DFI P4X400-AL User Manual

P4X400-A

P4X400-AL

Rev. A+
System Board
User’s Manual

71300311

Copyright

This publication contains information that is protected by copyright.
No part of it may be reproduced in any form or by any means or
used to make any transformation/adaptation without the prior
written permission from the copyright holders.

This publication is provided for informational purposes only. The
manufacturer makes no representations or warranties with respect to
the contents or use of this manual and specifically disclaims any
express or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any
particular purpose. The user will assume the entire risk of the use or
the results of the use of this document. Further, the manufacturer
reserves the right to revise this publication and make changes to its
contents at any time, without obligation to notify any person or
entity of such revisions or changes.

© 2003. All Rights Reserved.

Trademarks

Windows® 98, Windows® 98 SE, Windows® ME, Windows® 2000,
Windows NT® 4.0 and Windows® XP are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation. Intel® and Pentium® 4 are registered
trademarks of Intel Corporation. VIA is a registered trademark of
VIA Technologies, Inc. Award is a registered trademark of Award
Software, Inc. Other trademarks and registered trademarks of
products appearing in this manual are the properties of their
respective holders.

Caution

To avoid damage to the system:

• Use the correct AC input voltage range.

To reduce the risk of electric shock:

• Unplug the power cord before removing the system chassis
cover for installation or ser vicing. After installation or ser vicing,
cover the system chassis before plugging the power cord.

Battery:

• Danger of explosion if battery incor rectly replaced.

• Replace only with the same or equivalent type recommend by
the manufacturer.

• Dispose of used batteries according to the battery
manufacturer’s instructions.

Joystick or MIDI port:

• Do not use any joystick or MIDI device that requires more than
10A current at 5V DC . There is a risk of fire for devices that
exceed this limit.

FCC and DOC Statement on Class B

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 when the equipment is operated in a residential
installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with
the instruction manual, 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 tr y to correct the interference by one or more of the
following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.

• Connect the equipment into 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.

Notice:

1. The changes or modifications not expressly approved by the
party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority
to operate the equipment.

2. Shielded interface cables must be used in order to comply with
the emission limits.

Notice

This user’s manual contains detailed information about the system
board. If, in some cases, some information doesn’t match those
shown in the multilingual manual, the multilingual manual should
always be regarded as the most updated version. The multilingual
manual is included in the system board package.

To view the user’s manual, insert the CD into a CD-ROM drive. The
autorun screen (Main Board Utility CD) will appear. Click “User’s
Manual”.

System Board

This user’s manual is for the P4X400-A and P4X400-AL system
boards. The only difference between these boards is the P4X400-AL
system board supports onboard LAN.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Introduction

1.1 Features and Specifications..................................................................................

1.2 Hyper-Threading Technology Functionality Requirements..........

1.3 Package Checklist.........................................................................................................

Chapter 2 - Hardware Installation

2.1 System Board Layout ...........................................................................................

2.2 System Memory...........................................................................................................

2.3 CPU........................................................................................................................................

2.4 Jumper Settings.............................................................................................................

2.5 Rear Panel I/O Ports..............................................................................................

2.6 I/O Connectors...........................................................................................................

Chapter 3 - Award BIOS Setup Utility

3.1 The Basic Input/Output System.....................................................................

3.1.1 Standard CMOS Features.............................................................

3.1.2 Advanced BIOS Features..............................................................

3.1.3 Advanced Chipset Features ......................................................

3.1.4 Integrated Peripherals.........................................................................

3.1.5 Power Management Setup............................................................

3.1.6 PnP/PCI Configurations....................................................................

3.1.7 Frequency/Voltage Control............................................................

3.1.8 Load Fail-Safe Defaults.....................................................................

3.1.9 Load Optimized Defaults..............................................................

3.1.10 Set Supervisor Password...............................................................

3.1.11 Set User Password..............................................................................

3.1.12 Save & Exit Setup.................................................................................

3.1.13 Exit Without Saving..............................................................................

3.2 Updating the BIOS.....................................................................................................

7
13
14

15
17
19
24
29
40

53
54
59
63
69
77
84
86
88
89
90
91
92
93
94

1

Introduction

Chapter 4 - Supported Softwares

4.1 Desktop Management Interface.................................................................

4.2 Drivers, Utilities and Software Applications.....................................

4.3 3D Audio Configuration....................................................................................

4.4 Installation Notes......................................................................................................

Appendix A - Enabling the Hyper-Threading

Technology

A.1 Enabling the Hyper-Threading Technology...........................................

Appendix B - Using the Suspend to RAM

Function

B.1 Using the Suspend to RAM Function...................................................

Appendix C - System Error Messages

C.1 POST Beep....................................................................................................................

C.2 Error Messages...........................................................................................................

Appendix D - Troubleshooting

D.1 Troubleshooting Checklist.................................................................................

96

99
108
111

112

115

119
119

121

6

Introduction

Chapter 1 - Introduction

1.1 Features and Specifications

1.1.1 Features

Chipset

• VIA® P4X400 chipset

- VT8754/VT8235CE

Processor

The system board is equipped with Socket 478 for installing one of
the following supported processors.

• Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor with Hyper-Threading Technology ­533MHz FSB

• Intel® Pentium® 4 processor (478-pin)

- 533MHz system data bus

- 400MHz system data bus

• Intel® Celeron® processor (478-pin)

- 400MHz system data bus

1

Note:

Refer to section 1.2 and appendix A for more information on
the Hyper-Threading Technology.

System Memory

• Three 184-pin DDR DIMM sockets

• Supports up to 3GB using PC1600 (DDR200), PC2100
(DDR266), PC2700 (DDR333) or PC3200 (DDR400)
unbuffered DDR SDRAM DIMM, 2.5V type

DIMMs

2MBx64
4MBx64
8MBx64

Memory Size

16MB
32MB
64MB

DIMMs

16MBx64
32MBx64
64MBx64

Memory Size

128MB
256MB
512MB

7

1

Introduction

Expansion Slots

The system board is equipped with 1 AGP slot and 5 PCI slots.

AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)

AGP is an interface designed to support high performance 3D
graphics cards. It utilizes a dedicated pipeline to access system
memory for texturing, z-buffering and alpha blending. The universal
AGP slot supports AGP 8x with up to 2133MB/sec. bandwidth and
AGP 4x with up to 1066MB/sec. bandwidth for 3D graphics
applications. AGP in this system board will deliver faster and better
graphics to your PC.

Onboard Audio Features

• Supports Microsoft® DirectSound/DirectSound 3D

• AC’97 supported with full duplex, independent sample rate
converter for audio recording and playback

• S/PDIF-in/out compressed digital output

• 6-channel audio output

Onboard LAN Features (P4X400-AL only)

• Integrated LAN controller

• Integrated IEEE 802.3, 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX compatible
PHY

• 32-bit PCI master interface

• Integrated power management functions

• Full duplex support at both 10 and 100 Mbps

• Supports IEEE 802.3u auto-negotiation

• Suppor ts wire for management

Rear Panel I/O Ports (PC 99 color-coded connectors)

• Two USB 2.0/1.1 por ts

• One RJ45 LAN port (P4X400-AL only)

• Two DB-9 serial ports

• One DB-25 parallel port

• One mini-DIN-6 PS/2 mouse port

• One mini-DIN-6 PS/2 keyboard port

• One game/MIDI port

• Three audio jacks: line-out, line-in and mic-in

8

Introduction

I/O Connectors

• Two connectors for 4 additional external USB 2.0/1.1 ports

• One front audio connector for external line-out and mic-in jacks

• Two internal audio connectors (AUX-in and CD-in)

• One 4-channel audio output connector

• One S/PDIF-in/out connector

• One connector for IrDA interface

• Two IDE connectors

• One floppy drive interface supports up to two 2.88MB floppy
drives

• Two ATX power supply connectors

• One Wake-On-LAN connector

• CPU fan and chassis fan connectors

PCI Bus Master IDE Controller

• Two PCI IDE interfaces support up to four IDE devices

• Supports ATA/33, ATA/66, ATA/100 and ATA/133 hard drives

• UDMA Modes 3, 4, 5 and 6 Enhanced IDE (data transfer rate
up to 133MB/sec.)

• Bus mastering reduces CPU utilization during disk transfer

• Supports ATAPI CD-ROM, LS-120 and ZIP

1

S/PDIF

S/PDIF is a standard audio file transfer format that transfers digital
audio signals to a device without having to be converted first to an
analog format. This prevents the quality of the audio signal from
degrading whenever it is converted to analog. S/PDIF is usually
found on digital audio equipment such as a DAT machine or audio
processing device. The S/PDIF connector on the system board sends
surround sound and 3D audio signal outputs to amplifiers and
speakers and to digital recording devices like CD recorders.

6-channel Audio

The 4-channel audio connector which supports four audio output
signals: center channel, subwoofer, rear right channel and rear left
channel; together with the line-in and mic-in jacks (at the rear panel)
support 6-channel audio output.

9

1

Introduction

IrDA Interface

The system board is equipped with an IrDA connector for wireless
connectivity between your computer and peripheral devices. The
IRDA (Infrared Data Association) specification supports data
transfers of 115K baud at a distance of 1 meter.

USB Ports

The system board supports USB 2.0 and USB 1.1. USB 1.1
supports 12Mb/second bandwidth while USB 2.0 supports 480Mb/
second bandwidth providing a marked improvement in device
transfer speeds between your computer and a wide range of
simultaneously accessible external Plug and Play peripherals.

BIOS

• Award BIOS, Windows® 98/2000/ME/XP Plug and Play
compatible

• Supports SCSI sequential boot-up

• Flash EPROM for easy BIOS upgrades

• Supports DMI 2.0 function

• 2Mbit flash memory

10

Desktop Management Interface (DMI)

The system board comes with a DMI 2.0 built into the BIOS. The
DMI utility in the BIOS automatically records various information
about your system configuration and stores these information in the
DMI pool, which is a part of the system board's Plug and Play
BIOS. DMI, along with the appropriately networked software, is
designed to make inventory, maintenance and troubleshooting of
computer systems easier. Refer to chapter 4 for instructions on using
the DMI utility.

Introduction

1.1.2 Intelligence

Dual Function Power Button

Depending on the setting in the “Soft-Off By PWRBTN” field of the
Power Management Setup, this switch will allow the system to enter

the Soft-Off or Suspend mode.

Wake-On-Ring

This feature allows the system that is in the Suspend mode or Soft
Power Off mode to wake-up/power-on to respond to calls coming
from an external modem or respond to calls from a modem PCI
card that uses the PCI PME (Power Management Event) signal to
remotely wake up the PC.

Important:

If you are using a modem add-in card, the 5VSB power source
of your power supply must support ≥720mA.

Wake-On-LAN

This feature allows the network to remotely wake up a Soft Power
Down (Soft-Off) PC. It is suppor ted via the onboard LAN port, via
a PCI LAN card that uses the PCI PME (Power Management Event)
signal or via a LAN card that uses the Wake-On-LAN connector.
However, if your system is in the Suspend mode, you can power-on
the system only through an IRQ or DMA interrupt.

1

Important:

The 5VSB power source of your power supply must support

≥

720mA.

11

1

Introduction

Wake-On-PS/2 Keyboard

This function allows you to use the PS/2 keyboard to wake up the
system from the S5 state.

Important:

The 5VSB power source of your power supply must support

≥

720mA.

Wake-On-USB Keyboard/Mouse

This function allows you to use a USB keyboard or USB mouse to
wake up a system from the S3 (STR - Suspend To RAM) state.

Important:

• If you are using the Wake-On-USB Keyboard/Mouse
function for 2 USB ports, the 5VSB power source of your
power supply must support ≥1.5A.

• If you are using the Wake-On-USB Keyboard/Mouse
function for 3 or more USB ports, the 5VSB power source
of your power supply must support ≥2A.

RTC Timer to Power-on the System

12

The RTC installed on the system board allows your system to auto­matically power-on on the set date and time .

ACPI STR

The system board is designed to meet the ACPI (Advanced Con­figuration and Power Interface) specification. ACPI has energy saving
features that enables PCs to implement Power Management and
Plug-and-Play with operating systems that support OS Direct Power
Management. Currently, only Windows® 98/2000/ME/XP supports
the ACPI function. ACPI when enabled in the Power Management
Setup will allow you to use the Suspend to RAM function.

With the Suspend to RAM function enabled, you can power-off the
system at once by pressing the power button or selecting “Standby”
when you shut down Windows® 98/2000/ME/XP without having to
go through the sometimes tiresome process of closing files,
applications and operating system. This is because the system is
capable of storing all programs and data files during the entire

Introduction

operating session into RAM (Random Access Memory) when it
powers-off. The operating session will resume exactly where you left
off the next time you power-on the system.

Important:

The 5VSB power source of your power supply must support

≥

1A.

AC Power Failure Recovery

When power returns after an AC power failure, you may choose to
either power-on the system manually, let the system power-on
automatically or return to the state where you left off before power
failure occurs.

Virus Protection

Most viruses today destroy data stored in hard drives. The system
board is designed to protect the boot sector and partition table of
your hard disk drive.

1.2 Hyper-Threading Technology Functionality
Requirements

1

Enabling the functionality of Hyper-Threading Technology for your
computer system requires ALL of the following platforms.

Components:

• CPU - an Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor with HT Technology

• Chipset - an Intel® chipset that supports HT Technology

• BIOS - a BIOS that supports HT Technology and has it enabled

• OS - an operating system that includes optimizations for HT
Technology

Please refer to Appendix A for information about enabling the
functionality of the Hyper-Threading Technology. For more information
on Hyper-Threading Technology, go to: www.intel.com/info/
hyperthreading.

13

1

Introduction

1.3 Package Checklist

The system board package contains the following items:

 The system board
 A user’s manual
 One IDE cable for ATA/33, ATA/66, ATA/100 or ATA/133 IDE

drives

 One 34-pin floppy disk drive cable
 One “Mainboard Utility” CD

If any of these items are missing or damaged, please contact your
dealer or sales representative for assistance.

14

Hardware Installation

Chapter 2 - Hardware Installation

2.1 System Board Layout

KB/Mouse

USB 1/2

COM 1

1
1

PS/2 power select

USB 1/2 power select

+12V power

1

DIMM LED

2

1
1
1

DDR 1

DDR 2

DDR 3

CPU fan

CPU FSB select

COM 2

Line-out

Line-in

Mic-in

1

IrDA

1

Winbond

CD-in

1

1

AUX-in

Audio
Codec

SPDIF

1

4CH audio

Parallel

WOL

1

Game

W83697F

BIOS

1

Front audio

VIA

VT8754

PCI 1

PCI 2

PCI 3

PCI 4

PCI 5

P4X400-A

Socket 478

AGP

USB

3/4

1 1

VIA

VT8235CE

USB

5/6

USB 3-6
power select

Clear CMOS

FDD

1

ATX p ow er

1

11

IDE 2IDE 1

HD-LED

1

PWR-LED

Front
panel

1

1

Second fan

Chassis fan

1

RESETSPEAKER

1

ATX-SW

15

2

Hardware Installation

KB/Mouse

PS/2 power select

1
1

USB 1/2 power select

+12V power

1

USB 1/2
LAN

COM 1

DIMM LED

1
1
1

DDR 1

DDR 2

DDR 3

CPU fan

CPU FSB select

COM 2

Line-out

Line-in

Mic-in

1

IrDA

1

Winbond

CD-in

1

1

AUX-in

Audio
Codec

SPDIF

1

4CH audio

Parallel

WOL

1

Game

W83697F

BIOS

1

LAN Phy

Front audio

Socket 478

VIA

VT8754

AGP

PCI 1

PCI 2

PCI 3

PCI 4

PCI 5

P4X400-AL

(Supports onboard LAN)

USB

3/4

1 1

VIA

VT8235CE

USB

5/6

USB 3-6
power select

Clear CMOS

FDD

1

ATX p ow er

1

11

IDE 2IDE 1

HD-LED

1

PWR-LED

Front
panel

1

1

Second fan

Chassis fan

1

RESETSPEAKER

1

ATX-SW

16

Hardware Installation

.

.

.

.

.

.

Warning:

.

.

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can damage your system board,
processor, disk drives, add-in boards, and other components. Perform
the upgrade instruction procedures described at an ESD workstation
only. If such a station is not available, you can provide some ESD
protection by wearing an antistatic wrist strap and attaching it to a
metal part of the system chassis. If a wrist strap is unavailable,
establish and maintain contact with the system chassis throughout
any procedures requiring ESD protection.

2.2 System Memory

DDR 1

DDR 2

DDR 3

1

2

The system board is equipped with three 184-pin DDR DIMM
sockets. DDR (Double Data Rate) is a type of SDRAM that
doubles the data rate through reading and writing at both the rising
and falling edge of each clock. This effectively doubles the speed of
operation therefore providing two times faster data transfer.

Refer to chapter 1 (System Memory section) for detailed
specification of the memory supported by the system board.

17

2

Hardware Installation

2.2.1 Installing the DIM Module

A DIM module simply snaps into a DIMM socket on the system
board. Pin 1 of the DIM module must correspond with Pin 1 of the
socket.

Notch

Key

Tab

Pin 1

1. Pull the “tabs” which are at the ends of the socket to the side.

2. Position the DIMM above the socket with the “notch” in the
module aligned with the “key” on the socket.

3. Seat the module ver tically into the socket. Make sure it is
completely seated. The tabs will hold the DIMM in place.

Tab

18

Hardware Installation

2.3 CPU

2.3.1 Overview

The system board is equipped with a surface mount 478-pin CPU
socket. This socket is exclusively designed for installing an Intel
processor.

2.3.2 Installing the CPU

1. Locate Socket 478 on the system board.

2. Unlock the socket by pushing the lever sideways, away from the
socket, then lifting it up to a 90o angle. Make sure the socket is
lifted to at least this angle otherwise the CPU will not fit in properly.

2

Lever

19

2

Hardware Installation

3. Position the CPU above the socket then align the gold mark on
the corner of the CPU (designated as pin 1) with pin 1 of the
socket.

Important:

Handle the CPU by its edges and avoid touching the pins.

Gold mark

Pin 1

4. Insert the CPU into the socket until it is seated in place. The
CPU will fit in only one orientation and can easily be inserted
without exerting any force.

Important:

Do not force the CPU into the socket. Forcing the CPU into
the socket may bend the pins and damage the CPU.

20

Hardware Installation

5. Once the CPU is in place, push down the lever to lock the
socket. The lever should click on the side tab to indicate that the
CPU is completely secured in the socket.

2.3.3 Installing the Fan and Heat Sink

The CPU must be kept cool by using a CPU fan with heatsink.
Without sufficient air circulation across the CPU and heat sink, the
CPU will overheat damaging both the CPU and system board.

2

Note:

• Only use Intel

• An Intel

mechanism, heat sink, fan and installation guide. If the
installation procedure in the installation guide differs from
the one in this section, please follow the installation guide in
the package.

• If you are installing a non-boxed processor, the heat sink,

fan and retention mechanism assembly may look different
from the one shown in this section but the procedure will
more or less be the same.

®

certified fan and heat sink.

®

boxed processor package contains a retention

21

2

Hardware Installation

1. The system board comes with the retention module base already
installed.

Retention

hole

Retention

hole

Retention

module base

2. Position the fan / heat sink and retention mechanism assembly
on the CPU, then align and snap the retention legs’ hooks to the
retention holes at the 4 corners of the retention module base.

Note:

You will not be able to snap the hooks into the holes if the
fan / heat sink and retention mechanism assembly did not
fit properly onto the CPU and retention module base.

Unsnapped

Retention

hole

Retention

hole

Fan / heat sink
and retention
mechanism
assembly

22

Snapped

Hardware Installation

3. The retention levers at this time remains unlocked as shown in
the illustration below.

Retention lever

Retention lever

4. Move the retention levers to their opposite directions then push
them down. This will secure the fan / heat sink and retention
mechanism assembly to the retention module base.

Note:

You will not be able to push the lever down if the direction
is incorrect.

2

5. Connect the CPU fan’s cable connector to the CPU fan
connector on the system board.

23

2

Hardware Installation

2.4 Jumper Settings

2.4.1 Jumper Settings for Clearing CMOS Data

1

3
2
1

2-3 On:

JBAT1



3
2
1

1-2 On: Normal

(default)

Clear CMOS Data

If you encounter the following,

a) CMOS data becomes corrupted.
b) You forgot the keyboard, supervisor or user password.
c) You are unable to boot-up the computer system because the

processor’s ratio/clock was incorrectly set in the BIOS.

you can reconfigure the system with the default values stored in the
ROM BIOS.

To load the default values stored in the ROM BIOS, please follow
the steps below.

1. Power-off the system and unplug the power cord.

2. Set JBAT1 pins 2 and 3 to On. Wait for a few seconds and set
JBAT1 back to its default setting, pins 1 and 2 On.

3. Now power-on the system.

If your reason for clearing the CMOS data is due to incorrect
setting of the processor’s ratio/clock in the BIOS, please proceed
to step 4.

24

Hardware Installation

4. After powering-on the system, press <Del> to enter the main
menu of the BIOS.

5. Select the Frequency/Voltage Control submenu and press
<Enter>.

6. Set the “CPU Clock Ratio” or “CPU Clock” field to its default
setting or an appropriate frequency ratio or bus clock. Refer to
the Frequency/Voltage Control section in chapter 3 for more
information.

7. Press <Esc> to return to the main menu of the BIOS setup
utility. Select “Save & Exit Setup” and press <Enter>.

8. Type <Y> and press <Enter>.

2

25

2

Hardware Installation

2.4.2 Jumper Settings for Selecting the PS/2 Power

JP1

312

312



1-2 On:

Disabled - VCC

1

This jumper is used to select the power for the PS/2 keyboard por t.

BIOS Setting:

Selecting 5VDUL will allow you to use the Wake-On-PS/2 Keyboard
function. “PS2KB Wakeup Select” (“IRQ/Event Activity Detect” field) in
the Power Management Setup submenu of the BIOS must be set
accordingly. Refer to chapter 3 for more information.

Important:

The 5VSB power source of your power supply must support

≥

720mA.

2-3 On:

Enabled - 5VDUL

(default)

26

Hardware Installation

2.4.3 Jumper Settings for Selecting the USB Power

2

USB 1/2 (J12)

312

312



1-2 On:

Disabled - VCC

1

3
2

1

USB 3/4/5/6 (J13)

1-2 On:

Disabled - VCC



These jumpers are used to select the power for the USB por ts.

BIOS Setting:

Selecting 5VDUL will allow you to use the Wake-On-USB Keyboard/
Mouse function. “USB Resume From S3” (“IRQ/Event Activity Detect”
field) in the Power Management Setup submenu of the BIOS must
be set to Enabled. Refer to chapter 3 for more information.

Important:

• If you are using the Wake-On-USB Keyboard/Mouse
function for 2 USB ports, the 5VSB power source of your
power supply must support ≥1.5A.

• If you are using the Wake-On-USB Keyboard/Mouse
function for 3 or more USB ports, the 5VSB power source
of your power supply must support ≥2A.

2-3 On:

Enabled - 5VDUL

(default)

3
2

1

2-3 On:

Enabled - 5VDUL

(default)

27

2

Hardware Installation

2.4.4 Jumper Settings for Selecting the CPU’s Front Side
Bus



J2
J3

1-2 On 2-3 On

1

J2

Auto

100MHz

133MHz

200MHz

These jumpers are used to select the front side bus of the CPU
installed on the system board. The default setting is Auto. The system
will r un according to the front side bus of the CPU installed on the
system board.

1-2 On

2-3 On

2-3 On

All Off

1-2 On

2-3 On

2-3 On

312312

J3

All Off

312

All Off

28

Important:

• If you are using a CPU whose frequency has been locked
by the manufacturer, overclocking will have no effect.

• Overclocking may result to the CPU’s or system’s instability
and are not guaranteed to provide better system
performance. If you are unable to boot your system due to
overclocking, make sure to set these jumpers back to their
default settings.

2.5 Rear Panel I/O Ports

Hardware Installation

2

PS/2

Mouse

PS/2

K/B

PS/2

Mouse

PS/2

K/B

RJ45
LAN

USB 1/2 COM 1

USB 2

USB 1

COM 1 COM 2

Parallel GAME/MIDI

COM 2

Line-

Line-inMic-

out

P4X400-AL

Parallel

P4X400-A

GAME/MIDI

Line-

Line-inMic-

out

in

in

29

2

Hardware Installation

2.5.1 PS/2 Mouse and PS/2 Keyboard Ports

PS/2 Mouse

PS/2 Keyboard



1

The system board is equipped with an onboard PS/2 mouse
(Green) and PS/2 keyboard (Purple) por ts - both at location
PS2-KBMS of the system board. The PS/2 mouse por t uses IRQ12.
If a mouse is not connected to this port, the system will reserve
IRQ12 for other expansion cards.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Warning:

.

.

Make sure to turn off your computer prior to connecting or
disconnecting a mouse or keyboard. Failure to do so may
damage the system board.

30

Wake-On-PS/2 Keyboard

The Wake-On-PS/2 Keyboard function allows you to use a PS/2
keyboard to wake up the system from the S5 state. To use this
function:

• Jumper Setting:

JP1 must be set to “2-3 On: Enabled”. Refer to “Jumper Settings
for Selecting the PS/2 Power” in this chapter for more
information.

• BIOS Setting:

“PS2KB Wakeup Select” (“IRQ/Event Activity Detect” field) in the
Power Management Setup submenu of the BIOS must be set
accordingly. Refer to chapter 3 for more information.

Hardware Installation

2.5.2 RJ45 Fast-Ethernet Port (P4X400-AL only)

2

RJ45 LAN

The P4X400-AL system board is equipped with an onboard RJ45
fast-ethernet LAN port at location CN1 of the system board. It
allows the system board to connect to a local area network by
means of a network hub.

BIOS Setting

Enable or disable the onboard LAN in the “Onboard LAN” (“VIA
OnChip PCI Device” field) - Integrated Peripherals submenu of the
BIOS. Refer to chapter 3 for more information.

Driver Installation



1

Install the “VIA LAN Driver s”. Refer to chapter 4 for more
information.

31

2

Hardware Installation

2.5.3 Universal Serial Bus Ports

Ground

+Data

VCC

Ground

-Data

USB 2
USB 1

10 9

2

Key

-Data
Key

+Data

VCC

1







1

USB 3/4

USB 5/6

The system board supports 6 USB 2.0/1.1 ports. Two onboard USB
ports (Black) are at location CN1 of the system board.

JUSB1 (USB 3-4) and JUSB2 (USB 5-6) connectors allow you to
connect 4 additional USB ports. The additional USB ports, which are
mounted on card-edge brackets, will be provided as options. If you
want to use the optional USB por ts, install the card-edge bracket to
the system chassis then insert the connector that is attached to the
USB por t cable to JUSB1 or JUSB2.

32

BIOS Setting

Enable or disable the USB ports in the “OnChip USB Controller”
(“VIA OnChip PCI Device” field) - Integrated Peripherals submenu
of the BIOS. If you are using USB 2.0 devices, set the “USB 2.0
Support” field to Enabled. Refer to chapter 3 for more information.

Driver Installation

You may need to install the proper drivers in your operating system
to use the USB device. Refer to your operating system’s manual or
documentation for more information.

Hardware Installation

If you are using USB 2.0 devices, install the “VIA USB 2.0 Drivers”.
Refer to chapter 4 for more information.

Wake-On-USB Keyboard/Mouse

The Wake-On-USB Keyboard/Mouse function allows you to use a
USB keyboard or USB mouse to wake up a system from the S3
(STR - Suspend To RAM) state. To use this function:

• Jumper Setting:

J12 and/or J13 must be set to “2-3 On: Enabled”. Refer to
“Jumper Settings for Selecting the USB Power” in this chapter for
more information.

• BIOS Setting:

“USB Resume from S3” (“IRQ/Event Activity Detect” field) in the
Power Management Setup submenu of the BIOS must be set to
Enabled. Refer to chapter 3 for more information.

2

33

2

Hardware Installation

2.5.4 Serial Ports



COM 1 COM 2

The system board is equipped with onboard serial ports (COM 1:
J4 and COM 2: J6) - both in Teal/Turquoise color.

These ports are RS-232C asynchronous communication por ts with
16C550A-compatible UARTs that can be used with modems, serial
printers, remote display terminals, and other serial devices.

1

34

BIOS Setting

Select the serial ports’ I/O address in the Integrated Peripherals
submenu (“Super IO Device” field) of the BIOS. Refer to chapter 3
for more information.

Hardware Installation

2.5.5 Parallel Port

Parallel



1

The system board has a standard parallel port (Burgundy) at
location J5 for interfacing your PC to a parallel printer. It supports
SPP, ECP and EPP modes.

2

Setting

SPP
(Standard Parallel Port)

ECP
(Extended Capabilities Por t)

EPP
(Enhanced Parallel Port)

BIOS Setting

Select the parallel por t’s mode in the Integrated Peripherals submenu
(“Super IO Device” field) of the BIOS. Refer to chapter 3 for more
information.

Allows normal speed operation but
in one direction only.

Allows parallel por t to operate in
bidirectional mode and at a speed
faster than the SPP’s data transfer
rate.

Allows bidirectional parallel port op­eration at maximum speed.

Function

35

2

Hardware Installation

2.5.6 Game/MIDI Port

Game Port



The Game/MIDI port is identical to that of a standard PC game
adapter or game I/O port. Connect an analog joystick to the 15-pin
D-sub connector (Gold) at location GAME1A of the system board.
This port works well with any application that is compatible with the
standard PC joystick.

BIOS Setting

Configure the game port in the Integrated Peripherals submenu
(“Super IO Device” field) of the BIOS. Refer to chapter 3 for more
information.

1

36

Hardware Installation

2.5.7 Audio (Audio Jacks, 4-Channel Audio and Front Audio)

2

2

1

Line-out

Center Out Return

Center out

SL

Ground

Line-in



LFE Out Return

LFE Out

SR

Ground

Mic-in

Key



9

Ground/JS

4CH

audio

1

AuD_R_Return

AuD_Vcc

Front
audio

GND



210
1

Mic

Mic Power

AuD_R_Out

AuD_L_Return

Key

9

N. C .

AuD_L_Out

Audio Jacks

The system board is equipped with 3 audio jacks. A jack is a one­hole connecting interface for inserting a plug.

• Line-out Jack (Lime - CN6)

This jack is used to connect external speakers for audio output
from the system board. Using this jack disables the front audio’s
line-out function.

37

2

Hardware Installation

• Line-in Jack (Light Blue - CN7)

This jack can be connected to the line-out jack of any external
audio devices such as Hi-fi set, CD player, AM/FM radio tuner,
synthesizer, etc. Connect a stereo cable from the line-out jack of
your external device to this line-in jack.

• Mic-in Jack (Pink - CN8)

This jack is used to connect an external microphone. Use the C­Media application software to select between using this jack and

the front audio’s mic-in jack.

Front Audio

The front audio connector (J9) provides you the option of
connecting devices to the line-out and mic-in jacks at the front panel.
Using this line-out jack disables the rear audio’s line-out function. Use
the C-Media application software to select between using this mic-in
jack and the rear audio’s mic-in jack.

Remove the jumper caps from pins 5-6 and pins 9-10 of J9 prior to
connecting the front audio cable connector. Make sure pin 1 of the
cable connector is aligned with pin 1 of J1. If you are not using this
connector, make sure to replace the jumper caps back to their
original pin locations.

38

Pins 5-6 and 9-10 short
(default)

Pins 5-6 and 9-10 open

4-Channel Audio

The 4-channel connector (J10) suppor ts four audio output signals:
center channel, subwoofer, rear right channel and rear left channel. The
four audio output signals together with the line-in and mic-in jacks
(at the rear panel) support 6-channel audio output.

One card-edge bracket, mounted with a rear jack and a center/
subwoofer jack, will be provided as an option. Remove the jumper
caps from pins 2-4 and pins 6-8 of J10 prior to connecting the
audio cable connector. Make sure pin 1 of the cable connector is

The front audio is disabled.
The rear audio is enabled.

The front audio is enabled.
The rear audio is disabled.

Hardware Installation

aligned with pin 1 of J10. If you are not using this connector, replace
the jumper caps back to their original pin locations. Now install the
card-edge bracket to the system chassis.

Driver Installation

Install the “Audio Drivers” contained in the provided CD. The
C-Media 3D Audio Configuration” program will automatically be
installed. This application program will allow you to configure
2-channel, 4-channel and 6-channel audio modes as well as configure
the audio effects. Refer to chapter 4 for more information.

2

39

2

Hardware Installation

2.6 I/O Connectors

2.6.1 Internal Audio Connectors

Ground Ground

Left audio

channel

14

Right audio
channel



CD-in

1

Ground Ground

Left audio

channel

1

Right audio
channel

4



AUX-in

The CD-in (J7) and AUX-in (J8) connectors are used to receive
audio from a CD-ROM drive, TV tuner or MPEG card.

40

2.6.2 S/PDIF Connector

SPDIF out

Key

GND

VCC

SPDIF in

Hardware Installation

1

2

15

The system board is equipped with a S/PDIF connector. One card­edge bracket, mounted with S/PDIF ports, will be provided as an
option. Install the card-edge bracket to the system chassis then
connect the audio cable connector to J11. Make sure pin 1 of the
audio cable connector is aligned with pin 1 of J11.



41

2

Hardware Installation

2.6.3 Floppy Disk Drive Connector

34 33

1

The system board is equipped with a shrouded floppy disk drive
connector that supports two standard floppy disk drives. To prevent
improper floppy cable installation, the shrouded floppy disk header
has a keying mechanism. The 34-pin connector on the floppy cable
can be placed into the header only if pin 1 of the connector is
aligned with pin 1 of the header.

Connecting the Floppy Disk Drive Cable

Install one end of the floppy disk drive cable into the shrouded
floppy disk header (FDD1) on the system board and the other end­most connector to the drive you want to designate as Drive A. If
you are connecting another drive (Drive B), install the middle
connector of the cable to the drive. The colored edge of the daisy
chained ribbon cable should be aligned with pin 1 of FDD1.



21

42

BIOS Setting

Enable or disable this function in the Integrated Peripherals submenu
(“Super IO Device” field) of the BIOS. Refer to chapter 3 for more
information.

2.6.4 IDE Disk Drive Connector

Hardware Installation

40 39

40

39

2

1

The system board is equipped with two shrouded PCI IDE headers
that will interface four Enhanced IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics)
disk drives. To prevent improper IDE cable installation, each shrouded
PCI IDE header has a keying mechanism. The 40-pin connector on
the IDE cable can be placed into the header only if pin 1 of the
connector is aligned with pin 1 of the header.

Each IDE connector supports 2 devices, a Master and a Slave. Use
an IDE ribbon cable to connect the drives to the system board. An
IDE ribbon cable have 3 connectors on them, one that plugs into an
IDE connector on the system board and the other 2 connects to
IDE devices. The connector at the end of the cable is for the Master
drive and the connector in the middle of the cable is for the Slave
drive.

IDE 2

IDE 1





21

21

IDE 2IDE 1

Connecting the IDE Disk Drive Cable

Install one end of the IDE cable into the IDE 1 header on the
system board and the other connectors to the IDE devices.

If you are adding a third or fourth IDE device, use another IDE
cable and install one end of the cable into the IDE 2 header on the
system board and the other connectors to the IDE devices.

43

2

Hardware Installation

Note:

Refer to your disk drive user’s manual for information about
selecting proper drive switch settings.

Adding a Second IDE Disk Drive

When using two IDE drives, one must be set as the master and the
other as the slave. Follow the instructions provided by the drive
manufacturer for setting the jumpers and/or switches on the drives.

The system board supports Enhanced IDE or ATA-2, ATA/33, ATA/
66, ATA/100 and ATA/133 hard drives. We recommend that you
use hard drives from the same manufacturer. In a few cases, drives
from two different manufacturers will not function properly when
used together. The problem lies in the hard drives, not the system
board.

Important:

If you encounter problems while using an ATAPI CD-ROM drive
that is set in Master mode, please set the CD-ROM drive to
Slave mode. Some ATAPI CD-ROMs may not be recognized and
cannot be used if incorrectly set in Master mode.

44

BIOS Setting

Enable or disable the onboard primary or secondar y IDE controller
in the Integrated Peripherals submenu (“VIA OnChip IDE Device”
field) of the BIOS. Refer to chapter 3 for more information.

2.6.5 IrDA Connector

IRRX

N. C.

Ground

VCC

IRTX

Hardware Installation

1

2

15

Connect your IrDA cable to connector IR1 on the system board.

Note:

The sequence of the pin functions on some IrDA cable may be
reversed from the pin function defined on the system board.
Make sure to connect the cable to the IrDA connector
according to their pin functions.

BIOS Setting

Set “UART Mode Select” (“Super IO Device” field) in the Integrated
Peripherals submenu of the BIOS to the type of IrDA standard
supported by your device.

Driver Installation

You may need to install the proper drivers in your operating system
to use the IrDA function. Refer to your operating system’s manual or
documentation for more information.



45

2

Hardware Installation

2.6.6 CPU Fan Connector

12V



Ground

N. C .

13

1

The CPU must be kept cool by using a fan with heat sink. Connect
the CPU fan to the 3-pin fan connector at location CPU_FAN1 on
the system board.

46

Hardware Installation

2.6.7 Chassis Fan and Second Fan Connectors

1

2

Second

Chassis





1

3

1

3

Ground
+12V
N. C.

Ground
+12V

N. C.

The chassis fan connector (SYS_FAN1) and second fan connector
(PWR_FAN1) are used to connect cooling fans. The cooling fans will
provide adequate airflow throughout the chassis to prevent
overheating the CPU and system board components.

47

2

Hardware Installation

2.6.8 Wake-On-LAN Connector

1

Your LAN card package should include a cable. Connect one end of
the cable to the wakeup header on the card and the other end to
location WOL1 on the system board. The network will detect Magic
Packet and assert a wakeup signal to power-up the system. Refer to
the add-in card’s manual for details. Note: Your LAN card must
support the remote wake up function.

Important:

The 5VSB power source of your power supply must support

≥

720mA.

BIOS Setting

To use the Wake-On-LAN function, “Resume On LAN/Ring” (“IRQ/
Event Activity Detect” field) in the Power Management Setup
submenu of the BIOS must be set to Enabled. Refer to chapter 3
for more information.



3

1

WOL
Ground

+5VSB

48

Hardware Installation

2.6.9 DIMM Standby Power LED

DIMM Standby
Power LED

1

The DIMM Standby Power LED will turn red when the system’s
power is on or when it is in the Suspend state (Power On Suspend
or Suspend to RAM). It will not light when the system is in the Soft­Off state.

Important:

Lighted LED serves as a reminder that you must power-off the
system then turn off the power supply’s switch or unplug the
power cord prior to installing any memory modules.

2

49

2

Hardware Installation

2.6.10 Power Connectors

12011

3.3V

-12V

Ground

PS-ON



1

We recommend that you use a power supply that complies with the
ATX12V Power Supply Design Guide Version 1.1. Connect the
ATX12V power supply’s 20-pin ATX main power connector and
4-pin +12V power connector to ATXPOWER and ATXP1
respectively.

Ground
Ground

Ground

-5V

+5V

+5V



+12V

4
3

+12V

10

Ground

Ground

3.3V

3.3V
Ground

+5V
Ground
+5V

Ground
PW-OK

5VSB
+12V

2
1

50

The 4-pin +12V power connector enables the deliver y of more
+12VDC current to the processor’s Voltage Regulator Module
(VRM).

The system board requires a minimum of 250 Watt power supply
to operate. Your system configuration (amount of memory, add-in
cards, peripherals, etc.) may exceed the minimum power requirement.
To ensure that adequate power is provided, use a 300 Watt (or
greater) power supply.

2.6.11 Front Panel Connectors

1

Hardware Installation

RESET

SPEAKER

HD-LED

2

F_PANEL1



19
20

ATX-SW

1
2

PWR-LED

HD-LED: Primary/Secondary IDE LED

This LED will light when the hard drive is being accessed.

RESET: Reset Switch

This switch allows you to reboot without having to power off the
system thus prolonging the life of the power supply or system.

SPEAKER: Speaker Connector

This connects to the speaker installed in the system chassis.

ATX-SW: ATX Power Switch

Depending on the setting in the BIOS setup, this switch is a “dual
function power button” that will allow your system to enter the Soft­Off or Suspend mode. Refer to “Soft-Off By PWRBTN” in the Power
Management Setup (Chapter 3).

51

2

Hardware Installation

PWR-LED: Power/Standby LED

When the system’s power is on, this LED will light. When the system
is in the S1 (POS - Power On Suspend) state, it will blink every
second. When the system is in the S3 (STR - Suspend To RAM)
state, it will blink every 4 seconds.

Note:

If your system did not boot-up and the Power/Standby LED did
not light after it was powered-on, it may indicate that the CPU
or memor y module was not installed properly. Please make
sure they are properly inserted into their corresponding socket.

Pin

Pin Assignment

HD-LED

(Primary/Secondary IDE LED)

Reserved

ATX-SW

(ATX power switch)

Reserved

RESET

(Reset switch)

SPEAKER

(Speaker connector)

PWR-LED

(Power/Standby LED)

3

HDD LED Power

5

HDD

14

N. C.

16

N. C.

8

PWRBT+

10

PWRBT-

18

N. C.

20

N. C.

7

Ground

9

H/W Reset

13

Speaker Data

15

N. C.

17

Ground

19

Speaker Power

2

LED Power (+)

4

LED Power (+)

6

LED Power (-) or Standby Signal

52

Award BIOS Setup Utility

Chapter 3 - Award BIOS Setup Utility

3.1 The Basic Input/Output System

The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) is a program that takes care
of the basic level of communication between the processor and
peripherals. In addition, the BIOS also contains codes for various
advanced features found in this system board. This chapter explains
the Setup Utility for the Award BIOS.

After you power up the system, the BIOS message appears on the
screen and the memory count begins. After the memor y test, the
following message will appear on the screen:

Press DEL to enter setup

If the message disappears before you respond, restart the system or
press the “Reset” button. You may also restart the system by
pressing the <Ctrl> <Alt> and <Del> keys simultaneously.

When you press <Del>, the main menu screen will appear.

3

53

3

Award BIOS Setup Utility

3.1.1 Standard CMOS Features

Use the arrow keys to highlight “Standard CMOS Features” and
press <Enter>. A screen similar to the one on the next page will
appear.

The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical
to this one.

3.1.1.1 Date

54

The date format is <day>, <month>, <date>, <year>. Day displays
a day, from Sunday to Saturday. Month displays the month, from
January to December. Date displays the date, from 1 to 31. Year
displays the year, from 1990 to 2098.

3.1.1.2 Time

The time format is <hour>, <minute>, <second>. The time is based
on the 24-hour military-time clock. For example, 1 p.m. is 13:00:00.
Hour displays hours from 00 to 23. Minute displays minutes from
00 to 59. Second displays seconds from 00 to 59.

Award BIOS Setup Utility

3.1.1.3 IDE Primary Master, IDE Primary Slave, IDE Secondary Master
and IDE Secondary Slave

Move the cursor to the “IDE Primary Master”, “IDE Primary Slave”,
“IDE Secondary Master” or “IDE Secondary Slave” field, then press
<Enter>.

The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical
to this one.

3

IDE HDD Auto Detection

Detects the parameters of the drive. The parameters will
automatically be shown on the screen.

IDE Primary Master/Slave and IDE Secondary Master/Slave

If you wish to define your own drive type manually, select “Manual”.
The drive type information should be included in the documentation
from your hard disk vendor. If you select ”Auto”, the BIOS will auto­detect the HDD & CD-ROM drive at the POST stage and show
the IDE for the HDD & CD-ROM drive. If a hard disk has not
been installed, select “None”.

Access Mode

For hard drives larger than 528MB, you would typically select the
LBA type. Certain operating systems require that you select Normal
or Large. Please check your operating system’s manual or Help desk
on which one to select.

55

3

Award BIOS Setup Utility

Capacity

Displays the approximate capacity of the disk drive. Usually the size
is slightly greater than the size of a formatted disk given by a disk
checking program.

Cylinder

This field displays the number of cylinders.

Head

This field displays the number of read/write heads.

Precomp

This field displays the number of cylinders at which to change the
write timing.

Landing Zone

This field displays the number of cylinders specified as the landing
zone for the read/write heads.

Sector

56

This field displays the number sectors per track.

3.1.1.4 Drive A and Drive B

These fields identify the types of floppy disk drives installed.

None No floppy drive is installed
360K, 5.25 in. 5-1/4 in. standard drive; 360KB capacity

1.2M, 5.25 in. 5-1/4 in. AT-type high-density drive; 1.2MB capacity
720K, 3.5 in. 3-1/2 in. double-sided drive; 720KB capacity

1.44M, 3.5 in. 3-1/2 in. double-sided drive; 1.44MB capacity

2.88M, 3.5 in. 3-1/2 in. double-sided drive; 2.88MB capacity

Award BIOS Setup Utility

3.1.1.5 Video

This field selects the type of video adapter used for the primary
system monitor. Although secondar y monitors are suppor ted, you do
not have to select the type. The default setting is EGA/VGA.

EGA/VGA Enhanced Graphics Adapter/Video Graphics Array. For

EGA, VGA, SVGA and PGA monitor adapters.

CGA 40 Color Graphics Adapter. Power up in 40-column

mode.

CGA 80 Color Graphics Adapter. Power up in 80-column

mode.

Mono Monochrome adapter. Includes high resolution

monochrome adapters.

3.1.1.6 Halt On

This field determines whether the system will stop if an error is
detected during power up. The default setting is All Errors.

No Errors The system boot will not stop for any errors detected.
All Errors The system boot will stop whenever the BIOS detects

a non-fatal error.

All, But Keyboard The system boot will not stop for a keyboard

error; it will stop for all other errors.

All, But Diskette The system boot will not stop for a disk error ;

it will stop for all other errors.

All, But Disk/Key The system boot will not stop for a disk or

keyboard error; it will stop for all other errors.

3

3.1.1.7 Base Memory

Displays the amount of base (or conventional) memory installed in
the system. The value of the base memory is typically 512K for
systems with 512K memory installed on the motherboard or 640K
for systems with 640K or more memory installed on the
motherboard.

57

3

Award BIOS Setup Utility

3.1.1.8 Extended Memory

Displays the amount of extended memory detected during boot-up.

3.1.1.9 Total Memory

Displays the total memor y available in the system.

58

Award BIOS Setup Utility

3.1.2 Advanced BIOS Features

The Advanced BIOS Features allows you to configure your system
for basic operation. Some entries are defaults required by the system
board, while others, if enabled, will improve the performance of your
system or let you set some features according to your preference.

The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical
to this one.

3

3.1.2.1 Virus Warning

This field protects the boot sector and partition table of your hard
disk drive. When this field is enabled, the Award BIOS will monitor
the boot sector and partition table of the hard disk drive. If an
attempt is made to write to the boot sector or partition table of
the hard disk drive, the BIOS will halt the system and an error
message will appear.

After seeing the error message, if necessary, you will be able to run
an anti-virus program to locate and remove the problem before any
damage is done.

Many disk diagnostic programs which attempt to access the boot
sector table will cause the warning message to appear. If you are
running such a program, we recommend that you first disable this

59

3

Award BIOS Setup Utility

field. Also, disable this field if you are installing or running certain
operating systems like Windows® 98/2000/ME/XP or the operating
system may not install nor work.

3.1.2.2 CPU L1 & L2 Cache

This field speeds up the memory access. The default value is enabled.

3.1.2.3 Hyper-Threading Technology (for Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor
with Hyper-Threading Technology)

This field is used to enable the functionality of the Intel® Pentium® 4
Processor with Hyper-Threading Technology and will appear only
when using this processor.

3.1.2.4 CPU L2 Cache ECC Checking

The processors supported by the system board come with built-in
Level 2 cache. By default, ECC is enabled to check the Level 2 cache.
If you are not using this function, set this field to Disabled.

3.1.2.5 Quick Power On Self Test

This field speeds up Power On Self Test (POST) after you power on
the system. When Enabled, the BIOS will shorten or skip some check
items during POST.

60

3.1.2.6 First Boot Device, Second Boot Device, Third Boot Device and
Boot Other Device

Select the drive to boot first, second and third in the “First Boot
Device” “Second Boot Device” and “Third Boot Device” fields
respectively. The BIOS will boot the operating system according to
the sequence of the drive selected. Set “Boot Other Device” to
Enabled if you wish to boot from another device.

3.1.2.7 Swap Floppy Drive

When this field is enabled and the system is booting from the floppy
drive, the system will boot from drive B instead of drive A. When
this option is disabled and the system is booting from the floppy
drive, the system will boot from drive A. You must have two floppy
drives to use this function.

Award BIOS Setup Utility

3.1.2.8 Boot Up Floppy Seek

When enabled, the BIOS will check whether the floppy disk drive
installed is 40 or 80 tracks. Note that the BIOS cannot distinguish
between 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88M drive types as they are all 80
tracks. When disabled, the BIOS will not search for the type of floppy
disk drive by track number. Note that there will not be any warning
message if the drive installed is 360KB.

3.1.2.9 Boot Up NumLock Status

This allows you to determine the default state of the numeric
keypad. By default, the system boots up with NumLock on wherein
the function of the numeric keypad is the number keys. When set to
Off, the function of the numeric keypad is the arrow keys.

3.1.2.10 Typematic Rate Setting

Disabled Continually holding down a key on your keyboard will

cause the BIOS to repor t that the key is down.

Enabled The BIOS will not only repor t that the key is down,

but will first wait for a moment, and, if the key is still
down, it will begin to report that the key has been
depressed repeatedly. For example, you would use such
a feature to accelerate cursor movements with the
arrow keys. You can then select the typematic rate and
typematic delay in the “Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec)”
and “Typematic Delay (Msec)” fields below.

3

3.1.2.11 Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec)

This field allows you to select the rate at which the keys are
accelerated.

3.1.2.12 Typematic Delay (Msec)

This field allows you to select the delay between when the key was
first depressed and when the acceleration begins.

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3.1.2.13 Security Option

This field determines when the system will prompt for the password

- ever ytime the system boots or only when you enter the BIOS
setup. Set the password in the Set Supervisor/User Password
submenu.

System The system will not boot and access to Setup will be

denied unless the correct password is entered at the
prompt.

Setup The system will boot, but access to Setup will be denied

unless the correct password is entered at the prompt.

3.1.2.14 APIC Mode

Leave this field in its default setting.

3.1.2.15 OS Select for DRAM > 64MB

This field allows you to access the memory that is over 64MB in
OS/2. The options are: Non-OS2 and OS2.

3.1.2.16 Video BIOS Shadow

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Determines whether video BIOS will be copied to RAM. Video Shadow
will increase the video speed. Note that some graphics boards require
that this option be disabled. The default value is Enabled.

Enabled Video shadow is enabled.
Disabled Video shadow is disabled.

3.1.2.17 Small Logo(EPA) Show

Enabled The EPA logo will appear during system boot-up.
Disabled The EPA logo will not appear during system boot-up.

Award BIOS Setup Utility

3.1.3 Advanced Chipset Features

The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical
to this one.

This section gives you functions to configure the system based on
the specific features of the chipset. The chipset manages bus speeds
and access to system memory resources. These items should not

be altered unless necessary. The default settings have been chosen

because they provide the best operating conditions for your system.
The only time you might consider making any changes would be if
you discovered some incompatibility or that data was being lost
while using your system.

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3.1.3.1 DRAM Clock/Drive Control

Move the cursor to this field and press <Enter>. The following
screen will appear.

The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical
to this one.

Current FSB Frequency

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This field shows the detected FSB of the CPU.

Current DRAM Frequency

This field shows the detected frequency of the DRAM.

DRAM Clock

This field is used to select the clock speed of the DIMM.

Auto The system will run according to the information

in the EEPROM. The EEPROM on the DIMM has
SPD (Serial Presence Detect) data structure that
stores information about the module such as the
memory type, memory size, memory speed, etc.
This option is the default setting because it
provides the most stable condition for the
system.

DDR 200MHz The memory clock speed will run at 200MHz.
DDR 266MHz The memory clock speed will run at 266MHz.

Award BIOS Setup Utility

DDR 333MHz The memory clock speed will run at 333MHz.
DDR 400MHz The memory clock speed will run at 400MHz.

DRAM Timing

This field is used to select the timing of the DRAM.

Auto The EEPROM on a DIMM has SPD (Serial

Presence Detect) data structure that stores
information about the module such as the memory
type, memory size, memory speed, etc. When this
option is selected, the system will run according to
the information in the EEPROM. This option is the
default setting because it provides the most stable
condition for the system.

Manual If you want better performance for your system

other than the one by “Auto”, select “Manual” then
select the appropriate options in the “SDRAM
CAS Latency” to “Active to CMD (Trcd)” fields.
The system will run according to the settings in
these fields.

SDRAM CAS Latency

3

This field is used to select the clock cycles for the CAS latency.

Bank Interleave

The options are 2 Bank, 4 Bank and Disabled.

Precharge to Active (Trp)

The options are 2T and 3T.

Active to Precharge (Tras)

The options are 5T and 6T.

Active to CMD (Trcd)

The options are 2T and 3T.

DRAM Command Rate

The options are 1T Command and 2T Command.

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DRAM Burst Len

The options are 4 and 8.

Write Recovery Time

The options are 2T and 3T.

3.1.3.2 AGP & P2P Bridge Control

Move the cursor to this field and press <Enter>. The following
screen will appear.

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The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical
to this one.

AGP Aperture Size

This field is relevant to the memor y-mapped graphics data of the
AGP card installed in your system.

AGP Mode

This field is used to select the AGP mode of the AGP card installed
on the system board.

AGP Driving Control

Set this field to Manual only if there are compatibility problems with
some AGP cards. When set to Manual, select a value in the “AGP
Driving Value” field.

Award BIOS Setup Utility

AGP Driving Value

This field is used to select a value for the AGP Driving control. We
recommend that you leave this field in its default setting.

AGP Fast Write

Select Enabled to support the AGP Fast Write function.

AGP Master 1 WS Write

Set this field to Enabled to add one clock tick to AGP write
operations.

AGP Master 1 WS Read

Set this field to Enabled to add one clock tick to AGP read
operations.

DBI Output for AGP Trans.

This field, when enabled, will provide better stability to the entire
system. The default is Enabled.

3.1.3.3 CPU & PCI Bus Control

3

Move the cursor to this field and press <Enter>. The following
screen will appear.

The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical
to this one.

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CPU to PCI Write Buffer

Enabled Writes from the CPU to the PCI bus are buffered to

offset the speed difference between the CPU and PCI
bus.

Disabled Writes are not buffered therefore the CPU must wait

until the write cycle is complete before starting
another write cycle.

PCI Master 0 WS Write

When enabled, writes to the PCI bus are executed with zero wait
state.

PCI Delay Transaction

When enabled, this function frees up the PCI bus for other PCI
masters during the PCI-to-ISA transactions. This allows PCI and ISA
buses to be used more efficiently and prevents degradation of
performance on the PCI bus when ISA accesses are made.

VLink 8X Support

This field is used to enable the 8X speed of VLink.

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3.1.3.4 Memory Hole

This field is used to select the memory area that must not be
addressed to the ISA bus.

3.1.3.5 System BIOS Cacheable

When this field is enabled, accesses to the system BIOS ROM
addressed at F0000H-FFFFFH are cached, provided that the cache
controller is enabled. The larger the range of the Cache RAM, the
higher the efficiency of the system.

Award BIOS Setup Utility

3.1.4 Integrated Peripherals

The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your ver sion may not be identical
to this one.

3.1.4.1 VIA OnChip IDE Device

Move the cursor to this field and press <Enter>. The following
screen will appear.

3

The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical
to this one.

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IDE DMA Transfer Access

The options are Enabled and Disabled.

OnChip IDE Channel 0 and OnChip IDE Channel 1

These fields allow you to enable or disable the primary and
secondary IDE controller. The default is Enabled. Select Disabled if
you want to add a different hard drive controller.

IDE Prefetch Mode

This allows data and addresses to be stored in the internal buffer of
the chip, thus reducing access time. Enable this field to achieve better
performance.

IDE Primary Master/Slave PIO and IDE Secondary Master/Slave
PIO

PIO means Programmed Input/Output. Rather than have the BIOS
issue a series of commands to effect a transfer to or from the disk
drive, PIO allows the BIOS to tell the controller what it wants and
then let the controller and the CPU perform the complete task by
themselves. Your system suppor ts five modes, 0 (default) to 4, which
primarily differ in timing. When Auto is selected, the BIOS will select
the best available mode after checking your drive.

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Auto The BIOS will automatically set the system according

to your hard disk drive’s timing.

Mode 0-4 You can select a mode that matches your hard disk

drive’s timing. Caution: Do not use the wrong setting
or you will have drive errors.

IDE Primary Master/Slave UDMA and IDE Secondary Master/
Slave UDMA

These fields allow you to set the Ultra DMA in use. When Auto is
selected, the BIOS will select the best available option after checking
your hard drive or CD-ROM.

Auto The BIOS will automatically detect the settings for

you.

Disabled The BIOS will not detect these categories.

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IDE HDD Block Mode

Enabled The IDE HDD uses the block mode. The system BIOS

will check the hard disk drive for the maximum block
size the system can transfer. The block size will depend
on the type of hard disk drive.

Disabled The IDE HDD uses the standard mode.

3.1.4.2 VIA OnChip PCI Device

Move the cursor to this field and press <Enter>. The following
screen will appear.

3

The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical
to this one.

Onboard AC97 Audio

Auto Select this option when using the onboard audio

codec.

Disabled Select this option when using a PCI sound card.

Onboard LAN (P4X400-AL only)

Enabled Enables the onboard LAN.
Disabled Disables the onboard LAN.

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Onboard LAN Boot ROM (P4X400-AL only)

Enable this field if you wish to use the boot ROM (instead of a disk
drive) to boot-up the system and access the local area network
directly.

If you wish to change the boot ROM’s settings, type the <Shift> and
<F10> keys simultaneously when prompted during boot-up. Take
note: you will be able to access the boot ROM’s program (by typing
<Shift> + <F10>) only when this field is enabled.

OnChip USB Controller

This field is used to select the USB ports you want Enabled.

USB 2.0 Support

If you are using USB 2.0, this field must be set to Enabled.

USB Keyboard Support

If you are using a USB keyboard under DOS, set this field to
Enabled.

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3.1.4.3 Super IO Device

Move the cursor to this field and press <Enter>. The following
screen will appear.

The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical
to this one.

Onboard FDC Controller

3

Enabled Enables the onboard floppy disk controller.
Disabled Disables the onboard floppy disk controller.

Onboard Serial Port 1 and Onboard Serial Port 2

Auto The system will automatically select an I/O address

for the onboard serial port 1 and serial por t 2.

3F8/IRQ4, 2F8/IRQ3, 3E8/IRQ4, 2E8/IRQ3 Allows you to

manually select an I/O address for the onboard
serial port 1 and serial port 2.

Disabled Disables the onboard serial port 1 and/or serial

port 2.

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UART Mode Select

To use the IrDA function, follow the steps below.

1. Connect your IrDA cable to connector IR1 on the system board.

2. Set the “UART Mode Select” field to the type of IrDA standard
supported by your IrDA peripheral/device.

3. Set the “RxD TxD Active”, “IR Transmission Delay”, “UR2 Duplex
Mode” and “Use IR Pins” fields appropriately.

RxD, TxD Active

The options are Hi, Lo; Lo, Hi; Lo, Lo; and Hi, Hi.

IR Transmission Delay

If this option is Enabled, transmission of data will be slower. This is
recommended when you encounter transmission problem with your
device. The options are: Enabled and Disabled.

UR2 Duplex Mode

Half Data is completely transmitted before receiving data.
Full Transmits and receives data simultaneously.

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Use IR Pins

The options are IR-Rx2Tx2 and RxD2, TxD2.

Onboard Parallel Port

378/IRQ7, 3BC/IRQ7, 278/IRQ5 Selects the I/O address and

IRQ for the onboard parallel port.

Disabled Disables the onboard parallel port.

Award BIOS Setup Utility

Parallel Port Mode

The options are SPP, EPP, ECP and ECP+EPP. These apply to
standard specifications and will depend on the type and speed of
your device. Refer to your peripheral’s manual for the best option.

SPP

Allows normal speed operation but in one direction only.

“ECP (Extended Capabilities Port)”

Allows parallel port to operate in bidirectional mode and at a
speed faster than the normal mode’s data transfer rate.

“EPP (Enhanced Parallel Port)”

Allows bidirectional parallel por t operation at maximum speed.

EPP Mode Select

This is used to select the EPP mode.

ECP Mode Use DMA

This is used to select the DMA channel used for the parallel port.

Game Port Address

3

This field is used to select the game port’s address. The options are
201, 209 and Disabled.

Midi Port Address

This field is used to select the MIDI port’s address. If you have
selected the MIDI port’s address, you may select its IRQ in the “Midi
Port IRQ” field.

Midi Port IRQ

This field is used to select the MIDI por t’s IRQ.

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3.1.4.4 Init Display First

This field is used to select whether to initialize the AGP or PCI first
when the system boots.

AGP When the system boots, it will first initialize the

AGP.

PCI Slot When the system boots, it will first initialize PCI.

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3.1.5 Power Management Setup

The Power Management Setup allows you to configure your system
to most effectively save energy.

The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical
to this one.

3.1.5.1 ACPI Function

3

This function should be enabled only in operating systems that
support ACPI. Currently, only Windows® 98/2000/ME/XP suppor ts
this function. If you want to use the Suspend to RAM function, make
sure this field is enabled then select “S3(STR)” in the “ACPI Suspend
Type” field.

3.1.5.2 ACPI Suspend Type

This field is used to select the type of Suspend mode.

S1(POS) Enables the Power On Suspend function.
S3(STR) Enables the Suspend to RAM function. If you are

using the Windows® 98 operating system, refer to
“Using the Suspend to RAM Function” in appendix A
for more information.

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3.1.5.3 Power Management Option

This field allows you to select the type (or degree) of power saving
by changing the length of idle time that elapses before the “Suspend
Mode” field is activated.

Min Saving Minimum power saving time for Suspend mode = 1

hr.

Max Saving Maximum power saving time for Suspend mode =

1 min.

User Define Allows you to set the power saving time in the

“Suspend Mode” field.

3.1.5.4 HDD Power Down

After the set time of system inactivity, the hard disk drive will be
powered down while all other devices remain active.

3.1.5.5 Suspend Mode

This is selectable only when the Power Management field is set to
User Define. When the system enters the Suspend mode according
to the power saving time selected, the CPU and onboard
peripherals will be shut off.

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3.1.5.6 Video Off Option

Always On The system BIOS will never turn off the screen.
Suspend -> Off The screen is off when the system is in the

Suspend mode.

3.1.5.7 Video Off Method

This determines the manner in which the monitor is blanked.

V/H SYNC + Blank This will cause the system to turn off the

vertical and horizontal synchronization ports
and write blanks to the video buffer.

Blank Screen This only writes blanks to the video buffer.
DPMS Support Initializes display power management signaling.

Select this if your video board supports it.

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3.1.5.8 MODEM Use IRQ

This field is used to set an IRQ channel for the modem installed in
your system.

3.1.5.9 Soft-Off by PWRBTN

This field allows you to select the method of powering off your
system.

Delay 4 Sec Regardless of whether the Power Management field

is enabled or disabled, if the power button is
pushed and released in less than 4 sec, the system
enters the Suspend mode. The purpose of this
function is to prevent the system from powering off
in case you accidentally “hit” or pushed the power
button. Push and release again in less than 4 sec to
restore. Pushing the power button for more than 4
seconds will power off the system.

Instant-Off Pressing and then releasing the power button at

once will immediately power off your system.

3.1.5.10 Run VGABIOS if S3 Resume

3

When this field is set to Auto, the system will initialize the VGA BIOS
from the S3 state.

3.1.5.11 PWR Lost Resume State

Keep Off When power returns after an AC power failure, the

system’s power is off. You must press the Power
button to power-on the system.

Turn On When power returns after an AC power failure, the

system will automatically power-on.

Last State When power returns after an AC power failure, the

system will return to the state where you left off
before power failure occurs. If the system’s power is
off when AC power failure occurs, it will remain off
when power returns. If the system’s power is on
when AC power failure occur s, the system will power­on when power returns.

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3.1.5.12 IRQ/Event Activity Detect

Move the cursor to this field and press <Enter>. The following
screen will appear.

The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your ver sion may not be identical
to this one.

PS2KB Wakeup Select

80

Password To use a password to wake up the system, select

this option then press <Enter>. Enter your
password. You can enter up to 5 characters. Type in
exactly the same password to confirm, then press
<Enter>.

Important:

If you forgot the password, you must power­off the system, unplug the power cord and
clear the CMOS data. Follow the steps in the
“Jumper Settings for Clearing CMOS Data”
section in chapter 2.

Ctrl+F1 Use the <Ctrl> and <F1> keys to wake up the

system.

Disabled Disables the keyboard password function.

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USB Resume from S3

This function, when enabled, allows you to use a USB keyboard or
USB mouse to wake up a system that is in the S3 (STR - Suspend
To RAM) state.

VGA

When set to On, the system will respond and wake up to any VGA
activity.

LPT & COM

Select the port you would like the system to respond and wake up
when an event occurs on that port.

HDD & FDD

When set to On, the system will respond and wake up to any hard
drive or floppy drive activity.

PCI Master

When set to On, the system will respond and wake up to any PCI
or bus master activity.

3

Resume on PCI Event

Set this field to Enabled if your PCI card such as LAN card or
modem card uses the PCI PME (Power Management Event) signal
to remotely wake up the PC. Refer to the card’s documentation for
more information.

Resume On LAN/Ring

This field allows you to enable the Wake-On-LAN and Wake-On­Ring function. When enabled, it will remotely wake up the system via
the network. or via an external modem.

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Resume on Alarm

Enabled When Enabled, you can set the date and time you

would like the Soft Power Down (Soft-Off) PC to
power-on in the “Date (of Month)” and “Resume
Time (hh:mm:ss)” fields. However, if the system is
being accessed by incoming calls or the network
prior to the date and time set in these fields, the
system will give priority to the incoming calls or
network.

Disabled Disables the automatic power-on function. (default)

Date (of Month)

0 The system will power-on everyday according to the

time set in the “Resume Time (hh:mm:ss)” field.

1-31 Select a date you would like the system to power-on.

The system will power-on on the set date, and time
set in the “Resume Time (hh:mm:ss)” field.

Resume Time (hh:mm:ss)

This is used to set the time you would like the system to power-on.
If you want the system to power-on ever yday as set in the “Date
(of Month)” field, the time set in this field must be later than the
time of the RTC set in the Standard CMOS Features submenu.

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IRQs Activity Monitoring

Move the cursor to this field and press <Enter>. The following
screen will appear.

The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical
to this one.

When the “Primary INTR”, and “IRQ3” - “IRQ15” fields are enabled,
access to the specified IRQ will cause the system to wake up
completely from the power management mode. When disabled, the
system will not wake up from the power management mode
despite access to the specified IRQ.

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3.1.6 PnP/PCI Configurations

This section shows how to configure the PCI bus system. It covers
some very technical items and it is strongly recommended that only
experienced user s should make any changes to the default settings.

The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your ver sion may not be identical
to this one.

3.1.6.1 PNP OS Installed

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The default setting is “No”. The BIOS will detect the Plug and Play
devices for some compatible resources.

3.1.6.2 Reset Configuration Data

Enabled The BIOS will reset the Extended System Configuration

Data (ESCD) once automatically. It will then recreate a
new set of configuration data.

Disabled The BIOS will not reset the configuration data.

3.1.6.3 Resources Controlled By

The Award Plug and Play BIOS has the capability to automatically
configure all of the boot and Plug and Play compatible devices.

Auto(ESCD) The system will automatically detect the settings for

you.

Manual Choose the specific IRQ resources in the “IRQ

Resources” field.

Award BIOS Setup Utility

3.1.6.4 IRQ Resources

Move the cursor to this field and press <Enter>. The “IRQ-3” to
“IRQ-15” fields will appear. Set each system interrupt to either PCI
Device or Reserved.

3.1.6.5 PCI/VGA Palette Snoop

This field determines whether the MPEG ISA/VESA VGA cards can
work with PCI/VGA or not. The default value is Disabled.

Enabled MPEG ISA/VESA VGA cards work with PCI/VGA.
Disabled MPEG ISA/VESA VGA cards does not work with PCI/

VGA.

3.1.6.6 Assign IRQ for VGA

When Enabled, the system automatically assigns an IRQ for the VGA
card installed. Your VGA card will need an IRQ only when using the
video capture function of the card. If you are not using this function
and a new device requires an IRQ, you can set this field to Disabled.
The IRQ (previously occupied by the VGA card) will be available for
your new device.

3

3.1.6.7 Assign IRQ for USB

When Enabled, the system automatically assigns an IRQ for the USB
device connected to your system. However, if you are not using USB
devices and a new device requires an IRQ, set this field to Disabled.
The IRQ previously occupied by the USB device will be available for
the new device.

3.1.6.8 PCI Slot 1&5 Use IRQ to PCI Slot 4 Use IRQ

By default, an IRQ is automatically assigned to the PCI devices that
are installed in the PCI slots.

If a PCI device has not been assigned an IRQ, you must manually
assign an IRQ for the device. During system boot-up, you will see
“NA” for the device that does not have an IRQ assigned.

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3.1.7 Frequency/Voltage Control

The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical
to this one.

3.1.7.1 Auto Detect PCI/DIMM Clk

When enabled, the system will automatically send clock signals to
existing PCI or DIMM devices.

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3.1.7.2 Spread Spectrum

Leave this field in its default setting. Do not alter this setting unless
advised by an engineer or technician.

3.1.7.3 CPU Clock

This field provides several options for selecting the external system
bus clock of the CPU. The available options allow you to adjust the
CPU’s bus clock in 1MHz increment. The default setting is “100MHz”.

Important:

Overclocking may result in the processor’s or system’s instability

and is not guaranteed to provide better system performance.

Award BIOS Setup Utility

3.1.7.4 CPU Clock Ratio

This field is used to select the CPU’s frequency ratio.

Important:

The frequency ratio of some processors may have been locked
by the manufacturer. If you are using this kind of processor,
setting an extended ratio for the processor will have no effect.
The system will instead use its factory default ratio.

If, in the “CPU Clock” or “CPU Clock Ratio” field, you selected an
option other than the default setting and is unable to boot up the
system, there are 2 methods of booting up the system and going
back to its default setting.

Method 1:
Clear the CMOS data by setting JBAT1 to 2-3 On. All fields in the
BIOS Setup will automatically be set to their default settings.

Method 2:
Press the <Insert> key and power button simultaneously, then
release the power button first. Keep-on pressing the <Inser t> key
until the power-on screen appears. This will allow the system to boot
according to the FSB of the processor. Now press the <Del> key
to enter the main menu of the BIOS. Select “Frequency/Voltage
Control” and set the “CPU Clock” or “CPU Clock Ratio” field to its
default setting or an appropriate bus clock or ratio.

3

Note:

Use a PS/2 or AT (requires a DIN to mini DIN adapter)
keyboard for method 2.

3.1.7.5 CPU Clock Now Is

This field will show the CPU clock based on the settings in the
“CPU Clock” and “CPU Clock Ratio” fields.

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3.1.8 Load Fail-Safe Defaults

The “Load Fail-Safe Defaults” option loads the troubleshooting
default values permanently stored in the ROM chips. These settings
are not optimal and turn off all high performance features. You
should use these values only if you have hardware problems.
Highlight this option in the main menu and press <Enter>.

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If you want to proceed, type <Y> and press <Enter>. The default
settings will be loaded.

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3.1.9 Load Optimized Defaults

The “Load Optimized Defaults” option loads optimized settings from
the BIOS ROM. Use the default values as standard values for your
system. Highlight this option in the main menu and press <Enter>.

Type <Y> and press <Enter> to load the Setup default values.

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3.1.10 Set Supervisor Password

If you want to protect your system and setup from unauthorized
entry, set a supervisor’s password with the “System” option selected
in the Advanced BIOS Features. If you want to protect access to
setup only, but not your system, set a super visor’s password with the
“Setup” option selected in the Advanced BIOS Features. You will not
be prompted for a password when you cold boot the system.

Use the arrow keys to highlight “Set Super visor Password” and
press <Enter>.

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Type in the password. You are limited to eight characters. When
done, the message below will appear:

Confirm Password:

You are asked to verify the password. Type in exactly the same
password. If you type in a wrong password, you will be prompted
to enter the correct password again. To delete or disable the
password function, highlight “Set Supervisor Password” and press
<Enter>, instead of typing in a new password. Press the <Esc> key
to return to the main menu.

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3.1.11 Set User Password

If you want another user to have access only to your system but
not to setup, set a user’s password with the “System” option
selected in the Advanced BIOS Features. If you want a user to enter
a password when trying to access setup, set a user’s password with
the “Setup” option selected in the Advanced BIOS Features.

Using user’s password to enter Setup allows a user to access only
“Set User Password” that appears in the main menu screen. Access
to all other options is denied.

Use the arrow keys to highlight “Set User Password” and press
<Enter>.

3

Type in the password. You are limited to eight characters. When
done, the message below will appear:

Confirm Password:

You are asked to verify the password. Type in exactly the same
password. If you type in a wrong password, you will be prompted
to enter the correct password again. To delete or disable the
password function, highlight “Set User Password” and press <Enter>,
instead of typing in a new password. Press the <Esc> key to return
to the main menu.

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Award BIOS Setup Utility

3.1.12 Save & Exit Setup

When all the changes have been made, highlight “Save & Exit Setup”
and press <Enter>.

Type “Y” and press <Enter>. The modifications you have made will
be written into the CMOS memory, and the system will reboot. You
will once again see the initial diagnostics on the screen. If you wish to
make additional changes to the setup, press <Ctrl> <Alt> <Esc>
simultaneously or <Del> after memory testing is done.

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Award BIOS Setup Utility

3.1.13 Exit Without Saving

When you do not want to save the changes you have made,
highlight “Exit Without Saving” and press <Enter>.

Type “Y” and press <Enter>. The system will reboot and you will
once again see the initial diagnostics on the screen. If you wish to
make any changes to the setup, press <Ctrl> <Alt> <Esc>
simultaneously or <Del> after memory testing is done.

3

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3

Award BIOS Setup Utility

3.2 Updating the BIOS

To update the BIOS, you will need the new BIOS file and a flash
utility, AWDFLASH.EXE. You can download them from DFI’s web site
or contact technical suppor t or your sales representative.

1. Save the new BIOS file along with the flash utility
AWDFLASH.EXE to a floppy disk.

2. Reboot the system and enter the Award BIOS Setup Utility to
set the first boot drive to “Floppy”.

3. Save the setting and reboot the system.

4. After the system booted from the floppy disk, execute the flash
utility by typing AWDFLASH.EXE. The following screen will appear.

Award BIOS Flash Utility V.8.15B

(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

(The current BIOS information will appear in this area.)
File Name to Program :

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5. Type the new BIOS file name onto the gray area that is next to
“File Name to Program” then press <Enter>.

Award BIOS Setup Utility

6. The following will appear.

Do You Want to Save BIOS (Y/N)

This question refers to the current existing BIOS in your system.
We recommend that you save the current BIOS and its flash
utility; just in case you need to reinstall the BIOS. To save the
current BIOS, press <Y> then enter the file name of the current
BIOS. Otherwise, press <N>.

7. The following will then appear.

Press “Y” to Program or “N” to Exit

8. Press <Y> to flash the new BIOS.

3

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4

Supported Software

Chapter 4 - Supported Software

4.1 Desktop Management Interface (DMI)

The system board comes with a DMI built into the BIOS. DMI, along
with the appropriately networked software, is designed to make inven­tory, maintenance and troubleshooting of computer systems easier.
With DMI, a network administrator or MIS engineer can remotely ac­cess some information about a par ticular computer system without
physically going to it. Quite often a service call may be unnecessary as
the problem can be solved remotely.

The DMI utility in the BIOS automatically records various information
about your system configuration. Information about the type and speed
of CPU, type and amount of memory for each memory slot, BIOS
revision level, types of add-in PCI boards and components, certain re­vision numbers of hardware installed, etc. are automatically detected
and stored in the DMI pool, which is a part of the mainboard's Plug
and Play BIOS. Additional information, such as ISA based peripherals,
which may not be automatically detected, can be manually recorded
in the DMI pool by using the Add DMI menu. The DMI pool data is
then verified or updated whenever the system hardware or setup is
altered.

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4.1.1 Running the DMI Utility

To run the DMI utility, type: DMICFG.EXE. You can download this utility
from ftp.dfiusa.com - /utilities/DMI directory.

The DMI utility must run in real mode with at least 180K of base
memory. Memory managers like HIMEM.SYS (required by Windows)
must not be installed. You may do this by using one of the 3 meth­ods listed below.

1. Boot up from a system diskette without the AUTOEXEC.BAT and
CONFIG.SYS files,

2. “REM” HIMEM.SYS in the CONFIG.SYS, or

3. Press <F5> during bootup to bypass your AUTOEXEC.BAT and
CONFIG.SYS files.

Supported Software

4.1.2 Using the DMI Utility

Award DMI Configuration Utility Copyright Award Software Inc, 1996

[Edit DMI] [Add DMI] [Load DMI File] [Save DMI File]



BIOS



System

Enclosure/Chassis

Processor

Memory Controller

Memory Module
Memory Module
Memory Module
Memory Module

Cache

Cache
Port Connector
Port Connector
Port Connector
Port Connector
Port Connector
Port Connector
Port Connector



System Slots

←←

←

←←

Move cursor ENTER-Accept DEL-Delete ESC-Abort&Exit

↑ ↓ ↑ ↓

↑ ↓

↑ ↓ ↑ ↓
→→

→

→→

Type : BIOS Information
Handle : 0000

Vendor Name :
BIOS Version :
BIOS Starting Address Segment : E000
BIOS Build Date :
BIOS Characteristics :
Size of BIOS ROM : 0256K

The four menus located on top of the DMI Configuration Utility screen
are Edit DMI, Add DMI, Load DMI File and Save DMI File. Use the

← or → (left or right) arrow keys to select a menu from the Menu

bar.

On the left side of the screen is a list of the system configuration items.

Use the ↑ or ↓ (up or down) arrow keys to select an item.

*** BIOS Auto Detect ***

4

The commands at the bottom of the screen will allow you to navi­gate through the various setup menus.

Edit DMI

1. Use the ← or → arrow keys to select the Edit DMI menu.

2. Highlight the item on the left screen that you would like to edit

by using the ↑ or ↓ arrow keys, then press <Enter>.

3. The cursor will move to the screen you select allowing you to edit
information. The screen will also display the auto-detected informa­tion.

4. Press <F10> to update the edited information into the flash ROM.

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4

Supported Software

Add DMI

1. Use the ← or → arrow keys to select the Add DMI menu.

2. Highlight the item on the left screen that you would like to add

by using the ↑ or ↓ arrow keys, then press <Enter>.

3. The cursor will move to the screen you select allowing you to enter
information about the added item.

4. Press <F10> to save information into the flash ROM.

To view information about the added items, go to the Edit DMI menu.

Load DMI File

1. Use the ← or → arrow keys to select the Load DMI File menu.

2. The following message will appear.

Press [Enter] to select DMI file for load

Press <Enter>.

3. The DMI files will appear on the screen. Select the file you would
like to load and press <Enter>.

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4. The following message will appear.

Do you want to execute? (Y/N)

Type <Y>. All previous DMI structures will be destroyed and the
new file will be saved into the flash ROM.

Save DMI File

1. Use the ← or → arrow keys to select the Save DMI File menu.

2. The following message will appear.

Press [Enter] to select DMI file for save

Press <Enter>.

3. Enter the directory and filename under which you would like the
DMI file saved.

Supported Software

4.2 Drivers, Utilities and Software Applications

The CD that came with the system board contains drivers, utilities
and software applications required to enhance the performance of
the system board.

Insert the CD into a CD-ROM drive. The autorun screen
(Mainboard Utility CD) will appear. If after inserting the CD,
"Autorun" did not automatically star t (which is, the Mainboard Utility
CD screen did not appear), please go directly to the root directory
of the CD and double-click "Setup".

P4X400 VIA chipset / Chipset Drivers

VIA Service Pack

4

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4

Supported Software

4.2.1 VIA® Service Pack

The VIA® Service Pack contains the following drivers.

• VIA ATAPI Vendor Suppor t Driver

• AGP VxD Driver

• IRQ Routing Miniport Driver

• VIA INF Driver

To install VIA Ser vice Pack, please follow the steps below.

1. On the left side of the autorun screen, click the “CHIPSET” icon.

2. Click “VIA Service Pack” on the main screen. The following screen
will appear.

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3. Click “Next”. Please read the “VIA Service Pack Readme”
carefully before proceeding to step 3.

4. Follow the prompts on the screen to complete the installation.

5. Reboot the system for the drivers to take effect.