Chapter 3
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
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.
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, 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
AWARD BIOS
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.
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
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.
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 anti-virus program
to locate the problem.
! WARNING !
Disk Boot Sector is to be modified
Award Software, Inc.
BIOS Features à External Cache
AWARD BIOS
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
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
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 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.
BIOS Features à Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec)
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 (Msec)
Typematic Delay
250
500
750
1000
3-8
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
AWARD BIOS
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.
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.
3-9
AWARD BIOS
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.
Note: The F000 and E000 segments are
always shadowed because BIOS code
occupies these areas.
3-10
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.
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.
3-11
AWARD BIOS
Chipset Features à Auto Configuration
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.
Chipset Features à DRAM Timing
DRAM Timing
60 ns
70 ns
There to sets of DRAM timing parameters can be
automatically set by BIOS, 60ns and 70ns.
Warning: The default memory timing setting
is 60ns to get the optimal performance.
Because the specification limitation of INTEL
TX chipset , 70ns SIMM can only be used
with CPU external clock 60MHz. To use 70ns
SIMM with 66MHz CPU external clock may
result in unstable system behavior.
Chipset Features à DRAM Leadoff Timing
DRAM Leadoff
Timing
11/7/3/4
10/6/3/3
11/7/4/4
10/6/4/3
The Leadoff means the timing of first memory cycle
in the burst read or write. Actually, this item controls
only page miss read/write leadoff timing and the
clocks of RAS precharge and RAS to CAS delay. The
four digital represent Read Leadoff/ Write Leadoff/
RAS Precharge/ RAS to CAS delay. For example,
default is 10/6/3/3, which means you have 10-x-x-x
DRAM page miss read and 6-x-x-x DRAM write, with
3 clocks RAS precharge and 3 clocks RAS to CAS
delay.
3-12
Chipset Features à DRAM Read Burst (EDO/FP)
AWARD BIOS
DRAM Read Burst
(EDO/FP)
x444/x444
x333/x444
x222/x333
Read Burst means to read four continuous memory
cycles on four predefined addresses from the DRAM.
The default value is x222/x333 for 60ns EDO or FPM
(Fast Page Mode) DRAM. Which means the 2nd,3rd
and 4th memory cycles are 2 CPU clocks for EDO
and 3 clocks for FPM. The value of x is the timing of
first memory cycle and depends on the "DRAM
Leadoff Timing" setting.
Chipset Features à DRAM Write Burst Timing
DRAM Write Burst
Timing
x444
x333
x222
Write Burst means to write four continuous memory
cycles on four predefined addresses to the DRAM.
This item sets the DRAM write timing of the 2nd,3rd
and 4th memory cycles. There is no difference of
EDO and FPM DRAM on the write burst timing. The
value of x depends on the "DRAM Leadoff Timing"
setting.
Chipset Features à Fast EDO Lead Off
Fast EDO Lead Off
Enabled
Disabled
This item enables fast EDO read timing, results 1
clock pull-in for read leadoff latency of EDO read
cycles. It must be Disabled, if any FPM DRAM is
installed.
Chipset Features à Refresh RAS# Assertion
Refresh RAS#
Assertion
5 Clks
4 Clks
This item controls the number of clocks RAS is
asserted for refresh cycle.
3-13
AWARD BIOS
Chipset Features à DRAM Page Idle Timer
DRAM Page Idle
Timer
2 Clks
4 Clks
6 Clks
8 Clks
This item determines the amount of time in CPU
clocks that DRAM page will be close after CPU
becomes idle.
Chipset Features à DRAM Enhance Paging
DRAM Enhance
Paging
Enabled
Disabled
When Enabled, TX chipset will keep DRAM page
open as long as possible according to enhanced
method.
Chipset Features à SDRAM (CAS Lat/RAS-to-CAS)
SDRAM(CAS
Lat/RAS-to-CAS)
2/2
3/3
These are timing of SDRAM CAS Latency and RAS
to CAS Delay, calculated by clocks. They are
important parameters affects SDRAM performance,
default is 2 clocks. If your SDRAM has unstable
problem, change 2/2 to 3/3.
Chipset Features à SDRAM Speculative Read
SDRAM Speculative
Read
Enabled
Disabled
Enable this item reduce one clock of SDRAM read
leadoff timing by presenting the SDRAM read request
before the controller chip decodes the final memory
target. This Item must be Disabled if more than one
DIMM is installed in the system.
Chipset Features à System BIOS Cacheable
System BIOS
Cacheable
Enabled
Disabled
3-14
Enabling this item allows you to cache the system
BIOS to further enhance system performance.
Chipset Features à Video BIOS Cacheable
AWARD BIOS
Video BIOS
Cacheable
Allows the video BIOS to be cached to allow faster
video performance.
Enabled
Disabled
Chipset Features à 8 Bit I/O Recovery Time
8 Bit I/O Recovery
Time
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
NA
For some old I/O chips, after the execution of an I/O
command, the device requires a certain amount of
time (recovery time) before the execution of the next
I/O command. Because of new generation CPU and
mainboard chipset, the assertion of I/O command is
faster, and sometimes shorter than specified I/O
recovery time of old I/O devices. This item lets you
specify the delay of 8-bit I/O command by count of
ISA bus clock. If you find any unstable 8-bit I/O card,
you may try to extend the I/O recovery time via this
item. The BIOS default value is 4 ISA clock. If set to
NA, the chipset will insert 3.5 system clocks.
Chipset Features à 16 Bit I/O Recovery Time
16 Bit I/O Recovery
Time
1
2
3
4
NA
The same as 16-bit I/O recovery time. This item lets
you specify the recovery time for the execution of 16bit I/O commands by count of ISA bus clock. If you
find any of the installed 16-bit I/O cards unstable, try
extending the I/O recovery time via this item. The
BIOS default value is 1 ISA clocks. If set to NA, the
chipset will automatically insert 3.5 system clocks.
3-15
AWARD BIOS
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.
Chipset Features à PCI Passive Release
PCI Passive Release
Enabled
Disabled
This item lets you control the Passive Release
function of the PIIX4 chipset (Intel PCI to ISA bridge).
This function is used to meet latency of ISA bus
master. Try to enable or disable it, if you have ISA
card compatibility problem.
Chipset Features à PCI Delayed Transaction
PCI Delayed
Transaction
Enabled
Disabled
This item lets you control the Delayed Transaction
function of the PIIX4 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.
Chipset Features à Mem. Drive Str. (MA/RAS)
Mem. Drive Str.
(MA/RAS)
10mA/10mA
10mA/16mA
16mA/10mA
16mA/16mA
This option controls the driving strength of memory
address and control signals. It is recommended to
use less driving current for light memory loading, to
prevent undershoot or overshoot.
3-16
3.5 Power Management Setup
AWARD BIOS
The Power Management Setup screen enables you to control the mainboard
green features. See the following screen.
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 HDD Power Down
Min Saving 1 hour 1 hour 1 hour 15 min
Max Saving 1 min 1 min 1 min 1 min
3-17
AWARD BIOS
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 After
Video Off After
N/A
Doze
Standby
Suspend
To turn off video monitor at which power down mode.
Power Management à Break Switch
Break Switch
Enabled
Disabled
Setting this item to Enabled allows you to use the
Turbo switch as Suspend switch. Pressing the Turbo
switch changes nothings for a Pentium system, so we
usually use this switch to act as a Suspend switch.
The default value of this item is Disabled.
Warning: If you use toggle mode Turbo switch as
Suspend switch, be sure to push it twice to simulate
momentary mode. Otherwise the system may hang or
fail to reboot.
Power Management à Doze Mode
Doze Mode
Disabled
1 Min
2 Min
4 Min
8 Min
12 Min
20 Min
30 Min
40 Min
1 Hour
3-18
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
AWARD BIOS
Standby Mode
Disabled
1 Min
2 Min
4 Min
8 Min
12 Min
20 Min
30 Min
40 Min
1 Hour
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
1 Min
2 Min
4 Min
8 Min
12 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).
3-19
AWARD BIOS
Power Management à Suspend Mode Option
Suspend Mode
Option
Power On Suspend
Suspend to Hard Drive
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. 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 AOZVHDD to reserve disk space.
Refer to section 3.16 "Suspend to Hard Drive" for
more information".
Power Management à Throttle Duty Cycle
Throttle Duty Cycle
12.5 %
25.0 %
37.5 %
50.0 %
62.5 %
75.0 %
87.5 %
Clock Throttling means at the Doze/Standby state,
the CPU clock count in a given time (not the
frequency) is reduced to the ratio specified in this
parameter. Actually, the period per CPU clock is not
changed. For example, a 66MHz CPU clock remains
the same 30ns clock period when system goes into
Doze/Suspend. The chipset generates the STPCLK
(stop clock) signal periodically to prevent CPU for
accepting clock from clock generator. For full power
on, the CPU can receive 66M count in one second. If
the Slow Clock Ratio is set to 50%, the CPU will only
receive 33M clock count in one second. This will
effectively reduce CPU speed as well as CPU power.
Power Management à VGA Activity Monitor
VGA Activity
Monitor
Enabled
Disabled
3-20
To enable or disable the detection of VGA activity for
power down state transition.
Power Management à IRQ 8 Clock Event
AWARD BIOS
IRQ 8 Clock Event
Enabled
Disabled
To enable or disable the detection of IRQ8 (RTC)
event for power down state transition. OS2 has
periodically IRQ8 (RTC) interruptions, If IRQ8 is not
set to Disabled, OS/2 may fail to go into
Doze/Standby/Suspend mode.
Power Management à IRQ [3-7,9-15], NMI
IRQ [3-7,9-15], NMI
Enabled
Disabled
To enable or disable the detection of IRQ3-7, IRQ915 or NMI interrupt events for power down state
transition.
Power Management à Primary IDE 0
Power Management à Primary IDE 1
Power Management à Secondary IDE 0
Power Management à Secondary IDE 1
Power Management à Floppy Disk
Power Management à Serial Port
Power Management à Parallel Port
Primary IDE 0
Enabled
Disabled
These items enable or disable the detection of IDE,
floppy, serial and parallel port activities for power
down state transition. Actually it detects the
read/write to/from I/O or address port.
3-21
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.
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.
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
(pin A6)
3-24
Location 2
(pin B7)
Location 3
(pin A7)
Location 4
(pin B8)
AWARD BIOS
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.
3-25
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.
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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.
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.
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AWARD BIOS
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
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 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 On-Chip Primary PCI IDE
Integrated Peripherals à On-Chip Secondary PCI IDE
On-Chip Primary
PCI IDE
Enabled
Disabled
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This parameter lets you enable or disable the IDE
device connected to the primary IDE connector.
Integrated Peripherals à USB Legacy Support
AWARD BIOS
USB Legacy 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 Legacy Support" if you have
USB driver in the operating system.
Integrated Peripherals à USB IRQ Released
USB IRQ Released
Yes
No
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 Yes. 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 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.
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AWARD BIOS
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
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.
• 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.
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Integrated Peripherals à Onboard Parallel Port
AWARD BIOS
Onboard Parallel
Port
3BC/IRQ7
378/IRQ7
278/IRQ5
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 Parallel Port Mode
Parallel Port Mode
SPP
EPP
ECP
ECP + EPP
This item lets you set the parallel port mode. The
mode options are SPP (Standard 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 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 predefined value, 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.
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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 <Enter> key.
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.
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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.
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AWARD BIOS
3.15 BIOS Flash Utility
The BIOS Flash utility allows you 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
AP5TC110.BIN, which means model AP5TC 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
(Where Biosfile.bin indicates the file name of the BIOS code.)
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.
[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 the system from DOS prompt without loading any memory manager
(HIMEM, EMM386, QEMM386, ...).
2. Execute
C:> AOFLASH Biosfile.bin
(Where Biosfile.bin indicates the file name of the BIOS code.)
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.
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AWARD 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!
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.
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