ECS P5TX-Apro User Manual
P5TX-Apro Mainboard
User’s Manual
Version 2.0
Copyright © May 1997 All rights reserved
Portions copyright Electronic Publishing Services from Delta Projects Ltd.
This publication may not be copied, reproduced, translated, transmitted or reduced to any printed
or electronic medium or to any machine readable form, or stored in a retrieval system, either in
whole or in part without the written consent of the copyright holders.
The contents of this publication are subject to change. The manufacturer reserves the right to
alter the contents of this publication at any time and without notice. The contents of this publication may contain inaccuracies or typographical errors and is supplied for informational use only.
Products are noted in this publication for identification purposes only. Microsoft is a registered
trademark and Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Pentium is a trademark of Intel
Corporation. All other product names or brands may be trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective holders.
P5TX–Apro User’s Manual
Table Of Contents – III
1: P5TX-Apro Package & Product Information ......................................1 - 1
About This Manual...............................................................................................1 - 1
Acrobat Document Features ....................................................................................... 1 - 1
Manual Features......................................................................................................... 1 - 2
Package Contents .............................................................................................. 1 - 3
Component Information .....................................................................................1 - 6
Expansion Cards & Slots ............................................................................................ 1 - 6
Memory Sockets & Modules.......................................................................................1 - 7
CPU Socket & CPU.......................................................................................................1 - 7
Port & Controller Connections.....................................................................................1 - 7
2: Using Your Mainboard ..................................................................... 2 - 1
System Controls.................................................................................................. 2 - 1
Hardware Controls & Indicators ................................................................................ 2 - 1
CMOS Setup Utility Controls .......................................................................................2 - 3
Hardware Features............................................................................................ 2 - 6
Onboard Ports ............................................................................................................2 - 6
Connectors..................................................................................................................2 - 6
Optional Hardware Connectors.................................................................................2 - 9
Firmware & Software .......................................................................................2 - 10
How To Use The CMOS Setup Utility........................................................................ 2 - 10
Clearing CMOS ......................................................................................................... 2 - 10
Flashing The BIOS ..................................................................................................... 2 - 12
Bus Master Drivers ................................................................................................... 2 - 12
P5TX–Apro User’s Manual
Table Of Contents – IV
3: Reconfiguring Your Mainboard ........................................................ 3 - 1
Installing Expansion Cards .................................................................................. 3 - 1
ISA Cards & Slots ........................................................................................................ 3 - 1
Configuring Expansion Card Resources In CMOS Setup ..........................................3 - 2
Adding System Memory .................................................................................... 3 - 6
Memory Configurations .............................................................................................3 - 6
Installing A CPU Upgrade .................................................................................. 3 - 9
The Basic Procedure...................................................................................................3 - 9
Configuring External Clock Speed & Factor............................................................. 3 - 10
Configuring CPU Voltage .......................................................................................... 3 - 10
CPU Jumper Tables & Illustrations ........................................................................... 3 - 12
Adding An IDE Peripheral ................................................................................. 3 - 16
IDE Transfer Modes................................................................................................... 3 - 16
Installing IDE Devices ................................................................................................ 3 - 18
4: P5TX–Apro Reference Information ..................................................4 - 1
Using This Section...............................................................................................4 - 1
Jumper Configuration Summary........................................................................ 4 - 3
Supported CPUs ................................................................................................4 - 8
Interpreting CPU Markings.........................................................................................4 - 9
System Memory Specifications..........................................................................4 - 11
Memory Configurations ............................................................................................ 4 - 11
CMOS Setup Utility Summary...........................................................................4 - 12
Using the CMOS Setup Utility ................................................................................... 4 - 12
Accessing The CMOS Setup Utility ........................................................................... 4 - 12
Standard CMOS Setup.............................................................................................. 4 - 16
BIOS Features Setup ................................................................................................ 4 - 20
Chipset Features Setup............................................................................................ 4 - 25
Power Management Setup......................................................................................4 - 27
PNP/PCI Configuration ............................................................................................ 4 - 34
PC Health Monitor ................................................................................................... 4 - 42
P5TX-Apro User’s Manual
1: Package & Product Information – 1.1
In This Section:
About This Manual
Package Contents
Component Information
P5TX-Apro Package & Product Information
This manual contains all the information you’ll need to use
the P5TX-Apro mainboard. Please take a moment to familiarize
yourself with the design and organization of the manual.
About This Manual
This manual is designed mainly as an online document. In
addition to reading it on your display screen your can also print it
out. In some circumstances, you may have received this manual
as a printed document, in which case you can skip the following
section about the online version.
Acrobat Document Features
This manual is in Adobe Acrobat format. It requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader version 3.0 or later to view it. Acrobat Reader for
Microsoft Windows95 is supplied on the Support CD-ROM disk
that contains this manual. It is installed on the Support CD and
there is also an installation file that will automatically run the
Acrobat Reader installer program to install it on your system hard
disk. If you were not aware of this, you are probably viewing this
document from the Support CD installation and Reader loaded
automatically when you opened this manual.
If this is the case, you may want to install Acrobat Reader on
your system hard disk. You can copy the Manual directory over
as well so that the manual is readily available without having to
hunt up the Support CD when you want to view it.
If you are unfamiliar with Acrobat Reader, please take a moment to view the Reader Online Guide which is available under
the Help menu when you run Reader.
The README file in the Manual directory on the Support CD
explains what to do if you need to view this document under an
OS other than Windows95.
P5TX-Apro User’s Manual
1: Package & Product Information – 1.2
Manual Features
navigation features not available in a conventional print document. You can click on entries in the Table of Contents and jump
to that location in the manual. In addition, there are buttons at
various points in the manual that are shortcuts to the topic displayed on the button.
important information. The icons appear in the sidebar and represent the following:
The online version of this manual provides some additional
This manual also uses some icons to call your attention to
G
C
D
N
• Important information
• A recommendation or good idea
• A warning or bad idea
• Danger warning
If You Have The Printed Manual
Obviously it is not possible to provide the additional navigation features in print form. In order that you can still find things
with relative ease, where appropriate we have noted the locations of additional information referred to.
P5TX-Apro User’s Manual
1: Package & Product Information – 1.3
Documentation Versions
If you received this manual
stored on a CD Support Disk,
you will also have received a
printed “Quick Installation”
Guide. If you have the printed
version, the Support Disk may
not be a CD. If so, the manual
and Acrobat folders will not
be on the disk.
Package Contents
The P5TX–Apro mainboard package contains the following
items, as noted in the Quick Installation Guide (which comes
with the CD Documentation version of the mainboard.). We’ve
listed them here again for your convenience. Please inspect the
package contents and confirm that everything is there. If anything is missing or damaged, call your vendor for instructions
before proceeding. The package includes:
• P5TX–Apro Mainboard
• Cable Pack:
– 1 Floppy Controller Cable
– 1 IDE Controller Cable
• Support Disk:
– Driver Files Folder
– Manual Folder
– Adobe Acrobat Folder
The mainboard comes with IDE Bus Master drivers for several Operating Systems. The drivers are organized in individual
folders by OS. In each folder there is a “readme” file that explains
how to install the driver. Please locate the folder for the driver
you need and check this file.
P5TX-Apro User’s Manual
1: Package & Product Information – 1.4
P5TX-Apro
You can use the photograph
and the illustration on the next
page to familiarize yourself
with the components on the
P5TX–Apro mainboard.
The Enhanced IDE and Floppy
Disk Drive connectors have a
notch in one side to orient the
cables correctly.
The mainboard comes with
one IDE cable. If you install
devices on the second IDE
channel with another cable,
it may not have the orientation extrusion on the side of
the cable connector, which
prevents attaching the cable
incorrectly. Please check the
section on Installing IDE De-
vices for more information.
P5TX-Apro User’s Manual
1: Package & Product Information – 1.5
Intrusion
ISA Slots 3 2 1
Wake Up
Fan Power
PCI Slots 4 3 2 1
Battery
IR Port
DIMM1
IDE 2
IDE 1
Case Features
COM2
DIMM2
Parallel
DIMM3
CPU Socket 7
Floppy
COM1
USB Port
Socket 7
KB/Mouse
Power
Fan Power
P5TX-Apro Layout
The illustration above shows
the connectors, sockets and
ports and the mainboard.
The COM1 and COM2 ports
are underneath the Parallel
port. The USB ports and the
PS/2 Keyboard and Mouse
ports are stacked one above
the other.
The Intrusion and Wake-up
connectors are for signal
cables that are monitored by
the onboard sensor.
The ATX power connector is
on the right in this view.
P5TX-Apro User’s Manual
1: Package & Product Information – 1.6
Component Information
mainboard that you might need to know about if you want to
upgrade or change your system configuration. If your mainboard
is already installed in a system, it isn’t necessary for you to review this section.
grates many features onto the board including some number of
external ports.
Expansion Cards & Slots
sion or ‘add-on’ cards. Three of them are ISA slots, the other four
are PCI slots. When you get an expansion card, it must use one of
these to connect to the computer.
A T design. They are 16-bit slots that run at a moderate bus speed.
There are many kinds of expansion cards that use this slot design
to connect to the computer, some of the most common being
sound and modem cards.
tem expansion cards. They operate at a faster speed and have a
greater data throughput than ISA cards.
requires managing the system resource configuration. Most newer
expansion cards support the ‘Plug and Play’ standard that allows
an Operating System like Windows95 to automatically detect
them and configure system resources as needed. Some older ISA
designs may not support this standard and may therefore require
manual configuration. You should consult the specifications or
documentation for a card to determine if this is the case and what
needs do be done to properly configure the card.
This section is a brief description of the components on the
This mainboard uses the A TX ‘form factor’, a design that inte-
The mainboard has seven expansion slots for system expan-
The ISA expansion slots are a legacy of the original IBM PC/
PCI slots are the current high-speed 32-bit standard for sys-
Expansion cards often make use of system resources, which
P5TX-Apro User’s Manual
1: Package & Product Information – 1.7
Memory Sockets & Modules
They use 168-pin DIMM memory modules. The sockets function independently of each other. This mainboard has a very flexible memory design that allows the use of a variety of memory
options up to a total of 256MB. There is more information about
this in Adding System Memory section of Section 3: Reconfiguring
Your Mainboard.
CPU Socket & CPU
class CPUs including MMX Pentiums
socket is easy . The lever at the side of the socket latches the CPU
in place when it is down and releases it when raised.
on the board for the first time, please refer to ‘Installing a CPU’ in
Section 3: Reconfiguring Your Mainboard.
Port & Controller Connections
two USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports and both a PS/2-type keyboard and mouse port built onto the board. There are also several connectors built onto the board. There are connectors for
four IDE devices in two ‘channels’ and for two floppy disk drives.
There are also connectors on the board for some system case
features, CPU and other cooling fans and some other hardware
features.
formation.
There are three memory module sockets on the mainboard.
The Socket 7 CPU socket supports the full range of Pentium®-
®
. Installing a CPU in the
If you want to install a CPU upgrade or are installing a CPU
This mainboard has two external Serial ports, a Parallel port,
Details about these connectors are in Section 4: Reference In-
P5TX-Apro User’s Manual
1: Package & Product Information – 1.8
P5TX–Apro User’s Manual
2: Using Your Mainboard – 2.1
In This Section:
Using Your Mainboard
This section covers the following topics:
• System Controls & Indicators
• Hardware Features
• Firmware & Software
They go over the system control features and status indicators
that derive from the mainboard and explain the software that
comes with or is built-into the mainboard
System Controls
Hardware Features
Firmware & Software
System Controls
There are two topics in this section, a explanation of the hardware controls and status indicators that connect from the mainboard to your system case and some information about the parts
of the CMOS Setup Utility that allow you customize some system features.
Hardware Controls & Indicators
There are some control features and status indicators that connect from the mainboard to your system case, which is sometimes called the ‘Enclosure’ or ‘Chassis.’ These are:
• Power Switch
• Power Status Indicator
• Suspend Switch
• Suspend Status Indicator
• Reset Switch
• Hard Disk Drive Activity Indicator
• Keyboard Lock
All of these case features connect to the mainboard via connector strip J10. Not all system cases have all of these features, so
your system may not have all of them. The functions and options for these are shown in the table on the next page.
P5TX–Apro User’s Manual
2: Using Your Mainboard – 2.2
Hardware Control & Indicator Connectors
Feature J10 Pins Function
Power Status LED 1-3 When lighted indicates that system is turned on
Pin 1: + ; Pin 2: + ; Pin 3: –
Suspend Switch 4-5 Puts the system into Suspend state under Operating
Systems that support this power management feature
Suspend LED 6-8 When lighted indicates the system is suspended
Pin 1: + ; Pin 2: + ; Pin 3: –
Reset Switch 9-10 Pressing the Reset switch restarts the system
Keyboard Lock 11-12 Disables keyboard via a lock mounted on front panel
of the case
Speaker 13-16 Connects to the PC speaker mounted on the system case
Pin 1: +
HDD Activity LED 17-18 Flashes when hard disk drive is active
Pin 1: + ; Pin 2: –
Power Switch 19-20 Turns the system power on and off. Default sets this
to dual function as power and suspend switch. Press
once for Suspend, hold for >4 seconds for Off. To set as
Power only, change setting in the Power Management
section of the CMOS Setup utility.
P5TX–Apro User’s Manual
2: Using Your Mainboard – 2.3
CMOS Setup Utility Controls
T wo sections of the CMOS Setup Utility allow you to configure how some of your system’s features work. These are:
• BIOS Features Setup
• Power Management Setup
The CMOS Setup Utility is a program that is permanently
stored in the BIOS chip on the mainboard. The utility creates a
system hardware configuration record that it stores in a small
amount of battery-supported memory on the board. The BIOS
uses this record to function as an interface between the system
hardware and the operating system. Most of the settings in the
CMOS Setup Utility are made automatically, so you won’t normally need to use this program. You can, however, customize
some of the operational features to suit how you prefer to use
the system.
The screen illustrations on the next two pages show the Setup
Default settings for these two sections of the utility.
The CMOS Setup Utility Summary in Section 4: Reference
Information, lists the setting options for each section of the utility including the two noted above.
P5TX–Apro User’s Manual
2: Using Your Mainboard – 2.4
CMOS Setup Utility –
BIOS Features Setup
This section of the setup utility allows you to configure
some system features including Virus Warning, Boot Sequence and Security Option.
Virus Warning –
When enabled, monitors the
primary hard disk boot sector and warns of any attempt
to write to it.
Boot Sequence –
Controls the order in which
the system checks disk drives
for a boot disk.
Security Option –
Sets the level of password
protection for the system.
P5TX–Apro User’s Manual
2: Using Your Mainboard – 2.5
CMOS Setup Utility –
Power Management Setup
This section of the setup utility allows you to configure the
power management features
supported by the BIOS. These
can also operate in tandem
with Operating System power
management features.
You can use the Min Saving
or Max Saving default modes
or you can configure the
power management features
individually in the User Define
mode.
P5TX–Apro User’s Manual
2: Using Your Mainboard – 2.6
Hardware Features
This section is a brief overview of information about the
mainboard’s hardware features that connect to external devices.
Onboard Ports
There are five external ports on the mainboard. These are ports
standard to most personal computers:
• COM1 Serial Port
A high-speed serial port which can also be configured as the
COM3 port in the CMOS Setup Utility.
• COM2 Serial Port
A high-speed serial port which can also be configured as the
COM4 port in the CMOS Setup Utility.
• Parallel Port
The parallel port can be configured as a Standard, ECP or EPP
parallel port in the CMOS Setup Utility
• PS/2 Keyboard Port & PS/2 Mouse Port (stacked)
• USB ports – two ports (stacked)
Connectors
There are several connectors on the mainboard for connecting
additional ports and internal peripheral devices
• IDE 1 – Primary IDE Channel
A high-speed serial port which can also be configured as the
COM3 port in the CMOS Setup Utility.
• IDE 2 – Secondary IDE Channel
A high-speed serial port which can also be configured as the
COM4 port in the CMOS Setup Utility.
• Floppy Connector
The parallel port can be configured as a Standard, ECP or EPP
parallel port in the CMOS Setup Utility
P5TX–Apro User’s Manual
2: Using Your Mainboard – 2.7
CMOS Setup Utility –
Integrated Peripherals
This section of the setup utility configures the IDE and
Floppy controllers and the
settings for the external ports
This section enables and configures the optional USB and
Infrared features.
The screen illustration shows
the settings when Setup Defaults are loaded.
P5TX–Apro User’s Manual
2: Using Your Mainboard – 2.8
Case Security
The mainboard has a case security feature that will warn if the
system case or ‘chassis’ has been opened since the last time the
system was used. There is a photoelectric cell mounted on the
mainboard that is active when the system is turned off and will
detect the case being opened. The next time you turn the system
on a warning message will appear on screen during the POST
(Power On Self Test) before the Operating System loads.
The J18 connector on the mainboard connects to a chassis
intrusion signal cable.
Cooling Fan Connectors
There are three cooling fan connectors on the mainboard that
support cooling fans with power management features. If you
connect this type of fan, and the ‘CPU FAN Off In Suspend’ line
in the CMOS Setup utility’s Power Management Setup section is
set to Enabled, the system will turn the fans off when the system
is in Suspend mode.
Modem Wake-Up
The J19 connector on the mainboard is for connecting a signal
cable from a modem that supports a modem ring system wake
up feature. With such a modem installed and connected to the
mainboard via this connector, the system will wake up from Suspend mode when an incoming call is received by the modem.
The ‘Ring-In Event’ line in the CMOS Setup utility’s Power
Management Setup section must be set to Enabled for this feature to function.
Power Supply Selection
There are two power supply connectors on the mainboard.
One is for a standard PS/2–type power supply and the other for
an A TX power supply . You must indicate which type is connected
to the mainboard for power management purposes. You do this
by setting the ‘Power Supply Type’ line in the CMOS Setup
utility’s Power Management Setup section to the correct type.
P5TX–Apro User’s Manual
2: Using Your Mainboard – 2.9
The default setting is A TX, so you will not need to change this
if you are using an ATX power supply. With an ATX power supply, the system will turn the power off automatically when exiting Windows95.
“PC Health” Monitoring
In order to detect potentially damaging conditions while the
mainboard is operating, the mainboard has an onboard sensor
that monitors temperature and voltage levels. In the event that
these exceed predefined limits, the system will automatically react in attempt to prevent damage.
The PC Health Monitor section of the CMOS Setup utility
sets the controls for this feature and also displays data from the
onboard sensor.
UltraDMA Hard Disk Drive Support
This mainboard supports hard disks that use UltraDMA data
transfer. You attach an UltraDMA drive to one of the IDE cables.
If you use the Optimum Settings feature in the CMOS Setup
utility the system will automatically detect the drive and configure the system to use it.
Optional Hardware Connectors
There are additional feature connectors on the mainboard for
optional ports. These require optional external port hardware.
IR Ports
There is one standard and one optional connector on the mainboard which support an IR (infrared) port module that enables
wireless communication between the computer and other computers and devices with an infrared port. The default IR connector, J13, is for SIR and the optional J12 connector is for Fast IR..
The port module is an optional component. If it is installed,
you must set the UART 2 line in the Integrated Peripherals section of the CMOS Setup utility to the appropriate IR mode used
by the module.
P5TX–Apro User’s Manual
2: Using Your Mainboard – 2.10
Firmware & Software
The mainboard hardware is supported by both firmware and
software components. Firmware is software that is stored on a
chip on the board rather than on disk media.
The firmware component you interface with on this mainboard is the CMOS Setup Utility. This utility establishes various
settings used by the BIOS, the basic software that is an interface
between the system hardware and software.
The software component is comprised of software drivers that
support the PCI IDE controller and some of the other hardware
features.
How To Use The CMOS Setup Utility
The CMOS Setup Utility options are listed in detail in Section
4: Reference Information. This section is just a brief explanation
of how to run the program to adjust settings as noted in this and
the next section.
To run the CMOS Setup Utility, press the Del or Delete key
while the computer is starting up, before the operating starts to
load. The utility’s main screen will appear as shown on the next
page. To navigate the program, use the controls shown on the
screen. The utility has several sections. Many of the features configured by the utility are set to operate automatically when the
‘Setup Defaults’, the recommended mode, are used. With Setup
Defaults loaded you can still customize various settings.
Clearing CMOS
Under some unusual circumstances the configuration record
created by the CMOS Setup utility and stored on the mainboard
can become corrupted and unusable, possibly leading to the board
being unable to operate properly. If this happens, the CMOS
record can be cleared by setting jumper JP2 to the clear setting for
a moment and then setting it back to the Normal setting. Refer to
Section 4 for more information.
P5TX–Apro User’s Manual
2: Using Your Mainboard – 2.11
CMOS Setup Utility –
This is the main screen for the
setup utility from which you
access its various sections.
The function and use of each
section is covered in Section
4: Reference Information.
P5TX–Apro User’s Manual
2: Using Your Mainboard – 2.12
Flashing The BIOS
This mainboard uses the Award BIOS. The BIOS is stored on
a programmable flash memory chip on the mainboard. Updates
to the BIOS can be installed by installing a new BIOS file on the
flash chip, which replaces the existing one. You do this using
software that comes on the Support Disk. There is an explanation of how to install a BIOS update in a ‘readme’ text file included with the program.
Bus Master Drivers
This mainboard comes with software drivers, for various Operating Systems, that enable the PCI controller to operate in ‘Bus
Master’ mode. The drivers are on the Support Disk. The included
‘readme’ file has information on the drivers and installation information.
P5TX–Apro User’s Manual
3: Reconfiguring Your Mainboard – 3.1
In This Section:
Installing Expansion Cards
Adding System Memory
Installing A CPU Upgrade
Adding An IDE Peripheral
Reconfiguring Your Mainboard
This section explains how to install new hardware on your
mainboard. It covers installing expansion cards, adding system
memory , changing the CPU and installing additional IDE peripheral devices such as a hard disk or a CD-ROM drive.
Installing Expansion Cards
There are seven expansion card slots on the mainboard, three
ISA slots and four PCI slots. When you get an expansion card, it
will come with instructions on how to install it, so this section
covers relevant information from the mainboard side only.
ISA Cards & Slots
ISA expansion cards often use system resources in the form of
IRQs and DMA channels. Newer cards that comply with the Plug
and Play (PnP) standard are designed to allow the Operating System to automatically configure system resources. Cards that do
not support PnP may require manual configuration of both the
card hardware and settings in the CMOS Setup Utility.
If you have a PnP-compliant card to install there should be
little to do other than follow the installation instructions. If, however, you have a non-PnP card and it requires configuring system
resources, you may need to review the third part of this section,
Configuring Expansion Card Resources In CMOS Setup.
P5TX–Apro User’s Manual
3: Reconfiguring Your Mainboard – 3.2
PCI Cards & Slots
likely to get will be Plug an Play compliant. If you are using an
Operating System that supports PnP, such as Windows 95, you
should be able to follow the installation instructions that come
with the card and have the Operating System automatically recognize and configure the card.
capability. For installed PCI cards to use this feature an Operating System-specific Bus Master software driver that comes with
this mainboard must be installed under your Operating System.
These drivers are located on the Support Disk. There is more
information about them later in this section.
With very few exceptions, any PCI expansion card you are
The four PCI slots on the mainboard all have ‘Bus Master’
Running CMOS Setup
To run the CMOS Setup utility,
press the Delete or the Del
key while your computer is
first starting up. Select the
‘PNP/PCI CONFIGURATION’
item on the main screen and
press the Enter key to open it.
When you are finished, press
the Esc key once to return to
the main screen and then
select ‘SAVE & EXIT SETUP’ and
press the Enter key to save the
new configuration. For more
information on this see Section 4: Reference Information.
Configuring Expansion Card Resources In CMOS Setup
The CMOS Setup Utility , which is covered in detail in Section
4: Reference Information, has a section called PNP/PCI Configuration. The default settings in this section allow the Operating
System to automatically configure IRQ resources for PnP compliant ISA and PCI Cards.
If you need to install a non-PnP card, you will need to configure any IRQ and DMA settings manually, both on the card and
in the CMOS Setup Utility . The following three pages show how
to do this.
P5TX–Apro User’s Manual
3: Reconfiguring Your Mainboard – 3.3
CMOS Setup Utility –
PnP/PCI Configuration
This is the default screen for
this section when Setup Defaults are loaded. If you need
to manually configure the IRQ
settings, set the first item on
the screen to the ‘Manual’
setting. See the next page.
If you install an Operating System that supports Plug and
Play, such as Windows95,
you should set the first line,
‘PNP OS Installed’ to ‘Yes’.
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