66MHz
P54C SU099 100MHz 1.5 66MHz

CPU DP

MD No
MD No

STD No

MD No
MD No
MD Yes
MD Yes

MD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes

MD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes

MD Yes

MD Yes

MD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes

STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes

Pentium120MHz

CPU CPU Internal Bus External

Speed Spec. Clock Factor Clock Vcore VIO Timing Supp. Note

Appendix BB-4

CPU DP

P54CQS Q0708 120MHz 2 60MHz
P54CQS 120 MHz Q0711 120MHz 2 60MHz
P54CQS Q0730 120MHz 2 60MHz
P54CQS Sk084 120MHz 2 60MHz
P54CQS Sk086 120MHz 2 60MHz

P54C Sx994 120MHz 2 60MHz
P54C Q0732/S 120MHz 2 60MHz
P54C Q0785 120MHz 2 60MHz
P54C SY008 120MHz 2 60MHz
P54C SY033 120MHz 2 60MHz
P54C Q0707 120MHz 2 60MHz
P54C Q0732 120MHz 2 60MHz
P54C SU033 120MHz 2 60MHz
P54C Q0776 120MHz 2 60MHz
P54C SK110 120MHz 2 60MHz
P54C Q0808 120MHz 2 60MHz
P54C SX999 120MHz 2 60MHz

STD Yes

MD Yes Convert to P54C

MD Yes

MD Yes

MD Yes Convert to P54C

MD No

MD No
STD No
STD No
STD No
STD No

MD No

MD No

Yes
Yes
Yes

Yes
P54C SY030 120MHz 2 60MHz
P54C SU100 120MHz 2 60MHz

P54CS Q031 120MHz 2 60MHz
P54CS SY062 120MHz 2 60MHz

Yes

STD No

KIT Yes
KIT Yes

Intel Pentium CPUs

Pentium 133MHz

B-5

CPU CPU Internal Bus External

Speed Spec Clock Factor Clock Vcore VIO Timing Supp. Note
P54CS Q0772 133MHz 2 66MHz
P54CS Q0773 133MHz 2 66MHz
P54CS Q0774 133MHz 2 66MHz
P54CS Q0877 133MHz 2 66MHz
P54CS Sk106 133MHz 2 66MHz
P54CS S106J 133MHz 2 66MHz
P54CS Sk107 133MHz 2 66MHz
P54CS Q0843 133MHz 2 66MHz
P54CS SY022 133MHz 2 66MHz
P54CS Q0844 133MHz 2 66MHz
P54CS SY023 133MHz 2 66MHz
P54CS 133 MHz SU038 133MHz 2 66MHz
P54CS SU073 133MHz 2 66MHz
P54CS Q0882 133MHz 2 66MHz Yes
P54CS SY082 133MHz 2 66MHz Yes

P54CQS Q0733 133MHz 2 66MHz
P54CQS Sk098 133MHz 2 66MHz
P54CQS Q0751 133MHz 2 66MHz
P54CQS Q0775 133MHz 2 66MHz

CPU DP

STD Yes

Kit Yes

MD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes

MD Yes Convert to P54CS

MD Yes Convert to P54CS

MD Yes

MD Yes Convert to P54CS

Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Pentium 150MHz

Appendix BB-6

CPU CPU Internal Bus External

Speed Spec Clock Factor Clock Vcore VIO Timing Supp. Note
P54CS Q0835 150MHz 2.5 60MHz
P54CS SY015 150MHz 2.5 60MHz
P54CS Q0878 150MHz 2.5 60MHz
P54CS SU071 150MHz 2.5 60MHz

P55C 150 MHz Q0939 150MHz 2.5 60MHz 2.9V 3.3V CPGA
P55C Q0941 150MHz 2.5 60MHz 2.9V 3.3V PPGA
P55C Q974 150MHz 2.5 60MHz 2.8V 3.3V CPGA
P55C Q977 150MHz 2.5 60MHz 2.8V 3.3V PPGA

CPU DP

STD Yes
STD Yes
STD Yes PPGA
STD Yes

Pentium 166MHz

CPU CPU Internal Bus External

Speed Spec Clock Factor Clock Vcore VIO Timing Supp. Note
P54CS SY016 166MHz 2.5 66MHz
P54CS Q0841 166MHz 2.5 66MHz
P54CS SY017 166MHz 2.5 66MHz
P54CS Q0949 166MHz 2.5 66MHz
P54CS SY037 166MHz 2.5 66MHz
P54CS 166MHz Q0951F 166MHz 2.5 66MHz
P54CS SY044 166MHz 2.5 66MHz
P54CS Q0836 166MHz 2.5 66MHz
P54CS Q0886 166MHz 2.5 66MHz
P54CS Q0890 166MHz 2.5 66MHz
P54CS SY072 166MHz 2.5 66MHz

CPU DP

Yes
Yes
Yes

Kit No PPGA up

No PPGA up
Kit Yes PPGA
Kit Yes PPGA

Yes
Yes PPGA
Yes PPGA
Yes

P55C Q0940 166MHz 2.5 66MHz 2.9V 3.3V CPGA
P55C Q0942 166MHz 2.5 66MHz 2.9V 3.3V PPGA
P55C Q975 166MHz 2.5 66MHz 2.8V 3.3V CPGA
P55C Q978 166MHz 2.5 66MHz 2.8V 3.3V PPGA
P55C Q019 166MHz 2.5 66MHz 2.8V 3.3V PPGA

Intel Pentium CPUs

Pentium 200MHz

CPU CPU Internal Bus External

Speed Spec Clock Factor Clock Vcore VIO Timing Supp. Note
P54CS Q0951 200MHz 3 66MHz
P54CS SY045 200MHz 3 66MHz
P54CS 200 MHz Q0951F 200MHz 3 66MHz
P54CS SY044 200MHz 3 66MHz

P55C Q018 200MHz 3 66MHz 2.8V 3.3V PPGA

CPU DP

No PPGA up
Kit No PPGA up
Kit Yes PPGA

Yes PPGA

B-7

Y

Bus Factor

Appendix BB-8

Power STD

VR
VRE

Timing STD

MD

Kit

P54C

1. Beginning with the P54C E-Step, standard timings have been replaced by
existing Min Delay timing.

P54CS

1. P54CS PPGA UP:No DP,No APIC,No FRC

2. Beginning with the P54C E-Step, standard timings have been replaced by
existing Min Delay timing.

P55C

1. P55C A-Step is NOT production stepping

2. A-1 step: Vcc and timing on initial samples is 2.9V +/- 0.1V

3. A-2 Step and B step: Vcc and timing on production stepping is 2.8V +/- 0.1V

3.15V~3.465V (Recommended voltage is 3.38V)

3.300V~3.465V (Recommended voltage is 3.38V)

3.450V~3.6V (Recommended voltage is 3.52V)
Standard Timing

Min. Delay (denoting shorter minimum valid delay AC
timing for some signal)

Supports timing for C55/C88 cache chipsets & design

AMD-K5 CPUs C-1

Appendix C AMD-K5 CPUs

Recognizing AMD CPU speed, voltage and package:

AMD-K5-PR100 A B Q xx
100MHz

Internal
Clock

75MHz
90MHz
100MHz
120MHz
133MHz

Processor name

K5

P-Rating

75 ,90 ,100,120

133,150,166

Package Type

A=SPGA (296 pin)

Reserved

Case Temperature

Q= 60 ¢J
R= 70 ¢J
W=55 ¢J
X= 65 ¢J
Y= 75 ¢J
Z= 85 ¢J

Operating Voltage
B= 3.45V-3.60V
C= 3.30V-3.465V
F= 3.135V-3.465V
G= x/y
H=2.86V-3.00V / 3.30V-

3.465V

J= 2.57V-2.84V / 3.30V-

3.465V

K= 2.38V-2.63V / 3.30V-

3.465V

x = Vcore ; y= Vio

C-2

Appendix C

Cyrix 6x86 CPUs

Appendix D Cyrix 6x86 CPUs

Recognizing Cyrix CPU speed and voltage:

D-1

Name of the
processor

6x86, 6x86L

P-Rating

90+,120+,133+,

150+,166+,200+

6x86-P166+ GP

133 MHz

3.52V (028)

Center of Core
Voltage

3.3V

CPU Core Frequency
100,110,120,
133,150

VCC Specification
Full spec.: 3.15V-3.70V
C-spec. (016): 3.15V-3.45V
C-spec. (028): 3.40V-3.70V

3.52V

2.5V

2.7V

D-2

Appendix D

General Discussion about HDD Installation

E-1

Appendix E General Discussion

about HDD Installation

Most of the present HDDs use IDE interface. Installing an IDE hard disk
does not require a huge amount of intelligence like installing the driver for a
SCSI hard disk, but this means that the user often must install the hard disk by
himself and cope with all the problems he may encounter. Here, we will try to
help you solve these possible problems.

The data stored in the hard disk are accessed through a chipset located on
the mainboard. You probably often hear about the PIO mode, Master mode or
DMA mode of HDD. These modes reflect the way data is transferred from and to
the IDE drive and the mainboard.

What is the PIO mode? When the system needs to access hard disk data, the
CPU delivers input/output (I/O) orders through the chipset on the mainboard to
the hard disk drive, and than puts these data into the system memory. This is the
PIO mode.

What is the Master mode? When the system needs to access hard disk data,
these data are directly accessed from the hard disk by the chipset on the
mainboard (using a DMA or a PIO mode), and then the data is put into the
memory. In this case, the CPU does not participate in the data transfer.

What is the DMA mode? Usually, DMA mode refers to accessing the hard
disk data by the chipset, it does not refers to data transfer mode.

Here are some examples of data transfer rates for IDE HDD with PIO

interface:

PIO Mode 0 The fastest data transfer rate reaches 3.3Mbyte/sec
PIO Mode 1 The fastest data transfer rate reaches 5.2Mbyte/sec
PIO Mode 2 The fastest data transfer rate reaches 8.3Mbyte/sec
PIO Mode 3 The fastest data transfer rate reaches 11.1Mbyte/sec
PIO Mode 4 The fastest data transfer rate reaches 16.6MByte/sec

Appendix EE-2

The higher the MODE value is, the best is the hard disk data transfer rate.
But this does not mean that you can select the highest mode value as you like.
You must be sure that your hard disk supports that type of fast data transfer,
otherwise your hard disk will not be able to operate correctly.

Here are some examples of data transfer rates for IDE HDD with DMA

mode:

DMA Mode 0 The fastest data transfer rate reaches 4.16Mbyte/sec
DMA Mode 1 The fastest data transfer rate reaches 13.3Mbyte/sec
DMA Mode 2 The fastest data transfer rate reaches 16.6Mbyte/sec

Usually, PIO mode means that the hard disk data are accessed by the CPU
through the chipset and placed into memory, and the chipset is using PIO mode
to access hard disk data.

MASTER mode means that hard disk data are accessed by the chipset, and
that the chipset places the data into memory. The chipset is using DMA or PIO
mode to access data stored in the hard disk drive. The Master mode can reduce
the CPU load, especially in a Multi-task environment. This can help system
performance.

General Discussion about HDD Installation

Installing a hard disk:

In the Standard CMOS Setup Menu,

♦ Primary means the first connector on the mainboard, that is,

connector IDE1 on our mainboard.

♦ Secondary means the second connector on the mainboard, that is,

connector IDE2 on our mainboard.

♦ Two HDDs can be connected to the each connector:

The first HDD is referred to as Master,
The second HDD is referred to as Slave.

The Master or Slave status of the hard disk drive is set on the hard
disk itself. Refer to the hard disk drive manual.

Installing one HDD : The red line on the connection cable must be lined up with pin 1 on the connector.

Be sure that your hard disk drive is set at Master. Actually, most hard
disk drives are set at Master as a default, so you don’t need to adjust
any setting. Just connect one end of the 40 pin cable on the drive
connector, and the other end to connector IDE1 on the mainboard.

E-3

Installing one HDD + one CD-ROM drive: The red line on the connection cable must be lined up

with pin 1 on the connector.

Method 1: Set the HDD at Master, and the CD-ROM drive at Slave.

Connect one connector of the 40-pin cable to the hard disk,
another one to the CD-ROM drive, and the other end to
connector IDE1 on the mainboard.

Method 2: Set the HDD as Master and connect one end of the 40-pin

cable to the HDD, and the other end to connector IDE1 on
the mainboard.
You can ignore the setting of the CD-ROM drive, just
connect one end of the 40-pin cable to the CD-ROM drive,
and the other end to connector IDE2 on the mainboard.
We recommend you use this kind of connection, which has
no influence on HDD speed.

Appendix EE-4

Installing two HDDs: The red line on the connection cable must be lined up with pin 1 on the connector.

Method 1: Set the hard disk drive used for boot up at Master, and the

other drive at Slave. Connect one of the connectors of the
40-pin cable to the first drive, another connector to the
second drive, and the other end of the cable to connector
IDE1 on the mainboard.

Method 2: Set the hard disk drive used for boot up at Master, connect

one end of the 40-pin cable to the drive, and the other end
to connector IDE1 on the mainboard.

Set the other hard disk drive at Master, connect one end of
the 40-pin cable to the drive, and the other end to
connector IDE2 on the mainboard.

Installing two HDDs + one CD-ROM drive: The red line on the connection cable must be lined up

with pin 1 on the connector.

Method 1: Set the hard disk drive used for boot up as Master, set the

other HDD at Slave, connect one connector of the 40-pin
cable to the first drive, another connector to the second
drive, and the other end of the cable to connector IDE1 on
the mainboard.
You can ignore the setting of the CD-ROM drive. Connect
one end of the 40-pin cable to the drive, and the other end
to connector IDE2 on the mainboard.
We recommend you use this method, which has no
influence on HDD speed.

Method 2: Set the hard disk drive used for boot up at Master, connect

one end of the 40-pin cable to the drive, and the other end
to connector IDE1 on the mainboard.
Set the other hard disk drive at Master, and be sure that the
CD-ROM drive is set at Slave. Most of CD-ROM drives
are set at Slave as a default, so you will normally not have
to set the CD-ROM drive. After you have verified the
settings, connect one connector of the 40-pin cable to the
HDD, another connector to the CD-ROM drive, and the
other end of the cable to connector IDE2 on the mainboard.

General Discussion about HDD Installation

Installing three HDDs: The red line on the connection cable must be lined up with pin 1 on the connector.

Method 1: Set the hard disk drive used for boot up at Master, set the

second drive at Slave. Connect one connector of the 40-pin
cable to the first drive, another connector to the second
drive, and the other end of the cable to connector IDE1 on
the mainboard.
Set the other (the third) drive at Master, and connect one
end of the 40-pin cable to the drive, and the other end to
connector IDE2 on the mainboard.

Method 2: Set the hard disk drive used for boot up at Master, and

connect one end of the 40-pin cable to the drive and the
other end to connector IDE1 on the mainboard. Set another
drive (the second drive) at Master and the third drive at
Slave, connect one connector of the 40-pin cable to the
second drive, another connector to the third drive, and the
other end of the cable to connector IDE2 on the mainboard.

E-5

Installing three HDDs + one CD-ROM drive: The red line on the connection cable must be lined

up with pin 1 on the connector.

Set the hard disk drive used for boot up at Master, set another HDD
(the second) at Slave, connect one connector of the 40-pin cable to the
first drive, another connector to the second drive, and the other end of
the cable to connector IDE1 on the mainboard.
Set the third hard disk drive at Master, set the CD-ROM drive at Slave,
connect one connector of the 40-pin cable to the third HDD, another
connector to the CD-ROM drive, and the other end of the cable to
connector IDE2 on the mainboard.

BIOS Setup:

♦ If all your HDDs are new, you can use the IDE HDD Auto Detection

option in the CMOS to autodetect the parameters of all your drives.
You don’t need to set any hard disk parameter.

♦ If one or several of your HDDs are old, and if you don’t know their

parameters, and you want to reconfigure your drives, you can also use
the IDE HDD Auto Detection option in the CMOS to autodetect the
drives parameters.

♦ If one or several of your HDD are old, and if you don’t want to erase

the data stored in your drives, you will have to remember the
parameters (Type, Cylinders, Heads, Sectors, Mode) of the drive(s)
you don’t want to erase. After you have used the IDE HDD Auto

Detection option in the CMOS, enter the Standard CMOS Setup
Menu to change the settings of the related hard disk drive.

Software use:

The basic step in using a hard disk drive is to make a HDD Low Level
Format, than run FDISK, and than FORMAT the drive. Most of present

HDD have already been subjected to low level format at the factory, so
you probably can skip this operation.

Boot with a bootable floppy disk, then enter FDISK.

Using FDISK: (DOS command)

This command is found in the DOS disks.
FDISK is a tool used to organize and to partition the hard disk. The
hard disk must have been partitioned before use. You can create one
unique partition on the hard disk, or create several partition and use a
different Operating System on each partition. Just don’t forget that
you have to specify an Active partition, otherwise your hard disk will
not be bootable. For further information about FDISK, refer to the
FDISK section in the DOS user’s manual.

Appendix EE-6

After you have partitioned the hard disk with FDISK, the system will
reboot automatically. Boot from a system floppy disk, and type

FORMAT C:/S

Using FORMAT: (DOS command)

This command is found in the DOS disks.
FORMAT is used to format the hard disk. The HDD have to be
formatted before use. Don’t forget to add /S after C:, otherwise the
hard disk will not be bootable after formatting.

Technical Support F-1

Appendix F Technical Support

L

When you have a problem during operation...

In order to help our technical support personnel to quickly find out what is the
problem of your mainboard and to give you the answers you need, before filling
in the technical support form, eliminate any peripheral that is not related to the
problem, and indicate on the form the key peripherals. Fax this form to your
dealer or to the company where you bought the hardware in order to benefit from
our technical support. (You can refer to the examples given below.)

2

Example 1: With a system including: mainboard (with CPU, DRAM, COAST...)

HDD, CD-ROM, FDD, VGA CARD, MPEG CARD, SCSI CARD,
SOUND CARD..., after the system is assembled, if you cannot boot
up, check the key components of the system using the procedure
described below.
First remove all interface cards except the VGA card and try to
reboot.

F

If you still cannot boot up:
Try installing another brand/model VGA card and see if the
system will start. If it still does not start, note the VGA card
model, mainboard model, Bios identification number, CPU on
the technical support form (refer to main instructions), and
describe the problem in the problem description space provided.

F

If you can boot up:
Insert back the interface cards you have removed one by one and
try to start the system each time you insert a card, until the
system doesn’t start anymore. Keep the VGA card and the
interface card that causes the problem inserted on the mainboard,
remove any other card or peripheral, and start again. If you still
cannot start, note down the information related to both cards in
the Add-On Card space provided, and don’t forget to indicate
the mainboard model, version, BIOS identification number, CPU
(refer to main instructions), and give a description of the
problem.

Appendix FF-2

2

Example 2: With a system including the mainboard (with CPU, DRAM,

COAST...) HDD, CD-ROM, FDD, VGA CARD, LAN CARD,
MPEG CARD, SCSI CARD, SOUND CARD, after assembly and
after having installed the Sound Card Driver, when you restart the
system, when it runs the Sound Card Driver, it resets automatically.
This problem may be due to the Sound Card Driver. During the
Starting DOS… procedure, press SHIFT (BY-PASS) key, to skip
CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT; edit CONFIG.SYS with a
text editor, and in front on the line that loads the Sound Card Driver,
add a remark REM, in order to disable the Sound Card Driver. See
the example below.

CONFIG.SYS:
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE HIGHSCAN
DOS=HIGH,UMB
FILES=40
BUFFERS=36

REM DEVICEHIGH=C:\PLUGPLAY\DWCFGMG.SYS

LASTDRIVE=Z

JJJ

Restart the system. If the system starts and does not reset, you can
be sure that the problem is due to the Sound Card Driver. Note
down the Sound Card model, mainboard model, BIOS identification
number on the technical support file (refer to main instructions), and
describe the problem in the space provided.

Technical Support F-3

&

Technical Support Form

Company name: ( Phone #:
J Contact: /Fax #:

Model * BIOS ID # *
Mainboard model no. DRIVER REV

OS/Application *

Hardware name Brand Specifications

C.P.U *

HDD IDE1

IDE2

CD-ROM Drive IDE1

IDE2

System Memory

(DRAM)

COAST

ADD-ON CARD

?

Problem Description:

Appendix FF-4

$ $

Main instructions...

To fill in this “Technical Support Form”, refer to the step-by-step instructions
given below:

*1. MODEL: Note the model number given in your user’s manual.

Example: PT5R2, PR5R2...

*2. Mainboard model number (REV): Note the mainboard model number

labeled on the mainboard as “REV:*.**”.
Exemple: REV:2.11

*3.BIOS ID# : See below:
Example:

PENTIUM-S CPU at 150Mhz

Memory Test : 32768K OK

Award Plug and Play BIOS Extension v1.0A
Copyright (C) 1995, Award Software, Inc.

Press DEL to enter SETUP
04/19/96-SiS-5511B-5513-2A5IDA1CC-D6

“D6” is the BIOS ID number.

Technical Support F-5

4. DRIVER REV: Note the driver version number indicated on the

DEVICE DRIVER disk as “Release *.**”.

Example:< IDE Device Driver

Drivers Diskette Release 1.09A

Release 1.09A

*5. OS/APPLICATION: Indicate what are the operating system and

the applications your are running on the system.

Example: MS-DOS 6.22, Windows 3.1....

*6. CPU: Indicate the brand and the speed (MHz) of your CPU.

Example: (A) In the “Brand” space, write “Intel”, in the “Specifications”

space, write “150MHz”¡C

(B) In the “Brand” space, write “Cyrix”, in the

“Specifications” space, write “P166+”¡C

(C) In the “Brand” space, write “AMD”, in the

“Specifications” space, write “P75”.

7. HDD: Indicate the brand and specifications of your HDD(s), specify if

the HDD is using ¨IDE1 or ¨IDE2. If you know the disk capacity,
indicate it and check (“ü”) “ ”; in case you give no indication, we will

consider that your HDD is “þIDE1” Master.
Example: In the “HDD” space, check the box, in the Brand space, write

“Seagate”, in the Specifications space, write “ST31621A
(1.6GB)”.

8. CD-ROM Drive: Indicate the brand and specifications of your CD-

ROM drive, specify if it uses ¨ IDE1 or ¨IDE2 ¡A and check (“ü”) “

”; in case you give no indication, we will consider that your CD-ROM

is “þIDE2” Master.
Example: In the “CD-ROM drive” space, check the box, in the Brand

space, write “Mitsumi”, in the Specifications space, write “FX-
400D”.

Appendix FF-6

9. System Memory (DRAM): Indicate the brand and specifications (SIMM/DIMM) of

your system memory.

Examples:

In the Brand space, write “Panasonic”, in the Specifications space, write
“SIMM-FP DRAM 4MB-06”.

Or, in the Brand, write “NPNX”, in the Specifications space, write “SIMM-EDO
DRAM 8MB-06”.

Or, in the Brand space, write “SEC”, in the Specifications space, write “DIMM-
S DRAM 8MB-G12”.

10. COAST: Indicate the brand and specifications of your COAST.

Example: In the Brand space, write “Winbond”, in the Specifications space, write

“256KB” or “W25P010AF-8”¡C

11. ADD-ON CARD: Indicate which add-on cards you are “absolutely sure” are related

to the problem.
If you cannot identify the problem origin, indicate all the add-on cards inserted into

your system.

Note: Items between the “ ” are absolutely necessary.