Chapter 4
Award BIOS
This chapter tells 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.
3-1
AWARD BIOS
4.1 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.
Tip: Choose "Load Setup Defaults" for
recommended optimal performance. Choose
"Load Turbo Defaults" for best performance
with light system loading. Refer to section 3.7.
The section at the bottom of the screen tells how to control the screen. Use the
arrow keys to move between items, F9 to change language, ESC to exit, and
F10 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 Enter to select or enter a submenu.
3-2
AWARD BIOS
4.2 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.
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.
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
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
4.3 BIOS Features Setup
This screen appears when you select the option "BIOS Features Setup" from
the main menu.
BIOS Features à Virus Warning
Virus Warning
Enabled
Disabled
Type "Y" to accept write, or "N" to abort write
3-6
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 antivirus program to locate the problem.
! WARNING !
Disk Boot Sector is to be modified
Award Software, Inc.
BIOS Features à CPU Internal Cache
AWARD BIOS
External Cache
Enabled
Disabled
Enabling this parameter activates CPU internal cache.
Disabling the parameter slows down the system.
Therefore, we recommend that you leave it enabled
unless you are troubleshooting a problem.
BIOS Features à External Cache
External Cache
Enabled
Disabled
Enabling this parameter activates the secondary cache
(currently, PBSRAM cache). Disabling the parameter
slows down the system. Therefore, we recommend
that you leave it enabled unless you are
troubleshooting a problem.
BIOS Features à Quick 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
CDROM,A,C
D,A,SCSI
E,A,SCSI
F,A,SCSI
SCSI,A,C
SCSI,C,A
C only
LS/ZIP,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
LS: LS120 drive
ZIP: IOMEGA ZIP drive
3-7
AWARD BIOS
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.
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 Memory Parity/ECC Check
Memory
Parity/ECC Check
Enabled
Disabled
This item is used to enable or disable parity/ECC check
function.
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.
BIOS Features à Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec)
Typematic Rate
6
8
10
12
15
20
24
30
3-8
This item allows you to control the speed of repeated
keystrokes. The default is 30 characters/sec.
BIOS Features à Typematic Delay (Msec)
AWARD BIOS
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>.
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.
3-9
AWARD BIOS
BIOS Features à Show Logo On Screen
Show Logo On
Screen
Enabled
Disabled
This item lets you decide if AOpen logo will appear in
the POST screen.
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
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.
3-10
Note: The F000 and E000 segments are
always shadowed because BIOS code
occupies these areas.
AWARD BIOS
4.4 Chipset Features Setup
The "Chipset Features Setup" includes settings for the chipset dependent
features. These features are related to system performance.
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 settings are not correct for your
system configuration.
3-11
AWARD BIOS
Chipset Features à Bank 0/1 Timing
Chipset Features à Bank 2/3 Timing
DRAM Timing
60 ns
70 ns
This item is used to set DRAM timing parameters
which can be automatically set by BIOS, 60ns and
70ns.
Chipset Features à SDRAM CAS Latency
SDRAM CAS
Latency
2T
3T
This is an important parameter that affects SDRAM
performance, the default setting is 2 clocks. If your
system has unstable problem, change 2T to 3T.
Chipset Features à SDRAM Bank Interleave
SDRAM Bank
Interleave
Enabled
Disabled
This item allows pages of different banks to be active.
Chipset Features à DRAM Read Pipeline
DRAM Read Pipeline
Enabled
Disabled
This item is used to enable or disable DRAM read
pipeline.
Chipset Features à Cache R/W CPU Pipeline
Cache R/W CPU
Pipeline
Enabled
Disabled
This item is used to enable or disable both cache
read and CPU write pipeline.
Chipset Features à Video BIOS Cacheable
Video BIOS
Cacheable
Enabled
Disabled
3-12
Allows the video BIOS to be cached to allow faster
video performance.
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 Memory Hole
Memory Hole
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.
Chipset Features à Init Display First
Init Display First
PCI
AGP
If you installed a PCI VGA card and an AGP card at
the same time, this item lets you decide which one is
the initial display card.
Chipset Features à Frame Buffer Size
Frame Buffer Size
2M
4M
8M
The onboard AGP need to share a memory size with
the system memory. You may set a larger size for
getting better performance. The shared memory size
is up to 8MB.
Chipset Features à AGP Aperture Size
AGP Aperture Size
4M
8M
16M
32M
64M
128M
256M
This item lets you determine the effective size of the
AGP Graphic Aperture.
3-13
AWARD BIOS
Chipset Features à Clock Spread Spectrum
Clock Spread
Spectrum
On
Off
This item is used to set clock spread spectrum for
EMI testing. Normally, you don’t need to change the
default setting.
Chipset Features à Y2K CMOS Update
Y2K CMOS Update
Enabled
Disabled
This item is designed for some Y2K testing programs,
for example, Check It 98. If you are using this kind of
program to test your system and fails, enable this
item and redo the test again.
PNP/PCI Configuration à CPU to PCI Write Buffer
CPU to PCI Write
Buffer
Disabled
Enabled
This item is used to enable or disable CPU to PCI
write buffer.
PNP/PCI Configuration à PCI Dynamic Bursting
PCI Dynamic
Bursting
Disabled
Enabled
This item is used to enable or disable PCI dynamic
bursting.
PNP/PCI Configuration à PCI Master 0 WS Write
PCI Master 0 WS
Write
Disabled
Enabled
This item is used to control the PCI master write
cycle. If enabled, there is no wait state. If disabled,
there will be one wait state for PCI master write.
PNP/PCI Configuration à PCI Delay Transaction
PCI Delay
Transaction
Disabled
Enabled
3-14
This item lets you control the Delayed Transaction
function of the VIA 586A chipset (Intel PCI to ISA
bridge). This function is used to meet latency of PCI
cycles to or from ISA bus. Try to enable or disable it,
if you have ISA card compatibility problem.
AWARD BIOS
PNP/PCI Configuration à PCI#2 Access #1 Retry
PCI#2 Access #1
Retry
Disabled
Enabled
This item is used to enable or disable AGP master
retry disconnect. If enabled, AGP master will be
disconnected if max retries are attempted without
success. PCI#2 means AGP.
PNP/PCI Configuration à AGP Master 1 WS Write
AGP Master 1 WS
Write
Disabled
Enabled
This item is used to enable or disable AGP master 1
wait state write.
PNP/PCI Configuration à AGP Master 1 WS Read
AGP Master 1 WS
Read
Disabled
Enabled
This item is used to enable or disable AGP master 1
wait state read.
3-15
AWARD BIOS
4.5 Power Management Setup
The Power Management Setup screen enables you to control the
motherboard’s green features.
Power Management à ACPI Function
ACPI Function
Enabled
Disabled
If your OS is ACPI enabled you have to set this item
to Enabled, or there may be unexpected errors. If
your OS is APM mode, you can remain the Disabled
setting.
Power Management à Power Management
Power Management
Max Saving
Mix Saving
User Defined
Disabled
3-16
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.
AWARD BIOS
Mode Doze Standby Suspend HDD Power Down
Min Saving 1 hour 1 hour 1 hour 15 min
Max Saving 1 min 1 min 1 min 1 min
Power Management à PM Controlled by APM
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 Method
Video Off Method
V/H SYNC + Blank
DPMS
Blank Screen
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 Video Off After
Video Off After
N/A
Doze
Standby
Suspend
To turn off video monitor at which power down mode.
3-17
AWARD BIOS
Power Management à Suspend Mode Option
Suspend Mode
Option
PowerOn Suspend
Suspend to Disk
You can select suspend mode by this item. Power
On Suspend is the traditional Green PC suspend
mode, 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 or I/O.
Suspend to Disk 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, which depending on your memory size. You
need utility AOZVHDD to reserve disk space.
Power Management à Operating System
Operating System
DOS
Win 9x
To implement suspend function, you have to specify
an operating system. Currently, only DOS and
Win95/98 support this function.
Power Management à Doze Mode
Doze Mode
Disabled
10 Sec
20 Sec
30 Sec
40 Sec
1 Min
2 Min
4 Min
6 Min
8 Min
10 Min
20 Min
30 Min
40 Min
1 Hour
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.
3-18
Power Management à Suspend Mode
AWARD BIOS
Suspend Mode
Disabled
10 Sec
20 Sec
30 Sec
40 Sec
1 Min
2 Min
4 Min
6 Min
8 Min
10 Min
20 Min
30 Min
40 Min
1 Hour
This item lets you set the period of time after which
the system enters into Suspend mode. The Suspend
mode can be Power On Suspend or Suspend to Hard
Drive, selected by "Suspend Mode Option".
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 previously
described in this section (Standby and Suspend).
Power Management à Soft-Off by PWR-BTTN
Soft-Off by PWRBTTN
Delay 4 sec.
Instant-Off
This is a specification of ACPI and supported by
hardware. When Delay 4 sec. is selected, the soft
power switch on the front panel can be used to control
power On, Suspend and Off. If the switch is pressed
less than 4 sec during power On, the system will go
into Suspend mode. If the switch is pressed longer
than 4 sec, the system will be turned Off. The default
setting is Instant-Off, soft power switch is only used
to control On and Off, there is no need to press 4 sec,
and there is no Suspend.
3-19
AWARD BIOS
Power Management à VGA
Power Management à LPT & COM
Power Management à HDD & FDD
Power Management à DMA/Master
COM Ports Activity
ON
OFF
To enable or disable the detection of COM port, LPT,
HDD, VGA, and DMA activities for power down state
transition.
Power Management à Wake On LAN
Wake On LAN
Enabled
Disabled
This option lets you specify enable or disable Wake
On LAN function.
Power Management à 0V Wake On Modem
0V Wake On Modem
Disabled
Enabled
This motherboard implements AOpen special circuit
to detect modem ring signal and wakeup from soft
power off. The most possible applications are
automatic answering machine and fax send/receive.
It does not like traditional green PC suspend mode,
the system can be true power off, (identified by the
fan of your power supply is off). You can use external
box modem or AOpen MP56/F56 internal modem
card for modem ring-on, but MP56/F56 is
recommended, since MP56/F56 has special circuit to
cooperate with this mainboard and the modem power
and system power can be off together.
Power Management à Wake On RTC Timer
Wake On RTC Timer
Disabled
Enabled
3-20
This option lets you enable or disable the Wake on
RTC Timer function.
Power Management à Date (of Month)
AWARD BIOS
Date (of Month)
0
1
.....
31
This item is displayed when you enable Wake on RTC
Timer option. Here you can specify what date you
want to wake up the system. For Example, setting to
15 will wake up the system on the 15th day of every
month.
Note: Setting this item to 0 will wake up the
system on the specified time (which can be
set in the next item) every day.
Power Management à Timer (hh:mm:ss)
Timer (hh:mm:ss)
hh:mm:ss
This item is displayed when you enable Wake on RTC
Timer option. Here you can specify what time you
want to wake up the system.
Power Management à Primary INTR
Primary
ON
OFF
This item is used to enable or disable the detection
of IRQ3-15 or NMI interrupt events for power down
state transition. Normally, this is applied to network
card.
Power Management à IRQ [3-15]
IRQ [3-15],NMI
Primary
Secondary
Disabled
Select Primary or Disabled option to enable or
disable the detection of specified IRQ. If the
Secondary option was selected, the system will wake
up for 2ms after detecting the interrupt, and then
return to power down status.
3-21
AWARD BIOS
4.6 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.
PNP/PCI Configuration à PnP OS Installed
PnP OS Installed
Yes
No
3-22
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.
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)
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ4 (COM1)
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ5 (Network/Sound or Others)
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ7 (Printer or Others)
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ9 (Video or Others)
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ10 (SCSI or Others)
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ11 (SCSI or Others)
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ12 (PS/2 Mouse)
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ14 (IDE1)
PNP/PCI Configuration à IRQ15 (IDE2)
IRQ 3
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).
3-23
AWARD BIOS
PNP/PCI Configuration à DMA 0
PNP/PCI Configuration à DMA 1
PNP/PCI Configuration à DMA 3
PNP/PCI Configuration à DMA 5
PNP/PCI Configuration à DMA 6
PNP/PCI Configuration à DMA 7
DMA 0
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.
Power Management à Modem Use IRQ
Modem Use IRQ
3
4
5
7
9
10
11
N/A
This item lets you set an IRQ for the modem.
3-24
AWARD BIOS
PNP/PCI Configuration à PCI-Slot1 IRQ (Right)
PNP/PCI Configuration à PCI-Slot2 IRQ
PNP/PCI Configuration à PCI-Slot3 IRQ
PNP/PCI Configuration à PCI-Slot4 IRQ (Left)
PCI-Slot1 IRQ
3
4
5
6
7
9
10
11
12
14
15
Auto
This item is reserved for engineering purpose to let
you assign an IRQ manually to the add-on card on
each PCI slot. If you select Auto, system will
automatically assign an available value to the device.
It is suggested to use default setting, which is Auto, in
order to comply with PnP specification completely.
3-25
AWARD BIOS
4.7 Load Setup Defaults
The "Load Setup Defaults" option loads optimized settings for optimum system
performance. Optimal settings are relatively safer than the Turbo settings. All
the product verification, compatibility/reliability test report and manufacture
quality control are based on "Load Setup Defaults". We recommend that you
use this settings for normal operation. "Load Setup Defaults" is not the slowest
setting for this motherboard. If you need to verify an unstable problem, you
may manually set the parameter in the "BIOS Features Setup" and "Chipset
Features Setup" to get slowest and safer setting.
4.8 Load Turbo Defaults
The "Load Turbo Defaults" option gives better performance than "Load Setup
Defaults". It is provided for the convenience of power user who wants to push
the motherboard to get better performance. Turbo setting does not go though
all the detail reliability and compatibility test, it is tested only with limited
configuration and loading (for example, a system that contains only a VGA card
and two DIMMs). Use Turbo setting only when you fully understand the items in
Chipset Setup menu. The performance improvement of Turbo setting is
normally around 3% to 5%, depending on the chipset and the application.
3-26
AWARD BIOS
4.9 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.
Integrated Peripherals à OnChip Primary IDE
Integrated Peripherals à OnChip Secondary IDE
OnChip Primary IDE
Enabled
Disabled
This parameter lets you enable or disable the IDE
device connected to the primary IDE connector.
Integrated Peripherals à IDE Prefetch Mode
IDE Prefetch Mode
Enabled
Disabled
This item is used to enable and disable IDE prefetch
mode.
3-27
AWARD BIOS
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 Primary Master PIO
Integrated Peripherals à Primary Slave PIO
Integrated Peripherals à Secondary Master PIO
Integrated Peripherals à Secondary Slave PIO
IDE Primary Master
PIO
Auto
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 Primary Master UDMA
Integrated Peripherals à Primary Slave UDMA
Integrated Peripherals à Secondary Master UDMA
Integrated Peripherals à Secondary Slave UDMA
IDE Primary Master
UDMA
Auto
Disabled
3-28
This item allows you to set the Ultra DMA/33 mode
supported by the hard disk drive connected to your
primary IDE connector.
AWARD BIOS
Power Management à AC PWR Auto Recovery
AC PWR Auto
Recovey
Former-Sts
On
Off
A traditional ATX system should remain at power off
stage when AC power resumes from power failure.
This design is inconvenient for a network server or
workstation, without an UPS, that needs to keep
power-on. This item is used to solve this problem.
Selecting On lets the system can automatically
power-on after AC power resumes; in the other hand,
the system will power-off if you select Off. If FormerSts option is selected, the system will power-on or
power-off based on the original state.
Integrated Peripherals à OnChip Sound
OnChip Sound
Disabled
Enabled
This item is used to enable or disable the onboard
audio.
Integrated Peripherals à OnChip Legacy Audio
OnChip Legacy
Audio
Disabled
Enabled
This motherboard has a Sound Blaster Pro
compatible onchip audio. This item should be set to
Enabled under DOS mode.
Integrated Peripherals à SB I/O Base Address
SB I/O Base Address
220-22fh
240-24fh
260-26fh
280-28fh
This item is used to select SB I/O base address.
Integrated Peripherals à SB IRQ Select
SB IRQ Select
IRQ5
IRQ7
IRQ9
IRQ10
This item is used to select IRQ for the onboard audio.
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AWARD BIOS
Integrated Peripherals à SB DMA Select
SB DMA Select
DMA0
DMA1
DMA2
DMA3
This item is used to select DMA for the onboard
audio.
Integrated Peripherals à MPU-401 I/O Address
MPU-401 I/O
Address
300-303h
310-313h
320-323h
330-333h
This item is used to select I/O base address for the
MIDI port.
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 Serial Port 1
Integrated Peripherals à Onboard Serial Port 2
Onboard Serial Port 1
Auto
3F8/IRQ4
2F8/IRQ3
3E8/IRQ4
2E8/IRQ3
Disabled
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This item allows you to assign address and interrupt
for the board serial port. The default setting is Auto.
Integrated Peripherals à UART Mode Select
AWARD BIOS
UART Mode Select
Normal
HPSIR
ASKIR
This allows you to specify the mode of serial port2.
The available mode selections are:
• Normal - 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.
• 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 Function Duplex
IR Function Duplex
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 RxD, TxD Active
RxD, TxD Active
Hi, Lo
Lo, Hi
Lo, Lo
Hi, Hi
This item is used to select RxD (Receive Data) and
TxD (Transmit Data) mode for UART, for instance, IR
device, modem, etc. Normally, we suggest you keep
the default setting. Please see the documentation that
comes with your device.
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AWARD BIOS
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.
Integrated Peripherals à Onboard Parallel Mode
Onboard Parallel
Mode
SPP
ECP
EPP
ECP+EPP
This item lets you set the parallel port mode. The
mode options are SPP (Standard and Bidirection
Parallel Port), EPP (Enhanced Parallel Port) and ECP
(Extended Parallel Port). SPP 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 EPP Mode Select
EPP Mode Select
EPP1.7
EPP1.9
This item lets you select EPP mode.
Integrated Peripherals à OnChip USB
OnChip USB
Disabled
Enabled
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This item lets you enable or disable onboard USB.
AWARD BIOS
Integrated Peripherals à USB Keyboard Support
USB Keyboard
Support
Enabled
Disabled
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 Keyboard Support" if you have
USB driver in the operating system.
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AWARD BIOS
4.10 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 Enter.
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.
4.11 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 autodetected 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.
4.12 Save & Exit Setup
This function automatically saves all CMOS values before leaving Setup.
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AWARD BIOS
4.13 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.
4.14 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.
4.15 BIOS Flash Utility
AOpen Easy Flash is more user friendly than traditional flash method. The
BIOS binary file and flash routine are combined together and you simply run a
single file to complete the flash process.
1. Get new BIOS upgrade program from AOpen's web site. For example,
MX59P200.EXE.
2. Reboot the system to DOS mode without loading any memory handler (such as
EMM386) or device driver. It needs around 520K free memory space.
3. Execute A:> MX59P200
DO NOT turn off the power during FLASH PROCESS.
4. Reboot the system by turn off the power after flash is completed.
5. Reload the "BIOS SETUP DEFAULT" and reconfigure other items as
previous set. Save & Exit. Done!
Note: The upgrade of new BIOS will permanently replace your original BIOS
content after flashing. The original BIOS setting and Win95/Win98 PnP
information will be refreshed and you probably need to re-configure your
system.
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