Freetech P8F150 Manual

P

P8

PP

8F1

88

MOTHER BOARD

USER’S MANUAL

F150

F1F1

50

5050

Copyright Notice

©Copyright 2000
The information contained in this user’s manual and all

accompanying documentation is copyrighted and all rights are
reserved. This publication may not, in whole or in part, be
reproduced, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, translated into
any language or computer language, or transmitted in any form
whatsoever without the prior written consent from the manufacturer,
except for copies retained by the purchasers for their personal
archival purposes.

The manufacturer reserves the right to revise this user’s manual and
all accompanying documentation and to make changes in the
content without obligation to notify any person or organization of the
revision or change.

IN NO EVENT WILL THE VENDOR BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT,
INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE
THIS PRODUCT OR DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF ADVISED OF
THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN PARTICULAR, THE
VENDOR SHALL NOT HAVE LIABILITY FOR ANY HARDWARE,
SOFTWARE, OR DATA STORED OR USED WITH THE
PRODUCT, INCLUDING THE COSTS OF REPAIRING,
REPLACING, OR RECOVERING SUCH HARDWARE,
SOFTWARE, OR DATA.

All trademarks mentioned in this document are acknowledged.
The specifications in this manual are subject to change without
notice.

i

Using This Manual

This manual is designed to help you build a reliable Personal
Computer based on the P8F150 platform.

Chapter 1—Quick Reference

This chapter is for advanced users who want to quickly assemble a system.
The mainboard layout along with jumper and switch settings, and memory
configuration are provided.

Chapter 2—Introduction

This chapter includes an introduction, a checklist of the items that ship with
this mainboard, and a summary of the principal features and components.

Perface

Chapter 3—Hardware Installation

This chapter explains how to prepare your mainboard for use and how to
make the various connections to other computer components and peripheral
items.

Chapter 4—BIOS Configuration

This chapter explains how to use the system setup utility that is stored in the
mainboard’s firmware.

Chapter 5—Driver and Utility

This chapter briefly describes the drivers and utility programs that are
packaged with the mainboard.

ii

Perface

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Table of Contents

1. P8F150 QUICK REFERENCE................................

1.1. Mainboard Layout................................

1.2. I/O Ports................................................................

1.3. Front Panel Connector................................

1.4. Jumpers................................................................

1.5. PCI and AGP Frequency Settings

1.6. Memory Installation................................

1.7. Connectors................................

2. INTRODUCTION................................

2.1. Overview ................................................................

2.2. Mainboard Specifications and Features

2.2.1. Hardware................................................................

1

1
2
2
3
3
3
4

5

5
6

6

2.3. Mainboard Layout................................

2.4. Microprocessor................................

2.5. CPU Packaging................................

2.6. AC97 Codec................................

2.7. Chipset................................................................

2.8. RAID................................................................

3. HARDWARE INSTALLATION................................

3.1. Unpacking ................................

3.2. Installation................................

3.3. Safety Measures ................................

3.4. Connector/Jumper Location................................

2.2.2. Software ................................................................

8

9
11
11
11
12
13

14

14
15
15
16

3.5. Attaching Connectors................................

17

iii

Perface

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3.5.1. Front Panel Connectors (JP6) ................................

3.5.2. Audio CD-In Connector (CD1) ................................

3.5.3. Audio AUX-IN Connector (AUX1)

3.5.4. Infrared (IR) Connector (IR)................................

3.5.5. LAN/Modem Wake up connectors (WOL)

3.5.6. Front USB Header (USB2~3)................................

3.5.7. Floppy Drive Header (FDC)................................

3.5.8. IDE Connectors ................................

3.5.9. Back Panel Connectors ................................

3.5.10. Power Supply Connector ................................

3.5.11. CPU/Chi[sset/System FAN Power Supplies

3.5.12. PCI Connector (PCI1~3)................................

3.5.13. Serial COM2 Connector (COM2)

17
18
18
19
19
20
20
21
22
26
27
28
28

3.6. Installing the CPU................................

3.7. Installing System Memory

3.8. Setting Jumpers

3.9. Auto Power On

4. BIOS CONFIGURATION ................................

4.1. Entering Setup................................

4.2. Standard CMOS Features................................

4.3. Advanced BIOS Features................................

3.5.14. TV-Out Connector (J2)................................

3.6.1. Before You Begin ................................

3.6.2. Installation Procedure ................................

3.6.3. Removing the Processor ................................

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29

30

30
30
31

32
33
34

35

36
38
42

4.4. Advanced Chipset Features................................

4.5. Integrated Peripherals................................

4.6. Power Management Setup................................

4.7. PnP/PCI Configurations ................................

46
49
54
59

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4.8. PC Health Status Option................................

4.9. Frequency/Voltage Control................................

4.10 . Load Fail-Safe Defaults Option

4.11. Load Optimized Defaults Option

4.12. Set Supervisor/User Password

4.13. Save & Exit Setup ................................

4.14. Exit Without Saving................................

5. DRIVER AND UTILITY................................

5.1. Flash Utility................................

5.2 CD Driver Overview................................

5.2.1. Intel Chipset 845 INF Driver................................

5.2.2. Intel Chipset 845 Busmaster IDE Driver

61
63
65
65
65
66
66

67

67
68

69
69

5.3 Online Services

5.2.3. ALC201 Audio Driver................................

5.2.4. LAN Driver................................

................................................................

70
70

71

v

1. P8F150 Quick Reference

This section is for users to get started using the mainboard straight away.

1.1. Mainboard Layout

mPGA478B CPU socket (PGA478)

1.

ATX power connector (PW2)

2.

ATX 12V power connector (PW1)

3.

184-pin DIMM DDR module sockets (DIMM1~2)

4.

IDE connector (IDE1)

5.

IDE connector (IDE2)

6.

Floppy drive connect (FDC)

7.

PCI expansion connector (PCI)

8.

Accelerated Graphics Port slot (AGP)

9.

Front Panel connectors (JP6)

10.

USB ports connector(USB2~USB3)

11.

IR connector (IR)

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

LAN/Modem Wake up Connector(WOL)
Serial Connector(COM2)
AUDIO connectors (AUX1)
AUDIO connectors (CD1)
CPU FAN (FAN1)
System FAN(JP5 )
Chipset FAN(JP7)
TV-OUT connector(J2)
CPU FSB(JP2)
CMOS Jumper(JP4)
RTC Battery
Flash BIOS

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Mainboard User’s Manual

1.2. I/O Ports

1.3. Front Panel Connector

The following illustration shows the front panel connector pin
assignments:

2

I/O Port

1.4. Jumpers

P8F150 Quick Reference

JP2

1-2 Auto

(CPU FSB)

JP4

(CMOS Clear)

2-3 100MHz FSB

Empty 133MHz FSB

1-2 Normal Mode
2-3 Clear CMOS

1.5. PCI and AGP Frequency Setting

The PCI and AGP frequency settings are automatically set by the
system

1.6. Memory Installation

Note:

This mainboard supports up to two double-sided or two
single-sided DIMMs when the DDR DRAM interface is
operating at 133 MHz. Installing DDR DIMM modules that
exceed these specifications requires that the BIOS
down-shifts the DRAM clocks to 100 MHz through a
two-wire interface of the system clock generator.

184-Pin DIMM DDR SDRAM Memory Configuration.

Each

184-pin

DIMM bank can install from 64MB up to 1GB of
PC1600/PC2100 compliant 2.5V single or double side buffered
with or without ECC DDR SDRAM modules.

Bank 0 (DIMM1)
Bank 1 (DIMM2)

Total

64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1GB
64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1GB
2 GB

Jumper

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Mainboard User’s Manual

pin header is used for connecting

1.7. Connectors

JP7
JP5
JP6

J2

Chipset FAN
System FAN
Front Panel Connector
TV-Out connector

Auxiliary-IN connector :

AUX1

auxiliary input connector.

CD-IN connector :

CD1

COM2

FAN1

connecting the CD ROM audio input to the sound
card.

Serial Connector

CPU FAN :

a CPU fan.

Infrared (IR) connector :

This 3-

IR

connect an IR port for use of IR devices.

This 4-pin header is an

This 4-pin header is used for

This 5-pin header is used

PW2

PW1

USB2 / 3

WOL

ATX power connector :

connect the power supply plug to ATX power
connector to provide Pentium 4 standard power for
devices.

ATX 12V power connector :

connect the power supply 12V plug to ATX power
connector to provide 12V power for devices.

Front USB connector :

connecting front panel USB port 3 or 4 or 5 or 6.

Wake On LAN Connector :

used for remote wake up of the computer through a
network card.

This 20-pin header is

This 4-pin header is

This 10-pin header is used

This 3-pin header is

4

Connectors

2. Introduction

2.1. Overview

The high quality P8F150 is a high-performance, enhanced function
mainboard that supports mPGA478 Intel® Pentium® 4 processors
that support a 533 MHz front side bus (FSB). This mainboard is
designed around the latest and fastest Intel 845G/845GL chipset in a
standard ATX form factor.
The mainboard delivers workstation-level performance with bus
mastering EIDE (Enhanced IDE) controller, and concurrent PCI bus.
The mainboard accommodates DDR SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM)
memory and supports ATA33/66/100.
In addition to superior hardware capabilities, provided with this
platform are these features:

Supports Intel®Pentium® 4 processors in a 478-pin package

!

Supports a 100/133 memory bus

!

Supports up to 2 GB of PC1600/PC2100 DDR SDRAM

!

Supports for 4x AGP

!

Bus mastering EIDE driver

!

Supports two USB ports, four USB ports by cable accommodating

!

Plug and Play devices

Supports Hi-speed USB2.0

!

Soft-off APM (Advanced Power Management)

!

ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface)

!

Keyboard power on

!

External modem ring on

!

LAN wake up

!

BIOS upgrade

!

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Mainboard User’s Manual

2.2. Mainboard Specifications and Features

2.2.1. Hardware

CPU

VRM

Coprocessor
Speed

Chipset

DRAM

EIDE
Controller

Sound Chip

On-Board LAN

®

Intel
package, compatible Auto-detection CPU

Onboard Voltage Regulator Module
Provides 1.05V to 1.825V operating voltage

CPU has built-in floating point unit
System bus clock 100 MHz
PCI bus clock 33 MHz
AGP 4X

Intel 845G/845GL supports
PC1600/PC2100 DDR SDRAM and

Pentium

super I/O integrated peripheral controller
support Ultra ATA100

Two 184-pin DDR sockets, up to 2GB
Supports 64 MB to 2GB DDR SDRAM
memory types

Supports for IDE devices in two channels
Supports PIO mode 0 through mode 4 drives
Supports Bus Mastering DMA mode 2 drives
Supports two Bus Mastering Ultra DMA-ATA
33/66/100 drives
Supports Iomega ZIP or LS-120 removable
drives

Chip integrated direct Sound AC97 2.1
interface Realtek ALC201A
Interface Realtek ALC650(optional)

Realtek 8100 LAN chipset, supports 10/100 Mb/s

®

4 processors in a 478-pin

6

Mainboard Specification and Feature

On-Board TV-Out

Enhanced I/O

I/O Options

Mouse

Introduction

TV-out with 1024×768 input video resolution
Chrontel CH7012A

One floppy disk controller
One Standard/EPP/ECP parallel port
connector
Two 16550 compatible serial port connectors
Two USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports
One audio port connector, include line-out,
line-in, mic-in, and midi/game ports

Two connector for front panel USB ports 3/4,
5/6
One IrDA compatible infrared (IR) connector

PS/2 mouse connector

Keyboard

Expansion Slots

Power
Management

System
Management

Voltage Regulator

Form Factor

PS/2 keyboard connector

Three 32-bit PCI slots
One 4X AGP (2.0) Slot

Compliant with EPA, APM 1.2 and ACPI
ATX soft-off power control
Power on by keyboard and mouse
Power on by external modem ring
Power on by alarm
Power on by LAN wake up
Fan off in sleep mode

CPU and system voltage detection
CPU and secondary fan RPM detection

Switching regulator
CPU voltage auto-detection

mATX

Board Size

Mainboard Specification and Feature

235 x 245 mm

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Mainboard User’s Manual

2.2.2. Software

BIOS

Driver and
Utility

Operating
System

AWARD AGP/PCI BIOS
2M-bit Flash BIOS with ESCD (Extended
System Configuration Data) block
Supports APM, Plug and Play, Multi-Boot, DMI
and EIDE devices
Supports ACPI
Supports high-capacity LS-120 and ZIP
removable media drive

IDE Bus mastering Ultra DMA driver
AC97 codec audio driver
Flash utility for BIOS upgrade
System Environment Monitoring Utility

Operates with MS_DOS, Windows

3.x/9x/ME/XP/2000/NT, OS/2, Novell
NetWare/UnixWare , and SCO Unix

8

Mainboard Specification and Feature

2.3. Mainboard Layout

e one shown in the

Introduction

Note:

Mainboard Layout

Because of optional items and design changes, your
mainboard may not be identical to th
illustration.

9

Mainboard User’s Manual

Key to Mainboard Components

NO.

1 PGA478 CPU socket
2 PW2 ATX standard power connector
3 PW1 ATX 12V power connector
4 DIMM1~2 DDR SDRAM Memory module slots
5 IDE1 IDE 1 connector
6 IDE2 IDE 2 connector
7 FDD Floppy drive connector
8 PCI1~3 32-bit PCI Slot

9 AGP 4x AGP Slot
10 JP6 Front Panel Connector
11 USB2~3 Front USB Connector
12 IR IrDA compliant Infrared (IR) connector
13 WOL LAN/Modem Wake up Connector

Name Function

14 COM2 Serial Connector
15 AUX1 Audio AUX-In header
16 CD1 Audio CD-In header
17 FAN1 CPU FAN Connector
18 JP5 Chipset FAN
19 JP7 System FAN
20 J2 TV-Out connector
21 JP2 CPU FSB Jumper
22 JP4 Clear CMOS
23 BAT RTC battery
24 U19 Flash BIOS

10

Mainboard Layout

2.4. Microprocessor

The mainboard is designed to operate with the following processor:

Processor T ype Speed FSB
Intel Pentium 4 1.4~2.4GMHz+ 400, 533 MHz

An onboard switching voltage regulator provides the required 1.05
to 1.825 volts for the processor. The processor sends five VID
(Voltage identification) signals to the switching voltage regulator.
The switching regulator generates the correct voltage for the
processor.

Introduction

2.5. CPU Packaging

The mainboard’s CPU socket is a surface mount, mPGA478B type
ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) socket. The socket has 478 pins with 50
mil pin pitch.

Note:

ZIF sockets are sockets designed for easy insertion of pin
grid array (PGA) chips. The chip is dropped into the
socket, and a lever is used to secure the chip in place.

2.6. AC 97 Codec

This mainboard features the AC 97 (ALC201A) codec. The AC 97
(ALC201A) 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.

Microprocessor

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Mainboard User’s Manual

2.7. Chipset

The P8F150 supports the 845G chipset is designed for use in a
desktop system based on an Intel® Pentium® 4 processor in a
478-pin package. The 845G chipset supports the Pentium 4
processor with 256-KB L2 cache and the Pentium 4 processor with
512-KB L2 cache on 0.13 micron process. The processor interface
supports the Pentium 4 processor subset of the Extended Mode of
the Scalable Bus Protocol. In an 845G chipset-based platform, I/O
functions are integrated onto the ICH4 845G.

The GMCH provides the processor interface, system memory
interface, hub interface, and additional interface in an 845G / 845GL
chipset desktop platform. Each GMCH contains an integrated
graphics controller (IGD). Both the 845G chipset and 845GL chipset
use the 82801DB ICH4 for the I/O Controller Hub.

!"

!" AGP Interface

!"

!" The AGP4X interface providing the most advanced graphics

!" Two UBS controllers provide high-performance peripherals

Processor Side Bus (PSB) frequency

-- 82845G GMCH supports 533 MHz and 400 MHz.

--82845GL GMCH supports 400 MHz only.

-- 82845G GMCH supports AGP. The AGP interface signals
are multiplexed with the Intel® DVO interface signals.

-- 82845GL GMCH does not support AGP.

Advanced packaging technology and industry leading
electrical design innovations ensure long-term system
reliability over wide operating conditions.

support available, enabling graphics bandwidth of over 1GB/s.

with 480 Mbps of bandwidth, while enabling support for up to
four USB ports.

12

Chipset

Introduction

!" AC97 (ALC201A) two channels of audio.

!" AC97(ALC650) 5.1 channels of audio.(optional)

!" Dual Ultra ATA/100 controllers support faster IDE transfers to

storage devices.

This concludes Chapter 2. Chapter 3. covers hardware installation.

Chipset

13

3. Hardware Installation

This chapter explains how to use your mainboard to build a powerful
computer system. At a minimum, you will need the following components
in order to build a fully functioning system.

!" Computer case with P4 standard ATX power supply
!" MPGA478B Processor
!" One DDR SDRAM memory module
!" One floppy disk drive
!" One UDMA-66/100 IDE hard disk drive
!" One CD-ROM drive
!" One display monitor
!" One mouse
!" One PS/2 keyboard
!" One LAN / Modem
!" One set of loudspeakers

3.1. Unpacking

The P8F150 mainboard package contains the following items:

!" One mainboard
!" One IDE 66/100 40-pin ribbon cable
!" One floppy 34-pin ribbon cable
!" One TV-Out cable
!" Driver and utility CD
!" User’ s manual

After removing the mainboard from its anti-static bag, place it on a
grounded or antistatic surface (component side up). Inspect the
mainboard and contact your vendor immediately if it is damaged.

14

3.2. Installation

The P8F150 is designed to fit into a standard Mini Flex ATX form
factor chassis. The pattern of the mounting holes and the position of
the back panel connectors meet the Mini Flex ATX system board
specification. The chassis comes with various mounting fasteners,
which are made of metal or plastic. It is highly recommended to use
as many metal fasteners as possible to mount the mainboard in the
chassis for better grounding.
To install the mainboard you need to install the CPU and DDR
memory modules, attach the connectors, and set the correct CPU
speed in the CMOS setup.

3.3. Safety Measures

Hardware Installation

Computer components and electronic circuit boards can be damaged
by discharges of static electricity. Working on computers that are
still connected to a power supply can be extremely dangerous.
Follow the simple guidelines below to avoid damaging you
computer:

!" Always disconnect the mainboard from the ATX power supply,

and disconnect the computer from the power outlet whenever
you are working inside the computer case.

!" If possible, wear a grounded wrist strap when you are

installing the mainboard or working inside the computer case.
Alternatively, discharge any static electricity by touching the
bare metal chassis of the computer case, or the bare metal
body of ay other grounded appliance.

!" Hold electronic circuit boards by the edges only. Do not touch

the components on the board unless it is necessary to do so.
Do not flex or stress the circuit board.

!" Leave each component inside the static-proof packaging that it

ships with until you are ready to use the component for the
installation.

Installation

15

Mainboard User’s Manual

3.4. Connector/Jumper Location

16

Connector/Jumper Location

3.5. Attaching Connectors

mounted Standby

to indicate that AC power is available.

3.5.1. Front Panel Connectors (JP6)

There are seven connectors on the mainboard for speaker, switches,
and indicator lights on the system’s front panel.

Hardware Installation

PW SW

RESET

SBLED

HLED

PWRLED &

RLED

This 2-pin connector connects to the case-mounted Power
button.

This 2-pin connector connects to the case-mounted reset
switch and is used to reboot the system.

This 2-pin connector connects to the case­LED to indicate a standby status. The LED remains Lit even
when the system is off
When the system enters standby mode, the LED starts
blinking.

This 2-pin connector connects to the case-mounted HDD
LED to indicate hard disk activity.

This 5-pin connector connects to the case-mounted and the
power LED. The RLED switch is used to indicate Raid
activity .

SPEAKER

Attaching Connectors

This 4-pin connector connects to the case-mounted speaker.

17

Mainboard User’s Manual

3.5.2. Audio CD-In Connector (CD1)

This connector enables you to connect a CD-ROM to the mainboard
and receive stereo audio input.

3.5.3. Audio AUX-IN Connectors (AUX1)

This connector enables you to connect a stereo audio input from
CD-ROM, TV-tuner, or MPEG card.

18

Attaching Connectors

Hardware Installation

3.5.4. Infrared (IR) Connector (IR)

This 5-pinheader connects to an optional wireless transmitting and
receiving infrared module via a cable and a bracket. Configure BIOS
to enable the IrDA port if you attach an infrared module to this
connector. Refer to Integrated Peripherals in Chapter 4 for details.

3.5.5. LAN/Modem Wake up connectors (WOL)

This 3-pin header is used for remote wake up of the computer
through a network or modem signal.

Attaching Connectors

19

Mainboard User’s Manual

3.5.6. Front USB Header (USB2~3)

The mainborad provides one onboard 10-pin of dual USB port (port
3 and port 4) header. The header on the same signal with USB port 1
and port 2 on the back panel.

3.5.7. Floppy Drive Header (FDC)

A floppy disk drive ribbon cable has two connectors to support two
floppy disk drives. The connector with twisted wires always
connects to drive A; the connector with untwisted wires connects to
drive B. You must orient the cable connector so that the pin 1 (color)
edge of the cable corresponds with pin 1 of the I/O port connector.

20

Attaching Connectors

Hardware Installation

3.5.8. IDE Connectors

An IDE drive ribbon cable has two connectors to support two IDE
drives. If a ribbon cable connects to two IDE drives at the same time,
one of them has to be configured as Master and the other has to be
configured as Slave by setting the drive select jumpers on the drive.

Consult the documentation that came with your IDE drive for details
on jumper locations and settings. You must orient the cable
connector so that the pin 1 (color) edge of the cable corresponds to
pin 1 of the I/O port connector.

Attaching Connectors

21

Mainboard User’s Manual

3.5.9. Back Panel Connectors

The back panel provides external access to PS/2 style keyboard and
mouse connectors, two serial ports, one parallel port, dual USB ports,
and audio Line-out, Line-in, Mic-in, game/midi ports which are
integrated on the mainboard. The figures below show the location of
the back panel I/O connectors.

PS/2 Mouse and PS/2 Key board Ports

Connect a PS/2 mouse to the green 6-pin mini DIN connector. The
system will automatically assign IRQ 12 to the PS/2 mouse if one is
connected.

Connect a PS/2 keyboard to the purple 6-pin mini DIN connector.
If you want to connect a standard AT size (large DIN) connector,
you must use and adapter.

LAN Port

Connect a device to the LAN port on the back panel.

22

Attaching Connectors

Hardware Installation

Universal Serial Bus Ports

You can connect two USB devices or USB hubs to the USB ports.

The USB ports provide a hardware interface for low-speed
peripherals such as the keyboard, mouse, joystick, scanner, printer
and telephony devices, and also support MPEG-1 and MPEG-2
digital video. The USB ports have a maximum bandwidth of 480
Mbits/sec (equivalent to 60 Mbytes/sec), and up to 127devices can
be attached. Fast devices can use the full bandwidth, while
lower-speed ones can transfer data using a 60 Mbytes/sec
sub-channel.

Parallel Port

Connect a printer or other parallel device to the burgundy-colored
25-pin parallel port. You can set the parallel port IRQ and parallel
port mode in BIOS. Refer to Integrated Peripherals in Chapter 4 for
details.

Attaching Connectors

23

Mainboard User’s Manual

Serial Port

Connect a serial device such as a mouse or modem to the 9-pin
serial port. You can set the serial port IRQs in BIOS. Refer to
integrated Peripherals in Chapter 4 for details.

Note:

Serial printers must be connected to the serial port.

VGA Port

Connect an external monitor to the blue 15-pin VGA port.

Audio MIDI/GAME Port

You can connect a joystick, game pad, or other game device to the
gold 15-pin game port. You can also connect a MIDI device for
playing or editing audio.

24

Attaching Connectors

Hardware Installation

Audio Line-Out Port

You can connect various audio devices to this audio jacks. Connect
headphones or powered speakers to the lime-colored lineout
connector.

Audio Line-In Port

You can connect a tape player or another audio source to the light
blue Line-in connector to record audio on your computer or to play
audio through your computer’s sound chip and speakers.

Audio Mic-In Port

You can connect a microphone to the pink microphone connector to
record audio to your computer.

Attaching Connectors

25

Mainboard User’s Manual

s damage to the mainboard and connected peripherals.

3.5.10. Power Supply Connector (PW1 / PW2)

The ATX power supply has a single lead connector with a clip on
one side of the plastic housing. There is only one way to plug the
lead into to ATX power connector. Press the lead connector down
until the clip snaps into place and secures the lead onto the
connector.

Warning:

Incorrect installation of the power supply could result in
seriou
Make sure the power supply is unplugged from the AC outlet
before connecting the leads from the power supply.

26

Attaching Connectors

Hardware Installation

3.5.11. CPU/Chipset/System Fan Power Supplies
(FAN1/JP5/JP7)

There are three fan connectors on the mainboard for the cooling fans.
The connectors support fans of 12VDC/500mAMP (six watt) or less.
When the system goes into sleep state, fans should be shut down to
eliminate audible noise and reduce power consumption.

Attaching Connectors

27

Mainboard User’s Manual

3.5.12. PCI Connector (PCI1~3)

PCI connector is one of equipment interfaces that connects
peripheral equipment and motherboard. Its transfer speed is faster
than traditional ISA. PCI is the mainstream transfer interface for
extra adopter.

3.5.13. Serial COM2 Connector (COM2)

The mainboard provides one onboard serial COM2 connector. The
COM2 connector has the same signal with COM1 on the back panel.

28

Attaching Connectors

Hardware Installation

3.5.14. TV-Out Connector (J2)

The mainboard provides one onboard 6-pin for TV-Out connector.

Attaching Connectors

29

Mainboard User’s Manual

3.6. Installing the CPU

3.6.1. Before You Begin

1. Be sure that your processor kit includes the following items:

!" One processor with the fan or heat sink attached
!" One power cable (for CPU with cooling fan attached)

2. Place the mainboard on a workbench (not in a chassis). Be sure
that the mainboard is empty (that is, no DIMMs, cables, or
cards are installed) and that the holes for the fan or heat sink
support pegs are empty.

3.6.2. Installation Procedure

1. On the motherboard, identify the CPU Socket 478 and the
cooling fan power supply connector CPU FAN.

2. Push the CPU socket level slightly to the side and then raise it
as far as it can go.

30

Installing the CPU

Hardware Installation

3. Identify the pin-1 corner of the mPGA478. The pin-1 corner is
on the same side as the locking lever, as shown in the
illustration below.

4. Identify the pin-1 corner of the processor (the pin-1 corner on
the processor has a beveled edge).

5. Align the pin-1 corners and drop the processor into the
mPGA478. The processor should drop into place without any
force. If it doesn’t seat properly, check that you have the pin-1
corner in the correct position.

6. Swing the locking lever down to lock the processor in place and
latch the lever under the catch on the side of the socket.

7. Plug the cable from the heat sink/cooling fan assembly into the
processor cooling fan power supply CPU FAN.

8. Configuration of the processor is carried out using the system
setup utility as described in Chapter 4. Configure the processor
the first time you turn on the assembled computer.

3.6.3. Removing the Processor

First, remove the mainboard from the chassis. To remove the
processor from the mainboard, follow these steps:

1. Disconnect the fan power cable from the mainboard.

2. Push the CPU socket lever slightly to the side and then raise
it as far as it can go. You will feel a resistance as the
processor is freed from the socket.

3. Remove the processor.

Installing the CPU

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Mainboard User’s Manual

3.7. Installing System Memory

Maximum system memory supported by the mainboard is 2 GB.
The mainboard has two DIMM Sockets. Memory can be installed

using 184-pin DDR SDRAM DIMM memory modules. These are no
jumper settings required for the memory size or type, which is
automatically detected by the BIOS.

You must use 2.5V DIMMs in the mainboard. To determine the
DIMM type, check the notches on the DIMMs.

Install the 184-pin DDR SDRAM modules in any combination as
follows:

Bank 0
Bank 1

(DIMM1)
(DIMM2)

64MB/128MB/512MB/1GB
64MB/128MB/512MB/1GB

Total System Memory

32

64MB ~ 2GB

Setting Jumpers

3.8. Setting Jumpers

Refer to the following illustration and instructions to set the jumpers
on your mainboard.

Hardware Installation

3.8.1. CPU FSB Jumper (JP2)

The 3-pin header is used for CPU FSB. You can set “Auto”, “100
MHz” or “133 MHz”.

3.8.2. Clear CMOS Jumper (JP4)

You may need to clear the CMOS if your system cannot boot up
because you forgot your password, the CPU clock setup is incorrect,
or the CMOS setting need to reset to default values after the system
BIOS has been updated.
Refer to the following solutions to reset your CMOS setting:

Solution A

1. Power off the system and disconnect the power cable.

2. Place a shunt to short pin 2 and pin 3 of JP4 for five

Auto Power On

33

Mainboard User’s Manual

seconds.

3. Place the shunt back to pin 1 and pin 2 of JP4.

4. Power on the system.

Solution B

If the CPU clock setup is incorrect, you may not be able to boot up .
In this case, follow these instructions:

1. Turn the system off, then on again. The CPU will
automatically boot up using standard parameters.

2. As the system boots, enter BIOS and set up the CPU clock.

Note:

If you are unable to enter BIOS setup, turn the system on
and off a few times.

3.9. Auto Power On

After losing AC power, the system will not turn on automatically
when the power comes back unless you set the options in BIOS.

This concludes Chapter 4 covers the BIOS setup program.

34

Setting Jumpers

Hardware Installation

4. BIOS Configuration

After the hardware configuration of the mainboard is finished, and the
system hardware has been assembled, the system may be powered up. At
this point, CMOS setup should be run to ensure that system information is
correct.

The mainboard 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 program is a menu driven utility that enables you
to make changes to the system configuration and tailor your system to suit
your individual work needs. It 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:

" !
"!
"!
"!

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

Hard drives, diskette drives, and peripherals
Video display type and display options
Password protection from unauthorized use
Power management features

Auto Power On

35

Mainboard User’s Manual

When changing the password or making other changes to the

This program should be executed under the following conditions:

"!

"!

"!

security setup

Normally, CMOS setup 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.

When changing the system configuration

When a configuration error is detected by the system and you

!"

are prompted to make changes to the Setup program

When resetting the system clock

When setting the CPU clock speed so that it automatically

!"

runs either fast or slow

When redefining the communication ports to prevent any con

!"

flicts

When making changes to the Power Management

!"

configuration

4.1. Entering Setup

When the system is powered on, the BIOS will enter the Power-On
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 the error message.

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

36

Entering Setup

BIOS Configuration

“Press DEL to enter SETUP”

To access the AWARD BIOS SETUP program, press the <DEL> key
to display the “CMOS SETUP UTILITY” screen:
These screens provide access to the utility’s various functions.
Listed below are explanations of the keys displayed at the bottom of the
screen:

Key
Esc

#$%&"

+/-/PU/PD

F10
F1
F5
F6
F7

Function
Escape key: Exits the current menu
Cursor keys: Scroll through the items on a menu
Plus, minus, Page Up and Page Down keys: Modify the

selected field’s values
F10 key: Saves the current configuration and exits setup
F1 key: Displays a screen that explains all key functions
F5 key: Loads previously saved values to CMOS
F6 key: Loads a minimum configuration for troubleshooting
F7 key: Loads optimum set of values for peak performance

Entering Setup

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Mainboard User’s Manual

4.2. Standard CMOS Features

Standard CMOS Features is the same for all three chipsets. Selecting
“Standard CMOS Features” on the main program screen displays
the following menu:

The Standard CMOS Setup utility is similar for all three chipsets and
is used to configure the following features:

Date : Month, Day, Year

Time : Hour, Minute, and Second. Use 24 Hour clock format (for

PM numbers, add 12 to the hour, you would enter 4:30 p.m. As
16:30).

IDE Devices : 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:

38

Standard CMOS Features

BIOS Configuration

! 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.

If your system has an IDE hard drive, you can use this utility to
detect its parameters and enter them into the Standard CMOS Setup
automatically

If the auto-detected parameters displayed do not match the ones
that should be used for your hard drive, do not accept them. Press
the <N> key to reject the values and enter the correct ones manually
in the Standard CMOS Setup screen.

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.

Do not choose “Large” or “Normal” if the hard disk drive is already
fully formatted when you installed it. Select the mode that was used
to format it.

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.”

Standard CMOS Features

39

Mainboard User’s Manual

Access Mode : This item 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 : Select the type of floppy disk drive installed
in your system. The options are:

360K, 5.25 in

!!!!

1.2M, 5.25in

!!!!

!

! 720K, 3.5in

!!

1.44M, 3.5in

!!!!

2.88M, 3.5in

!!!!

!

! None” (Not Installed)

!!

The “Not Installed” option could be used as an option for diskless
workstations.

Video : Set this field to the type of graphics card installed in your system.
If you are using a VGA or higher resolution card, choose the
“EGA/VGA” option. The options are:

MONO

!!!!

CGA 40

!!!!

!

! CGA 80

!!

EGA/VGA

!!!!

40

Standard CMOS Features

BIOS Configuration

Halt On : This setting determines which type of errors will cause the
system to halt during boot up. The options are:

All Errors

!!!!

No Errors

!!!!

All, But Keyboard

!!!!

All, But Diskette

!!!!

All, But Disk/Key”.

!!!!

Base/Extended/Total Memory : These items are automatically
detected by the system at start up time. These are display-only fields.
You cannot make changes to these fields.

After you have made your selections in the Standard CMOS Setup
screen, press <ESC> to go back to the main screen.

Standard CMOS Features

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Mainboard User’s Manual

4.3. Advanced BIOS Features

Selecting “Advanced BIOS Features” on the main program screen
displays this menu, which allows you to define advanced information
about your system. You can make modifications to most of these
items without introducing fatal errors to your system. Note that the
page has a scroll-bar to scroll down to more items.

The following explains the options for each feature:

Virus Warning : When enabled, any attempt to write to the boot
sector or partition table will halt the system and cause a warning
message to appear. If this happens, you can use an anti-virus utility
on a virus free, bootable floppy diskette to reboot and clean your
system. The default setting is “Disabled”.

CPU L1 & L2 Cache : These settings enable the CPU internal (L1)
and external (L2) cache. Enabling these items provides better
performance. The default setting is “Enabled”.

Quick Power On Self Test : This will skip some diagnostic checks
during the Power On Self Test (POST) to speed up the booting
process. The default setting is “Enabled”.

42

Advanced BIOS Features

BIOS Configuration

First/Second/Third Boot Device : 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. The default settings are “Floppy”,
“HDD-0”, or “LS120” respectively.

Boot Other Device : 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. The default setting is “Enabled”.

Swap Floppy Drive : 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. The default
setting is “Disabled”.

Boot Up Floppy Seek : 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 an old diskette drive with 360K
capacity. The default setting is “Enabled”.

Boot Up Numlock Status : If set to “Off,” the cursor controls will
function on the numeric keypad. The default setting is “On”.

Gate A20 Option : This option accesses memory above 1 MB using
the fast gate A20 line when set to “Fast” (default). The other option
is “Normal.”

Typematic Rate Setting : If set to “Enabled,” enables you to set the
Typematic Rate and Typematic Delay. The default setting is
“Disabled”.

Advanced BIOS Features

43

Mainboard User’s Manual

!"Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec) : This setting controls the

speed at which the system registers repeated keystrokes. The
choices range from 6 to 30 Chars/Sec. The default setting is
“6” Chars/Sec.

!"Typematic Delay (Msec) : This setting controls the time

between the display of the first and second characters. There
are four delay choices: 250ms, 500ms, 750ms and 1000ms.
The default setting is “250” ms.

Security Option : This setting controls the password feature. The
options are “Setup” and “System.” Selecting “Setup” will protect the
configuration settings from being tampered with. Select “System” if
you want to use the password feature every time the system boots up.
The default setting is “Setup.” You can create your password by
using the “SUPERVISOR/USER PASSWORD” utility in the main
program screen.

APIC Mode : Enables or disables APIC (Advanced Programmable
Interrupt Controller) mode. APIC provides symmetric
multiprocessing (SMP) for systems, allowing support for up to 60
processors.

MPS Version Control For OS : Selects the operating system
multiprocessor support version. The default setting is “1.4”.

OS Select For DRAM > 64MB : Set to “OS2” if the system
memory size is greater than 64 MB and the operating system is OS/2.
The default setting is “Non-OS2”.

Report No FDD For WIN 95 : If you are running a system with no
floppy drive and using the Windows 95 OS, select Yes for this item
to ensure compatibility with the Windows 95 logo certification.
The default setting is “No.”

44

Advanced BIOS Features

BIOS Configuration

Small Logo (EPA) Show : Enables and disables the EPA logo when
booting up. The default setting is “Disabled”.

After you have made your selections in the BIOS Features Setup
screen, press <ESC> to go back to the main screen.

Advanced BIOS Features

45

Mainboard User’s Manual

4.4. Advanced Chipset Features

Selecting “Advanced Chipset Features” on the main program
screen displays this menu:

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

DRAM Timing Selectable : Enables you to set the DRAM timing
manually, or automatically using SPD (Serial Presence Detect). SPD
is an EEPROM chip on the memory module that stores information
about the memory chips it contains, including size, speed, voltage,
row and column addresses, and manufacturer. We recommend setting
this field to By SPD.

CAS Latency Time : This item enables you to optimize the speed at
which data is accessed in a column by defining CAS latency time.
The CAS latency defines the time delay (in CLKs) before SDRAM
starts a read command after receiving it. Because reading data in a
row is twice as fast, reducing this number can increase performance
at the expense of stability. We recommend that you leave this item at
the default value. The default setting is “1.5”.

46

Advanced Chipset Features

BIOS Configuration

Active to Precharge Delay : This item enables you to set the
number of DRAM clocks for TRAS. TRAS indicates the time
required for the memory to restore data and come to a full charge.
The default setting is “7”.

DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay : Enables you to select the RAS to
CAS delay time in HCLKs of 2/2 or 3/3. The value is set at the
factory depending on the DRAM installed. Do not change the values
in this field unless you have changed the specifications of the
installed DRAM or the installed CPU. The default setting is “3”.

DRAM RAS# Precharge : DRAM must continually be refreshed or
it will lose its data. Normally, DRAM is refreshed entirely as the
result of a single request. This option allows you to determine the
number of CPU clocks allocated for the Row Address Strobe (RAS)
to accumulate its charge before the DRAM is refreshed. If
insufficient time is allowed, refresh may be incomplete and data lost.
The default setting is “3”.

Turbo Mode : Enable you to set the system to enter “ Turbo” mode.
The default is “Disabled”.

Memory Frequency For : Enables you to set the memory frequency
for the installed memory. Select “Auto” (default) to enable the
system to set the memory frequency automatically according to the
installed DRAM. The other options are “PC100”, or “PC133”.

System/ Video BIOS Cacheable : When set to “Enabled”, the
System and Video BIOS will be cached for faster execution. The
default setting is “Enabled”.

Advanced Chipset Features

47

Mainboard User’s Manual

Memory Hole At 15M-16M : If Set to “Enabled”, when the system
memory size is equal to or greater than 16M bytes, the physical
memory address from 15M to 16M will be passed to PCI or ISA and
there will be a 1 MB hole in your system memory. This option is
designed for some OS with special add-in cards which need 15-16
MB memory space. The default setting is “Disabled”.

Delayed Transaction : The chipset has an embedded 32-bit posted
write buffer to support delayed transactions cycles. Select Enabled to
support compliance with PCI specification version 2.1. The default
setting is “ Enabled”.

Delay Prior to Thermal : This item allows you to select the delay
time to enable the Pentium 4 CPU Thermal feature. Enable this
feature when using Windows NT 4.0 to prevent the system from
hanging. The default setting is “ 16Min”, and other options are
“4Min”, “8Min”, or “32Min”.

AGP Aperture Size <MB> : This option determines the effective
size of the AGP Graphic Aperture, where memory-mapped graphic
data structures are located. The default setting is “ 64”, and other
options are “4”, “8”, “16”, “32”, “128”, or “256”.

** On-Chip VGA Setting **

On-Chip VGA : The item allows you to Enable/Disable the VGA

onboard.

On-Chip VGA Frame Buffer Size : This item allows you to control
the VGA Frame Buffer size. The default setting is “8M”.

Boot Display : This item sets display which activate first. The
options are “Auto”, “TV”, “CRT” and “EFP”.

After you have made your selections in the Standard CMOS Setup
screen, press <ESC> to go back to the main screen.

48

Advanced Chipset Features

4.5. Integrated Peripherals

Selecting “Integrated Peripherals” on the main program screen
displays field.

BIOS Configuration

On-Chip Primary/ Secondary PCI IDE :

disable the primary and secondary onboard IDE controllers. The
default setting is “Enabled.”

IDE Primary/Secondary Master/Slave PIO : Each IDE channel
supports a master device and a salve device. These four items let you
assign which kind of PIO (Programmed Input/Output) is used by
IDE devices. Choose select a PIO mode from 0-4.

IDE Primary/Secondary Master/Slave UDMA : Each IDE channel
supports a master device and a salve device. This mainboard
supports Ultra DMA technology, which provides faster access to
IDE devices.

These options enable or

If you install a device that support Ultra DMA, change the
appropriate item on this list to “Auto”. You may have to install the
Ultra DMA driver supplied with this mainboard in order to use an
Ultra DMA device.

Integrated Peripherals

49

Mainboard User’s Manual

USB Controller : Enables the USB controller. Leave this at the
default “Enabled” if you want to connect USB devices to your
computer.

USB Keyboard Support : Enables USB keyboard support for legacy
operating systems. The default setting is “Disabled”.

USB Mouse Support : Enabled this function when a USB mouse is
used. Set to “Disabled” (default) when a PS/2 mouse is being used.

AC97 Audio : Set these items to “Auto” when you are using the
on-board AC’97 audio chip. If you are using an audio add-in card,
you should disable this item.

AC97 Modem : Set these items to “Auto” when you are using the
on-board Modem chip. If you are using an add-in card, you should
disable this item.

Init Display First : Use this item to specify whether your graphics
adapter is installed in one of the PCI slots or is integrated on the
mainboard.

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

50

Integrated Peripherals

BIOS Configuration

POWER ON Function : Enables you to set keyboard or mouse
events, or a password to power on the computer. When set to
“Password,” you must key in your password before pressing any
keyboard key to start the computer. The password is set in the “KB
Power ON Password” field.

If you set this field to “Hot KEY,” you can press a hot key
combination to power on the computer. The hot key is set in the “Hot
Key Power ON” field. Options are:

BUTTON ONLY (default)

!"

Keyboard 98

!"

Password

!"

Hot KEY

!"

Mouse Left

!"

Mouse Right

!"

Any KEY

!"

KB Power ON Password : This field becomes available when you
select “Password” in the POWER ON Function field. Select this field
and press ENTER. You are prompted to input a password. Type in
your password and press ENTER. You are prompted to confirm your
password. Retype your password and press ENTER. Your password
is saved. The next time you power on your computer, you must type
in your password before you can power the computer on. After you
type your password, press any key or the power button.

Hot Key Power ON : This field becomes available when you select
“Hot Key” in the POWER ON Function field. Options for this field
are “Ctrl-F1” ~ ”Ctrl-F12.”

Onboard FDC Controller : This option enables the onboard floppy
disk drive controller.

Integrated Peripherals

51

Mainboard User’s Manual

Onboard Serial Port 1 :

address and address and interrupt request (IRQ) for onboard serial
port 1 (COM1).

Onboard Serial Port 2 :

address and address and interrupt request (IRQ) for onboard serial
port 2 (COM2).

UART Mode Select :

Port 2 field is set to any option but Disabled. UART Mode Select
enables you to select the infrared communication protocol-Normal
(default), IrDA, or ASKIR. IrDA is an 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.

RxD , TxD Active :

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

This option is used to assign the I/O

This option is used to assign the I/O

This field is available if the Onboard Serial

Define the voltage level for Infrared module

The options are:

! Hi, Lo (default)
! Lo, Hi
! Lo, Lo

! Hi, Hi

IR Transmission Delay :

the capability of the mainboard to allow faster infrared transmission
rates. The options are “Enabled” and “Disabled”

UR2 Duplex Mode :

Selects is set to either ASKIR or IrDA. This item enables you to
determine the infrared (IR) function of the onboard infrared chip.
The option are “Full” and “Halt” (default).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.

When set to “Enabled”(default), utilizes

This field is available when UART 2 Mode

52

Integrated Peripherals

BIOS Configuration

Use IR Pins : Use this item to set the IR pins. The options are
“IR-Rx2Tx2”(default) and “RxD2, TxD2”.

Onboard Parallel Port : This option is used to assign the I/O
address for the onboard parallel port. The options are:

! 378 / IRQ7 (default)
! 278 / IRQ5
! 3BC / IRQ7

! Disabled (disables the onboard parallel port).

Parallel Port Mode : There are four options: “SPP” (Standard
Parallel Port), “EPP” (Enhanced Parallel Port), “ECP” (Extended
Capabilities Port) and “ECP+EPP” and “Normal”. Change the mode
from “SPP”(default) to the enhanced mode only if your peripheral
device can support it.

EPP Mode Select : Sets the EPP specification. There are two option
“EPP1.7”(default) and “EPP1.9”.

ECP Mode Use DMA : When the onboard parallel port is set to
ECP mode, the parallel port can use DMA “3” or DMA “1”.

Game Port Address : Enables you to specify the I/O address of the
game port. Options are “Disabled”,”201”(default), and “209”.

Midi Port Address : Enables you to specify the I/O address of the
MIDI port. Options are “Disabled”,”330”(default), and “300” and
“290”.

Midi Port IRQ : Enables you to specify the IRQ address of the
MIDI port if installed. Option are “5” and “10”(default).

After you have mode your selections in the BIOS Features Setup
screen, press <ESC> to go back to the main screen.

Integrated Peripherals

53

Mainboard User’s Manual

and off by external devices, so that mouse or keyboard

4.6. Power Management Setup

This option lets you control system power management. The system
has various power-saving modes including powering down the hard
disk, turning off the video, suspending to RAM, and software power
down that allows the system to be automatically resumed by certain
events.

ACPI Function : When set to “Enabled”, turns on the ACPI
Function . The default setting is “Disabled”.

Note:

ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface)
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

activity wakes up the computer.

54

Power Management Setup

BIOS Configuration

""

ACPI Suspend Type : Use this item to define how your system
suspends. If set to S1(POS) (default), the suspend mode is equivalent
to a software power down. If set to S3(STR), the suspend mode is a
suspend to RAM the system shuts down with the exception of a
refresh current to the system memory.

"

Run VGABIOS if S3 Resume : The options are “Auto”,

!"

“Yes”, “No”. This item set to run VGA BIOS when S3
Resume.

"

Power Management : 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
time-out. If the item is set to User Define, you can insert your own
timeouts for the power-saving modes. There are four options:

User Define: allows you to customize all power saving timer

!"

features
Max Saving: recommended setting for general use

!"

Min Saving: sets power saving at minimum values

!"

"

Video Off Method : This setting controls the video off method in
power saving mode. The default setting “V/H SYNC+Blank”
disables V/H SYNC signals and blanks the screen. Other options are
“DPMS” and “Blank Screen.” The “DPMS” option allows the BIOS
to control the video card if it has the DPMS (Display Power
Management System) feature. The “Blank Screen” option is used
when you do not have a “Green” monitor.

"

Video Off In Suspend : Set this to “Yes ” (default) if you want the
Video display to turn off during suspend mode.

"

Suspend Type : Enables you to select the Suspend type. Options are
“Stop Grant” (default) and “PwrOn Suspend.”

Power Management Setup

"

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Mainboard User’s Manual

"

"

MODEM Use IRQ : 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

"

Suspend Mode : 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.” The default is “Disable.”

"

HDD Power Down : 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.

"

Soft-Off by PWR-BTTN : When set to “Instant-Off” (default),
pressing the power button will turn off the system power. When set
to “Delay 4 Sec.” you have to press the power button and hold it for
more than 4 seconds to turn off the system power. Otherwise, the
system just goes into suspend mode. The options are “Instant-Off”
and “Delay 4 Sec”.

"

CPU THRM-Throttling : This item sets the percentage of time that
the CPU is idled if CPU throttling is initiated by excess heat. The
options are:

!" 50.0% (default)
!" 37.5%
!" 25.0%
!" 12.5%
!" 87.5%
!" 75.0%
!" 62.5%

56

Power Management Setup

BIOS Configuration

"

"

Wake-Up by PCI card : This setting enables/disables PCI card
wakeup for PCI spec2.2. The default is “Enabled.”

"

Power On by Ring : When set to “Enabled,” any activity on the
Modem port will wake up the system from a power saving mode. The
options are “Disabled” and “Enabled” (default)."

"

Wake Up On LAN : When set to “Enabled”, the system power will
be turned on if the LAN port receives an incoming signal. Default
setting is “Enabled.”

"

USB KB Wake-Up From S3 : Use this item to enable USB

!"

activity to wakeup the system from a power saving mode.
The default setting is “Disabled.”

"

"

Resume By Alarm : When set to “Enabled,” you may set the date
(day of the month), hour, minute and second to turn on your system.
When set to set “0” (zero) for the day of the month, the alarm will
power on your system every day at the specified time. The default
setting is “Disabled.”

"

Date <of Month> Alarm :

!"

"

Time <hh:mm:ss> Alarm :

!"

"

**Reload Global Timer Events**

Global Timer (power management) events are I/O events whose
occurrence can prevent the system from entering a power saving
mode or can awaken the system from such a mode. In effect, the
system remains alert for anything that occurs to a device that is
configured as Enabled, even when the system is in a power down
mode.

Power Management Setup

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Mainboard User’s Manual

Primary/Secondary IDE 0/1: When enabled, any activity on the
primary or secondary IDE channels will wake up the system from a
power saving mode.

FDD, COM, LPT Port: When enabled, any activity on the floppy
disk drive (FDD), serial ports (COM), or parallel ports (LPT) will
wake up the system from a power saving mode.

PCI PIRQ[A-D]#: When enabled, any activity on the PCI card
channels will wake up the system from a power saving mode.

Press <ESC> to return to the main menu.

"

"

"

.

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Power Management Setup

BIOS Configuration

4.7. PnP/PCI Configuration

This option displays a table of items that configures how PnP (Plug
and Play) and PCI expansion cards operate in your 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 assignments correctly through the PnP/PCI
Configurations Setup utility; otherwise, the mainboard will not
properly.

Selecting PnP/PCI Configurations on the main program screen
displays this menu:

Reset Configuration Data : The system BIOS supports the Plug
and Play feature so the resources assigned to each peripheral have to
be recorded to prevent them from conflicting. The location to store
the assigned resources is called ESCD (Extended System
Configuration Data) which is located in the system flash EEPROM.
If this option is set to “Disabled,” the ESCD will update
automatically when the new configuration varies from the last one.
If set to “Enable,” the ESCD will be cleared and updated and then
this option will automatically be set to “Disabled.”

PnP/PCI Configuration

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Mainboard User’s Manual

Resources Controlled By : The setting “Manual” allows you to
control IRQs and DMAs individually. The other option is “Auto”
which will detect the system resources and automatically assign the
relative IRQs and DMAs for each peripheral.

IRQ Resources : The submenu allows you to individually

!"

assign an interrupt type for interrupts IRQ3 to IRQ15.

"

PCI/VGA Palette Snoop : This item is designed to overcome
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.

"

"

After you have made your selections in the PC Health Status Setup,
press <Esc> to go back to the main program screen.

60

PnP/PCI Configuration

4.8. PC Health Status

On mainboards the support hardware monitoring, this item lets you
monitor the parameters for critical voltages, critical temperatures
and fan speeds:

Selecting “PC Health Status” on the main program screen displays
this menu:

BIOS Configuration

CPU Warning Temperature : This feature enables you to set the
warning temperature for CPU overheating. When the CPU
temperature exceeds the set temperature, the PC speaker will beep.
The beep sound will not turn off unless you power down the
computer and allow your CPU to cool down.

System Component Characteristics: These fields provide you with
information about the systems current operating status. You cannot
make changes to these fields. The following information is
displayed:

Current System Temp.

•

Current CPU Temperature

•

Current CPU FAN Speed

•

Current FAN2 Speed

•

PC Health Status

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Mainboard User’s Manual

Current FAN3 Speed

•

Vcore (CPU Vcore Voltage)

•

Vcc3 (Onboard 3.3V)

•

+ 5V

•

+12V (power supply’s +12 volt)

•

-12V (power supply’s -12 volt)

•

VBAT(V) (CMOS Battery Voltage)

•

5VSB(V) (Standby 5V)

•

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

After you have made your selections in the PC Health Status Setup,
press <Esc> to go back to the main program screen.

62

PC Health Status

BIOS Configuration

4.9. Frequency/Voltage Control

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

CPU Clock Ratio : Use this item to select a multiplier for the
system front side bus (FSB) frequency. The value of the multiplier
must be set so that: Multiplier x Front side Bus Frequency = CPU
Clock Speed.

For example, if you have a processor that is rated to run at 450 MHz
and the system in running a front side bus frequency of 100 MHz,
you should select a multiplier of 4.5 so that:

4.5 (Multiplier) x 100 MHz (front side bus) = 450 MHz (CPU clock)

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

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

Frequency/Voltage Control

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Mainboard User’s Manual

CPU Host/3V66/PCI Clock : This item appears if you have set the
CPU Internal Core Speed to Manual. Use the CPU/PCI Clock to set
the system bus frequency for the installed processor. The values for
this field range from 100/66/33 MHz to 130/87/43 MHz

After you have made your selections in the Frequency / Voltage
Control Setup, press the <Esc> to return to the previous screen.

.

64

Frequency/Voltage Control

BIOS Configuration

4.10. 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>.

4.11. Load Optimized Defaults

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>.

4.12. Set Supervisor/User Passwords

The “Supervisor/User Password” utility sets the password.

The mainboard is shipped with the password disabled. If you want
to change the password, you must first enter the current password,
then at the prompt enter your new password. The password is case
sensitive. You can use up to eight alphanumeric characters.

Load/Fail-Safe Default Option

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Mainboard User’s Manual

problem is to discharge the CMOS memory by turning

short pin 2 and pin 3 for five seconds, then putting the

Press <Enter> after entering the password. At the next prompt,
confirm the new password by retyping it and pressing <Enter>
again.

To disable the password, press <Enter> instead of entering a new
password when the “Enter Password” dialog box appears. A
message appears confirming that the password has been disabled.

If you have set supervisor and user passwords, only the supervisor
password allows you to enter the BIOS Setup Program.

Note:

If you forget your password, the only way to solve this

power off and placing a shunt on jumper JP12 to

shunt back to pin 1 and pin 2 of JP12.

4.13. Save & Exit Setup Option

Selecting this option and pressing <Enter> will save the new
setting information in the CMOS memory and continue with the
booting process.

4.14. Exit Without Saving

Selecting this option and pressing <Enter> will exit the Setup
Utility without recording any new values or changing old ones.

Th i s c o n c l u d e s C h a pter 4. C h a p t e r 5 describes the drivers and utility
programs that are packaged with the mainboard.

66

Save & Exit Setup Option

5. Driver and Utility

5.1 Flash Utility

The BIOS of the P8F150 mainboard can be upgraded by using a Flash
utility. A new version of the BIOS can be downloaded from the
factory’s BBS and Web site. The system BIOS is stored in a 2 M-bit
Flash EEPROM that can be erased and reprogrammed by the Flash
utility.

There are two files in the D:\DRIVER\FLASH directory :

FLASH.EXE Flash utility for AWARD BIOS upgrade

!

README.TXT

!

The Flash utility will not work with any memory manager software
running in the system. In order to make sure no memory manager
software is running, boot your system from a bootable floppy diskette
which does not contain CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXE.BAT files. If
you are using MS-DOS 6.x, you can press the <F5> function key
when the “Starting MS-DOS.” Message appears on the screen to by
pass the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT.

Text File of instructions

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Mainboard User’s Manual

5.2. CD Driver Overview

The mainboard has drivers and utilities designed for the Intel 845
chipset. You can install AGP, IRQ, ACPI and IDE drivers together
from the manufacturer support CD. The support CD has an easy to
use menu that enables you to automatically install the drivers and
software that you want.

The P8F150 CD include

1. Install Mainboard Software (Intel 845)

2. Install Audio Device Software (ALC)

3. Install RAID driver (Promise)

4. Install Intel USB2 driver (Intel USB2)

Click the links to install the listed software, read the online
manual, read a list of the mainboard’s features, or browse to the
Freetech homepage.

You can also browse the CD and install the software manually
from Windows Explorer We recommend that you install all of the
supplied software and drivers item for maximum performance.

68

CD Driver Overview

Driver and Utility

5.2.1. Intel chipset 845 INF driver

This folder has chipset 845 INF drivers for WIN 95 / 98 / ME /

NT / 2000 / XP.

The Installation Steps:

1. Insert the manufacturer CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive.

2. Click Driver Install.

3. Select the folder Driver\Intel\Inf driver for WIN 95 / 98 / ME /

NT / 2000 / XP to start the installation:

4. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the

installation. After setup is completed, you need to restart the
computer.

5.2.2 . Intel chipset 845 Busmater IDE driver

This folder has chipset 845 Busmater IDE drivers for WIN 95 /

98 / ME / NT / 2000 / XP.

The Installation Steps:

1. Insert the manufacturer CD-ROM into your PC CD-ROM

drive.

2. Click Driver Install.

3. Select the folder Driver\Intel\IAA\Disk1 driver for WIN 95 /

98 / ME / NT / 2000 / XP to start the installation:

4. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the

installation. After setup is completed, you need to restart the
computer.

CD Driver Overview

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Mainboard User’s Manual

5.2.3. ALC201 Audio Driver

Software and drivers are provided for the 82801DB codec sound
system that is integrated on this mainboard. The 82801DB codec
allows the system to generate optimal sound effects. Drivers are
provided for Windows 95 / 98 / ME / NT / 2000 / XP.

The manual Installation Steps:

1. Insert the manufacturer CD-ROM into your PC CD-ROM
drive.

2. Click Driver Install.

3. Select the folder Driver\Sound\ALC driver for WIN95 / 98 /
ME / NT / 2000 / XP to start the installation:

4. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the
installation. After setup is completed, you need to restart the
computer.

5.2.4. LAN Driver

Software and drivers are provided for the Realtek RTL8100
controller that is integrated on this mainboard. The Realtek
RTL8100 controller allows the system to transmit effects.
Drivers are provided for Windows WIN 95 / 98 / ME / NT /
2000 / XP.

The installation Steps:

1. Insert the manufacturer CD-ROM into your PC CD-ROM
drive.

2. Click Driver Install.

3. Select the folder Driver\LAN\8100 driver for WIN95 / 98 /
ME / NT / 2000 / XP to start the installation:

70

CD Driver Overview

5.3. Online Services

Flexus Computer Technology, under the Freetech brand name, has
consistently won recognition for excellence in the design and
manufacturing of high quality mainboards!

Our products are globally recognized among the leading
cost-performance mainboards in the industry today and we are a
certified ISO-9002 manufacturer!

Our customers are our partners! Flexus practices partnership service
“not customer service”! Our attention to partnership service is
aggressive and proactive, by using our global partnership service
system. We create value for our partners in the high-end market and
we are always ready to see to our partners’ requirements, because at
Flexus, we believe our partners’ success is our success!

If you need technical support, information on products, or updated
versions of the BIOS, drivers and utilities access the Internet and
point your browser to:

www.freetech.com

Driver and Utility

Online Services

71