Acer ALTOS 500 User Manual

Acer Altos 500

System Guide

Copyright

Copyright  1998 by Acer Incorporated. All rights reserved. No part
of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transc ribed, stored
in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer
language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of this company.

Disclaimer

This company makes no representations or warranties, either
expressed or implied, with respect to the contents hereof and
specifically disclaims any warranties, m erchantability or fitnes s for any
particular purpose. Any software described in this manual is sold or
licensed "as is". Should the programs prove defective following their
purchase, the buyer (and not this company, its distributor, or its dealer)
assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, and any
incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect in the
software. Further, this company reserves the right to revise this
publication and to make changes from time to time in the contents
hereof without obligation to notify any person of such revision or
changes.

All brand and product names mentioned in this manual are trademarks and/or
registered trademarks of their respective companies.

ii

IMPORTANT SAFETY

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Read these instructions carefully. Save these instructions for
future reference.

2. Follow all warnings and instructions marked on the product.

3. Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning. Do not
use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for
cleaning.

4. Do not use this product near water.

5. Do not place this product on an unstable cart, stand, or table.
The product may fall, causing serious damage to the product.

6. Slots and openings in the cabinet and the back or bottom are
provided for ventilation; to ensure reliable operation of the produc t
and to protect it from overheating, these openings must not be
blocked or covered. The openings should never be block ed by
placing the product on a bed, sofa, rug, or other similar surface.
This product should never be placed near or over a radiator or
heat register, or in a built-in installation unless proper ventilation is
provided.

7. This product should be operated from the type of power indicated
on the marking label. If you are not sure of the type of power
available, consult your dealer or local power company.

8. This product is equipped with a 3-wire grounding-type plug, a plug
having a third (grounding) pin. This plug will only fit into a
grounding-type power outlet. This is a safety feature. If you are
unable to insert the plug into the outlet, contact your electrician to
replace your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the purpose of the
grounding-type plug.

iii

9. Do not allow anything to rest on the power cord. Do not locate
this product where persons will walk on the cord.

10. If an extension cord is used with this pr oduct, m ake sur e that the
total ampere rating of the equipment plugged into the ex tension
cord does not exceed the extension cord ampere rating. Also,
make sure that the total rating of all products plugged into the wall
outlet does not exceed 15 amperes.

11. Never push objects of any kind into this product through cabinet
slots as they may touch dangerous voltage points or short out
parts that could result in a fire or electr ic shock . Never s pill liquid
of any kind on the product.

12. Do not attempt to service this product yourself, as opening or
removing covers may expose you to dangerous voltage points or
other risks. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.

13. Unplug this product from the wall outlet and refer servicing to
qualified service personnel under the following conditions:

a. When the power cord or plug is damaged or frayed
b. If liquid has been spilled into the product
c. If the product has been exposed to rain or water
d. If the product does not operate nor mally when the operating

instructions are followed. Adjust only those controls that are
covered by the operating instructions since improper
adjustment of other c ontrols may result in damage and will
often require extensive work by a qualified technician to
restore the product to normal condition.

e. If the product has been dropped or the cabinet has been

damaged

f. If the product exhibits a distinct change in performance,

indicating a need for service

14. Replace battery with the same type as the product's battery we
recommend. Us e of another battery may present a risk of f ire or
explosion. Refer battery replacement to a qualified serviceman.

iv

15. Warning! Battery may explode if not handled properly. Do not
recharge, disassemble or dispose of in fire. Keep away from
children and dispose of used battery promptly.

16. Use only the proper type of power supply cord set (provided in
your keyboard/manual accessories box) for this unit. It should be
a detachable type: UL listed/CSA certified, type SJT, rated 6A
125V minimum, VDE approved or its equivalent. Maximum
length is 15 feet (4.6 meters).

v

FCC Class A Radio Frequency

Interference Statement

WARNING!

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for
a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. These
limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial
environment. This equipm ent generates, uses, and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio
communic ations. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is
likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be
required to correct the interference at his own expense.

Notice 1:

The changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party
responsible for com pliance could void the user's authority to operate
the equipment.

Notice 2:

If the EUT was tested with special shielded cables, the operator’s
manual for such product s hall also contain the following statement or
its equivalent:

Shielded interface cables and/or AC power cord, if any, must be used
in order to comply with the emission limits.

vi

About this Manual

Getting Started

This system guide aims to give you all the necessary information to
enable you to operate the Altos 500 system.

Manual Structure

This system guide consists of four chapters.

Chapter 1 System Housing

This chapter describes the assembly and disassembly of the
system housing. It also shows you how to install housing
components.

Chapter 2 System Board

This chapter describes the main board. Also, It introduces the
system’s unique features and powerful architecture.

Chapter 3 BIOS Utility

This chapter explains the BIOS parameter functions. It tells how
to configure the system by setting the parameters.

Chapter 4 SCSI/VGA Combo Card

This chapter describes the function and installation of the
SCSI/VGA combo card.

vii

Conventions

The following are the conventions used in this manual:

Text entered by user

Option Items

, , , etc. Represent the actual keys that you

Represents text input by the user.
Represents options that you can

select on the screen.
have to press on the keyboard.

NOTE

Gives bits and pieces of additional
information related to the current
topic.

CAUTION

Gives precautionary measures to
avoid possible hardware or
software problems.

viii

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 System Housing

Standalone System.......................................................................1-1

Features ....................................................................................1-2

Front Panel .....................................................................1-2

Rear Panel .....................................................................1-3

Internal Structure .............................................................1-4

Opening the Housing Panels........................................................1-5

Front Panel .....................................................................1-5

Left Panel .....................................................................1-6

Installing Disk Drives and Hot-Swap Cage...................................1-7

3.5-inch Drive...................................................................1-7

5.25-inch Drives...............................................................1-8

Hot-Swap Cage................................................................1-9

Hard Disk Drive Tray......................................................1-13

Installing a System Board...........................................................1-14

Installing an Expansion Board ....................................................1-15

Installing a CPU or Memory Board .............................................1-16

LVD SCSI Backplane Board.......................................................1-17

Jumpers and Connectors...............................................1-18

Chapter 2 System Board

Major Components .......................................................................2-2

System Board Layout with Network Connector ...............2-3

System Board Layout without Network Connector ..........2-4

ix

Jumpers and Connectors.............................................................2-5

Jumper and Connector Locations with a Network

Connector...............................................................2-5

Jumper and Connector Locations without a

Network Connector ................................................2-6

Jumper Settings ..............................................................2-7

Connector Functions.......................................................2-7

ESD Precautions.......................................................................... 2-8

Installing the Pentium II processor...............................................2-9

Attaching the Processor Fan Sink...................................2-9

Installing a Pentium II Processor...................................2-12

Removing a Pentium II Processor.................................2-14

Memory Upgrade........................................................................2-15

Memory Configurations.................................................2-15

Installing a DIMM...........................................................2-16

Removing a DIMM.........................................................2-16

Reconfiguring the System.............................................2-17

Installing Expansion Cards.........................................................2-17

Installing PCI Cards.......................................................2-17

Installing ISA Cards.......................................................2-18

Installing an AGP Card..................................................2-19

Error Messages..........................................................................2-20

Software Error Messages.............................................. 2-21

System Error Messages................................................2-21

Correcting Error Conditions........................................... 2-23

x

Chapter 3 BIOS Utility

Entering Setup..............................................................................3-2

System Information.......................................................................3-4

Processor .....................................................................3-5

Processor Speed .............................................................3-5

Internal Cache Size..........................................................3-5

External Cache ................................................................3-5

Floppy Drive A..................................................................3-5

Floppy Drive B..................................................................3-5

IDE Primary Channel Master...........................................3-6

IDE Primary Channel Slave.............................................3-6

IDE Secondary Channel Master ......................................3-6

IDE Secondary Channel Slave.........................................3-6

Total Memory...................................................................3-6

Serial Port 1.....................................................................3-7

Serial Port 2.....................................................................3-7

Parallel Port .....................................................................3-7

PS/2 Mouse .....................................................................3-7

Product Information ......................................................................3-8

Product Name..................................................................3-8

System S/N .....................................................................3-8

Main Board ID..................................................................3-8

Main Board S/N................................................................3-9

System BIOS Version......................................................3-9

DMI BIOS Version............................................................3-9

Disk Drives..................................................................................3-10

Floppy Drives.................................................................3-10

xi

LS-120 Drive Compatible As.........................................3-11

IDE Drives ..................................................................3-11

Onboard Peripherals..................................................................3-16

Serial Ports 1 and 2.......................................................3-16

Parallel Port ..................................................................3-17

Onboard Device Settings ..............................................3-18

Power Management...................................................................3-20

Power Management Mode............................................3-20

Power Switch < 4 sec....................................................3-21

System Wake-up Event.................................................3-21

Boot Options...............................................................................3-22

Boot Sequence..............................................................3-22

First Hard Disk Drive.....................................................3-23

Fast Boot ..................................................................3-23

Silent Boot ..................................................................3-23

Num Lock After Boot..................................................... 3-23

Memory Test .................................................................3-24

Configuration Table.......................................................3-24

Boot from LANDesk Service Agent............................... 3-24

Date and Time............................................................................ 3-25

Date .............................................................................3-25

Time .............................................................................3-26

Advanced Options......................................................................3-27

Memory/Cache Options.................................................3-27

PnP/PCI Options...........................................................3-29

CPU Frequency.............................................................3-32

xii

System Security..........................................................................3-34

Setup Password.............................................................3-34

Power-on Password.......................................................3-37

Disk Drive Control..........................................................3-38

Load Default Settings..................................................................3-40

Abort Settings Change................................................................3-40

Exit Setup ..................................................................................3-41

Chapter 4 SCSI/VGA Combo Card

Card Layout .....................................................................4-1

Jumper Settings...............................................................4-2

Connector Functions........................................................4-2

Card Installation...............................................................4-2

xiii

Chapter 1 System Housing

This chapter describes the features of the IDM hous ing and tells you
how to install the basic system components such as disk drives, a
system board, or expansion boards. Descriptive illustrations
accompany the installation procedures.

If you receive a complete system, the basic
components are already installed.

Standalone System

For a standalone system, rotate the feet outward to stabilize the
housing.

Getting Started 1-1

Features

Front Panel

Panel Door

Keylock

1-2 Altos 500 System Guide

Rear Panel

Power Supply

Power Socket

SCSI Expansion
Slots

Housing Fan

COM port

slots

System Board

Expansion Port

Slots

connectors

Expansion Slots

System Housing 1-3

Internal Structure

The figure below shows the housing internal struc ture and some of the
basic system components.

Power Supply

5.25-inch Drive Bays

3.5-inch Drive Bay

Housing Fan

Power Switch

Expansion
Card Slots

Backplane Board

Hot-Swap Cage

(SCSI)

Power LED

Hard Disk Drive LED

System Status LED

Removable Hard Disk
Drive Trays

1-4 Altos 500 System Guide

Opening the Housing Panels

Front Panel

Keylock

Unlock the housing with the key and then pull the panel to access the
drive trays.

System Housing 1-5

Left Panel

To remove the left panel:

1. Use a screw driver to remove the two screws securing it to the
rear panel.

2. Pull the panel handle to slide the left panel open.

Left panel

screws

Left Panel Handle

1-6 Altos 500 System Guide

Installing Disk Drives and Hot-Swap Cage

Turn off the power switch and unplug the
power cord before installing or removing
diskette drives.

3.5-inch Drive

1. Open the front panel and remove the left panel of the housing.
See the Opening the Housing Panels section for more information.

2. Remove the screws attaching the 3.5-inch drive f rame (2 pieces)
to the housing.

3. Secure a 3.5-inch drive on the drive frame with four screws as
shown below.

System Housing 1-7

4. Insert the drive into the drive bay and secure it with two screws.

5. Connect the diskette drive cables.

5.25-inch Drives

You may install a CD-ROM, digital audio tape (DAT), hard disk,
diskette drive or any other 5.25-inch device into the drive bay.

1. Open the front panel. See the Opening the Housing Panels
section for more information.

2. Remove the sc rews attaching the 5.25-inch dr ive fram e (2 pieces)
to the housing.

3. Attach the drive guides on the sides of a 5.25-inch drive with two
screws on each side.

1-8 Altos 500 System Guide

4. Insert the drive into the drive bay and secure it with two screws.

5. Connect the signal and power cables to the drive.

Hot-Swap Cage

The hot-swap cage box includes the following components:

•

One hot-swap cage (with back plane board attached)

•

Three hard disk drive tray

•

One system board connector cable

•

Two Hard disk drive fault LED connector cable

To install the hot-swap cage into the housing:

1. Open the front panel and remove the left panel of the housing.
See the Opening the Housing Panels section for more information.

System Housing 1-9

2. Attach the drive guides on the sides of the hot-swap cage with two
screws on each side.

3. Insert the hot-swap cage into the housing and secure the hot-swap
cage with two screws.

1-10 Altos 500 System Guide

4. Attach the power cable, the SCSI term inator, the HDD fault LED
cable, and the system board connector cable to the backplane
board and attach the other end of the connector cable to the
system board. For the location of the SCSI connector, please
refer to the system board manual.

Single Hot-swap Cage Configuration

System board

Power connector

SCSI Terminator

CN3: Connect to system
board’s HDD Fault LED

There are two kinds of HDD Fault LED cable
supplied. The cable with two 4-pin connector
should be use with AcerAltos 1100 and
AcerAltos 11000 systems. The other cable
with AcerPro Station 7000.

connector cable

System Housing 1-11

Cascading Hot-swap Cage Configuration

CN1: To system

Power connector

board connector

CN3: Connect to 2nd

CN8

hot-swap cage HDD

Fault LED connector

SCSI Connector

cable

Power connector

CN3: Connect to
system board’s HDD
Fault LED connector

The SCSI connector cable and the three­connector HDD fault LED cable is an optional
item needed for installing two hot-swap
cages. Consult your dealer for the av ailability
of this cable.

System Board Connector Cable

Connect this side to
the 1st

hot-swap

1st hot-swap

CN1

2nd hot-swap

SCSI Terminator

Red Strip

Connect this side to

the system board

1-12 Altos 500 System Guide

SCSI Connector Cable

Connect this side to
the 1st

hot-swap

Red Strip

Connect this side to

the 2nd hot-swap

Hard Disk Drive Tray

1. Use your finger to release the drive tray as shown below and then
pull it out.

2. Place a hard disk on the tray. Secure it with four sc rews and four
metal support braces as shown below.

System Housing 1-13

4. Insert the tray into the hot-swap cage and then close the lever as
shown below.

Installing a System Board

The housing accommodates various system board sizes. You can
rearrange the pegs on the system board plate to fit the board that you
wish to install.

System Board

Align the system board holes to the pegs with the external ports fac ing
the rear of the housing. Secure the board with eight screws.

1-14 Altos 500 System Guide

Installing an Expansion Board

1. Remove an expansion slot bracket cover. Save the screw to
secure the expansion board.

2. Align an expansion board with the open slot and insert the golden
fingers into the expansion bus connector.

3. Secure the board with the screw.

System Housing 1-15

Installing a CPU or Memory Board

Follow these steps to install a CPU or memor y board if your system
board does not include them.

1. Remove a bracket opposite the CPU or memory board slot.

2. Insert the board into the slot.

Make sure that the board is properly seated
in the slot.

3. Secure the board with a screw.

4. Align the plastic support bar with the board edge.

1-16 Altos 500 System Guide

5. Insert the right end of the bar into the hole near the hard disk
drive frame and the left end into the hole on the rear panel.

Left End

Right End

LVD SCSI Backplane Board

The LVD SCSI hot-swap cage includes a hot plug SCA single-ended
backplane, LED board, and the hard drive cage itself. It supports
three 1-inch SCA-II SCSI hard drives in one channel with active
terminator built-in. The SCA II connector design allows for the
addition and removal of SCSI drives without shutting down the system.

System Housing 1-17

Jumpers and Connectors

Jumper Setting Function

2

JP1 1-2

2-3

JP4 Short

Open

Connector Description

CN1 SCSI 68-pin P connector - In
CN2 Front power LED connector
CN3 I2C Buffer connector
CN5 Slot 1
CN7 Slot 2
CN8 SCSI 68-pin connector - Out
CN9 Slot 3

JP5 Power connector

S1 Slot 1 ID switch
S2 Slot 2 ID switch
S3 Slot 3 ID switch

I

21h
23h

Terminator Power Source

Both from Backplane and Host
Only from Host

C Buffer ID

1-18 Altos 500 System Guide

Chapter 2 System Board

This high-performance system board supports the Intel Pentium II
CPU running at 233 up to 350 and 400 MHz. Integrated with the Intel
440BX system controller, which consists of the PCI/AGP controller and
the PCI/ISA IDE accelerator (PIIX4), the M11E combines the new
generation of Pentium II power with unmatched graphics performance.

The PCI/AGP controller host bus interface supports a Pentium II
processor with 66 or 100 MHz bus frequency. It also provides a 72-bit
DRAM that supports synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) DIMMs. The
PCI/AGP controller introduces a new technology, which is the
Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) interface. Supporting up to 133 MHz
data transfer speed, the AGP interface boosts graphics performance.

The PIIX4 is a multifunction PCI device controller implementing
system functions including PCI IDE, universal serial bus (USB)
host/hub, and enhanced power management. It also supports Ultra
DMA/33 synchronous DMA-compatible devices.

The system board utilizes both the ISA and the PCI local bus
architecture. Two ISA, five PCI bus slots (including one PCI/ISA
shared slot), and one AGP slot reside on the boar d to allow installation
of either master or slave devices.

Three memory banks composed of 168-pin dual inline memory
module (DIMM) sockets support a maximum system memory of
384 MB using 128-MB DIMMs. The sockets only supports SDRAM­type DIMM.

BIOS Utility 2-1

It also supports the USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector, and other
standard features such as two UART NS16C550 serial ports, one
enhanced parallel port with an Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP)/Ex tended
Capabilities Port (ECP) feature, a diskette drive interface, and two
embedded hard disk interfaces. The board also includes a built-in
10/100 Mb/s Intel 82558 LAN chip that supports Wak e- O n-LAN ( WOL)
(only for models with LAN feature).

Major Components

The system board has the following major components:

•

Exclusive slot for Intel Pentium II processor

•

Three DIMM sockets that accept 16-, 32-, 64- and 128-MB
DIMMs

•

Two ISA, four PCI (five PCI for boards without LAN), and one
AGP expansion slots (including one PCI/ISA shared slot)

•

256-KB Flash ROM for system BIOS

•

10/100 Mb/s Intel 82558 LAN chip that supports Wake-On-LAN
(WOL) (manufacturing option)

•

Enhanced IDE hard disk and diskette drive interface

•

PS2 power connector

•

System controller chipset

•

External ports:

• USB connector

• RJ-45 jack (manufacturing option)

• Parallel port

• PS/2-compatible keyboard port

• PS/2-compatible mouse port

• Serial port 1 and 2

2-2 Altos 500 System Guide

System Board Layout with Network Connector

19

20

21

22

1

2

3

5

4

6

7

8

9

1 PS/2 mouse port
2 PS/2 keyboard port
3 USB connectors
4 Serial port 2
5 Parallel port
6 Serial port 1
7 RJ-45 connector
8 Intel 82C558 Ethernet controller
9 BIOS
10 ISA slots
11 PCI slots

18

17

16

15

14

13

12

11

10

12 AGP slot
13 Battery
14 Intel 82371EB
15 IDE1 connector
16 IDE2 connector
17 FDD connector
18 Intel 440BX
19 DIMM sockets
20 Voltage regulators
21 CPU slot
22 Power connector

BIOS Utility 2-3

System Board Layout without Network Connector

18

19

20

1

2

3

5

4

6

1 PS/2 mouse port
2 PS/2 keyboard port
3 USB connectors
4 Serial port 2
5 Parallel port
6 Serial port 1
7 BIOS
8 ISA slots
9 PCI slots
10 AGP slot

17

16

15

14

13

12

11

10

7

11 Battery
12 Intel 82371EB
13 IDE1 connector
14 IDE2 connector
15 FDD connector
16 Intel 440BX
17 DIMM sockets
18 Voltage regulators
19 CPU slot
20 Power connector

9

8

2-4 Altos 500 System Guide

Jumpers and Connectors

Jumper and Connector Locations with a Network
Connector

The blackened pin of a jumper or connector
represents pin 1.

BIOS Utility 2-5

Jumper and Connector Locations without a Network
Connector

The blackened pin of a jumper or connector
represents pin 1.

2-6 Altos 500 System Guide

Jumper Settings

Jumper Setting Function

Password Security

JP3 1-2

2-3*

BIOS

JP4 1-2*

2-3

Connector Functions

Connector Function

CN1 Suspend 5V
CN2 CPU thermal sensor connector
CN3 CPU fan connector
CN4 LAN Jack (RJ45) (optional)
CN5 Power connector
CN6 Floppy disk connector
CN7 USB connectors
CN8 COM1 (lower right), COM2 (lower left), and

Parallel port (above)

CN9 Upper: PS/2 mouse connector

Lower: PS/2 keyboard connector
CN10 Enhanced IDE 2 connector
CN11 Enhanced IDE 1 connector
CN12 Hard disk LED connector
CN13 SCSI disk LED connector (for M11E Combo

Card)
CN15 Wake up On LAN connector
CN16 Power switch

Check password
Bypass password

Acer
OEM

BIOS Utility 2-7

Connector Function

CN19 Housing fan connector
CN20 Audio line-in connector (reserved* )
CN21 Modem Ring-In wake up connector
CN22 Turbo LED connector

JP1 Power LED connector
JP2 System reset connector
JP5 Housing intrusion switch connector

ESD Precautions

Always observe the following ESD (electrostatic discharge)
precautions before installing any system component:

1. Do not remove any system component fr om its pac kaging unless
you are ready to install it.

2. Wear a wrist grounding strap before handling electronic
components. Wrist grounding straps are available at most
electronic component stores.

DO NOT attempt the procedures in the
following sections unless you are confident of
your capability to perform them. Otherwise,
ask a service technician for assistance.

*

Reserved items are items that are supported by the system board but not available

in the current version.

2-8 Altos 500 System Guide

Installing the Pentium II processor

The following section will briefly explain and illustrate how to install the
Pentium II processor.

You have to attached the fan sink before
installing the Pentium II processor into the
system board.

Attaching the Processor Fan Sink

There are currently two kinds of fan sink. Both of them can be easily
attach to the Pentium II processor m odule. The new fan s ink includes
a new metal retention bracket to hold the Pentium II processor m odule
more securely.

The Pentium II processor module comes with holes on one side to
hold the clips of the fan sink. The upper set of holes (near the latches)
on the processor are wider and should match the wider ends of the
clips on the fan sink. The lower set of holes are smaller and should
match the narrow ends of the fan sink clips.

Wide Clip Ends

Wide Holes

Narrow Holes

BIOS Utility 2-9

Metal
Retention
bracket

Follow these steps when installing the fan sink and fan into the
Pentium II processor module:

1. Remove the thermal tape protector at the back of the fan sink.

2. Insert the wide clip ends into the wide holes on the processor and
the narrow clip ends into the narrow holes.

3a. Use a screwdriver to press and lock in the wide end of a clip first.

Then without lifting the screwdriver, point it downward to press
and lock the narrow end of the clip.

2-10 Altos 500 System Guide

3b. Using your fingers, push down the metal brack et until it c lick s into

the CPU cartridge and then push the metal bracket’s handle to
lock the metal bracket into place.

BIOS Utility 2-11

Installing a Pentium II Processor

Follow these steps to install the Pentium II proc essor to the sock et on
the CPU board.

1a. Place the retention mechanism over the proces sor socket on the

CPU board. Secure it with the screws that came with the
package.

1b. Place the retention mechanism over the proces sor socket on the

CPU board. Secure it with the plastic pegs that came with the
package as shown below.

2. With the processor module golden fingers pointing downward,
align the processor to the posts of the retention mec hanism then
lower it down.

2-12 Altos 500 System Guide

The golden fingers of the Pentium II module
are slotted such that it only fits in one
direction. Make sure that the module groove
matches the one on the processor socket.

3. Press down the processor module until the golden fingers
completely fit into the socket.

4. Press the latches on the sides to loc k the process or module into
place.

BIOS Utility 2-13

Removing a Pentium II Processor

Follow these steps to remove the Pentium II CPU module from the
slot.

1. Unlock the latches that secure the processor module.

2. Firmly hold the processor module and pull it out of the socket.

2-14 Altos 500 System Guide

Memory Upgrade

The three 168-pin sockets onboard supports SDRAM-type DIMMs
only. You may install 16-MB, 32-MB, 64-MB, or 128-MB DIMMs f or a
maximum 384-MB system memory.

The SDRAM DIMMs should work under 3.3 volts; 5-volt memory
devices are not supported. Memory modules with a timing setting of
66 MHz are defined under unbuffered DIMM specifications, while 100
MHz modules are defined under Intel PC-100 SDRAM specifications.

Do not use both 66 MHz (unbuffered) and
100 MHz (registered) SDRAM together. This
might cause your system to malfunction.

Each of the sockets represents one independent bank. This allows
you to install DIMMs with different capacities to form a configuration.

Memory Configurations

Bank 0 Bank 1 Bank 2 Total Memory

16 MB 16 MB
16 MB 16 MB 32 MB
16 MB 16 MB 16 MB 48 MB
32 MB 32 MB
32 MB 32 MB 64 MB
32 MB 32 MB 32 MB 96 MB
64 MB 64 MB
64 MB 64 MB 128 MB
64 MB 64 MB 64 MB 192 MB

128 MB 128 MB
128 MB 128 MB 256 MB
128 MB 128 MB 128 MB 384 MB

BIOS Utility 2-15

Installing a DIMM

To install a DIMM, align it with the socket and pres s it down until the
holding clips secure the DIMM in place.

The DIMM socket is slotted to ensure proper
installation. If you slip in a DIMM but it does
not completely fit, you may have inserted it
the wrong way. Reverse the orientation of
the DIMM.

Removing a DIMM

To remove a DIMM, press the holding clips on both sides of the soc k et
outward to release the DIMM.

Place your forefingers on the top of the DIMM
before you press the holding clips to gently
disengage the DIMM from the socket.

2-16 Altos 500 System Guide

Reconfiguring the System

Reconfigure the system after installing or removing DIMMs.
Follow these steps to reconfigure the system:

1. Reboot the system. A memory error message appears, indicating
that the total memory does not match the value stored in CMOS.

2. Press

3. Press
boots with the new memory configuration.

+ + .

twice to exit Setup and reboot the system. The system

Installing Expansion Cards

Installing PCI Cards

To install PCI cards:

1. Locate the PCI slots on the system board.

2. Remove the bracket on the housing opposite an empty PCI slot.

3. Insert a PCI card into the slot. Make sure that the card is properly
seated.

BIOS Utility 2-17

4. Secure the card to the housing with a screw.
When you turn on the system, BIOS automatically detects and assigns

resources to the PCI devices.

Installing ISA Cards

Both PnP and non-PnP ISA cards require specific IRQs. When
installing ISA cards, mak e sure that the IRQs required by these cards
are not previously assigned to PCI devices to avoid resource conflicts.

Follow these steps when installing ISA cards:

1. Remove all PnP cards installed in the system, if any.

2. Install non-PnP ISA cards.

3. Turn on the system.

4. Use Windows 95 or ICU to m anually assign the appropriate IRQ s
to the cards. This ensures that BIOS will not use the resourc es
assigned to the non-PnP ISA cards.

2-18 Altos 500 System Guide

BIOS detects and configures only PnP cards.

5. Turn off the system.

6. Locate the expansion slots and install the PnP ISA and PCI
cards.

7. Turn on the system. This time PnP BIOS automatically
configures the PnP ISA and PCI cards with the available
resources.

Installing an AGP Card

When inst alling an AGP card, m ake s ure that the IRQ requir ed by this
card is not already assigned to a PCI or ISA device to avoid resource
conflicts.

BIOS Utility 2-19

Follow these steps when installing an AGP card:

1. Locate the AGP slot on the mainboard.

2. Insert an AGP card into the slot. Make sure that the card is
properly seated.

When you turn on the system, BIOS automatically detects and
assigns resources to the AGP device.

BIOS detects and configures only PnP cards.

Error Messages

Do not continue using the computer if you receive an error m es s age of
any type. Note the message and take corrective action. This sec tion
describes the types of error messages and lists their corresponding
corrective measures.

There are two general types of error messages:

•

Software

2-20 Altos 500 System Guide

•

System

Software Error Messages

Software error messages are returned by your operating system or
application. These messages typically occur after you boot the
operating system or when you run your application. If you receive this
type of message, consult your application or operating system manual
for help.

System Error Messages

A system error message indicates a problem with the computer itse lf.
A message of this type normally appears during the power-on self-test,
before the operating system prompt appears.

Message Action

CMOS Battery Error Replace the battery or contact

your dealer.
CMOS Checksum Error Run Setup.
CPU BIOS Update Code

Mismatch
Diskette Drive Controller Error

or Not Installed
Diskette Drive Error Check the CMOS settings in

Diskette Drive A Type
Mismatch

Diskette Drive B Type
Mismatch

Equipment Configuration Error Modify DRAM configuration to

Hard Disk Controller Error Run Setup.

Contact your dealer.

Check and connect the control

cable to the diskette controller.

Setup and the diskette drive cable

connections.

Run Setup and select the proper

drive type.

Run Setup and select the proper

drive type.

agree with one of the options in

chapter 2, Memory

Configurations.

BIOS Utility 2-21

Message Action

Hard Disk 0 Error Check all cable connections.

Replace hard disk.

Hard Disk 1 Error Check all cable connections.

Replace hard disk.

Hard Disk 0 Extended Type
Error

Hard Disk 1 Extended Type
Error

I/O Parity Error Contact your dealer.
Keyboard Error or No

Keyboard Connected
Keyboard Interface Error Replace the keyboard or contact

Memory Error at:
MMMM:SSSS:OOO (W:XXXX,
R:YYYY)

where:
M: MB, S: Segment,
O: Offset,
X/Y: write/read pattern

Memory Size Mismatch
CPU Clock Mismatch

Onboard Serial Port 1 Conflict Run Setup and disable the port.
Onboard Serial Port 2 Conflict Run Setup and disable the port.
Onboard Parallel Port Conflict Run Setup and disable the port.
Pointing Device Error Check and connect pointing

Pointing Device Interface
Error

Run Setup.

Run Setup.

Check and connect the keyboard
to the system unit.

your dealer.
Check DIMMs on the system

board. Contact your dealer.

Check the memory size based on
the system specifications. Check
the internal cable connections. If
you are sure that connections and
values are correct, ignore the
message. If the message
reappears, ask for technical
assistance.

device.
Replace the pointing device or

contact your dealer.

2-22 Altos 500 System Guide

Message Action

Press F1 key to continue or
Ctrl-Alt-Esc for Setup

Real Time Clock Error Run Setup and set the time and

Press Esc to turn off NMI, any
key to reboot

Press

Setup.

date.

Press

error.

Press any other key to reboot the

system.

or

+ + to enter

to disregard the NMI

Correcting Error Conditions

As a general rule, if an error message says "Press F1 to continue," it is
caused by a configuration problem, which can be easily corrected. An
equipment malfunction is more likely to cause a fatal error, i.e., an
error that causes complete system failure.

Here are some corrective measures for error conditions:

1. Run Setup. You must know the correct configuration values for
your system before you enter Setup, which is why you should
write them down when the system is correctly configured. An
incorrect configuration is a major cause of power-on error
messages, especially for a new system.

2. Remove the system cover, f ollowing the directions in the housing
installation manual. Check that the jum pers on the system board
and any expansion boards are set correctly.

3. If you cannot access a new disk, it m ay be because your disk is
not properly formatted. Format the disk f irst us ing the FDISK and
FORMAT commands.

4. Check that all connectors and boards are secure.

If you go through these steps and still receive an er ror message, the
cause may be an equipment malfunction.

BIOS Utility 2-23

If you are sure that your configuration values are correct and your
battery is in good condition, the problem may lie in a damaged or
defective chip.

In either case, contact an authorized service center for assistance.

2-24 Altos 500 System Guide

Chapter 3 BIOS Utility

Most systems are already configured by the manufacturer or the
dealer. There is no need to run Setup when starting the computer
unless you get a Run Setup message.

The Setup program loads c onfiguration values into the battery-backed
nonvolatile memory called CMOS RAM. This mem ory area is not part
of the system RAM.

If you repeatedly receive Run Setup
messages, the battery may be bad. In this
case, the system cannot retain configuration
values in CMOS. Ask a qualified technician for
assistance.

Before you run Setup, make sure that you have s aved all open files.
The system reboots immediately after you exit Setup.

BIOS Utility 3-1

Entering Setup

To enter Setup, simultaneously press the key combination

+ + .

You must press + +

while the
system is booting. This key combination does
not work during any other time.

The Setup Utility Main Menu appears:

Setup Utility

System Information

•

Product Information

•

Disk Drives

•

Onboard Peripherals

•

Power Management

•

Boot Options

•

Date and Time

•

System Security

•

Load Default Settings

•

Abort Settings Change

•

The system supports two BIOS Utility levels: Basic and Advanced.
The above screen is the BIOS Utility Basic Level screen. T his allows
you to view and change only the basic configuration of your system.

If you are an advanced user, you may want to check the detailed
configuration of your system. Detailed system configurations are
contained in the Advanced Level. To view the Advanced Level, pres s

. The screen shows the BIOS Utility Advanced Level main menu.

Setup Utility

3-2 Altos 500 System Guide

System Information

•

Product Information

•

Disk Drives

•

Onboard Peripherals

•

Power Management

•

Boot Options

•

Date and Time

•

System Security

•

Advanced Options*

•

Load Default Settings

•

Abort Settings Change

•

The asterisk (*) mark indicates that the
parameter appears only when you are in the
Advanced Level.
The parameters on the screens show default
values. These values may not be the s ame as
those in your system.
The grayed items on the screens have fixed
settings and are not user-configurable.

Use the arrow keys , , , and to move around the Setup
Utility screen.

Use

to move to the next page or to return to the previous

page if the setup screen has more than one page available.
Press

to return to the Main menu.

BIOS Utility 3-3

System Information

The following screen appears if you select System Information from
the Main menu:

System Information

Processor ...........................Pentium II

Processor Speed .....................300 MHz

Internal Cache Size .................32 KB, Enabled

External Cache Size .................512 KB, Enabled

Floppy Drive A ......................1.44 MB, 3.5-inch

Floppy Drive B ......................None

IDE Primary
IDE Primary

IDE Secondary Channel Master ........None

IDE Secondary

Total Memory ........................xxx MB

1st Bank ..........................SDRAM, xxx MB

2nd Bank ..........................None

3rd Bank .........................None

The System Inform ation menu shows the current basic configuration
of your system.

The next screen shows page 2 of the System Information menu.

Channel Master ..........Hard Disk, xxx MB

Channel Slave ...........None

Channel Slave ........None

System Information

Serial Port 1......................3F8h, IRQ 4

Serial Port 2......................2F8h, IRQ 3

Parallel Port......................378h, IRQ 7

PS/2 Mouse.........................Installed

The sections below explain the parameters.

3-4 Altos 500 System Guide

Processor

The Processor parameter specifies the type of processor currently
installed in your system. The system supports Intel Pentium II
processors.

Processor Speed

The Processor Speed param eter specif ies the speed of the processor
currently installed in your system. The system can support Pentium II
processors running at 233, 266, 300, 333, 350, and 400 MHz and
Celeron processors running at 266 MHz.

Internal Cache Size

This parameter s pecif ies the f irst-level or the internal m em ory (i.e., the
memory integrated into the CPU) size, and whether it is enabled or
disabled.

External Cache

This parameter specifies the second-level cache memory size
currently supported by the system. The available cache sizes are 256
KB or 512 KB (depending on the CPU installed).

Floppy Drive A

This parameter specifies the system’s current diskette drive A settings.

Floppy Drive B

This parameter specifies the system’s current diskette drive B settings.

BIOS Utility 3-5

IDE Primary Channel Master

This parameter specifies the current configuration of the IDE device
connected to the master port of the primary IDE channel.

IDE Primary Channel Slave

This parameter specifies the current configuration of the IDE device
connected to the slave port of the primary IDE channel.

IDE Secondary Channel Master

This parameter specifies the current configuration of the IDE device
connected to the master port of the secondary IDE channel.

IDE Secondary Channel Slave

This parameter specifies the current configuration of the IDE device
connected to the slave port of the secondary IDE channel.

Total Memory

This parameter s pecifies the total amount of onboard m emory. The
memory size is automatically detected by BIOS during the POST. If
you install additional memory, the system automatically adjusts this
parameter to display the new memory size.

1st Bank/2nd Bank/3rd Bank

The 1st Bank, 2nd Bank, and 3r d Bank parameters indicate the type
and size of DRAM installed in DIMM sockets 1, 2, and 3 res pectively.

None

The
location of the DIMM sockets, refer to chapter 2.

3-6 Altos 500 System Guide

setting indicates that there is no DRAM installed. For the

Serial Port 1

This parameter shows the serial port 1 address and IRQ setting.

Serial Port 2

This parameter shows the serial port 2 address and IRQ setting.

Parallel Port

This parameter shows the parallel port address and IRQ setting.

PS/2 Mouse

The BIOS utility automatically detects if there is a pointing device
connected to your system. If there is, this parameter displays the

Installed

setting. Otherwise, this is set to

None.

BIOS Utility 3-7

Product Information

The Product Inform ation contains the general data about the system,
such as the product name, serial number, BIOS version, etc. This
information is necessary for troubleshooting (may be required when
asking for technical support).

The following figure shows how the Product Information screen
appears:

Product Information

Product Name ...........................xxxxxxxxx

System S/N .............................xxxxxxxxx

Main Board ID ..........................xxxxxxxxx

Main Board S/N ........................xxxxxxxxx

System BIOS Version ....................v3.1

DMI BIOS Version .......................2.00.1

Product Name

This parameter specifies the official name of the system.

System S/N

This parameter specifies the system’s serial number.

Main Board ID

This parameter specifies the system board’s identification number.

3-8 Altos 500 System Guide

Main Board S/N

This parameter specifies the system board’s serial number.

System BIOS Version

This parameter specifies the version of the BIOS utility.

DMI BIOS Version

This parameter specifies the version of the DMI (Desktop
Management Interface) BIOS version. DMI enables sof tware to collec t
information about a computer environment.

BIOS Utility 3-9

Disk Drives

Select Disk Drives to input configuration values for disk drives.
The following screen shows the Disk Drives menu:

Disk Drives

Diskette Drive A.......................[xx-MB, xx-inch]

Diskette Drive B.......................[ None ]

LS-120 Drive as........................[ Normal ]

IDE Primary Channel Master

•

IDE Primary Channel Slave

•

IDE Secondary Channel Master

•

IDE Secondary Channel Slave

•

Floppy Drives

To enter the configuration value for the first floppy drive (drive A),
highlight the Floppy Drive A parameter. Press
the options and select the appropriate value.

or key to view

Possible settings for the Floppy Drive parameters are:

[ None ]

•

[360 KB, 5.25-inch]

•

[1.2 MB, 5.25-inch]

•

[720 KB, 3.5-inch]

•

[1.44 MB, 3.5-inch]

•

[2.88 MB, 3.5-inch]

•

Follow the same procedure to conf igure floppy drive B. Choose
if you do not have a second floppy drive.

3-10 Altos 500 System Guide

None

LS-120 Drive Compatible As

This parameter allows you not only to enable the LS-120 device
installed in your system, but also to specify the function of the device.
The setting affects how BIOS will detect the device.

Possible settings are:

Normal

•

drive. The drive needs the LS-120 device driver to operate.

Drive A

•

standard diskette drive A exists, BIOS automatically identifies it
as drive B. If a standard diskette drive B exists, it autom atically
becomes inaccessible.

If two LS-120 drives exist, BIOS recognizes them as drive A and
drive B, respectively.

Drive B

•

standard diskette drive B exists, it becomes inaccessible.

Hard Disk

•

In this setting, format the LS-120 drive as any other hard disk and
assign it a drive letter C, D, E, and so on. See the documentation
that came with the LS-120 drive for more information.

In this setting, BIOS does not support the LS-120

BIOS recognizes the LS-120 drive as drive A. If a

BIOS recognizes the LS-120 drive as drive B. If a

BIOS recognizes the LS-120 drive as a hard disk.

IDE Drives

To configure the IDE drives connected to your system, select the
parameter that represents the channel and port where the desired
hard disk to configure is connected. The options are:

IDE Primary Channel Master

This parameter lets you configure the hard disk drive c onnected to the
master port of IDE channel 1.

BIOS Utility 3-11

IDE Primary Channel Slave

This parameter lets you configure the hard disk drive c onnected to the
slave port of IDE channel 1.

IDE Secondary Channel Master

This parameter lets you configure the hard disk drive c onnected to the
master port of IDE channel 2.

IDE Secondary Channel Slave

This parameter lets you configure the hard disk drive c onnected to the
slave port of IDE channel 2.

The following screen appears if you select any of the IDE Drive
parameters:

IDE Primary/Secondary
Channel Master/Slave

Type ...........................[ Auto ]

Cylinder .....................[ XXXX ]

Head .........................[ XXXX ]

Sector .......................[ XXXX ]

Size .........................[ XXXX ] MB

Hard Disk Size > 504MB .........[ Auto ]

*Hard Disk Block Mode ...........[ Auto ]

*Advanced PIO Mode ..............[ Auto ]

*Hard Disk 32-bit Access ........[Enabled ]

*DMA Transfer Mode ..............[Auto]

*CD-ROM Drive DMA Mode ..........[Disabled]

The above parameters marked with ‘*’ will only
appear if you access the advanced configuration
level in the Main Menu. Please refer to the
Entering Setup section for more information.

Type

3-12 Altos 500 System Guide

This parameter lets you specify the type of hard disk installed in your
system. If you want BIOS to automatically configure your hard disk,
select

Auto

. If you know your hard disk type, you can enter the

setting manually.
Setting this parameter also sets the Cylinder, Head, Sector, and Size

parameters.

Cylinder

This parameter specifies the number of cylinders of your hard disk,
and is automatically set depending on your Type parameter setting.

Heads

This parameter specifies the number of heads of your hard disk, and is
automatically set depending on your Type parameter setting.

Sectors

This parameter specif ies the number of s ectors of your hard disk , and
is automatically set depending on your Type parameter setting.

Size

This parameter specifies the size of your hard disk, in MB.

Enhanced IDE Features

Hard Disk Size > 504 MB

When set to

Auto

, the BIOS utility automatically detects if the installed
hard disk supports the f unction. If supported, it allows you to use a
hard disk with a capacity of more than 504 MB. This is m ade pos sible
through the Logical Block Address (LBA) mode translation. However,
this enhanced IDE feature works only under DOS, Windows 3.x,
Windows 95, and Windows NT 3.5 and above. Other operating
systems require this parameter to be set to

Disabled

.

BIOS Utility 3-13

Hard Disk Block Mode

This function enhances dis k perform ance depending on the hard disk
in use. If you set this parameter to
detects if the installed hard disk drive supports the Block Mode
function. If supported, it allows data transfer in blocks (multiple
sectors) at a rate of 256 bytes per cycle. To disregard the feature,
change the setting to

Disabled.

Advanced PIO Mode

Auto

, the BIOS utility automatically

When set to
hard disk supports the f unction. If suppor ted, it allows for fas ter data
recovery and read/write timing that reduces hard disk activity time.
This results in better hard disk perfor m ance. T o disregar d the featur e,
change the setting to

Enabling this parameter im proves s ystem perf orm anc e by allowing the
use of the 32-bit hard disk ac cess. This enhanc ed IDE feature works
only under DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows 95, and Novell NetW are. If
your software or hard disk does not support this function, set this
parameter to

The Ultra DMA and Multi-DMA modes enhanc e hard disk perfor mance
by increasing the transfer rate. However, besides enabling these
features in the BIOS Setup, both the Ultra DMA and Multi-DMA modes
require the DMA driver to be loaded. By setting this parameter to

Auto

, BIOS automatically sets the appropriate DMA mode for your

hard disk.

Auto

, the BIOS utility automatically detects if the installed

Disabled.

Hard Disk 32-bit Access

Disabled

.

DMA Transfer Mode

CD-ROM Drive DMA Mode

3-14 Altos 500 System Guide

Set this parameter to
ROM drive. This improves the system performance since it allows
direct memory access to the CD-ROM. To deactivate the function, s et
the parameter to

Enabled

Disabled

to enable the DMA mode for the CD-

.

BIOS Utility 3-15

Onboard Peripherals

The Onboard Peripheral Configuration allows you to configure the
onboard communic ation por ts and the onboar d devic es. Selecting this
option displays the following screen:

Onboard Peripherals

Serial Port 1 ....................... [Enabled ]

Base Address ..................... [3F8h]

IRQ .............................. [4]

Serial Port 2 ....................... [Enabled ]

Base Address ..................... [2F8h]

IRQ .............................. [3]

Parallel Port ....................... [Enabled ]

Base Address ..................... [378h]

IRQ .............................. [7]

Operation Mode ................... [Standard]

ECP DMA Channel ................ [-]

•

Onboard Device Settings

Serial Ports 1 and 2

These parameters allow you to enable or disable serial ports 1 and 2.

Base Address

This function lets you set a logical base addr ess f or serial por ts 1 and

2. The options are:

3F8h

•

IRQ

This function lets you assign an interrupt for serial ports 1 and 2. T he
options for serial ports 1 are IRQ
2 are IRQ

3-16 Altos 500 System Guide

3

and 10.

•

2F8h

3E8h

•

4

and 11. The options for serial port

•

2E8h

The Base Address and IRQ parameters for
each port are configurable only if the port is
enabled.

Parallel Port

This parameter allows you to enable or disable the parallel port.

Base Address

This function lets you set a logical base address for the parallel port.
The options are:

3BCh

•

IRQ

This function lets you assign an interrupt for the parallel port. The
options are IRQ

Operation Mode

This item allows you to set the operation mode of the parallel port.

Standard Parallel Port
(SPP)

Standard and
Bidirectional

5

and 7.

The Base Address and IRQ parameters are
configurable only if Parallel Port is enabled.

If you install an add-on card that has a parallel
port whose address conflicts with the onboard
parallel port, a warning appears on the screen.

Check the parallel port address of the add-on
card and change the address to one that does
not conflict.

Setting Function

378h

•

Allows normal speed one-way operation

Allows normal speed operation in a two­way mode

•

278h

BIOS Utility 3-17

Setting Function

Enhanced Parallel Port
(EPP)

Extended Capabilities
Port (ECP)

ECP DMA Channel

Allows bidirectional parallel port
operation at maximum speed

Allows parallel port to operate in
bidirectional mode and at a speed higher
than the maximum data transfer rate

This item becom es ac tive only if you select

Port (ECP)

as the operation mode. It allows you to assign DMA

Extended Capabilities

channel 1 or DMA channel 3 for the ECP parallel port function.

Onboard Device Settings

The Onboard Device Settings menu allows you to configure the
onboard communic ation por ts and the onboar d devic es. Selecting this
option from the Onboard Peripherals menu displays the following
screen:

Onboard Device Settings

Floppy Disk Controller.............. [Enabled ]

IDE Controller...................... [Both ]

PS/2 Mouse Controller............... [Enabled ]

USB Host Controller................. [Disabled]

USB Legacy Mode................... [--------]

SMBus Interrupt(IRQ9)............... [Disabled]

Onboard Ethernet Chip............... [Enabled ]

Floppy Disk Controller

This parameter lets you enable or disable the onboard floppy disk
controller.

3-18 Altos 500 System Guide

IDE Controller

Set this parameter to
controller;
controllers; or

PS/2 Mouse Controller

This parameter enables or disables the onboard PS/2 mouse
controller.

USB Host Controller

This parameter lets you enable or disable the USB controller on board.
When enabled, it activates the USB function of the system. When
disabled, it deactivates the function.

This function, when enabled, lets you use a USB keyboard in DOS.
Set this to

SMBus Interrupt (IRQ9)

The System Management Bus (SMBus) is used for controlling and
getting information from devices on a motherboard. It was designed
for hybrid devices based on analog semiconductor technologies and
with limited digital capabilities. This par am eter allows you to enable or
disable this feature.

Both

Disabled

Disabled

Primary

to enable both primary and secondary IDE

to disable all IDE controllers.

USB Legacy Mode

to deactivate the USB keyboard function in DOS.

to enable only the primary IDE

Onboard Ethernet Chip

This parameter allows you to enable or disable the onboard network
feature.

BIOS Utility 3-19

Power Management

The Power Management menu allows you to configure the system
power-management feature.

The following screen shows the Power Management param eters and
their default settings:

Power Management

Power Management Mode................. [Enabled]

IDE Hard Disk Standby Timer......... [Off]

System Sleep Timer.................. [Off]

Sleep Mode........................ [----]

Power Switch < 4 sec. ................ [Suspend]

System Wake-up Event

Modem Ring Indicator................ [Enabled]

Power Management Mode

This parameter allows you to reduce power consumption. W hen this
parameter is set to
system timers. Setting it to
power-management feature and its timers.

Enabled

, you can configure the IDE hard disk and

Disabled

deactivates the

IDE Hard Disk Standby Timer

This parameter allows the hard disk to enter standby mode after
inactivity of 1 to 15 minutes, depending on your setting. W hen you
access the hard disk again, allow 3 to 5 seconds (depending on the
hard disk) for the disk to return to normal speed. Set this parameter to

OFF

if your hard disk does not support this function.

3-20 Altos 500 System Guide

System Sleep Timer

This parameter s ets the system to the lowest power-s aving mode after
a specified period of inactivity. Any keyboard or mouse action or any
activity detected from the IRQ channels resumes system operation.

Sleep Mode

This parameter lets you specify the power-saving mode that the
system will enter after a specified per iod of inactivity. The options are

Standby

This parameter bec omes configurable only if the System Sleep T imer
is enabled. Any keyboard or mouse action, or any enabled monitored
activities occurring through the IRQ channels resume system
operation.

and

Suspend

modes.

Power Switch < 4 sec.

When set to
power switch is pressed for less than 4 seconds. When set to

Suspend

than 4 seconds.

Power Off,

, the system enters the suspend mode when pres sed for les s

the system automatically turns off when the

System Wake-up Event

The system wake-up event allows the system to resume operation
when the modem ring indicator is enabled.

Modem Ring Indicator

When
suspend mode. The default setting is

BIOS Utility 3-21

Enabled

any fax/modem activity wakes up the system from

Enabled

.

Boot Options

This option allows you to specify your preferred setting for bootup.
The following screen appears if you select Boot Options from the

Basic Configuration menu:

Boot Options

Boot Sequence

st

[Floppy Disk]

1

nd

2

[Hard Disk ]

rd

3

[IDE CD-ROM ]

First Hard Disk Drive................. [ IDE]

Fast Boot............................. [Auto]

Silent Boot........................... [Enabled]

Num Lock After Boot................... [Enabled]

Memory Test........................... [Enabled]

*Configuration Table................... [Enabled]

Boot from LanDesk Service Agent....... [Disabled]

The above parameter marked with ‘*’ will only
appear if you access the advanced configuration
level in the Main Menu. Please refer to the
Entering Setup section for more information.

Boot Sequence

This parameter allows you to specify the boot search sequence during
POST.

1st.

•

•

•

3-22 Altos 500 System Guide

The system checks this drive first.

2nd.

The system then checks this drive if it can not boot from the

st

1

3rd.

specified drive.

st

1

If the

and

nd

2

searches fail then it boots from this drive.

BIOS will display an error message if the drive(s) specified is not
bootable.

First Hard Disk Drive

This parameter specifies whether the BIOS utility will boot from an
EIDE hard disk drive or a SCSI hard disk drive. The system will
automatically boot from an EIDE hard disk if your system does not
have a SCSI hard disk drive. The default setting is

IDE

.

Fast Boot

This parameter allows the system to boot faster by skipping some

.

POST routines. The default setting is

Auto

Silent Boot

This parameter enables or disables the Silent Boot function. When set

Enabled

to
identification logo during POST and while booting. After booting the
screen displays the operating system prompt (such as DOS) or logo
(such as W indows 95). If any error occurs while booting, the system
automatically switches to the text mode.

, BIOS is in graphical mode and displays only an

Even if your setting is
while booting by pressing
enter setup” message on the screen.

When set to
you see the system initialization details on the screen.

Disabled

Enabled

, BIOS is in the conventional text mode where

, you may also switch to the text mode

when you see the “Ctrl-Alt-Esc key to

Num Lock After Boot

This parameter allows you to activate the Num Lock function upon
booting. The default setting is

BIOS Utility 3-23

Enabled

.

Memory Test

When set to
RAM test during the POST routine. When set to
system detects only the memory size and bypasses the test r outine.
The default setting is

Enabled

, this parameter allows the system to perform a

Disabled

, the

Enabled.

Configuration Table

This parameter allows you to enable or disable the appearance of the
configuration table after POST but befor e booting. The configuration
table gives a summar y of the hardware devices and settings that BIO S
detected during POST.

Boot from LANDesk Service Agent

When set to
Agent network instead of your desktop system. T he LANDesk Service
Agent is IEEE-standards-based code that intervenes in the boot
process. Please refer to your LANDesk Manual for more information.

When set to
the Boot Sequence parameter.

Enabled

Disabled

, the system boots from a LANDesk Service

, the system boots from the drive specified in

3-24 Altos 500 System Guide

Date and Time

The real-time clock keeps the system date and time. After setting the
date and time, you do not need to enter them every time you turn on
the system. As long as the internal battery remains good
(approximately seven
keep the date and time accurately even when the power is off.

Date................................... [Fri Jun 11,1998]

Time................................... [HH:MM:SS]

Date

Highlight the items on the Date param eter and press or to set
the date following the weekday-month-day-year format.

years) and connected, the clock continues to

Boot Options

Valid values for weekday, month, day, and year are:

•

Weekday

•

Month

•

Day

•

Year

BIOS Utility 3-25

Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat
1

12

to

1

31

to

1980

to

2079

Time

Highlight the items on the Time parameter and press or to set
the time following the hour-minute-second format.

Valid values for hour, minute, and second are:

00
00
00

to
to
to

23
59
59

•

•

•

Hour
Minute
Second

3-26 Altos 500 System Guide

Advanced Options

Advanced Option configuration is available
only in the Advanced Level.

The Advanced Options configuration menu allows you to configure the
system memory, PCI device settings, and CPU frequency.

Do not change any settings in the Advanced
Configuration if you are not a qualified

The following screen shows the Advanced Options parameters:

•

•

•

technician to avoid damaging the system.

Advanced Options

Memory/Cache Options
PnP/PCI Options
CPU Frequency

Memory/Cache Options

The Memory/Cache Options allows you to configure the advanced
system memory functions.

BIOS Utility 3-27

Memory/Cache Options

Internal Cache(CPU Cache)........... [Enabled ]

External Cache...................... [Enabled ]

Cache Scheme...................... Write Back

Memory at 15MB-16MB Reserved for ... [System]

Memory Parity Mode.................. [Disabled]

Internal Cache (CPU Cache)

This parameter enables or disables the f irst-level or internal memor y,
that is, the memory integrated into the CPU. The default setting is

Enabled

.

External Cache

This parameter enables or disables the external cache m emory. The
external cache is incorporated in the CPU module.

Cache Scheme

This parameter s hows the cache scheme status only as
mode.

Write-back

updates the cache but not the memory when

Write-back

there is a write instruction. It updates the mem ory only when there is
an inconsistency between the cache and the memory.

Memory at 15MB-16MB Reserved for

To prevent memory address conflicts between the system and
expansion boards, reserve this m emory range for the us e of either the
system or an expansion board.

3-28 Altos 500 System Guide

Memory Parity Mode

This parameter allows you to enable or disable the ECC (Error
Checking and Correction) feature. The ECC featur e enables BIOS to
detect and correct data errors. Dis able this parameter if you want to
disregard the function.

PnP/PCI Options

The PnP/PCI Options allows you to specify the settings for your PCI
devices. Selecting this option displays the following screen:

For system board with LAN

PnP/PCI Ooptions

PCI IRQ Setting ........... [ Auto ]

PCI Slot 1 .............. [--] [--] [--] [--]

PCI Slot 2 .............. [--] [--] [--] [--]

PCI Slot 3 .............. [--] [--] [--] [--]

PCI Slot 4 .............. [--] [--] [--] [--]

Onboard LAN ............. [--]

AGP ..................... [--]

PCI IRQ Sharing.............. [No]

VGA Palette Snoop ........... [Disabled]

Graphics Aperture Size....... [64] MB

Plug and Play OS............. [Yes]

Reset Resource Assignments... [No ]

INTA INTB INTC INTD

BIOS Utility 3-29

For system board without LAN

PnP/PCI Ooptions

PCI IRQ Setting ........... [ Auto ]

PCI Slot 1 .............. [--] [--] [--] [--]

PCI Slot 2 .............. [--] [--] [--] [--]

PCI Slot 3 .............. [--] [--] [--] [--]

PCI Slot 4 .............. [--] [--] [--] [--]

PCI Slot 5 .............. [--] [--] [--] [--]

AGP ..................... [--]

PCI IRQ Sharing.............. [No]

VGA Palette Snoop ........... [Disabled]

Graphics Aperture Size....... [64] MB

Plug and Play OS............. [Yes]

Reset Resource Assignments... [No ]

PCI IRQ Setting

INTA INTB INTC INTD

Select
(PnP) devices installed on your system. Otherwise, select

Auto

to let BIOS automatically configure the plug-and-play

Manual

.

Refer to your manual for technical information about the
PCI card.

PCI Slots

When you set the PCI IRQ Setting parameter to

Auto

, these
parameters specify the auto-assigned interrupt for each of the PCI
devices. If you set the PCI IRQ Setting parameter to

Manual

, you need
to specify the interrupt that you want to assign for each PCI device
installed in your system.

3-30 Altos 500 System Guide

Onboard LAN

When you set the PCI IRQ Setting param eter to
specifies the auto-assigned interr upt for the onboard LAN. If you set
the PCI IRQ Setting parameter to
interrupt that you want to assign for the onboard LAN installed in your
system.

This item shows the assigned interrupt for the onboard accelerated
graphics port (AGP) controller.

PCI IRQ Sharing

Setting this parameter to
two different devices. To disable the feature, select

If there are no IRQs available to assign for the
remaining device function, we recommend that you
enable this parameter.

VGA Palette Snoop

This parameter per mits you to use the palette snooping feature if you
installed more than one VGA card in the system.

Yes

Manual

AGP

allows you to assign the same IRQ to

Auto

, this parameter

, you need to specify the

No

.

The VGA palette snoop function allows the control palette register
(CPR) to manage and update the VGA RAM DAC (Digital Analog
Converter, a color data storage) of each VGA card installed in the
system. The snooping process lets the CPR send a signal to all the
VGA cards so that they can update their individual RAM DACs. The
signal goes through the cards continuously until all RAM DAC data has
been updated. This allows the display of multiple images on the
screen.

BIOS Utility 3-31

Some VGA cards have required settings for
this feature. Check your VGA card manual
before setting this parameter.

Graphics Aperture Size

This parameter deter mines the eff ective size of the graphics apertur e.
Graphics aperture is the address range that the AGP video and the
CPU use to manage graphical objects. The lowest setting is 8 MB and
the highest is 256 MB.

Plug and Play OS

When this parameter is set to
devices such as SCSI cards. When set to
boot and non-boot devices such as sound cards.

Set this parameter to
system is Windows 95.

Reset Resource Assignments

No

Yes

.

Set this parameter to
non-PnP or PnP ISA cards. This clears all res ource assignm ents and
allows BIOS to reassign resources to all installed PnP devices the next
time the system boots. After clearing the resource data, the
parameter resets to

Yes

, BIOS initializes only PnP boot

No

, BIOS initializes all PnP

Yes

only if your operating

to avoid IRQ conflict when installing

CPU Frequency

This parameter dis plays your CPU’s speed and bus frequency. It also
allows you to specify the voltage setting for your current CPU.
Selecting this option displays the following screen:

3-32 Altos 500 System Guide

CPU Frequency

Bus Frequency ................66/100 MHz

CPU Multiple .................[3]

Processor Speed ..............xxx MHz

Bus Frequency

The bus frequency refers to the speed by which data is transferred
between internal computer components and the CPU or the main
memory of the CPU. A fast bus allows data to be transferred faster,
which makes applications run faster.

CPU Multiple

This parameter sets the Core/bus ratio of your system. The clock
speed of the bus does not necessar ily equal the CPU’s (core). The
bus clock speed is often slower than the CPU clock speed.

Processor Speed

The processor speed is the speed at which a microprocessor executes
instructions. Clock speeds are expr essed in megahertz (MHz), with 1
MHz being equal to 1 million cycles per second. The faster the clock ,
the more instructions the CPU can execute per second.

BIOS Utility 3-33

System Security

The Setup program has a number of security features to prevent
unauthorized access to the system and its data.

The following screen appears if you select System Security from the
Main menu:

System Security

Setup Password ..................[None]

Power-on Password ...............[None]

Operation Mode ................[Normal]

Disk Drive Control

Floppy Drive ..................[Normal]

Hard Disk Drive ...............[Normal]

Setup Password

The Setup Password prevents unauthorized access to the BIOS utility.

To set or change a Password:

1. Make sure that JP3 is set to 2-3 (bypass password). See chapter

2 for the location of JP3.

You cannot enter the BIOS utility if a Setup
password does not exist and JP3 is set to 1-2
(password check enabled).

By default, JP3 is set to 2-3 (Bypass password).

Enable

2.

menu by pressing the

the Setup Password parameter in the System Security

or

arrow key. The Setup Password

window appears:

3-34 Altos 500 System Guide

Setup Password

Enter your new Setup Password twice. Setup Password
may be up to 7 characters long.

Enter Password.................. [xxxxxxx]

Enter Password again............ [xxxxxxx]

Set or Change Password

3. Type a password in the Enter Password field. The password may
consist of up to seven characters.

Be very careful when typing your password
because the characters do not appear on the
screen.

4. Press

. Retype your password in the Enter Password again

field to verify your first entry.

5. Highlight Set or Change Password and press

6. Press

to return to the System Security menu and then press

.

again to exit Setup. The Exit Setup screen appears:

Exit Setup

Settings have been changed.
Do you want to save to CMOS settings?
[Yes] [No]

7. Press

Yes

to save your settings and exit the Setup Utility. Your

password will be saved to CMOS.

For the password to take effect you must set jumper JP3 to 1-2
(Check password):

BIOS Utility 3-35

1. Turn off and unplug the computer.

2. Open the com puter housing and set J P3 to 1-2 (C heck password)
to check the password function. See chapter 2 for the loc ation of
JP3.

3. Close your computer’s housing and reboot your system.

The next time you want to enter the BIOS utility, you must key in your
Setup password.

To remove your Setup Password:

Disable

1.
menu by pressing the

the Setup Password parameter in the System Security

or

arrow key to select

None

.

2. Press

to return to the System Security menu and then press

again to exit Setup. The Exit Setup screen appears:

Exit Setup

Settings have been changed.
Do you want to save to CMOS settings?
[Yes] [No]

3. Press

Yes

to save your settings and exit Setup Utility. Your

previous password will be removed from CMOS.

Remember to set JP3 to 2-3 (Bypass
password) because you won’t be able to
access Setup Utility if a password does not
exist and JP3 is set to 1-2 (Check password).

To set JP3 to 2-3 (Bypass password):

1. Turn off and unplug the computer.

3-36 Altos 500 System Guide

2. Open the computer housing and set JP3 to 2-3 (Bypass password)
to bypass the password function. See chapter 2 for the location of
JP3.

3. Close your computer’s housing and reboot your system.

To bypass Setup Password:

If you forget your setup password, you can bypass the password
security feature by hardware. Follow these steps to bypass the
password:

1. Turn off and unplug the computer.

2. Open the computer housing and set JP3 to 2-3 (Bypass

password) to bypass the password function. See chapter 2 for the
location of JP3.

3. Turn on the system and enter the BIOS utility. This time, the

system does not require you to type in a password.

You can either change the existing Setup
password or remove it by selecting
to the previous section for the procedure.

None

. Refer

Power-on Password

The Power-on Password secures your system against unauthorized
use. Once you set this password, you have to type it whenever you
boot the system. To set this password, enter the Setup Utility, selec t
System Security, and then highlight the Power-on Password
parameter. Follow the same procedure as in setting the Setup
password.

Make sure to set JP3 to 1-2 to enable the
Power-on password.

BIOS Utility 3-37

Power-on Password

Enter your new Power-on Password twice. Power-on
Password may be up to 7 characters long.

Enter Password ..................[ ]

Enter Password again ............[ ]

Set or Change Password

Operation Mode

This function lets you enable or disable the password prompt display.
When set to
boot. When set to

Normal

, the password prompt appears before system

Keyboard Lock

, the password prompt does not
appear; however, your system will not respond to any keyboard or
mouse input until you enter the correct password.

Disk Drive Control

The disk drive contr ol features allow you to control the floppy drive or
the hard disk drive boot f unction to prevent loading operating system s
or other programs from a certain drive while the other drives are
operational (under DOS mode only).

Floppy Drive

Setting Description

Normal Floppy drive functions normally
Write Protect All Sectors Disables the write function on all

sectors

Write Protect Boot Sector Disables the write function only

on the boot sector

Hard Disk Drive

Setting Description

3-38 Altos 500 System Guide

Normal Hard disk drive functions

normally

Write Protect All Sectors Disables the write function on all

sectors

Write Protect Boot Sector Disables the write function only

on the boot sector

BIOS Utility 3-39

Load Default Settings

Use this option to load the default settings for the optimized system
configuration. When you load the default settings, some of the
parameters are grayed-out with their fixed settings. These grayed
parameters are not user-configurable.

The following dialog box appears when you select Load Default
Settings from the main menu:

Load Default Settings

Do you want to load default settings?

[Yes] [No]

Select
Select

Yes

to load the default settings.

No

to ignore the message and return to the BIOS utility.

Abort Settings Change

Use this option to disregard your changes to the BIOS and reload your
previous settings.

The following dialog box appears when you select Abort Settings
Change from the main menu:

Abort Settings Change

Do you want to abort settings change?

[Yes] [No]

Select
settings. After reload, the main menu appears on screen.

Select

Yes

to disregard your changes and reload your previous

No

to ignore the message and return to the BIOS utility.

3-40 Altos 500 System Guide

Exit Setup

Examine the system conf iguration values . When you are satis f ied that
all the values are correct, write them down. Store the rec orded values
in a safe place. In the future, if the batter y loses power or the CMOS
chip is damaged, you will know what values to enter when you rerun
Setup.

Press

to leave Setup Utility. The following dialog box appears:

Exit Setup

Do you really want to exit Setup?

[Yes] [No]

Use the arrow keys to select your response. Press .
If you made any changes to the Setup Utility, the dialog box below is

displayed.

Exit Setup

Settings have been changed.

Do you want to save CMOS settings?

[Yes] [No]

Use the arrow keys to select your response. Select
changes in CMOS. Select
Press

to exit.

No

to retain the old configuration values.

Yes

to save the

BIOS Utility 3-41

Chapter 4 SCSI/VGA Combo

Card

The combo card includes ex ternal video (CN6) and 68-pin W ide SCSI
interface (CN4).

The SCSI controller chipset (AIC-7880P) is a completely integrated,
single chip SCSI host adapter for motherboard applications. Ultra
speed SCSI technology maximizes transfer s peed of up to 40MB/s in
high performance workstations and servers for greatest utilization of
the 133 MB/s PCI local bus.

The ATI 3D Rage Pro VGA controller chipset is a highly integrated 64
bit graphics accelerator with support for 3D and motion video like
MPEG-2. It also incorporates comprehensive support for Intel's
Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) including 66 or 133 MHz fully
pipelined operation with sidebands.

Card Layout

SCSI/VGA Combo Card 4-1

Jumper Settings

Jumper Setting Function

ROM Remapping

JP1 1-2

VGA Feature

JP2 1-2

VGA Controller

JP3 1-2

Interrupt

JP4 1-2

2-3

2-3*

2-3*

2-3*

*

Connector Functions

Connector Function

CN1 68-pin Wide SCSI connector
CN2 50-pin Fast SCSI-II connector
CN3 ATI Multimedia connector
CN4 Ultra SCSI connector
CN5 LED connector
CN6 VGA connector

Map top 8K to bottom 8K
No remapping

Disabled
Enabled

Disabled
Enabled

Enabled
Disabled

Card Installation

Follow these steps to install the SCSI/VGA combo card.

1. Remove a bracket cover opposite an empty PCI slot.

*

Default setting

4-2 Altos 500 System Guide