AOpen AP58 AP58 User Manual

AP58

User's Guide

Printed in Taiwan

PART NO.:49.86401.101
DOC. NO.: AP58-1-E9802C

AP58

Mainboard

User's Guide

Document Number : AP58-1-E9802C
Model and Version : For AP58 version 1.xx
Manual Version : English, version C
Release Date : Feb 5, 1998

More help for latest information:
Taiwan http://www.aopen.com.tw
USA http://www.aopen-usa.com

http://www.aopenamerica.com

Europe http://www.aopen.nl

Copyright

Copyright  1997 by this company. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval
system, or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or
by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, manual or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of this company.

ii

Disclaimer

This company makes no representations or warranties, either expressed or
implied, with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any
warranties, merchantability or fitness 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.

Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
XT/AT is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
AMI is a registered trademark of American Megatrends Inc.
AWARD is a registered trademark of Award Software Inc.

Other brand and product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their
respective holders.

iii

Purpose and Scope

This manual tells how to install and configure the system board.

Organization

This manual consists of three chapters and one appendix:
Chapter 1, Overview, covers the introduction and specifications of the system

board.
Chapter 2, Hardware Installation, describes hardware jumpers, connectors and

memory configuration. There are user friendly drawings to locate jumper and
connector.

Chapter 3, AWARD BIOS, explains the system BIOS and tells how to configure
the system by setting the BIOS parameters.

Chapter 4, Installing System Component, includes 3D drawing and step by
step procedures for first time DIY user to install the system board, CPU,
SIMM/DIMM, cable and add expansion cards.

Appendix A, Jumper Table Summary, gives you a tabular summary of the
jumper settings discussed in Chapter 2.

Appendix B, Frequently Asked Question, collects most frequently asked
question of this product.

Appendix C, Troubleshooting Guide, includes first aid information you need if
you meet trouble, the WWW address and worldwide service telephone/fax are
also included.

Appendix D, AOpen Best Products, includes the best sale and recommended
product specifications of AOpen.

iv

Conventions

The following conventions are used in this manual:

Text entered by user,
default settings,
recommended selections

<Enter>, <Tab>,<Ctl>, <Alt>,
<Ins>, <Del>, etc

Represent text input by the user,
default settings and recommended
selections

Represent the actual keys that you
have to press on the keyboard.

Note:

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

Warning:

Alerts you to any damage that might
result from doing or not doing specific
actions.

Caution:

Suggests precautionary measures to
avoid potential hardware or software
problems.

Important:

Reminds you to take specific action
relevant to the accomplishment of the
procedure at hand.

Tip:

Tells how to accomplish a procedure
with minimum steps through little
shortcuts.

v

Contents

Chapter 1 Overview

1.1 Specifications......................................................1-3

Chapter 2 Hardware Installation

2.1 Jumper and Connector Locations.....................2-2

2.2 Jumpers ...............................................................2-4

2.2.1 Setting the CPU Voltage.................................2-5

2.2.2 Selecting the CPU Frequency.........................2-6

2.2.3 Disabling the Onboard Super I/O Controller...2-10

2.2.4 Setting PCI Clock...........................................2-11

2.2.5 Clearing the CMOS........................................2-12

2.3 Connectors ........................................................2-13

2.3.1 Power Cable.................................................2-13

2.3.2 CPU Fan.......................................................2-13

2.3.3 PS/2 Mouse..................................................2-14

2.3.4 Serial Devices (COM1/COM2).....................2-14

2.3.5 USB Device (optional)..................................2-15

2.3.6 Floppy Drive.................................................2-15

2.3.7 Printer...........................................................2-16

2.3.8 IDE Hard Disk and CD ROM........................2-16

2.3.9 Hard Disk LED..............................................2-18

vi

2.3.10 Panel Connector...........................................2-18

2.3.11 Keyboard......................................................2-20

2.3.12 IrDA Connector.............................................2-21

2.4 Configuring the System Memory.....................2-22

Chapter 3 AWARD BIOS

3.1 Entering the BIOS Setup.....................................3-1

3.2 Standard CMOS Setup........................................3-2

3.3 BIOS Features Setup...........................................3-6

3.4 Chipset Features Setup....................................3-11

3.5 Power Management Setup ...............................3-18

3.6 PnP/PCI Configuration Setup........................... 3-23

3.7 Load Setup Default............................................3-27

3.8 Load Turbo Default ...........................................3-27

3.9 Integrated Peripherals ......................................3-28

3.10 Password Setting..............................................3-33

3.11 IDE HDD Auto Detection...................................3-34

3.12 Save & Exit Setup..............................................3-34

3.13 Exit without Saving...........................................3-34

3.14 NCR SCSI BIOS and Driver...............................3-34

vii

3.15 BIOS Flash Utility.............................................. 3-35

Chapter 4 Installing System Component

4.1 Installing Memory Modules................................4-1

4.1.1 Installing a SIMM............................................4-2

4.1.2 Removing a SIMM..........................................4-2

4.1.3 Installing a DIMM............................................4-3

4.1.4 Removing a DIMM..........................................4-4

4.2 Installing or Upgrading a CPU ...........................4-4

4.3 Installing the System Board...............................4-6

4.4 Accesory Bracket and Cables............................4-6

4.4.1 Baby AT (PS/2) Power Cable.........................4-7

4.4.2 Serial Port Bracket (COM1/COM2)................4 -7

4.4.3 PS/2 Mouse Bracket......................................4-8

4.4.4 Printer Bracket...............................................4-8

4.4.5 USB Bracket..................................................4-9

4.4.6 Floppy Cable..................................................4-9

4.4.7 IDE Cables for HDD and CDROM................4-10

4.4.8 Front-panel Switch and LED Cables.............4-10

4.5 Installing Add-on Cards....................................4-11

Appendix A Jumper Table Summary

viii

Appendix B Frequently Asked Question

Appendix C Troubleshooting

Appendix D AOpen Best Products

ix

Chapter 1

Overview

The AP58 is a high-performance Pentium-based system board that utilizes
the PCI/ISA architecture and Baby AT form factor. It integrates the SIS 5582
PCIset, a Super I/O controller, and a PCI mode 4 enhanced IDE controller with
bus master and Ultra DMA/33 to enhance system performance. It has 256KB
or 512KB pipelined-burst second-level cache onboard and support four single
in-line memory module (SIMM) plus two Dual in-line memory module (DIMM)
that allows to mix EDO and SDRAM memory and expansion up to a maximum
of 384MB.

AP58 also implements:

Suspend To Hard Drive

"Immediately" turns on system and goes back to the original screen before
power down. You can resume your original work directly from hard disk without
go through the Win95 booting process and run your application again.
Suspend to Hard Drive saves your current work (system status, memory
image) into hard disk. Note that you have to use VESA compatible PCI VGA
(AOpen S3 PCI PV70/PT70), Sound Blaster compatible sound card with APM
driver (AOpen AW35/MP56), Rockwell compatible Modem (AOpen F56/MP56)
for Suspend to Hard Drive to work properly.

High Efficient Synchronous Switching Power Regulator

Most of the current switching designs are Asynchronous mode, which from the
technical point of view, still consumes very high power as well as heat. AOpen
AP58 implements high efficient Synchronous switching design that the
temperature of MOS FET is less than 36 degree C comparing with 57 degree
Schottky diode of Asynchronous design.

1-1

Overview

3V Over-current Protection

The Over Current Protection was very popular implemented on the Baby AT or
ATX +5V/+12V switching power supply. It is very useful to prevent accidental
short circuit when you install the mainboard, HDD, add-on cards into housing.
But unfortunately, the new generation CPU and chipset use 3.3V/2.8V Voltage
which has regulator to transfer 5V to 3.3V (Vcpuio, chipset, PBSRAM,
SDRAM) and 2.8V (CPU Vcore), and makes 5V Over Current Protection
useless. AOpen AP58 supports 3.3V and 2.8V Over Current Protection, in
conjunction with 5V/12V power supply provide the full line Over Current
Protection.

CPU Thermal Protection (This function is optional)

This mainboard implements special thermal protection circuit below the CPU.
When temperature is higher than a predefined value, the CPU speed will
automatically slow down and there will be warning from BIOS and also utility
software (for example, aohw100, a hardware monitor utility which you can
download from AOpen's website). This feature is automatically implemented by
BIOS and software, no hardware installation is needed.

1-2

Note: AP58 intends to implement the new power

management features ACPI. But ACPI is a specification
of PC97, it is not fully defined yet. Although AOpen will
try the best to support ACPI (normally, through BIOS
modifications), it is still possible that AP58 can not fully
comply ACPI specification.

1.1 Specifications

Overview

Form Factor
Board Size
CPU

System Memory

Second-level Cache
Chipset
Expansion Slots
Serial Port
Parallel Port

Floppy Interface

IDE Interface

USB Interface

PS/2 Mouse
Keyboard

RTC and Battery
BIOS
Switching Regulator
3V Over-current

Protection
CPU Thermal

Protection

Baby AT
220 mm x 280 mm
Intel Pentium Processor P54C, PP/MT (P55C), AMD K5/

K6, Cyrix 6x86/M2 and IDT C6.
FPM (Fast Page Mode) or EDO (Extended Data Output) 72-

pin SIMM x4, and SDRAM 168-pin x2 maximum 384MB.
256KB or 512KB pipelined-burst cache onboard
SiS 5582 PCIset (480-pin BGA Package)
ISA x3 and PCI x4
Two serial ports UART 16C550 compatible
One parallel port supports standard parallel port (SPP),

enhanced parallel port (EPP) or extended capabilities port
(ECP).

Floppy interface supports 3.5 inches drives with 720KB,

1.44MB or 2.88MB format or 5.25 inches drives with
360KB, 1.2MB format

Dual-channel IDE interface support maximum 4 IDE hard
disks or CDROM, mode 4 , bus master hard disk drives and
Ultra DMA/33 mode hard drives are also supported.

Two USB ports supported by USB bracket, the BIOS also
supports USB driver to simulate legacy keyboard.

PS/2 mouse supported by PS/2 mouse bracket.
Default AT compatible keyboard, mini-DIN PS/2 keyboard

connector is optional.
RTC build in chipset, Lithium (CR-2032) battery.
AWARD Plug-and-Play Flash ROM BIOS
High efficient synchronous switching regulator

3.3V 10A and 2.8V/2.9V (CPU core) 15A over-current
protection to prevent any accident short circuit.

Warning when CPU temperature is higher than a predefined
value.

1-3

Chapter 2

Hardware Installation

This chapter gives you a step-by-step procedure on how to install your system.
Follow each section accordingly.

Caution: Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can
damage your processor, disk drives,
expansion boards, and other components.
Always observe the following precautions
before you install a system component.

1. Do not remove a component from its
protective packaging until you are ready
to install it.

2. Wear a wrist ground strap and attach it to
a metal part of the system unit before
handling a component. If a wrist strap is
not available, maintain contact with the
system unit throughout any procedure
requiring ESD protection.

2-1

Hardware Installation

COM2

JP3

JP1

JP4

JP8

2.1 Jumper and Connector Locations

The following figure shows the locations of the jumpers and connectors on the
system board:

USB

I

I

I
S
A

2

3

S

S

A

A

1

S

BIO

JP18

PCI
4

Super
I/O

PCI
3

PCI
2

PCI
1

PWR1

S

S

I

I

M

M

M

M

1

2

PS2 MS

S

I
M
M

3

COM1

S

I
M
M

4

KB1

FDC

PRINTER

D

D

I

I

M

M

M

M

2

1

5582

JP14

IDE1 IDE2

PANEL

JP11

HDD LED

IrDA

JP2

FAN

JP6

JP5

2-2

Hardware Installation

Jumpers:

JP1,JP2,JP3: CPU frequency ratio
JP4,JP5,JP6: CPU external (bus) clock
JP8: Setting PCI clock
JP11: CPU core voltage setting (Vcore)
JP14: Clear CMOS
JP18: Onboard Super I/O enable/disable

Connectors:

KB1: AT keyboard connector
PWR1: AT (PS/2) power connector
PS2 MS: PS/2 mouse connector
USB: USB connector
COM1: COM1 connector
COM2: COM2 connector
FDC: Floppy drive connector
PRINTER: Printer connector
IDE1: IDE1 primary channel
IDE2: IDE2 secondary channel
FAN: CPU fan connector
IrDA: IrDA (Infrared) connector
HDD LED: HDD LED connector
PANEL: Front panel (Multifunction) connector

2-3

Hardware Installation

3

3

2.2 Jumpers

Jumpers are made by pin headers and plastic connecting caps for the purpose of
customizing your hardware. Doing so requires basic knowledge of computer
hardware, be sure you understand the meaning of the jumpers before you
change any setting. The onboard jumpers are normally set to their default with
optimized settings.

On the mainboard, normally there is a bold line marked beside pin 1 of the
jumper, sometimes, there are numbers also. If we connect (short) plastic cap to
pin 1 and 2, we will say set it at 1-2, and when we say jumper is open, that
means no plastic cap connected to jumper pins.

Open

1
2

Short

1
2

Jumper set at 1-2

1
2

Jumper set at 2-3

1
2

2-4

2.2.1 Setting the CPU Voltage

11

12

11

12

11

12

11

12

11

12

Hardware Installation

JP11

1-2
3-4

5-6
7-8
9-10
11-12

CPU Core Voltage (Vcore)

3.45V (Intel P54C or IDT C6)

3.52V (Cyrix 6x86, AMD K5 or IDT
C6)

2.9V (AMD K6-166/200 or Cyrix M2)

2.8V (MMX P55C, Cyrix 6x86L)

3.2V (AMD K6-233)

JP11 is used to select CPU
core voltage (Vcore), normally
it is set to default 3.45V for
INTEL Pentium P54C. It must
be changed if you have CPU
with different core voltage.
Please refer to the CPU
specification for more details.

2.2V (AMD K6-266/300)

JP11

1
3
5
7
9

3.45V
P54C

IDT C6

2
4
6
8

10

JP11

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

3.52V

6x86 or K5

IDT C6

JP11

1
3
5
7
9

2.9V

K6-166
K6-200

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

10

9

P55C

6x86L

M2

Warning: Please make sure that you have installed CPU fan
properly if Intel PP/MT-233 or AMD K6-200/233 is being
selected to use. It may cause your system unstable if you can
not meet the heat dissipation requirement from above CPU
type. It is recommended to adopt larger fan on these CPU for
better air flow in the system.

JP11

2.8V

JP11

1

2
4
6
8

10

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

3.2V

K6-233

Warning: If your CPU is IDT C6, note that this processor
supports one of two voltage range, 3.135 ~ 3.465V ( 3.45V)
and 3.45 ~ 3.6V ( 3.52V). See the CPU specification to set the
correct voltage.

Tip: Normally, for single voltage CPU, Vcpuio (CPU I/O
Voltage) is equal to Vcore, but for CPU that needs dual
voltage such as PP/MT (P55C) or Cyrix 6x86L, Vcpuio is
different from Vcore and must be set to Vio (PBSRAM and
Chipset Voltage). The single or dual voltage CPU is
automatically detected by hardware circuit.

CPU Type JP11 Vcore

2-5

Hardware Installation

INTEL P54C Single Voltage 1-2 3.45V
INTEL MMX P55C Dual Voltage 7-8 2.8V
AMD K5 Single Voltage 3-4 3.52V
AMD K6-166/200 Dual Voltage 5-6 2.9V
AMD K6-233 Dual Voltage 9-10 3.2V
AMD K6-266/300 Dual Voltage 11-12 2.2V
Cyrix 6x86 Single Voltage 3-4 3.52V
Cyrix 6x86L Dual Voltage 7-8 2.8V
Cyrix M2 Dual Voltage 5-6 2.9V
IDT C6 Single Voltage 1-2

2.2.2 Selecting the CPU Frequency

3-4

3.45V

3.52V

JP3

1-2
1-2
1-2
1-2
2-3
2-3
2-3
2-3

JP2

1-2
1-2
2-3
2-3
1-2
2-3
2-3
1-2

JP1

1-2
2-3
2-3
1-2
2-3
2-3
1-2
1-2

CPU Frequency
Ratio

1.5x (3.5x)
2x

2.5x (1.75x)
3x
4x

4.5x
5x

5.5x

Intel Pentium, Cyrix 6x86 and
AMD K5/K6 CPU are designed to
have different Internal (Core) and
External (Bus) frequency. The
ratio of Core/Bus frequency is
selected by JP1, JP2, which CPU
is using to multiply external clock
and produce internal frequency.
Note that JP3 is reserved for
future CPU.

Note: Intel PP/MT MMX 233MHz is using 1.5x jumper setting for

3.5x frequency ratio, and AMD PR166 is using 2.5x setting for

1.75x frequency ratio.

Core frequency = Ratio * External bus clock

2-6

JP3 JP2 JP1 JP3 JP2 JP1

Hardware Installation

1

3

1

3

1

3

1

3

1

3

1

3

1

3

1

3

2

1.5x (3.5x)

JP3 JP2 JP1

2

2.5x (1.75x)

JP3 JP2 JP1

2

4x

JP3 JP2 JP1

2

5x

2

2x

JP3 JP2 JP1

2

3x

JP3 JP2 JP1

2

4.5x

JP3 JP2 JP1

2

5.5x

Note: Intel PP/MT 233MHz is using 1.5x jumper setting for

3.5x frequency ratio, and AMD PR166 is using 2.5x setting for

1.75x frequency ratio.

Note: AP58 can autodetect the CPU type and select CPU burst
mode of SIS chipset. (Only SiS chipset provide this feature.) For
Cyrix CPU, AP58 will set to Linear Mode for better performance.
For Intel and AMD CPU, Toggle Mode is set.

JP6

1-2
2-3
1-2
1-2
2-3
2-3

JP5

2-3
2-3
2-3
1-2
2-3
1-2

JP4

2-3
2-3
1-2
2-3
1-2
2-3

CPU External Clock

50MHz
55MHz
60MHz
66MHz
75MHz

83.3mhz

JP4, JP5 and JP6 are the
selections of CPU external
clock (bus clock), which is
actually the clock from clock
generator.

2-7

Hardware Installation

1

3

1

3

1

3

1

3

1

3

1

3

JP8 JP6 JP5 JP4

2

50MHz

JP8 JP6 JP5 JP4

2

60MHz

JP8 JP6 JP5 JP4

2

75MHz

JP8 JP6 JP5 JP4

2

55MHz

JP8 JP6 JP5 JP4

2

66MHz

JP8 JP6 JP5 JP4

2

83.3MHz

Warning: SIS 5582 chipset supports maximam 75 MHz
external CPU bus clock, the 83.3MHz settings are for
internal test only, set to 83.3MHz exceeds the
specification of 5582 chipset, which may cause serious
system damage.

Caution: Following table are possible settings of current
CPU available on the market. The correct setting may
vary because of new CPU product, refer to your CPU
specification for more details.

INTEL
Pentium

CPU Core
Frequency

Ratio External

Bus Clock

JP3 & JP2 & JP1 JP6 & JP5 & JP4

P54C 75 75MHz= 1.5x 50MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3
P54C 90 90MHz = 1.5x 60MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
P54C 100 100MHz = 1.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
P54C 120 120MHz = 2x 60MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
P54C 133 133MHz = 2x 66MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
P54C 150 150MHz = 2.5x 60MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
P54C 166 166MHz = 2.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
P54C 200 200MHz = 3x 66MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3

2-8

Hardware Installation

INTEL
Pentium

PP/MT 150 150MHz = 2.5x 60MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
PP/MT 166 166MHz = 2.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
PP/MT 200 200MHz = 3x 66MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
PP/MT 233 233MHz = 3.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3

Cyrix 6x86
& 6x86L

P120+ 100MHz= 2x 50MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3
P133+ 110MHz= 2x 55MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3 2-3 & 2-3 & 2-3
P150+ 120MHz = 2x 60MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
P166+ 133MHz = 2x 66MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
P200+ 150MHz = 2x 75MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3 2-3 & 2-3 & 1-2

Cyrix M2 CPU Core

6x86-MX166 150MHz = 2.5x 60MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
6x86-MX200 166MHz=

6x86-MX233 200MHz=

6x86-MX266 233MHz= 3.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3

IDT C6 CPU Core

C6-150 150MHz = 2x 75MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3 2-3 & 2-3 & 1-2
C6-180 180MHz = 3x 60MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
C6-200 200MHz = 3x 66MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3

CPU Core
Frequency

CPU Core
Frequency

Frequency

150MHz=

166MHz

Frequency

Ratio External

Ratio External

Ratio External

2.5x
2x

3x
2x

Ratio External

Bus Clock

Bus Clock

Bus Clock

66MHz
75MHz

66MHz

83.3MHz

Bus Clock

JP3 & JP2 & JP1 JP6 & JP5 & JP4

JP3 & JP2 & JP1 JP6 & JP5 & JP4

JP3 & JP2 & JP1 JP6 & JP5 & JP4

1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3
1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3

1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3

JP3 & JP2 & JP1 JP6 & JP5 & JP4

1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
2-3 & 2-3 & 1-2

1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
2-3 & 1-2 & 2-3

AMD K5 CPU Core

Frequency

PR75 75MHz= 1.5x 50MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3
PR90 90MHz = 1.5x 60MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
PR100 100MHz = 1.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
PR120 90MHz = 1.5x 60MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
PR133 100MHz = 1.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
PR166 116MHz = 1.75x 66MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3

AMD K6 CPU Core Ratio External JP3 & JP2 & JP1 JP6 & JP5 & JP4

Ratio External

Bus Clock

JP3 & JP2 & JP1 JP6 & JP5 & JP4

2-9

Hardware Installation

1

3

1

3

Frequency Bus Clock

PR2-166 166MHz = 2.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
PR2-200 200MHz = 3x 66MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
PR2-233 233MHz = 3.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
PR2-266 266MHz= 4x 66MHz 2-3 & 1-2 & 2-3 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
PR2-300 300MHz= 4.5x 66MHz 2-3 & 2-3 & 2-3 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3

Note: Cyrix 6x86 and AMD K5 CPU use P-rating
for the reference of CPU benchmark compared
with INTEL P54C, their internal core frequency is
not exactly equal to P-rating marked on the CPU.
For example, Cyrix P166+ is 133MHz but
performance is almost equal to P54C 166MHz
and AMD PR133 is 100MHz but performance is
almost equal to INTEL P54C 133MHz.

Warning: Although Cyrix 6x86-MX233 supports

83.3MHz x 2 setting, however, set to 83.3MHz
exceeds the specification of SIS 5582 chipset,
which may cause serious system damage.

2.2.3 Disabling the Onboard Super I/O Controller

JP18

1-2
2-3

2-10

Onboard Super I/O

Enable (default)
Disable

This mainboard is default to enable the
onboard Super I/O controller. In case you wish
to use an external I/O control card, you need to
disable the onboard I/O before using the
external I/O card. To disable it, set the jumper
JP18 to 2-3.

JP18

2

Enable

JP18

2

Disable

(default)

2.2.4 Setting PCI Clock

1

3

1

3

Hardware Installation

JP8

1-2
2-3

PCI Clock

Sync (default)
Async

JP8 is used to set PCI clock. The default
setting is synchronous, that means PCI clock
will be half of external clock. (For example, if
CPU external clock is set to 66MHz, then the
PCI clock will be 33MHz.) However, the
specification of PCI clock is maximum 33
MHz. In order to avoid system unstable, we
recommand you set the PCI clock to async if
the CPU external clock is set to 75/83.3 MHz.

JP8

2

Sync

JP8

2

Async

(default)

2-11

Hardware Installation

1

3

1

3

2.2.5 Clearing the CMOS

JP14

Clear CMOS

You need to clear the CMOS if you forget your
system password. To clear the CMOS, follow

1-2

Normal operation

the procedures listed below:

(default)

2-3

Clear CMOS

JP14

2

Normal

Operation

JP14

2

Clear

CMOS

(default)

The procedure to clear CMOS:

1. Turn off the system power.

2. Locate JP14 and short pins 2-3 for a few seconds.

3. Return JP14 to its normal setting by shorting pins 1-2.

4. Turn on the system power.

5. Press during bootup to enter the BIOS Setup Utility and specify a new
password, if needed.

2-12

Hardware Installation

and Coil

Air Flow

2.3 Connectors

2.3.1 Power Cable

A standard baby AT (PS/2) power supply has two cables with six wires on each.
Plug in these cables to the onboard power connector in such a way that all the
black wires are in the center. The power connector is marked as PWR1 on the
system board.

Caution: Make sure that the power supply is
off before connecting or disconnecting the
power cable.

Black wire (GND)

Red wire (+5V)

PWR1

2.3.2 CPU Fan

Plug in the fan cable to the two-pin fan connector onboard. The fan
connector is marked FAN on the system board. Attach the heatsink and fan
to the CPU. Check its orientation, make sure the air flow go through the
heatsink.

+12V
GND

FAN

Power FET

2-13

Hardware Installation

3 1 2 4

5 6

1

1

2.3.3 PS/2 Mouse

To connect a PS/2 mouse, insert the
PS/2 mouse bracket connector to PS2
MS on the system board. Then plug in
the PS/2 mouse cable to the mouse
port on the bracket.

Pin

1
2
3
4
5
6

Description

MS DATA
NC
GND
+5V
MS CLK
NC

PS2 MS

2.3.4 Serial Devices (COM1/COM2)

To support serial devices, insert the serial device connector into the serial
port on the bracket. Plug in the 10-pin flat cable to the appropriate onboard
connectors. The serial port 1 connector is marked as COM1 and the serial
port 2 connector is marked as COM2 on the system board.

2-14

2

COM1

10

2

9

10

9

COM2

2.3.5 USB Device (optional)

34

33

You need a USB bracket to
have your system to support
additional USB device(s). To
attach a USB bracket, simply
insert the bracket cable to the
onboard USB connector marked
as USB.

Pin

1
3
5
7
9

Hardware Installation

Description

V0
D0­D0+
GND
NC

Pin

2
4
6
8
10

Description

V1
D1­D1+
GND
NC

1

2

9 10

USB

2.3.6 Floppy Drive

Connect the 34-pin floppy drive cable to the floppy drive connector marked as

FDC on the system board.

2

1

FDC

2-15

Hardware Installation

1

26

2

25

2.3.7 Printer

Plug in the 26-pin printer flat cable to the onboard parallel connector
marked as PRINTER on the board.

PRINTER

2.3.8 IDE Hard Disk and CD ROM

This mainboard supports two 40 pin IDE connectors marked as
IDE1 and IDE2. IDE1 is also known as primary channel and
IDE2 as secondary channel, each channel supports two IDE
devices that makes total of four devices.

In order to work together, the two devices on each channel
must be set differently to master and slave mode, either one
can be hard disk or CDROM. The setting as master or slave
mode depends on the jumper on your IDE device, please refer
to your hard disk and CDROM manual accordingly.

Connect your first IDE hard disk to master mode of the primary
channel. If you have second IDE device to install in your
system, connect it as slave mode on the same channel, and the
third and fourth device can be connected on secondary channel
as master and slave mode respectively.

2-16

Hardware Installation

1

40

2

39

1

40

2

39

(1st)

(2nd)

IDE1

IDE2

Caution: The specification of IDE cable is
maximum 46cm (18 inches), make sure your
cable does not excess this length.

Caution: For better signal quality, it is
recommended to set far end side device to
master mode and follow the suggested
sequence to install your new device . Please
refer to following figure.

IDE1 (Primary Channel)

Slave

IDE2 (Secondary Channel)

Slave

(4th)

Master

Master

(3rd)

2-17

Hardware Installation

4

4

4

2.3.9 Hard Disk LED

The HDD LED connector is marked as HDD
LED on the board. This connector is designed

for different type of housing, actually only two
pins are necessary for the LED. If your
housing has four pin connector, simply plug it
in. If you have only two pin connector, please
connect to pin 1-2 or pin 3-4 according to the
polarity.

+

1
2

-

3

-

+

HDD LED

4-pin connector

2.3.10 Panel Connector

The Panel (multifunction) connector is a 20­pin connector marked as PANEL on the
board. Attach the power LED, keylock,
speaker, reset switch, and suspend switch
connectors to the corresponding pins as
shown in the figure.

Some housings have a five-pin connector
for the keylock and power LED Since power
LED and keylock are aligned together, you
can still use this kind of connector.

Pin

1
2
3
4

+

-

-

Description

HDD LED
GND
GND
HDD LED

1
2
3

+

HDD LED

2-pin connector

at pin 1-2

GND

KEYLOCK

GND

RESET

POWER LED

SPEAKER

+5V

GND

NC

SPEAKER

HDD LED

2-pin connector

1

11

10 20

PANEL

+

1
2

-

3

-

+

at pin 3-4

+5V
GND
NC
GND
SUSPEND SW
SUSPEND SW
GND
NC
RESET
GND

2-18

1

Keylock

111020

+

+

+++

10

20

Power LED

Hardware Installation

Suspend SW

Speaker

PANEL

Other housings may have a 12-pin
connector. If your housing has this
type of connector, connect it to
PANEL as shown in the figure. Make
sure that the red wire of the
connector is connected to +5V.

Note: If your housing comes with Turbo switch
connector, you may use this connector for Suspend
switch functions.

Note: Pressing the Suspend switch allows you to
manually force the system to suspend mode.
However, this is possible only if the Power Management
function in the BIOS Setup menu is enabled.

Reset

1

11

PANEL

+5V

2-19

Hardware Installation

KB1

2.3.11 Keyboard

The onboard keyboard connector is a five-pin AT-compatible connector marked as
KB1. The view angle of drawing shown here is from back panel of the housing.

Note: The mini DIN PS/2 keyboard connector
is optional.

PCB

2-20

Hardware Installation

2.3.12 IrDA Connector

Serial port 2 can be configured to support wireless infrared module, with
this module and application software such as Laplink, user can transfer
files to or from laptops, notebooks, PDA and printers. This mainboard
supports IrDA (115Kbps, 1 meter) as well as ASK-IR (19.2Kbps).

Install infrared module onto IrDA
connector and enable infrared function
from BIOS setup, make sure to have
correct orientation when you plug onto
IrDA connector.

Note: Onboard serial port 2 (COM2) will not be
available after IrDA connector is enabled.

1
2
3
4
5
6

IrDA

Pin

1
2
3
4
5
6

Description

+5V
NC
IRRX
GND
IRTX
+3.3V

2-21

Hardware Installation

DIMM2

Bank1

Bank0

DIMM1

2.4 Configuring the System Memory

Pin 1 of

Pin 1 of

This mainboard has four 72 pin SIMM
sockets (Single-in-line Memory Module)
and two 168 pin DIMM socket (Dual-in-line
Memory Module). But, please note that

the DIMM socket is optional for AP58

Pin 1 of

Pin 1 of

motherboard.

The SIMM supported by this mainboard can be identified by 4 kinds of factors:
♦ Size: single side, 1Mx32 (4MB), 4Mx32 (16MB), 16Mx32 (64MB), and double

side, 1Mx32x2 (8MB), 4Mx32x2 (32MB), 16Mx32x2 (128MB).

♦ Speed: 60ns or 70ns access time
♦ Type: FPM (Fast page mode) or EDO (Extended data output)
♦ Parity: without parity (32 bit wide) or with parity (36 bit wide).

The DIMM supported by this mainboard are always 64-bit wide SDRAM.
♦ Size: single side, 1Mx64 (8MB), 2Mx64 (16MB), 4Mx64 (32MB), 8Mx64

(64MB), 16Mx64 (128MB), and double side, 1Mx64x2 (16MB), 2Mx64x2
(32MB), 4Mx64x2 (64MB), 8Mx64x2 (128MB), 16Mx64x2 (256MB).

♦ Speed: normally marked -67, which means synchronous to maximum 67MHz.
♦ Parity: without parity (32 bit wide)

Because Pentium processor has 64 bit bus width, the four SIMM sockets are
arranged in two banks of two sockets each, they are Bank0 and Bank1. Both
SIMMs in each bank must be in the same size and type. It is allowed to have
different speed and type in different bank, for example, 70ns FPM in one bank
and 60ns EDO in another bank, in such case, each bank is independently
optimized for maximum performance. The memory timing requires at least 70ns
fast page mode DRAM chip, but for optimum performance, 60ns EDO DRAM is
recommended.

2-22

Hardware Installation

Warning: The default memory timing setting is 60ns to
obtain the optimal performance. Because of the
specification limitation, 70ns SIMM is recommended to
be used only for CPU external clock 60MHz.

Tip: EDO DRAM is designed to improve the DRAM read
performance. Unlike traditional fast page mode, that tri­states the memory output data to start the precharge
activity, EDO DRAM holds the memory data valid until
the next memory access cycle, which is similar to pipe­line effect and reduces one clock state.

There is no jumper setting required for the memory size or type. It is
automatically detected by the system BIOS. You can use any single side SIMM
and DIMM combination list below for BANK0/BANK1 or DIMM socket, and the
total memory size is to add them together. The SiS 5582 chipset can support up
to 384MB.

SIMM1 SIMM2 Subtotal of Bank0

None None 0MB
4MB None 4MB
8MB None 8MB
16MB None 16MB
32MB None 32MB
64MB None 64MB
4MB 4MB 8MB
8MB 8MB 16MB
16MB 16MB 32MB
32MB 32MB 64MB
64MB 64MB 128MB
128MB 128MB 256MB

SIMM3 SIMM4 Subtotal of Bank1

None None 0MB
4MB 4MB 8MB
8MB 8MB 16MB
16MB 16MB 32MB
32MB 32MB 64MB
64MB 64MB 128MB
128MB 128MB 256MB

2-23

Hardware Installation

DIMM1 Size of DIMM1 DIMM2 Size of DIMM2

None 0MB None 0MB
8MB 8MB 8MB 8MB
16MB 16MB 16MB 16MB
32MB 32MB 32MB 32MB
64MB 64MB 64MB 64MB
128MB 128MB 128MB 128MB
256MB 256MB 256MB 256MB

Total Memory Size = Subtotal of Bank0 + Subtotal of Bank1
+ Size of DIMM1 + Size of DIMM2

Caution: Make sure that you install the same SIMM type
and size for each bank.

Caution: There are some old DIMMs made by EDO or
FPM memory chip, they can only accept 5V power and
probably can not fit into the DIMM socket, make sure
you have 3.3V true SDRAM DIMM before your insert it.

The driving capability of new generation chipset is limited because the lack of
memory buffer (to improve performance). This makes DRAM chip count an
important factor to be taking into consideration when you install SIMM.
Unfortunately, there is no way that BIOS can identified the correct chip count, you
need to calculate the chip count by yourself. The simple rule is: By visual
inspection, use only SIMM with chip count less than 24 chips.

2-24

Hardware Installation

Warning: Do not use SIMM and SDRAM DIMM together
unless you have 5V tolerance SDRAM (such as
Samsung or TI). The FPM/EDO operate at 5V while
SDRAM operates at 3.3V. If you combine them together
the system will temporary work fine; however after a few
months, the SDRAM 3.3V data input will be damaged by
5V FPM/EDO data output line.

There is an important parameter affects SDRAM performance, CAS Latency
Time. It is similar as CAS Access Time of EDO DRAM and is calculated as
number of clock state. The SDRAM that AOpen had tested are listed below. If
your SDRAM has unstable problem, go into BIOS "Chipset Features Setup",
change CAS Latency Time to 3 clocks.

Manufacturer Model Suggested CAS

Latency Time

Samsung KM416511220AT-G12 2 Yes
NEC D4S16162G5-A12-7JF 2 No
Hitachi HM5216805TT10 2 No
Fujitsu 81117822A-100FN 2 No
TI TMX626812DGE-12 2 Yes
TI TMS626812DGE-15 3 Yes
TI TMS626162DGE-15 3 Yes
TI TMS626162DGE-M67 3 Yes

5V Tolerance

2-25

Hardware Installation

Warning: Do not install any SIMM that contains more
than 24 chips. SIMMs contain more than 24 chips
exceed the chipset driving specification. Doing so may
result in unstable system behavior.

Tip: The SIMM/DIMM chip count can be calculated by
following example:

1. For 32 bit non-parity SIMM using 1M by 4 bit DRAM
chip, 32/4=8 chips.

2. For 36 bit parity SIMM using 1M by 4 bit DRAM chip,
36/4=9 chips.

3. For 36 bit parity SIMM using 1M by 4 bit and 1M by
1 bit DRAM, the chip count will be 8 data chips(8=
32/4) plus 4 parity chips(4=4/1), total is 12 chips.

4. For 64 bit DIMM using 1M by 16 bit SDRAM, the chip
count is 64/16=4 chips.

Following table list the recommended DRAM combinations of SIMM and DIMM:

SIMM
Data chip

1M by 4 None 1Mx32 x1 8 4MB Yes
1M by 4 None 1Mx32 x2 16 8MB Yes
1M by 4 1M by 1 1Mx36 x1 12 4MB Yes
1M by 4 1M by 4 1Mx36 x1 9 4MB Yes
1M by 4 1M by 4 1Mx36 x2 18 8MB Yes
1M by 16 None 1Mx32 x1 2 4MB Yes
1M by 16 None 1Mx32 x2 4 8MB Yes
1M by 16 1M by 4 1Mx36 x1 3 4MB Yes
1M by 16 1M by 4 1Mx36 x2 6 8MB Yes
4M by 4 None 4Mx32 x1 8 16MB Yes
4M by 4 None 4Mx32 x2 16 32MB Yes
4M by 4 4M by 1 4Mx36 x1 12 16MB Yes
4M by 4 4M by 1 4Mx36 x2 24 32MB Yes

SIMM
Parity chip

Bit size
per side

Single/
Double
side

Chip
count

SIMM
size

Recommended

2-26

Hardware Installation

SIMM
Data chip

16M by 4 None 16Mx32 x1 8 64MB Yes, but not

16M by 4 None 16Mx32 x2 16 128MB Yes, but not

16M by 4 16M by 4 16Mx36 x1 9 64MB Yes, but not

16M by 4 16M by 4 16Mx36 x2 18 128MB Yes, but not

DIMM
Data chip

1M by 16 1Mx64 x1 4 8MB Yes
1M by 16 1Mx64 x2 8 16MB Yes
2M by 8 2Mx64 x1 8 16MB Yes
2M by 8 2Mx64 x2 16 32MB Yes

DIMM
Data chip

2M by 32 2Mx64 x1 2 16MB Yes, but not tested.
2M by 32 2Mx64 x2 4 32MB Yes, but not tested.
4M by 16 4Mx64 x1 4 32MB Yes, but not tested.
4M by 16 4Mx64 x2 8 64MB Yes, but not tested.
8M by 8 8Mx64 x1 8 64MB Yes, but not tested.
8M by 8 8Mx64 x2 16 128MB Yes, but not tested.

SIMM
Parity chip

Bit size per
side

Bit size per
side

Bit size
per side

Single/
Double side

Single/
Double side

Single/
Double
side

Chip
count

Chip
count

Chip
count

SIMM
size

DIMM size Recommended

DIMM size Recommended

Recommended

tested.

tested.

tested.

tested.

Warning: 64MB SIMMs using 16M by 4 bit chip (64M bit
technology) are not available in the market and are not
formally tested by AOpen quality test department yet.
However they are supported by design specification and
they will be tested as soon as they are available. Note
that 64MB SIMMs using 16M by 1 bit chip (16M bit
technology) have chip count exceed 24 and are strongly
not recommended.

Tip: 8 bit = 1 byte, 32 bit = 4 byte. The SIMM size is
represented by number of data byte (whether with or
without parity), for example, the size of single side SIMM

2-27

Hardware Installation

using 1M by 4 bit chip is 1Mx32 bit, that is, 1M x 4 byte=
4MB. For double side SIMM, simply multiply it by 2, that
is, 8MB.

Following table are possible DRAM combinations that is NOT recommended:

SIMM
Data chip

1M by 1 None 1Mx32 x1 32 4MB No
1M by 1 1M by 1 1Mx36 x1 36 4MB No
1M by 4 1M by 1 1Mx36 x2 24 8MB No
4M by 1 None 4Mx32 x1 32 16MB No
4M by 1 4M by 1 4Mx36 x1 36 16MB No
16M by 1 None 16Mx32 x1 32 64MB No
16M by 1 16M by 1 16Mx36 x1 36 64MB No

SIMM
Parity chip

Bit size
per side

Single/
Double
side

Chip
count

SIMM
size

Recommended

DIMM
Data chip

4M by 4 4Mx64 x1 16 32MB No
4M by 4 4Mx64 x2 32 64MB No
16M by 4 16Mx64 x1 16 128MB No
16M by 4 16Mx64 x2 32 256MB No

Bit size per
side

Single/
Double side

Chip
count

DIMM size Recommended

Memory error checking is supported by parity check. To use parity check you
need 36 bit SIMM (32 bit data + 4 bit parity), which are automatically detected by
BIOS.

Tip: The parity mode uses 1 parity bit for each byte,
normally it is even parity mode, that is, each time the
memory data is updated, parity bit will be adjusted to
have even count "1" for each byte. When next time, if
memory is read with odd number of "1", the parity error
is occurred and this is called single bit error detection.

2-28

Chapter 3

Award BIOS

This chapter tells you how to configure the system parameters. You may
update your BIOS via AWARD Flash Utility.

Important: Because the BIOS code is the most
often changed part of the mainboard design, the
BIOS information contained in this chapter
(especially the Chipset Setup parameters) may be
a little different compared to the actual BIOS that
came with your mainboard. These changes are
implemented to further enhance system
performance.

3.1 Entering the Award BIOS Setup Menu

The BIOS setup utility is a segment of codes/routines residing in the BIOS
Flash ROM. This routine allows you to configure the system parameters and
save the configuration into the 128 byte CMOS area, (normally in the RTC chip

or directly in the main chipset). To enter the BIOS Setup, press during
POST (Power-On Self Test). The BIOS Setup Main Menu appears as follows.

3-1

AWARD BIOS

ROM PCI/ISA BIOS (XXXXXXXX)

CMOS SETUP UTILITY

AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.

STANDARD CMOS SETUP
BIOS FEATURES SETUP
CHIPSET FEATURES SETUP
POWER MANAGEMENT SETUP
PNP/PCI CONFIGURATION SETUP
LOAD SETUP DEFAULTS
LOAD TURBO DEFAULTS

ESC : Quit á â à ß : Select Item
F10 : Save & Exit Setup (Shift) F2 : Change Color

Description of each function

INTEGRATED PERIPHRALS
PASSWORD SETTING
IDE HDD AUTO DETECTION
SAVE & EXIT SETUP
EXIT WITHOUT SAVING

Tip: Choose "Load Setup Defaults" for
recommended optimal performance. Choose
"Load Turbo Defaults" for best performance
with light system loading.

The section at the bottom of the screen tells how to control the screen. Use
the arrow keys to move between items, to color scheme of the
display, to exit, and to save the changes before exit. Another section
at the bottom of the screen displays a brief description of the highlighted item.

After selecting an item, press to select or enter a submenu.

3.2 Standard CMOS Setup

The "Standard CMOS Setup" sets the basic system parameters such as the
date, time, and the hard disk type. Use the arrow keys to highlight an item and

or to select the value for each item.

3-2

AWARD BIOS

ROM PCI/ISA BIOS (XXXXXXXX)

STANDARD CMOS SETUP

AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.

Date (mm:dd:yy) : Wed. Mar 6 1996
Time (hh:mm:ss) : 00:00:00

HARD DISK TYPE SIZE CYLS HEAD PRECOMP LANDZ SECTORS MODE
Primary Master : Auto 0 0 0 0 0 0 AUTO
Primary Slave : Auto 0 0 0 0 0 0 AUTO
Secondary Master: Auto 0 0 0 0 0 0 AUTO
Secondary Slave : Auto 0 0 0 0 0 0 AUTO

Drive A : 1.44M, 3.5 in
Drive B : None

Video : EGA/VGA
Halt On : All Errors

ESC : Quit á â à ß : Select Item
F10 : Save & Exit Setup (Shift) F2 : Change Color

Standard CMOS à Date

To set the date, highlight the Date parameter. Press or to set the
current date. The date format is month, date, and year.

Base Memory : 640 K

Extended Memory: 15360 K

Other Memory : 384 K

Total Memory : 16384 K

Standard CMOS à Time

To set the time, highlight the Time parameter. Press or to set the
current time in hour, minute, and second format. The time is based on the 24
hour military clock.

3-3

AWARD BIOS

Standard CMOS à Primary Master à Type
Standard CMOS à Primary Slave à Type
Standard CMOS à Secondary Master à Type
Standard CMOS à Secondary Slave à Type

Type

Auto
User
None
1
2
...
45

This item lets you select the IDE hard disk parameters
that your system supports. These parameters are Size,
Number of Cylinder, Number of Head, Start Cylinder for
Pre-compensation, Cylinder number of Head Landing
Zone and Number of Sector per Track. The default
setting is Auto, which enables BIOS to automatically

detect the parameters of installed HDD at POST (Power­On Self Test). If you prefer to enter HDD parameters
manually, select User. Select None if no HDD is

connected to the system.
The IDE CDROM is always automatically detected.

Tip: For an IDE hard disk, we recommend that
you use the "IDE HDD Auto Detection" to enter
the drive specifications automatically. See the
section "IDE HDD Auto Detection".

Standard CMOS à Primary Master à Mode
Standard CMOS à Primary Slave à Mode
Standard CMOS à Secondary Master à Mode
Standard CMOS à Secondary Slave à Mode

Mode

Auto
Normal
LBA
Large

The enhanced IDE feature allows the system to use a
hard disk with a capacity of more than 528MB. This is
made possible through the Logical Block Address (LBA)
mode translation. The LBA is now considered as a
standard feature of current IDE hard disk on the market
because of its capability to support capacity larger than
528MB. Note that if HDD is formatted with LBA On, it
will not be able to boot with LBA Off.

3-4

Standard CMOS à Drive A
Standard CMOS à Drive B

AWARD BIOS

Drive A

None
360KB 5.25"

1.2MB 5.25"
720KB 3.5"

1.44MB 3.5"

2.88MB 3.5"

These items select floppy drive type. The available settings
and types supported by the mainboard are listed on the left.

Standard CMOS à Video

Video

EGA/VGA
CGA40
CGA80
Mono

This item specifies the type of video card in use. The
default setting is VGA/EGA. Since current PCs use VGA
only, this function is almost useless and may be
disregarded in the future.

Standard CMOS à Halt On

Halt On

No Errors
All Errors
All, But Keyboard
All, But Diskette
All, But Disk/Key

This parameter enables you to control the system stops in
case of Power-On Self Test (POST) error.

3-5

AWARD BIOS

3.3 BIOS Features Setup

This screen appears when you select the option "BIOS Features Setup" from
the main menu.

ROM PCI/ISA BIOS (XXXXXXXX)

BIOS FEATURES SETUP

AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.

Virus Warning : Disabled
External Cache : Enabled
Quick Power On Self Test : Enabled
Boot Sequence : A,C,SCSI
Swap Floppy Drive : Disabled
Boot Up Floppy Seek : Disabled
Boot Up NumLock Status : ON
Boot Up System Speed : High
Typematic Rate Setting : Disabled
Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec) : 6
Typematic Delay (Msec) : 250
Security Option : Setup
PCI/VGA Palette Snoop : Disabled
OS Select for DRAM > 64MB : Non-OS/2

BIOS Features à Virus Warning

Virus Warning

Enabled
Disabled

Type "Y" to accept write, or "N" to abort write

Set this parameter to Enabled to activate the warning
message. This feature protects the boot sector and partition
table of your hard disk from virus intrusion.

Any attempt during boot up to write to the boot sector of the
hard disk drive stops the system and the following warning
message appears on the screen. Run an anti-virus program
to locate the problem.

! WARNING !

Disk Boot Sector is to be modified

Award Software, Inc.

Video BIOS Shadow : Enabled
C8000-CBFFF Shadow : Disabled
CC000-CFFFF Shadow : Disabled
D0000-D3FFF Shadow : Disabled
D4000-D7FFF Shadow : Disabled
D8000-DBFFF Shadow : Disabled
DC000-DFFFF Shadow : Disabled

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

áâàß

: Select Item

3-6

BIOS Features à External Cache

AWARD BIOS

External Cache

Enabling this parameter activates the secondary cache
(currently, PBSRAM cache). Disabling the parameter

Enabled
Disabled

slows down the system. Therefore, we recommend that
you leave it enabled unless you are troubleshooting a
problem.

BIOS Features à Power-On Self-Test

Quick Power-on
Self-test

Enable
Disabled

This parameter speeds up POST by skipping some items
that are normally checked.

BIOS Features à Boot Sequence

Boot Sequence

A,C,SCSI
C,A,SCSI
C,CDROM,A
CDROM,C,A
D,A,SCSI
E,A,SCSI
F,A,SCSI
SCSI,A,C
SCSI,C,A
C only
LS120,C

This parameter allows you to specify the system boot up
search sequence. The hard disk ID are listed below:

C: Primary master
D: Primary slave
E: Secondary master
F: Secondary slave

BIOS Features à Swap Floppy Drive

Swap Floppy Drive

Enabled
Disabled

This item 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.

3-7

AWARD BIOS

BIOS Features à Boot-up Floppy Seek

Boot-up Floppy
Seek

Enabled
Disabled

When enabled, the BIOS issues the seek command to
the floppy drive during POST to move floppy drive head
forward and backward.

BIOS Features à Boot-up NumLock Status

Boot-up NumLock
Status

On
Off

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 numeric keypad for cursor control.

BIOS Features à Boot-up System Speed

Boot-up System
Speed

High
Low

Select High or Low system speed after boot.

BIOS Features à Typematic Rate Setting

Typematic Rate
Setting

Enabled
Disabled

Set this parameter to Enable/Disable the keyboard
repeat function. When enabled, continually holding down
a key on the keyboard will generate repeatedly
keystrokes.

3-8

BIOS Features à Typematic Rate

AWARD BIOS

Typematic Rate

6
8
10
12
15
20
24
30

This item allows you to control the speed of repeated
keystrokes. The default is 30 characters/sec.

BIOS Features à Typematic Delay

Typematic Delay

250
500
750
1000

This parameter allows you to control the delay time
between the first and the second keystroke (where the
repeated keystrokes begin). The typematic delay
settings are 250, 500, 750, and 1000 msec.

BIOS Features à Security Option

Security Option

Setup
System

The System option limits access to both the System boot
and BIOS setup. A prompt asking you to enter your
password appears on the screen every time you boot the
system.

The Setup option limits access only to BIOS setup.
To disable the security option, select Password Setting

from the main menu, don't type anything and just press
<Enter>.

3-9

AWARD BIOS

BIOS Features à PCI/VGA Palette Snoop

PCI/VGA Palette
Snoop

Enabled
Disabled

Enabling this item informs the PCI VGA card to keep
silent (and to prevent conflict) when palette register is
updated (i.e., accepts data without responding any
communication signals). This is useful only when two
display cards use the same palette address and plugged
in the PCI bus at the same time (such as MPEQ or Video
capture). In such case, PCI VGA is silent while
MPEQ/Video capture is set to function normally.

BIOS Features à OS Select for DRAM > 64MB

OS Select for
DRAM > 64MB

OS/2
Non-OS/2

Set to OS/2 if your system is utilizing an OS/2
operating system and has a memory size of more than
64 MB.

BIOS Features à Video BIOS Shadow

Video BIOS Shadow

Enabled
Disabled

VGA BIOS Shadowing means to copy video display
card BIOS into the DRAM area. This enhances system
performance because DRAM access time is faster than
ROM.

BIOS Features à C800-CBFF Shadow
BIOS Features à CC00-CFFF Shadow
BIOS Features à D000-D3FF Shadow
BIOS Features à D400-D7FF Shadow
BIOS Features à D800-DBFF Shadow
BIOS Features à DC00-DFFF Shadow

C8000-CBFFF
Shadow

Enabled
Disabled

3-10

These six items are for shadowing ROM code on other
expansion cards. Before you set these parameters, you
need to know the specific addresses of that ROM code.
If you do not know this information, enable all the ROM
shadow settings. Note that the F000 and E000
segments are always shadowed because BIOS code
occupies these areas.

AWARD BIOS

3.4 Chipset Features Setup

The "Chipset Features Setup" includes settings for the chipset dependent
features. These features are related to system performance.

ROM PCI/ISA BIOS (XXXXXXXX)

CHIPSET FEATURES SETUP

AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.

Auto Configuration : Disabled

L2(WB) Tag Bit Length : 8bits
NA# delay on Burst Read : Enabled
NA# Enable : Enabled
Starting Point of Paging : 1T
Refresh Cycle time (us) : 62.4
RAS Pulse Width (Refresh) : 5T
RAS Precharge Time : 5T
RAS to CAS Delay : 3T
CAS# Pulse Width(FP) : 2T
CAS# Pulse Width(EDO) : 1T
RAMW# Assertion Timing : 3T
CAS Precharge Time(FP) : 2T
CAS Precharge Time(EDO) : 1T/2T

SDRAM CAS Latency : 3T
SDRAM WR Retire Rate : X-1-1-1
SDRAM Wait State Control : 1WS
Enhanced Memory Write : Disabled
Read Prefetch Memory RD : Disabled

CPU to PCI Post Write : Disabled
CPU to PCI Burst Mem. WR : Disabled
ISA Bus Clock Frequency : PCICLK/4
System BIOS Cacheable : Disabled
Video BIOS Cacheable : Disabled
Memory Hole At 15M-16M : Disabled

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

Caution: Make sure you fully understand the
items contained in this menu before you try to
change anything. You may change the
parameter settings to improve system
performance . However, it may cause system
unstable if the setting are not correct for your
system configuration.

Chipset Features à Auto Configuration

áâàß

: Select Item

Auto Configuration

Enabled
Disabled

When Enabled, the DRAM and cache related timing
are set to pre-defined value according to CPU type
and clock. Select Disable if you want to specify your
own DRAM timing.

3-11

AWARD BIOS

Chipset Features à L2 (WB) Tag Bit Length

L2 (WB) Tag Bit
Length

7bits
8bits

This item lets you control the L2 Cache Tag Size.
Please note that if you choose 8 bit, the Enhanced
Memory Write function must be disabled.

Chipset Features à NA# delay on Burst Read

NA# delay on Burst
Read

Enabled
Disabled

This item lets you control the NA# Delay 1T on Burst
read hit L2 Cache Cycle.

Chipset Features à NA# Enable

NA# Enable

Enabled
Disabled

This item lets you control the NA# assertion. NA#
means assertion next address, it is used on piple lined
operation to improve system performance.

Chipset Features à Starting Point of Paging

Starting Point of
Paging

1T
2T
4T
8T

This parameter specifies the number of clocks
required for starting of page miss cycles.

Chipset Features à Refresh Cycle Time (us)

Refresh Cycle Time
(us)

15.6

62.4

124.8

187.2

3-12

This option lets you set the cycle time for the chipset
to refresh DRAM to avoid losing data. The unit is
micro second (us).

Chipset Features à RAS Pulse Width Refresh

AWARD BIOS

RAS Pulse Width
Refresh

4T
5T
6T
7T

This parameter specifies the number of clocks
required to assert the DRAM row address strobe
(RAS) signal for refresh cycles.

Chipset Features à RAS Precharge Time

RAS Precharge Time

2T
3T
4T
5T

This parameter specifies the number of clocks
required to deassert the RAS signal to prevent DRAM
from losing data after performing a read. This
operation is called Precharge.

Chipset Features à RAS to CAS Delay

RAS to CAS Delay

2T
3T
4T
5T

This option allows you to set the wait state between
row address strobe (RAS) and column address strobe
(CAS) signals.

Chipset Features à CAS# Pulse Width (FP)

CAS# Pulse Width
(FP)

1T
2T

This parameter specifies the number of clocks
required to assert the CAS pulse width for fast page
mode DRAM.

Chipset Features à CAS# Pulse Width (EDO)

3-13

AWARD BIOS

CAS# Pulse Width
(EDO)

1T
2T

This parameter specifies the number of clocks
required to assert the CAS pulse width for EDO
DRAM.

Chipset Features à RAMW# Assertion Timing

RAMW# Assertion
Timing

2T
3T

This parameter specifies the number of clocks
required to assert the DRAM write control signal when
read cycle followed by write cycle.

Chipset Features à CAS Precharge Time (FP)

CAS Precharge Time
(FP)

1T
2T
1T/2T

CAS Precharge Time for FPM DRAM.
(For 1T/2T option,

1T: during burst cycles.
2T: for different cycles.)

Chipset Features à CAS Precharge Time (EDO)

CAS Precharge Time
(EDO)

1T
2T
1T/2T

CAS Precharge Time for EDO DRAM.
(For 1T/2T option,

1T: during burst cycles.
2T: for different cycles.)

Chipset Features à SDRAM CAS Latency

SDRAM CAS Latency

2T
3T

This parameter speifies the number of clocks of
SDRAM CAS Lateny. This is very important parameter
affects SDRAM performance. If your SDRAM has
unstable problem, set to 3T.

Chipset Features à SDRAM WR Retire Rate

3-14

AWARD BIOS

SDRAM WR Retire
Rate

X-1-1-1
X-2-2-2

This parameter specifies the number of clocks
required to assert the SDRAM Write Retire Rate.

Chipset Features à SDRAM Wait State Control

SDRAM Wait State
Control

0WS
1WS

This parameter specifies the number of clocks of
SDRAM Wait State Control during Precharge.

0WS: zero wait state.
1WS: one wait state.

Chipset Features à Enhanced Memory Write

Enhanced Memory
Write

Enabled
Disabled

This item lets you control the Enhanced Performance
for the memory write and Invalidate of PCI bus
command. If the L2 (WB) Tag Bit Length is set to 7bit,
you can enable this function to get better system
performance.

Chipset Features à Read Prefetch Memory RD

Read Prefetch
Memory RD

Enabled
Disabled

This item lets you control the Read Prefetch of the
memory read of PCI bus command. When enabled,
Memory Read Multiple and Memory Read Line of PCI
commands always do prefeth.

Chipset Features à CPU to PCI Post Write

CPU to PCI Post
Write

3T
4T
Disabled

This parameter specifies the number of clocks for
CPU to PCI Post Write cycle.

Chipset Features à CPU to PCI Burst Mem. WR

3-15

AWARD BIOS

CPU to PCI Burst
Mem. WR

Enabled
Disabled

This item lets you control the CPU to PCI Burst
Memory Write.

Chipset Features à ISA Bus Clock Frequency

ISA Bus Clock
Frequency

PCICLK/3
PCICLK/4

7.159MHz

This item lets you select the ISA bus clock. Normally,
the PCI bus clock is the CPU bus (external) clock
divided by 2, PCICLK=CPUCLK/2. For example,
CPUCLK=66MHz, PCICLK=66/2=33MHz, ISA bus
CLK=33/4=8.25MHz.

3-16

Chipset Features à System BIOS Cacheable

AWARD BIOS

System BIOS
Cacheable

Enabled
Disabled

Enabling this item allows you to cache the system
BIOS to further enhance system performance.

Chipset Features à Video BIOS Cacheable

Video BIOS
Cacheable

Enabled
Disabled

Allows the video BIOS to be cached to allow faster
video performance.

Chipset Features à Memory Hole At 15M-16M

Memory Hole At
15M-16M

Enabled
Disabled

This option lets you reserve system memory area for
special ISA cards. The chipset accesses code/data of
these areas from the ISA bus directly. Normally,
these areas are reserved for memory mapped I/O
card.

3-17

AWARD BIOS

3.5 Power Management Setup

The Power Management Setup screen enables you to control the mainboard
green features. See the following screen.

ROM PCI/ISA BIOS (XXXXXXXX)

POWER MANAGEMENT SETUP

AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.

Power Management : User Define
PM Control by APM : Yes
Video Off Option : Susp,Stdby->Off
Video Off Method : V/H SYNC+Blank
Doze Speed (div by) : 2
Stdby Speed (div by) : 3
Suspend Mode Option : Power On Suspend
Modem Use IRQ : 3

**PM Timers**
Doze Mode : Disabled
Standby Mode : Disabled
Suspend Mode : Disabled
HDD Power Down : Disabled

**PM Events**
COM Ports Activity : Enabled
LPT Port Activity : Enabled
HDD Port Activity : Enabled
VGA Activity : Disabled

IRQ3 (COM2) : Enabled
IRQ4 (COM1) : Enabled
IRQ5 (LPT2) : Enabled
IRQ6 (Floppy Disk): Enabled
IRQ7 (LPT1) : Enabled
IRQ8 (RTC Alarm) : Disabled
IRQ9 (IRQ2 Redir) : Enabled
IRQ10 (Reserved) : Enabled
IRQ11 (Reserved) : Enabled
IRQ12 (PS/2 Mouse) : Enabled
IRQ13 (Coprocessor): Enabled
IRQ14 (Hard Disk) : Enabled
IRQ15 (Reserved) : Enabled

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

áâàß

: Select Item

Power Management à Power Management

Power Management

Max Saving
Mix Saving
User Defined
Disabled

This function allows you to set the default parameters
of power-saving modes. Set to Disable to turn off
power management function. Set to User Defined to
choose your own parameters.

’s

Mode Doze Standby Suspend

Min Saving 40 min 40 min 40 min
Max Saving 20 sec 20 sec 20 sec

3-18

Power Management à PM Controlled by APM

AWARD BIOS

PM Controlled by
APM

Yes
No

If "Max Saving" is selected, you can turn on this item,
transfer power management control to APM
(Advanced Power Management) and enhance power
saving function. For example, stop CPU internal clock.

Power Management à Video Off Option

Video Off Option

Always On
All Modes à Off
Suspend à Off
Susp, Standby à Off

To turn off video monitor at which power down mode.

Power Management à Video Off Method

Video Off Method

Blank Screen
V/H SYNC+Blank
DPMS

This determines the way that monitor is off. Blank
Screen writes blanks to video buffer. V/H SYNC+Blank
allows BIOS to control VSYNC and HSYNC signals.
This function applies only for DPMS (Display Power
Management Standard) monitor. The DPMS mode
uses DPMS function provided by VGA card.

Power Management à Doze Speed (div by)
Power Management à Stdby Speed (div by)

Doze Speed (div by)

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

These items let you set the system speed divisor to
specify the rate at which the system speed will slow
down once it enters the Doze Mode or Standby
Mode. The options are from 1 to 8. To determine

the exact rate of the system in Doze mode, take 2 as
the divisor and 133MHz as the normal system speed.

133MHz/2 = 66MHz - this is the system speed in Doze
mode.

Power Management à Suspend Mode Option

3-19

AWARD BIOS

Suspend Mode Option

You can select suspend mode by this item. Power On
Suspend is the traditional Green PC suspend mode,

Power On Suspend
Suspend to Hard Drive

the CPU clock is stop, all other devices are shut off.
But power must be kept On to detect activities from
modem, keyboard/mouse and returns the system to
full power. The system activities is detected by
monitoring the IRQ signals. Suspend to Hard Drive
saves system status, memory and screen image into
hard disk, then the power can be totally Off. Next time,
when power is turned On, the system goes back to
your original work within just few seconds. You need
utility ZVHDD to reserve disk space. Refer to section
"Suspend to Hard Drive" for more information".

Power Management à Modem Use IRQ

Modem Use IRQ

NA
3
4
5
6
7
9
10
11

This item tells BIOS/Chipset the IRQ of your modem.
This allows BIOS/Chipset to monitor the activities of
the modem connected to your system.

3-20

Power Management à Doze Mode

AWARD BIOS

Doze Mode

Disabled
20 Sec
1 Min
5 Min
10 Min
15 Min
20 Min
30 Min
40 Min

This item lets you set the period of time after which
the system enters into Doze mode. In this mode, the
CPU clock slows down. The ratio is specified in the
"Throttle Duty Cycle". Any activity detected returns the
system to full power. The system activity (or event) is
detected by monitoring the IRQ signals.

Power Management à Standby Mode

Standby Mode

Disabled
20 Sec
1 Min
5 Min
10 Min
15 Min
20 Min
30 Min
40 Min

This item lets you set the period of time after which
the system enters into Standby mode. In this mode,
CPU clock slows down, hard disk will be shut off and
the monitor power-saving feature activates. Any
activity detected returns the system to full power. The
system activity (or event) is detected by monitoring the
IRQ signals.

Power Management à Suspend Mode

Suspend Mode

Disabled
20 Sec
1 Min
5 Min
10 Min
15 Min
20 Min
30 Min
40 Min

This item lets you set the period of time after which
the system enters into Suspend mode. In this mode,
CPU clock stops, all other devices will be shut off. Any
activity detected returns the system to full power. The
system activity(or event) is detected by monitoring the
IRQ signals.

3-21

AWARD BIOS

Power Management à HDD Power Down

HDD Power Down

Disabled
1 Min

.....

15 Min

This option lets you specify the IDE HDD idle time
before the device enters the power down state. This
item is independent from the power states described
in this section (Standby and Suspend).

Power Management à COM Ports Activity
Power Management à LPT Ports Activity
Power Management à HDD Ports Activity
Power Management à VGA Activity

COM Ports Activity

Enabled
Disabled

To enable or disable the detection of COM port, LPT,
HDD, VGA activities for power down state transition.

Power Management à IRQ3 (COM2)
Power Management à IRQ4 (COM1)
Power Management à IRQ5 (LPT2)
Power Management à IRQ6 (Floppy Disk)
Power Management à IRQ8 (RTC Alarm)
Power Management à IRQ9 (IRQ2 Redir)
Power Management à IRQ10 (Reserved)
Power Management à IRQ11 (Reserved)
Power Management à IRQ12 (PS/2 Mouse)
Power Management à IRQ13 (Coprocessor)
Power Management à IRQ14 (Hard Disk)
Power Management à IRQ15 (Reserved)

IRQ2 (COM2)

Enabled
Disabled

3-22

To enable or disable the detection of IRQ event for
power down state transition. Note that OS2 has
periodically IRQ8 (RTC) interruptions, If IRQ8 is not
set to Disabled, OS/2 may fail to go into
Doze/Standby/Suspend mode.

AWARD BIOS

3.6 PNP/PCI Configuration Setup

The PNP/PCI Configuration Setup allows you to configure the ISA and PCI
devices installed in your system. The following screen appears if you select
the option "PNP/PCI Configuration Setup" from the main menu.

ROM PCI/ISA BIOS (XXXXXXXX)
PNP/PCI CONFIGURATION SETUP

AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.

PNP OS Installed : No
Resources Controlled By : Manual
Reset Configuration Data : Disabled

IRQ 3 assigned to : PCI/ISA PnP
IRQ 4 assigned to : PCI/ISA PnP
IRQ 5 assigned to : PCI/ISA PnP
IRQ 7 assigned to : PCI/ISA PnP
IRQ 9 assigned to : PCI/ISA PnP
IRQ 10 assigned to : PCI/ISA PnP
IRQ 11 assigned to : PCI/ISA PnP
IRQ 12 assigned to : PCI/ISA PnP
IRQ 14 assigned to : PCI/ISA PnP
IRQ 15 assigned to : PCI/ISA PnP

DMA 0 assigned to : PCI/ISA PnP
DMA 1 assigned to : PCI/ISA PnP
DMA 3 assigned to : PCI/ISA PnP
DMA 5 assigned to : PCI/ISA PnP
DMA 6 assigned to : PCI/ISA PnP
DMA 7 assigned to : PCI/ISA PnP

PCI IDE IRQ Map To : PCI-Auto
Primary IDE INT# : A
Secondary IDE INT# : B

Used MEM base addr : N/A
Used MEM Length : 8K

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

PNP/PCI Configuration à PnP OS Installed

PnP OS Installed

Yes
No

Normally, the PnP resources are allocated by BIOS
during POST (Power-On Self Test). If you are using a
PnP operating system (such as Windows 95), set this
item to Yes to inform BIOS to configure only the

resources needed for booting (VGA/IDE or SCSI). The
rest of system resources will be allocated by PnP
operating system.

áâàß

: Select Item

3-23

AWARD BIOS

PNP/PCI Configuration à Resources Controlled By

Resources Controlled
by

Auto
Manual

Setting this option to Manual allows you to individually
assign the IRQs and DMAs to the ISA and PCI
devices. Set this to Auto to enable the auto­configuration function.

PNP/PCI Configuration à Reset Configuration Data

Reset Configuration
Data

Enabled
Disabled

In case conflict occurs after you assign the IRQs or
after you configure your system, you can enable this
function, allow your system to automatically reset your
configuration and reassign the IRQs.

PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ3 (COM2) assigned to
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ4 (COM1) assigned to
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ5 (Network/Sound) assigned to
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ7 (Printer or Others) assigned to
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ9 (Video or Others) assigned to
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ10 (SCSI or Others) assigned to
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ11 (SCSI or Others) assigned to
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ12 (PS/2 Mouse) assigned to
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ14 (IDE1) assigned to
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ15 (IDE2) assigned to

IRQ 3 assigned to

Legacy ISA
PCI/ISA PnP

If your ISA card is not PnP compatible and requires a
special IRQ to support its function, set the selected
IRQ to Legacy ISA. This setting informs the PnP
BIOS to reserve the selected IRQ for the installed
legacy ISA card. The default is PCI/ISA PnP. Take
note that PCI cards are always PnP compatible
(except old PCI IDE card).

3-24

PNP/PCI Configuration à DMA 0 assigned to
PNP/PCI Configuration à DMA 1 assigned to
PNP/PCI Configuration à DMA 3 assigned to
PNP/PCI Configuration à DMA 5 assigned to
PNP/PCI Configuration à DMA 6 assigned to
PNP/PCI Configuration à DMA 7 assigned to

AWARD BIOS

DMA 0 assigned
to

Legacy ISA
PCI/ISA PnP

If your ISA card is not PnP compatible and requires a special
DMA channel to support its function, set the selected DMA
channel to Legacy ISA. This setting informs the PnP BIOS
to reserve the selected DMA channel for the installed legacy
ISA card. The default is PCI/ISA PnP. Take note that PCI
card does not require DMA channel.

PNP/PCI Configuration à PCI IDE IRQ Map To

PCI IDE IRQ Map To

ISA
PCI-Slot1
PCI-Slot2
PCI-Slot3
PCI-Slot4
PCI-Auto

Some old PCI IDE add-on cards are not fully PnP
compatible. These cards require you to specify the
slot in use to enable BIOS to properly configure the
PnP resources. This function allows you to select the
PCI slot for any PCI IDE add-on card present in your
system. Set this item to Auto to allow BIOS to

automatically configure the installed PCI IDE card(s).

PNP/PCI Configuration à Primary IDE INT#
PNP/PCI Configuration à Secondary IDE INT#

Primary IDE INT#

A
B
C
D

These two items, in conjunction with item "PCI IDE
IRQ Map To", specify the IRQ routing of the primary or
secondary channel of the PCI IDE add-on card (not
the onboard IDE). Each PCI slot has four PCI
interrupts aligned as listed in the table below. You
must specify the slot in the "PCI IDE IRQ Map To",
and set the PCI interrupt (INTx) here according to the
interrupt connection on the card.

PCI Slot Location 1 Location 2 Location 3 Location 4

3-25

AWARD BIOS

(pin A6) (pin B7) (pin A7) (pin B8)

Slot 1 INTA INTB INTC INTD
Slot 2 INTB INTC INTD INTA
Slot 3 INTC INTD INTA INTB
Slot 4 INTD INTA INTB INTC
Slot 5 (if any) INTD INTA INTB INTC

PNP/PCI Configuration à Used MEM Base Addr

Used MEM base addr

N/A
C800
CC00
D000
D400
D800
DC00

This item, in conjunction with the "Used MEM
Length", lets you set a memory space for non-PnP
compatible ISA card. This item specifies the
memory base (start address) of the reserved
memory space. The memory size is specified in the
"Used MEM Length".

PNP/PCI Configuration à Used MEM Length

Used MEM Length

8K
16K
32K
64K

If your ISA card is not PnP compatible and requires
special memory space to support its function, specify
the memory size in this parameter to inform the PnP
BIOS to reserve the specified memory space for
installed legacy ISA card.

3-26

AWARD BIOS

3.7 Load Setup Defaults

The "Load Setup Defaults" option loads optimized settings for optimum system
performance. Optimal settings are relatively safer than the Turbo settings.
We recommend you to use the Optimal settings if your system has large
memory size and fully loaded with add-on card (for example, a file server using
double-sided 8MB SIMM x4 and SCSI plus Network card occupying the PCI
and ISA slots).

Optimal is not the slowest setting for this mainboard. If you need to verify a
unstable problem, you may manually set the parameter in the "BIOS Features
Setup" and "Chipset Features Setup" to get slowest and safer setting.

3.8 Load Turbo Defaults

The "Load Turbo Defaults" option gives better performance than Optimal
values. However, Turbo values may not be the best setting of this mainboard
but these values are qualified by the AOpen RD and QA department as the
reliable settings especially if you have limited loading of add-on card and
memory size (for example, a system that contains only a VGA/Sound card and
two SIMMs).

To attain the best system performance, you may manually set the parameters
in the "Chipset Features Setup" to get proprietary setting. Make sure that you
know and understand the functions of every item in Chipset Setup menu. The
performance difference of Turbo from Optimal is normally around 3% to 10%,
depending on the chipset and the application.

3-27

AWARD BIOS

3.9 Integrated Peripherals

The following screen appears if you select the option "Integrated Peripherals"
from the main menu. This option allows you to configure the I/O features.

ROM PCI/ISA BIOS (XXXXXXXX)

INTEGRATED PERIPHERALS

AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.

Internal PCI/IDE : Both
IDE Primary Master PIO : Auto

IDE Primary Slave PIO : Auto
IDE Secondary Master PIO : Auto
IDE Secondary Slave PIO : Auto
Primary Master UltraDMA : Auto
Primary Slave UltraDMA : Auto
Secondary Master UltraDMA : Disabled
Secondary Slave UltraDMA : Auto
IDE Burst Mode : Disabled
IDE Data Port Write : Disabled
IDE HDD Block Mode : Disabled
USB Controller : Enabled
USB Legacy Support : Disabled

Onboard FDC Controller : Enabled
Onboard UART 1 : AUTO
Onboard UART 2 : AUTO
Onboard UART 2 Mode : Standard

Onboard Parallel Port : 378/IRQ7
Parallel Port Mode : Normal

*********Hardware Monitor***********

CPU Thermal (Temp.) : Ignore

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

áâàß

Integrated Peripherals à Internal PCI/IDE

Internal PCI IDE

Disabled
Primary
Secondary
Both

This parameter lets you enable or disable the on-chip
primary or secondary IDE device.

Integrated Peripherals à IDE Primary Master PIO
Integrated Peripherals à IDE Primary Slave PIO
Integrated Peripherals à IDE Secondary Master PIO
Integrated Peripherals à IDE Secondary Slave PIO

: Select Item

3-28

AWARD BIOS

IDE Primary Master
PIO

Auto
Mode 0
Mode 1
Mode 2
Mode 3
Mode 4

Setting this item to Auto activates the HDD speed
auto-detect function. The PIO mode specifies the

data transfer rate of HDD. For example: mode 0 data
transfer rate is 3.3MB/s, mode 1 is 5.2MB/s, mode 2 is

8.3MB/s, mode 3 is 11.1MB/s and mode 4 is

16.6MB/s. If your hard disk performance becomes
unstable, you may manually try the slower mode.

Caution: It is recommended that you
connect the first IDE device of each
channel to the endmost connector of the
IDE cable. Refer to section 2.3
"Connectors" for details on how to connect
IDE device(s).

Integrated Peripherals à IDE Primary Master UDMA
Integrated Peripherals à IDE Primary Slave UDMA
Integrated Peripherals à IDE Secondary Master UDMA
Integrated Peripherals à IDE Secondary Slave UDMA

IDE Primary Master
UDMA

Auto
Disabled

This item allows you to set the Ultra DMA/33 mode
supported by the hard disk drive connected to your
primary IDE connector.

Integrated Peripherals à IDE Burst Mode

IDE Burst Mode

Enabled
Disabled

This item lets you control the bottom address of the
ISA address hole.

3-29

AWARD BIOS

Integrated Peripherals à IDE Data Port Post Write

IDE Data Port Post
Write

Enabled
Disabled

This item lets you control the IDE Data Port Write
function.

Integrated Peripherals à IDE HDD Block Mode

IDE HDD Block Mode

Enabled
Disabled

This feature enhances disk performance by allowing
multisector data transfers and eliminates the interrupt
handling time for each sector. Most IDE drives,
except with old designs, can support this feature.

Integrated Peripherals à USB Controller

USB Controller

Enabled
Disabled

USB device is default to use PCI INTD#, the same as
PCI slot4. If you installed PCI card on slot4 and
require to use INTD#, set this item to Disabled. The
USB device will then be disabled.

Note:Normally, PCI VGA does not need PCI
interrupt, you may put PCI VGA on slot4.

Integrated Peripherals à USB Legacy Support

USB Legacy Support

Enabled
Disabled

3-30

This item lets you enable or disable the USB keyboard
driver within the onboard BIOS. The keyboard driver
simulates legacy keyboard command and let you use
USB keyboard during POST or after boot if you don't
have USB driver in the operating system.

Caution: You can not use both USB driver and
USB legacy keyboard at the same time.
Disable "USB Legacy Support" if you have
USB driver in the operating system.

AWARD BIOS

Integrated Peripherals à Onboard FDC Controller

Onboard FDC
Controller

Enabled
Disabled

Setting this parameter to Enabled allows you to
connect your floppy disk drives to the onboard floppy
disk connector instead of a separate controller card.
Change the setting to Disabled if you want to use a
separate controller card.

Integrated Peripherals à Onboard UART 1
Integrated Peripherals à Onboard UART 2

Onboard UART 1

Auto
3F8/IRQ4
2F8/IRQ3
3E8/IRQ4
2E8/IRQ3
Disabled

This item allow you to assign address and interrupt for
the board serial port. Default is Auto.

Note: If you are using an network card, make
sure that the interrupt does not conflict.

Integrated Peripherals à Onboard UART 2 Mode

Onboard UART 2
Mode

Standard
HPSIR
ASKIR

This item is configurable only if the "Onboard

UART 2" is enabled. This allows you to specify

the mode of serial port2. The available mode
selections are:

• Standard - Sets serial port 2 to operate in normal mode. This is the

default setting.

• HPSIR - Select this setting if you installed an Infrared module in your

system via IrDA connector (refer to section 2.3 "Connectors"). This
setting allows infrared serial communication at a maximum baud rate of
115K baud.

3-31

AWARD BIOS

• ASKIR - Select this setting if you installed an Infrared module via IrDA

connector (refer to section 2.3 "Connectors"). This setting allows infrared
serial communication at a maximum baud rate of 19.2K baud.

Integrated Peripherals à IR Duplex Mode

IR Duplex Mode

Full
Half

This item lets you set the duplex mode for the IR
communication. Full - Allows IR communication in
bidirectional mode. Half - Allows IR communication in
single direction only.

Note: This option appears only if the IR
function is activated and the Onboard UART 2
Mode parameter is NOT set to Standard.

Integrated Peripherals à Onboard Parallel Port

Onboard Parallel Port

3BC/IRQ7
378/IRQ7
278/IRQ7
Disabled

This item controls the onboard parallel port address
and interrupt.

Note: If you are using an I/O card with a
parallel port, make sure that the addresses
and IRQ do not conflict.

3-32

Integrated Peripherals à Parallel Port Mode

AWARD BIOS

Parallel Port Mode

Normal
EPP
ECP
ECP + EPP

This item lets you set the parallel port mode. The
mode options are Normal (Standard and Bidirection
Parallel Port), EPP (Enhanced Parallel Port) and ECP
(Extended Parallel Port). Normal is the IBM AT and
PS/2 compatible mode. EPP enhances the parallel
port throughput by directly writing/reading data to/from
parallel port without latch. ECP supports DMA and
RLE (Run Length Encoded) compression and
decompression.

Integrated Peripherals à ECP Mode Use DMA

ECP Mode Use DMA

3
1

This item lets you set the DMA channel of ECP mode.

Integrated Peripherals à CPU Thermal (Temp.)

CPU Thermal (Temp.)

Ignore
Monitor

This function lets you control the Thermal Detection
function. When you set this option to Monitor and the
temperature of CPU exceeds 55°C, then:

1. The PC speaker will beep 5 times.

2. The CPU cycle timer will descend about 35%.

Note:The CPU cycle timer won't be restored to
the original status until you reset the system.

3-33

AWARD BIOS

3.10 Password Setting

Password prevents unauthorized use of your computer. If you set a password,
the system prompts for the correct password before boot or access to Setup.

To set a password:

1. At the prompt, type your password. Your password can be up to 8
alphanumeric characters. When you type the characters, they appear as
asterisks on the password screen box.

2. After typing the password, press.

3. At the next prompt, re-type your password and press again to confirm
the new password. After the password entry, the screen automatically
reverts to the main screen.

To disable the password, press when prompted to enter the password. The
screen displays a message confirming that the password has been disabled.

3.11 IDE HDD Auto Detection

If your system has an IDE hard drive, you can use this function to detect its
parameters and enter them into the "Standard CMOS Setup" automatically.

This routine only detects one set of parameters for your IDE hard drive. Some
IDE drives can use more than one set of parameters. If your hard disk is
formatted using different parameters than those detected, you have to enter
the parameters manually. If the parameters listed do not match the ones used
to format the disk, the information on that disk will not be accessible. If the
auto-detected parameters displayed do not match those that used for your
drive, ignore them. Type N to reject the values and enter the correct ones

manually from the Standard CMOS Setup screen.

3.12 Save & Exit Setup

This function automatically saves all CMOS values before leaving Setup.

3-34

AWARD BIOS

3.13 Exit without Saving

Use this function to exit Setup without saving the CMOS value changes. Do
not use this option if you want to save the new configuration.

3.14 NCR SCSI BIOS and Drivers

The NCR 53C810 SCSI BIOS resides in the same flash memory chip as the
system BIOS. The onboard NCR SCSI BIOS is used to support NCR 53C810
SCSI control card without BIOS code. The NCR SCSI BIOS directly supports
DOS, Windows 3.1 and OS/2. For better system performance, you may use
the drivers that come with the NCR SCSI card or with your operating system.
For details, refer to the installation manual of your NCR 53C810 SCSI card.

3.15 BIOS Flash Utility

The BIOS Flash utility allows you to upgrade the system BIOS. To get the
AOpen Flash utility and the upgrade BIOS file, contact your local distributor or
visit our homepage at http://www.aopen.com.tw. Please make sure that you
have the correct BIOS ready, the BIOS filename is normally like
AP58R110.BIN, which means model AP58 BIOS revision 1.10.

There are two useful programs, Checksum utility CHECKSUM.EXE and
AOpen Flash utility AOFLASH.EXE. Follow the procedures below to upgrade
your BIOS.

[CHECKSUM.EXE]
This utility will help you to determine if the BIOS has been downloaded

correctly or not.

1. Execute

C:> CHECKSUM Biosfile.bin

Biosfile.bin is the filename of the BIOS code. (for example, AP58R110.BIN)

2. The utility will show "Checksum is ssss".

3. Compare the "ssss" with original checksum posted on Web or BBS. If they

are different, please do not proceed any further and try to download the
BIOS again.

3-35

AWARD BIOS

[AOFLASH.EXE]
This utility will try to check the mainboard model, BIOS version and Super/Ultra

IO chip model. To ensure the correct BIOS file for the correct mainboard and
IO chip. This utility will permanently replace your original BIOS content after
flashing.

1. Bootup DOS from floppy without loading any memory manager (HIMEM,

EMM386, QEMM386, ...).

2. Execute

C:> AOFLASH Biosfile.bin

Biosfile.bin is the filename of the BIOS code. (for example, AP58R110.BIN)

3. After loading the new BIOS code, the utility will prompt you to save original

BIOS code into your HDD or floppy. Please press "Y" to store it as
"BIOS.OLD".

4. After the old BIOS has been successfully saved, press "Y" to replace BIOS.

5. DO NOT turn off the power during "FLASHING".

6. Reboot the system by turn off the power after "FLASHING".

7. Press "DEL" key to enter BIOS setup during POST.

8. Reload the "BIOS SETUP DEFAULT" and reconfigure other items as

previous set.

9. Save & Exit. Done!

3-36

Warning: DO NOT turn off the power during

"FLASHING". If the BIOS programming is not
successfully finished, the system will not be boot
again, and you may need to physically replace the
BIOS chip.

Tip: You may load back original BIOS "BIOS.OLD"
by the same procedure.

Appendix A

Jumper Table Summary

Setting the CPU Voltage

JP11

1-2
3-4
5-6
7-8
9-10
11-12

CPU Core Voltage (Vcore)

3.45V (Intel P54C or IDT C6)

3.52V (Cyrix 6x86 ,AMD K5 or IDT C6)

2.9V (AMD K6-166/200 or Cyrix M2)

2.8V (MMX P55C or Cyrix 6x86L)

3.2V (AMD K6-233)

2.2V (AMD K6-266/300)

Warning: Please make sure that you have installed CPU fan
properly if Intel PP/MT-233 or AMD K6-200/233 is being
selected to use. It may cause your system unstable if you can
not meet the heat dissipation requirement from above CPU
type. It is recommended to adopt larger fan on these CPU for
better air flow in the system.

Warning: If your CPU is IDT C6, note that this processor
supports one of two voltage range, 3.135 ~ 3.465V ( 3.45V)
and 3.45 ~ 3.6V ( 3.52V). See the CPU specification to set the
correct voltage.

Tip: Normally, for single voltage CPU, Vcpuio (CPU I/O
Voltage) is equal to Vcore, but for CPU that needs dual
voltage such as PP/MT (P55C) or Cyrix 6x86L, Vcpuio is
different from Vcore and must be set to Vio (PBSRAM and
Chipset Voltage). The single or dual voltage CPU is
automatically detected by hardware circuit.

CPU Type JP11 Vcore

A-1

Jumper Table Summary

INTEL P54C Single Voltage 1-2 3.45V
INTEL MMX P55C Dual Voltage 7-8 2.8V
AMD K5 Single Voltage 3-4 3.52V
AMD K6-166/200 Dual Voltage 5-6 2.9V
AMD K6-233 Dual Voltage 9-10 3.2V
AMD K6-266/300 Dual Voltage 11-12 2.2V
Cyrix 6x86 Single Voltage 3-4 3.52V
Cyrix 6x86L Dual Voltage 7-8 2.8V
Cyrix M2 Dual Voltage 5-6 2.9V
IDT C6 Single Voltage 1-2

Selecting the CPU Frequency

JP3

JP2

JP1

CPU Frequency
Ratio

1-2

1-2

1-2

1.5x (3.5x)

1-2

1-2

2-3

2x

1-2

2-3

2-3

2.5x (1.75x)

1-2

2-3

1-2

3x

2-3

1-2

2-3

4x

2-3

2-3

2-3

4.5x

2-3

2-3

1-2

5x

2-3

1-2

1-2

5.5x

3-4

3.45V

3.52V

JP6

1-2
2-3
1-2
1-2
2-3
2-3

JP5

2-3
2-3
2-3
1-2
2-3
1-2

JP4

2-3
2-3
1-2
2-3
1-2
2-3

CPU External
Clock

50MHz
55MHz
60MHz
66MHz
75MHz

83.3MHz

INTEL
Pentium

A-2

Note: Intel PP/MT MMX 233MHz is using 1.5x jumper setting for

3.5x frequency ratio, and AMD PR166 is using 2.5x setting for

1.75x frequency ratio.
Warning: SIS 5582 chipset supports up to 75MHz external CPU

bus clock, the 83.3MHz settings are for internal test only, set to

83.3MHz exceeds the specification of SIS 5582 chipset, which
may cause serious system damage.

CPU Core
Frequency

Ratio External

Bus Clock

JP3 & JP2 & JP1 JP6 & JP5 & JP4

Jumper Table Summary

P54C 75 75MHz = 1.5x 50MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3
P54C 90 90MHz = 1.5x 60MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
P54C 100 100MHz = 1.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
P54C 120 120MHz = 2x 60MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
P54C 133 133MHz = 2x 66MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
P54C 150 150MHz = 2.5x 60MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
P54C 166 166MHz = 2.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
P54C 200 200MHz = 3x 66MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3

INTEL
Pentium

PP/MT 150 150MHz = 2.5x 60MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
PP/MT 166 166MHz = 2.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
PP/MT 200 200MHz = 3x 66MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
PP/MT 233 233MHz = 3.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3

Cyrix 6x86
& 6x86L

P120+ 100MHz = 2x 50MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3
P133+ 110MHz= 2x 55MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3 2-3 & 2-3 & 2-3
P150+ 120MHz = 2x 60MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
P166+ 133MHz = 2x 66MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
P200+ 150MHz = 2x 75MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3 2-3 & 2-3 & 1-2

Cyrix M2 CPU Core

MX-PR166 150MHz = 2.5x 60MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
6x86-MX200 166MHz=

6x86-MX233 200MHz=

MX-PR266 233MHz = 3.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3

CPU Core
Frequency

CPU Core
Frequency

Frequency

150MHz=

166MHz

Ratio External

Ratio External

Ratio External

2.5x
2x

3x
2x

Bus Clock

Bus Clock

Bus Clock

66MHz
75MHz

66MHz

83.3MHz

JP3 & JP2 & JP1 JP6 & JP5 & JP4

JP3 & JP2 & JP1 JP6 & JP5 & JP4

JP3 & JP2 & JP1 JP6 & JP5 & JP4

1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3
1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3

1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3

1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
2-3 & 2-3 & 1-2

1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
2-3 & 1-2 & 2-3

A-3

Jumper Table Summary

AMD K5 CPU Core

Frequency

PR75 75MHz= 1.5x 50MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3
PR90 90MHz = 1.5x 60MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
PR100 100MHz = 1.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
PR120 90MHz = 1.5x 60MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
PR133 100MHz = 1.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
PR166 116MHz = 1.75x 66MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3

AMD K6 CPU Core

Frequency

PR2-166 166MHz = 2.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 2-3 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
PR2-200 200MHz = 3x 66MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
PR2-233 233MHz = 3.5x 66MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
PR2-266 266MHz= 4x 66MHz 2-3 & 1-2 & 2-3 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3
PR2-300 300MHz= 4.5x 66MHz 2-3 & 2-3 & 2-3 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3

IDT C6 CPU Core

Frequency

C6-150 150MHz = 2x 75MHz 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3 2-3 & 2-3 & 1-2
C6-180 180MHz = 3x 60MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2
C6-200 200MHz = 3x 66MHz 1-2 & 2-3 & 1-2 1-2 & 1-2 & 2-3

Ratio External

Bus Clock

Ratio External

Bus Clock

Ratio External

Bus Clock

JP3 & JP2 & JP1 JP6 & JP5 & JP4

JP3 & JP2 & JP1 JP6 & JP5 & JP4

JP3 & JP2 & JP1 JP6 & JP5 & JP4

Selecting the PCI Clock Mode

JP8

1-2
2-3

PCI Clcok Mode

Sync (default)
Async

Disabling the Onboard Super I/O

JP18

1-2
2-3

A-4

Onboard Super I/O

Enable (default)
Disable

Clear CMOS

Jumper Table Summary

JP14

1-2
2-3

Clear CMOS

Normal operation (default)
Clear CMOS

Setting PCI Clock

JP8

1-2
2-3

PCI Clock

Sync (default)
Async

A-5

Appendix B

BIOS revision

AP5T revision 3.4

Rev 3.4

Frequently Asked Question

Note: FAQ may be updated without notice. If
you cannot find the information that you need in
this appendix, visit our WWW home page
(http://www.aopen.com.tw) and check the FAQ
area and other new information.

Q: How can I identify the mainboard BIOS version?

A: The AOpen mainboard BIOS version appears on the upper-left corner of

the POST (Power-On Self Test) screen. Normally, it starts with R and is
found in between the model name and the date. For example:

AP58 R1.00 July.21.1997

Q: How can I identify version of the mainboard?

A: The AOpen mainboard revision appears as Rev x.x on the PCB, near the

PCI slot. For example, for AP5T revision 3.4, the revision number appears
on the PCB as follows:

AP5T MB

B-1

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why the AOpen mainboards (MB) do not have cache module

expansion slot?

A: Faster CPU speed requires more difficult and complex MB timing design.

Every trace and components delay must be taken into consideration. The
expansion cache slot design will cause 2 or 3ns delay in PBSRAM timing,
and the extended trace length to the cache module through the golden
finger will further delay the timing by 1 or 2ns. This may result in unreliable
system once the cache module and slot becomes worn. All AOpen MBs
support 512KB PBSRAM onboard. For better performance (around 3%
higher than 256KB), we strongly recommend you to use 512KB onboard.
Otherwise, reliable 256KB is better than unreliable 512KB with cache
module. AOpen is the first company to promote this concept since the
fourth quarter of 1995.

Q: What is MMX?

A: MMX is the new single-line multiple-instruction technology of the new Intel

Pentium PP/MT (P55C) CPU. A new Pentium Pro CPU (Klamath) with
MMX technology is also expected to be released soon. The MMX
instructions are specifically useful for multimedia applications (such as 3D
video, 3D sound, video conference). The performance can be improved if
applications use these instructions. All AOpen MBs have at least dual
power onboard to support PP/MT, it is not necessary to have special
chipset for MMX CPU.

Q: What is USB (Universal Serial Bus)?

A: USB is a new 4-pin serial peripheral bus that is capable of cascading

low/medium speed peripherals (less than 10Mbit/s) such as keyboard,
mouse, joystick, scanner, printer and modem/ISDN. With USB, the
traditional complex cables from back panel of your PC can be eliminated.

You need the USB driver to support USB device(s). AOpen MBs are all
USB ready, you may get latest BIOS from AOpen web site
(http://www.aopen.com.tw). Our latest BIOS includes the keyboard driver
(called Legacy mode), that simulates USB keyboard to act as AT or PS/2
keyboard and makes it possible to use USB keyboard if you don't have
driver in your OS. For other USB devices, you may get the drivers from
your device vendor or from OS (such as Win95). Be sure to turn off "USB
Legacy Support" in BIOS "Chipset Setup" if you have another driver in your
OS.

B-2

Frequently Asked Question

Q: What is P1394?

A: P1394 (IEEE 1394) is another standard of high-speed serial peripheral

bus. Unlike low or medium speed USB, P1394 supports 50 to 1000Mbit/s
and can be used for video camera, disk and LAN. Since P1394 is still
under development, , there is no P1394 device currently available in the
PC market. Also, there is no chipset that can support P1394. Probably in
the near future, a card will be developed to support P1394 device.

Q: What is SMBus (System Management Bus, also called I2C bus)?

A: SMBus is a two-wire bus developed for component communication

(especially for semiconductor IC). It is most useful for notebook to detect
component status and replace hardware configuration pin (pull-high or pull­low). For example, disabling clock of DIMM that does not exist, or
detecting battery low condition. The data transfer rate of SMBus is only
100Kbit/s, it allows one host to communicate with CPU and many masters
and slaves to send/receive message. The SMBus may be used for
jumpless mainboard, the components which support SMbus are not ready
yet, we will keep eyes on it.

Q: What is FCC DoC (Declaration of Conformity)?

A: The DoC is new certification standard of FCC regulations. This new

standard allows DIY component (such as mainboard) to apply DoC label
separately without a shielding of housing. The rule to test mainboard for
DoC is to remove housing and test it with regulation 47 CFR 15.31. The
DoC test of mainboard is more difficult than traditional FCC test. If the
mainboard passes DoC test, that means it has very low EMI radiation and
you can use any kind of housing (even paper housing). Following is an
example of DoC label.

Q: What is PBSRAM (Pipelined Burst SRAM)?

A: For Pentium CPU, the Burst means reading four QWord (Quad-word, 4x16

= 64 bits) continuously with only the first address decoded by SRAM. The
PBSRAM will automatically send the remaining three QWord to CPU
according to predefined sequence. The normal address decoding time for
SRAM is 2 to 3 clocks. This makes the CPU data read timing of four
QWord to be at least 3-2-2-2 and a total of 9 clocks if traditional
asynchronous SRAM is used. However, with PBSRAM, there is no need to
decode address for rest three Qword. Therefore, data read timing can be
3-1-1-1, that is equivalent to 6 clocks and is faster than asynchronous
SRAM.

Q: What is EDO (Extended Data Output) memory?

B-3

Frequently Asked Questions

A: The EDO DRAM technology of EDO is actually very similar to FPM (Fast

Page Mode). Unlike traditional FPM that tri-states the memory output data
to start the pre-charge activity, EDO DRAM holds the memory data valid
until the next memory access cycle, that is similar to pipeline effect and
reduces one clock state.

Q: What is SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM)?

A: The SDRAM is a new generation DRAM technology that allows DRAM to

use the same clock as the CPU host bus (EDO and FPM are asynchronous
and do not have clock signal). The idea is the same as "Burst" (refer to the
previous Q & A). It requires only one clock for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th
QWord (for example, 5-1-1-1 compares with EDO 5-2-2-2). The SDRAM
comes in 64-bit 168-pin DIMM (Dual-in-line Memory Module) and operates
at 3.3V. Note that some old DIMMs are made by FPM/EDO and only
operate at 5V. Do not confuse them with SDRAM DIMM. AOpen is the first
company to support dual-SDRAM DIMMs onboard (AP5V), from Q1 1996.

Q: Can SDRAM DIMM work together with FPM/EDO SIMM?

A: The FPM/EDO operate at 5V while SDRAM operates at 3.3V. The current

MB design provides different power to DIMM and SIMM but connects the
data bus together. If you combine SIMM and DIMM, the system will still
work fine; however, only temporarily. After a few months, the SDRAM 3.3V
data input will be damaged by 5V FPM/EDO data output line. Therefore,
we strongly NOT recommend DIMM and SIMM combined together. There
is one exception, if your SDRAM supports 5V tolerance (such as TI or
Samsung), which accepts 5V signal at 3.3V operating power, you can
combine them.

Manufacturer Model Suggested CAS

Latency Time

Samsung KM416S1120AT-G12 2 Yes
NEC D4516161G5-A12-7JF 2 No
Micron MT4LC1M16E5TG-6 2 No
TI TMS626162DGE -15 2 Yes
TI TMS626162DGE M-67 3 Yes

Q: What is Bus Master IDE (DMA mode)?

A: The traditional PIO (Programmable I/O) IDE requires the CPU to involve in

all the activities of the IDE access including waiting for the mechanical
events. To reduce the workload of the CPU, the bus master IDE device

B-4

5V Tolerance

Frequently Asked Question

transfers data from/to memory without interrupting CPU, and releases
CPU to operate concurrently while data is transferring between memory
and IDE device. You need the bus master IDE driver and the bus master
IDE HDD to support bus master IDE mode. Note that it is different with
master/slave mode of the IDE device connection. For more details, refer to
section 2.3 "Connectors".

Q: What is the Ultra DMA/33?

A: This is the new specification to improve IDE HDD data transfer rate. Unlike

traditional PIO mode, which only uses the rising edge of IDE command
signal to transfer data, the DMA/33 uses both rising edge and falling edge.
Hence, the data transfer rate is double of the PIO mode 4 or DMA mode 2.
(16.6MB/s x2 = 33MB/s).

The following table lists the transfer rate of IDE PIO and DMA modes. The
IDE bus is 16-bit, which means every transfer is two bytes.

Mode Clock per

33MHz
PCI

PIO mode 0 30ns 20 600ns (1/600ns) x 2byte = 3.3MB/s
PIO mode 1 30ns 13 383ns (1/383ns) x 2byte = 5.2MB/s
PIO mode 2 30ns 8 240ns (1/240ns) x 2byte = 8.3MB/s
PIO mode 3 30ns 6 180ns (1/180ns) x 2byte = 11.1MB/s
PIO mode 4 30ns 4 120ns (1/120ns) x 2byte = 16.6MB/s

Mode Clock per

33MHz
PCI

DMA mode 0 30ns 16 480ns (1/480ns) x 2byte = 4.16MB/s
DMA mode 1 30ns 5 150ns (1/150ns) x 2byte = 13.3MB/s
DMA mode 2 30ns 4 120ns (1/120ns) x 2byte = 16.6MB/s
DMA/33 30ns 4 120ns (1/120ns) x 2byte x2 = 33MB/s

Q: What is PnP (Plug and Play)?

A: In the past, the IRQ/DMA and memory or I/O space of add-on cards are

normally set manually, i.e., by jumper or by proprietary utility. The user has
to check the user's guide for the correct setting. Sometimes, resource
conflict occurs and this leads to unstable system. The PnP specification
suggests a standard register interface for both BIOS and OS (such as

Clock
count

Clock
count

Cycle
time

Cycle
time

Data Transfer rate

Data Transfer rate

B-5

Frequently Asked Questions

Win95). These registers are used by BIOS and OS to configure system
resource and prevent any conflicts. The IRQ/DMA/Memory will be
automatically allocated by PnP BIOS or OS.

Currently, almost all the PCI cards and most ISA cards are PnP compliant.
If you are still using a Legacy ISA card that cannot support PnP, set the
corresponding resource (IRQ/DMA/memory) to ISA in the BIOS "PCI/PnP
Setup".

Q: What is ACPI (Advanced Configuration & Power Interface) and

OnNow?

A: The ACPI is new power management specification of 1997 (PC97). It

intends to save more power by taking full control of power management to
operating system and not through BIOS. Because of this, the chipset or
super I/O chip needs to provide standard register interface to OS (such as
Win97) and provides the ability for OS to shutdown and resume power of
different part of chip. The idea is a bit similar to the PnP register interface.

ACPI defines momentary soft power switch to control the power state
transition. Most likely, it uses the ATX form factor with momentary soft
power switch. The most attractive part of ACPI for desktop user is probably
the "OnNow" feature, an idea from notebook. This feature allows you to
immediately resume to your original work without the long time waiting from
bootup, entering Win95 and running Winword. The AX5T with Intel TX
chipset can support ACPI.

Q: What is the AGP (Accelerated Graphic Port)?

A: AGP is a PCI-like bus interface targeted for high-performance 3D graphic.

AGP supports only memory read/write operation and single-master single­slave one-to-one only. The AGP uses both rising and falling edge of the
66MHz clock and produces 66MHz x 4byte x 2 = 528MB/s data transfer
rate. The AOpen AX6L MB are designed to support AGP via the new Intel
Klamath LX chipset.

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Frequently Asked Question

Q: Which Pentium chipset has the best performance?

A: The performance difference of chipset depends on what kind of DRAM they

use and the DRAM timing they support. (They all use PBSRAM, so that the
difference is very little at 2nd level cache.)

The following table lists the read timing of current available chipsets. The
four digital represents the clocks needed for 1st-2nd-3rd-4th QWord.
Notice that the Intel HX + EDO or SIS 5571+ EDO are almost the same as
VX + SDRAM and the TX + SDRAM has the best performance among
Pentium chipsets. Please note AP57 does not support SDRAM.

P5 Chipset Model PBSRAM FPM EDO SDRAM

Intel 430FX AP5C/P 3-1-1-1 7-3-3-3 7-2-2-2 NA
Intel 430VX AP5VM/

AP5V

Intel 430HX AP53/

AP5K/
AX53

Intel 430TX AP5T/

AX5T
SIS 5571 AP57 3-1-1-1 5-3-3-3 4/5-2-2-2 (6/7-1-1-1)
SIS 5582 AP58/

AX58

3-1-1-1 6-3-3-3 6-2-2-2 6-1-1-1

3-1-1-1 6-3-3-3 5-2-2-2 NA

3-1-1-1 6-3-3-3 5-2-2-2

3-1-1-1 5-3-3-3 4/5-2-2-2 6/7-1-1-1

5-1-1-1

Q: Does Pentium or Pentium Pro MB support Deturbo mode?

A: The Deturbo mode was originally designed to slow down CPU speed for

old applications (especially old games). It uses programming loop to wait
or delay special event. This programming method is considered very bad
since the delay of loop highly depends on the CPU speed and the
application fails at high-speed CPU. Almost all new applications (including
games) use RTC or interrupt to wait event. There is no need for Deturbo
mode now. The Turbo switch is now used as Suspend switch. However,
some MBs still support Turbo/Deturbo function via keyboard. You can set
the system to Deturbo by pressing <Ctrl> <Alt> <->. To back to Turbo
mode, press <Ctrl> <Alt> <+>. Note that the Deturbo mode has been
removed in new MBs since these require more code space in Flash ROM.

B-7

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Power Management Icon does not appear in the Windows 95 Control

Panel even though the APM under BIOS Setup is enabled.

A: This problem occurs if you did not enable the APM function before you

install Windows 95. If you have already installed Windows 95, re-install it
after the BIOS APM function is enabled.

Q: Why does the system fail to go into suspend mode under Win95?

A: This problem may be caused by your CDROM settings. The CDROM Auto

Insert Notification of Win95 is dafault enabled, the system will continue to
monitor your CDROM, auto-execute application when a CD diskette is
loaded, and prevents the system from entering into suspend mode. To
resolve this, go into Control Panel è System è Device Manager è
CDROM è Setting, and disable the "Auto Insert Notification" function.

Q: What is Windows 95 Registry?

A: The functions of Windows 95 Registry and the Windows 3.1 INI files are

almost the same. Both store the hardware and software configurations.
The only difference is that Registry is a database while INI is text file. You
can run REGEDIT.EXE to further understand the Registry structure.
Checking and studying the structure of this file will help you solve some
configuration problems.

Q: Which version of the Windows '95 that I am using?

A: You may determine the version of Windows '95 by following steps.

1. Double click "System" in "Control Panel".

2. Click "General".

3. Look for "System" heading & refer to following,

4.00.950 Windows 95

4.00.950A Windows 95 + Service Pack or OEM Service Release 1

4.00.950B OEM Service Release 2 or OEM Service Release 2.1

If you are running OSR 2.1, you may tell it from by checking "USB
Supplement to OSR2" in the list of installed program of Add/Remove
program tool under Control Panel, and checking for version 4.03.1212 of
the Ntkern.vxd file in the Windows\System\Vmm32 folder.

Q: What is the Modem Wake Up?

B-8

Frequently Asked Question

A: With the help of ACPI OnNow and ATX soft power On/Off, it is possible to

have system totally power off (The traditional suspend mode of power
management function does not really turn off the system power supply),
and wakeup to automatically answer a phone call such as answering
machine or to send/receive fax. You may identify the true power off by
checking fan of your power supply. Both external box modem and internal
modem card can be used to support Modem Wake Up, but if you use
external modem, you have to keep the box modem always power-on.
AOpen AX5T/AX58 and internal modem card implement special circuit
(patent applied) and make sure the modem card works properly without
any power. We recommend you choose AOpen modem card (F56 or
MP56) for Modem Wake Up applications.

Q: What is the Suspend to Hard Drive?

A: This is the same as Notebook. You can resume your original work directly

from hard disk without go through the Win95 booting process and run your
application again. Suspend to Hard Drive saves your current work (system
status, memory image) into hard disk. If your memory is 16MB, normally,
you need to reserve at least 16MB HDD space to save your memory
image. ACPI OnNow is possible to do the same function, since the ACPI
specification is not fully ready. AOpen AP5T/AP58/AX5T/AX58 support
Suspend to Hard Drive through BIOS. Note that you have to use VESA
compatible VGA (AOpen S3 Trio64V+ PV60), Sound Blaster compatible
sound card (AOpen AW32 or AW35) for Suspend to Hard Drive to work
properly. Of course, we recommend to use AOpen products for maximum
compatibility.

Q: What is CPU Thermal Protection?

A: The higher speed of CPU , the more heat dissipation need to be taking into

consideration. If user does not use correct fan for the CPU cooling, it is
highly possible the CPU can over heat and causing system unstable.
AOpen AP5T/AP58/AX5T/AX6F has special thermal detection circuit under
the CPU, and slow down the CPU speed as well as warning when
temperature is high then a predefined temperature. (Normally, 55 degree
C.)

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