ASUS MESVM User Manual

R

MES-VM

Socket 370 microATX Motherboard

USER’S MANUAL

USER'S NOTICE

No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be repro­duced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in
any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes,
without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).

ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED T O THE IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PAR­TICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS,
EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDEN­TAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF
PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSI­NESS AND THE LIKE), EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY
OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL
OR PRODUCT.

Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modified or
altered, unless such repair, modification of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2)
the serial number of the product is defaced or missing.

Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trade­marks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identification or
explanation and to the owners’ benefit, without intent to infringe.

• SiS is a trademark of Silicon Integrated Corporation.

• IBM and OS/2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines.

• Symbios is a registered trademark of Symbios Logic Corporation.

• Windows and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

• Adobe and Acrobat are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
The product name and revision number are both printed on the product itself. Manual revi-

sions are released for each product design represented by the digit before and after the period
of the manual revision number. Manual updates are represented by the third digit in the manual
revision number.

For previous or updated manuals, BIOS, drivers, or product release information, contact ASUS
at http://www.asus.com.tw or through any of the means indicated on the following page.

SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FUR­NISHED FOR INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT
ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COM­MITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR
ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS MANUAL, INCLUD­ING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.

Copyright © 1999 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.

Product Name: ASUS MES-VM
Manual Revision: 1.03 E379
Release Date: April 1999

2 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

ASUS CONTACT INFORMATION

ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (Asia-Pacific)

Marketing

Address: 150 Li-Te Road, Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan 112
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Technical Support

Tel (English): [phone] ext. 706
Tel (Chinese): [phone] ext. 111
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Newsgroup: news2.asus.com.tw
WWW: www.asus.com.tw
FTP: ftp.asus.com.tw/pub/ASUS

ASUS COMPUTER INTERNATIONAL (America)

Marketing

Address: 6737 Mowry Avenue, Mowry Business Center, Building 2

Newark, CA 94560, USA
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Technical Support

Fax: [phone]
BBS: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
WWW: www.asus.com
FTP: ftp.asus.com.tw/pub/ASUS

ASUS COMPUTER GmbH (Europe)

Marketing

Address: Harkort Str. 25, 40880 Ratingen, BRD, Germany
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Technical Support

Hotline: [phone]
BBS: 49-2102-448690
Email: [e-mail]
WWW: www.asuscom.de
FTP: ftp.asuscom.de/pub/ASUSCOM

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 3

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 7

1.1 How This Manual Is Organized .................................................. 7

1.2 Item Checklist ............................................................................. 7

2. FEATURES ........................................................................................ 8

2.1 The ASUS MES-VM Motherboard ............................................ 8

2.1.1 Specifications..................................................................... 8

2.1.2 Performance ....................................................................... 9

2.1.3 Intelligence....................................................................... 10

2.2 Parts of the ASUS MES-VM Motherboard .............................. 11

3. HARDWARE SETUP ..................................................................... 12

3.1 Motherboard Layout ................................................................. 12

3.2 Layout Contents ........................................................................ 13

3.3 Hardware Setup Procedure ....................................................... 14

3.4 Motherboard Settings................................................................ 14

3.5 System Memory (DIMM) ......................................................... 16

3.5.1 VGA Shared Memory with DIMM.................................. 16

3.5.2 General DIMM Notes ...................................................... 16

3.5.3 DIMM Memory Installation ............................................ 17

3.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ................................................. 18

3.7 Expansion Cards ....................................................................... 19

3.7.1 Expansion Card Installation Procedure............................ 19

3.7.2 Assigning IRQs for Expansion Cards .............................. 19

3.7.3 Assigning DMA Channels for ISA Cards ........................ 20

3.7.4 ISA Cards and Hardware Monitor ................................... 20

3.8 External Connectors.................................................................. 21

3.9 Power Connection Procedures .................................................. 31

4. BIOS SETUP.................................................................................... 32

4.1 Flash Memory Writer Utility .................................................... 32

4.1.1 Main Menu....................................................................... 32

4.1.2 Managing and Updating Your BIOS................................ 34

4.2 BIOS Setup Program ................................................................ 35

4.2.1 BIOS Menu Bar ............................................................... 36

4.2.2 Legend Bar....................................................................... 36

4.3 Main Menu................................................................................ 38

4.3.1 Primary & Secondary Master/Slave ................................ 39

4 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

CONTENTS

4.4 Advanced .................................................................................. 44

4.4.1 Chip Configuration .......................................................... 45

4.4.2 I/O Device Configuration ................................................ 47

4.4.3 PCI Configuration............................................................ 49

4.4.4 Shadow Configuration ..................................................... 52

4.5 Power Menu .............................................................................. 53

4.5.1 Power Up Control ............................................................ 55

4.5.2 Hardware Monitor............................................................ 56

4.6 Boot Menu ................................................................................ 57

4.7 Exit Menu ................................................................................. 59

5. SOFTWARE SETUP....................................................................... 61

5.1 Windows 98 First Time Installation.......................................... 61

5.2 MES-VM Support CD Setup Screen ........................................ 62

5.3 Installing the Video Driver........................................................ 63

5.4 ASUS PC Probe Setup .............................................................. 67

5.5 Adobe Acrobat Reader .............................................................. 68

5.6 Install PC-Cillin ........................................................................ 69

6. SOFTWARE REFERENCE ........................................................... 71

6.1 ASUS PC Probe ........................................................................ 71

6.1.1 Starting ASUS PC Probe.................................................. 71

6.1.2 Using the ASUS PC Probe............................................... 72

6.2 Desktop Management Interface (DMI)..................................... 74

6.2.1 Introducing the ASUS DMI Configuration Utility .......... 74

6.2.2 Starting the ASUS DMI Configuration Utility ................ 74

6.2.3 Using the ASUS DMI Configuration Utility ................... 75

7. APPENDIX....................................................................................... 77

7.1 ASUS PCI-L101 Fast Ethernet Card ........................................ 77

7.1.1 Features ............................................................................ 78

7.1.2 Software Driver Support .................................................. 78

7.1.3 Question and Answer....................................................... 78

7.2 Glossary .................................................................................... 79

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 5

FCC & DOC COMPLIANCE

Federal Communications Commission Statement

This device complies with FCC Rules Part 15. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:

• This device may not cause harmful interference, and

• This device must accept any interference received, including interference that
may cause undesired operation.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B
digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installa­tion. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if
not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, may cause
harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause
harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interfer­ence by one or more of the following measures:

• Re-orient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

WARNING! Be sure that there is suf ficient air circulation across the processor’s

heatsink by regularly checking that your CPU fan is working. W ithout sufficient
circulation, the processor could overheat and damage both the processor and the
motherboard. You may install an auxiliary fan, if necessary.

Canadian Department of Communications Statement

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions
from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian
Department of Communications.

6 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 How This Manual Is Organized

This manual is divided into the following sections:

1) INTRODUCTION Manual information and checklist

2) FEATURES Product information and specifications

3) HARDWARE SETUP Instructions on setting up the motherboard

4) BIOS SETUP Instructions on setting up the BIOS software

5) SOFTWARE SETUP Instructions on setting up the included software

6) SOFTWARE REFERENCE Reference material for the included software

7) APPENDIX Optional items and general reference

1.2 Item Checklist

Check that your package is complete. If you discover damaged or missing items,
please contact your retailer.

(1) ASUS Motherboard

Sections/Checklist

1. INTRODUCTION

(1) Ribbon cable for master and slave UltraDMA/33 IDE drives
(1) Ribbon cable for master and slave UltraDMA/33 and/or UltraDMA/66 IDE drives
(1) Ribbon cable for (1) 5.25” and (2) 3.5” floppy drives
(1) Serial COM2 cable connector set
(1) Bag of spare jumper caps
(1) Support CD with drivers and utilities
(1) This Motherboard User’s Manual

ASUS IrDA-compliant infrared module (optional)
ASUS PCI-L101 Wake-On-LAN 10/100 Fast Ethernet Card (optional)

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 7

2. FEATURES

Features

2. FEATURES

2.1 The ASUS MES-VM Motherboard

The ASUS MES-VM motherboard is carefully designed for the demanding PC user
who wants many intelligent features in a small package.

2.1.1 Specifications

• Intel Processor Support: Supports Intel’ s Celeron processor designed for Socket
370 and packaged in Plastic Pin Grid Array (PPGA).

• SiS AGPset: SiS’ 620 AGPset with a built-in 6326 AGP 2X graphics controller
supports a 100MHz Front Side Bus (FSB) and UltraDMA/66, which allows burst
mode data transfer rates of up to 66.6MBps.

• Enhanced ACPI & Anti-Boot Virus BIOS: Programmable BIOS (Flash
EEPROM), offering enhanced ACPI for W indows 98 compatibility , built-in firm­ware-based virus protection, and autodetection of most devices for virtually au­tomatic setup.

• Versatile Memory: Equipped with two DIMM sockets to support Intel PC100-
compliant SDRAMs (8, 16, 32, 64, 128, or 256MB) up to 512MB.

• Built-in Graphics: Built-in AGP 2X graphics controller can use shared system
memory or optional dedicated onboard VGA memory (8MB SDRAM).

• Onboard Audio and AC’97 CODEC (optional): Features a 32-bit Crystal PCI
audio onboard. Features an 18-bit stereo, full duplex, audio codec that conforms
to AC’97 analog component specfications. Includes a complete online help to
guide you through the audio software.

• PCI & ISA Expansion: Provides three 32-bit PCI expansion slots and one 16-
bit ISA expansion slot .

• Wake-On-LAN Connector: Supports Wake-On-LAN activity through an op-
tional ASUS PCI-L101 Fast Ethernet card (see APPENDIX) or a similar ethernet
card.

• SB-Link™: Features Creative’s SB-Link™, allowing SB16 compatibility, us­ing Intel’ s PC-PCI and serialized IRQ protocols, to A WE64D or compatible PCI
audio cards.

• Super Multi-I/O: Provides two high-speed UART compatible serial ports and
one parallel port with EPP and ECP capabilities.

• Desktop Management Interface (DMI): Supports DMI through BIOS, which
allows hardware to communicate within a standard protocol creating a higher
level of compatibility. (Requires DMI-enabled components.)

• IrDA: Supports an optional infrared port module for wireless interface.

8 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

2. FEATURES

2.1.2 Performance

• UltraDMA/66 & UltraDMA/33: Comes with an onboard PCI Bus Master IDE

controller with two connectors that support four IDE devices in two channels.
Supports UltraDMA/66, UltraDMA/33, PIO Modes 3 & 4 and Bus Master IDE
DMA Mode 2, and supports Enhanced IDE devices, such as Tape Backup, CD­ROM, CD-R/RW, and LS-120 drives.

• 66/100MHz Asynchr onous & 100/100MHz Synchronous Host/DRAM Clock
Support: CPU frequency can operate at 66MHz or 100MHz while system

memory operates at 100MHz or 66MHz. This can optimize the VGA perfor­mance under shared memory configuration.

• Double or Quadruple the IDE T ransfer Speed: IDE transfers using UltraDMA/
33 Bus Master IDE can handle rates up to 33MB/s and up to 66MB/s using SiS’
UltraDMA/66 technology. The best of all is that these new technology is com­patible with existing ATA-2 IDE specifications so there is no need to upgrade
current IDE devices or cables.

Smart Series

2. FEATURES

• Concurrent PCI: Concurrent PCI allows multiple PCI transfers from PCI mas-
ter buses to memory to CPU.

• SDRAM Optimized Performance: ASUS smart series motherboards support
the new generation memory, Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory
(SDRAM), which increases the data transfer rate to 800MB/s max using PC100
SDRAM.

• ACPI Ready: ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) is also imple­mented on all ASUS smart series motherboards. ACPI provides more Energy
Saving Features for future operating systems (OS) supporting OS Direct Power
Management (OSPM) functionality . W ith these features implemented in the OS,
PCs can be ready around the clock, yet satisfy all the energy saving standards.
T o fully utilize the benefits of ACPI, an ACPI-supported OS such as the succes­sor of Windows 95 must be used.

• PC’98 Compliant: Both the BIOS and hardware levels of the motherboard meets
PC’98 compliancy . The new PC’98 requirements for systems and components are
based on the following high-level goals: Support for Plug and Play compatibility
and power management for configuring and managing all system components,
and 32-bit device drivers and installation procedures for Windows 95/98/NT.

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 9

2. FEATURES

2.1.3 Intelligence

• Fan Status Monitoring and Alarm: To prevent system overheat and system

damage, the CPU, power supply, and system fans can be monitored for RPM
and failure. All the fans are set for its normal RPM range and alarm thresholds.

• Temperature Monitoring and Alert: To prevent system overheat and system

damage, this motherboard supports Socket 370 processor thermal sensing.

2. FEATURES

Smart Series

• Voltage Monitoring and Alert: System voltage levels are monitored to ensure

stable current to critical motherboard components. Voltage specifications are
more critical for future processors, so monitoring is necessary to ensure proper
system configuration and management.

• System Resources Alert: T oday’ s operating systems such as W indows 95, W in-

dows NT , and OS/2, require much more memory and hard drive space to present
enormous user interfaces and run large applications. The system resource moni­tor will warn the user before the system resources are used up to prevent pos­sible application crashes. Suggestions will give the user information on manag­ing their limited resources more efficiently.

• Auto Fan Off: The system fans will power off automatically even in sleep
mode. This function reduces both energy consumption and system noise, and is

an important feature to implement silent PC systems.

• Dual Function Power Button: The system can be in one of two states, one is
Sleep mode and the other is the Soft-Off mode. Pushing the power button for
less than 4 seconds places the system into Sleep mode. When the power button
is pressed for more than 4 seconds, it enters the Soft-Off mode.

• Remote Ring On (requires modem): This allows a computer to be turned on
remotely through an internal or external modem. With this benefit on-hand, any
user can access vital information from their computer from anywhere in the world!

• Message LED (requires ACPI OS suppor t): Chassis LEDs now act as infor­mation providers. Through the way a particular LED illuminates, the user can
determine the stage the computer is in. A simple glimpse provides useful infor­mation to the user.

• Keyboard Power Up: Keyboard Power Up can be enabled or disabled to allow
the computer to be powered ON using your keyboard.

10 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

2. FEATURES

2.2 Parts of the ASUS MES-VM Motherboard

T: PS/2 Mouse
B: PS/2 Keyboard

T: USB1
B: USB2

Serial COM1

T: Parallel
B: Serial/VGA

VGA Connector

T: Joystick/Midi
B: Out/In/Mic
(optional)

3 PCI Slots

Audio CODEC
(optional)

2 DIMM
Sockets

Socket 370

SiS 620 AGPset

with AGP 2X VGA

8MB onboard VGA

Memory (optional)

Floppy

Connector

IDE

Connectors

2. FEATURES

Motherboard Parts

PCI Audio
(optional)

Programmable
Flash EEPROM

1 ISA Slot

SiS 5595 with

hardware monitor

Onboard

Buzzer

Multi-I/O

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 11

3. HARDWARE SETUP

3.1 Motherboard Layout

BUS FREQ

PS/2

T:Mouse
B:Keyboard

Row

2301

FS0

FS1

FS2

FS3

USB

T: Port 1
B:Port 2

COM1

PARALLEL PORT

VGA

Motherboard Layout

3. H/W SETUP

Line
Out

Line

Mic

GAME_AUDIO

AUDIOEN

MODEM

In

In

Audio

Codec

PCI Audio

Chipset

CD_IN

VEN_DIS

DIMM Socket 1 (64/72-bit, 168-pin module)

DIMM Socket 2 (64/72-bit, 168-pin module)

CDROM_AUDIO

01

Socket 370

PCI Slot 1 (PCI1)

PCI Slot 2 (PCI2)

PCI Slot 3 (PCI3)

2Mbit Flash EEPROM
(Programmable BIOS)

ISA Slot 1

(ISA1)

SiS620

AGPset

with

AGP 2X

CPU_FAN

FREQ MULT

BF3
BF2
BF1
BF0

WOL_CON

SiS5595

with

Hardware

Monitor

2 MB

SDRAM

2 MB

SDRAM

2 MB

SDRAM

2 MB

SDRAM

Floppy

CR2032 3V
Lithium Cell

CMOS Power

CLR CMOS/PWD

Buzzer

COM2

IR

ATXPWR

CLR_PASSWD

PANEL

Secondary IDE

Primary IDE

CHA_FAN

(Grayed items are optional at the time of purchase.)

12 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

3. HARDWARE SETUP

3.2 Layout Contents

Motherboard Settings

1) VEN_DIS/AUDIOEN p. 14 Video & Audio Settings (Enable/Disable)

2) FS0, FS1, FS2, FS3 p. 15 CPU External Clock (BUS) Frequency Selector

3) BF0, BF1, BF2, BF3 p. 15 CPU:BUS Frequency Multiple

Expansion Slots

1) DIMM1, DIMM2 p. 16 168-Pin DIMM Memory Support

2) Socket 370 p. 18 Central Processing Unit (CPU) Socket

3) SLOT1 p. 19 16-bit ISA Bus Expansion Slots

4) PCI1, PCI2, PCI3 p. 19 32-bit PCI Bus Expansion Slots

Connectors

1) PS2KBMS p. 21 PS/2 Mouse Connector (6-pin female)

2) PS2KBMS p. 21 PS/2 Keyboard Connector (6-pin female)

3) USB p. 22 Universal Serial BUS Ports 1 & 2 (T wo 4-pin female)

4) PRINTER p. 22 Parallel Port Connector (25-pin female)

5) COM1 p. 22 Serial Port COM1 Connector (9-pin male)

6) VGA p. 23 Monitor (VGA) Output Connector (15-pin female)

7) GAME_AUDIO p. 23 Joystick/Midi Connector (15-pin female) (optional)

8) GAME_AUDIO p. 23 Audio Port Connectors (Three 1/8” female) (optional)

9) PRIMAR Y/SECONDARY IDE p. 24 Primary/Secondary IDE Connectors (Two 40-1 pins)

10) FLOPPY p. 24 Floppy Disk Drive Connector (34-1pins)

11) WOL_CON p. 25 Wake-On-LAN Header (3 pins)

12) CHA_FAN, CPU_FAN p. 25 Chassis and CPU Fan Connectors (Two 3 pins)

13) IR p. 26 IrDA-Compliant Infrared Module Connector (5 pins)

14) MODEM/CD_IN/CDROM p. 26 Internal Audio Connectors (Three 4-pin)

15) SPEAKER (PANEL) p. 28 System Warning Speaker Connector (4 pins)

16) SMI (PANEL) p. 28 SMI Switch Lead (2 pins)
KEYLOCK (

17)

18) MSG.LED (PANEL) p. 28 System Message LED (2 pins)

19) RESET (PANEL) p. 29 Reset Switch Lead (2 pins)

20)

PWR.LED (

21) IDELED (P ANEL) p. 29 IDE LED Activity Light (2 pins)

22) PWR.SW (PANEL) p. 29 ATX Power & Soft-Off Switch Lead (2 pins)

23) ATXPWR p. 29 ATX Power Supply Connector (20 pins)

PANEL

PANEL

)

)

p. 28 Keyboard Lock Switch Lead (2 pins)

p. 29 System Power LED Lead (3-1 pins)

*

3. H/W SETUP

Layout Contents

*

The onboard hardware monitor uses the address 290H-297H so legacy ISA cards must not

use this address; otherwise, conflicts will occur.

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 13

3.3 Hardware Setup Procedure

Before using your computer, you must complete the following steps:

Check Motherboard Settings
Install Memory Modules
Install the Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Install Expansion Cards
Connect Ribbon Cables, Panel Wires, and Power Supply

3.4 Motherboard Settings

This section explains in detail how to change your motherboard’s function settings
through the use of switches and/or jumpers.

W ARNING! Computer motherboards and expansion cards contain very delicate

Motherboard Settings

3. H/W SETUP

Integrated Circuit (IC) chips. To protect them against damage from static electric­ity, you should follow some precautions whenever you work on your computer.

1. Unplug your computer when working on the inside.

3. HARDWARE SETUP

2. Use a grounded wrist strap before handling computer components. If you do
not have one, touch both of your hands to a safely grounded object or to a metal
object, such as the power supply case.

3. Hold components by the edges and try not to touch the IC chips, leads or con­nectors, or other components.

4. Place components on a grounded antistatic pad or on the bag that came with the
component whenever the components are separated from the system.

1. Video & Audio Settings (VEN_DIS & AUDIOEN)

The built-in AGP VGA and the onboard 32-bit PCI audio may be enabled or
disabled using these jumpers.

Setting VEN_DIS Setting AUDIOEN

Enable [2-3] (default) Enable [1-2] (default)
Disable [1-2] Disable [2-3]

VEN_DIS

3
2
1

Enable

(Default)

VEN_DIS

3
2
1

Disable

MES-VM Video & Audio Settings

AUDIOEN

3
2
1

Enable

(Default)

AUDIOEN

3
2
1

Disable

14 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

3. HARDWARE SETUP

2. CPU Bus Frequency Selector (FS0, FS1, FS2, FS3)

This option tells the clock generator what frequency to send to the CPU, DRAM,
and the AGPset. This allows the selection of the CPU’ s External frequency (or

BUS Clock). The BUS Clock multiplied by the BUS Ratio equals the CPU’s
Internal frequency (the advertised CPU speed). NOTE: You may set the

memory speed independently from the CPU Bus Frequency. Depend­ing on your memory type PC66 (66MHz) or PC100 (100MHz), select
the appropriate “RAM” speed along with the appropriate “CPU” speed.

FS0

FS1

FS2

83MHz
83MHz
33MHz

FS0

FS1

95MHz
63MHz
31MHz

FS2

FS3

FS3

FS0

FS1

95MHz
95MHz
31MHz

FS0

FS1

100MHz

66MHz
33MHz

FS2

FS2

FS3

FS3

FS0

FS1

100MHz
100MHz

33MHz

FS0

FS1

112MHz

74MHz
37MHz

FS2

FS2

FS3

FS3

FS0

FS1

112MHz
112MHz

37MHz

FS0

FS1

133MHz

88MHz
33MHz

FS2

FS2

MES-VM CPU
Bus Frequency Settings

CPU
RAM
PCI

CPU
RAM
PCI

3
2
1

3
2
1

FS0

FS1

66MHz
66MHz
33MHz

FS0

FS1

66MHz

100MHz

33MHz

FS2

FS2

FS3

FS3

FS0

FS1

75MHz
75MHz
30MHz

FS0

FS1

90MHz
90MHz
30MHz

FS2

FS2

FS3

FS3

FS3

FS3

FS0

FS1

133MHz
133MHz

33MHz

FS2

FS3

3. CPU Core:BUS Frequency Multiple (BF0, BF1, BF2, BF3)

This option sets the frequency multiple between the Internal frequency of
the CPU and the CPU’ s External frequency . These must be set in conjunc­tion with the CPU Bus Frequency.

BF3
BF2
BF1
BF0

BF3
BF2
BF1
BF0

BF3
BF2
BF1
BF0

1 2 3

2.5x(5/2)

5.0x(5/1)

7.5x(15/2)

BF3
BF2
BF1
BF0

BF3
BF2
BF1
BF0

BF3
BF2
BF1
BF0

1 2 3

3.0x(3/1)

5.5x(11/2)

8.0x(8/1)

BF3
BF2
BF1
BF0

BF3
BF2
BF1
BF0

BF3
BF2
BF1
BF0

1 2 3

3.5x(7/2)

6.0x(6/1)

BF3
BF2
BF1
BF0

BF3
BF2
BF1
BF0

1 2 3

4.0x(4/1)

6.5x(13/2)

BF3
BF2
BF1
BF0

BF3
BF2
BF1
BF0

MES-VM CPU Core:
Bus Frequency Multiple

1 2 3

2.0x(2/1)

4.5x(9/2)

7.0x(7/1)

W ARNING! Frequencies above 1 00MHz exceed the specifications for the on-

board chipset and are not guaranteed to be stable. PCI frequencies above 33MHz
exceed the specifications for PCI cards and are not guaranteed to be stable.

Set the jumpers by the Internal speed of your processor as follows:

3. H/W SETUP

Motherboard Settings

(BUS Freq. PC66 RAM) (Freq. Multiple)

Intel CPU Model Freq. Mult. BUS F. FS0 FS1 FS2 FS3 BF3 BF2 BF1 BF0

Celeron (PPGA) 500MHz 7.5x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [2-3] [1-2] [1-2]
Celeron (PPGA) 466MHz 7.0x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [2-3] [1-2] [2-3] [1-2]
Celeron (PPGA) 433MHz 6.5x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2]
Celeron (PPGA) 400MHz 6.0x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3]
Celeron (PPGA) 366MHz 5.5x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [1-2]
Celeron (PPGA) 333MHz 5.0x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [2-3] [1-2] [1-2] [2-3]
Celeron (PPGA) 300MHz 4.5x 66MHz [2-3] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2] [2-3] [1-2] [2-3] [1-2]

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 15

3.5 System Memory (DIMM)

NOTE: No hardware or BIOS setup is required after adding or removing memory.
This motherboard uses only Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMMs). Sockets are

available for 3.3Volt (power level) unbuffered Synchronous Dynamic Random Ac-
cess Memory (SDRAM) of either 8, 16, 32, 64, 128MB, or 256MB.

The SiS chipset does not support ECC. However, ECC memory modules may still
be used, but the ECC function will not be available.

Memory speed setup is recommended through SDRAM Configuration in 4.4.1

Chip Configuration.

Install memory in any combination as follows:

DIMM Location 168-pin DIMM Total Memory

Socket 1 (Rows 0&1) SDRAM 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256MB x1

System Memory

3. H/W SETUP

Socket 2 (Rows 2&3) SDRAM 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256MB x1

3. HARDWARE SETUP

Total System Memory (Max 512MB) =

3.5.1 VGA Shared Memory with DIMM

When using DIMM as shared memory for the onboard VGA, be sure that there is a
DIMM inserted into DIMM socket 1.

3.5.2 General DIMM Notes

• For the system CPU bus to operate at 100MHz, use only PC100-compliant
DIMMs. When this motherboard operates at 100MHz, most system will not

even boot if non-compliant modules are used because of the strict timing issues
involved under this speed. If your DIMMs are not PC100-compliant, set the
CPU bus frequency to 66MHz RAM to ensure system stability.

• ASUS motherboards support SPD (Serial Presence Detect) DIMMs. This is the
memory of choice for best performance vs. stability.

• Two possible memory chips are supported: SDRAM with and without ECC.

• SDRAM chips are generally thinner with higher pin density than EDO (Ex­tended Data Output) chips.

• BIOS shows SDRAM memory on bootup screen.

• 8 chips/side modules do not support ECC, only 9 chips/side modules support ECC.

• Single-sided DIMMs come in 16, 32, 64,128MB; double-sided come in 32, 64,
128, 256MB.

16 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

3. HARDWARE SETUP

3.5.3 DIMM Memory Installation

Insert the module(s) as shown. Because the number of pins are different on either
side of the breaks, the module will only fit in the orientation shown. DIMM mod­ules are longer and have different pin contact on each side and therefore have a
higher pin density. SIMM modules have the same pin contact on both sides.

2

1

Lock

Lock

88 pins

60 pins

20 pins

DIMM Socket 1

DIMM Socket 2

MES-VM 168-Pin DIMM Sockets

The DIMMs must be 3.3V Unbuffered for this motherboard. T o determine the DIMM
type, check the notches on the DIMMs (see figure below).

3. H/W SETUP

System Memory

168-Pin DIMM Notch Key Definitions (3.3V)

DRAM Key Position

RFU

Buffered

Unbuffered

Voltage Key Position

5.0V

Reserved

3.3V

The notches on the DIMM module will shift between left, center, or right to identify
the type and also to prevent the wrong type from being inserted into the DIMM slot
on the motherboard. You must ask your retailer the correct DIMM type before pur­chasing. This motherboard supports four clock signals.

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 17

3. H/W SETUP

CPU

3. HARDWARE SETUP

3.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The motherboard provides a ZIF Socket 370. The CPU that came with the mother­board should have a fan attached to it to prevent overheating. If this is not the case,
then purchase a fan before you turn on your system.

WARNING! Be sure that there is sufficient air circulation across the processor’s

heatsink by regularly checking that your CPU fan is working. W ithout sufficient
circulation, the processor could overheat and damage both the processor and the
motherboard. You may install an auxiliary fan, if necessary.

To install a CPU, first turn off your system and remove its cover. Locate the ZIF
socket and open it by first pulling the lever sideways away from the socket then
upwards to a 90-degree angle. Insert the CPU with the correct orientation as shown.
The notched corner should point towards the end of the lever . Because the CPU has
a corner pin for two of the four corners, the CPU will only fit in the orientation as
shown. The picture is for reference only; you should have a CPU fan that covers the
face of the CPU. With the added weight of the CPU fan, no force is required to
insert the CPU. Once completely inserted, close the socket’s lever while holding
down the CPU.

NOTE: Do not forget to set the correct Bus Frequency and Multiple for your Socket
370 processor or else boot-up may not be possible. Socket 370 processors provide
internal thermal sensing so that a socket mounted thermal resistor is not needed.

CAUTION: Be careful not to scrape the motherboard when mounting a clamp­style processor fan or else damage may occur to the motherboard.

Socket 370 CPU (Top) Socket 370 CPU (Bottom)

Notch

MES-VM Socket 370

18 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

3. HARDWARE SETUP

3.7 Expansion Cards

WARNING! Make sure that you unplug your power supply when adding or

removing expansion cards or other system components. Failure to do so may
cause severe damage to both your motherboard and expansion cards.

3.7.1 Expansion Card Installation Procedure

1. Read the documentation for your expansion card and make any necessary hard­ware or software settings for your expansion card, such as jumpers or switches.

2. Remove your computer system’s cover and the bracket plate on the slot you
intend to use. Keep the bracket for possible future use.

3. Carefully align the card’s connectors and press firmly.

4. Secure the card on the slot with the screw you removed above.

5. Replace the computer system’s cover.

6. Set up the BIOS if necessary
(such as IRQ xx Used By ISA: Yes)

7. Install the necessary software drivers for your expansion card.

3.7.2 Assigning IRQs for Expansion Cards

Some expansion cards need to use an IRQ to operate. Generally, an IRQ must be
exclusively assigned to one use. In a standard design, there are 16 IRQs available
but most of them are already in use, leaving 6 IRQs free for expansion cards. If your
motherboard has PCI audio onboard, an extra IRQ will be used, leaving 5 IRQs
free. If your motherboard has ISA audio onboard, an extra 3 IRQs will be used,
leaving 3 IRQs free.

Both ISA and PCI expansion cards may require IRQs. System IRQs are available to
cards installed in the ISA expansion bus first, then any remaining IRQs are available
to PCI cards. Currently, there are two types of ISA cards.

The original ISA expansion card design, now referred to as “Legacy” ISA cards,
requires that you configure the card’s jumpers manually and then install it in any
available slot on the ISA bus. To see a map of your used and free IRQs in Windows
98, the Control Panel icon in My Computer, contains a System icon, which gives
you a Device Manager tab. Double-clicking on a specific hardware device gives you
the Resources tab which shows the Interrupt number and address. Make sure that no
two devices use the same IRQ or your computer will experience problems when
those two devices are in use at the same time.

3. H/W SETUP

Expansion Cards

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 19

To simplify this process, this motherboard complies with the Plug and Play (PNP)
specification which was developed to allow automatic system configuration when­ever a PNP-compliant card is added to the system. For PNP cards, IRQs are as­signed automatically from those available.

If the system has both Legacy and PNP ISA cards installed, IRQs are
assigned to PNP cards from those not used by Legacy cards. The PCI and PNP
configuration of the BIOS setup utility can be used to indicate which IRQs are being
used by Legacy cards. For older Legacy cards that does not work with the BIOS,
you can contact your vendor for an ISA Configuration Utility.

An IRQ number is automatically assigned to PCI expansion cards after those used
by Legacy and PNP ISA cards. In the PCI bus design, the BIOS automatically as­signs an IRQ to a PCI slot that has a card in it that requires an IRQ. To install a PCI
card, you need to set something called the INT (interrupt) assignment. Since all the
PCI slots on this motherboard use an INTA #, be sure that the jumpers on your PCI
cards are set to INT A.

Expansion Cards

3. H/W SETUP

3. HARDWARE SETUP

3.7.3 Assigning DMA Channels for ISA Cards

Some ISA cards, both legacy and PnP, may also need to use a DMA (Direct Memory
Access) channel. DMA assignments for this motherboard are handled the same way
as the IRQ assignment process described earlier . T o select a DMA channel, see PCI/
PNP ISA DMA Resource Exclusion in 4.4.3 PCI Configuration. NOTE: The on­board audio by default uses DMA1.

IMPORTANT: To avoid conflicts, reserve the necessary IRQs and DMAs for

legacy ISA cards (see PCI/PNP USA IRQ Resource Exclusion in 4.4.3 PCI
Configuration). Choose Yes in IRQ xx Used By ISA and DMA x Used By ISA

for those IRQs and DMAs you want to reserve).

3.7.4 ISA Cards and Hardware Monitor

The onboard hardware monitor uses the address 290H-297H so legacy ISA cards
must not use this address or else conflicts will occur.

20 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

3. HARDWARE SETUP

3.8 External Connectors

WARNING! Some pins are used for connectors or power sources. These are

clearly distinguished from jumpers in the Motherboard Layout. Placing jumper
caps over these connector pins will cause damage to your motherboard.

IMPORTANT: Ribbon cables should always be connected with the red stripe on

Pin 1 side of the connector . The four corners of the connectors are labeled on the
motherboard. Pin 1 is the side closest to the power connector on hard drives and
floppy drives. IDE ribbon cable must be less than 46 cm (18 in.), with the second
drive connector no more than 15 cm (6 in.) from the first connector.

1) PS/2 Mouse Connector (6-pin PS2KBMS)

The system will direct IRQ12 to the PS/2 mouse if one is detected. If one is not
detected, expansion cards can use IRQ12. See PS/2 Mouse Function Control
in 4.4 Advanced Menu.

PS/2 Mouse (6-pin Female)

2) PS/2 Keyboard Connector (6-pin PS2KBMS)
This connection is for a standard keyboard using an PS/2 plug (mini DIN). This
connector will not allow standard AT size (large DIN) keyboard plugs. You
may use a DIN to mini DIN adapter on standard AT keyboards.

Connectors

3. H/W SETUP

PS/2 Keyboard (6-pin Female)

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 21

3. H/W SETUP

Connectors

3. HARDWARE SETUP

3) Universal Serial BUS Ports 1 & 2 (Two 4-pin USB)

Two USB ports are available for connecting USB devices.

USB 1

Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2

4) Parallel Port Connector (25-pin PRINTER)
You can enable the parallel port and choose the IRQ through Onboard Parallel
Port (see 4.4.2 I/O Device Configuration).
NOTE: Serial printers must be connected to the serial port.

Parallel (Printer) Port (25-pin Female)

5) Serial Port COM1 Connector (9-pin COM1)

One serial port is ready for a mouse or other serial devices. A second serial port
is available using a serial port bracket connected from the motherboard to an
expansion slot opening. See Onboard Serial Port 1 in 4.2.2 I/O Device Con-
figuration for settings.

Serial Port (9-pin Male) COM 1

22 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

3. HARDWARE SETUP

6) Monitor Output Connector (15-pin VGA)

This connector is for output to a VGA-compatible device.

VGA Monitor (15-pin Female)

7) Joystick/MIDI Connector (15-pin GAME_AUDIO)

You may connect game joysticks or game pads to this connector for playing
games. Connect MIDI devices for playing or editing audio.

Joystick/Midi (15-pin Female)

8) Audio Port Connectors (Three 1/8” GAME_AUDIO)
Line Out can be connected to headphones or preferably powered speakers.
Line In allows tape players or other audio sources to be recorded by your com-

puter or played through the Line Out. Mic allows microphones to be connected
for inputting voice.

MicLine InLine Out

1/8" Stereo Audio Connectors

Connectors

3. H/W SETUP

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 23

3. HARDWARE SETUP

9) Primary / Secondary IDE Connectors (Two 40-1pin IDE)

These connectors support the provided IDE hard disk ribbon cable.
After connecting the single end to the board, connect the two plugs at the other
end to your hard disk(s). If you install two hard disks, you must configure the
second drive to Slave mode by setting its jumper accordingly. Please refer to
your hard disk documentation for the jumper settings. BIOS now supports SCSI
device or IDE CD-ROM bootup (see Boot Sequence in 4.6 Boot Menu). (Pin

20 is removed to prevent inserting in the wrong orientation when using
ribbon cables with pin 20 plugged).

TIP: You may configure two hard disks to be both Masters with two ribbon

cables – one for the primary IDE connector and another for the secondary IDE
connector . You may install one operating system on an IDE drive and another on
a SCSI drive and select the boot disk through Boot Sequence in 4.6 Boot Menu.

3. H/W SETUP

Connectors

MES-VM IDE Connectors

NOTE: Orient the red markings

on the IDE ribbon cable to

Secondary IDE
Connector

PIN 1

PIN 1.

Primary IDE
Connector

10) Floppy Disk Drive Connector (34-1pin FLOPPY)

This connector supports the provided floppy drive ribbon cable. After connect­ing the single end to the board, connect the two plugs on the other end to the
floppy drives. (Pin 5 is removed to prevent inserting in the wrong orienta-

tion when using ribbon cables with pin 5 plugged).

NOTE: Orient the red markings on
the floppy ribbon cable to

PIN 1.

PIN 1

MES-VM Floppy Disk Drive Connector

24 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

3. HARDWARE SETUP

11) Wake-On-LAN Connector (3-pin WOL_CON)

These connector connects to LAN cards with a Wake-On-LAN output, such as
the ASUS PCI-L101 Ethernet card (see 7.3 ASUS PCI-L101 Fast Ethernet Card).
The connector powers up the system when a wakeup packet or signal is received
through the LAN card.

IMPORTANT: This feature requires that Wake On LAN is set to Enabled (see

4.5.1 Power Up Control) and that your system has an ATX power supply with at
least 720mA +5V standby power.

+5 Volt Standby
Ground
PME

IMPORTANT: Requires an ATX power
supply with at least 720mA +5Volt
standby power.

MES-VM Wake-On-LAN Connector

12) Chassis and CPU Fan Connectors (3-pin CHA_, CPU_FAN)

These connectors support cooling fans of 500mA (6 Watts) or less. Orientate the
fans so that the heat sink fins allow airflow to go across the onboard heat sink(s)
instead of the expansion slots. Depending on the fan manufacturer, the wiring
and plug may be different. The red wire should be positive, while the black
should be ground. Connect the fan’ s plug to the board taking into consideration
the polarity of the connector . NOTE: The “Rotation” signal is to be used only

by a specially designed fan with rotation signal.

WARNING! The CPU and/or motherboard will overheat if there is no airflow

across the CPU and onboard heatsinks. Damage may occur to the motherboard
and/or the CPU fan if these pins are incorrectly used. These are not jumpers,

do not place jumper caps over these pins.

Connectors

3. H/W SETUP

MES-VM Cooling Fan Connector

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 25

CPU Fan Power

Ground
+12V
Rotation

Rotation

+12V

Ground

Chassis Fan Power

3. HARDWARE SETUP

13) IrDA-Compliant Infrared Module Connector (5-pin IR)

This connector supports the optional wireless transmitting and receiving infra­red module. This module mounts to a small opening on system cases that sup­port this feature. You must also configure the setting through UART2 Use In-
frared (see 4.4.2 I/O Device Configuration) to select whether UART2 is di­rected for use with COM2 or IrDA. Use the five pins as shown in Back V iew and
connect a ribbon cable from the module to the motherboard according to the pin
definitions.

3. H/W SETUP

Connectors

+5V

(NC)

IRRX

Front View

IRTX

GND

Back View

IRTX
GND

IRRX

+5V

(NC)

MES-VM Infrared Module Connector

14) Internal Audio Connectors (4-pin MODEM, CD_IN, CDROM_AUDIO)

These connectors allow you to receive stereo audio input from such sound sources
as a CD-ROM, TV tuner, or MPEG card. The MODEM connector allows the
onboard audio to interface with a voice modem card with a similar connector . It
also allows the sharing of microphone and speaker between the onboard audio
and the voice modem card.

Mono Input
Ground
Ground
Mono Output

MODEM

Left Audio Channel
Ground
Ground
Right Audio Channel

CD_IN

Left Audio Channel
Ground
Ground
Right Audio Channel

CDROM_AUDIO

MES-VM Internal Audio Connectors

26 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

3. HARDWARE SETUP

(This page was intentionally left blank)

Connectors

3. H/W SETUP

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 27

3. HARDWARE SETUP

The following PANEL illustration is used for items 16-23

3. H/W SETUP

Connectors

Speaker
Connector

SMI Lead

Keyboard Lock

Message LED

MES-VM System Panel Connectors

Reset Switch
Power LED

IDELED
ATX Power Switch

15) System Warning Speaker Connector (4-pin SPEAKER)

This 4-pin connector connects to the case-mounted speaker . You may leave this
disconnected if your motherboard has an onboard buzzer which can replace the
chassis speaker. When connected, you will hear system warnings through both
sources. NOTE: Some sound cards allow you to connect to the system speaker
signal so that the warnings can be heard and adjusted through your multimedia
system.

16) System Management Interrupt Lead (2-pin SMI)

This allows the user to manually place the system into a suspend mode or “Green”
mode, where system activity is decreased to save electricity and expand the life
of certain components when the system is not in use. This 2-pin connector con­nects to the case-mounted suspend switch. If you do not have a switch for the
connector, you may use the “Turbo Switch.” SMI is activated when it detects a
short to open moment and therefore leaving it shorted will not cause any prob­lems. This may require one or two presses depending on the position of the
switch. W ake-up can be controlled by settings in the BIOS but the keyboard will
always allow wake-up (the SMI lead cannot wake up the system).

17) Keyboard Lock Switch Lead (2-pin KEYLOCK)

This 2-pin connector connects to the case-mounted key switch to allow key­board locking.

18) Message LED Lead (2-pin MSG.LED)

This indicates whether a message has been received from a fax/modem. The
LED will remain lit when there is no signal and blink when there is data transfer
or waiting in the inbox. This function requires ACPI OS and driver support.

28 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

3. HARDWARE SETUP

19) Reset Switch Lead (2-pin RESET)

This 2-pin connector connects to the case-mounted reset switch for rebooting
your computer without having to turn off your power switch. This is a preferred
method of rebooting to prolong the life of the system’s power supply.

20) System Power LED Lead (3-1 pin PWR.LED)

This 3-1 pin connector connects the system power LED, which lights when the
system is powered on and blinks when it is in sleep mode.

21) ATX Power Switch Lead (2-pin PWR.SW)

The system power is controlled by a momentary switch connected to this lead.
Pressing the button once will switch the system between ON and SOFT OFF.

Pushing the switch while in the ON mode for more than 4 seconds will turn the
system off. The system power LED shows the status of the system’s power.

22) Hard Disk Activity LED Lead (2-pin IDELED)

This connector supplies power to the cabinet’s hard disk or IDE activity LED.
Read and write activity by devices connected to the Primary and/or Secondary
IDE connectors will cause the LED to light up.

23) ATX Power Supply Connector (20-pin block ATXPWR)

This connector connects to an ATX power supply. The plug from the power sup­ply will only insert in one orientation because of the different hole sizes. Find the
proper orientation and push down firmly making sure that the pins are aligned.

IMPORTANT: Make sure that your ATX power supply can supply at least 10mA

on the +5-volt standby lead (+5VSB). You may experience difficulty in power­ing ON your system if your power supply cannot support the load. For Wake­On-LAN support, your ATX power supply must supply at least 720mA +5VSB.

Power Good

+3.3 Volts

+3.3 Volts

+3.3 Volts

-12.0 Volts

Ground

+5.0 Volts

Ground

+5.0 Volts

Ground

Ground

Ground

Ground

Ground

-5.0 Volts

+12.0 Volts

+5V Standby

+5.0 Volts

+5.0 Volts

Connectors

3. H/W SETUP

MES-VM ATX Power Connector

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 29

Power Supply On

3. H/W SETUP

Connectors

3. HARDWARE SETUP

(This page was intentionally left blank)

30 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

3. HARDWARE SETUP

3.9 Power Connection Procedures

1. After all connections are made, close the system case cover.

2. Be sure that all switches are off (in some systems, marked with

3. Connect the power supply cord to the power supply located on the back of
your system case according to your system user’s manual.

4. Connect the power cord to a power outlet that is equipped with a surge protector.

5. You may then turn on your devices in the following order:
a. Your monitor

b. External SCSI devices (starting with the last device on the chain)
c. Your system power

For ATX power supplies, you need to switch ON the power supply if a
switch is provided as well as press the ATX power switch on the front of
the case.

6. The power LED on the front panel of the system case will light. For ATX
power supplies, the system LED will light when the ATX power switch is
pressed. The LED on the monitor may light up or switch between orange and
green after the system’s if it complies with “green” standards or if it has a
power standby feature. The system will then run power-on tests. While the
tests are running, additional messages will appear on the screen. If you do not
see anything within 30 seconds from the time you turn on the power, the sys­tem may have failed a power-on test. Check your jumper settings and connec­tions again or call your retailer for assistance.

).

3. H/W SETUP

Power Connections

7. During power-on, hold down <Delete> to enter BIOS setup. Follow the in­structions in 4. BIOS SETUP.

* Powering Off your computer: You must first exit or shut down your operat-

ing system before switching off the power switch. For ATX power supplies,
you can press the ATX power switch after exiting or shutting down your oper­ating system. If you use Windows 95/98, click the Start button, click Shut
Down, and then click Shut down the computer?. The power supply should
turn off after Windows shuts down.

NOTE: The message “You can now safely turn off your computer” will not appear
when shutting down with ATX power supplies.

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 31

4. BIOS SETUP

4. BIOS SETUP

4.1 Flash Memory W riter Utility

AFLASH.EXE: This is the Flash Memory Writer utility that updates the BIOS by
uploading a new BIOS file to the programmable flash ROM chip on the motherboard.
To determine the BIOS version of your motherboard, check the last four numbers of
the code displayed on the upper left-hand corner of your screen during bootup. Larger
numbers represent a newer BIOS file. This file works only in DOS mode.

NOTE: The following screen displays are provided as examples only and may not
reflect the screen contents displayed on your system.

Flash Memory Writer

4. BIOS SETUP

IMPORTANT: If “unknown” is displayed after Flash Memory:, the memory

chip is either not programmable or is not supported by the ACPI BIOS and
therefore, cannot be programmed by the Flash Memory Writer utility.

4.1.1 Main Menu

1. Save Current BIOS To File

This option allows you to save a copy of the original motherboard BIOS in case you
need to reinstall it. It is recommended that you save AFLASH.EXE and the BIOS file
to a bootable floppy disk.

To save your current BIOS,
type [1] at the Main Menu
and then press <Enter>. The

Save Current BIOS To File

screen appears. Type a
filename and the path, for ex­ample, A:\XXX-XX.XXX
and then press <Enter>.

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual32

4. BIOS SETUP

2. Update BIOS Including Boot Block and ESCD

This option updates the boot block, the baseboard BIOS, and the ACPI extended
system configuration data (ESCD) parameter block from a new BIOS file. See the
next page for procedures on downloading an updated BIOS file.

T o update your current BIOS,
type [2] at the Main Menu
and then press <Enter>. The

Update BIOS Including
Boot Block and ESCD

screen appears. Type the
filename of your new BIOS
and the path, for example,
A:\XXX-XX.XXX, and then
press <Enter>.

When prompted to confirm
the BIOS update, press Y to
start the update.

The utility starts to program
the new BIOS information
into the flash ROM. When
the programming is fin­ished, Flashed Success-
fully will be displayed.

Follow the onscreen in­structions to continue.

4. BIOS SETUP

Flash Memory Writer

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 33

4. BIOS SETUP

4.1.2 Managing and Updating Your BIOS

Upon First Use of the Computer System

1. Create a bootable system floppy disk by typing [FORMAT A:/S] from the DOS
prompt.

2. Copy AFLASH.EXE to the just created boot disk.

3. Run AFLASH.EXE from this new disk and select option 1. Save Current
BIOS to File. See 1. Save Current BIOS To File on the previous page for
more details and the rest of the steps.

Updating BIOS Procedures (only when necessary)

1. Download an updated ASUS BIOS file from the Internet (WWW or FTP) or a
BBS (Bulletin Board Service) (see ASUS CONT ACT INFORMATION on page
3 for details) and save to the disk you created earlier.

2. Boot from the disk you created earlier.

3. At the “A:\” prompt, type AFLASH and then press <Enter>.

4. At the Main Menu, type 2 and then press <Enter>. See 2. Update BIOS In-
cluding Boot Block and ESCD on the previous page for more details and the
rest of the steps.

4. BIOS SETUP

Updating BIOS

WARNING! If you encounter problems while updating the new BIOS, DO

NOT turn off your system since this might prevent your system from booting
up. Just repeat the process, and if the problem still persists, update the original
BIOS file you saved to disk above. If the Flash Memory Writer utility was not
able to successfully update a complete BIOS file, your system may not be able
to boot up. If this happens, your system will need service.

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual34

4. BIOS SETUP

4.2 BIOS Setup Program

This motherboard supports a programmable EEPROM that can be updated using
the provided utility as described in 4.1 Flash Memory Writer Utility.

The utility is used if you are installing a motherboard, reconfiguring your system,
or prompted to “Run Setup”. This section describes how to configure your system
using this utility.

Even if you are not prompted to use the Setup program, at some time in the future
you may want to change the configuration of your computer. For example, you
may want to enable the Security Password Feature or make changes to the power
management settings. It will then be necessary to reconfigure your system using
the BIOS Setup program so that the computer can recognize these changes and
record them in the CMOS RAM of the EEPROM.

The EEPROM on the motherboard stores the Setup utility. When you turn on the
computer, the system provides you with the opportunity to run this program. This
appears during the Power-On Self Test (POST). Press <Delete> to call up the Setup
utility . If you are a little bit late pressing the mentioned key(s), POST will continue
with its test routines, thus preventing you from calling up Setup. If you still need to
call Setup, reset the system by pressing <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Delete>, or by pressing
the Reset button on the system chassis. You can also restart by turning the system
off and then back on again. But do so only if the first two methods fail.

The Setup program has been designed to make it as easy to use as possible. It is a
menu driven program, which means you can scroll through the various sub-menus
and make your selections among the various predetermined choices. If you acci­dentally change a setting and do not know which one to switch back to, the Setup
program has a hot key that allows you to return to the previous value. The hot keys
are discussed in more detail later in this Section.

To access the BIOS Setup program, press the <Delete> key after the
computer has booted through its POST.

NOTE: Because the BIOS software is constantly being updated, the following
BIOS screens and descriptions are for reference purposes only and may not ex­actly reflect your BIOS screens.

4. BIOS SETUP

Program Information

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 35

4. BIOS SETUP

4.2.1 BIOS Menu Bar

The top of the screen has a menu bar with the following selections:

MAIN Use this menu to make changes to the basic system configuration.
ADVANCED Use this menu to enable and make changes to the advanced fea-

tures. Use this menu to set a password to control bootup and con­trol access to the BIOS setup menu.

POWER Use this menu to configure and enable Power Management fea-

tures.

BOOT Use this menu to configure the default system device used to lo-

cate and load the Operating System.

EXIT Use this menu to exit the current menu or specify how to exit the

Setup program.

To access the menu bar items, press the right or left arrow key on the keyboard
until the desired item is highlighted.

4.2.2 Legend Bar

At the bottom of the Setup screen you will notice a legend bar. The keys in the
legend bar allow you to navigate through the various setup menus. The following

Menu Introduction

4. BIOS SETUP

table lists the keys found in the legend bar with their corresponding alternates and
functions.

Navigation Key(s) Function Description

<F1> or <Alt + H> Displays the General Help screen from anywhere in the BIOS

<Esc> or<Alt + X> Jumps to the Exit menu or returns to the main menu from a sub-

← or → (keypad arrow) Selects the menu item to the left or right
↑ or ↓ (keypad arrows) Moves the cursor up or down between fields

- (minus key) Scrolls backward through the values for the highlighted field
+ (plus key) or spacebar Scrolls forward through the values for the highlighted field
<Enter> Brings up a selection menu for the highlighted field
<Home> or <PgUp> Moves the cursor to the first field
<End> or <PgDn> Moves the cursor to the last field

Setup

menu

<F5> Resets the current screen to its Setup Defaults
<F10> Saves changes and exits Setup

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4. BIOS SETUP

General Help

In addition to the Item Specific Help window, the BIOS setup program also pro­vides a General Help screen. This screen can be called up from any menu by sim­ply pressing <F1> or the <Alt> + <H> combination. The General Help screen lists
the legend keys with their corresponding alternates and functions.

Saving Changes and Exiting the Setup Program

See 4.7 Exit Menu for detailed information on saving changes and exiting the
setup program.

Scroll Bar

When a scroll bar appears to the right of a help window, this indicates that there is
more information to be displayed that will not fit in the window. Use the <PgUp
and <PgDn> keys or the up and down arrow keys to scroll through the entire help
document. Press the <Home> key to display the first page, press <End> to go to
the last page. To exit the help window, press the <Enter> or the <Esc> key.

Sub-Menu

Note that a right pointer symbol appears to the left of certain fields. This pointer
indicates that a sub-menu can be launched from this field. A sub-menu contains
additional options for a field parameter. To call up a sub-menu, simply move the
cursor to highlight the field and press <Enter>. The sub-menu will then immedi­ately appear. Use the legend keys to enter values and move from field to field
within a sub-menu just as you would within a menu. Use the <Esc> key to return
to the main menu.

Take some time to familiarize yourself with each of the legend keys and their
corresponding functions. Practice navigating through the various menus and sub­menus. If you accidentally make unwanted changes to any of the fields, use the set
default hot key . While moving around through the Setup program, note that expla­nations appear in the Item Specific Help window located to the right of each menu.
This window displays the help text for the currently highlighted field.

NOTE: The item heading in square brackets represents the default setting for
that field.

4. BIOS SETUP

Menu Introduction

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 37

4. BIOS SETUP

4.3 Main Menu

When the Setup program is accessed, the following screen appears:

4. BIOS SETUP

Main Menu

System Time [XX:XX:XX]

Sets your system to the time that you specify (usually the current time). The for­mat is hour, minute, second. Follow the hour, minute and second format. Valid
values for hour, minute and second are Hour: (00 to 23), Minute: (00 to 59), and
Second: (00 to 59). Use the <Tab> or <Shift> + <Tab> keys to move between the
hour, minute, and second fields.

System Date [XX/XX/XXXX]

Sets your system to the date that you specify (usually the current date). The format
is month, day , year . Follow the month, day and year format. Valid values for month,
day and year are Month: (1 to 12), Day: (1 to 31), and Y ear: (100 year range). Use
the <Tab> or <Shift> + <Tab> keys to move between the month, day, and year
fields.

Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in.]

Sets the type of floppy drive installed. Configuration options: [None] [360K , 5.25
in.] [1.2M , 5.25 in.] [720K , 3.5 in.] [1.44M, 3.5 in.] [2.88M, 3.5 in.]

Floppy 3 Mode Support [Disabled]

This is required to support older Japanese floppy drives. Floppy 3 Mode support
will allow reading and writing of 1.2MB (opposed to 1.44MB) in a 3.5-inch dis­kette. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Drive A] [Drive B] [Both]

Video [EGA/VGA]

This field allows setting of display type. Use [MONO] for black and white moni­tors; otherwise, use the [EGA/VGA] setting. Configuration options: [EGA/VGA]
[MONO]

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual38

4. BIOS SETUP

4.3.1 Primary & Secondary Master/Slave

These fields are used to configure IDE devices. The arrow head icon indicates that this
field contains a sub-menu. Move the cursor to highlight the field representing the ap­propriate channel you wish to setup and press the <Enter> key to enter the sub-menu.

NOTE: Before attempting to configure a hard disk drive, make sure you
have the configuration information supplied by the manufacturer of the
drive. Incorrect settings may cause your system to not recognize the in­stalled hard disk. To allow the BIOS to detect the drive type automati­cally, select [Auto].

Type [Auto]

Select [Auto] to automatically detect an IDE hard disk drive. If automatic
detection is successful, the correct values will be filled in for the remaining
fields on this sub-menu. If automatic detection fails, you hard disk drive
may be too old or too new. You can try updating your BIOS or enter the
IDE hard disk drive parameters manually. Other options are:

[None] - to disable IDE devices

NOTE: After the IDE hard disk drive information has been entered into BIOS,
new IDE hard disk drives must be partitioned (such as with FDISK) and then for­matted before data can be read from and write on. Primary IDE hard disk drives
must have its partition set to active (also possible with FDISK).

4. BIOS SETUP

Master/Slave Drives

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 39

4. BIOS SETUP

IMPORT ANT: If your hard disk was already formatted on an older previous system,

incorrect parameters may be detected. You will need to enter the correct parameters
manually or use low-level format if you do not need the data stored on the hard disk.

If the parameters listed differ from the ones used when the disk was formatted, the
disk will not be readable. If the auto-detected parameters do not match the ones that
should be used for your disk, you should enter the correct ones manually by setting
[User Type HDD].

[User Type HDD]

Master/Slave Drives

4. BIOS SETUP

Manually enter the number of cylinders, heads and sectors per track for your drive.
Refer to your drive documentation or look on the drive for this information. If no
drive is installed or if you are removing a drive and not replacing it, select [None].

Translation Method [LBA]

Select the hard disk drive type in this field. When Logical Block Addressing is
enabled, 28-bit addressing of the hard drive is used without regard for cylinders,
heads, or sectors. Note that Logical Block Access may decrease the access speed
of the hard disk. However, LBA Mode is necessary for drives with greater than
504MB in storage capacity. Configuration options: [LBA] [LARGE] [Normal]
[Match Partition Table] [Manual]

Cylinders

This field configures the number of cylinders. Refer to your drive documentation
to determine the correct value to enter into this field. NOTE: To make changes to
this field, the Type field must be set to [User Type HDD] and the Translation

Method field must be set to [Manual].

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4. BIOS SETUP

Head

This field configures the number of read/write heads. Refer to your drive documenta­tion to determine the correct value to enter into this field. NOTE: To make changes to
this field, the T ype field must be set to [User T ype HDD] and the T ranslation Method
field must be set to [Manual].

Sector

This field configures the number of sectors per track. Refer to your drive docu­mentation to determine the correct value to enter into this field. NOTE: To make
changes to this field, the T ype field must be set to [User Type HDD] and the Trans-

lation Method field must be set to [Manual].
CHS Capacity

This field shows the drive’s maximum CHS capacity calculated automatically by
the BIOS from the drive information you entered.

Maximum LBA Capacity

This field shows the drive’s maximum LBA capacity calculated automatically by
the BIOS from the drive information you entered.

Multi-Sector Transfers [Maximum]

This option automatically sets the number of sectors per block to the highest number
supported by the drive. This field can also be configured manually. Note that when
this field is automatically configured, the set value may not always be the fastest
value for the drive. Refer to the documentation that came with your hard drive to
determine the optimal value and set it manually. NOTE: To make changes to this
field, the Type field must be set to [User Type HDD] . Configuration options: [Dis-
abled] [2 Sectors] [4 Sectors] [8 Sectors] [16 Sectors] [32 Sectors] [Maximum]

SMART Monitoring [Disabled]

This allows the enabling or disabling of the S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analy­sis and Reporting T echnology) system which utilizes internal hard disk drive moni­toring technology . This feature is normally disabled because system resources used
in this feature may decrease system performance. Configuration options: [Dis­abled] [Enabled]

PIO Mode [4]

This option lets you set a PIO (Programmed Input/Output) mode for the IDE de­vice. Modes 0 through 4 provide successively increased performance. Configura­tion options: [0] [1] [2] [3] [4]

4. BIOS SETUP

Master/Slave Drives

Ultra DMA Mode [Disabled]

Ultra DMA capability allows improved transfer speeds and data integrity for com­patible IDE devices. Set to [Disabled] to suppress Ultra DMA capability. NOTE:
To make changes to this field, the Type field must be set to [User Type HDD].
Configuration options: [0] [1] [2] [3] [4] [Disabled]

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4. BIOS SETUP

Other options for “Type:” are:
[CD-ROM] - for IDE CD-ROM drives
[LS-120] - for LS-120 compatible floppy disk drives
[ZIP-100] - for ZIP-100 compatible disk drives
[MO] - for IDE magneto optical disk drives
[Other ATAPI Device] - for IDE devices not listed here

After using the legend keys to make your selections on this sub-menu, press the [Esc]
key to exit back to the Main menu. When the Main menu appears, you will notice that
the drive size appear in the field for the hard disk drive that you just configured.

4. BIOS SETUP

Main Menu

Language [English]

This allows selection of the BIOS’ displayed language. Currently only English
is available.

Supervisor Password [Disabled] / User Password [Disabled]

This field allows you to set the password. To set the password, highlight the appro­priate field and press <Enter>.

T ype in a password and press <Enter>. You can type up to eight alphanumeric char­acters. Symbols and other keys are ignored. T o confirm the password, type the pass­word again and press the <Enter>. The password is now set to [Enabled]. This pass­word allows full access to the BIOS Setup menus.

To clear the password, highlight this field and press <Enter>. The same dialog box
as above will appear. Press <Enter> and the password will be set to [Disabled].

A Note about Passwords

The BIOS Setup program allows you to specify passwords in the Main menu. The
passwords control access to the BIOS and certain Security menu options during
system startup. The passwords are not case sensitive. In other words, it makes no
difference whether you enter a password using upper or lowercase letters.

The BIOS Setup program allows you to specify two separate passwords: a Supervisor
password and a User password. When disabled, anyone may access all BIOS Setup
program functions. When enabled, the Supervisor password is required for entering
the BIOS Setup program and having full access to all Security menu options.

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4. BIOS SETUP

Forgot the password?

If you forgot the password, you can clear the password by erasing the CMOS
Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM. The RAM data containing the password
information is powered by the onboard button cell battery. To erase the
RTC RAM: (1) Unplug your computer, (2) Set the CLR CMOS/PWD
jumper to Clear, (3) Turn ON your computer, (4) Hold down <Delete>
during bootup and enter BIOS setup to re-enter user preferences.

CLR CMOS/PWD

1 2 3

Normal

MES-VM Clear RTC RAM

1 2 3

Clear

Halt On [All Errors]

This field determines which types of errors will cause the system to halt.
Configuration options: [All Errors] [No Errors] [All,But Keyboard] [All,But
Diskette] [All,But Disk/Key]

Installed Memory [XXX MB]

This field displays the amount of conventional memory detected by the
system during bootup. You do not need to make changes to this field. This
is a display only field.

Main Menu

4. BIOS SETUP

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 43

4. BIOS SETUP

4.4 Advanced

Advanced Menu

4. BIOS SETUP

CPU Level 1 Cache, CPU Level 2 Cache [Enabled]

These fields allow you to choose from the default of [Enabled] or choose [Dis­abled] to turn on or off the CPU’s Level 1 and Level 2 built-in cache.

CPU Level 2 Cache ECC Check [Disabled]

This function controls the ECC capability in the CPU level 2 cache.

BIOS Update [Enabled]

This functions as an update loader integrated into the BIOS to supply the proces­sor with the required data. The BIOS will load the update on all processors during
system bootup in the default position of [Enabled].

Turbo Mode [Disabled]

Leave on default setting.

Floppy Disk Access Control [R/W]

This allows protection of files from the computer system to be copied to floppy
disks by allowing the setting of [Read Only] to only allow reads from the floppy
disk drive but not writes. The setup default [R/W] allows both reads and writes.

PS/2 Mouse Function Control [Auto]

The default of [Auto] allows the system to detect a PS/2 mouse on bootup. If
detected, IRQ12 will be used for the PS/2 mouse. IRQ12 will be reserved for ex­pansion cards if a PS/2 mouse is not detected. [Enabled] will always reserve IRQ12,
whether on bootup a PS/2 mouse is detected or not.

OS/2 Onboard Memory > 64M [Disabled]

When using OS/2 operating systems with installed DRAM of greater than 64MB,
you need to set this option to [Enabled]; otherwise, leave this on [Disabled].

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4. BIOS SETUP

4.4.1 Chip Configuration

(scroll down to see more items, as shown here)

SDRAM Configuration [By SPD]

This sets the optimal timings of settings for items 2–4, depending on the
memory modules that you are using. Default setting is [By SPD], which
configures items 2–4 by reading the contents in the SPD (Serial Presence
Detect) device. The EEPROM on the memory module stores critical pa­rameter information about the module, such as memory type, size, speed,
voltage interface, and module banks. Configuration options: [User Define]
[7ns (143MHz)] [8ns (125MHz)] [By SPD]

SDRAM CAS Latency

This controls the latency between SDRAM read command and the time that
the data actually becomes available. NOTE: To make changes to this field,
the SDRAM Configuration field must be set to [User Define].

SDRAM RAS to CAS Delay

This controls the latency between SDRAM active command and the read/
write command. NOTE: To make changes to this field, the SDRAM Con-
figuration field must be set to [User Define].

4. BIOS SETUP

Chip Configuration

SDRAM RAS Precharge Time

This controls the idle clocks after issuing a precharge command to SDRAM.
NOTE: To make changes to this field, the SDRAM Configuration field
must be set to [User Define].

Refresh RAS Assertion [5T]

Leave on default setting.

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4. BIOS SETUP

Refresh Queue Depth [12]

Configuration options: [0] [4] [8] [12]

VGA Shared Memory Size [8MB]

You can choose the amount of user-installed DIMM memory to allocate to
the onboard VGA. This option is relevant only to motherboards with on­board VGA but no VGA memory onboard. Configuration options: [2MB]
[4MB] [8MB]

Video Memory Cache Mode [USWC]

USWC (uncacheable, speculative write combining) is a new cache tech­nology for the video memory of the processor. It can greatly improve the
display speed by caching the display data. You must set this to UC
(uncacheable) if your display card cannot support this feature, otherwise
your system may not boot. Configuration options: [UC] [USWC]

Graphics Aperture Size [64MB]

Memory-mapped, graphics data structures can reside in a Graphics Aper­ture.

PCI 2.1 Support [Enabled]

This function allows you to enable or disable PCI 2.1 features including
passive release and delayed transaction. Configuration options: [Disabled]

Chip Configuration

4. BIOS SETUP

[Enabled]

Onboard PCI IDE Enable [Both]

You can select to enable the primary IDE channel, secondary IDE chan­nel, both, or disable both channels. Configuration options: [Both] [Pri­mary] [Secondary] [Disable]

ISA Bus Clock [PCICLK/4]

Leave on default setting.

ROM Cycle Wait State [1-Wait]

Configuration options: [4-Wait] [1-Wait]

16-bit I/O Recovery Time [3 BUSCLK]

Leave on default setting.

8-bit I/O Recovery Time [5 BUSCLK]

Leave on default setting.

Memory Hole At Address [None]

This field allows you to reserve an address space for ISA expansion cards that
require it. Configuration options: [None] [15M-16M] [14M-16M] [12M-16M].

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual46

4. BIOS SETUP

4.4.2 I/O Device Configuration

Onboard FDC Controller [Enabled]

When [Enabled], this field allows you to connect your floppy disk drives to
the onboard floppy disk drive connector instead of a separate controller card.
If you want to use a different controller card to connect the floppy disk drives,
set this field to [Disabled]. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Onboard Serial Port 1 [3F8H/IRQ4]

This allows you to set the address for the onboard serial connector. Serial
Port 1 and Serial Port 2 must have different addresses. Configuration op­tions: [3F8H/IRQ4] [2F8H/IRQ3] [3E8H/IRQ4] [2E8H/IRQ10] [Disabled]

Onboard Serial Port 2 [2F8H/IRQ3]

This allows you to set the address for the onboard serial connector. Serial
Port 1 and Serial Port 2 must have different addresses. Configuration op­tions: [3E8H/IRQ4] [2E8H/IRQ10] [Disabled] [3F8H/IRQ4] [2F8H/IRQ3]

UART2 Use Infrared [Disabled]

When enabled, this field activates the onboard infrared feature and sets the
second serial UAR T to support the infrared module connector on the moth­erboard. If your system already has a second serial port connected to the
onboard COM2 connector, it will no longer work if you enable the infrared
feature. By default, this field is set to [Disabled], which leaves the second
serial port UART to support the COM2 serial port connector. See IrDA-
Compliant Infrared Module Connector in 3.8 External Connectors. Con­figuration options: [Disable] [Enabled]

4. BIOS SETUP

I/O Device Config

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 47

4. BIOS SETUP

Onboard Parallel Port [378H/IRQ7]

This field sets the address of the onboard parallel port connector. If you
install an I/O card with a parallel port, ensure that there is no conflict in the
address assignments. The PC can support up to three parallel ports as long
as there are no conflicts for each port. Configuration options: [278H/IRQ
5] [Disabled] [3BCH/IRQ 7] [378H/IRQ 7]

Parallel Port Mode [ECP+EPP]

The port is both software and hardware compatible with existing parallel
ports so that it may be used as a standard printer mode if ECP is not re­quired. ECP mode provides an automatic high burst-bandwidth channel
that supports DMA for ECP in both the forward (host to peripheral) and
reverse (peripheral to host) direction. This field allows you to set the op-

eration mode of the parallel port. The setting [Normal], allows normal­speed operation but in one direction only; [EPP] allows bidirectional par­allel port operation at maximum speed; [ECP] allows the parallel port to
operate in bidirectional mode and at a speed faster than the maximum uni­directional data transfer rate; [ECP+EPP] allows normal speed operation
in a two-way mode. Configuration options: [Normal] [EPP] [ECP]
[ECP+EPP]

ECP DMA Select [3]

This field allows you to configure the parallel port DMA channel for the

I/O Device Config

4. BIOS SETUP

selected ECP mode. This selection is available only if you select [ECP]
or [ECP+EPP] in Parallel Port Mode above. Configuration options: [1]
[3] [Disabled]

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual48

4. BIOS SETUP

4.4.3 PCI Configuration

Slot 1/2/3 IRQ [Auto]

Your motherboard may have between 2 and 5 PCI slots depending on the
chipset. Each PCI must have a unique IRQ number to operate. Make sure
you do not choose an IRQ number used by another device. Configuration
options: [Auto] [NA] [3] [4] [5] [7] [9] [10] [11] [12] [14] [15]

PCI/VGA Palette Snoop [Disabled]

Some display cards that are nonstandard VGA such as graphics accelera­tors or MPEG V ideo Cards may not show colors properly. The setting [En­abled] should correct this problem. Otherwise, leave this on the setup de­fault setting of [Disabled]. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

PCI Latency Timer [32]

Leave on default setting for best performance vs. stability.

Symbios SCSI BIOS [Auto]

[Auto] allows the BIOS to detect whether you have a Symbios SCSI card. If
detected, the onboard Symbios BIOS will be enabled; if not, it will be dis­abled and the external Symbios SCSI card’s own BIOS can be used instead.
NOTE: If your Symbios SCSI card does not have a BIOS, the Symbios
SCSI card will not function. Configuration options: [Auto] [Disabled]

4. BIOS SETUP

PCI Configuration

USB Function [Disabled]

The USB ports can be activated or deactivated using this field. Configura­tion options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

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4. BIOS SETUP

USB IRQ [Auto]

[Auto] reserves an IRQ# for the USB to work. If you are not using any
USB devices, you may set this feature to [NA] to save an extra IRQ# for
expansion cards. Make sure you do not choose an IRQ number used by
another device. Configuration options: [Auto] [NA] [3] [4] [5] [7] [9] [10]
[11] [12] [14] [15]

ONB VGA BIOS First [No]

This field, when set to [Yes], gives priority to the onboard VGA BIOS over
other VGA controllers. Configuration options: [No] [Yes]

PCI/PNP ISA IRQ Resource Exclusion

PCI Configuration

4. BIOS SETUP

IRQ XX Used By ISA: [No/ICU] / IRQ 5 Used By ISA: [Yes]

These fields indicate whether or not the displayed IRQ for each field is
being used by a legacy (non-PnP) ISA card. [No/ICU] indicates either that
the displayed IRQ is not used or an ISA Configuration Utility (ICU) is
being used to determine if an ISA card is using that IRQ. If you install a
legacy ISA card that requires a unique IRQ, and you are not using an ICU,
you must set the field for that IRQ to [Yes]. For example: If you install a
legacy ISA card that requires IRQ 10, then set IRQ10 Used By ISA to
[Yes]. Configuration options are: [No/ICU] [Yes]

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4. BIOS SETUP

PCI/PNP ISA DMA Resource Exclusion

DMA x Used By ISA: [No/ICU]

These fields indicate whether or not the displayed DMA channel for each
field is being used by a legacy (non-PnP) ISA card. The default setting
indicates either that the displayed DMA channel is not used or an ICU is
being used to determine if an ISA card is using that channel. If you install
a legacy ISA card that requires a unique DMA channel, and you are not
using an ICU, you must set the field for that channel to [Yes]. Configura­tion options are: [No/ICU] [Yes]

PCI/PNP ISA UMB Resource Exclusion

4. BIOS SETUP

PCI Configuration

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4. BIOS SETUP

ISA MEM Block BASE [No/ICU]

This field allows you to set the base address and block size of a legacy ISA
card that uses any memory segment within the C800 and DC00 address
range. If you have such a card, and you are not using an ICU to specify its
address range, select a base address from the six available options; the ISA
MEM Block SIZE field will then appear for selecting the block size. If
you have more than one legacy ISA card in your system that requires to use
this address range, you can increase the block size to either 8K, 16K, 32K,
or 64K. If you are using an ICU to accomplish this task, leave ISA MEM
Block BASE to its default setting of [No/ICU]. Configuration options are:

[No/ICU] [C800] [CC00] [D000] [D400] [D800] [DC00]

4.4.4 Shadow Configuration

Shadow Configuration

4. BIOS SETUP

Video ROM BIOS Shadow: [Enabled]

This field allows you to change the video BIOS location from ROM to
RAM. Relocating to RAM enhances system performance, as information
access is faster than the ROM. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

C8000-CBFFF to DC000-DFFFF: [Disabled]

These fields are used for shadowing other expansion card ROMs. If you
install other expansion cards with ROMs on them, you will need to know
which addresses the ROMs use to shadow them specifically. Shadowing a
ROM reduces the memory available between 640K and 1024K by the
amount used for this purpose. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual52

4. BIOS SETUP

4.5 Power Menu

The Power menu allows you to reduce power consumption. This feature turns off the
video display and shuts down the hard disk after a period of inactivity.

Power Management: [User Define]

This option must be enabled to use any of the automatic power saving features. If this
menu item is set to [Disabled], power management features will not function regard­less of other field settings on this menu. The [User Define] option allows you to make
your own selections in the Power menu. When set to [Max Saving], system power will
be conserved to its greatest amount. The Doze, Standby, and Suspend Mode fields
will then be set to predefined values that ensure maximum power savings.

This field acts as the master control for the power management modes. [Max Saving]
puts the system into power saving mode after a brief period of system inactivity; [Min
Saving] is almost the same as [Max Saving] except that this time the system inactivity
period is longer; [Disable] disables the power saving features; [User Define] allows
you to set power saving options according to your preference. Configuration options:
[User Define] [Disabled] [Min Saving] [Max Saving]

IMPORTANT: Advanced Power Management (APM) should be installed to keep

the system time updated when the computer enters suspend mode activated by the
BIOS Power Management. For DOS environments, you need to add the statement,
DEVICE=C:\DOS\POWER.EXE, in you CONFIG.SYS. For W indows 3.x and Win­dows 95, you need to install Windows with the APM feature. For Windows 98 and
later, APM is automatically installed. A battery and power cord icon labeled “Power”
will appear in the “Control Panel.” Choose “Advanced” in the Power Management
Field.

Power Menu

4. BIOS SETUP

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4. BIOS SETUP

Video Off Option [Susp,Stby -> Off ]

This field determines when to activate the video off feature for monitor
power management. Configuration options: [Always On] [Suspend -> Off]
[Susp,Stby -> Off] [All Modes -> Off]

Video Off Method [DPMS OFF]

This field defines the video off features. The DPMS (Display Power Man­agement System) feature allows the BIOS to control the video display card
if it supports the DPMS feature. [Blank Screen] only blanks the screen (use
this for monitors without power management or “green” features. If set up
in your system, your screen saver will not display with [Blank Screen]
selected). [V/H SYNC+Blank] blanks the screen and turns off vertical and
horizontal scanning. Configuration options: [Blank Screen] [V/H
SYNC+Blank] [DPMS Standby] [DPMS Suspend] [DPMS OFF] [DPMS
Reduce ON]

HDD Power Down [Disable]

Shuts down any IDE hard disk drives in the system after a period of inac­tivity as set in this user-configurable field. This feature does not affect
SCSI hard drives. Configuration options: [Disable] [1 Min] [2 Min] [3
Min]...[15 Min]

Doze Mode [Disable]

4. BIOS SETUP

Power Menu

Sets the time period for the system to go into doze (or sleep) mode. Con­figuration options: [Disable] [20 Sec] [1 Min] [5 Min] [10 Min] [15
Min]...[40 Min]

Standby Mode [Disable]

Sets the time period for the system to go into standby mode. Configuration
options: [Disable] [20 Sec] [1 Min] [5 Min] [10 Min] [15 Min]...[40 Min]

Suspend Mode [Disable]

Sets the time period for the system to go into suspend mode. Configuration
options: [Disable] [20 Sec] [1 Min] [5 Min] [10 Min] [15 Min]...[40 Min]

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual54

4. BIOS SETUP

4.5.1 Power Up Control

AC PWR Loss Restart: [Disabled]

This allows you to set whether you want your system to boot up after the power has
been interrupted. [Disabled] leaves your system off after reapplying power and [En­abled] boots up your system after reapplying power. Configuration options: [Disabled]
[Enabled]

PWR Up On Modem Act: [Enabled]

This allows either settings of [Enabled] or [Disabled] for powering up the computer
(turns the ATX power supply on) when the modem receives a call while the computer
is in Soft-off.

NOTE: The computer cannot receive or transmit data until the computer and applica­tions are fully running, thus connection cannot be made on the first try. Turning an
external modem off and then back on while the computer is off causes an initialization
string that will also cause the system to power on. Configuration options: [Disabled]
[Enabled]

Wake On LAN: [Enabled]

Wake-On-LAN allows your computer to be booted from another computer via a net­work by sending a wake-up frame or signal. With this feature, network administrators
can remotely boot an entire network of computer systems during off-peak hours for
software updating or maintainance. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4. BIOS SETUP

Power Up Control

IMPORTANT: This feature requires an optional network interface with Wake­On-LAN and an ATX power supply with at least 720mA +5V standby power.

Automatic Power Up: [Disabled]

This allows automatic system power up. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 55

4. BIOS SETUP

4.5.2 Hardware Monitor

CPU Temperature [xxxC/xxxF]

The onboard hardware monitor is able to detect the CPU and MB (mother­board) temperatures. Set to [Ignore] only if necessary.

CPU Fan Speed [xxxxRPM]

Hardware Monitor

4. BIOS SETUP

The onboard hardware monitor is able to detect the Chassis Fan Speed,
CPU Fan Speed, and the Power Supply Fan Speed in Rotations Per Minute
(RPM). The presence of this fan is automatically detected.

VCORE Voltage/+3.3V Voltage/+5V Voltage/+12V Voltage [xx.xV]

The onboard hardware monitor is able to detect the voltage output by the
onboard voltage regulators. Set to [Ignore] only if necessary.

NOTE: If any of the monitored items is out of range, an error message will
appear: “Hardware Monitor found an error. Enter Power setup menu for
details”. You will then be prompted to “Press F1 to continue, DEL to enter
SETUP”.

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual56

4. BIOS SETUP

4.6 Boot Menu

Boot Sequence

The Boot menu allows you to select among the three possible boot devices
listed using the up and down arrow keys. By using the <+> or <Space>
key, you can promote devices and by using the <-> key, you can demote
devices. Promotion or demotion of devices alters the priority which the
system uses to search for a boot device on system power up. Configuration
options: [Removable Devices] [IDE Hard Drive] [SCSI Boot Device] [Other
Boot Device]

Removable Device Select [Legacy Floppy]

Configuration options: [Legacy Floppy] [LS120] [ZIP-100] [ATAPI MO]

IDE Hard Drive Select

This field allows you to select the IDE hard disk drive included in the boot
sequence. Pressing [Enter] will show the product IDs of all your connected
IDE hard disk drives.

Other Boot Device Select [ATAPI CD-ROM Drive]

Configuration options: [ATAPI CD-ROM Drive] [Network]

Boot Menu

4. BIOS SETUP

Plug & Play O/S [No]

This field allows you to use a Plug-and-Play (PnP) operating system to
configure the PCI bus slots instead of using the BIOS. Thus interrupts may
be reassigned by the OS when [Yes] is selected. When a non-PnP OS is
installed or to prevent reassigning of interrupt settings, select the default
setting of [No]. Configuration options: [No] [Yes]

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 57

4. BIOS SETUP

Boot Virus Detection: [Enabled]

Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Quick Power On Self Test: [Enabled]

Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Boot Up Floppy Seek: [Enabled]

Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Boot Up NumLock Status: [On]

Configuration options: [Off] [On]

Full Screen Logo: [Enabled]

Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4. BIOS SETUP

Boot Menu

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual58

4. BIOS SETUP

4.7 Exit Menu

Once you have made all of your selections from the various menus in the
Setup program, you should save your changes and exit Setup. Select Exit
from the menu bar to display the following menu:

NOTE: Pressing the <Esc> key does not exit this menu. You must select
one of the options from this menu or a menu bar item to exit this menu.

Exit Saving Changes

Once you are finished making your selections, choose this option from the
Exit menu to ensure the values you selected are saved to the CMOS RAM.
The CMOS RAM is sustained by an onboard backup battery and stays on
even when the PC is turned off. Once this option is selected, a confirmation
is asked. Select [Yes] to save changes and exit.

NOTE: If you attempt to exit the Setup program without saving your
changes, the program will prompt you with a message asking if you want
to save your changes before exiting. Pressing the <Enter> key will then
save changes while exiting.

Exit Discarding Changes

This option should only be used if you do not want to save the changes you
have made to the Setup program. If you have made changes to the fields
other than system date, system time and password, the system will ask for
confirmation before exiting.

Exit Menu

4. BIOS SETUP

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 59

4. BIOS SETUP

Load Setup Defaults

This option allows you to load the default values for each of the parameters
on the Setup menus. When this option is selected or if <F5> is pressed, a
confirmation is requested. Select [Yes] to load default values. You can now
select Exit Saving Changes or make other changes before saving the val-
ues to the non-volatile RAM.

Discard Changes

This option allows you to discard the selections you made and restore the
values you previously saved. After selecting this option, all selections are
updated and a confirmation is requested. Select [Y es] to discard any changes
and load the previously saved values.

Save Changes

This option saves your selections without exiting the Setup program. You
can then return to other menus and make changes. After selecting this op­tion, all selections are saved and a confirmation is requested. Select [Yes]
to save any changes to the non-volatile RAM.

4. BIOS SETUP

Exit Menu

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual60

5. SOFTWARE SETUP

5.1 Windows 98 First Time Installation

When you start W indows for the first time after the installation of your motherboard, Win­dows 98 will detect the onboard audio chip and invoke Add New Hardware Wizard.

(2) Select Search for the best

(1) Click her e.

driver for your device and
then click here.

(3) Browse to E:\AUDIO\win_wdm

(assuming E is your CD-ROM
drive) and then click here.

(5) Click her e.

NOTE: If W indows 98 was unable to identify the

onboard audio chip, right-click “My Computer”
and select Properties. Click the Device Manager
tab and select View devices by type. Remove PCI
Multimedia Device under Other devices, restart
Windows, and follow the procedure above.

(4) Click here.

Windows 98

5. S/W SETUP

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 61

5. SOFTWARE SETUP

5.2 MES-VM Support CD Setup Screen

Insert the Support CD that came with your motherboard into your CD-ROM drive
or double-click the CD drive icon in My Computer to bring up the setup screen.

5. S/W SETUP

Windows 98

• ASUS PC Probe Setup: Installs a simple utility to monitor your computer’s
fan, temperature, and voltages.

• Adobe Acrobat Reader: Installs the Adobe Acrobat Reader software necessary
to view the PC Probe manual in the ASUSLM folder.

• Install Video Driver: Installs the video driver necessary for your graphics con-
troller to have higher performance, resolutions, and special features.

• Install Audio Driver (VxD): W indows 95 audio driver installation instructions for
the onboard audio.

• Install Audio Driver (WDM): Windows 98 audio driver installation instructions
for the onboard audio.

• Install PCCillin: Installs “PC-cillin” virus protection software. V iew the online
help if you have any questions.

• Browse this CD: Allows you to see the contents of the ASUS support CD.

• Read Me: View additional notes with Notepad.

• Exit: Exit the autorun screen.

NOTE: The CD contents are constantly updated without notice.

62 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

5. SOFTWARE SETUP

5.3 Installing the Video Driver

Insert the Support CD that came with your motherboard into your CD-ROM drive
or double-click the CD drive icon in My Computer to bring up the setup screen.

(1) Click here.

(2) Click her e.

(3) Select Typical,

and click here.

(5) Click here and then

click Finish to restart.

(4) Click here.

Windows 98

5. S/W SETUP

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 63

5. SOFTWARE SETUP

5.3.1 Making Monitor Adjustments

After you have installed the video driver and restarted your computer, you can make
monitor adjustments by right-clicking on the W indows desktop and choosing Prop-
erties, clicking the Settings tab, and then the Advanced button.

5. S/W SETUP

Windows 98

Video Setting Page

The page allows you to correct color tone differences between real color values and
the way your monitor or falt panel displays them. You can also store various color
correction preferences for easy recall later.

64 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

5. SOFTWARE SETUP

Display Modes Page

You can adjust the position and size of your screen as well as manipulate the screen
refresh rate, frequencies, and synchronization from the Adjustment page.

Display Preview

Select a color depth
(This will affect possible
maximum resolution
and refresh rate.)

Screen Resolution

Opens the Custom Font
Size dialog box for creating
your own font size

To avoid flickering,

make sure the refresh

rate is at least 72Hz.

When you have finished making adjustments, click OK. You will see the following
confirmation.

If your screen is unreadable and you are not able to answer the question within 15
seconds, your original settings will be restored. You may also press ESC to abort the
settings changes. NOTE: Some settings require you to restart the computer for the
settings to take effect.

Windows 98

5. S/W SETUP

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 65

5. SOFTWARE SETUP

Gamma Correction Page

You can adjust the brightness, tint, and gamma values to correct color tone differ­ences between real color values and the way your monitor or flat panel displays
them from this page.

Preview picture

Change preview picture

5. S/W SETUP

Windows 98

66 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

5. SOFTWARE SETUP

5.4 ASUS PC Probe Setup

Insert the Support CD that came with your motherboard into your CD-ROM drive
or double-click the CD drive icon in My Computer to bring up the setup screen.

NOTE: ASUS PC Probe will not run if another hardware monitoring utility is in­stalled.

(1) Click here.

(3) Click here.

(2) Click her e.

(4) Make any desired setting

changes and then click here.

(5) Click here.

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 67

Windows 98

5. S/W SETUP

5. SOFTWARE SETUP

5.5 Adobe Acrobat Reader

Insert the Support CD that came with your motherboard into your CD-ROM drive
or double-click the CD drive icon in My Computer to bring up the setup screen.

(1) Click her e.

(3) Click her e.

(2) Click her e.

(4) Click her e.

5. S/W SETUP

Windows 98

68 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

(5) Click her e.

5. SOFTWARE SETUP

5.6 Install PC-Cillin

Insert the Support CD that came with your motherboard into your CD-ROM drive
or double-click the CD drive icon in My Computer to bring up the setup screen.

(1) Click her e.

(3) Enter the necessary information

and then click here.

(2) Click her e.

(4) Click here.

(6) Insert a floppy disk

and then click here.

(5) Click Express Install

and then click here.

(7) Once the Emergency Clean disk is created,

click here. Follow the onscreen instructions
to complete installation.

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 69

Windows 98

5. S/W SETUP

5. SOFTWARE SETUP

(This page was intentionally left blank)

5. S/W SETUP

Windows 98

70 ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual

6. SOFTWARE REFERENCE

6.1 ASUS PC Probe

ASUS PC Probe is a convenient utility to monitor the computer system’s
vital components: fan rotations, voltages, and temperatures.

6.1.1 Starting ASUS PC Probe

When ASUS PC Probe starts, a splash screen appears allowing you to “Show
Monitor” or “Hide”. You can select whether you want the splash screen to
show the next time it opens.

Click ASUS PC Probe from the Start button to run the utility if you exit the
utility or did not set it to “Run when Windows Starts.”

ASUS PC Probe

6. S/W REFERENCE

The PC Probe icon
that ASUS PC Probe is running. Left-clicking the icon will allow you to see
your PC status.

will appear on the taskbar’s system tray indicating

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 71

6. S/W REFERENCE

ASUS PC Probe

6.1.2 Using the ASUS PC Probe

Fan Rotation Status

PC Temperature Status

6. SOFTWARE REFERENCE

Analog view of

PC’s fan rotation

Digital view of

PC’s fan rotation

PC’s Fan warning

threshold adjustment

T emperature Warning

threshold adjustment

Analog view of

PC’s temperature

Digital view of

PC’s temperature

Digital view of PC’s

temperature warning threshold

PC Voltage Status

Upper warning threshold adjustment

Analog view of PC’s voltages

Lower warning threshold adjustment

Digital view of PC’s voltages

Digital view of PC’s voltage

warning thresholds

PC Status Summary

PC’s Fan Rotations per minute

PC’s Temperature ˚C/˚F

PC’s Voltages

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual72

6. SOFTWARE REFERENCE

PC Probe System Info.

Obtain information on your motherboard
and BIOS from this screen.

PC Probe Settings

Change PC Probe refresh times here

Click here to start PC Probe each time

you enter Windows.

ASUS PC Probe

6. S/W REFERENCE

Click the items you wish to reset to its
default values and click this button.

PC Probe Task Bar Icon

Right clicking the PC Probe icon
will bring up a menu to turn on,
off, or exit ASUS PC Probe.

The icon appears dimmed when off or un­available.

When there is a problem, the icon’s head
mirror flashes red, the PC speaker beeps, and
the ASUS PC Probe monitor is displayed.

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 73

6. S/W REFERENCE

6.2 Desktop Management Interface (DMI)

DMI Utility

6.2.1 Introducing the ASUS DMI Configuration Utility

This motherboard supports DMI within the BIOS level and provides a DMI Con­figuration Utility to maintain the Management Information Format Database (MIFD).
DMI is able to auto-detect and record information pertinent to a computer’s system
such as the CPU type, CPU speed, and internal/external frequencies, and memory
size. The onboard BIOS will detect as many system information as possible and
store those collected information in a 4KB block in the motherboard’ s Flash EEPROM
and allow the DMI to retrieve data from this database. Unlike other BIOS software,
the BIOS on this motherboard uses the same technology implemented for Plug and
Play to allow dynamic real-time updating of DMI information versus creating a new
BIOS image file and requiring the user to update the whole BIOS. This DMI Con­figuration Utility also allows the system integrator or end user to add additional
information into the MIFD such as serial numbers, housing configurations, and ven­dor information. Those information not detected by the motherboard BIOS and has
to be manually entered through the DMI Configuration Utility and updated into the
MIFD. This DMI Configuration Utility provides the same reliability as PnP updat­ing and will prevent the refreshing failures associated with updating the entire BIOS.

6. SOFTWARE REFERENCE

6.2.2 Starting the ASUS DMI Configuration Utility

The DMI Configuration Utility (DMICFG2.EXE) must be used in real mode in
order for the program to run, the base memory must be at least 180K. Memory
managers like HIMEM.SYS (required by windows) must not be installed. You can
boot up from a system diskette without AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files,
“REM” HIMEM.SYS in the CONFIG.SYS, or press <Shift>+<F5> during bootup
to bypass your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files.

1. In Windows, copy DMICFG2.EXE to your hard disk drive.

2. Restart your computer and press <Shift>+<F5> during bootup to enter safe mode
command prompt.

3. Go to the directory containing DMICFG2.EXE.

4. Type DMICFG2 and press <Enter> to run.

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual74

6. SOFTWARE REFERENCE

6.2.3 Using the ASUS DMI Configuration Utility

NOTE: The following screen displays are provided as examples only and may not
reflect the screen contents on your system.

Edit DMI (or delete)

DMI Utility

6. S/W REFERENCE

Use the ←→ (left-right) cursors to move the top menu items and the ↑↓ (up-down)
cursor to move between the left hand menu items. The bottom of the screen will
show the available keys for each screen. Press enter at the menu item to enter the
right hand screen for editing. “Edit component” appears on top. The reversed color
field is the current cursor position and the blue text are available for editing. The
orange text shows auto-detected information and are not available for editing. The
blue text “Press [ENTER] for detail” contains a second pop-up menu is available,
use the + - (plus-minus) keys to change the settings. Enter to exit and save, ESC to
exit and not save.

If the user has made changes, ESC will prompt you to answer Y or N. Enter Y to go
back to the left-hand screen and save, enter N to go back to left-hand screen and not
save. If editing has not been made, ESC will send you back to the left hand menu
without any messages.

Notes

A heading,
the left side that has been auto detected by the system BIOS.

BIOS Auto Detect

***

, appears on the right for each menu item on

***

A heading,
have been modified by the user.

User Modified

***

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 75

, will appear on the right for menu items that

***

6. SOFTWARE REFERENCE

6. S/W REFERENCE

DMI Utility

Save MIFD

Y ou can save the MIFD (normally only saved to flash ROM) to a file by entering the
drive and path here. If you want to cancel save, you may press ESC and a message
“Bad File Name” appears here to show it was not saved.

Load MIFD

You can load the disk file to memory by entering a drive and path and file name
here.

Load BIOS Defaults

You can load the BIOS defaults from a MIFD file and can clear all user modified
and added data. You must reboot your computer in order for the defaults to be saved
back into the Flash BIOS.

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual76

7. APPENDIX

7.1 ASUS PCI-L101 Fast Ethernet Card

7. APPENDIX

ASUS LAN Card

LAN Activity
Output Signal

LEDs

RJ45

Wake on LAN
Output Signal

Intel
Chipset

ASUS

Motherboard type

Other

If you are using the ASUS PCI-L101 on an ASUS motherboard, leave the jumper on
its defaut setting of “ASUS.” If you are using another brand of motherboard, se
jumper to “Other.” Connect the Wake on LAN (WOL) output signal to the
motherboard’s WOL_CON in order to utilize the Wake-On-LAN feature of the moth­erboard. Connect the LAN activity output signal (LAN_LED) to the system cabinet’
front panel LAN_LED in order to display LAN data activity.

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 77

7. APPENDIX

ASUS LAN Card

7. APPENDIX

7.1.1 Features

• Intel 82558 Ethernet LAN Controller (Fully integrated 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX)

• Wake-On-LAN Remote Control Function Supported

• PCI Bus Master Complies with PCI Local Bus Rev. 2.1 specifications

• Consists of MAC & PHY (10/100Mbps) interfaces

• Complies with IEEE 802.3 10BASE-T and IEEE 802.3u 100BASE-TX interfaces

• Fully supports 10BASE-T & 100BASE-TX operations through a single RJ45 port

• Supports 32-bit Bus Master Technology / PCI Rev. 2.1

• Enhancements on ACPI & APM

• Adheres to PCI Bus Power Management Interface Rev . 1.0, ACPI Rev. 1.0, and

• IEEE 802.3u auto-negotiation for 10Mbps/100Mbps Network Data Transfer Rates.

• Provides LED indicators for monitoring network conditions

• Plug and Play

7.1.2 Software Driver Support

• NetWare ODI Drivers - Novell Netware 3.x, 4.x, DOS, OS/2 Client

• NDIS 2.01 Drivers - Microsoft LAN Manager, Microsoft Windows 3.11, IBM

• NDIS 3.0 Drivers - Microsoft W indows NT , Microsoft W indows 95, Microsoft

Device Class Power Management Rev. 1.0

LAN Server

Windows 3.11

7.1.3 Question and Answer

Q: What is Wake-On-LAN?
A: The Wake-On-LAN feature provides the capability to remotely power on sys-

tems supporting Wake-On-LAN by simply sending a wake-up frame. With this
feature, remotely uploading/downloading data to/from systems during off-peak
hours will be feasible.

Q: What can Wake-On-LAN do for you?
A: Wake-On-LAN is a remote management tool with advantages that can reduce

system management workload, provide flexibility to the system administrator’s
job, and then of course save you time-consuming efforts and costs.

Q: What components are required for Wake-On-LAN to function?
A: T o enable W ake-On-LAN function, your system requires an Ethernet LAN adapter

card that can activate W ake-On-LAN function, a client with W ake-On-LAN capa­bility , and software such as LDCM Rev . 3.10 or up that can trigger wake-up frame.

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual78

7. APPENDIX

7.2 Glossary

AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)

An interface specification that enables high-performance 3D graphics on mainstream
PCs. AGP offers a higher throughput than PCI by providing the graphics controller
with direct access to system memory.

Bus Bus Frequency Bus Speed

PCI 33MHz 133MB/s
AGP 1X 66MHz 200-300MB/s
AGP 2X 133MHz 528MB/s
AGP 4X 266MHz 1 GB/s

AUTOEXEC.BAT

AUTOEXEC.BAT is a special-purpose file that is automatically executed by DOS
whenever the computer is turned ON or restarted. This file contains important com­mands that help configure the system to work with certain software and devices.
Windows 95 and later has its own startup files and may not use or may ignore parts
of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

Glossary

7. APPENDIX

BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)

BIOS is a set of routines that affect how the computer transfers data between com­puter components, such as memory, disks, and the display adapter. The BIOS in­structions are built into the computer’s read-only memory. BIOS parameters can be
configured by the user through the BIOS Setup program. The BIOS can be updated
using the provided utility to copy a new BIOS file into the EEPROM.

Bit (Binary Digit)

Represents the smallest unit of data used by the computer . A bit can have one of two
values: 0 or 1.

Boot

Boot means to start the computer operating system by loading it into system memory .
When the manual instructs you to “boot” your system (or computer), it means to
turn ON your computer . “Reboot” means to restart your computer . When using W in­dows 95 or later, selecting “Restart” from “Start | Shut Down...” will reboot your
computer.

Bus Master IDE

PIO (Programmable I/O) IDE requires that the CPU be involved in IDE access and
waiting for mechanical events. Bus master IDE transfers data to/from the memory
without interrupting the CPU. Bus master IDE driver and bus master IDE hard disk
drives are required to support bus master IDE mode.

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual 79

7. APPENDIX

Glossary

7. APPENDIX

Byte (Binary Term)

One byte is a group of eight contiguous bits. A byte is used to represent a single
alphanumeric character, punctuation mark, or other symbol.

COM Port

COM is a logical device name used by to designate the computer serial ports. Point­ing devices, modems, and infrared modules can be connected to COM ports. Each
COM port is configured to use a different IRQ and address assignment.

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The CPU, sometimes called “Processor,” actually functions as the “brain” of the
computer. It interprets and executes program commands and processes data stored
in memory. Currently, there are socket 370 (for Pentium Celeron-PPGA), socket 7
(for Pentium, AMD, Cyrix, IBM), slot 1 (for Pentium II and III), and slot 2 (for
Xeon) processors.

Device Driver

A device driver is a special set of instructions that allows the computer’s operating sys­tem to communicate with devices such as VGA, audio, ethernet, printer , or modem.

DOS (Disk Operating System)

DOS is the foundation on which all other programs and software applications oper­ate, including W indows. DOS is responsible for allocating system resources such as
memory, CPU time, disk space, and access to peripheral devices. For this reason,
DOS constitutes the basic interface between you and your computer.

Hardware

Hardware is a general term referring to the physical components of a computer sys­tem, including peripherals such as printers, modems, and pointing devices.

IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics)

IDE devices integrate the drive control circuitry directly on the drive itself, elimi­nating the need for a separate adapter card (in the case for SCSI devices). UltraDMA/
33 IDE devices can achieve up to 33MB/Sec transfer.

LPT Port (Line Printer Port)

Logical device name reserved by DOS for the computer parallel ports. Each LPT
port is configured to use a different IRQ and address assignment.

MMX

A set of 57 new instructions based on a technique called Single Instruction, Multiple
Data (SIMD), which is built into the new Intel Pentium PP/MT (P55C) and Pentium
II (Klamath) CPU as well as other x86-compatible microprocessors. The MMX in­structions are designed to accelerate multimedia and communications applications,
such as 3D video, 3D sound, video conference.

ASUS MES-VM User’s Manual80

7. APPENDIX

PCI Bus (Peripheral Component Interconnect Local Bus)

PCI bus is a specification that defines a 32-bit data bus interface. PCI is a standard
widely used by expansion card manufacturers.

Peripherals

Peripherals are devices attached to the computer via I/O ports. Peripheral devices
allow your computer to perform an almost limitless variety of specialized tasks.

POST (Power On Self Test)

When you turn on the computer, it will first run through the POST, a series of soft­ware-controlled diagnostic tests. The POST checks system memory, the mother­board circuitry, the display, the keyboard, the diskette drive, and other I/O devices.

PS/2 Port

PS/2 ports are based on IBM Micro Channel Architecture. This type of architecture
transfers data through a 16-bit or 32-bit bus. A PS/2 mouse and/or keyboard may be
used on ATX motherboards.

Glossary

7. APPENDIX

RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)

RAID can be set up to provide mirroring (for fault tolerance), parity (for data guard­ing), or striping (for data distribution over several drives for increased performance).
A RAID card is required to setup a RAID system.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

There are several different types of RAM such as DRAM (Dynamic RAM), EDO
DRAM (Extended Data Output DRAM), SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM).

ROM (Read Only Memory)

ROM is nonvolatile memory used to store permanent programs (called firmware)
used in certain computer components. Flash ROM (or EEPROM) can be repro­grammed with new programs (or BIOS).

SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)

High speed parallel interface defined by the X3T9.2 committee of the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI) for connecting many peripheral devices.

System Disk

A system disk contains the core file of an operating system and is used to boot up the
operating system.

UltraDMA/33

UltraDMA/33 is a new specification to improve IDE transfer rates. Unlike tradi­tional PIO mode, which only uses the rising edge of IDE command signal to transfer
data, UltraDMA/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).

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7. APPENDIX

Glossary

7. APPENDIX

USB (Universal Serial Bus)

A new 4-pin serial peripheral bus that allows plug and play computer peripherals
such as keyboard, mouse, joystick, scanner, printer and modem/ISDN to be auto­matically configured when they are attached physically without having to install
drivers or reboot. W ith USB, the traditional complex cables from back panel of your
PC can be eliminated.

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