ECS P6VXM2 User Manual

Cooling fan and

Caution!

When installing a CPU heatsink and
cooling fan make sure that you DO NOT
scratch the motherboard or any of the
surface-mount resistors with the clip of
the cooling fan. If the clip of the cooling
fan scrapes across the mainboard, you
may cause serious damage to both the
mainboard and the processor.

On most mainboards, there are small
surface-mount resistors near the proces-

sor socket, which may be damaged if the
cooling fan is carelessly installed.
Avoid using cooling fans with sharp
edges on the fan casing and the clips.

Also, install the cooling fan in a well-lit
work area so that you can clearly see the
mainboard and processor socket.

Important Information

Copyright

This publication, including all photographs, illustrations and
software, is protected under international copyright laws, with all

rights reserved. Neither this manual, nor any of the material con­tained herein, may be reproduced without the express written
consent of the manufacturer.

heat sink

CPU socket

Version 1.0

Disclaimer

The information in this document is subject to change without
notice. The manufacturer makes no representations or warra n-

ties with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims
any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any par­ticular purpose. Further, the manufacturer reserves the right to
revise this publication and to make changes from time to time in
the content hereof without obligation of the manufacturer to no­tify any person of such revision or changes.

i

Trademark Recognition

Microsoft, MS-DOS and Windows are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corp.

MMX, Pentium, Pentium-II, Pentium -III, Celeron are registered
trademarks of Intel Corporation.

Other product names used in this manual are the properties of
their respective owners and are acknowledged.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the lim­its for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC
Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in a residential installation. This

equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency en­ergy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communica­tions. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not
occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause
harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be

determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is en­couraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the
following measures:

q Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
q Increase the separation between the equipment and the

receiver.

q Connect the equipment onto an outlet on a circuit diffe r-

ent from that to which the receiver is connected.

q Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician

for help.

Shielded interconnect cables and a shielded AC power cable
must be employed with this equipment to ensure compliance
with the pertinent RF emission limits governing this device.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the sys­tem’s manufacturer could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.

ii

Declaration of Conformity

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is
subject to the following conditions:

q This device may not cause harmful interference, and
q This device must accept any interference received, in-

cluding interference that may cause undesired operation.

Canadian Department of Communications

This class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Ca­nadian Interference-causing Equipment Regulations.

Cet appareil numérique de la classe B respecte toutes les ex i­gences du Réglement sur le matériel brouilieur du Canada.

iii

About the Manual

The manual consists of the following chapters:

Use the Introduction Chapter to learn about the features of the
mainboard, and verify the checklist of items that are shipped
with the package.

Use the Installation Chapter to learn how to install the main­board and get your system up and running.

Use the Setup Chapter to configure the mainboard for optimum
performance.

Use the Software Chapter to learn how to install the software
drivers and support programs that are provided with this main-

board.

Introduction

Installation

Setup

Software

iv

Contents

Important Information i

Copyright i
Disclaimer i
Trademark Recognition ii
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ii
Declaration of Conformity iii
Canadian Department of Communications iii

About the Manual iv

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCT ION 1

Welcome 1
Checklist 2
Recommendations 3
Features 4

CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION 7

Quick Installation Table 7
Before You Begin 8

Static Electricity 8
Choosing a Case 9

Preparing the Mainboard 10

Mainboard Guide 10
I/O Ports Side View 12
How to Set Jumpers 13
Check the Jumper Settings 14
Installing the Mainboard in a Case 18
Connecting Internal Components 19

Installing Other Hardware 21

Installing the Processor 21
Install the Memory Modules 23
Installing a Hard Disk Drive and CD -ROM 25
Installing a Floppy Diskette Drive 28
Using the Expansion Slots 29
Other Options 31

v

Making External Connections 33
External Connector Color Coding 34

CHAPTER 3: SETUP 35

About the Setup Utility 35

Entering the Se tup Utility 36
BIOS Navigation Keys 37
Using BIOS 38
How to Flash a New BIOS 39
Standard CMOS Setup Option 40
Advanced CMOS Setup Option 43
Advanced Chipset Features Option 47
Integrated Peripherals Option 51
Power Management Setup Option 55
PNP/PCI Configuration Option 61
PCI Health Status Option 63
Frequency Control Option 64
Load Fail-Safe Defaults Option 65
Load Optimized Defaults Option 65
Set Supervisor and User Passwords Options 66
Save & Exit Setup Option 67
Exit Without Saving Option 67

CHAPTER 4: SOFTWARE 69

Auto- installing under Windows 98 70
Folders for this Mainboard 73
Utility Folder Installation Notes 74
Mainboard (P6VXM2) Installation Notes 75

Audio Software 75
IDE Software 76

APPENDIX: JUMPER SETTING REFERENCE 77

Quick Jumper Setting Reference 77

vi

CChhaapptteerr 11:: IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn

Welcome

Congratulations on purchasing the P6VXM2 mainboard. The
P6VXM2 mainboard is a Micro ATX mainboard that uses a 4­layer printed circuit board and measures 244 mm x 220 mm.
The mainboard features a Socket 370 that accommodates

PPGA Celeron, FC-PGA Pentium III, and Cyrix III processors
that support frontside bus (FSB) speeds up to 133 MHz.

The P6VXM2 uses the VIA family chipset and features the AC
97 audio codec. The mainboard delivers high-level performance
with a 4xAGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) slot and two PCI Bus
Master Ultra DMA (UDMA) ports that support up to four ATAPI (AT
Attachment Packet Interface) devices. The PCI IDE also supports
PIO Mode 3 and 4, UDMA33/66 IDE (UDMA100 is optional), and

an ATAP I CD-ROM.

Note: The P6VXM2 supports two VIA South Bridge chipsets —the
VIA VT82C686A and the VIA VT82C686B. The VIA VT82C686A
is standard and supports UDMA33/66. The VIA VT82C686B is op­tional and supports UDMA100.

The mainboard accommodates PC 100/133 SDRAM (Synchro­nous DRAM) up to 1 GB using two 3.3V unbuffered DIMM
modules. The P6VXM2 also has a full set of I/O ports, such as
dual channel IDE interfaces, a floppy controller, two FIFO serial

port connectors, an EPP/ECP-capable bi-directional parallel port
connector, a dual USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector, and
PS/2 keyboard and mouse connectors.

One AGP slot, three 32-bit PCI local bus slots, and one 8/16-bit
ISA slot provide expandability for add-on peripheral cards.

1

This chapter contains the following information:

Checklist

Compare the contents of your mainboard package with the
standard checklist below. If any item is missing or appears dam­aged, please contact the ve ndor of your mainboard package.

Standard Items

q Checklist comprises a list of the standard and optional

components that are shipped with this mainboard

q Recommendations lists some Do’s and Don’ts from the

manufacturer to help ensure reliability and performance
from this product

q Features highlights the functions and components that

make this one of the best value mainboards on the ma r­ket

q One mainboard
q One diskette drive ribbon cable and bracket

q One IDE drive ribbon cable and bracket
q This user’s manual
q Software support CD-ROM disc

2

Recommendations

This mainboard use jumpers to manually set the CPU clock ratio
for the kind of processor that you install. Refer to jumper settings

(page 14) to set the CPU clock ratio for your processor by shor t­ing (placing a shunt over) the pins indicated. We strongly
recommend that you do not overclock the mainboard to run
processors or other components faster than their rated speed.

Warning: Overclocking components can adversely affect the reliabi l­ity of the system and introduce errors into your system. Overclocking
can permanently dam age the mainboard by generating excess heat
in components that are run beyond the rated limits.

Components on this mainboard can be damaged by discharges
of static electricity. Handle the board carefully holding it by the
edges. Don’t flex or stress the circuit board. Keep the board in
its static- proof packing until you are ready to install it. Follow the
static guidelines given at the beginning of Chapter 2.

3

Features

The key features of this mainboard are the wide range of proc­essors that can be installed, and the high level of integration.

Value-class Processors

Functioning as a platform for a value PC, the P6VXM2 features
a Socket 370 that accommodates PPGA Celeron, Pentium III,
and Cyrix III processors. The P6VXM2 supports 66/100/133
MHz FSB speeds.

VIA North Bridge Chipset

This board features the VIA VT82C694X NB (North Bridge)
chipset, enabling synchronous and asynchronous frequency op­eration between the processor and the memory over a wide
frequency range. The NB chipset is optimized for Pentium III
processors at 66/100/133 MHz Front Side Bus (FSB) frequency
and supports 32 -bit processor bus addressing.

The integrated DRAM controller supports up to four double­sided DIMMs consisting of EDO, SDRAM, or VCM SDRAM. The
NB chipset provides SDRAM with a 64 -bit data interface.

The AGP interface is AGP specification Rev 2.0 compliant, and
supports 2x/4x/4x 3.3/1.5V devices. The PCI bus interface com­plies with PCI Rev. 2.1, and supports 3.3V and power supplies.
Five PCI bus masters are supported in addition to the host and
PCI-to-ISA I/O bridge.

VIA South Bridge Chipset

Note: The P6VXM2 supports two VIA South Bridge chipsets —the

VIA VT82C686A and the VIA VT82C686B. The VIA VT82C686A
is standard and supports UDMA33/66. The VIA VT82C686B is op-

tional and supports UDMA100.

The VIA VT82C686A SB (South Bridge) chipset comes in a 352-pin
BGA package. The PCI to ISA Bridge has an integrated ISA bus
controller with integrated DMA, timer, and interrupt controllers. The
VIA VT82C686A chipset supports UDMA33/66.

4

As an option you can get the P6VXM2 with the VIA VT82C686B SB
chipset, which supports UDMA100.

The Real Time Clock features extended 256 byte CMOS RAM
and a day and month alarm for the ACPI (Advanced Configur a­tion and Power Interface).

There is an integrated USB controller with a built-in root hub and
four function ports. The integrated Ultra DMA33/66 master mode
EIDE controller with enhanced PCI bus commands.

The UltraDMA33/66 Master Mode PCI EIDE controller features
dual channel master mode PCI supporting Enhanced IDE (EIDE)
devices and employ transfer rates up to 33 MB/sec to cover PIO
mode 4, multi-word DMA mode 2 drives, and UltraDMA -33 inter-

face. The SB chipset also supports ATAPI compliant devices
including DVD devices and four USB 1.1 ports for serial tran s­fers at 12 or 1.5 Mbits/sec.

The integrated super IO controller supports two serial ports, an
IR port, parallel port, and floppy disk controller functions. There
is also system monitor support, providing system feedback of
voltage, temperature, and fan speed conditions.

Inexpensive Memory

The board has two DIMM sockets for the installation of 168- pin,

3.3V non-buffered DIMM memory modules. The DIMM memory
modules can be SDRAM or VCM memory chips.

4xAGP Graphics Adapter Slot

The P6VXM2 includes a 4xAGP slot that provides four times the
bandwidth of the original AGP specification. AGP technology
provides a direct connection between the graphics sub -system
and the processor so that the graphics do not have to compete
for processor time with other devices on the PCI bus.

The AGP design allows the graphics controller to use part of the
main memory when it needs it, for example, in handling the very
large texture maps required by virtual reality and 3D video
games and applications.

5

AC 97 Audio Codec

The AC 97 Audio codec is compliant with the AC 97 2.1 specifi­cation, and supports 18-bit ADC (Analog Digital Converter) and
DAC (Digital Analog Converter) resolution as well as 18 -bit ste­reo full-duplex codec with independent and variable sampling
rates. Further features include support for four analog line-level
stereo inputs.

Expansion Options

Three 32-bit PCI slots, an AGP slot, and an ISA slot provide
plenty of expansion potential. The P6VXM2 PCI slots support Ul­tra DMA33/66 bus mastering with transfer rates up to 33/66
MB/sec.

Integrated I/O

The mainboard has a full set of I/O ports and connectors. The
I/O template on the backplane includes two PS/2 ports for
mouse and keyboard, one serial port, one VGA port, one parallel
port, one MIDI/game port, two USB ports with an onboard
header providing two extra USB ports, and audio jacks for mi­crophone, line-in and line -out. The board includes two PCI IDE
channels and a floppy disk drive interface.

Programmable Firmware

The mainboard includes Award BIOS that allows BIOS setting of
CPU parameters. This fully programmable firmware enhances
the system features and allows users to set such items as power
management, CPU and memory timing, and modem wake-up
alarms. The firmware can also be used to set parameters for dif­ferent processo r clock speeds so that you don’t need to change

mainboard jumpers and switches.
This concludes Chapter 1. The next chapter will cover installing

and building a working system.

6

CChhaapptteerr 22:: IInnssttaallllaattiioonn

Quick Installation Table

This chapter explains how to successfully install the mainboard
into a computer case and build a working system. The installa­tion procedure is as follows:

Before you
Begin

Preparing the
Mainboard

Installing Other
Hardware

Making
External
Co nnections

Appendix The Appendix provides a quick reference

Provides advice on choosing a case,
avoid ing static electricity damage, and set­ting jumpers.

Provides a guide to the mainboard and I/O
port locations, full details on the jumper
settings, and advice on installing the main­board in the system case.

Provides guidance on installing essential
hardware: processor, memory, hard disk

drive, CD-ROM, floppy disk drive, and ex­pansion cards.

Provides advice on using the external I/O
ports to install peripheral devices such as a
keyboard, a monitor, a mouse, a printer,
and loudspeakers.

for the jumper settings on this mainboard.

7

Before You Begin

Before you begin to install your mainboard, take care not to
damage the product from static electricity. Ensure too that you

are i nstalling the mainboard into a suitable case.

Static Electricity

In adverse conditions, static electricity can accumulate and dis­charge through the integrated circuits and silicon chips on this

product. These circuits and chips are sensitive and can be per­manently damaged by static discharge.

• If possible, wear a grounding wrist strap clipped to a
safely grounded device during the installation.

• If you don’t have a wrist strap, discharge any static by
touching the metal case of a safely grounded device be-

fore beginning the installation.

• Leave all components inside their static-proof bags until
they are required for the installation procedure.

• Handle all circuit boards and electronic components
carefully. Hold boards by the edges only. Do not flex or

stress circuit boards.

8

Choosing a Case

The mainboard complies with the specifications for the Micro
ATX system case. Some features on the mainboard are imple­mented by cabling connectors on the mainboard to indicators
and switches on the system case. Ensure that your case sup­ports all the features required. The mainboard can support one
or two floppy diskette drives and four enhanced IDE drives. E n­sure that your case has sufficient power and space for all the
drives that you intend to install.

The mainboard has a set of I/O ports on the rear edge. Ensure
that your case has an I/O template that supports the I/O ports
and expansion slots.

9

L TI1

L TI1

DIMM 1

DIMM 2

WOM1

WOL1

Preparing the Mainboard

Mainboard Guide

Use the following illustration and key to identify the components
on your mainboard.

J2

CD1

PWRFAN1

JP6

J1

ATX1

CD2

BT1

ISA1

PCI1
PCI2

PCI3

Socket 370

AGP1

JP17

CPUFAN1

SIR1

USB2

JP16

FDD1

JP18

JP1

JP5

JP19

JP22

JP7

LED1

JP20
JP21

JP8

IDE2

IDE1

PANEL1

10

Key to Mainboard Components

Component Description

PWRFAN1 Power connector for case cooling fan
JP6 USB1 power on jumper
J1 Extra IR/KB/Mouse header

PGA370 CPU socket
CPUFAN1 Power connector for CPU cooling fan
DIMM 1, 2 Two slots for 168-pin DRAM memory module
JP5 Suspend to RAM support jumper
JP7, 8, CPU frequency select jumper
LED1 3 VSB for SDRAM (red)
IDE1, IDE2 Primary and secondary IDE channels
FDD1 Connector for floppy disk drives
ATX1 Connector for ATX power supply
CD1 Audio connector for CD-ROM/DVD drive
CD2 Auxiliary connector for CD-ROM/DVD drive
J2 Extra MIC/Line-out header
BT1 3 volt battery for realtime clock
AGP1 Accelerated Graphics Port slot
PCI1, PCI2, PCI3 Three 32-bit PCI slots

ISA1 One 8/16-bit ISA slot
JP19~22 CPU clock ratio jumper
SIR1 SIR connector for infrared
JP1 Clear the system CMOS jumper
JP16 Dual color LED header
JP17 USB2 power on jumper
JP18 BIOS flash protect jumper
PANEL1 Panel connector for switches and indicators
WOL1 Connector for LAN wake up
WOM1 Connector for modem wake up
USB2 Connector for USB port

Note: The red indicator LED1 warns you that the computer is still
powered on and you should not install or uninstall memory mod-

ules.

11

I/O Ports Side View

PS/2

mouse

PS/2

keyboard

Key to I/O Ports

Component Description

PS/2 mouse PS/2 port for pointing device (upper port)
PS/2 keyboard PS/2 port for keyboard (lower port)

USB ports Two stacked Universal Serial Bus ports
LPT1 External parallel port
COM1 External serial port COM 1
COM2 External serial port COM 2
Game port External MIDI /game port
Audio ports Audio jacks for (from left to right) line out, line

USB

ports

Parallel port (LPT1)

Serial port

COM 1

Serial port

COM 2

in, microphone

Game port

Line-out

Microphone

Line-in

12

How to Set Jumpers

A jumper consists of two or more pins mounted on the main­board. Some jumpers might be arranged in a series with each
pair of pins numbered differently. Jumpers are used to change
the electronic circuits on the mainboard. When a jumper cap (or
shunt) is placed on two jumper pins, the pins are SHORT. If the
jumper cap is removed (or placed on just a single pin), the pins
are OPEN.

This illustration shows a 2-pin jumper.
When the jumper cap is placed on
both pins, the jumper is SHORT. If
you remove the jumper cap, or place
the jumper cap on just one pin, the
jumper is OPEN.

This illustration shows a 3-pin jumper.
The jumper cap is placed on pins 2
and 3, so this jumper setting is
SHORT PINS 2-3.

Short

Open

This illustration shows the same 3-pin
jumper. The jumper cap is placed on

pins 1 and 2, so this jumper setting is
SHORT PINS 1-2.

In this manual, all the jumper illustrations clearly show the pin
numbers. When you are setting the jumpers, make sure that the
jumper caps are placed on the correct pins to select the function
or feature that you want to enable or disable.

13

JP5

JP1

Check the Jumper Settings

Check the mainboard jumpers to ensure that the board is co n­figured correctly.

1

1

JP6

JP17

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1
1
1
1

1
1

1

1

1

JP1: Clear CMOS jumper

Use this jumper to clear the contents of the CMOS memory. You
may need to clear the CMOS memory if the settings in the BIOS
Setup Utility are incorrect and are preventing your mainboard
from operating. To clear the CMOS memory, disconnect all the
power cables from the mainboard and then move the jumper cap
into the Clear CMOS memory setting for a few seconds. CMOS

is cleared.

1
1
1
1

1

1

1

JP19
JP20
JP21
JP22

JP7
JP8

JP18

JP16

14

JP6

JP7

Return the jumper cap to the Normal operation setting. Recon­nect the power cables and start the system. When the POST
starts, press the delete key to start the BIOS Setup Utility and
reload BIOS optimal settings. Refer to Chapter 3 for information
on BIOS.

Function Jumper Setting

Normal operation Short pins 1-2
Clear CMOS Short pins 2-3

1 2 3

JP1

JP5: Suspend to RAM support enable/disable jumper

Use this jumper to enable or disable the Suspend to RAM (STR)
Function. You must also enable this function in the BIOS Setup
Utility. Refer to Chapter 3.

Function Jumper Setting

Enable Short pins 1-2
Disable Short pins 2-3

1 2 3

JP5

JP6: USB1 power on jumper

Use this jumper to enable a signal to the USB ports (located on the
I/O port panel) to power on the system from power saving mode.

Function Jumper Setting

Disable Short pins 1-2
Enable Short pins 2-3

1 2 3

JP7: CPU frequency select jumper

This jumper enables you to force the CPU to clock at a higher
frequency than it is rated. Short pins 2 and 3 to force the CPU to
run at a 100 MHz FSB instead of a 66 MHz FSB. We recom­mend that you leave the jumper on the normal operation setting.

Function Jumper Setting

Normal Short pins 1-2
Force 66 MHz FSB to

run at 100 MHz FSB.

Short pins 2-3

15

1 2 3

JP8

JP8: CPU frequency select jumper

This jumper enables you to force the CPU to clock at a higher
frequency than it is rated. Short pins 2 and 3 to force the CPU to
run at a 133 MHz FSB instead of a 100 MHz FSB. We reco m­mend that you leave the jumper on the normal operation setting.

Function Jumper Setting

Normal Short pins 1-2
Force 100 MHz FSB to

run at 133 MHz FSB

Short pins 2-3

1 2 3

Note: The CPU spee d is determined by the CPU Host/PCI Clock
speed multiplied by the CPU Clock Ratio. Refer to the Frequency
Control Option in Chapter 3 for more information. Forcing the CPU
to run at a higher clock speed then it was rated for is called over­clocking and is not recommended.

JP16: Dual color LED header

This header allows the user to install red and green LED indica­tors to indicate when the computer is in Suspend to RAM (STR)
or normal. Although the values are not predefined, red usually
indicates STR and green indicates normal.

JP17: USB2 power on jumper

Use this jumper to enable a signal to the USB devices 3 and 4
(located on the front panel) to wake up the system from power
saving mode.

Function Jumper Setting

Disable Short pins 1-2
Enable Short pins 2-3

1 2 3

JP18: BIOS Flash protect jumper

Use this jumper to enable or disable the BIOS flash protection
on the mainboard. You should disable this jumper when you

want to flash the BIOS.

Function Jumper Setting

Disable Short pins 1-2
Enable Short pins 2-3

1 2 3

16

JP17

JP18

JP19

Fraction

3.0/11.0

3.5/11.5

4.0/12.0

JP1 9-22: CPU Clock Ratio

Use these 3 x 4 pin jumpers to manually set the CPU clock ratio.
Refer to the following table to set the CPU clock ratio for your
processor by shorting the pins indicated.

JP19-22 jumpers settings

Short pins Example

JP19 JP20 JP21 JP22

2-3 2-3 1-2 2-3
2-3 2-3 1-2 1-2
2-3 1-2 2-3 2-3

The following exam­ple shows a CPU
clock ratio of

3.0/11.0.

4.5/ 8.5

5.0/ 9.0

5.5/ 9.5

6.0/10.0

6.5/10.5

7.0

7.5

8.0

2-3 1-2 2-3 1-2
2-3 1-2 1-2 2-3
2-3 1-2 1-2 1-2
1-2 2-3 2-3 2-3
1-2 2-3 2-3 1-2

1 2 3

JP20
JP21
JP22

1-2 2-3 1-2 2-3
1-2 2-3 1-2 1-2
1-2 1-2 2-3 2-3

17

Template

Installing the Mainboard in a Case

Most system cases have mounting brackets installed in the case,
which correspond to the holes in the mainboard. Place the
mainboard over the mounting brackets and secure the main­board into the mounting brackets with screws.

Most cases have a choice of I/O templates in the rear panel.
Make sure that the I/O template in the case matches the I/O
ports installed on the rear edge of the mainboard.

This illustration
shows a mainboard
installed in a stan­dard desktop case.

Note: Do not over­tighten the screws
as this can stress
the mainboard.

This illustration
shows a mainboard

installed in a tower­type case.

Power
Supply Unit

I/O

Power Supply Unit

I/O
Template

Expansion
Slots

Drive
Cage

Drive
Cage

Expansion
Slots

18

PWRFAN1

PANEL1

CPUFAN1

Connecting Internal Components

After you have installed the mainboard into the system case,
connect the power cable from the case power supply unit to the
mainboard power connector ATX1.

Your case and CPU might have cooling fans attached to provide
adequate ventilation to the system. Connect the CPU fan to the

12-volt connector CPUFAN1. Connect the case fan to the 12­volt power supply connector PWRFAN1. After you have co n­nected the power supply and the cooling fans, connect the case
switches and indicators to the PANEL1 connectors.

1

1

ATX1

1

1
1
1
1

1
1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

19

2 1

Power Switch (Pins 21-22)

Green LED (Pins 13-14)

Panel Connector

The mainboard PANEL connector has a standard set of switch
and indicator connectors that are commonly found on ATX sy s­tem cases. Use the illustration below to make the correct
connections to the case switches and indicators.

Panel connectors for switches and indicators

Function Pins

Power

21, -22

ON/OFF
Sleep S witch

19, -20

(SMI) Indicator
Reset Switch 17, -18

SMI (Pins 19-20)

HDD LED (Pins 15-16)

22 21

Reset Switch (Pins 17-18)

Hard Disk LED

+15, -16

Indicator
Green LED

+13, -14

Indicator
Power LED

+2, 4, -6

Indicator
Speaker +1, 3, 5, 7

Power LED (Pins 2-4-6)

Speaker (Pins 1-3-5-7)

20

CPUFAN1

Installing Other Hardware

Start installing the essential hardware required to get your sy s­tem started.

Installing the Processor

This mainboard has a Socket 370 processor socket. To choose
a processor, you need to consider the performance require­ments of the system and the price of the processor.
Performance is based on the processor design, the clock speed
and system bus frequency of the processor, and the quantity of
internal cache memory and external cache memory. Higher
clock speeds and larger amounts of cache memory deliver
greater performance.

Installation Procedure

Follow the steps below to install a processor on your mainboard:

(CPU fan)

CPU socket

Pin-1 corner

Locking lever

1. Locate the Socket 370 and CPUFAN1.

21

heatsink/cooling

upright position

2. Pull the Socket 370 locking lever away from the socket to
unhook it and then raise the locking lever to the upright posi­tion.

CPU fan
connector

Socket 370
processor with

fan attached

Socket 370 with
locking lever in

3. Identify the pin-1 corner on the Socket 370 and the pin-1
corner on the processor. The processor pin -1 corner is bev­eled.

4. Matching the pin- 1 corners, drop the processor into the
socket. No force is required and the processor should seat
into the socket easily.

5. Swing the locking lever down and hook it under the latch on
the edge of the socket. This locks the processor in place.

6. Plug the heatsink/cooling fan power cable into the
CPUFAN1 connector on the mainboard.

The mainboard must be configured to deliver the correct clock
speed and the correct frontside bus frequency for the kind of
processor that you have installed. You can do this by using the
CMOS (BIOS) Setup Utility. The first time you start the system,
immediately enter the Setup Utility and make the appropriate
settings. See Chapter 3 for more information.

22

Install the Memory Modules

For this mainboard, you must use 168 -pin 3.3V non-buffered
Dual In-line Memory Modules (DIMMs). The memory bus can
run at 66 MHz, 100 MHz or 133 MHz. If your processor operates
over a 133 MHz system bus, you can install PC133 or PC100
memory that operates over a 133 or 100 MHz bus. If your proc­essor operates over a 100 MHz system bus, you can install
memory that operates over a 133MHz, 100 MHz or 66MHz bus.
If your processor operates over a 66MHz, you can only install
memory chips that operate at 66MHz or 100MHz.

Supported Memory Configurations

The following table shows the memory configurations supported:

Technology Configuration # of Row

Addrs

Bits

64 Mbit 8M x 8 12 8 2 4 KB
64 Mbit 4M x 16 12 9 2 2 KB
128 Mbit 32M x 4 12 11 2 16 KB
128 Mbit 16M x 8 12 10 2 8 KB
Note: 32M x 4 128 Mbit is for registered DIMMs only, 4M x 16 64 Mbit sup-

port is for unbuffered DIMMs only.

# of Col

Addrs

Bits

# of Bank

Addrs

Bits

Page

Size

The following table shows the maximum memory for DIMM
based platforms:

1 DIMM 2 DIMMs

DRAM
Configuration

64 Mbit 8M x 8 64 MB 128 MB 128 MB 256 MB
64 Mbit 4M x 16 32 MB 64 MB 64 MB 128 MB
128 Mbit 16M x 8 128 MB 256 MB 256 MB 512 MB

128 Mbit 32M x 4 256 MB 512 MB 512 MB 1024 MB

SS DS SS DS

Note: Single-sided DIMM use one SDRAM row. (SS = Single Sides)
Double-sided DIMM use two SDRAM rows. (DS = Double Sides)

23

Installation Procedure

There are two slots for memory modules. You must install at
least one module, and it makes no difference which slot you use
to install the module. Each module can be populated with from
32 MB to 512 MB of memory; total memory capacity is 1 GB.

1. Locate the DIMM slots on the mainboard.

Memory module

Locking latches

D

I

M

M

1

D

I

M

M

2

2. The DIMM slots are keyed with notches and the DIMMs are
keyed with cutouts so that they can only be installed cor­rectly. Check that the cutouts on the DIMM module edge
connector match the notches in the DIMM slot.

3. Push the latches on each side of the DIMM slot down.

4. Install the DIMM module into the slot and press it firmly
d own so that it seats correctly. The latches at either side of

the slot will be levered upwards and latch on to the edges of
the DIMM when it is installed correctly.

24

Installing a Hard Disk Drive and CD -ROM

This section describes how to install IDE devices such as a hard
disk drive and a CD- ROM drive.

Note: Ribbon cable connectors are usually keyed so that they can
only be installed correctly on the device connector. If the connec-

tor is not keyed, make sure that you match the pin-1 side of the
cable connector with the pin-1 side of the device connector. Each
connector has the pin-1 side clearly marked. The pin- 1 side of
each ribbon cable is always marked with a colored stripe on the
cable.

About IDE Devices

Your mainboard has a primary IDE channel interface (IDE1) and
a secondary IDE interface (IDE2). The mainboard ships with one
IDE ribbon cable that supports one or two IDE devices. All IDE
devices have jumpers or switches that can be used to set the

IDE device as MASTER or SLAVE.
If you install two IDE devices on one cable, you must make sure

that one device is set to MASTER and the other device is set to
SLAVE. The documentation of your IDE device explains how to
do this.

If you want to install more than two IDE devices, obtain a second
IDE cable and you can add two more devices to the secondary

IDE channel. If there are two devices on the cable, make one
MASTER and one SLAVE.

About UDMA

This board supports UltraDMA 33/66 (or UDMA 100 with the op­tional VIA VT82C686B chipset). UDMA is a technology that

speeds the performance of devices in the IDE channel. We rec­ommend that you install IDE devices that support UDMA, and
use IDE cables that support UDMA.

Note: The P6VXM2 supports two VIA South Bridge chipsets —the
VIA VT82C686A and the VIA VT82C686B. The VIA VT82C686A
is standard and supports UDMA33/66. The VIA VT82C686B is op­tional and supports UDMA100.

25

IDE connector

Installing a Hard Disk Drive

1. Install the hard disk drive into the drive cage in your system
case.

2. Plug the IDE cable into the primary IDE channel on the
mainboard IDE1.

3. Plug one of the connectors on the IDE cable into the IDE
connector on the back edge of the hard disk drive. It doesn’t
matter which connector on the cable that you use. Make
sure that you have the pin-1 side of the cable matched with
the pin-1 side of the connector.

4. Plug a power cable from the case power supply unit into the
power connector on the back edge of the hard disk drive.

5. When you first start up your system, go immediately to the
Setup Utility and use the IDE Hard Disk Auto Detect feature
to configure the IDE devices that you have installed. See
Chapter 3 for more information.

IDE ribbon
cable

IDE2

26

IDE1

Power
connector

Hard disk
drive

IDE

Installing a CD-ROM/DVD Drive

1. Install the CD-ROM/DVD drive into the drive cage in your
system case. Plug the IDE cable into the primary IDE chan­nel on the mainboard IDE1.

2. Plug one of the connectors on the IDE cable into the IDE
connector on the back edge of the CD- ROM/DVD drive. It
doesn’t matter which connector on the cable that you use.
Make sure that you have the pin- 1 side of the cable matched
with the pin-1 side of the connector.

3. Plug a power cable from the case power supply unit into the
power connector on the back edge of the CD -ROM/DVD

drive.

4. Use the audio cable provided with the CD-ROM/DVD drive
to connect the audio connector on the rear edge of the CD­ROM/DVD drive to the one of the two audio -in connectors
CDIN1 and CDIN2 on the mainboard.

5. When you first start up your system, go immediately to the
Setup Utility and use the IDE Hard Disk Auto Detect feature

to configure the IDE devices that you have installed. See
Chapter 3 for more information.

CD2

CD1

Audio
connector

IDE ribbon
cable

IDE2

27

connector

Power
connector

IDE1

Hard disk
drive

CD-ROM/DVD
drive

Data

Installing a Floppy Diskette Drive

The mainboard has a floppy diskette drive interface and it ships
with a diskette drive ribbon cable that supports one or two floppy
diskette drives. You can install a 5.25- inch drive and a 3.5-inch
drive with various capacities. The floppy diskette drive cable has
one type of connector for a 5.25-inch drive and another type of
connector for a 5.25-inch drive

1. Install the floppy diskette drive into the drive cage in your
system case. Plug the diskette drive cable into the diskette
drive interface on the mainboard FDD1.

2. Plug one of the connectors on the diskette drive cable into
the data connector on the back edge of the floppy diskette
drive. Make sure that you have the pin-1 side of the cable
matched with the pin-1 side of the connector.

3. Plug a power cable from the case power supply unit into the
power connector on the back edge of the diskette drive.

4. When you first start up your system, go immediately to the
Setup Utility and use the Standard page to configure the

floppy diskette drives that you have installed. See Chapter 3
for more information.

connector

Floppy diskette
ribbon cable

Power
connector

Floppy diskette
drive

FDD1

28

Using the Expansion Slots

This mainboard has three 32-bit PCI expansion slots, one
4xAGP slot, and an ISA slot.

AGP Slot: The 4xAGP can be used to install a graphics adapter
that supports the 4xAGP specification and has the 4xAGP edge
connector.

PCI Slots: The PCI slots can be used to install add-in cards that
have the 32-bit PCI (Peripheral Components Interconnect) inter­face.

ISA: The ISA slot can be used to install an 8/16 -bit legacy ex­pansion card.

1

1

1

1
1
1
1

1
1

AGP slot

PCI slots

ISA slot

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

29

Connector

PCI slot

1. Before installing an expansion card, check the documenta­tion for the card. If the card is not Plug and Play, you may
have to manually configure the card before installation.

2. In the system case, remove the blanking plate from the slot
in the system case that corresponds to the expansion slot
that you are going to use.

3. Position the edge connector of the add-in card over the ex­pansion slot. Position the metal bracket of the card in the
empty slot in the system case.

4. Install the edge connector of the add-in card into the expan­sion slot. Press down quite firmly so that you are sure that
the edge connector is correctly seated in the slot.

5. Secure the metal bracket of the card in the empty slot, in the
system case, with a screw.

6. For some add-in cards, for example graphics adapters and
network adapters, you have to install drivers and software
before you can begin using the add-in card.

Metal
bracket

PCI
add-in card

Edge

30

WOM1

WOL1

USB2

Other Options

This section lists the other options that come with this mainboard.

J1

1

1

1

1

1
1
1
1

1
1

1

1

1

J2

1

1

1

1

1

1

J1: Extra IR/keyboard/mouse header

This mainboard provides a second infrared, keyboard, and
mouse header, giving the option of installing second infrared,
keyboard, and mouse ports on the front panel. Depending on
your case and system configuration this connector may be more
suitable as the sole IR port connector.

J2: Extra MIC/Line-out header

This header allows the user to install auxiliary front -oriented mi­crophone and line-out ports for easier access.

1

31

USB2: USB ports 3/4 connector

Some cases come with USB ports on the front panel. If your
case has these ports, you can connect them to the USB2 con­nector.

WOM1: Wake On Modem

If you have installed a fax/modem card, you can use the cable
provided with the card to plug into the WOM1 connec tor on the
mainboard. This is the Wake On Modem feature. When your
system is in a power–saving mode, any incoming calls to the

modem automatically resume the system. You must enable this
item using the Power Management page of the setup utility. See
Chapte r 3 for more information.

WOL1: Wake On LAN

If you have installed a network adapter (LAN adapter), you can
use the cable provided with the card to plug into the WOL con­nector on the mainboard. This is the Wake On LAN feature.
When your system is in a power–saving mode, any traffic
through the network automatically resumes the system. You
must enable this item using the Power Management page of the
Setup Utility. See Chapter 3 for more information.

SIR1: Infrared Port

This mainboard can support a Serial Infrared (SIR) data port. In­frared ports allow the wireless exchange of information between
your computer and similarly equipped devices such as printers,
laptops, Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), and other desktop
computers.

32

Making External Connections

After you have installed the mainboard, make the connections to
the external ports.

PS/2

mouse

PS/2

keyboard

1. The mainboard has a stack of two PS/2 mini-DIN ports. The

2. Use the USB ports to connect to USB devices.

3. LPT1 is a parallel port that can be used by printers or other

4. COM1 and COM2 are serial ports that can be used by serial

5. You can use the game port to connect a joystick or a MIDI

6. Three audio ports are provided. The left side jack is for a

USB

ports

Parallel port (LPT1)

Serial port

COM 1

Serial port

COM 2

Game port

Microphone

Line-in

Line-out

upper port can be used by a PS/2 mouse or pointing device.
The lower port can be used by a PS/2 keyboard.

parallel communications devices. The system identifies the
parallel port as LPT1.

devices such as mice or fax/modems. COM1 is identified by
the system as COM1/3. COM2 is identified by the system as
COM2/4.

device to your system.

stereo line -out signal. The middle jack is for a stereo line-in
signal. The right side jack is for a microphone.

33

External Connector Color Coding

To help identify the external connectors, many connectors now
use standard colors as shown in the table below.

Connector Color

Analog VGA Blue
Audio line in Light blue

Audio line out Lime
Digital monitor / flat panel White
IEEE 1394 Grey
Microphone Pink
MIDI/Game Gold
Parallel Burgundy
PS/2 compatible keyboard Purple
PS/2 compatible mouse Green
Serial Teal or Turquoise
Speaker out/subwoofer Orange
Right-to-left speaker Brown
USB Black
Video out Yellow
SCSI, network, telephone, modem None

34

CChhaapptteerr 33:: SSeettuupp

About the Setup Utility

The computer employs the latest Award BIOS CMOS chip with
support for Windows Plug and Play. This CMOS chip contains
the ROM setup instructions for configuring the mainboard’s
BIOS. The BIOS (Basic Input and Output System) Setup Utility

is a ROM-based configuration utility that displays the system’s
configuration status and provides you with a tool to set system
parameters. These parameters are stored in non-volatile battery -

backed-up CMOS RAM that saves this information even when
the power is turned off. When the system is turned back on, the
system is configured with the values found in CMOS.

Using easy-to- use pull down menus, you can configure such
items as:

• Hard drives, diskette drives, and peripherals

• Video display type and display options

• Password protection from unauthorized use

• Power management features

The settings made in the Setup Utility intimately affect how the
computer performs. It is important, therefore, first to try to under­stand all the Setup Utility’s options, and second, to make
settings appropriate for the way you use the computer. This

chapter guides you through the Setup Utility by providing clear
explanations for all Setup Utility options.

35

A standard configuration has already been set in the Setup Util­ity, so you will very likely have little to worry about for now.
However, we recommend that you read this chapter just in case
you need to make any changes in the future.

This program should be executed under the following conditions:

• When changing the system configuration

• When a configuration error is detected by the system and

you are prompted to make changes to the Setup Utility

• When resetting the system clock

• When redefining the communication ports to prevent any

con flicts

• When making changes to the Power Management con­figuration

• When changing the password or making other changes
to the se curity setup

Normally, running the Setup Utility is needed when the system
hardware is not consistent with the information contained in the
CMOS RAM, whenever the CMOS RAM has lost power, or the
system features need to be changed.

Entering the Setup Utility

When the system is powered on, the BIOS will enter the Power­On Self Test (POST) routines. These routines perform various
diagnostic checks; if an error is encountered, the error will be
reported in one of two different ways:

1. If the error occurs before the display device is initialized,

a series of beeps will be transmitted.

2. If the error occurs after the display device is initialized,
the screen will display an error message.

36

After the POST routines are completed, the following message
appears:

Press DEL to enter SETUP

To access the Award BIOS Setup Utility, press the delete key to
display the “CMOS Setup Utility” screen:

CMOS Setup Utility – Copyright (C) 1984 – 2000 Award Software

Standard CMOS Features
Advanced BIOS Features
Advanced Chipset Features
Integrated Peripherals
Power Management Setup
PnP/PCI Configurations
PC Health Status

Esc : Quit F9 : Menu in BIOS ↑ ↓ → ← : Select Item
F10 : Save & Exit Setup

Time, Date, Hard Disk Type . . .

Frequency/Voltage Control
Load Fail-Safe Defaults
Load Optimized Defaults
Set Supervisor Password
Set User Password
Save & Exit Setup
Exit Without Saving

This screen provides access to the utility’s various functions.

BIOS Navigation Keys

Listed below are explanations of the keys displayed at the bottom
of the screens:

Key Function
Esc Escape key: Exits the current menu

← ↓ ↑ →

+/−/PU/PD

F10 F10 key: Saves the current configuration and exits setup
F1 F1 key: Displays a screen that explains all key functions
F5 F5 key: Loads previously saved values to CMOS
F6 F6 key: Loads a minimum configuration for troubleshoot-

F7 F7 key: Loads an optimum set of values for peak per-

Cursor keys: Scroll through the items on a menu
Plus, minus, Page Up and Page Down keys: Modify

the selected field’s values

ing.

formance

37

Using BIOS

When you start the Setup Utility, the main menu appears. The
main menu of the Setup Utility shows a list of the options that
are available. A highlight indicates which option is currently se­lected. You can use the cursor arrow keys to move the highlight
to other options. When an option is highlighted, you can execute
the option by pressing the enter key.

Some options lead to pop-up dialog boxes that may ask you to
verify that you wish to execute that option. You usually answer
these dialogs by typing Y for yes and N for no. Some options
may lead to more dialog boxes that ask for more information.
Setting passwords have this kind of dialog box.

Enter Password:

Selecting some fields and pressing the enter key displays a list
of options for that field. In the Standard CMOS Features screen,
selecting “Drive A” and pressing <Enter> displays this screen:

Drive A

None . . . . . [ ]

360K , 5.25 in. . . . . . [ ]

1.2M , 5.25 in. . . . . . [ ]

720K , 3.5 in. . . . . . [ ]

1.44M , 3.5 in. . . . . . [ ]

2.88M , 3.5 in. . . . . . [ ]

↑ ↓

: Move Enter : Accept ESC: Abort

Select the setting you want with the cursor keys. Press <Enter>
to select, or <ESC> to discard changes and return to the previ­ous menu. Alternatively, you can select a field and press the
minus, plus, Page Up or Page Down keys to scroll through the
options for that field.

Some options (marked with a triangle ) lead to submenus that
enable you to change the values for the option. Use the cursor
arrow keys to scroll through the items in the submenu.

38

How to Flash a New BIOS

You can install updated BIOS for this mainboard that you can
download from the manufacturer’s web site. New BIOS may pro­vide support for new peripherals, improvements in performance or
fixes for known bugs. Install new BIOS as follows:

1. Some mainboards have a Flash BIOS jumper that pro­tects the current BIOS from being changed or overwritten.
If your mainboard has this jumper, change the setting to
allow BIOS flashing.

2. Some Setup Utilities have an item called Firmware Write
Protect that prevents the BIOS from being overwritten. If

your BIOS has this item (check the Advanced BIOS Fe a­tures Setup page) disable it for the present.

3. Your computer must be running in a real- mode DOS envi­ronment, not the DOS window of Windows NT or Windows
95/98. We recommend that you create a new formatted
DOS system floppy diskette.

4. Download the Flash Utility and new BIOS file from the
manufacturer’s Web site. Copy these files to a system
diskette.

5. Turn off your computer and insert the system diskette in
your computer’s diskette drive.

6. You might need to run the Setup Utility and change the
boot priority items on the Advanced BIOS Features
Setup page, to force your computer to boot from the
floppy diskette drive first.

7. At the A: \ prompt, after your computer has booted to
DOS from the diskette, run the Flash Utility and press
<Enter>. You see a screen similar to the following.

FLASH MEMORY WRITER V7.33

(C) Award Software 1999 All Rights Reserved

For DATE: 10/26/2000

(Mainboard name)

Flash Type

File Name to Program :

Error Message

39

8. In the “File Name to Program” dialog box, type in the file­name of the new BIOS and follow the onscreen
directions to flash the new BIOS to the mainboard.

9. When the installation is complete, remove the floppy
diskette from the diskette drive and restart your computer.
If your mainboard has a Flash BIOS jumper, reset the
jumper to protect the newly installed BIOS from being
overwritten.

Standard CMOS Setup Option

This option displays a table of items defining basic information
about your system.

CMOS Setup Utility – Copyright (C) 1984 – 2000 Award Software

Date (mm:dd:yy) Tue, Feb 15 20000
Time (hh:mm:ss) 12 : 8 : 59

IDE Primary Master Press Enter None
IDE Primary Slave Press Enter None
IDE Secondary Master Press Enter None
IDE Secondary Slave Press Enter None

Drive A 1.44M, 3.5 in.
Drive B None

Floppy 3 mode Support Disabled
Video EGA/VGA

Halt On All Errors
Base Memory 640K

Extended Memory 63488
Total Memory 64512K

↑ ↓ → ←

F5:Previous Values F6:Fail-Safe Defaults F7:Optimized Defaults

: Move Enter : Select +/-/PU/PD:Value: F10: Save ESC: Exit F1:General Help

Standard CMOS Features

Item Help

Menu Level
Change the day, month,

year and century.

Date and Time

The Date and Time items show the current date and time held by your
computer. If you are running a Windows OS, these items are automati­cally updated whenever you make changes to the Windows Date and
Time Properties utility.

IDE Devices Default: None

Your computer has two IDE channels (Primary and Secondary) and
each channel can be installed with one or two devices (Master and
Slave). Use these items to configure each device on the IDE channel.
Press <Enter> to display the IDE sub-menu:

40

CMOS Setup Utility – Copyright (C) 1984 – 2000 Award Software

IDE HDD Auto-Detection Press Enter
IDE Primary Master Auto

Access Mode Auto

Capacity 8448 MB
Cylinder 16368

Head 16
Precomp 0

Landing Zone 16367
Sector 63

↑ ↓ → ←

F5:Previous Values F6:Fail-Safe Defaults F7:Optimized Defaults

: Move Enter : Select +/-/PU/PD:Value: F10: Save ESC: Exit F1:General Help

IDE Primary Master

Item Help

Menu Level
To auto-detect the

HDD’s size, head . . . on
this channel

IDE HDD Auto-Detection

Press <Enter> while this item is highlighted if you want the Setup Utility
to automatically detect and configure a hard disk drive on the IDE
channel.

Note: If you are setting up a new hard disk drive that supports
LBA mode, more than one line will appear in the parameter box.
Choose the line that lists LBA for an LBA drive.

IDE Primary/Secondary Master/Slave

If you leave this item at Auto, the system will automatically detect and
configure any IDE devices it finds. If it fails to find a hard disk, change
the value to Manual and then manually configure the drive by entering
the characteristics of the drive in the items below (Capacity, Cylinder,
Head, Precomp, etc.) Refer to your drive’s documentation or look on
the drive if you need to obtain this information. If no device is installed,
change the value to None.

Note: Before attempting to configure a hard disk drive, make sure
you have the configuration information supplied by the manufac­turer of your hard drive. Incorrect settings can result in your
system not recognizing the installed hard disk.

41

Access Mode

This items defines some special ways that can be used to access IDE
hard disks such as LBA (Large Block Addressing). Leave this value at
Auto and the system will automatically decide the fastest way to access
the hard disk drive.

Press <Esc> to close the IDE device sub-menu and return to the Stan­dard CMOS Features page.

Drive A and Drive B Default: 1.44M, 3.5 in., None

These items define the characteristics of any diskette drive attached to
the system. You can connect one or two diskette drives.

Floppy 3 Mode Support Default: Disabled

Floppy 3 mode refers to a 3.5-inch diskette with a capacity of 1.2 MB.
Floppy 3 mode is sometimes used in Japan.

Video Default: EGA/VGA

This item defines the video mode of the system. This mainboard has a
built-in VGA graphics system; you must leave this item at the default
value.

Halt On Default: All Errors

This item defines the operation of the system POST (Power On Self
Test) routine. You can use this item to select which types of errors in

the POST are sufficient to halt the system.

Base Memory, Extended Memory, and Total Memory

These items are automatically detected by the syst em at start up time.
These are display -only fields. You cannot make changes to these fields.

42

Advanced CMOS Setup Option

This option displays a table of items that define advanced infor­mation about your system. You can make modifications to most
of these items without introducing fatal errors to your system.
Use the arrow keys to scroll down to the items past “Boot to
OS/2.”

CMOS Setup Utility – Copyright (C) 1984 – 2000 Award Software

Anti-Virus Protection Disabled
Y2K Monitor Disabled
H/W Reset Function Enabled

CPU Internal Cache Enabled
External Cache Enabled

CPU L2 Cache ECC Checking Enabled
Processor Number Feature Enabled
Quick Power On Self Test Enabled
First Boot Device Floppy
Second Boot Device HDD-0
Third Boot Device LS120
Boot Other Device Enabled
Swap Floppy Drive Disabled
Boot Up Floppy Seek Enabled
Boot Up NumLock Status On
Gate A20 Option Normal
Typematic Rate Setting Disabled

x Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec) 6
x Typematic Delay (Msec) 250

↑ ↓ → ←

F5:Previous Values F6:Fail-Safe Defaults F7:Optimized Defaults

: Move Enter : Select +/-/PU/PD:Value: F10: Save ESC: Exit F1:General Help

Advanced BIOS Features

Item Help

Menu Level
Allows you to choose

the VIRUS warning
feature for IDE Hard
Disk boot sector
protection. If this
function is enabled
and someone attempts
to write data into this
area, BIOS will sh ow a
warning message on

screen and alarm beep

Anti- Virus Protection Default: Disabled

When this item is enabled, it provides some protection against viruses
that try to write to the boot sector and partition table of your hard disk
drive. This item is Disabled by default. You need to disable it so that
you can install an operating system. We recommend that you enable vi-

rus warning protection as soon as you have installed your disk with an
OS.

Y2K Monitor Default: Disabled

If you enable this item, the system will monitor for errors generated by
the year 2000 bug.

43

H/W Reset Function Default: Enabled

Enables or disables the computer’s hardware reset button. The default
setting is Enabled.

CPU Internal Cache CPU Internal Cache Default: Enabled

All the processors that can be installed in this mainboard use internal
level 1 (L1) cache memory to improve performance. Leave this item at

the default value Enabled for better performance.

External Cache Default: Enabled

Most processors that can be installed in this system use external level 2
(L2) cache memory to improve performance.

CPU L2 Cache ECC Checking Default: Enabled

This item enables or disables ECC (Error Correction Code) error check­ing on the CPU cache memory. We recommend that you leave this item
at the default value.

Processor Number Feature Default: Enabled

Some new processors are installed with a unique processor number.
This number may be used for verification in Internet transactions and e­commerce. If you prefer not to use or distribute the unique processor
number, set this item to Disabled to suppress the processor number.

Quick Power On Self Test Default : Enabled

You can enable this item to shorten the power on testing (POST) and
have your system start up a little faster. You might like to enable this
item after you are confident that your system hardware is operating
smoothly.

1st/2nd/3rd Boot Device Def ault: Floppy/HDD-0/LS/ZIP

Use these three items to select the priority and order of the devices that
your system searches for an operating system at start-up time.

Boot Other Device Default: Enabled

If you enable this item, the system will search all other possible loca­tions for an operating system if it fails to find one in the devices
specified under the first, second and third boot devices.

44

Swap Floppy Drive Default: Disabled

If you have two floppy diskette drives in your system, this item allows
you to swap the assigned drive letters so that drive A becomes drive B,
and drive B becomes drive A.

Boot Up Floppy Seek Default: Enabled

If this item is enabled, it checks the geometry of the floppy disk drives at
start-up time. You don’t need to enable this item unless you have a leg­acy diskette drive with 360K capacity.

Boot Up NumLock Status Default: On

This item defines if the keyboard Num Lock key is active when your
system is started.

Gate A20 Option Default: Normal

This item defines how the system handles legacy software that was
written for an earlier generation of processors. Leave this item at the
default value.

Typematic Rate Setting Default: Disabled

If this item is enabled, you can use the following two items to set the t y­pematic rate and the typemat ic delay settings for your keyboard.

Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec) Default: 6

If Typematic Rate Setting is enabled, you can use this item to define
how many characters per second are generated by a held-down key.

Typematic Delay (Msec) Default: 250

If Typematic Rate Setting is enabled, you can use this item to define
how many milliseconds must elapse before a held -down key begins

generating repeat characters.

Security Option Default: Setup

If you have installed password protection, this item defines if the pass­word is required at system start up, or if it is only required when a user
tries to enter the Setup Utility.

45

OS Select For DRAM > 64 MB Default: Non-OS2

This item is only required if you have installed more than 64 MB of
memory and you are running the OS/2 operating system. Otherwise,
leave this item at the default Non-OS2.

HDD S.M.A.R.T Capability Default: Disabled

The S.M.A.R.T. (Self -Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology)
system is a diagnostics technology that monitors and predicts device
performance. S.M.A.R.T. software resides on both the disk drive and
the host computer. The disk drive software monitors the internal per­formance of the motors, media, heads, and electronics of the drive.
The host software monitors the overall reliability sta tus of the drive. If a
device failure is predicted, the host software, through the Client
WORKS S.M.A.R.T applet, warns the user of the impending condition
and advises appropriate action to protect the data.

Report No FDD For WIN95 Default: Yes

If you are running a system with no floppy drive and using Windows 95,
select Yes for this item to ensure compatibility with the Windows 95
logo certification. Otherwise, select No.

Video BIOS Shadow Default: Enabled

When enabled, copies the VGA BIOS into system DRAM for better per­formance.

C8000-CBFFF ~ DC000-DFFFF Shadow Default: Disabled

These categories determine whether option ROMs will be copied to
RAM. An example of such option ROM would be support of on-board
SCSI. The default value for each item is Disabled.

46

Advanced Chipset Features Option

This option displays a table of items that define critical timing pa­rameters of the mainboard components including the memory,
and the system logic. Generally, you should leave the items on
this page at their default values unless you are very familiar with
the technical specifications of your system hardware. If you
change the values incorrectly, you may introduce fatal errors or
recurring instability into your system.

CMOS Setup Utility – Copyright (C) 1984 – 2000 Award Software

Bank 0/1 DRAM Timing SDRAM 8/10ns
Bank 2/3 DRAM Timing SDRAM 8/10ns
SDRAM Cycle Length 3

DRAM Clock Host CLK
Memory Hole Disabled
P2C/C2P Concurrency Enabled
System BIOS Cacheable Enabled
Video RAM Cacheable Enab led
AGP Aperture Size 64M
AGP-4X Mode Enabled
AGP Driving Control Auto

x AGP Driving Value DA

AGP Fast Write Disabled
OnChip USB Enabled

USB Keyboard Support Disabled
OnChip Sound Auto

OnChip Modem Auto

↑ ↓ → ←

F5:Previous Values F6:Fail-Safe Defaults F7:Optimized Defaults

: Move Enter : Select +/-/PU/PD:Value: F10: Save ESC: Exit F1:General Help

Advanced Chipset Features

Item Help

Menu Level

Bank 0/1 2/3 DRAM Timing Default: 8/10 ns

The DRAM timing is controlled by the DRAM Timing Registers. The ti m­ings programmed into this register are dependent on the system design.

Slower rates may be required in certain system designs to support
loose layouts or slower memory.

SDRAM Cycle Length Default: 3

This item sets the timing and wait states for SDRAM memory. We rec­ommend that you leave this item at the default value.

DRAM Clock Default: Host CLK

This item sets the DRAM Clock. We recommend that you leave this
item at the default value.

47

Memory Hole Default: Disabled

This item can be used to reserve memory space for some ISA expan­sion cards that require it.

P2C/C2P Concurrency Default: Enabled

When disabled, the CPU bus is occupied during the entire PCI opera­tion period.

System BIOS Cacheable Default: Enabled
Video RAM Cacheable Default: Enabled

These items allow the video and/or system to be cached in memory for
faster execution. We recommend that you leave these items at the de­fault value.

AGP Aperture Size Default: 64 MB

This item defines the siz e of the aperture if you use an AGP graphics
adapter. It refers to a section of the PCI memory address range used
for graphics memory. We recommend that you leave this item at the de­fault value.

AGP-4X Mode Default: Enabled

This item allows you to enable or disable the caching of display data for
the video memory of the processor. Enabling AGP-4X Mode can greatly
improve the display speed. If your graphics display card does not su p­port this feature, you need to disable this item.

AGP Driving Control Default: Auto

This item can be used to signal driving current on AGP cards to auto or
Manual. Some AGP cards need stronger than normal driving current in
order to operate. We recommend that you set this item to Auto by de-

fault.

AGP Driving Value Default: DA

When the previous item AGP Driving Control is set to Manual, you can
use this item to set the AGP current driving value.

AGP Fast Write Default: Disabled

This item allows you to enable or disable the caching of display data for
the video memory of the processor. Enabling can greatly improve the

48

display speed. If your graphics display card does not support this fea­ture, you need to disable this item.

OnChip USB Default: Enabled

This should be enabled if your system has a USB installed on the sys­tem board and you wish to use it.

USB Keyboard Support Default: Disabled

Enable this item if you plan to use a keyboard connected through the
USB port in a legacy operating system (such as DOS) that does not
support Plug and Play.

OnChip Sound Default: Auto

When set to Disabled, the onboard audio chip is turned off.

OnChip Modem Default: Auto

This should be enabled if your system has a modem installed on the
system board and you wish to use it.

CPU to PCI Write Buffer Default: Enabled

When enabled, up to four words of data can be written to the PCI bus
without interrupting the CPU. When disabled, a write buffer is not used
and the CPU read cycle will not be completed until the PCI bus signals
that it is ready to receive the data. The default setting is E nabled.

PCI Dynamic Bursting Default: Enabled

When set to Enabled, every write transaction goes to the write buffer.
Burstable transactions then “burst” on the PCI bus and nonburstable

transaction do not.

PCI Master 0 WS Write Default: Enabled

When set to Enabled, writes to the PCI bus are executed with zero wait
states.

PCI Delay Transaction Default: Enabled

The chipset has an embedded 32-bit posted write buffer to support de­lay transactions cycles. Select Enabled to support compliance with PCI
specification version 2.1.

49

PCI#2 Access #1 Retry Default: Enabled

When set to Enabled, the AGP Bus (PCI#2) access to PCI Bus (PCI#1)
is executed with the error retry feature.

AGP Master 1 WS Write Default: Disabled

This implements a single delay when writing to the AGP Bus. By default,
two-wait states are used by the system, allowing for greater stability.

AGP Master 1 WS Read Default: Disabled

This implements a single delay when reading to the AGP Bus. By de­fault, two-wait states are used by the system, allowing for greater
stability.

Memory Parity/ECC Check Default: Disabled

Enable this item to allow BIOS to perform a parity check to the POST
memory tests. Select Enabled only if the system DRAM supports parity
checking.

50

Integrated Peripherals Option

This option displays a list of items that defines the operation of
some peripheral components on the system’s input/output ports.

CMOS Setup Utility – Copyright (C) 1984 – 2000 Award Software

OnChip IDE Channel0 Enabled
OnChip IDE Channel1 Enabled
IDE Prefetch Mode Enabled
Primary Master PIO Auto
Primary Slave PIO Auto
Secondary Master PIO Auto
Secondary Slave PIO Auto
Primary Master UDMA Auto
Primary Slave UDMA Auto
Secondary Master UDMA Auto
Secondary Slave UDMA Auto
Init Display First PCI Slot
IDE HDD Block Mode Enabled
Onboard FDD Controller Enabled
Onboard Serial Port 1 Auto
Onboard Serial Port 2 Auto
UART 2 Mode Standard

x IR Function Duplex Half
x TX,RX inverting enable No, Yes

↑ ↓ → ←

F5:Previous Values F6:Fail-Safe Defaults F7:Optimized Defaults

: Move Enter : Select +/-/PU/PD:Value: F10: Save ESC: Exit F1:General Help

Integrated Peripherals

Item Help

Menu Level

On- Chip IDE Channel 0/1 Default: Enabled

Use these items to enable or disable the PCI IDE channels that are in­tegrated on the mainboard.

IDE Primary/Secondary Master/Slave PIO Default: Auto

Each IDE channel supports a master device and a slave device. These
four items let you assign which kind of PIO (Programmed Input/Output)
is used by IDE devices. You can choose Auto, to let the system auto
detect which PIO mode is best, or you can install a PIO mode from 0-4.

IDE Primary/Secondary Master/Slave UDMA Default: Auto

Each IDE channel supports a master device and a sl ave device. This
mainboard supports UltraDMA. UltraDMA technology provides faster

access to IDE devices.

51

If you install a device that supports UltraDMA, change the appropriate
item on this list to Auto. You may have to install the UltraDMA driver

supplied with this mainboard in order to use an UltraDMA device.

Init Display First Default: PCI Slot

Use this item to define if your graphics adapter is installed in one of the
PCI slots or select Onboard if you have a graphics system integrated on
the mainboard.

IDE HDD Block Mode Default: Enabled

Enable this field if your IDE hard drive supports block mode. Block
mode enables BIOS to automatically detect the optimal number of block
read and writes per sector that the drive can support and can improve
the speed of access to IDE devices.

Onboard FDD Controller Default: Enabled

This option enables the onboard floppy disk drive controller.

Onboard Serial Port 1/Serial Port 2 Default: Auto

These options are used to assign the I/O addresses for the two onboard
serial ports.

UART 2 Mode Default: Standard

This field is available if the Onboard Serial Port 2 field is set to any op­tion but Disabled. UART Mode Select enables you to select the infrared

communication protocol—Standard (default), HPSIR or ASKIR. HPSIR
is Hewlett Packard’s infrared communication protocol with a maximum
baud rate up to 115.2K bps. ASKIR is Sharp’s infrared communication
protocol with a maximum baud rate up to 57.6K bps.

The UART mode setting depends on which type of infrared module is
used in the system. When set to ASKIR or HPSIR, the UART 2 is used

to support the infrared module connected on the mainboard. If this op­tion is not set to Standard, a device connected to the COM2 port will no
longer work.

IR Function Duplex Default: Half

This field is available when UART 2 Mode is set to either ASKIR or
HPSIR. This item enables you to determine the infrared (IR) function of
the onboard infrared chip. The options are Full and Half (default).

52

Full-duplex means that you can transmit and send information simulta­neously. Half -duplex is the transmission of data in both directions, but

only one direction at a time.

TX,RX inverting enable Default: No, Yes

Defines the voltage level for Infrared module RxD (receive) mode and
TxD (transmit) mode. This setting has to match the requirements of the
infrared module used in the system.

Onboard Parallel Port Default: 378/IRQ7

This option is used to assign the I/O address for the onboard parallel
port.

Onboard Parallel Port Mode Default: ECP

Enables you to set the data transfer protocol for your parallel port.
There are four options: Normal (Standard Parallel Port), EPP (E n-

hanced Parallel Port), ECP (Extended Capabilities Port) and ECP+EPP.
Normal allows data output only. Extended Capabilities Port (ECP) and

Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) are bi-directional modes, allowing both
data input and output. ECP and EPP modes are only supported with
EPP and ECP aware peripherals.

ECP Mode Use DMA Default: 3

When the onboard parallel port is set to ECP mode, the parallel port
has the option to use DMA 3 (default) or DMA 1.

Parallel Port EPP Type Default: EPP1.7

Sets the EPP specification. There are two options, EPP1.9 and EPP1.7.

If you make any changes to the onboard FDD controller, serial
ports or parallel ports in this setup, save the changes and turn
off the system. After powering up the system, ensure that the
changes have taken effect.

Onboard Legacy Audio Default: Enable

Enables the onboard legacy audio function. If this item is enabled the
following items become available.

Sound Blaster Default: Disabled

Enables or disables Sound Blaster function.

53

SB I/O Base Address Default: 220H

This item lets you set the I/O base address for the Sound Blaster card.

SB IRQ Select Default: IRQ 5

This item lets you set the Interrupt Request (IRQ) for the Sound Blaster
card.

SB DMA Select Default: DMA 1

This item lets you select the DMA for the Sound Blaster card.

MPU-401 Default: Enabled

Use this item to enable or disable the MPU-401 (MIDI) function for the
game port. The default is Disabled.

MPU-401 I/O Address Default: 330-333H

Use this item to set the I/O address for the MPU-401 (MIDI) function.

Game Port (200 -207H) Default: Enabled

This item sets the I/O address for the game port.

54

Power Management Setup Option

This option displays items that let you control the system power
management. Modern operating systems take care of much of
the power management. This mainboard supports ACPI (A d­vanced Configuration and Power Interface). The system has
various power saving modes including powe ring down the hard
disk, turning off the video, suspending to RAM, and a software
power down that allows the system to be automatically resumed
by certain events.

Power Management Timeouts

The power -saving modes can be controlled by timeouts. If the
system is inactive for a time, the timeouts begin counting. If the
inactivity continues so that the timeout period elapses, the sys­tem enters a power-saving mode. If any item in the list of Reload

Global Timer Events is Enabled, then any activity on that item
will reset the timeout counters to zero.

Wake Up Calls

If the system is suspended, or has been powered down by soft­ware, it can be resumed by a wake up call that is generated by

incoming traffic to a modem, a LAN card, a PCI card, or a fixed
alarm on the system realtime clock,

CMOS Setup Utility – Copyright (C) 1984 – 2000 Award Software

ACPI Function Enabled

Power Management Press Enter
ACPI Suspend Type S1(POS)
PM Control by APM Yes
Video Off Option Suspend --> Off
Video Off Method DPMS Support
MODEM Use IRQ 3
Soft-Off by PWRBTN Instant-Off
AC Resume Function Always Off

Wake Up Events Press Enter

↑ ↓ → ←

F5:Previous Values F6:Fail-Safe Defaults F7:Optimized Defaults

: Move Enter : Select +/-/PU/PD:Value: F10: Save ESC: Exit F1:General Help

Power Management Setup

Item Help

Menu Level

55

ACPI Function Default: Enabled

This mainboard supports ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power
management Interface). Use this item to enable or disable the ACPI
feature.

Note: ACPI is a power management specification that makes
hardware status information available to the operating system.
ACPI enables a PC to turn its peripherals on and off for improved
power management. It also allows the PC to be turned on and off
by external devices, so that mouse or keyboard activity wakes up
the computer.

Power Management

This item enables you to choose the type of Power Management you
want. Selecting Power Management and pressing Enter displays the
following screen:

CMOS Setup Utility – Copyright (C) 1984 – 2000 Award Software

Power Management User Define
HDD Power Down Disable
Doze Mode Disabled

Suspend Mode Disable

Power Management

Item Help

Menu Level

↑ ↓ → ←

F5:Previous Values F6:Fail-Safe Defaults F7:Optimized Defaults

: Move Enter : Select +/-/PU/PD:Value: F10: Save ESC: Exit F1:General Help

This menu enables you to set the following items:

Power Management Default: User Define

This item acts like a master switch for the power-saving modes and
hard disk timeouts. If this item is set to Max Saving, power-saving
modes occur after a short timeout. If this item is set to Min Saving,
power-saving modes occur after a longer timeout. If the item is set to
User Define, you can insert your own timeouts for the power-saving
modes.

56

HDD Power Down Default: Disable

The IDE hard drive will spin down if it is not accessed within a specified
length of time. Options are from 1 Min to 15 Min and Disable.

Doze Mode Default: Disable

The system speed will change from turbo to slow if no Power Manag e­ment events occur for a specified length of time. Full power function will
return when a Power Management event is detected.

Suspend Mode Default: Disable

The CPU clock will be stopped and the video signal will be suspended if
no Power Management events occur for a specified length of time. Full
power function will return when a Power Management event is detected.
Options are from 1 Min to 1 Hour and Disable.

ACPI Suspend Type Default: S1 (POS)

Use this item to define how your system suspends. In the default,
S1(POS), the suspend mode is equivalent to a software power down. If
you select S3 (STR), the suspend mode is a suspe nd to RAM – the
system shuts down with the exception of a refresh current to the system
memory.

PM Control by APM Default: Yes

This field allows you to control the PC Monitor’s power management
features via Intel-Microsoft Advanced Power Management software.

Once you have enabled the APM interface, some settings made in the
BIOS Setup program may be overridden by APM.

Video Off Option Default: Suspend --> Off

This option defines if the video is powered down when the system is put
into suspend mode.

Video Of f Method Default: DPMS Support

This item defines how the video is powered down to save power. This
item is set to DPMS (Display Power Management Software) by default.

57

MODEM Use IRQ Default: 3

If you want an incoming call on a modem to automatically resume the
system from a power-saving mode, use this item to specify the interrupt
request line (IRQ) that is used by the modem. You might have to con­nect the fax/modem to the mainboard Wake On Modem connector for
this feature to work.

Soft- Off by PWRBTN Default: Instant-Off

Under ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power management Inter­face) you can create a software power down. In a software power down,
the system can be resumed by Wake Up Alarms. This item lets you in­stall a software power down that is controlled by the normal power
button on your system. If the item is set to Instant -Off, then the power
button causes a software power down. If the item is set to Delay 4 Sec.
then you have to hold the power button down for four seconds to cause
a software power down.

AC Resume Function Default: Always Off

This sets the power state after a shutdown due to an unexpected inter­rupt of AC power.

Wake Up Events

This item opens a submenu that enables you to set events that will re­sume the system from a power saving mode. Select Wake Up Events
and press Enter to display the following menu:

CMOS Setup Utility – Copyright (C) 1984 – 2000 Award Software

USB Resume from S3/S4/S5 Disabled
VGA OFF
LPT & COM LPT/COM
HDD & FDD ON
PCI Master OFF
PowerOn by PC I Card Enabled
Wake Up On LAN/Ring Disabled
RTC Alarm Resume Disabled

x Date (of Month) 0
x Resume Time (hh:mm:ss) 0 0 0

Primary INTR ON

IRQs Activity Monitoring Press Enter

↑ ↓ → ←

F5:Previous Values F6:Fail-Safe Defaults F7:Optimized Defaults

: Move Enter : Select +/-/PU/PD:Value: F10: Save ESC: Exit F1:General Help

Wake Up Events

Item Help

Menu Level

58

USB Resume from S3/S4/S5 Default: Disabled

Use this item to enable USB activity to wakeup the system from a
power saving mode.

VGA Default: Off

When set to On, the system power will resume the system from a
power saving mode if there is any VGA activity. Default is Off.

LPT & COM Default: LPT/COM

When this item is enabled, the system will restart the power-saving
timeout counters when any activity is detected on the serial ports, or the

parallel port.

HDD & FDD Default: ON

When this item is enabled, the system will restart the power-saving
timeout counters when any activity is detected on the hard disk drive or
the floppy diskette drive.

PCI Master Default: Off

When set to Off any PCI device with Master function will not power on
the system.

PowerOn by PCI Card Default: Enabled

Use this item to enable PCI activity to wakeup the system from a power
saving mode.

Wake Up On LAN/Ring Default: Disabled

Use this item to enable LAN or modem activity to wakeup the system
from a power saving mode.

RTC Alarm Resume Default: Disabled

When set to Enabled, the following two fields become available and you
can set the date (day of the month), hour, minute and second to turn on
your system. When set to 0 (zero) for the day of the month, the alarm
will power on your system every day at the specified time.

59

Primary INTR Default: ON

Set Primary INTR to ON to allow you to enable or disable IRQ 3
through IRQ 15 activity monitoring. Set it to OFF to disable IRQ activity
monitoring.

IRQs Activity Monitoring

This item opens a submenu that enables you to set IRQs that will re­sume the system from a power saving mode. Select IRQs Activity
Monitoring and press <Enter> to display the following menu:

CMOS Setup Utility – Copyright (C) 1984 – 2000 Award Software

IRQ 3 (COM2) Enabled
IRQ 4 (COM1) Enabled

IRQ 5 (LPT2) Enabled
IRQ 6 (Floppy Disk) Enabled
IRQ 7 (LPT1) Enabled
IRQ 8 (RTC Alarm) Disabled
IRQ 9 (IRQ2 Redir) Disabled
IRQ 10 (Reserved) Disabled
IRQ 11 (Reserved) Disabled
IRQ 12 (PS/2 Mouse) Enabled

IRQ 13 (Coprocessor) Disabled
IRQ 14 (Hard Disk) Enabled
IRQ 15 (Reserved) Disabled

IRQs Activity Monitoring

Item Help

Menu Level

↑ ↓ → ←

F5:Previous Values F6:Fail-Safe Defaults F7:Optimized Defaults

: Move Enter : Select +/-/PU/PD :Value: F10: Save ESC: Exit F1:General Help

Set any IRQ to Enabled to allow activity at the IRQ to wake up the sys­tem from a power saving mode.

60

PNP/PCI Configuration Option

This option displays a table of items that configures how PnP (Plug
and Play) and PCI expansion cards operate in your system. Both
the ISA and PCI buses on the Mainboard use system IRQs (Inter­rupt ReQuests) and DMAs (Direct Memory Access). You must set
up the IRQ and DMA as signments correctly through the PnP/PCI
Configurations Setup utility; otherwise, the mainboard will not work
properly. Selecting PnP/PCI Configurations on the main program
screen di splays this menu:

CMOS Setup Utility – Copyright (C) 1984 – 2000 Award Software

PNP OS Installed No
Reset Configuration Data Disabled

Resources Controlled by Auto(ESCD)

x IRQ Resources Press Enter
x DMA Resources Press Enter

PCI/VGA Palette Snoop Disabled
Assign IRQ For VGA Enabled
Assign IRQ For USB Enabled

↑ ↓ → ←

Help F5:Previous Values F6:Fail-Safe Defaults F7:Optimized Defaults

: Move Enter : Select +/-/PU/PD:Value: F10: Save ESC: Exit F1:General

PnP/PCI Configurations

Item Help

Menu Level
Select Yes if you are

using a Plug and Play
capable operating

system. Select No if
you need the BIOS to
configure non-boot

devices.

PNP OS Installed Default: No

Setting this option to Yes allows the PnP OS (instead of BIOS) to as­sign the system resources such as IRQ and I/O address to the ISA PnP
device. The default setting is No.

Reset Configuration Data Default: Disabled

If you enable this item and restart the system, any Plug and Play con­figuration data stored in the BIOS setup is cleared from memory. New

updated data is created.

Resources Controlled By Default: Auto(ESCD)

You should leave this item at the default Auto(ESCD). Under this se t­ting, the system dynamically allocates resources to plug and play

devices as they are required.

61

If you cannot get a legacy ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) expan­sion card to work properly, you might be able to solve the problem by

changing this item to Manual, and then opening up the IRQ Resources
and Memory Resources sub-menus.

In the IRQ Resources sub-menu, if you change any of the IRQ assigna-
tions to Legacy ISA, then that Interrupt Request Line is reserved for a
legacy ISA expansion card. Press <Esc> to close the IRQ Resources
sub-menu.

In the Memory Resources sub menu, use the first item Reserved Mem-
ory Base to set the start address of the memory you want to reserve for
the ISA expansion card. Use the second item Reserved Memory Length
to set the amount of reserved memory. Press <Esc> to close the Mem­ory Resources sub-menu.

PCI/VGA Palette Snoop Default: Disabled

This item is designed to ov ercome some problems that can be caused
by some non-standard VGA cards. This board includes a built -in VGA
system that does not require palette snooping so you must leave this
item disabled.

Assign IRQ for VGA/USB Default: Enabled

Names the interrupt request (IRQ) line assigned to the USB/VGA (if any) on
your system. Activity of the selected IRQ always awakens the system.

62

PCI Health Status Option

On mainboards that support hardware monitoring, this item lets
you monitor the parameters for critical voltages , critical tempera­tures, and fan speeds. You cannot make any changes to these
fields. They are display only:

CMOS Setup Utility – Copyright (C) 1984 – 2000 Award Software

Shutdown Temperature Disabled
Current CPU Temp.
Current System Temp.
CPU Fan Speed
Power Fan Speed
Voltage core

2.5V

3.3V

5.0V

12.0V

PC Health Status

Item Help

Menu Level

↑ ↓ → ←

Help F5:Previous Values F6:Fail-Safe Defaults F7:Optimized Defaults

: MoveEnter : Select +/-/PU/PD:Value: F10: Save ESC: Exit F1:General

Shutdown Temperature

Enables you to set the maximum temperature the system can reach be­fore powering down.

System Component Characteristics

These fields provide you with information about the systems current
operating stat us. You cannot make changes to these fields. The follow­ing information is displayed:

• CPU temperature in degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius

• System temperature in degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius

• CPU fan speed (in RPMs)

• Power fan speed (in RPMs)

• Vcore (CPU core voltage)

• VCC SRAM (CPU L2 cache voltage)

• Vcc3 (onboard 3.3 volt)

• Power supply’s ± 5 volt

• Power supply’s ±12 volt

63

Frequency Control Option

This item enables you to set the clock speed and system bus for
your system. The clock speed and system bus are determined
by the kind of processor you have installed in your system.

CMOS Setup Utility – Copyright (C) 1984 – 2000 Award Software

Auto Detect DIMM/PCI Clk Enabled
Spread Spectrum Disabled
CPU Host/PCI Clock Default

CPU clock failed reset Disabled

Frequency Control

Item Help

Menu Level

↑ ↓ → ←

F5:Previous Values F6:Fail-Safe Defaults F7:Optimized Defaults

: Move Enter : Select +/-/PU/PD:Value: F10: Save ESC: Exit F1:General Help

Auto Detect DIMM/PCI Clk Default: Enabled

When this item is enabled, BIOS will disable the clock signal of free
DIMM and PCI slots.

Spread Spectrum Modulated Default: Disabled

If you enable spread spectrum, it can significantly reduce the EMI (Elec­tro-Magnetic Interference) generated by the system.

CPU Host/PCI Clock Default: Default

These items appear if you have set the CPU Internal Core Speed to
Manual. Use the CPU/DIMM/PCI Clock to set the frontside bus fr e-
quency for the installed processor (usually 133 MHz, 100 MHz or 66
MHz). Then use CPU Clock Ratio to set a multiple.

CPU Clock failed reset Default: Disabled

When this item is enabled and the system crashes three times because
the processor has been overclocked, the BIOS will automatically adjust
the speed of the processor to the system bus speed multiplied by two.

64

Load Fail-Safe Defaults Option

This option opens a dialog box that lets you install fail -safe de­faults for all appropriate items in the Setup Utility. Press <Y> and
then <Enter> to install the defaults. Press <N> and then <Enter>
to not install the defaults. The fail-safe defaults place no great
demands on the system and are generally stable. If your system
is not functioning correctly, try installing the fail- safe defaults as
a first step in getting your system working properly again. If you
only want to install fail-safe defaults for a specific option, select
and display that option, and then press <F6>.

Load Optimized Defaults Option

This option opens a dialog box that lets you install optimized de­faults for all appropriate items in the Setup Utility. Press <Y> and
then <Enter> to install the defaults. Press <N> and then <Enter>
to not install the defaults. The optimized defaults place demands
on the system that may be greater than the performance level of
the components, such as the CPU and the memory. You can
cause fatal errors or instability if you install the optimized de­faults when your hardware does not support them. If you only
want to install setup defaults for a specific option, select and

display that option, and then press <F7>.

65

Set Supervisor and User Passwords Options

These items can be used to install a password. A Supervisor
password takes precedence over a User password, and the Su­pervisor can limit the activities of a User. To install a password,
follow these steps:

1. Highlight the item Set Supervisor/User Password on the
main menu and press <Enter>.

2. The password dialog box appears.

Enter Password:

3. If you are installing a new password, type in the password.
You cannot use more than eight characters or numbers. The
Set Supervisor/User Password item differentiates between
upper case and lower characters. Press <Enter> after you

have typed in the password. If you are deleting a password
that is already installed just press <Enter> when the pass­word dialog box appears. You see a message that indicates

that the password has been disabled.

PASSWORD DISABLED !!!

Press any key to continue . . .

4. Press any key. You are prompted to confirm the password:

Confirm Password:

5. Type the password again and press <Enter>, or just press
<Enter> if you are deleting a password that is already in­stalled.

6. If you typed the password correctly, the password will be in­stalled.

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Save & Exit Setup Option

Highlight this item and press <Enter> to save the changes that
you have made in the Setup Utility and exit the Setup Utility.
When the Save and Exit dialog box appears, press <Y> to save
and exit, or press <N> to return to the main menu:

SAVE to CMOS and EXIT (Y/N)? Y

Exit Without Saving Option

Highlight this item and press <Enter> to discard any changes
that you have made in the Setup Utility and exit the Setup Utility.
When the Exit Without Saving dialog box appears, press <Y> to
discard changes and exit, or press <N> to return to the main
menu.

Quit Without Saving (Y/N)? N

Note: If you hav e made settings that you do not want to save, use
the “Exit Without Saving” item and press Y to discard any changes
you have made.

This concludes Chapter 3. Refer to the next chapter for informa­tion on the software supplied with the mainboard.

67

—Notes —

68

CChhaapptteerr 44:: SSooffttwwaarree

The support software CD-ROM that is included in the mainboard
package contains all the drivers and utility programs needed to
properly run the bundled products. Below you can find a brief
description of each software program, and the location for your
mainboard version. More information on some programs is
available in a README file, located in the same directory as the
software.

Note: Never try to install software from a folder that is not spec i­fied for use with your mainboard.

Before installing any software, always inspect the folder for files
named README.TXT, INSTALL.TXT, or something similar.
These files may contain important information that is not in­cluded in this manual

69

Auto-installing under Windows 98

The Auto-install CD-ROM makes it easy for you to install the
drivers and software for your mainboard.

Note: If the Auto-install CD-ROM does not work on your system,
you can still install drivers through the file manager for your OS

(for example, Windows Explorer). Refer to Utility Folder Installa-

tion Notes later in this chapter.

The support software CD-ROM disc loads automatically under
Windows 98. When you insert the CD- ROM disc in the CD-ROM
drive, the autorun feature will automatically bring up the install
screen. The screen has three buttons on it, Setup, Browse CD
and Exit.

Note: If the opening screen doesn’t appear, double-click the file
“setup.exe” in the root directory.

1. Setup

Click the Setup button to run the software installation program.
Select from the menu which software you want to install.

70

2. Browse CD

The Browse CD button is the standard Windows command that
allows you to open Windows Explorer and show the contents of

the support CD.
Before installing the software from Windows Explorer, look for a

file named README.TXT, INSTALL.TXT or something similar.
This file may contain important information to help you install the
software co rrectly.

Some software is installed in separate folders for different operating
systems, such as DOS, WIN NT, or WIN98/95. Always go to the

correct folder for the kind of OS you are using.
To install the software, execute a file named SETUP.EXE or

INSTALL.EXE by double-clicking the file and then following the
instructions on the screen.

3. Exit
The Exit button closes the Auto Setup window.

Note: The following screens are examples only. The screens and
driver lists will be different according to the mainboard you are in­stalling.

Mainboard ID

The mainboard identification is located in the upper left-hand
corner. C lick the Next button to run Auto Setup program.

71

Check the box next to the items you want to install. The default
options are recommended. Click the Next button to run the In-

stallation Wizard. An item installation screen appears:

Follow the instructions on the screen to install the items.
Drivers and software are automatically installed in sequence.

You will need to follow the onscreen instructions, confirm com­mands and allow the computer to restart a few times to complete

installing whatever software you selected to install:

72

When the process is finished, all the support drivers and sof t­ware will be installed and working.

Folders for this Mainboard

For this board, you can install software from the following folders:

Utility Folder

You can use the software in the following sub-folders:

q AWDFLASH: Software to erase and install new revisions

of the system BIOS (CMOS)

q GAMUT: Audio rack for built-in sound system

q

MEDIARING TALK: Telephony software.

q PC-CILLIN: Anti-virus software
q SUPER VOICE: Fax/modem software.

q WinDVD: Videoplayer software.

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P6VXM2 Folder

Use the software in the following sub-folders:

q AUDIO: This folder contains a short README file giving

directions to alternate folders for installing the audio
software.

q IDE: This folder contains a short README file giving di-

rections to alternate folders for installing the IDE software.

Utility Folder Installation Notes

Award Flash Memory Utility

This utility lets you erase the system BIOS stored on a Flash
Memory chip on the mainboard, and lets you copy an updated
BIOS to the chip. Take care how you use this program. If you
erase the current BIOS and fail to write a new BIOS, or write a
new BIOS that is incorrect, your system will malfunction.

For this mainboard, use AWD7XX.EXE to flash the BIOS (where
7XX is the version number). You can use any version, but we

suggest you use the latest version. To use the utility, you must be in
real-mode DOS (not the DOS box that is available in Windows
95/98/NT). If you are us ing WINDOWS 95/98, shut down your
computer and select the option Restart in DOS in the shutdown dia­log box. If you are running Windows NT, shut down your computer
and boot from a DOS diskette temporarily in order to run the flash

memory utility.

PC- cillin Software

The PC-cillin software program provides anti-virus protection for
your system. This program is available for:

q DOS – \UTILITY\PC-CILLIN\DOS\PCSCAN.EXE
q Win98 – \UTILITY\PC-CILLIN\WIN98\SETUP.EXE

Anti-virus software is provided for DOS and WIN95/98. Browse
to the appropriate directory for your operating system. For DOS,
copy all the files in the DOS folder to your hard disk drive and
run PSCAN to scan your system. For Windows 95/98, run
SETUP to install the application software.

74

GAMUT

The Gamut audio rack software for the built-in sound system is
provided for different languages. Go to the directory
\UTILITY\GAMUT and choose either the English or Chinese
subdirectory; then run SETUP.EXE to install the application
software.

MediaRing Talk

To install the MediaRing Talk voice modem software for the built-in
modem, go to the directory \UTILITY\MEDIARING TALK; then run
MRTALK-SETUP7.2.EXE to install the application software.

Super Voice

To install the Super Voice voice, fax, data communication appli­cation for use with the built-in fax/modem, go the directory
\UTILITY\SUPERVOICE; then run PICSHELL.EXE to install the
application software.

WinDVD

Go to the directory \UTILITY\WINDVD; then run SETUP.EXE to
install the application software.

The WinDVD software is not free. Before you install, you need to
register and get the serial number first.

Mainboard (P6VXM2) Installation Notes

Most of the sub -folders in this folder are empty, with a short
README file giving directions to alternate folders for the appropri-

ate software.

Audio Software

The audio drivers for the P6VXM2 are in the \VIA\AC97AUDIO
folder. Drivers are supplied for Windows 2000/ME/98SE/NT and Li­nux.

75

Installation for Windows 2000/ME/98SE

To install the audio drivers, go the directory \VIA\AC97AUDIO ;
then run SETUP.EXE.

Installation for Linux

The P6VXM2 has drivers for Redhat, Caldera, and Redflag
Linux operating systems. Refer to the OS user’s manual for in­structions on installing the driver.

Installation for Windows NT4.0

Go the directory \VIA\AC97AUDIO\WINNT40 to install the audio
drivers for Windows NT.

IDE Software

The enhanced IDE drivers for the P6VXM2 are in the \VIA\IDE
folder. Drivers are supplied for Windows 2000/98/95/NT

Installation for Windows 2000/98/95/NT

To install the IDE drivers, go the directory \VIA\IDE; then run
SETUP.EXE.

76

AAppppeennddiixx:: JJuummppeerr SSeettttiinngg RReeffeerreennccee

Quick Jumper Setting Reference

If you are familiar with most of the material in this chapter, you
can begin preparing the mainboard for installation by using this

quick referenc e to begin setting the jumpers.

JP1: Clear CMOS jumper

Use this jumper to clear the contents of the CMOS memory. You
may need to clear the CMOS memory if the settings in the BIOS
Setup Utility are incorrect and are preventing your mainboard
from operating. To clear the CMOS memory, disconnect all the
power cables from the mainboard and then move the jumper cap
into the Clear CMOS memory setting for a few seconds. CMOS
is cleared.

Return the jumper cap to the Normal operation setting. Recon­nect the power cables and start the system. When the POST

starts, press the delete key to start the BIOS Setup Utility and
reload BIOS optimal settings. Refer to Chapter 3 for information
on BIOS.

Function Jumper Setting

Normal operation Short pins 1-2
Clear CMOS Short pins 2-3

1 2 3

JP1

JP5: Suspend to RAM support enable/disable jumper

Use this jumper to enable or disable the Suspend to RAM (STR)
Function. You must also enable this function in the BIOS Setup

Utility. Refer to Chapter 3.

Function Jumper Setting

Enable Short pins 1-2
Disable Short pins 2-3

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1 2 3

JP5

JP7

JP8

JP6: USB1 power on jumper

Use this jumper to enable a signal to the USB ports (located on
the I/O port panel) to power on the system from power saving

mode.

Function Jumper Setting

Disable Short pins 1-2
Enable Short pins 2-3

1 2 3

JP6

JP7: CPU frequency select jumper

This jumper enables you to force the CPU to clock at a higher
frequency than it is rated. Short pins 2 and 3 to force the CPU to

run at a 100 MHz FSB instead of a 66 MHz FSB. We recom­mend that you leave the jumper on the normal operation setting.

Function Jumper Setting

Normal Short pins 1-2
Force 66 MHz FSB to

run at 100 MHz FSB.

Short pins 2-3

1 2 3

JP8: CPU frequency select jumper

This jumper enables you to force the CPU to clock at a higher
frequency than it is rated. Short pins 2 and 3 to force the CPU to
run at a 133 MHz FSB instead of a 100 MHz FSB. We reco m­mend that you leave the jumper on the normal operation setting.

Function Jumper Setting

Normal Short pins 1-2
Force 100 MHz FSB to

run at 133 MHz FSB

Short pins 2-3

1 2 3

Note: The CPU speed is determined by the CPU Host/PCI Clock
speed multiplied by the CPU Clock Ratio. Refer to the Frequency
Control Option in Chapter 3 for more information.

Forcing the CPU to run at a higher clock speed then it was rated
for is called overclocking and is not recommended.

78

JP16: Dual color LED header

This header allows the user to install red and green LED indica­tors to indicate when the computer is in Suspend to RAM (STR)

or normal. Although the values are not predefined, red usually
indicates STR and green indicates normal.

JP17: USB2 power on jumper

Use this jumper to enable a signal to the USB devices 3 and 4
(located on the front panel) to wake up the system from power
saving mode.

Function Jumper Setting

Disable Short pins 1-2
Enable Short pins 2-3

1 2 3

JP18: BIOS Flash protect jumper

Use this jumper to enable or disable the BIOS flash protection
on the mainboard. You should disable this jumper when you
want to flash the BIOS.

Function Jumper Setting

Disable Short pins 1-2
Enable Short pins 2-3

1 2 3

JP17

JP18

79

JP19

JP19 -22: CPU Clock Ratio

Use these 3 x 4 pin jumpers to manually set the CPU clock ratio.
Refer to the following table to set the CPU clock ratio for your

processor by shorting the pins indicated.

JP19-22 jumpers settings

Short pins Example

Fra ction

3.0/11.0

3.5/11.5

4.0/12.0

JP19 JP20 JP21 JP22

2-3 2-3 1-2 2-3
2-3 2-3 1-2 1-2
2-3 1-2 2-3 2-3

The followi ng exam­ple shows a CPU
clock ratio of

3.0/11.0.

4.5/ 8.5

5.0/ 9.0

5.5/ 9.5

6.0/10.0

6.5/10.5

7.0

7.5

8.0

2-3 1-2 2-3 1-2
2-3 1-2 1-2 2-3
2-3 1-2 1-2 1-2
1-2 2-3 2-3 2-3
1-2 2-3 2-3 1-2

1 2 3

JP20
JP21
JP22

1-2 2-3 1-2 2-3
1-2 2-3 1-2 1-2
1-2 1-2 2-3 2-3

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2 1

Power Switch (Pins 21-22)

Green LED (Pins 13-14)

PANEL1: Panel connectors for switches and indicators

Use the panel connector to implement the switches and indica­tors on your system case.

Panel connectors for switches and indicators

Function Pins

Power
ON/OFF

Sleep Switch
(SMI) Indicator

Reset Switch 17, -18
Hard Disk LED

Indicator

21, -22

19, -20

+15, -16

22 21

SMI (Pins 19-20)

Reset Switch (Pins 17-18)

HDD LED (Pins 15-16)

Green LED

+13, -14

Indicator
Power LED

+2, 4, -6

Indicator
Speaker +1, 3, 5, 7

Power LED (Pins 2-4-6)

Speaker (Pins 1-3-5-7)

81