MSI K8NGM2 User Manual

K8NGM2 Series

MS-7207 (v2.X) Micro-ATX Mainboard

G52-M7207X5

i

FCC-B Radio Frequency Interference Statement

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 instruction manual, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference
will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the
equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one
or more of the measures listed below.

=Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
=Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
=Connec the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the

receiver is connected.

=Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for help.

Notice 1

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

Notice 2

Shielded interface cables and A.C. power cord, if any, must be used in order to
comply with the emission limits.

VOIR LA NOTICE D’INSTALLATION AVANT DE RACCORDER AU RESEAU.

Micro-Star International
MS-7207

ii

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions:
(1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that
may cause undesired operation

Copyright Notice

The material in this document is the intellectual property of MICRO-STAR
INTERNATIONAL. We take every care in the preparation of this document, but no

guarantee is given as to the correctness of its contents. Our products are under
continual improvement and we reserve the right to make changes without notice.

Trademarks

All trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.
AMD, Athlon™ 64 and Athlon™ FX are registered trademarks of AMD Corporation.

Intel® and Pentium® are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
PS/2 and OS®/2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines
Corporation.
Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Windows® 98/2000/NT/
XP are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, DualNet, and nForce are registered trademarks or trade­marks of NVIDIA Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Netware® is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc.
Award® is a registered trademark of Phoenix Technologies Ltd.
AMI® is a registered trademark of American Megatrends Inc.
Kensington and MicroSaver are registered trademarks of the Kensington Technology
Group.
PCMCIA and CardBus are registered trademarks of the Personal Computer Memory
Card International Association.

Revision History

Revision Revision History Date

V1.0 First release for PCB 1.X with Nov. 2005

V2.0 For RoHS Apr. 2006

nVidia GeForce 6150/6100 &
nForce 430/410

iii

Technical Support

If a problem arises with your system and no solution can be obtained from the user’ s
manual, please contact your place of purchase or local distributor. Alternatively,
please try the following help resources for further guidance.
† Visit the MSI homepage & FAQ site for technical guide, BIOS updates, driver

updates, and other information: http://www.msi.com.tw & http://www.msi.

com.tw/program/service/faq/faq/esc_faq_list.php

† Contact our technical staff at: http://support.msi.com.tw

Safety Instructions

1. Always read the safety instructions carefully.

2. Keep this User’s Manual for future reference.

3. Keep this equipment away from humidity.

4. Lay this equipment on a reliable flat surface before setting it up.

5. The openings on the enclosure are for air convection hence protects the equip­ment from overheating. Do not cover the openings.

6. Make sure the voltage of the power source and adjust properly 110/220V be­fore connecting the equipment to the power inlet.

7. Place the power cord such a way that people can not step on it. Do not place
anything over the power cord.

8. Always Unplug the Power Cord before inserting any add-on card or module.

9. All cautions and warnings on the equipment should be noted.

10. Never pour any liquid into the opening that could damage or cause electrical
shock.

11. If any of the following situations arises, get the equipment checked by a service
personnel:

† The power cord or plug is damaged.
† Liquid has penetrated into the equipment.
† The equipment has been exposed to moisture.
† The equipment has not work well or you can not get it work according to

User’s Manual.

† The equipment has dropped and damaged.
† The equipment has obvious sign of breakage.

12. Do not leave this equipment in an environment unconditioned, storage
temperature above 600 C (1400F), it may damage the equipment.

CAUTION: Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced.

Replace only with the same or equivalent type recommended by the
manufacturer.

iv

WEEE Statement

v

vi

vii

CONTENTS

FCC-B Radio Frequency Interference Statement..........................................................ii

Copyright Notice..............................................................................................................iii

Technical Support..........................................................................................................iv

Safety Instructions.........................................................................................................iv

WEEE Statement..............................................................................................................v

Chapter 1. Getting Started....................................................................................1-1

Mainboard Specifications...................................................................................1-2

Mainboard Layout................................................................................................1-5

Packing Checklist.................................................................................................1-6

Chapter 2. Hardware Setup..................................................................................2-1

Quick Components Guide...................................................................................2-2

Central Processing Unit: CPU.............................................................................2-3

CPU Installation Procedures for Socket 939.............................................2-4

Installing AMD Athlon64 CPU Cooler Set....................................................2-5

Memory.................................................................................................................2-7

DIMM Module Combination...........................................................................2-7

Installing DDR Modules................................................................................2-8

Power Supply......................................................................................................2-9

ATX 24-Pin Power Connector: ATX1.........................................................2-9

ATX 12V Power Connector: JPW1............................................................2-9

Back Panel.........................................................................................................2-10

Mouse/Keyboard Connector....................................................................2-10

VGA Connector ( for GeForce 6150 only).............................................2-10

Digital Panel Connector (for GeForce 6150 only)(optional)....................2-11

USB Connectors.........................................................................................2-11

LAN (RJ-45) Jack:10/100 LAN (RTL8201CL) or Giga-bit LAN (VSC8201RX

: optional) .............................................................................................2-12

Audio Port Connectors & Audio Header (J1)..........................................2-13

IEEE 1394 Port (optional)...........................................................................2-13

Parallel Port Connector: LPT1...................................................................2-14

Connectors........................................................................................................2-15

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1........................................................2-15

Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1 / SYSFAN1 / NBFAN1.....................2-15

ATA133 Hard Disk Connectors: IDE1 & IDE2...........................................2-16

Serial ATAII Connectors: SATA1~SATA4.................................................2-17

CD-In Connector: JCD1.............................................................................2-18

Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1......................................................2-18

viii

Chassis Intrusion Switch Connector: JCI1..............................................2-18

SPDIF-Out/ SPDIF-In Connector: JSPDO1/JSPDI1 (SPDIF-In is optional)2-19

Audio-out Connector: J1...........................................................................2-19

Serial Port Header: JCOM1 (Optional).....................................................2-20

IEEE 1394 Connectors: J1394_1 (Optional)............................................2-20

Front Panel Connector: JFP1/JFP2...........................................................2-21

IrDA Infrared Module Header: JIR1.........................................................2-21

TV-Out Connector: JTV1 (For GeForce 6150 Only, Optional)...............2-22

Front USB Connectors: JUSB1/ JUSB2...................................................2-23

Button.................................................................................................................2-23

Clear CMOS Button: SW1..........................................................................2-24

Slots....................................................................................................................2-25

PCI Express Slots......................................................................................2-25

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slots......................................2-25

PCI Interrupt Request Routing...................................................................2-25

Chapter 3. BIOS Setup............................................................................................3-1

Entering Setup.....................................................................................................3-2

Control Keys................................................................................................3-2

Getting Help..................................................................................................3-3

The Main Menu.....................................................................................................3-4

Standard CMOS Features...................................................................................3-6

Advanced BIOS Features...................................................................................3-9

Advanced Chipset Features.............................................................................3-11

Integrated Peripherals.......................................................................................3-14

Power Management Features..........................................................................3-17

PNP/PCI Configurations.....................................................................................3-20

H/W Monitor........................................................................................................3-23

Cell_Menu...........................................................................................................3-24

Load Fail-Safe/ Optimized Defaults.................................................................3-26

BIOS Setting Password....................................................................................3-27

Chapter 4. Introduction to DigiCell.....................................................................4-1

Main......................................................................................................................4-2

Introduction:.................................................................................................4-2

H/W Diagnostic....................................................................................................4-4

Communication.....................................................................................................4-5

Software Access Point.......................................................................................4-6

Terminology..................................................................................................4-6

ix

Access Point Mode.....................................................................................4-7

WLAN Card Mode........................................................................................4-8

Live Update..........................................................................................................4-9

MEGA STICK.......................................................................................................4-10

Basic Function...........................................................................................4-10

Non-Unicode programs supported...........................................................4-12

PC Alert...............................................................................................................4-14

Power on Agent.................................................................................................4-15

Power Off / Restart...................................................................................4-16

Start With....................................................................................................4-16

Auto Login..................................................................................................4-17

Chapter 5. nVidia RAID Introduction................................................................5-1

Introduction..........................................................................................................5-2

System Requirement...................................................................................5-2

RAID Arrays.................................................................................................5-2

Summary of RAID Configurations..............................................................5-2

RAID Configuration..............................................................................................5-3

Basic Configuration Instructions................................................................5-3

Setting Up the NVRAID BIOS......................................................................5-3

Installing the RAID Driver (for bootable RAID Array)...............................5-7

NVIDIA RAID Utility Installation............................................................................5-9

Installing the NVIDIA RAID Software under Windows (for Non-bootable RAID

Array)...................................................................................................................5-9

Initializing and Using the Disk Array..........................................................5-11

RAID Drives Management.................................................................................5-12

Viewing RAID Array Configurations........................................................5-12

Setting Up a Spare RAID Disk...................................................................5-13

Morphing From One RAID Array to Another............................................5-17

Hot Plug Array............................................................................................5-18

Initializing a RAID Array.............................................................................5-19

Rebuilding a RAID Array............................................................................5-22

Synchronizing a RAID Array....................................................................5-25

Usind Disk Alert.........................................................................................5-26

Appendix A: Introduction to Realtek ALC880..................................................A-1

Installing the Audio Driver...................................................................................A-2

Installation for Windows 2000/XP..............................................................A-2

Software Configuration......................................................................................A-4

Sound Effect................................................................................................A-5

x

Mixer.............................................................................................................A-8

AudioIO.......................................................................................................A-12

S/PDIF.........................................................................................................A-15

Microphone................................................................................................A-17

3D Audio Demo...........................................................................................A-18

Information..................................................................................................A-19

Using 2-, 4-, 6- & 8- Channel Audio Function.................................................A-20

Appendix B: Using the TV-Out Function (HDTV-Out Integrated).................B-1

Installing the TV-Out Bracket..............................................................................B-2

Connecting S-Video/ RCA & HDTV Cables.......................................................B-3

Display Setup.......................................................................................................B-6

xi

Getting Started

Chapter 1. Getting
Started

Getting Started

Thank you for choosing the K8NGM2 Series (MS-7207 v2.X)

Micro ATX mainboard. The K8NGM2 Series mainboards are based on
nVidia® GeForce 6150/6100 & nVidia® nForce 430/410 chipsets
for optimal system efficiency. Designed to fit the advanced AMD® K8
Athlon 64 FX processor, the K8NGM2 Series deliver a high perfor­mance and professional desktop platform solution.

1-1

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Mainboard Specifications

CPU

† Supports 64-bit AMD® K8 Athlon64/ Athlon64FX processor (Socket 939).
† Supports 4800+ and higher CPU.

(For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://www.msi.com.tw/pro­gram/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_cpu_support.php)

Chipset

† nVidia® GeForce 6150/6100 Chipset (Optional)

- HyperTransportTM connection to AMD K8 Athlon64 processor.

- 8 or 16 bit control/address/data transfer both directions.

- 1GHz “Double Data Rate” operation both direction.

- Supports one PCI-E x16 slot.

- Graphic integrated.

† nVidia® nForce 430/410 Chipset (Optional)

- nForce 430 supports dual channel native SATA controller up to 300MB/s, nForce
410 supports single channel native SATA controller up to 300MB/s.

- nForce 430 supports RAID 0, 1, 0+1,and 5, nForce 410 supports RAID 0, 1 only.

- Ultra DMA 66/100/133 master mode PCI EIDE controller.

- ACPI & PC2001 compliant enhanced power management.

- Supports USB2.0 up to 8 ports.

- Supports HD audio.

Main Memory

† Supports DDR333/400 DDR SDRAM for dual channel.
† Supports a maximum memory size of 4GB.

(For the updated supporting memory modules, please visit http://www.msi.com.
tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_trp_list.php.)

Slots

† One PCI Express x 16 slot.
† One PCI Express x 1 slot.
† Two 32-bit Master 3.3v/5v PCI Bus slots.

Onboard IDE

† An IDE controller on the nVidia® nForce 430/410 chipset provides IDE HDD/CD-

ROM with PIO, Bus Master and Ultra DMA 66/100/133 operation modes.

† Can connect up to 4 IDE devices.

Onboard Serial ATA

† Supports 4 SATAII ports with up to 300MB/s transfer rate (nForce 410 supports

2 Serial ATAII ports only).

USB Interface

† 8 USB ports

- 4 ports in the rear I/O, 4 ports via the external bracket

1-2

Getting Started

MSI Reminds You...

1.Please note that users cannot install OS, either WinME or Win98,
in their SATA hard drives. Under these two OSs, SATA can only be
used as an ordinary storage device.

2.To create a bootable RAID volume for a Windows 2000 environment,
Microsoft’s Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (SP4) is required. As
the end user cannot boot without SP4, a combination installation
CD must be created before attempting to install the operating sys­tem onto the bootable RAID volume.
To create the combination installation CD, please refer to the fol­lowing website:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/downloads/
servicepacks/sp4/HFdeploy.htm

LAN

† VITESSE VSC8201RX/ Realtek 8201CL (Optional)

- Compliant with PCI v2.2.

- Supports ACPI Power Management.

- Supports 10Mb/s, 100Mb/s or 1000Mb/s. (for VSC8201RX only)

IEEE 1394 (Optional)

† Supports two IEEE1394 ports, transfer rate is up to 400Mbps.
† Controlled by VIA VT6307/VT6308 chipset (optional).

Audio

† 8 channels HD audio codec Realtek ALC880

- High Definition link controller integrated in nForce 430/410.

On-Board Peripherals

† On-Board Peripherals include:

- 1 floppy port supports 2 FDD with 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88Mbytes

- 1 VGA port

- 1 DVI port (for GeForce 6150, optional)

- 2 IEEE1394 ports (Rear*1/ Front*1) (optional)

- 1 parallel port supporting SPP/EPP/ECP mode

- 8 USB2.0 ports (Rear*4/Front*4)

- 1 Audio (Line-In/Line-Out/MIC) port

- 1 Audio header (Rear/ central/side output)

- 1 TV-out header (for GeForce 6150, optional)

- 1 RJ-45 LAN Jack

- 2 IDE ports support 4 IDE devices

- 2/4 serial ATAII ports (nForce 410/430)

BIOS

† The mainboard BIOS provides “Plug & Play” BIOS which detects the peripheral

devices and expansion cards of the board automatically.

1-3

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

† The mainboard provides a Desktop Management Interface (DMI) function which

records your mainboard specifications.

Dimension

† Micro-ATX Form Factor: 24.4cm X 24.4cm

Mounting

† 8 mounting holes

1394 GUID address

Label (optional)

1-4

MSI Reminds You...

1. Each board will be given a unique 1394 GUID from the
manufacturer’s default settings in the system BIOS.

2. Use the flash utility or Live Update from MSI’s website for BIOS
update. The 1394 GUID address is burnt in the BIOS core. If the 1394
GUID address is lost due to an unpredictable event, such as replac­ing a new BIOS chip, users can use the utility from MSI’s website by
entering the 1394 GUID address to recover its original one.

Mainboard Layout

Getting Started

K8NGM2 Series (MS-7207 v2.X)

M-ATX Mainboard

1-5

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Packing Checklist

MSI motherboard

Power Cable (Optional)

1394 Bracket (Optional) USB Bracket (Optional)

MSI Driver/Utility CD

Standard Cable for

Floppy Disk

SATA Cable (Optional)

Standard Cable for

IDE Devices

Back IO Shield

User’ s Guide

* The pictures are for reference only. Your packing contents may vary depending on
the model you purchased.

TV-out Bracket

(Optional)

Audio-out Bracket

(Optional)

1-6

Hardware Setup

Chapter 2. Hardware
Setup

Hardware Setup

This chapter tells you how to install the CPU, memory modules,
and expansion cards, as well as how to setup the jumpers on the
mainboard. Also, it provides the instructions on connecting the pe­ripheral devices, such as the mouse, keyboard, etc.

While doing the installation, be careful in holding the compo­nents and follow the installation procedures.

2-1

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Quick Components Guide

JTV1,

p.2-22

JPW1, p.2-9

JCOM1, p.2-20

Back Panel
I/O, p.2-10

SYSFAN1,

p.2-15

NBFAN1,

p.2-15

PCI Express
Slots, p.2-25

PCI Slots,

p.2-25

J1, p.2-19

CPU, p.2-3

CPUFAN1, p.2-15

DDR DIMMs, p.2-7

JCI1,

p.2-18

FDD1, p.2-15

ATX1, p.2-9

IDE1/2, p.2-16

SATA1~4,

p.2-17

JFP2, p.2-21

JCD1, p.2-18

JAUD1, p.2-18

JSPDO1, p.2-19

2-2

JSPDI1,

p.2-19

J1394_1,

p.2-19

JFP1, p.2-21

JUSB1, JUSB2,

p.2-23

SW1, p.2-24

Hardware Setup

Central Processing Unit: CPU

The mainboard supports AMD® Athlon64 processor. The mainboard uses a
CPU socket called Socket-939 for easy CPU installation. When you are installing the
CPU, make sure the CPU has a heat sink and a cooling fan attached on the
top to prevent overheating. If you do not have the heat sink and cooling fan,
contact your dealer to purchase and install them before turning on the computer.

For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://www.msi.com.tw/pro­gram/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_cpu_support.php.

MSI Reminds You...

Overheating

Overheating will seriously damage the CPU and system, always make
sure the cooling fan can work properly to protect the CPU from
overheating.

Replacing the CPU

While replacing the CPU, always turn off the ATX power supply or
unplug the power supply’s power cord from grounded outlet first to
ensure the safety of CPU.

2-3

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Gold arrow

Gold arrow

Gold arrow

Correct CPU placement

O

CPU Installation Procedures for Socket 939

1.Please turn off the power and
unplug the power cord before
installing the CPU.

2.Pull the lever sideways away
from the socket. Make sure to
raise the lever up to a 90-de­gree angle.

3.Look for the gold arrow of the
CPU. The gold arrow should point
as shown in the picture. The CPU
can only fit in the correct
orientation.

4.If the CPU is correctly installed,
the pins should be completely
embedded into the socket and
can not be seen. Please note
that any violation of the correct
installation procedures may
cause permanent damages to
your mainboard.

Sliding

Plate

Open Lever

90 degree

5. Press the CPU down firmly into

2-4

the socket and close the lever.
As the CPU is likely to move while
the lever is being closed, al­ways close the lever with your
fingers pressing tightly on top of
the CPU to make sure the CPU is
properly and completely embed­ded into the socket.

Hardware Setup

Installing AMD Athlon64 CPU Cooler Set

When you are installing the CPU, make sure the CPU has a heat sink and

a cooling fan attached on the top to prevent overheating. If you do not have

the heat sink and cooling fan, contact your dealer to purchase and install them before
turning on the computer.

MSI Reminds You...

Mainboard photos shown in this section are for demonstration of the
cooler installation for Socket 939 CPUs only. The appearance of
your mainboard may vary depending on the model you purchase.

1.Detach the shield off the backplate’s

paster.

2.Turn over the mainboard, and install
the backplate to the proper position.

3.Turn over the mainboard again, and
place the mainboard on the flat
surface. Locate the two screw holes
of the mainboard.

4.Align the retention mechanism and
the backplate.

Fix the retention mechanism and the
backplate with two screws.

retention mechanism

2-5

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

5.Position the cooling set onto the re­tention mechanism.

Hook one end of the clip to hook
first, and then press down the other
end of the clip to fasten the cooling
set on the top of the retention
mechanism.

6.Locate the Fix Lever, Safety Hook
and the Fixed Bolt.

Lift up the intensive fixed lever.

Safety Hook

7.Fasten down the lever.

8.Make sure the safety hook completely
clasps the fixed bolt of the retention
mechanism.

9.Attach the CPU Fan cable to the CPU
fan connector on the mainboard.

2-6

Fixed Lever

MSI Reminds You...

While disconnecting the Safety Hook from the fixed bolt, it is necessary
to keep an eye on your fingers, because once the Safety Hook is discon­nected from the fixed bolt, the fixed lever will spring back instantly.

Fixed Bolt

Hardware Setup

Memory

The mainboard provides 4 slots for 184-pin DDR DIMM (Double In-Line Memory
Module) modules and supports the memory size up to 4GB. You can install DDR 333/
400 modules on the DDR DIMM slots (DIMM 1~4).

DIMM1~DIMM4

(from left to right)

DIMM Module Combination

Install at least one DIMM module on the slots. Each DIMM slot supports up to a
maximum size of 1GB. Users can install either single- or double-sided modules to
meet their own needs. Users may install memory modules of different type and
density on different-channel DDR DIMMs. However, memory modules of the same
type and density are required while using dual-channel DDR, or instability may
happen.

GREEN Slots PURPLE Slots

DIMM1 (CH A) DIMM3 (CH A) DIMM2 (CH B)DIMM4 (CH B) Mode
128MB~1GB 128MB~1GB Dual Channel

128MB~1GB 128MB~1GB Dual Channel

128MB~1GB 128MB~1GB 128MB~1GB 128MB~1GB Dual Channel

MSI Reminds You...

- In dual-channel mode, make sure that you install memory modules
of the same type and density on DDR DIMMs.

- To enable successful system boot-up, always insert the memory
modules into the DIMM1 slots first.

- This mainboard DO NOT support the memory module installed
with more than 18 pieces of IC (integrated circuit).

- Do not support three memory modules.

2-7

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Installing DDR Modules

1. The DDR DIMM has only one notch on the center of module. The module will
only fit in the right orientation.

2. Insert the DIMM memory module vertically into the DIMM slot. Then push it in
until the golden finger on the memory module is deeply inserted in the socket.

3. The plastic clip at each side of the DIMM slot will automatically close.

Volt

Notch

2-8

Hardware Setup

Power Supply

The mainboard supports ATX power supply for the power system. Before
inserting the power supply connector, always make sure that all components are
installed properly to ensure that no damage will be caused.

ATX 24-Pin Power Connector: ATX1

This connector allows you to connect an ATX 24-pin power supply. To con­nect the ATX 24-pin power supply, make sure the plug of the power
supply is inserted in the proper orientation and the pins are aligned.
Then push down the power supply firmly into the connector.

You may use the 20-pin ATX power supply as you like. If
you’d like to use the 20-pin ATX power supply, please plug your
power supply along with pin 1 & pin 13 (refer to the image at the
right hand). There is also a foolproof design on pin 11, 12, 23 & 24
to avoid wrong installation.

Pin Definition

13

ATX1

24

1

12

PIN SIGNAL

1 +3.3V
2 +3.3V
3 GND
4 +5V
5 GND
6 +5V
7 GND
8 PWR OK
9 5VSB
10 +12V
11 +12V
12 NC

PIN SIGNAL

13 +3.3V
14 -12V
15 GND
16 PS-ON#
17 GND
18 GND
19 GND
20 Res
21 +5V
22 +5V
23 +5V
24 GND

pin 13

pin 12

ATX 12V Power Connector: JPW1

This 12V power connector is used to provide power to the CPU.

JPW1

3

1

4

2

MSI Reminds You...

1. These two connectors connect to the ATX power supply and have to
work together to ensure stable operation of the mainboard.

2. Power supply of 350 watts (and above) is highly recommended for
system stability.

3. ATX 12V power connection should be greater than 18A.

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

1 GND
2 GND
3 12V
4 12V

2-9

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Back Panel

Mouse

Keyboard

DVI Port

(for GeForce 6150)

(optional)

Parallel

VGA Port

LAN

USB

Ports

1394 Port

(Optional)

USB

Ports

L-In

L-Out

Mic

Mouse/Keyboard Connector

The mainboard provides a standard PS/2® mouse/keyboard mini DIN connector
for attaching a PS/2® mouse/keyboard. You can plug a PS/2® mouse/keyboard directly
into this connector. The connector location and pin assignments are as follows:

Pin Definition

6

4

2

PS/2 Mouse / Keyboard

(6-pin Female)

5

3

1

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 Mouse/Keyboard Data Mouse/Keyboard data
2 NC No connection
3 GND Ground
4 VCC +5V
5 Mouse/Keyboard Clock Mouse/Keyboard clock
6 NC No connection

VGA Connector

The mainboard provides a DB 15-pin female connector to connect a VGA
monitor.

Pin Signal Description Pin Signal Description

1 RED 2 GREEN
3 BLUE 4 N/C
5 GND 6 GND
7 GND 8 GND
9 +5V 10 GND
11 N/C 12 SDA
13 Horizontal Sync 14 Vertical Sync
15 SCL

VGA Connector

2-10

5

15

(DB 15-pin)

1

11

Hardware Setup

Digital Panel Connector (for GeForce 6150 only) (optional)

The mainboard provides a DVI (Digital Visual Interface) connector which
allows you to connect an LCD monitor. The DVI connector provides a high-speed
digital interconnection between the computer and its display device. To connect a
LCD monitor, simply plug your monitor cable into the DVI connector, and make sure
that the other end of the cable is properly connected to your monitor. (refer to your
monitor manual for more information.)

1

8

2417

DVI Connector

Signal Assignment

Pin

T.M.D.S.* Data2-

1

T.M.D.S. Data2+

2

T.M.D.S. Data2/4 Shield

3

NC

4

NC

5

DDC Clock

6

DDC Data

7

N/C

8

T.M.D.S. Data1-

9

T.M.D.S. Data1+

10

T.M.D.S. Data1/3 Shield

11

NC

12

Pin

Signal Assignment

13

NC

14

+5V

15

GND (for +5V)

16

Hot Plug Detect

17

T.M.D.S. Data0-

18

T.M.D.S. Data0+

19

T.M.D.S. Data0/5 Shield

20

NC

21

NC

22

T.M.D.S. Clock Shield

23

T.M.D.S. Clock+

24

T.M.D.S. Clock-

MSI Reminds You...

Please note that the DVI connector doesn’t support to connect the D­Sub to DVI converter.

USB Connectors

The mainboard provides an OHCI (Open Host Controller Interface) Universal
Serial Bus root for attaching USB devices such as keyboard, mouse or other USB­compatible devices. You can plug the USB device directly into the connector.

USB Port Description

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 VCC +5V

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

USB Ports

2 -Data 0 Negative Data Channel 0
3 +Data0 Positive Data Channel 0
4 GND Ground
5 VCC +5V
6 -Data 1 Negative Data Channel 1
7 +Data 1 Positive Data Channel 1
8 GND Ground

2-11

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

LAN (RJ-45) Jack:10/100 LAN (RTL8201CL) or Giga-bit LAN
(VSC8201RX : optional)

The mainboard provides 1 standard RJ-45 jack for connection to single Local
Area Network (LAN). This LAN enables data to be transferred at 10/ 100Mbps or
(1000Mbps for VSC8201RX only). You can connect a network cable to it.

Activity Indicator

Link Indicator

8 1

RJ-45 LAN Jack

LED Color LED State Condition

Left Orange On (steady state) LAN link is established.

Right On 100 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.

Off LAN link is not established.

On (brighter & pulsing) The computer is communicating with another

Green Off 10 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.

Orange On 1000 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.

computer on the LAN.

The pin assignments vary depending on the transfer rates: 10/100Mbps or
1000Mbps. Note that Pin 1/2, 3/6, 4/5, 7/8 must work in pairs. Please refer
to the following for details:

10/100 LAN Pin Definition Giga-bit LAN Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 TDP Transmit Differential Pair
2 TDN Transmit Differential Pair
3 RDP Receive Differential Pair
4 NC Not Used
5 NC Not Used
6 RDN Receive Differential Pair
7 NC Not Used
8 NC Not Used

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 D0P Differential Pair 0+
2 D0N Differential Pair 0­ 3 D1P Differential Pair 1+
4 D2P Differential Pair 2+
5 D2N Differential Pair 2­ 6 D1N Differential Pair 1­ 7 D3P Differential Pair 3+
8 D3N Differential Pair 3-

2-12

Hardware Setup

Audio Port Connectors & Audio Header (J1)

The 3 audio jacks are for 2-channel mode for stereo speaker output: Line Out
is a connector for Speakers or Headphones. Line In is used for external CD player,
Tape player, or other audio devices. Mic is a connector for microphones.

However, there is an advanced audio application provided by Realtek ALC880
to offer support for 7.1-channel audio operation. You can use the external audio
cable and the rear audio connectors to function the 2-/4-/5.1-/7.1- channel audio.

Line In

Line Out

MIC

MSI Reminds You...

For the advanced functions of the audio codec, please refer to Appen­dix A: Introduction to Realtek ALC880 for details.

Rear Out
Center and Subwoofer Out

Side Surround Out

IEEE 1394 Port (optional)

There is one 1394 port on the back panel providing the connection for 1394
devices.

1394 port

2-13

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Parallel Port Connector: LPT1

The mainboard provides a 25-pin female centronic connector as LPT. A parallel
port is a standard printer port that supports Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) and Ex­tended Capabilities Parallel Port (ECP) mode.

13 1

25

14

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 STROBE Strobe
2 DATA0 Data0
3 DATA1 Data1
4 DATA2 Data2
5 DATA3 Data3
6 DATA4 Data4
7 DATA5 Data5
8 DATA6 Data6
9 DATA7 Data7
10 ACK# Acknowledge
11 BUSY Busy
12 PE Paper End
13 SELECT Select
14 AUTO FEED# Automatic Feed
15 ERR# Error
16 INIT# Initialize Printer
17 SLIN# Select In
18 GND Ground
19 GND Ground
20 GND Ground
21 GND Ground
22 GND Ground
23 GND Ground
24 GND Ground
25 GND Ground

2-14

Hardware Setup

Connectors

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1

The mainboard provides a standard floppy disk drive connector that supports
360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88M floppy disk types.

FDD1

Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1/SYSFAN1/NBFAN1

The fan power connectors support system cooling fan with +12V. When
connecting the wire to the connectors, always take note that the red wire is the
positive and should be connected to the +12V, the black wire is Ground and should
be connected to GND. If the mainboard has a System Hardware Monitor chipset on­board, you must use a specially designed fan with speed sensor to take advantage
of the CPU fan control.

+12V

GND

SENSOR

CPUFAN1

GND

+12V

SENSOR

SYSFAN1

GND
+12V
SENSOR

NBFAN1

MSI Reminds You...

Please refer to the recommended CPU fans at AMD® official website
or consult the vendors for proper CPU cooling fan.

2-15

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

ATA133 Hard Disk Connectors: IDE1 & IDE2

The mainboard has a 32-bit Enhanced PCI IDE and Ultra DMA 66/100/133 con­troller that provides PIO mode 0~4, Bus Master, and Ultra DMA 66/100/133 function.
You can connect up to four hard disk drives, CD-ROM and other IDE devices.

The Ultra ATA133 interface boosts data transfer rates between the computer
and the hard drive up to 133 megabytes (MB) per second. The new interface is one­third faster than earlier record-breaking Ultra ATA/100 technology and is backwards
compatible with the existing Ultra ATA interface.

IDE1IDE2

IDE1 (Primary IDE Connector)

The first hard drive should always be connected to IDE1. IDE1 can connect a Master
and a Slave drive. You must configure second hard drive to Slave mode by setting the
jumper accordingly.

IDE2 (Secondary IDE Connector)
IDE2 can also connect a Master and a Slave drive.

MSI Reminds You...

If you install two hard disks on cable, you must configure the second
drive to Slave mode by setting its jumper. Refer to the hard disk docu­mentation supplied by hard disk vendors for jumper setting instructions.

2-16

Hardware Setup

Serial ATAII Connectors: SATA1~SATA4 (nForce 410 supports 2
SATA only)

The Mainboard supports four serial ATAII connectors SATA1~SATA4.
SATA1~SATA4 are high-speed Serial ATAII interface ports. Each supports 2st genera­tion serial ATA data rates of 300MB/s and is fully compliant with Serial ATA 1.0
specifications. Each Serial ATAII connector can connect to 1 hard disk device.

SATA3

1

1

SATA1

7

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

7

1 GND 2 TXP
3 TXN 4 GND

5 RXN 6 RXP
7 GND

Pin Definition

1

1

SATA4

7

7

SATA2

Serial ATA cable

Take out the dust cover and
connect to the hard disk
devices

Connect to SATA1/2/3/4

MSI Reminds You...

Please do not fold the Serial ATA cable into 90-degree angle. Otherwise,
data loss may occur during transmission.

2-17

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

CD-In Connector: JCD1

This connector is provided for CD-ROM audio.

JCD1

R L

GND

Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1

The JAUD1 front panel audio connector allows you to connect to the front
panel audio and is compliant with Intel® Front Panel I/O Connectivity Design Guide.

JAUD1

2
1

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 PORT 1L Analog Port 1 - Left channel
2 GND Ground
3 PORT 1R Analog Port 1 - Right channel
4 PRESENCE# Active low signal - signals BIOS that a High Definition Audio

5 PORT 2R Analog Port 2 - Right channel
6 SENSE1_RETIRN Jack detection return from front panel JACK1
7 SENSE_SEND Jack detection sense line from the High Definition Audio CODEC

8 KEY Connector Key
9 PORT 2L Analog Port 2 - Left channel
10 SENSE2_RETIRN Jack detection return from front panel JACK2

dongle is connected to the analog header. PRESENCE# = 0
when a High Definition Audio dongle is connected.

jack detection resistor network

10

9

Chassis Intrusion Switch Connector: JCI1

This connector is connected to a 2-pin chassis switch. If the chassis is opened,
the switch will be short. The system will record this status and show a warning
message on the screen. To clear the warning, you must enter the BIOS utility and
clear the record.

CINTRU

2-18

GND

1
2

JCI1

Hardware Setup

SPDIF-Out/ SPDIF-In Connector: JSPDO1/ JSPDI1 (SPDIF-In is
optional)

These connectors are used to connect SPDIF (Sony & Philips Digital Intercon­nect Format) interface for digital audio transmission. The JSPDO1 is for SPDIF-Out
and the JSPDI1 is for SPDIF-In.

SPDIF-Out

GND

NC

GND

NCSPDIF-In

JSPDO1

Connected to JSPDO1 or JSPDI1 is by your desire.

JSPDI1

SPDIF Bracket (Optional)

Audio-out Connector: J1

The mainboard optionally provides a audio-out connector for you to attach a
Audio-Out bracket. The Audio-Out bracket offers three audio-out jacks. Select the
appropriate one to connect to the proper speaker.

2
1

J1

14
13

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 LEFOut 2 SURROutR
3 CENTEROut 4 SURROutL
5 SURRBackR 6 SURRJD
7 SURRBackL 8 CENJD
9 SURRBackJD 10 Ground
11 Ground 12 Ground
13 NC 14 Ground

Pin Definition

Audio-out Bracket

(Optional)

Connected to J1.

2-19

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Serial Port Header: JCOM1 (Optional)

The mainboard offers one 9-pin header as serial port. The port is a 16550A
high speed communication port that sends/receives 16 bytes FIFOs. You can attach
a serial mouse or other serial device directly to it.

Pin Definition

JCOM1

9

6

5

1

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 DCD Data Carry Detect
2 SIN Serial In or Receive Data
3 SOUT Serial Out or Transmit Data
4 DTR Data Terminal Ready)
5 GND Ground
6 DSR Data Set Ready
7 RTS Request To Send
8 CTS Clear To Send
9 RI Ring Indicate

IEEE 1394 Connectors: J1394_1 (Optional)

The mainboard provides one 1394 pin header that allows you to connect IEEE
1394 ports via an external IEEE1394 bracket (optional).

Pin Definition

J1394_1

1

2

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 TPA+ 2 TPA­3 Ground 4 Ground
5 TPB+ 6 TPB­7 Cable power 8 Cable power
9 Key (no pin) 10 Ground

9

10

Connected to J1394_1
(Green connector)

2-20

IEEE1394 Bracket (Optional)

Foolproof

design

Hardware Setup

Front Panel Connector: JFP1/JFP2

The mainboard provides one front panel connector for electrical connection to
the front panel switches and LEDs. The JFP1 is compliant with Intel® Front Panel I/O
Connectivity Design Guide.

JFP1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 HD_LED_P Hard disk LED pull-up
2 FP PWR/SLP MSG LED pull-up
3 HD_LED_N Hard disk active LED

10

9

4 FP PWR/SLP MSG LED pull-up
5 RST_SW_N Reset Switch low reference pull-down to GND
6 PWR_SW_P Power Switch high reference pull-up
7 RST_SW_P Reset Switch high reference pull-up
8 PWR_SW_N Power Switch low reference pull-down to GND
9 RSVD_DNU Reserved. Do not use.

JFP2 Pin Definition

7

Power
LED

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 GND 2 SPK­3 SLED 4 BUZ+
5 PLED 6 BUZ-

7 NC 8 SPK+

JFP1

2
1

Speaker

Power
LED

HDD
LED

Power
Switch

Reset
Switch

JFP2

8

12

IrDA Infrared Module Header: JIR1 (Optional)

The connector allows you to connect to IrDA Infrared module. You must config­ure the setting through the BIOS setup to use the IR function. JIR1 is compliant with
Intel® Front Panel I/O Connectivity Design Guide.

Pin Definition

Pin Signal

1 IRRX
2 IRTX
3 GND
4 VCC5
5 NC
6 NC

2-21

2
1

JIR1

6

5

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

TV-Out Connector: JTV1 (For GeForce 6150 Only, Optional)

The mainboard optionally provides a TV-Out connector for you to attach a TV­Out bracket that integrated HDTV-out. The TV-Out bracket offers two types of TV­Out connectors: S-Video and RCA Composite connectors. Select the appropriate one
to connect to the standard television or the HDTV (High-Definition TeleVision) and it
will be able to display PC’s information.

Connected to JTV1

5

4

JTV1

Pin Definition

Pin Description Pin Description

3 1

1 GND 4 COMP
2 Yout 5 GND
3 Cout

TV-Out Bracket (Optional)

TV-Out Connector

(RCA Composite)

TV-Out Connector

(S-Video)

2-22

MSI Reminds You...

1. Please note that the TV-Out bracket supports to connect one TV only.
Meanwhile you can not connect two TVs to this bracket. Otherwise,
the TVs will not be functional.

2. Please refer to Appendix B: Using the TV-Out Function (HDTV-

Out Integrated) for details.

Hardware Setup

Front USB Connectors: JUSB1 / JUSB2

The mainboard provides two standard USB 2.0 pin headers JUSB1 & JUSB2 .
USB 2.0 technology increases data transfer rate up to a maximum throughput of
480Mbps, which is 40 times faster than USB 1.1, and is ideal for connecting high­speed USB interface peripherals such as USB HDD, digital cameras, MP3 players,
printers, modems and the like.

9 1

10

JUSB1, JUSB2

Connected to JUSB1 or
JUSB2 (yellow connectors)

2

(USB 2.0)

MSI Reminds You...

Note that the pins of VCC and GND must be connected correctly to
avoid possible damage.

JUSB1 & JUSB2 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 VCC 2 VCC
3 USB4- 4 USB5­5 USB4+ 6 USB5+
7 GND 8 GND
9 Key (no pin) 10 USBOC

USB 2.0 Bracket

(Optional)

2-23

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Button

The motherboard provides the following button for you to set the computer’s
function. This section will explain how to change your motherboard’s function through
the usage of the button.

Clear CMOS Button: SW1

There is a CMOS RAM on board that has a power supply from external battery
to keep the system configuration data. With the CMOS RAM, the system can auto­matically boot OS every time it is turned on. If you want to clear the system
configuration, use the SW1 (Clear CMOS Button ) to clear data. Press the button in
the middle of the connector top side to clear the data.

SW1

2-24

Hardware Setup

Slots

The motherboard provides one PCI Express x16 slot, one PCI Express x1 slot,
and two 32-bit PCI bus slots.

PCI Express Slots

The PCI Express slot, as a high-bandwidth, low pin count, serial, interconnect
technology.

PCI Express architecture provides a high performance I/O infrastructure for
Desktop Platforms with transfer rates starting at 2.5 Giga transfers per second over
a PCI Express x1 lane for Gigabit Ethernet, TV Tuners, 1394 controllers, and general
purpose I/O. Also, desktop platforms with PCI Express Architecture will be designed
to deliver highest performance in video, graphics, multimedia and other sophisticated
applications. Moreover, PCI Express architecture provides a high performance graphics
infrastructure for Desktop Platforms doubling the capability of existing AGP8x de­signs with transfer rates of 4.0 GB/s over a PCI Express x16 lane for graphics
controllers.

You can insert the expansion cards to meet your needs. When adding or
removing expansion cards, make sure that you unplug the power supply first.

PCI Express x16 slot

PCI Express x1 slot

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slots

The PCI slots allow you to insert the expansion cards to meet your needs.
When adding or removing expansion cards, make sure that you unplug the power
supply first. Meanwhile, read the documentation for the expansion card to make any
necessary hardware or software settings for the expansion card, such as jumpers,
switches or BIOS configuration.

PCI Slots

PCI Interrupt Request Routing

The IRQ, acronym of interrupt request line and pronounced I-R-Q, are hard­ware lines over which devices can send interrupt signals to the microprocessor. The
PCI IRQ pins are typically connected to the PCI bus pins as follows:

Order 1 Order 2 Order 3 Order 4
PCI Slot 1 INT E# INT F# INT G# INT H#
PCI Slot 2 INT F# INT G# INT H# INT E#

2-25

BIOS Setup

Chapter 3. BIOS Setup

BIOS Setup

This chapter provides information on the BIOS Setup program
and allows you to configure the system for optimum use.
You may need to run the Setup program when:

² An error message appears on the screen during the system boot-

ing up, and requests you to run SETUP.

² You want to change the default settings for customized features.

MSI Reminds You...

1. The items under each BIOS category described in this chapter are
under continuous update for better system performance. Therefore,
the description may be slightly different from the latest BIOS and
should be held for reference only.

2. Upon boot-up, the 1st line appearing after the memory count is the
BIOS version. It is usually in the format:

A7207NMS V1.0 151105 where:

1st digit refers to BIOS maker as A = AMI, W = AWARD,
and P = PHOENIX.
2nd - 5th digit refers to the model number.
6th refers to the nVidia Chipset
7th - 8th digit refers to the customer as MS = all standard customers.
V1.0 refers to the BIOS version.
151105 refers to the date this BIOS was released.

3-1

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Restore the previous CMOS value from CMOS, only for

Entering Setup

Power on the computer and the system will start POST (Power On Self Test)
process. When the message below appears on the screen, press <DEL> key to
enter Setup.

Press DEL to enter SETUP

If the message disappears before you respond and you still wish to enter
Setup, restart the system by turning it OFF and On or pressing the RESET button. You
may also restart the system by simultaneously pressing <Ctrl>, <Alt>, and <Delete>
keys.

Control Keys

<↑>

<↓>

<←>

<→>

<Enter> Select the item

<Esc> Jumps to the Exit menu or returns to the main menu

<+/PU> Increase the numeric value or make changes

<-/PD> Decrease the numeric value or make changes

<F1> General help, only for Status Page Setup Menu and

<F5>

<F6> Load Optimized defaults

<F7> Load Fail-Safe

<F10> Save all the CMOS changes and exit

Move to the previous item
Move to the next item
Move to the item in the left hand
Move to the item in the right hand

from a submenu

Option Page Setup Menu

Option Page Setup Menu

3-2

BIOS Setup

Getting Help

After entering the Setup menu, the first menu you will see is the Main Menu.

Main Menu

The main menu lists the setup functions you can make changes to. You can
use the control keys ( ↑↓ ) to select the item. The on-line description of the highlighted
setup function is displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Sub-Menu

If you find a right pointer symbol (as shown in the right view) appears to the
left of certain fields that means a sub-menu con­taining additional options can be launched from
this field. You can use control keys ( ↑↓ ) to
highlight the field and press <Enter> to call up the
sub-menu. Then you can use the control keys to
enter values and move from field to field within a
sub-menu. If you want to return to the main menu, just press <Esc >.

General Help <F1>

The BIOS setup program provides a General Help screen. You can call up this
screen from any menu by simply pressing <F1>. The Help screen lists the appropriate
keys to use and the possible selections for the highlighted item. Press <Esc> to exit
the Help screen.

3-3

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

The Main Menu

Once you enter AMI® BIOS CMOS Setup Utility, the Main Menu (Figure 1) will
appear on the screen. The Main Menu allows you to select from twelve setup func­tions and two exit choices. Use arrow keys to select among the items and press
<Enter> to accept or enter the sub-menu.

Standard CMOS Features

Use this menu for basic system configurations, such as time, date etc.

Advanced BIOS Features

Use this menu to setup the items of AMI® special enhanced features.

Advanced Chipset Features

Use this menu to change the values in the chipset registers and optimize your system’s
performance.

Integrated Peripherals

Use this menu to specify your settings for integrated peripherals.

Power Management Setup

Use this menu to specify your settings for power management.

PNP/PCI Configurations

This entry appears if your system supports PnP/PCI.

H/W Monitor

This entry shows your PC health status.

3-4

BIOS Setup

Cell_Menu

This menu shows the frequency of CPU.

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

Use this menu to load the default values set by the BIOS vendor for stable system
performance.

Load Optimized Defaults

Use this menu to load the default values set by the mainboard manufacturer specifi­cally for optimal performance of the mainboard.

BIOS Setting Password

Use this menu to set the Password.

Save & Exit Setup

Save changes to CMOS and exit setup.

Exit Without Saving

Abandon all changes and exit setup.

3-5

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Standard CMOS Features

The items in Standard CMOS Features Menu are divided into several categories.
Each category includes no, one or more than one setup items. Use the arrow keys to
highlight the item and then use the <PgUp> or <PgDn> keys to select the value you
want in each item.

Date (MM:DD:YY)

This allows you to set the system to the date that you want (usually the current date).
The format is <day><month> <date> <year>.

day Day of the week, from Sun to Sat, determined by
month The month from Jan. through Dec.

date The date from 1 to 31 can be keyed by numeric function keys.
year The year can be adjusted by users.

BIOS. Read-only.

Time (HH:MM:SS)

This allows you to set the system time that you want (usually the current time). The
time format is <hour> <minute> <second>.

Primary/Secondary IDE Master/ Slave, Serial-ATA 1/2 Primary/Secondary

Press <+> or <-> to select the hard disk drive type. The specification of harddisk
drive will show up on the right hand according to your selection. Press <Enter> for
the sub-menu of each item:

3-6

BIOS Setup

Device

This item shows the information about the specified item (Read-only).

Type

This item defines the HDD parameters.

LBA/Large Mode

This item allows you to enable or disable the LBA (Logical Block Address, the
logical block size in hard disk) mode. Setting options: [Auto], [Disabled].

Block Mode

When the setting is Auto, it will read or write more sector at every circle to
enhance the hard disk performance. Setting options: [Auto], [Disabled].

PIO Mode

The PIO (Programmed Input/Output) Mode let you set a PIO mode (0-4) for the IDE
devices that the onboard IDE interface supports. Modes 0 through 4 provide
successively increased performance. In Auto mode, the system automatically
determines the best mode for each device. The settings are: [Auto], [Mode 0],
[Mode 1], [Mode 2], [Mode 3], [Mode 4].

DMA Mode

This item allows you to enable or disable the DMA (Direct Memory Access) mode.
Setting options: [Auto], [SWDMA0], [SWDMA1], [SWDMA2], [MWDMA0], [MWDMA1],
[MWDMA2], [UDMA0], [UDMA1], [UDMA2], [UDMA3], [UDMA4], [UDMA5].

3-7

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Hard Disk S.M.A.R.T.

This allows you to activate the S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring Analysis & Reporting
Technology) capability for the hard disks. S.M.A.R.T is a utility that monitors your
disk status to predict hard disk failure. This gives you an opportunity to move data
from a hard disk that is going to fail to a safe place before the hard disk becomes
offline. Settings: [Auto], [Enabled], [Disabled].

32Bit Data Transfer

This allows you to activate the 32bit data transfer to enhance the IDE hard disk
performance.Settings options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Floppy A

This item allows you to set the type of floppy drives installed. Available options:
[None], [360K, 5.25 in.], [1.2M, 5.25 in.], [720K, 3.5 in.], [1.44M, 3.5 in.], [2.88M, 3.5 in.].

System Information

Press <Enter> to for the sub-menu of each item:

Usage Memory

This item shows the memory status (read only).

**CPU Information**
AMD Sempron(tm) Processor/CPU ID

The two items show the CPU related information of your system (read only).

3-8

BIOS Setup

Advanced BIOS Features

Quick Boot

Select Enabled to reduce the amount of time required to run the power-on self-test
(POST). A quick POST skips certain steps. We recommend that you normally disable
quick POST. It is better to find a problem during POST than lose data during your work.
Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Full Screen LOGO Display

This item enables you to show the company logo on the bootup screen. Settings are:

[Enabled] Shows a still image (logo) on the full screen at boot.
[Disabled] Shows the POST messages at boot.

Boot Sector Protection

This function protects the BIOS from accidental corruption by unauthorized users or
computer viruses. When enabled, the BIOS’ data cannot be changed when attempt­ing to update the BIOS with a Flash utility. To successfully update the BIOS, you’ll
need to disable this Flash BIOS Protection function.
You should enable this function at all times. The only time when you need to disable
it is when you want to update the BIOS. After updating the BIOS, you should immedi­ately re-enable it to protect it against viruses. Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Boot to OS/2

This allows you to run the OS/2® operating system with DRAM larger than 64MB.
When you choose [No], you cannot run the OS/2® operating system with DRAM larger
than 64MB. But it is possible if you choose [Yes].

3-9

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

IOAPIC Function

This field is used to enable or disable the APIC (Advanced Programmable Interrupt
Controller). Due to compliance with PC2001 design guide, the system is able to run in
APIC mode. Enabling APIC mode will expand available IRQ resources for the system.
Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

MPS Table Version

This field allows you to select which MPS (Multi-Processor Specification) version to
be used for the operating system. You need to select the MPS version supported by
your operating system. To find out which version to use, consult the vendor of your
operating system. Setting options: [1.4], [1.1].

Boot Sequence

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu, and the following screen appears.

1st/2nd/3rd Boot Device

The items allow you to set the sequence of boot devices where BIOS attempts
to load the disk operating system.

Hard Disk Drives

This feature allows you to specify the hard disk boot priority.

3-10

Advanced Chipset Features

BIOS Setup

MSI Reminds You...

Change these settings only if you are familiar with the chipset.

Memclock Mode

Users can place an artificial memory clock on the system. Please note that memory is
prevented from running faster than this frequency. Setting options:[Auto], [Limit].

MCT Timing Mode

This field has the capacity to automatically detect all of the DRAM timing. The settings
are: [Auto], [Manual].

User Config mode

This field has the capacity to automatically detect all of the following 4 fields default
value.. If you set this field to [Manual], the following fields will be selectable. The
settings are: [Auto], [Manual].

Burst Length

This setting allows you to set the size of Burst-Length for DRAM. Bursting feature is

3-11

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

a technique that DRAM itself predicts the address of the next memory location to be
accessed after the first address is accessed. To use the feature, you need to define
the burst length, which is the actual length of burst plus the starting address and
allows internal address counter to properly generate the next memory location. The
bigger the size, the faster the DRAM performance. Setting options: [8 Beats], [4
Beats] and [2 Beats].

Hardware Memory Hole

In order to improve performance, certain space in memory can be reserved for ISA
peripherals. This memory must be mapped into the memory space below 16MB.
When this area is reserved, it cannot be cached. Settings: [Disabled], [15MB-16MB].

Hyper Transport Configuration

The following items are used for setting the frequency and the linkwidth from CPU to
North Bridge and from North Bridge to South Bridge.

CPU to NB Frequemcy: 200/400/600/800/1000 MHz
NB to SB Frequemcy: 200/400/600/800/1000 MHz
CPU to NB LinkWidth: 8↓8↑/16↓16↑
NB to SB LinkWidth: 4↓4↑/8↓8↑/16↓16↑

Flash Protect

This function protects the BIOS from accidental corruption by unauthorized users or
computer viruses. When enabled, the BIOS data cannot be changed when attempt­ing to update the BIOS with a Flash utility. To successfully update the BIOS, you will
need to disable this Flash Protection function. Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

Primary Graphics Adapter

This setting specifies which VGA card is your primary graphics adapter. Setting
options are:
[PCI Express] The system initializes the installed PCI Express card first. If an PCI

[Onboard] The system initializes the onboard VGA card first.

OnChip and PCIe VGA selection

This setting allows you to enable both OnChip and PCIe VGA, or enable PCIe VGA
only. Setting options: [Disbale Onchip VGA if have PCIe VGA], [Both exist and OnChip
VGA by frame buffer select].

OnChip VGA Frame Buffer Size

Frame Buffer is the video memory that stores data for video display (frame). This
field is used to determine the memory size for Frame Buffer. Larger frame buffer
size increases video performance. Setting options: [Disabled], [16MB], [32MB], [64MB],
[128MB].

RGB/TV Display

This item allows you to select an display device to display. Setting options: [Auto],
[RGB], [TV].

Express card is not available, it will initialize the onboard VGA card.

3-12

BIOS Setup

TV Mode Support

This item allows you to select the TV display mode. Setting options: [NTSC_M],
[NTSC_J], [PAL_M], [PAL_BDGHI], [PAL_N], [PAL_NC], [Default].

OnChip VGA Trap Enable

Setting options: [Enabled] and [Disabled].

CPU-LDT Frequency, MHz

This setting shows the current CPU Front Side Bus clock frequency.

PCI-Express Frequency, MHz

This setting shows the current PCI-Express Front Side Bus clock frequency.

3-13

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Integrated Peripherals

USB 1.1 Controller

This setting disables/enables the USB 1.1 controller. Setting options: [Enabled],
[Disabled].

USB 2.0 Controller

Set to [Enabled] if you need to use any USB 2.0 device in the operating system that
does not support or have any USB 2.0 driver installed, such as DOS and SCO Unix.
Setting options: [Disabled], [Enabled].

USB Device Legacy Support

Set to Enabled if your need to use any USB 1.1/2.0 device in the operating system
that does not support or have any USB 1.1/2.0 driver installed, such as DOS and SCO
Unix. Set to Disabled only if you want to use any USB device other than the USB
mouse. Setting options: [Auto], [Disabled].

Onboard Devices Configuration

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears:

3-14

BIOS Setup

Onboard IEEE1394 Controller

This setting allows you to enable/disable the onboard IEEE 1394 controller. Set­ting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

AZALIA AUDIO

Select Enabled to use the audio capabilities of your system. Setting options:
[Auto], [Disabled].

MAC LAN

This setting controls the onboard LAN controller. Setting options: [Auto], [Disabled].

MAC LAN Bridge

This setting controls the onboard LAN bridge. Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

MAC Media Interface

This setting controls the onboard LAN media interface. Setting options: [Pin
Setup], [MII], [RGMII].

I/O Devices Configuration

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears:

Onboard Floppy Controller

Select [Enabled] if your system has a floppy disk controller (FDD) installed on the
system board and you wish to use it. If you install add-on FDC or the system has
no floppy drive, select [Disabled] in this field. The settings are: [Enabled],
[Disabled].

COM Port 1

Select an address and corresponding interrupt for Serial Port 1. Setting options:
[Disabled], [3F8/IRQ4], [2F8/IRQ3], [3E8/IRQ4], [2E8/IRQ3].

IR Mode

This setting allows you to specify the operation mode for serial port 2. Setting
options: [Disabled], [IrDA], [ASKIR].

[Disabled] Disable RS-232C Serial Port
[IrDA] IrDA-compliant Serial Infrared Port
[ASK IR] Amplitude Shift Keyed Infrared Port

Parallel Port

This specifies the I/O port address and IRQ of the onboard parallel port. Setting
options: [378], [278], [3BC], [Disabled].

3-15

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

IDE Devices Configuration

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears:

PCI IDE BusMaster

This item allows you to enable/ disable the PCI IDE busmaster. Setting options:
[Disabled], [Enabled].

On-Chip IDE Controller

The integrated peripheral controller contains an IDE interface with support for
two IDE channels. Choose [Both] to activate the two channels. Setting options:
[Disabled], [Primary], [Secondary], [Both].

SATA Devices Configuration

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears.

Serial-ATA 1/2

This field allows you to enable or disabled the SATA controllers. Settings options:
[Enabled], [Disabled].

nVidia RAID Setup

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears:

nVidia RAID Function

This field allows you to enable or disabled the nVidia RAID function. Settings
options: [Enabled], [Disabled].

3-16

BIOS Setup

Power Management Features

MSI Reminds You...

S3-related functions described in this section are available only
when your BIOS supports S3 sleep mode.

ACPI Function

This item is to activate the ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Management
Interface) Function. If your operating system is ACPI-aware, such as Windows 98SE/
2000/ME, select [Enabled]. Setting options: [Enabled] and [Disabled].

ACPI Standby State

This item specifies the power saving modes for ACPI function. If your operating
system supports ACPI, such as Windows 98SE, Windows ME and Windows 2000,
you can choose to enter the Standby mode in S1/POS or S3/STR fashion through the
setting of this field. Options are:

S1/POS The S1 sleep mode is a low power state. In this state, no

S3/STR The S3 sleep mode is a lower power state where the in

Auto The system will decide when to enter S1 or S3 state.

system context is lost (CPU or chipset) and hardware
maintains all system context.

formation of system configuration and open applications/
files is saved to main memory that remains powered
while most other hardware components turn off to save
energy. The information stored in memory will be used
to restore the system when a “wake up” event occurs.

3-17

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Power Button Function

This feature allows users to configure the Power Button function. Settings are:

[On/Off] The power button functions as a normal power-on/-off
[Suspend] When you press the power button, the computer enters

Restore on AC Power Loss

This setting specifies whether your system will reboot after a power failure or
interrupt occurs. Available settings are:

[Off] Leaves the computer in the power off state.
[On] Leaves the computer in the power on state.
[Last State] Restores the system to the previous status before power

Wakeup Event Setup

Press <Enter> to enter sub-menu and the following screen appears.

button.
the suspend/sleep mode, but if the button is pressed for

more than four seconds, the computer is turned off.

failure or interrupt occurred.

Force Throttle

Enable this item will decrease the frequency of the CPU when the CPU is overheat.
Setting options: [Disabled], [Enabled].

Manual Throttle Ratio

The item specifies the percentage of descreasing. Setting options: [87.5%],
[75%], [62.5%], [50%], [37.5%], [25%], [12.5%].

System Thermal

Enable this item will decrease the frequency of the CPU when the system is
overheat. Setting options: [Disabled], [Enabled].

Thermal throttle Ratio

The item specifies the percentage of descreasing. Setting options: [87.5%],
[75%], [62.5%], [50%], [37.5%], [25%], [12.5%].

3-18

BIOS Setup

PS/2 Device Wakeup from S5

This controls how and whether the PS/2 keyboard is able to power on the
system from S5. If you choose [Password], you must type the password to
power on the system. The S3 wakeup function can be set up from Windows.
Settings: [Disabled], [Enabled].

Specific Key for PowerOn

If PS/2 Device Wakeup is set to [Enabled], then you can set a key in the field for
the PS/2 keyboard to power on the system.

Resume by MAC LAN

An input signal from the LAN awakens the system from a soft off state. Setting
options: [Disabled], [Enabled].

Resume by PCI Device (PME#)

When setting to [Enabled], this setting allows your system to be awakened from
the power saving modes through any event on PME (Power Management Event).
Setting options: [Disabled], [Enabled].

Resume by RTC Alarm

This is used to enable or disable the feature of booting up the system on a
scheduled time/date from the S3, S4, and S5 state. Setting options: [Disabled],
[Enabled].

3-19

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

PNP/PCI Configurations

This section describes configuring the PCI bus system and PnP (Plug & Play)
feature. PCI, or Peripheral Component Interconnect, is a system which allows I/O
devices to operate at speeds nearing the speed the CPU itself uses when communi­cating with its special components. This section covers some very technical items
and it is strongly recommended that only experienced users should make any changes
to the default settings.

Clear NVRAM

The ESCD (Extended System Configuration Data) NVRAM (Non-volatile Random Ac­cess Memory) is where the BIOS stores resource information for both PNP and non­PNP devices in a bit string format. When the item is set to [Yes], the system will reset
ESCD NVRAM right after the system is booted up and then set the setting of the item
back to [No] automatically.

PCI Latency Timer

This item controls how long each PCI device can hold the bus before another takes
over. When set to higher values, every PCI device can conduct transactions for a
longer time and thus improve the effective PCI bandwidth. For better PCI performance,
you should set the item to higher values. Setting options: [32], [64], [96], [128], [160],
[192], [224], [248].

PCI Slot1/2 IRQ

These items specify the IRQ line for each PCI slot. Setting options: [4], [5], [7], [10],
[11], [Auto]. Selecting [Auto] allows BIOS to automatically determine the IRQ line for
each PCI slot.

3-20

BIOS Setup

IRQ Resource Setup

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears.

IRQ 3/4/5/7/9/10/11/14/15

These items specify the bus where the specified IRQ line is used.
The settings determine if BIOS should remove an IRQ from the pool of available
IRQs passed to devices that are configurable by the system BIOS. The available
IRQ pool is determined by reading the ESCD NVRAM. If more IRQs must be
removed from the IRQ pool, the end user can use these settings to reserve the
IRQ by assigning an [Reserved] setting to it. Onboard I/O is configured by AMIBIOS.
All IRQs used by onboard I/O are configured as [Available]. If all IRQs are set to
[Reserved], and IRQ 14/15 are allocated to the onboard PCI IDE, IRQ 9 will still be
available for PCI and PnP devices. Available settings: [Reserved] and [Available].

DMA Resource Setup

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears:

DMA Channel 0/1/3/5/6/7

These items specify the bus that the system DMA (Direct Memory Access)
channel is using.
The settings determine if AMIBIOS should remove a DMA from the available
DMAs passed to devices that are configurable by the system BIOS. The avail­able DMA pool is determined by reading the ESCD NVRAM. If more DMAs must be
removed from the pool, the end user can reserve the DMA.

3-21

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

MSI Reminds You...

IRQ (Interrupt Request) lines are system resources allocated to I/O
devices. When an I/O device needs to gain attention of the operating
system, it signals this by causing an IRQ to occur. After receiving the
signal, when the operating system is ready, the system will interrupt
itself and perform the service required by the I/O device.

3-22

BIOS Setup

H/W Monitor

This section shows the status of your CPU, fan, overall system status, etc.
Monitor function is available only if there is hardware monitoring mechanism onboard.

Chassis Intrusion

The field enables or disables the feature of recording the chassis intrusion status and
issuing a warning message if the chassis is once opened. To clear the warning
message, set the field to [Reset]. The setting of the field will automatically return to
[Enabled] later. Setting options: [Enabled], [Reset], [Disabled].

Smart Fan Target Temperature

The mainboard provides the Smart Fan system which can control the fan speed
automatically depending on the current temperature to keep it with in a specific range.

System/CPU Temperature, SYSTEM FAN Speed, CPU Vcore, +12.0V, +5.0V,
+3.3V, Battery

These items display the current status of all of the monitored hardware devices/
components such as CPU voltages, temperatures and all fans’ speeds.

3-23

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

The items in Cell Menu includes some important settings of CPU, PCIE, DRAM.

MSI Reminds You...

Change these settings only if you are familiar with the chipset.

Cell_Menu

Current CPU Clock

This field shows the current clocks of CPU. Read-only.

Cool’n’Quiet

This feature is especially desiged for AMD Athlon processor, which provides a CPU
temperature detecting function to prevent your CPU’s from overheading due to the
heavy working loading. Setting options: [Disabled], [Enabled].

MSI Reminds You...

For the purpose of ensuring the stability of Cool'n'Quiet function, it is
always recommended to have the memories plugged in DIMM1.

Voltage Control Function

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears:

3-24

BIOS Setup

Adjust DDR Voltage (V)

Adjusting the DDR voltage can increase the DDR speed. Any changes made to
this setting may cause a stability issue, so changing the DDR voltage for
long-term purpose is NOT recommended.

Spread Spectrum

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears:

When the motherboard’s clock generator pulses, the extreme values (spikes) of the
pulses creates EMI (Electromagnetic Interference). The Spread Spectrum function
reduces the EMI generated by modulating the pulses so that the spikes of the pulses
are reduced to flatter curves.

CPU Spread Spectrum

Setting options: [Disabled], [Center Spread], [Down Spread].

PCIE Spread Spectrum

Setting options: [Disabled], [Enabled].

SATA Spread Spectrum

Setting options: [Disabled], [Enabled].

3-25

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Load Fail-Safe/Optimized Defaults

The two options on the main menu allow users to restore all of the BIOS
settings to the default Fail-Safe or Optimized values. The Optimized Defaults are the
default values set by the mainboard manufacturer specifically for optimal perform­ance of the mainboard. The Fail-Safe Defaults are the default values set by the BIOS
vendor for stable system performance.

When you select Load Fail-Safe Defaults, a message as below appears:

Pressing [Y] loads the BIOS default values for the most stable, minimal system
performance.

When you select Load Optimized Defaults, a message as below appears:

Pressing [Y] loads the default factory settings for optimal system performance.

3-26

BIOS Setup

BIOS Setting Password

When you select this function, a message as below will appear on the screen:

Type the password, up to six characters in length, and press <Enter>. The
password typed now will replace any previously set password from CMOS memory.
You will be prompted to confirm the password. Retype the password and press
<Enter>. You may also press <Esc> to abort the selection and not enter a password.
To clear a set password, just press <Enter> when you are prompted to enter the
password. A message will show up confirming the password will be disabled. Once
the password is disabled, the system will boot and you can enter Setup without
entering any password.

When a password has been set, you will be prompted to enter it every time
you try to enter Setup. This prevents an unauthorized person from changing any part
of your system configuration.

3-27

Introduction to DigiCell

Chapter 4. Introduction to DigiCell

Chapter 4. Introduction
to DigiCell

Introduction to DigiCell

DigiCell, the most useful and powerful utility that MSI has
spent much research and efforts to develop, helps users to monitor
and configure all the integrated peripherals of the system, such as
audio program, power management, MP3 files management and com­munication / 802.11g WLAN settings. Moreover, with this unique utility,
you will be able to activate the MSI well-known feature ‘ Live Update’,
which makes it easier to update the BIOS/drivers online, and to moni­tor the system hardware status (CPU/Fan temperature and speed).

Once you have your DigiCell installed (locate the setup source
file in the setup CD accompanying with your mainboard, path: Utility

--> MSI Utility --> MSI DigiCell), it will have an icon in the
system tray, a short cut icon on the desktop, and a short cut path in

your “Start-up” menu. You may double-click on each icon to enable
DigiCell.

short-cut icon in the system tray

short-cut path in the start-up menu
(path: Start-->Programs-->MSI-->DigiCell)

4-1

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

MSI Feature

Main

Before using this utility, it is required to have all the integrated peripherals/cards (LAN
card, Wireless LAN card, MegaStick... etc.) and all the necessary drivers (onboard
LAN driver, audio driver, CoreCenter, Live Update... etc.) installed correctly.

The icon representing each item will be lit up if it is inserted/installed correctly and
properly. Otherwise, the icon will remain gray and user is not able to view the
functionality/connection of that item.

Introduction:

Click on each icon appearing above to enter the sub-menu to make further configuration.

MSI

Click on this button to link to MSI website:
http://www.msi.com.tw.

Quick Guide

Click on this button and the quick guide of DigiCell will be displayed for you
to review.

H/W Diagnostic

In this sub-menu, it provides the information of each DigiCell button for you to

check if the representing peripherals/cards/drivers are correctly installed.

Comm.

In this sub-menu, you can see the configuration details for communication

products, including the status, strength, speed and channel of the connec­tion of the Ethernet LAN & Wireless LAN.

4-2

Introduction to DigiCell

Software Access Point

In this sub-menu, you can change your connection mode to different ones,
and configure the advanced settings for each mode, such as the authentica­tion encryption... etc.

Live Update

You can take advantage of Live Update to detect and update BIOS and
drivers online.

PC Alert

You can take advantage of PC Alert to monitor the health status of your
system.

MEGA STICK

If you have your MEGA STICK connected to your system, this icon will be lit
up. Click this blue icon to turn DigiCell into a MP3 player, and then you can load
media files from your MEGA STICK or the system, and edit the preferred
playlist.

Power on Agent

In this sub-menu, you can configure date, time and auto-executed programs
of the power-on, power-off and restarting features.

MSI Reminds You...

Click on back button in every sub-menu and it will bring you back to the
main menu.

4-3

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

MSI Feature

H/W Diagnostic

In the H/W Diagnostic sub-menu, you can see the information, status and note of
each DigiCell. You may double check the connection and installation of the item
marked as gray.

You may also click on the Mail to MSI button to send your questions or suggestions
to MSI’s technical support staff.

4-4

Introduction to DigiCell

Communication

In the Communication sub-menu, you can see the status of all the LAN / WLAN /
Bluetooth on the screen if the hardware is installed. The first icon indicates the
onboard LAN on your system, the second icon indicates the wireless LAN status,
and the third one is the information about the bluetooth on your system. Click on each
item for details.

This icon indicates the information and connection status of onboard LAN,
which is read-only.

The second icon indicates the wireless connection. You may click this icon
to configure the advanced settings in the WLAN Card Mode dialogue box
(see the image on p.4-8). Please note that it is only available when the
Software Access Point is set to WLAN Card Mode.

The third icon indicates the connection using bluetooth devices. If your
system is connected to the bluetooth device, the icon will light up.

4-5

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

MSI Feature

Software Access Point

In the Software Access Point sub-menu, you can see the communication status on
your system and choose the desired software access point mode by clicking on the
desired icon, in which the default settings are configured for your usage. The default
software access point mode is set to WLAN Card Mode. For more advanced
security settings and channels switching, click on “Setting” button to enter its sub­menu.

Terminology

Here are the introduction of WLAN / AP communication terminology.

WEP Key

In the wireless network environment, the administrator can set up password
(Network Key) to protect the network from being attacked or unauthorized
access. When building the network, you can set up 4 sets of WEP keys,
which can be 5 characters (10 hex-adecimal digital) or 13 characters (26
hex-adecimal digital) and specify one of them to use.

Ad-hoc Mode

An Ad-hoc network is a local area network or other small network, especially
one with wireless or temporary plug-in connections, in which some of the
network devices are part of the network only for the duration of a communi­cations session. Users in the network can share files, print to a shared
printer, and access the Internet with a shared modem. In this kind of network,
new devices can be quickly added; however, users can only communicate
with other wireless LAN computers that are in this wireless LAN workgroup,
and are within range.

Infrastructure Mode

The difference between Infrastructure network and Ad-hoc network is that
the former one includes an Access Point. In an Infrastructure network, the
Access Point can manage the bandwidth to maximize bandwidth utilization.
Additionally, the Access Point enables users on a wireless LAN to access an
existing wired network, allowing wireless users to take advantage of the
wired networks resources, such as Internet, email, file transfer, and printer
sharing. The scale and range of the Infrastructure networking are larger and
wider than that of the Ad-hoc networking.

4-6

Introduction to DigiCell

Access Point Mode

Click on “Setting” button of the Access Point Mode and the following screen will
display.

IP Sharing

Click on this icon to enable/disable the IP sharing. The default of this setting is disabled.

Disabled. Enabled.

Enabling/disabling IP sharing depends on the different situation. For example:

1.If your family and you are getting on Internet at home with multi computers, and
your ISP only provides one IP for you, you may need to enable IP Sharing
function in order to use this one IP to get on Internet with multi computers
simultaneously.

2.If you are getting on Internet in office, usually the LAN card will automatically get
the IP this computer uses. In this case you don’t have to enablethis function.

SSID

Means Service Set Identifier, a unique name shared among all points in a wireless
network. It must be identical for all points in the network. Then the card will be able
to connect to an access point with the same SSID.

Channel

Specifies the operating radio frequency channel in Infrastructure mode , which
should be set to an available one (ex: with less traffic to ensure the stable and better
connection).

Associated Client List

This option is to display information of stations that are currently associated to your
wireless gateway.

Association Control

This option allows you to control which PC can connect to the wireless LAN. If you

4-7

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

enable this feature, only PCs with MAC address located in Association Control List
can connect to the wireless LAN.

MAC Address

MAC stands for Media Access Control. A MAC address is the hardware address of
a device connected to a network.

Security

This option allows you to enable/disable the authentication function.

Authentication

Open: Communicates the key across the network.
Shared: Devices must have identical WEP settings to communicate.

MSI Feature

WLAN Card Mode

Click on “ Setting” button of the WLAN Card Mode for the WEP status of your APs.
If the AP you are selecting (the highlighted one) is not encrypted (Disabled shown in

the Encryption column), the screen will display as below. You can click “Connect”
to make connection to that AP, click “Cancel ” to close this dialogue box, or click
“Refresh” button to update the available WLAN connections.

If the network you are selecting is encrypted (WEP shown in the Encryption column),
the screen will display as below. You need to enter the correct WEP key defined by
AP in the specified WEP Key 1~4 fields to make the connection.

4-8

Introduction to DigiCell

Live Update

Click on the Live Update icon in the main menu and the Live Update program will be
enabled.

The Live Update 3™ is a tool used to detect and update your
BIOS/drivers/VGA BIOS/VGA Driver/Utility online so that you don’t
need to search for the correct BIOS/driver version throughout the
whole Web site. To use the function, you need to install the “ MSI
Live Update 3” application. After the installation, the “MSI Live
Update 3” icon (as shown on the right) will appear on the screen.
Double click the “ MSI Live Update 3” icon, and the following screen
will appear:

Several buttons are placed on the left column of the screen. Click the desired button
to start the update process.

Live BIOS – Updates the BIOS online.
Live Driver – Updates the drivers online.
Live VGA BIOS – Updates the VGA BIOS online.
Live VGA Driver – Updates the VGA driver online.
Live Utility – Updates the utilities online.

If the product you purchased does not support any of the functions listed above, a
“sorry” message is displayed. For more information on the update instructions, insert
the companion CD and refer to the “ Live Update Guide” under the “Manual” Tab.

4-9

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

MSI Feature

MEGA STICK

In the MEGA STICK sub-menu, you can configure the settings of MSI MEGA STICK
and the media files (*.m3u, *.mp3, *.wav, *.cda, *.wma) on your system.

Basic Function

Here you can edit your own play list with the buttons “load”, “save”, “delete”,
“shuttle”, “repeat” & “print”.

Load To load media files or the playlist of mp3 files (*.m3u) on your system or
Save To save a loaded playlist of mp3 files (*.m3u) on your system or on
Delete Click on the media files in the Play List: field and use “Delete” button

Shuffle To play the media file in the Play List: in a random order.
Repeat To repeat the selected files in the Play List:.
Print This button has 2 functions:

on your MEGA STICK.
your MEGA STICK.
to remove the media file from the play list. You may remove multi media

files simultaneously by using “Ctrl” to select multi files.

1.To print out the details of current play list through your printer with
the following information:
Song title --- Song length --- Singer name

2.To save the details of current play list and save the file in the plain
text file format in the \\Program files\MSI\DigiCell\MyMusic.txt for
your reference. The MyMusic.txt file is with the following information:
Song title --- Song length --- Singer name

4-10

Introduction to DigiCell

There is also a toolbar for you to execute some basic function, like play, stop, pause,
previous/next song, song info and volume adjust. There is also a scroll bar on the top
for you to forward/rewind.

previous

pause

next

forward/rewind
bar

song’s informationstop

play

Right-click on the MP3 file and choose “ Info”, a MP3 Info dialogue
will pop up to show the information of the file, including the title, artist,
album, release year and others. You may also add your own comment
in the comment field. Then click “Save” to save the change, click
“Cancel” to discard the change, or click “Remove” to remove all
this information.

4-11

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

MSI Feature

Non-Unicode programs supported

If you are using an operating system in European languages, and you’ d like to play the
media files in MEGA STICK with East-Asian languages (such as Chinese, Japanese...
etc.), it is possible that the file names display incorrectly.
However, you can install the Supplemental Language Support provided by
Microsoft to solve this problem. You need to have your Microsoft Setup CD prepared
in the CD-ROM. The system will start to install the necessary components after the
settings are configured here. Follow the steps described below.

1.Go to [Control Panel] and choose [Regional and Languages Options].

2.Go to the [Languages] tab and enable the check box of [Install files for East
Asian languages]. A dialogue box will pop up to remind you the above selection
is chosen.

4-12

Introduction to DigiCell

3. Then go to the [Advanced] tab and select the language you want to be
supported (the language of the filename in the MegaStick) from the drop-

down list in the [Language for non-Unicode programs], then click [Apply]. The
system will install the necessary components from your Microsoft Setup CD
immediately.

4-13

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

MSI Feature

PC Alert

Click on the PC Alert icon in the main menu and the PC Alert program will be
enabled.

PC Alert is just like your PC doctor that can detect and view the PC hardware and
system status during real time operation.
On the top of the screen it shows the current PC hardware status such as the CPU
& system temperatures. On the middle of the screen it shows the current system
status includiing the Vcore, 3.3V, +5V and +12V. The under screen shows the
current fan speeds.

When you click the MENU button, an menu list will appear for users to select. Click the
Sys Info/ WMI Info, it will show the system/ peripheral informations. Click the Settings,
you can select the period time for PC Alert to detect the temperatures, voltages and
fan speeds.

4-14

Introduction to DigiCell

Power on Agent

In the Power on Agent sub-menu, you can configure setting of power-on, power­off and restarting status.

In the screen below, you can set the date, time, start-up programs respectively for
power-on, power-off and restarting.

Power On

Here are the available settings for Power On function:

Date Use the drop-down list to select the date for power-on.
Time Use the arrow keys to select the hour/minute/second for power-on,

power-off and restarting. Then click “Apply ” to save the changes. As
you click “Apply”, the following dialogue will appear to show you the
next power-on schedule, and the system will start to count down to
restart. Click “OK” to restart the computer right away or click “Later ”
to restart your computer later.

MSI Reminds You...

Please note that the new setting will not take effect until you restart your
computer.

4-15

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

MSI Feature

Power Off / Restart

You may configure the time (in the format hh:mm:ss) for the next power-off / restart.

Start With

Use the button “ +Add” to add the start-up pro­grams as DigiCell is activated next time. For example,
you may like to have Outlook activated or a speci­fied website linked when you get to the office every
morning.
Step 1: Click on the Program: field and click “ >>

” button to browse for the path of Out-

look or Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on “OK” to apply the setting.
Step 3: For specified file or specified website,

you may enter the file name with the com-

plete path or the website link in the Parameters: field.

add the desired start­with program

To activate Outlook as DigiCell
is enabled next time

To activate a specified website
as DigiCell is enabled next time

Of course you may use the button “-Delete” to remove the added programs, or you
can right-click on the selected program and click Delete.

delete the added program

MSI Reminds You...

You can also enable the Every turn on function, which will enable the
specified program(s) and file(s) every time the Digi Cell utility runs.

4-16

Introduction to DigiCell

Auto Login

Since the Power On function allows the system to power on automatically, you may
have to enable this Auto Login function in the following situations:

1.If you are using a computer belonging to a domain in office, and you need to
enter your user name & password everytime when you boot up your computer.

2.If there are multi users using the same computer and you’ d like to power on the
computer automatically with one specific user.

Enable Auto Login

Enable this setting if you want to use the Auto Login feature. It supports the
following operating systems: Win9X, Windows ME, Windows 2000 & Windows XP.

Default User Name

It is only available for Windows 2000 & Windows XP.

--If you are using a computer belonging to a domain in office, please enter your
login user name in this field.

--If you are using a computer with multi users (for Windows XP operating system),
please enter the user name you’d like to auto power-on in this field.

Default Password

It is only available for Windows 2000 & Windows XP.

--If you are using a computer belonging to a domain in office, please enter your
login password in this field.

--If you are using a computer with multi-users (for Windows XP operating system),
please enter the password for the user name you’d like to auto power-on in
this field.

4-17

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

Chapter 6. nVidia RAID In­troduction

nVidia RAID Introduction

NVIDIA brings Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID)
technology—which is used by the world’s leading businesses— to
the common PC desktop. This technology uses multiple drives to
either increase total disk space or to offer data protection. For all
levels, RAID techniques optimize storage solutions by using multiple
disks grouped together and treating them as a single storage
resource.

5-1

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Introduction

System Requirement

Operating System Support

NVRAID supports the following operating systems:

Windows XP
Windows 2000 Professional

RAID Arrays

NVRAID supports the following types of RAID arrays described in this section:
RAID 0: RAID 0 defines a disk striping scheme that improves the disk read and write
times for many applications.
RAID 1: RAID 1 defines techniques for mirroring data.
RAID 0+1: RAID 0+1 combines the techniques used in RAID 0 and RAID 1 arrays.
RAID 5: RAID 5 defines techniques for parity data.
Spanning (JBOD): JBOD provides a method for combining drives of different sizes
into one large disk

Summary of RAID Configurations

Array Uses Advantages Drawbacks # Hard

RAID 0 Non-critical data

RAID 1 Small databases or any

RAID 0+1 Critical data requiring

RAID 5 Critical data and

requiring high
performance.

other small capacity
environment requiring
fault tolerance.

high performance.

reasonable level of
performance.

High data throughput. No fault tolerance. multiple None

100% data
redundancy.

Optimized for both
100% data
redundancy and
performance.
Allows spare disks.

Fault tolerance and
better utilization of
disk space.

Requires 2 drives for
the storage space of 1
drive.

Requires 2 drives for
the storage space of 1
drive—the same as
RAID level 1.

Decreased write
performance due to
parity calculations.
Requires at least
three drives.

Disks

2 Yes

4+ Yes

3+ Yes

Fault
Tolerance

JBOD Combining odd size

drives into one big drive

Combines and uses
the capacity of odd
size drives.

Decreases
performance because
of the difficulty in
using drives
concurrently or to
optimize drives for
different uses.

Multiple No

5-2

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

RAID Configuration

Basic Configuration Instructions

The following are the basic steps for configuring NVRAID:

Non-Bootable RAID Array

1. Choose the hard disks that are to be RAID enabled in the system BIOS. (To enable
the nVidia RAID Function in nVidia RAID Setup of Integrated Peripherals in
BIOS.)

2. Specify the RAID level, either Mirroring (RAID 1), Striping (RAID 0), Striping and

Mirroring (RAID 0+1), RAID 5 or JBOD and create the desired RAID array.

3. Enter the Windows OS, run the Windows nForce Setup application and install the

RAID software. (Check p.6-9 for details.)

4. Initialize the NVRAID Array Disks.

Bootable RAID Array

1. Choose the hard disks that are to be RAID enabled in the system BIOS. (To enable
the nVidia RAID Function in nVidia RAID Setup of Integrated Peripherals in
BIOS.)

2. Specify the RAID level, either Mirroring (RAID 1), Striping (RAID 0), Striping and
Mirroring (RAID 0+1), RAID 5 or JBOD and create the desired RAID array.

3. Boot from the Windows CD, use the floppy disk that has the RAID driver to copy

and install the nForce RAID software. (Check p.6-7 for details.)

4. Initialize the NVRAID Array Disks.

Setting Up the NVRAID BIOS

Be sure to enable the nVidia RAID Function in nVidia RAID Setup of Integrated
Peripherals in BIOS before configuring the NVRAID BIOS. After that press F10 to

save the configuration and exit. The PC will reboot right away. Then enter the RAID
BIOS Setup by pressing F10 when prompted, and follow the procedures described
below to set up the NVRAID BIOS.
NVRAID BIOS setup lets you choose the RAID array type and which hard drives you
want to make part of the array.

Entering the RAID BIOS Setup

1. After rebooting your PC, wait until
you see the RAID software
prompting you to press F10. The
RAID prompt appears as part of
the system POST and boot process
prior to loading the OS.

2. Press F10, and the NVIDIA RAID
Utility --- Define a New Array win­dow will appear.
The default RAID Mode is set to
Mirroring and Striping Block is
set to Optimal.

5-3

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Understanding the “Define a New Array” Window

Use the Define a New Array window to

• Select the RAID Mode

• Set up the Striping Block

• Specify which disks to use for the RAID Array

Depending on the platform used, the system can have one or more channels. In a
typical system there is usually one controller and multiple channels, and each chan­nel has a slave and a master.
The channel/controller/master/slave status of each hard disk is given in the Loc
(location) columns of the Free Disks and Array Disks lists.

In the example above, 1.0.M means the hard drive is attached to Channel 1, Controller
0, and the drive is set to Master. The following is a list of all possible combinations:

Parallel ATA

0.0.M Channel 0, controller 0, Master

0.0.S Channel 0, controller 0, Slave

0.1.M Channel 0, controller 1, Master

0.1.S Channel 0, controller 1, Slave

Serial ATA

1.0.M Channel 1, controller 0, Master

1.1.M Channel 1, controller 1, Master

2.0.M Channel 2, controller 0, Master

2.1.M Channel 2, controller 1, Master

MSI Reminds You...

There is no such thing as Slave drive in Serial ATA. All drives are
considered to be Master since there is a one to one connection
between the drive and the controller.

5-4

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

Using the Define a New Array Window

If necessary, press the tab key to move from field to field until the appropriate field is
highlighted.

• Selecting the RAID Mode

By default, this is set to [Mirroring]. To change to a different RAID mode, press the
down arrow key until the mode that you want appears in the RAID Mode box—either
[Mirroring], [Striping], [RAID5], [Spanning], or [Stripe Mirroring].

• Selecting the Striping Block Size

Striping Block size is given in kilobytes, and affects how data is arranged on the

disk. It is recommended to leave this value at the default [Optimal], which is 32KB, but
the values can be between [4 KB] and [128 KB].

• Assigning the Disks

The disks that you enabled from the RAID Config BIOS setup page appear in the Free
Disks block. These are the drives that are available for use as RAID array disks.

To designate a free disk to be used as a RAID array disk,

1. Tab to the Free Disks section. The first disk in the list is selected.

2. Move it from the Free Disks block to the Array Disks block by pressing the right

arrow key (-->). The first disk in the list is moved, and the next disk in the list is
selected and ready to be moved.

3. Continue pressing the right-arrow key (<-- ) until all the disks that you want to use

as RAID array disks appear in the Array Disks block.

It shows that two disks have been assigned as RAID1 array disks in the figure
above.

- Define a New Array -

5-5

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Completing the RAID BIOS Setup

1.After assigning your RAID array disks, press F7. The Clear disk data prompt
appears.

2.Press Y if you want to wipe out all the data from the RAID array, otherwise press
N. You must choose Yes if the drives were previously used as RAID drives.
The Array List window appears, where you can review the RAID arrays that you
have set up.

3. Use the arrow keys to select the array that you want to set up, then press Enter.
The Array Detail window appears.

4. If you want to mark this disk as empty and wipe out all its contents then press C.

5. At the prompt, press Y to wipe out all the data, otherwise press N.

6.Press Enter again to go back to the previous window and then press Ctrl+X to
exit the RAID setup. Now that the RAID setup has been configured from the RAID
BIOS, the next step is to configure and load NVRAID drivers under Windows, as
explained in “Installing the NVIDIA RAID Software Under Windows” on p5-9.

5-6

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

Installing the RAID Driver (for bootable RAID Array)

1. After you complete the RAID BIOS setup, boot from the Windows CD, and the

Windows Setup program starts.

2. Press F6 and wait for the Windows Setup screen to appear.

3. Specify the NVIDIA drivers:

(1)Insert the floppy that has the RAID driver, press S, then press Enter. The

Windows Setup screen appears as below:

MSI Reminds You...

Please follow the instruction below to make an nVIDIA Serial ATA RAID
driver for yourself.

1.Insert the MSI CD into the CD-ROM drive.

2.Click the “Browse CD” on the Setup screen.

3.Copy all the contents in the :
\\nVidia\System\C51+MCP51\IDE\Win2k or XP\sataraid\ to
a formatted floppy disk.

4.The driver disk for nVIDIA RAID controller is done.

(2)Select “NVIDIA RAID CLASS DRIVER” and then press Enter.
(3)Press S again at the Specify Devices screen, then press Enter.
(4)Select “NVIDIA NForce Storage Controller” and then press Enter. The follow-

ing Windows Setup screen appears listing both drivers:

5-7

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

4.Press Enter to continue with Windows XP Installation. Be sure to leave the floppy
disk inserted in the floppy drive until the blue screen portion of Windows XP
installation is completed, then take out the floppy.

5.Follow the instructions on how to install Windows XP. After Windows XP is com­pletely installed, it is recommended that you install the the RAID management tool.

MSI Reminds You...

Each time you add a new hard drive to a RAID array, the RAID driver
will have to be installed under Windows once for that hard drive. After
that, the driver will not have to be installed.

5-8

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

NVIDIA RAID Utility Installation

Installing the NVIDIA RAID Software Under Windows
(for Non-bootable RAID Array)

The existing Windows IDE Parallel ATA driver (as well as the Serial ATA driver if SATA
is enabled) must be upgraded to use the NVIDIA IDE Parallel ATA driver (as well as the
NV Serial ATA driver if SATA is enabled).
This section describes how to run the setup application and install the RAID software
which will upgrade the Windows IDE driver and install the RAID software.

1.Start the NVIDIA C19 System Drivers installation program to open the NVIDIA

Windows nForce Drivers page.

2.Select the modules that you want to install. Make sure that the “NVIDIA IDE Driver”

is selected.

MSI Reminds You...

You must install the NVIDIA IDE driver in order to enable NVIDIA
RAID. If you do not install the NVIDIA IDE driver, NVIDIA RAID will

not be enabled.

3.Click Next and then follow the instructions.

4.After the installation is completed, be sure to reboot the PC.

5.After the reboot, initialize the newly created array.

5-9

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Initializing and Using the Disk Array

The RAID array is now ready to be initialized under Windows.

1.Launch Computer Management by clicking “Start” --> “Settings” --> “Control Panel”

then open the “Administrative Tools” folder and double click on “Computer
Management”.

2.Click “Disk Management” (under the “Storage” section). The Initialize and Convert

Disk Wizards appears.

3.Click Next. The Select Disks to Initialize window appears. The disks listed depend

on how many arrays you have configured.

4.Click Next. The Select Disks to Convert window appears.

5-10

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

5.Check the disk in the list if you want to make the array a dynamic disk, then click

Next. The Completing the Initialize and Convert Disk Wizard window appears.

6.Click Finish. The “Computer Management” window appears.

The actual disks listed will depend on your system, and the unallocated partition is
the total combined storage of two hard disks. You must format the unallocated
disk space in order to use it.

7. Format the unallocated disk space. Right click “Unallocated space”, select “New

Partition…” and follow the wizard. After the drive has been formatted, it is ready
for use.

5-11

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

RAID Drives Management

There is an application called NVRAIDMAN which helps you perform the following
tasks of nVDIA RAID.

• Viewing RAID Array Configurations

View an array configuration (mirrored, striped, mirror-striped, JBOD, or any sup­ported combination)

• Setting Up a Spare RAID Disk

• View free and/or dedicated free disks

• Designate a free disk to a particular array

• Creating RAID Arrays

• Deleting a RAID Array

• Morphing From One RAID Array to Another

• Hot Plug Array

• Initializing a RAID Array

• Erase the data on the array by writing all zeros to the sectors of each hard

disk.

• Rebuilding a RAID Mirrored Array

• Rebuild a broken mirrored array

• Watch the progress of rebuilding an array

• Only applies to RAID 1, RAID 0+1, and RAID 5 arrays

• Synchronizing a RAID Array

• Rebuild the redundancy in RAID 1 or RAID 0+1 arrays (copy the data to the

redundant disk—the same operation as rebuilding)

• Rebuild the parity in RAID 5 arrays

Viewing RAID Array Configurations

To view your RAID configuration from Windows, launch the NVRAID Management
utility by double-clicking NvRaidMan.exe (the default location of NvRaidMan.exe is in
\\nVidia\System\C51+MCP51\IDE\Win2k or XP\raidtool\ of the setup CD accompanied
with your mainboard).
The RAID configuration information appears in the right-side pane, as shown below.

5-12

MSI Reminds You...

The information in the figures in this part may very from what it is shown
in your system.

nVIDIA RAID Introduction

Setting Up a Spare RAID Disk

You can designate a hard drive to be used as a spare drive for a RAID 1, RAID 0+1
or RAID 5 array. The spare drive can take over for a failed disk. NVRAID supports
two types of spare drives:

• Free Disk

A free disk is a disk that is not part of any RAID array, but can be used by any
available RAID 1 or RAID 0+1 array that requires a particular disk when one of its
disks crashes or becomes unusable. The process is automatic and doesn’t require
any user interaction.
For example, if you have a system with four hard disks where one disk is used to
boot the OS, two hard drives are set up in a mirrored array, and a fourth hard disk is
set up as a free disk, then if one of the mirrored array drives fails, the free disk will
be automatically assigned to the mirrored array to be used instead of the failed disk.

• Dedicated Disk

A dedicated free disk is a disk that is assigned to a RAID 1, RAID 0+1 or RAID 5 array
and that disk is used by that array only when needed, for example during a system
crash where a RAID mirrored drive is broken. The dedicated disk can be used only by
the array that it is assigned to and not by any other array, unlike a free disk which can
be used by any available RAID 1, RAID 0+1 or RAID 5 array.
Note: You must have at least two RAID arrays to use this feature.

Assigning a Free Disk

To mark a disk as free, or not a part of any array,

1. Enter the system BIOS setup and make sure that the drive that you want to mark as
free is RAID enabled.

2. Enter the RAID BIOS and make sure that the drive is not part of any array (if one
exists).

3. Boot into Windows and run the NVRAIDMAN program. The drive appears under the
Free Disk section. The figure below shows an example of the NVRAIDMAN display
if you have a mirror array and one free disk.

5-13

MS-7207 M-ATX Mainboard

Assigning a Dedicated Disk

To mark a disk as dedicated, or reserve it for use by a specific array,

Step 1: Mark the Disk as a Free Disk

1. Enter the system BIOS setup and make sure that the drive that you want to mark as

free is RAID enabled.

2. Boot into Windows and run the NVRAIDMAN program.

If the disk is not part of any RAID array, then it will appear under the Free Disk
section of the RAID GUI.

Step 2: Dedicate the Free Disk to an Array

While running NVRAIDMAN, dedicate the free disk to an array by doing the following:

1. Right click one of the two Mirrored arrays as shown below.

2. Select Designate Spare from the menu to launch the Spare Disk Allocation Wizard.

5-14