AOpen AP53-AMI User Manual

Chapter 3

AMI BIOS Utility

This chapter tells how to configure the system by setting the BIOS parameters.

3.1 Entering the AMI BIOS Setup

To enter the AMI BIOS Setup, press c. The AMI BIOS Setup Main Menu
appears as shown below.

The AMI BIOS is in Windows form. You can use either the keyboard or a
mouse to move between the items.
To select among the Setup menu groups, use v to highlight the selected group
or simply click on the icon of the selected Setup menu.

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AMI BIOS Utility

To select among the options, you can either use the arrow keys to move the
highlight bar or simply click on the icon of the desired option.
After making your selection, press e or double-click on the icon to open the
selected menu option.

You can press h to enter the BIOS Setup screen. This
also enables you to do the following:

• Resolve an address conflict due to an IRQ

address assigned to multiple slots. For more
information on IRQ assignment, see the section

3.2.3 (Chipset Features Setup).

• Return to the BIOS default settings if the PnP

BIOS does not recognize the hardware
modifications under Windows 95.

3.2 Setup Menu

The figure below shows the Setup window. Use the arrow keys to highlight
an option.

3.2.1 Standard Setup

The following screen appears if you select Standard from the Setup
options:

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AMI BIOS Utility

You can input configuration values such as date, time and disk types in this
menu.

PRIMARY MASTER AND SLAVE/

SECONDARY MASTER AND SLAVE

These parameters allow you to configure the hard disks and the IDE devices
connected to your IDE connectors. To configure the hard disk connected to
the master port of the primary IDE connector, select Primary Master

and press e. The following screen appears:

To configure the hard disk connected to the slave port of the primary IDE
connector, select Primary Slave.
The secondary IDE connector also supports two IDE devices. To configure
the hard disk or the IDE device connected to the master port, select

Secondary Master. Choose Secondary Slave to configure the

device connected to the slave port.
The following are the parameters that you need to set to configure your hard
disks or the IDE devices:

Type

This parameter lets you set the IDE device type that your system supports.
The options are User, Auto, CD-ROM, Type 1-46, and Not

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AMI BIOS Utility

Installed. Select Auto to automatically configure the installed hard

disk or IDE device. Select CD-ROM if you have a CD-ROM installed in your
system. If you have an old type HDD installed, you may need to enter the
HDD parameters manually. To do this, you must set this parameter to User.
Set this to Not Installed to bypass the function.

LBA/Large Mode

This enhanced IDE feature allows the system to use a hard disk with a capacity
of more than 504 MB. This is made possible through the Logical Block
Address (LBA) mode translation. Set the parameter to Off to disregard the
feature.

This parameter becomes nonconfigurable when the HDD Type parameter is set
to Auto.

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AMI BIOS Utility

Block Mode

This function enhanced disk performance depending on the hard disk in use. If
enabled, it allows data transfers in block (multiple sectors) by increasing the
data transfer rate to 256 bytes/cycle. However, if your hard disk does not
support this function, set this parameter to Off.

This parameter becomes nonconfigurable when the HDD Type parameter is set
to Auto.

32-bit Mode

Enabling this parameter improves system performance by increasing the hard
disk access to 32-bit mode. However, make sure that your hard disk supports
this function before you enable the parameter. Otherwise, set this parameter to

Off.

PIO Mode

Setting this parameter to On allows the system to use a faster hard disk drive.
If your hard disk does not support the PIO mode feature, set this parameter to

Off.

This parameter becomes nonconfigurable when the HDD Type parameter is set
to Auto.

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HARD DISK TYPES

After you have set all the necessary parameters, press e. A list of the HDD
drive parameters appears:

Select your hard disk type. Press the w or y to move among the selections.
After you have made your selection, press e.
If you cannot find your hard disk drive type on the list, select User. This
allows you to enter the disk parameters manually.

DATE/TIME

To set the date and time, highlight Date/Time and press e. The following
screen appears:

Select the arrow keys to move among the items. Press or click on + or - to set
the current time and date. Press e or double-click on the Control menu box in
the upper-left corner of the window.

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FLOPPY DRIVES A AND B

To configure the first floppy drive, select Floppy A. The following values
appear on screen:

After selecting the proper setting, press e.
Select Floppy B and follow the same procedure to configure the second
floppy drive.

3.2.2 Advanced CMOS Setup

The following screen appears if you select the option Advanced from the
Setup menu:

The first screen does not show all the parameters of the Advanced
Configuration menu. To scroll down the rest of the parameters, press }. Press

w or y to highlight the desired parameter.

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AMI BIOS Utility

Do not change the settings of the Advanced Setup
parameters if you are not a qualified technician.
Doing so may cause fatal system failure.

Quick Boot

During boot-up, the system performs power-on self test (POST) routines.
Enable the parameter if you want to skip some POST routines during the boot
process. Set this to Disabled to let the system perform all the POST
routines and follow the specified boot-up sequence.

Power-on Delay

This parameter lets you set the POST waiting time for the HDD motor to
stabilize before boot up. The settings are from 1 to 15 seconds and

Disabled. The default setting is Disabled.

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Boot-up Sequence

The boot-up sequence allows you to specify the system search sequence. The
selections are C:, A:, CD-ROM / A:, CD-ROM, C: / A:,

C:, CD-ROM / C:, CD-ROM, A: / CD-ROM, A:, C: and
CD-ROM, C:, A:. If you have a bootable CD-ROM installed, you may

set the CD-ROM as the first priority. The default is A:, C:, CD-ROM.

Boot-up Numlock

Setting this parameter to On enables the numeric function of the numeric
keypad. Set this parameter to Off to disregard the function. Disabling the
numeric function allows you to use the cursor control numeric keypad. The
default setting is On.

Floppy Drive Swap

This parameter allows you to swap floppy drives. For example, if you have
two floppy drives (A and B), you can assign the first drive as drive B and the
second drive as drive A or vice-versa. Disable the parameter to bypass the
function. The default is Disabled.

Floppy Drive Seek

When enabled, the BIOS detects whether there is a floppy disk drive installed
in the system. Disable the parameter to skip the function.

PS/2 Mouse

Setting this parameter to Enabled lets you enable the PS/2 mouse function
and assign IRQ12 for the said function. Set this to Disabled to bypass the
function and to reserve IRQ12 for other functions.

Typematic Rate

This parameter determines the typematic rate. Select Fast to increase the
typematic rate. Select Slow to decrease it.

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AMI BIOS Utility

System Keyboard

Set this parameter to Present if there is a keyboard connected to the
system. Otherwise, select Absent.

Primary Display

This function detects the type of VGA in use. The selections are VGA/EGA,

CGA 40 x 25, CGA 80 x 25, Mono, and Absent. The

default setting is VGA/EGA.

Password Check

This parameter allows you to use the password feature. When set to

Always, a user-password prompt appears every time you turn on the

computer. When set to Setup, the password prompt appears when you try to
enter setup. The optimal and fail-safe default setting is Setup.

Parity Check

Set this parameter to Enabled if you install SIMMs with parity in your
system. Otherwise, set this parameter to Disabled. Since the DRAM can
still operate without using the parity scheme for SIMMs with parity, this
function is normally set to Disabled.

OS/2 Compatible Mode

Enable the parameter if you have an OS/2 operating system installed in your
system. Otherwise, set this to Disabled. The default setting is

Disabled.

Internal Cache

This function lets you enable or disable the internal cache.

External Cache

This function lets you enable or disable the external cache.

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AMI BIOS Utility

System BIOS Cacheable

Enabling this parameter allows you to change the system BIOS from ROM to
RAM. When the system boots, the BIOS routines are copied into the RAM
area. This enhances system performance as information access is faster in
RAM than in ROM. Disabling the parameter prevents the system BIOS from
being cached. The default setting is Enabled.

C000 ~ DC00, 16K Shadow

These parameters are for shadowing expansion cards with ROM. You need to
know the specific addresses that ROMs use to shadow the expansion cards
before you set any of these parameters. If you do not know this information,
enable all the ROM shadow settings. This ensures shadowing of any present
ROMs and reduces the available memory . Select Cached if the data in the
chosen addresses are already copied into RAM. The default setting is

Disabled.

The F000 and E000 addresses are exclusively
shadowed for BIOS.

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AMI BIOS Utility

3.2.3 Chipset Features Setup

The Chipset Features Setup controls the board chipset settings. The controls
for this menu are the same as for the previous screens. The Chipset Features
Setup screen appears as follows.

To scroll down the rest of the parameters, press }. Use w or y to highlight the
desired parameter.

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AMI BIOS Utility

Memory Hole

This option lets you assign the system memory area to avoid memory conflicts.
The settings are 512~640K, 15~16M and Disabled.

8-bit I/O Recovery Time (Sysclk)

This parameter allows you to set the response time of the 8-bit I/O devices
connected to your system. The settings range from 1-7 SYSCLK and

Disabled.

16-bit I/O Recovery Time (Sysclk)

This parameter allows you to set the response time of the 16-bit I/O devices
connected to your system. The settings range from 1-4 SYSCLK and

Disabled.

DRAM Timing

The selections for this parameter are 60 ns, 70 ns, and Manual. If
you select either 60 ns or 70 ns, the DRAM Timing subparameters
become nonconfigurable since BIOS automatically sets the values. Select

Manual if you want to specify your own parameter settings.

DRAM REFRESH RATE

This option lets you specify the DRAM refresh rate. The selections are 50

MHz, 60 MHz, 66 MHz, and Reserved.

ISA CLOCK DIVISOR

This option specifies the system bus clock divisor. The selections are

PCICLK/4 and PCICLK/3.

TURBO READ LEAD OFF

When enabled, the BIOS skips the first input register in the DRAM when
reading data and therefore, speeds up the data read timings. Disable the option
to bypass the feature.

DRAM READ BURST TIMING

This parameter adjusts the read wait state between L2 and DRAM cache.
Everytime the CPU reads L2 cache miss, it reads four continuous memory

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AMI BIOS Utility

cycles on four continues addresses from the DRAM cache. Therefore, it has
four settings to adjust.
The parameter settings are X-4-4-4, X-3-3-3, and X-2-2-2.
Faster DRAMs require shorter wait states. The value of X depends on the
DRAM Lead-off Timing parameter setting. The default is X-4-4-4.

DRAM WRITE BURST TIMING

This parameter adjusts the write wait state between L2 and DRAM cache. The
L2 cache is processed through write-back method and each cache write process
consists of four continuous cache write cycles. Therefore, it has four settings
to adjust.
The parameter settings are X-4-4-4, X-3-3-3, and X-2-2-2.
Faster DRAMs require shorter wait states. The value of X depends on the
DRAM Lead-off Timing parameter setting. The default is X-3-3-3.

FAST RAS TO CAS DELAY (CLOCKS)

This option specifies the wait state between the row address strobe (RAS) and
column address strobe (CAS) signals. The settings are 3 and 2. The default is

3.

DRAM LEAD-OFF TIMING (DLT)

This option specifies the lead-off time before data can be accessed. Some
DRAMs may require a longer delay to access data. The default is

7/6/4/5.

SPECULATIVE LEAD OFF

Enable the parameter to speed up the data read action by presenting the
DRAM controller read request before the controller chip decodes the data to
the final memory target (i.e., cache, DRAM or PCI).

TURN AROUND INSERTION

Enabling this option allows the CPU to insert one turn-around clock cycle to
the MD signals after asserting the MWE signal before enabling the MD
buffers. Set this to Disabled to select the back-to-back DRAM cycles for
asserting MWE signal.

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AMI BIOS Utility

Peer Concurrency

Enable the parameter to allow the CPU to run secondary DRAM PCI master
cycles to target PCI peer devices. Select Disabled to hold the CPU bus.
The default setting is Disabled.

Memory Error Check Mode

BIOS automatically detects the memory error check mode supported by the
secondary cache installed in your system. Therefore, this parameter is
nonconfigurable and is for display only.

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AMI BIOS Utility

3.2.4 Power Management Setup

To take advantage of the power-management feature, select Power

Management from the Setup menu. The following screen appears:

To scroll down the rest of the parameters, press }. Use w or y to highlight the
desired parameter.

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AMI BIOS Utility

Power Management/APM

This parameter enables or disables the advanced power-management function.

Instant On Timeout (Minutes)

This parameter is configurable only if the Power Management/APM parameter
is set to Instant On. This lets you specify when to resume system power
after being in power-saving mode for a certain period of time.

Green Monitor Power-down State

This function lets you set when to power down your green PC monitor. The
options are Standby, Suspend and Disabled. The default is

Standby.

Display Card Power-down Mode

This option allows you to set when to power down your system display card.
The card function returns to full power once the system resumes to normal
mode. The selections are Standby, Suspend and Disabled. The
default setting is Standby.

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Hard Disk Power-down Mode

This option lets you set when to “spin down your IDE hard disk. The disk
returns to full speed once the system resumes to normal mode. The available
settings are Standby, Suspend and Disabled. The default setting
is Suspend.

Hard Disk Timeout (Minutes)

This option lets you specify when to set the hard disk to the specified power­down mode.

Standby Timeout (Minutes)

This function lets you set when to put the system into standby mode. In
standby mode, the CPU clock slows down. Any event detected returns the
system to full power. The settings are 10 sec, 30 sec, 1 min, 5

min, 10 min, 20 min, 30 min and Disabled.

Suspend Timeout (Minutes)

This function lets you set when to put the system into suspend mode. In
suspend mode, the CPU clock stops. Any event detected returns the system to
full power. The settings are 10 sec, 30 sec, 1 min, 5 min,

10 min, 20 min, 30 min and Disabled.

Slow Clock Ratio

When the system enters the standby mode, the CPU clock starts to slow down.
This parameter lets you set the “slow down” clock ratio. The settings are

1:2, 1:4, 1:8, 1:16, 1:32, 1:64 and 1:128.

IRQ 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

These parameters enable or disable specific I/O devices as wake up events in
the power management mode.

You must enable at least one IRQ activity.
Otherwise, the system stays in suspend mode.

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3.2.5 PCI/PnP Setup

The PCI/PNP Setup allows you to specify the setting for your PCI devices.
The screen below appears on screen if you select PCI/PnP from the Setup
menu.

To scroll down the rest of the parameters, press }. Use w or y to highlight the
desired parameter.

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AMI BIOS Utility

Plug and Play Aware O/S

This parameter lets you enable or disable the Plug and Play feature.

PCI VGA Palette Snoop

PCI devices support the palette snooping technique that enables the device to
control access to their palette registers. Enable this parameter to activate the
palette snooping function in the PCI VGA devices installed in the system.
Check your VGA card manual for more information about his function. The
default setting is Disabled.

PCI IDE Bus Master

This option lets you enable or disable the bus master function of the PCI IDE
device installed in your system.

PCI IDE Card

This function allows you to select the PCI slots that you want to enable, if
there are any offboard PCI IDE card present. Set this parameter to Auto to
automatically configure the installed PCI card.

PCI IDE Primary IRQ

This parameter lets you assign an IRQ for the IDE device connected to your
primary IDE connector. The settings are INTA, INTB, INTC,

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INTD, Hardwired and Disabled. If the PCI IDE Card parameter is

set to Auto, this parameter becomes nonconfigurable.

PCI IDE Secondary IRQ

This parameter lets you assign an IRQ for the IDE device connected to your
secondary IDE connector. The settings are INTA, INTB, INTC,

INTD, Hardwired and Disabled. If the PCI IDE Card parameter is

set to Auto, this parameter becomes nonconfigurable.

PCI Slot 1/2/3/4 IRQ Priority

These parameters let you specify the appropriate interrupt for each occupied
PCI slots.

DMA Channels 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 7

These lines allow you to assign the available DMA channels to either PnP or
ISA functions.

IRQs 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15

These lines allow you to assign the available IRQs to either PCI/PnP or ISA
devices.

Reserved for Memory Size

This option lets you specify the memory area reserved for PCI devices.

Reserved Memory Address

This option lets you specify the memory address of the specified memory area
reserved for PCI devices.

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3.2.6 Peripheral Setup

Select Peripheral from the Setup menu and the following screen appears.

Onboard FDC

This parameter enables or disables the floppy drive controller.

Onboard Serial Port 1

This parameter allows you to select the address for the first serial port.
Selecting Disabled deactivates the port.

Onboard Serial Port 2

This parameter allows you to select the address for the second serial port.
Selecting Disabled deactivates the port.

SERIAL PORT 2 MODE

This parameter is configurable only if the Onboard Serial Port 2 parameter is
enabled. This allows you to specify the serial port 2 mode.

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Onboard Parallel Port

This parameter allows you to select the address for the parallel port. Selecting

Disabled deactivates the parallel port.

PARALLEL PORT IRQ

This parameter is configurable only if the Onboard Parallel Port is NOT set to

Auto. This allows you to set an IRQ for the parallel port function. The

available IRQ selections are 5 and 7.

PARALLEL PORT ECP DMA

This parameter is configurable only if the Onboard Parallel Port is NOT set to

Auto. and the Parallel Port Mode is set to ECP. This allows you to set an

ECP DMA channel for the parallel port function. The selections are 1 and 3.

PARALLEL PORT MODE

This parameter specifies the parallel port mode. The mode options are SPP,

EPP and ECP.

Onboard IDE

This parameter enables or disables the IDE controller.

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3.3 Security Setup

The Security window contains the password and anti-virus features.

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AMI BIOS Utility

3.3.1 Supervisor Password

The use of password prevents unauthorized use of your computer. If you
enabled the Supervisor password, the system prompts for the correct password
before granting access to Setup.
To set a Supervisor password, select Supervisor from the Security
window. The following screen appears:

Follow these steps to set up a password using the keyboard:

1. Type in a six-character password using letters, numbers, or a combination
of both. When you type the characters, they appear as asterisks on the
password screen boxes.

2. Press e.

3. Retype the password when a password confirmation box appears asking
you to retype the password.

You may also use the mouse and the characters on the screen to set up a
password.

1. Click on six characters from the password screen. The characters appear
on the boxes as asterisks.

2. Click on e.

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3. Enter the password when a confirmation box appears.

3.3.2 User Password

If you enabled the User password, it is impossible to boot the computer and
enter Setup without entering the correct password.
To set a User password, select User from the Security window. The
following screen appears:

For instructions on how to enter a password, follow the procedures listed in
section 3.3.1.

3.3.3 Anti-virus

Select Anti-Virus from the Security window to display the following
option box.

The virus protection options allow you to enable or disable the virus protection
feature.

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AMI BIOS Utility

3.4 Utility Setup

The Utility window lets you change WinBIOS Setup colors and language
setting.

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3.4.1 Color Set

Select Color Set from the Utility window to display the following screen.

Use the arrow keys or simply click an option to select your desired background
color for WinBIOS.

3.4.2 Language

Select Language from the Utility window to display the following screen.

The system language currently supported is only English.

3.5 Default Setup

The Default window allows you to select a group of settings for all WinBIOS
Setup options.

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3.5.1 Original

When you select Original, a dialog box prompts you restore the old
values. Select No to keep your current settings or Yes to restore the original
values.

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3.5.2 Optimal

When you select Optimal, a dialog box prompts you load the optimal
values. Select No to keep your current settings or Yes to load the optimal
values.

3.5.3 Fail-safe

When you select Fail-safe, a dialog box prompts you load the fail-safe
values. Select No to keep your current settings or Yes to load the fail-safe
values.

3.6 Exiting Setup

Carefully check your new settings when you have finished configuring the
system. If correct, write them down and keep the recorded values in a safe
place. If in the future, the battery loses power or the CMOS chip is damaged,
you will know what values to enter when you rerun setup.
Press ^ to display the following screen.

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Use the y or w key then press e or simply click on an option to select. Select

Save changes and Exit to save the changes that you made. Select
Do not save changes and Exit to leave setup without saving

your changes. Select Continue if you want to make any more
configuration changes.

3.7 NCR SCSI BIOS and Drivers

The NCR 53C810 SCSI BIOS resides on the same flash memory chip as the
system BIOS. To use the onboard NCR BIOS, you need to install an NCR
53C810 SCSI controller card in your system.
All SCSI devices that you install in your system require software drivers. The
NCR SCSI BIOS directly supports SCSI hard disks under DOS, Windows and
OS/2. It also uses DOS-format and SCO UNIX-format support floppy disk
device drivers that come with the NCR 53C810 SCSI controller card. The
DOS-format device drivers are for SCSI devices used with DOS, Windows
NT, Novell NetWare and OS/2. The SCO UNIX-format device drivers are for
SCSI devices used with SCO UNIX. These drivers offer higher performance
than the direct BIOS support.
To use the device drivers, you must install them in your system hard disk drive
and add them to your system configuration files. For detailed installation
instructions, see the README files that come with the drivers.

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AMI BIOS Utility

The system board also supports the AMI Flash
Memory Writer Utility that allows you to
upgrade the system BIOS. For more
information on this utility, contact your local
distributor.

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