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
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