MSI MS-7226, K9N USER MANUAL

K9N Diamond Series

MS-7226 (V1.X) Mainboard

G52-72261X1

i

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.
NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, DualNet, and nForce are registered trademarks or trade-

marks of NVIDIA Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
AMD, Athlon™ , Athlon™ XP, Thoroughbred™, and Duron™ 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.
Windows® 95/98/2000/NT/XP are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
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.

Revision History

Revision Revision History Date

V1.0 First release for PCB 1.X June 2006

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 website for FAQ, technical guide, BIOS updates, driver updates,
and other information: http://www.msi.com.tw/program/service/faq/

faq/esc_faq_list.php

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

ii

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 service
personnel:

† The power cord or plug is damaged.
† Liquid has penetrated into the equipment.
† The equipment has been exposed to moisture.
† The equipment does 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.

iii

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

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

which the receiver is connected.

† Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/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-7226

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.

iv

WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Statement

v

vi

vii

CONTENTS

Copyright Notice..............................................................................................................ii

Trademarks.......................................................................................................................ii

Revision History..............................................................................................................ii

Technical Support...........................................................................................................ii

Safety Instructions.........................................................................................................iii

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

WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Statement....................................v

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

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

Mainboard Layout................................................................................................1-4

Packing Checklist.................................................................................................1-5

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

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

CPU (Central Processing Unit)............................................................................2-3

CPU Installation Procedures for Socket AM2............................................2-4

Installing AMD Socket AM2 CPU Cooler Set...............................................2-5

Memory.................................................................................................................2-6

Dual-Channel Memory Population Rules....................................................2-6

Installing DDRII Modules...............................................................................2-7

Power Supply......................................................................................................2-8

ATX 12V Power Connector: JPW1/ JPWR2..............................................2-8

ATX 24-Pin Power Connector: JPWR1......................................................2-8

Important Notification about Power Issue..................................................2-9

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

Connectors........................................................................................................2-12

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1..........................................................2-12

ATA133 Hard Disk Connectors: IDE1.......................................................2-12

Serial ATA Connectors: SATA1~SATA6...................................................2-13

Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1, SYSFAN1, NBFAN1 & PWRFAN1..2-14

Chassis Intrusion Switch Connector: JCI1..............................................2-14

Aux Line-In Connector: JCD1...................................................................2-14

Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1......................................................2-15

IrDA Infrared Module Header: JIR1...........................................................2-15

Front USB Connectors: JUSB1, JUSB2 & JUSB3...................................2-16

IEEE 1394 Connectors: J1394_1/ J1394_2.............................................2-17

Front Panel Connectors: JFP1/ JFP2.......................................................2-18

D-Bracket™ 2 Connector: JDB1...............................................................2-19

viii

Button.................................................................................................................2-20

Clear CMOS Button : SW1.........................................................................2-20

Slots....................................................................................................................2-21

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express Slots.......................2-21

NV SLI Technology....................................................................................2-22

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slots......................................2-24

PCI Interrupt Request Routing...................................................................2-24

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

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

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

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

General Help <F1>.......................................................................................3-3

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

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

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

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

Integrated Peripherals.......................................................................................3-12

Power Management Setup...............................................................................3-15

PNP/PCI Configurations.....................................................................................3-18

H/W Monitor........................................................................................................3-20

Cell Menu............................................................................................................3-22

Load Fail-Safe/ Optimized Defaults.................................................................3-30

BIOS Setting Password.....................................................................................3-31

Appendix A Introduction to DigiCell..................................................................A-1

Activating DigiCell................................................................................................A-2

Main......................................................................................................................A-2

Introduction:.................................................................................................A-3

H/W Diagnostic.....................................................................................................A-5

Communication.....................................................................................................A-6

Software Access Point.......................................................................................A-7

Terminology..................................................................................................A-7

Access Point Mode.....................................................................................A-8

WLAN Card Mode........................................................................................A-9

Live Update........................................................................................................A-10

MEGA STICK.......................................................................................................A-11

Basic Function............................................................................................A-11

Non-Unicode programs supported...........................................................A-13

Power On Agent................................................................................................A-15

ix

Power On...................................................................................................A-15

Power Off / Restart...................................................................................A-16

Start With....................................................................................................A-16

Auto Login..................................................................................................A-17

Appendix B Creative Sound Blaster...................................................................B-1

Hardware Setup..................................................................................................B-2

Installation for Windows 2000/XP..............................................................B-6

Installing the Creative Audio Driver....................................................................B-6

Software Configuration......................................................................................B-8

SURROUND MIXER.......................................................................................B-9

SPEAKER SETTINGS................................................................................B-10

MEDIA SOURCE PLAYER.......................................................................... B-11

EAX CONSOLE.........................................................................................B-12

GRAPHIC EQUALIZER...............................................................................B-16

Appendix C nVidia RAID.........................................................................................C-1

Introduction..........................................................................................................C-2

System Requirement...................................................................................C-2

RAID Arrays.................................................................................................C-2

Summary of RAID Configurations...............................................................C-2

RAID Configuration..............................................................................................C-3

Basic Configuration Instructions................................................................C-3

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

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

NVIDIA RAID Utility Installation.............................................................................C-9

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

Array)...........................................................................................................C-9

Initializing and Using the Disk Array.........................................................C-10

RAID Drives Management..................................................................................C-12

Viewing RAID Array Configurations........................................................C-12

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

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

Hot Plug Array............................................................................................C-18

Initializing a RAID Array.............................................................................C-19

Rebuilding a RAID Array............................................................................C-22

Synchronizing a RAID Array.....................................................................C-25

Appendix D nVidia System Driver......................................................................D-1

nVidia System Driver Installation........................................................................D-2

NVIDIA System Driver..................................................................................D-2

x

nVidia Utility Installaion........................................................................................D-5

Appendix E Dual Core Center..............................................................................E-1

Activating Dual Core Center...............................................................................E-2

Main......................................................................................................................E-3

DOT.......................................................................................................................E-5

Clock.....................................................................................................................E-6

Voltage.................................................................................................................E-7

FAN Speed...........................................................................................................E-8

Temperature.........................................................................................................E-9

User Profile........................................................................................................E-10

xi

Getting Started

Chapter 1

Getting Started

Thank you for choosing the K9N Diamond Series (MS­7226 v1.X) ATX mainboard. The K9N Diamond Series
mainboards are based on nVidia® nForce 590 SLI
chipsets for optimal system efficiency. Designed to fit
the advanced AMD® Athlon 64 X2/ Athlon 64/ Athlon
FX & Sempron processor, the K9N Diamond Series
deliver a high performance and professional desktop
platform solution.

1-1

MS-7226 Mainboard

Mainboard Specifications

Processor Support

- AMD® Athlon 64/ FX/ X2 and Sempron in the socket AM2 package
(For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://www.msi.

com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_cpu_support.
php)

Supported FSB

- HyperTransport supporting speed up to 1 GHz (2000MT/s)

Chipset

- North Bridge: nVidia® C51XE chipset

- South Bridge: nVidia® MCP55PXE chipset

Memory Support

- DDRII 533/667/800 SDRAM (8GB Max)

- 4 DDRII DIMMs (240pin/ non-ECC)
(For more information on compatible components, please visit http:/

/www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/
pro_mbd_trp_list.php)

LAN

- Supports Dual LAN 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet by Vitesse VSC8601

IEEE 1394

- Chip integrated by VIA VT 6306

- Transfer rate is up to 400Mbps

Audio

- Creative SB Audigy SE H/W audio (Controll by CA0106)

- 24-bit / 96 KHz audio quality

- 100db SNR clarity

- Up to 7.1 Channel audio-out and SPDIF-out

IDE

- 1 IDE port by MCP55PXE

- Supports Ultra DMA 66/100/133 mode

- Supports PIO, Bus Master operation mode

SATA

- 6 SATA II ports by MCP55PXE

- Supports storage and data transfers at up to 300 MB/s

RAID

- SATA1~6 supports RAID 0/ 1/ 0+1/ 5 or JBOD mode by
MCP55PXE

Floppy

- 1 floppy port

- Supports 1 FDD with 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88Mbytes

1-2

Connectors

Back panel

- 1 PS/2 mouse port

- 1 PS/2 keyboard port.

- 1 Serial port

- 1 Parallel port supporting SPP/EPP/ECP mode

- 1 IEEE 1394 port

- 4 USB 2.0 Ports.

- 2 LAN jacks (10/100/1000) by Vitesse VSC8601

- 5 flexible audio jacks

- 1 Optical SPDIF jack / 1 Coaxial SPDIF-out port

On-Board Pinheaders

- 1 D-Bracket 2 pinheader

- 1 IrDA pinheader

- 3 USB 2.0 pinheaders

- 2 IEEE 1394 pinheaders.

Getting Started

Slots

- 2 PCI Express x 16 slots (Support SLI technology, both PCIE X 16
slots compatible with PCI Express X 16 speed)

- 2 PCI Express x 1 slots

- 2 PCI slots, support 3.3V/ 5V PCI bus Interface, includes one
orange slot which supports 2 master for MSI special PCI function
card (ex. wireless LAN and bluetooth combo card.).

Form Factor

- ATX (30.5 cm X 24.5 cm)

Mounting

- 9 mounting holes

1-3

MS-7226 Mainboard

PCI 2

J1394_2

SATA3

SATA4

SATA5

SATA6

PWRFAN1

SYSFAN1

BIOS

BATT

IDE 1

DIMM3DIMM4DIMM1DIMM

2

JPWR1FDD

1

Winbond

W83627EHG

JUSB2

JUSB3

Mainboard Layout

Top : mouse
Bottom: keyboard

Top : Parallel Port
Bottom:

COM Port
1394 Port
SPDIF_out
(Coaxial)

USB ports

T: LAN jack
B: USB ports

T:

Line-In

M:

Line-Out

B:

Mic

T:RS-Out
M:CS

-Out
B:SPDIF Out
(optical)

LAN
Chip

LAN
Chip

CPUFAN1

PCI _E1

PCI _E2

JPW1

JPWR2

NBFAN1

nvidia

C51XE

JIR1

JCI1

Sw1

MCP55PXE

PCI _E3

Creative

Audio

controller

1394

Chip

PCI _E4
PCI 1

1-4

JUSB1

JCD1

JAUD1

J1394_1

K9N Diamond Series

(MS-7226 v1.X) ATX Mainboard

SATA2

JDB1

+

JLPC1

JFP2

JFP1

Packing Checklist

Getting Started

MSI motherboard

Power Cable

Round Cable of

Floppy Disk (Optional)

MSI Driver/Utility CD

SATA Cable

D-Bracket 2

(Optional)

SLI Video Link Card

Round Cable of

IDE Devices

IEEE1394-Bracket

(Optional)

User’s Guide

* The pictures are for reference only and may vary from the packing contents of the
product you purchased.

Back IO Shield

1-5

Hardware Setup

Chapter 2

Hardware Setup

This chapter provides you with the information about
hardware setup procedures. While doing the installation,
be careful in holding the components and follow the
installation procedures. For some components, if you
install in the wrong orientation, the components will not
work properly.

Use a grounded wrist strap before handling computer
components. Static electricity may damage the
components.

2-1

MS-7226 Mainboard

Quick Components Guide

Back Panel
I/O, p.2-10

JPWR2,

p.2-8

JPW1,
p.2-8

NBFAN1,

p.2-14

CPUFAN1,

p.2-14

CPU, p.2-3

DDRII DIMMs, p.2-6

JIR1, p.2-15

JCI1, p.2-14

FDD1, p.2-12

JPWR1, p.2-8

IDE1, p.2-12

SW1, p.2-20

PCI Express
slots, p.2-21

PCI Slots,

p.2-24

2-2

JCD1, p.2-14

SATA1~6,

p.2-13

PWRFAN1, p.2-14

SYSFAN1, p.2-14
JFP2, p.2-18

JDB1, p.2-19
JFP1, p.2-18

JUSB1~3, p.2-16

J1394_1~2, p.2-17

JAUD1, p.2-15

Hardware Setup

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The mainboard supports AMD® Athlon64/ X2/ FX & Sempron processors. The mainboard
uses a CPU socket called Socket AM2 (940-pin) 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

Important

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

2. Make sure that you apply an even layer of heat sink paste (or thermal tape)
between the CPU and the heatsink to enhance heat dissipation.

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

2-3

MS-7226 Mainboard

Gold arrow

Gold arrow

Gold arrow

Correct CPU placement

O

CPU Installation Procedures for Socket AM2

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

Open Lever

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

90 degree

5. Press the CPU down firmly into
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.

2-4

Hardware Setup

Installing AMD Socket AM2 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.

Important

Mainboard photos shown in this section are for demonstration of the cooler
installation for Socket AM2 CPUs only. The appearance of your mainboard
may vary depending on the model you purchase.

1.Position the cooling set onto the re­tention mechanism.

Hook one end of the clip to hook
first.

3.Fasten down the lever.

2. Then press down the other end of
the clip to fasten the cooling set on
the top of the retention mechanism.
Locate the Fix Lever and lift up it .

Fixed Lever

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

2-5

MS-7226 Mainboard

1

2

3

Memory

The mainboard provides four 240-pin non-ECC DDRII DIMMs and supports up to 8GB
system memory.

For more information on compatible components, please visit http://www.msi.com.tw/

program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_trp_list.php

DDRII

240-pin, 1.8V

64x2=128 pin56x2=112 pin

Dual-Channel Memory Population Rules

DIMM3
DIMM4
DIMM1
DIMM2

DIMM3
DIMM4
DIMM1
DIMM2

DIMM3
DIMM4
DIMM1
DIMM2

2-6

Hardware Setup

Installing DDRII Modules

1. The memory module has only one notch on the center and will only fit in the right
orientation.

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

Important

You can barely see the golden finger if the module is properly inserted in the
DIMM slot.

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

Volt

Notch

Important

-DDRII modules are not interchangeable with DDR and the DDRII standard is
not backwards compatible. You should always install DDRII memory mod­ules in the DDRII DIMMs and DDR memory modules in the DDR DIMMs.

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

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

- Due to the chipset resource deployment, the system density will only be
detected up to 7+GB (not full 8GB) when each DIMM is installed with a 2GB
memory module.

2-7

MS-7226 Mainboard

Power Supply

ATX 24-Pin Power Connector: JPWR1

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

JPWR1

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 +3.3V

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/ JPWR2

This 12V power connector JPW1 is used to provide power to the CPU. This 12V
power connector JPWR2 is used to provide power to stable the operation of graphics
card.

JPW1

3 4

1

2

JPW1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

1 GND
2 GND
3 12V
4 12V

JPWR2

1

JPWR2 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL

1 5V
2 GND
3 GND
4 12V

Important

1. Maker sure that all the connectors are connected to proper ATX power sup­plies to ensure stable operation of the mainboard.

2. Power supply of 450 watts (and above) is highly recommended for system
stability.

2-8

Hardware Setup

Important Notification about Power Issue

NForce chipset is very sensitive to ESD (Electrostatic Discharge), therefore this
issue mostly happens while the users intensively swap memory modules under S5
(power-off) states, and the power code is plugged while installing modules. Due to
several pins are very sensitive to ESD, so this kind of memory-replacement actions
might cause system chipset unable to boot. Please follow the following solution to
avoid this situation.

Unplug the AC power cable (shown in figure 1) or unplug the JPWR1/ JPWR2 & JPW1
power connectors (shown in figure 2 & figure 3) before the 1st installation or during
system upgrade procedure.

Figure 1:

Unplug the AC power cable

Figure 2:

Unplug the JPWR1 power conn.

Figure 3:

Unplug the JPW1/ JPWR2 power

connectors

2-9

MS-7226 Mainboard

Back Panel

Mouse

Parallel Port

LAN

LAN

L-In

RS-Out

Keyboard

Serial Port

1394

Port

S/PDIF­Out

USB Ports

L-Out

Mic

CS-Out

S/PDIF-

Out

Mouse/Keyboard Connector

The standard PS/2® mouse/keyboard DIN connector is for a PS/2® mouse/keyboard.

Parallel Port Connector
A parallel port is a standard printer port that supports Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP)
and Extended Capabilities Parallel Port (ECP) mode.

Serial Port Connector
The serial port is a 16550A high speed communications port that sends/ receives 16
bytes FIFOs. You can attach a serial mouse or other serial devices directly to the
connector.

Coaxial S/PDIF-Out connector
This SPDIF (Sony & Philips Digital Interconnect Format) connector is provided for
digital audio transmission to external speakers through a coaxial cable.

IEEE 1394 Port
The 1394 port on the back panel provides connection to 1394 devices.

LAN (RJ-45) Jack
The standard RJ-45 jack is for connec­tion to single Local Area Network (LAN).

Link IndicatorActivity Indicator

You can connect a network cable to it.

LED Color LED State condition

Off LAN link is not established.

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

On (brighter & pulsing)The computer is communicating with another computer on the LAN.

Green Off 10 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.

Right On 100 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.

Orange On 1000 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.

2-10

Hardware Setup

USB Connectors
The OHCI (Open Host Controller Interface) Universal Serial Bus root is for attaching
USB devices such as keyboard, mouse, or other USB-compatible devices.

Audio Port Connectors
These audio connectors are used for audio devices. You can differentiate the color
of the audio jacks for different audio sound effects.

Blue audio jack - Line In / Side-Surround Out in 7.1 channel mode, is used

for external CD player, tapeplayer or other audio devices.

Green audio jack - Line Out, is a connector for speakers or headphones.
Pink audio jack - Mic In, is a connector for microphones.
Black audio jack - Rear-Surround Out in 4/ 5.1/ 7.1 channel mode.
Orange audio jack - Center/ Subwoofer Out in 5.1/ 7.1 channel mode.

Optical S/PDIF-Out connector
This SPDIF (Sony & Philips Digital Interconnect Format) connector is provided for
digital audio transmission to external speakers through a fiber cable.

2-11

MS-7226 Mainboard

Connectors

Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1

This standard FDD connector supports 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88M floppy
disk types.

FDD1

ATA133 Hard Disk Connectors: IDE1

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 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 one-third faster than earlier record-breaking Ultra ATA/
100 technology and is backwards compatible with the existing Ultra ATA
interface.

IDE1 (Primary IDE Connector)
IDE1 can connect a Master and a Slave drive. You must configure the
second hard drive to Slave mode by setting the jumper accordingly.

Important

IDE1

If you install two hard disks on IDE 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.

2-12

Hardware Setup

Serial ATA Connectors: SATA1~SATA6

SATA1~SATA6 are high-speed SATAII interface ports. Each supports data rates of
300 MB/s and is fully compliant with Serial ATA specifications. Each Serial ATA con­nector can connect to 1 hard disk device.

SATA5

1

SATA1SATA2

7

SATA6

1

SATA3

Serial ATA cable

7

SATA4

Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 GND 2 TXP

1

7

3 TXN 4 GND
5 RXN 6 RXP
7 GND

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

Connect to SATA connector

Important

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

2-13

MS-7226 Mainboard

Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1, SYSFAN1, NBFAN1 & PWRFAN1

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 on-board, you must
use a specially designed fan with speed sensor to take advantage of the CPU fan
control.

SENSOR+12V

GND Control

CPUFAN1

GND Control

SENSOR+12V

SYSFAN1

+12V

GND

NBFAN1

SENSOR

+12V

GND

PWRFAN1

NC

Important

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

2.Always consult the vendors for proper CPU cooling fan.

3. Fan/heatsink with 3 or 4 pins are both available for CPUFAN1/ SYSFAN1.

4.CPUFAN1 supports fan control. You can setup it in H/W Monitor of BIOS

Setup.

Chassis Intrusion Switch Connector: JCI1

This connector connects 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.

Aux Line-In Connector: JCD1

The connector is for TV/ DVD add-on card with Line-in connector.

2-14

1
2

CINTRU

GND

JCI1

JCD1

R

GND

L

Hardware Setup

Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1

The JAUD1 front panel audio connector allows you to connect 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 AUD_MIC Front panel microphone input signal
2 AUD_GND Ground used by analog audio circuits
3 AUD_MIC_BIAS Microphone power
4 AUD_VCC Filtered +5V used by analog audio circuits
5 AUD_FPOUT_R Right channel audio signal to front panel
6 AUD_RET_R Right channel audio signal return from front panel
7 HP_ON Reserved for future use to control headphone amplifier
8 KEY No pin
9 AUD_FPOUT_L Left channel audio signal to front panel
10 AUD_RET_L Left channel audio signal return from front panel

10

9

Important

6

If you don’t want to connect to the front audio header, pins 5 &

10

6, 9 & 10 have to be jumpered in order to have signal output
directed to the rear audio ports. Otherwise, the Line-Out con-

5

9

nector on the back panel will not function.

IrDA Infrared Module Header: JIR1

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

JIR1

6 5

2

1

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

®

2-15

MS-7226 Mainboard

Front USB Connectors: JUSB1, JUSB2 & JUSB3

The mainboard provides USB 2.0 pinheaders (optional USB 2.0 bracket available) that
are compliant with Intel® I/O Connectivity Design Guide. 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 high-speed USB interface peripherals such
as USB HDD, digital cameras , MP3 players, printers , modems and the like.

Pin Definition

JUSB1/2/3

2
1

Connected to USB connector

10

9

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 VCC 2 VCC
3 USB0- 4 USB1­5 USB0+ 6 USB1+
7 GND 8 GND
9 Key (no pin) 10 USBOC

USB 2.0 Bracket

(Optional)

Important

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

2-16

Hardware Setup

IEEE 1394 Connectors: J1394_1/ J1394_2

The mainboard provides IEEE1394 pinheader that allow you to connect IEEE 1394
ports via an external IEEE1394 bracket (optional).

Pin Definition

J1394_1/J1394_2

9 1

10

(The 1394 pinheaders

are in Green color.)

Connected to 1394 connector

2

PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL

1 Ground 2 Key (no pin)
3 Cable power 4 Cable power
5 TPB- 6 TPB+
7 Ground 8 Ground
9 TPA- 10 TPA+

Foolproof

design

IEEE1394 Bracket (Optional)

2-17

MS-7226 Mainboard

Front Panel Connectors: JFP1/ JFP2

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

Power

Power

LED

Switch

-

+

JFP1

2
1

-

+

HDD
LED

JFP1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 HD_LED + Hard disk LED pull-up
2 FP PWR/SLP MSG LED pull-up
3 HD_LED - Hard disk active LED
4 FP PWR/SLP MSG LED pull-up
5 RST_SW - Reset Switch low reference pull-down to GND
6 PWR_SW + Power Switch high reference pull-up
7 RST_SW + Reset Switch high reference pull-up
8 PWR_SW - Power Switch low reference pull-down to GND
9 RSVD_DNU Reserved. Do not use.

-

+

Reset
Switch

10

9

2-18

Power LED

JFP2

7
8

+

Speaker

1
2

-

+

-

JFP2 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 GND Ground
2 SPK- Speaker­3 SLED Suspend LED
4 BUZ+ Buzzer+
5 PLED Power LED
6 BUZ- Buzzer­7 NC No connection
8 SPK+ Speaker+

Hardware Setup

D-Bracket™ 2 Connector: JDB1

The mainboard comes with a JDB1 connector for you to connect to D-Bracket™ 2. D­Bracket™ 2 is an external USB Bracket that supports both USB1.1 & 2.0 specs. It
integrates four LEDs and allows users to identify system problems through 16 vari­ous combinations of LED signals.

Connected to
JDB1

10

2

1

DBR1

DBR2

DBR3

NC

DBR4

9

D-Bracket™ 2

(Optional)

DBG1

DBG3

DBG2

Red

LED Signal

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

DBG4

Connected to USB
connector

Key (no-pin)

Green

Description

System Power ON
The D-LED will hang here if the
processor is damaged or not in­stalled properly.

Early Chipset Initialization

Memory Detection Test
Testing onboard memory size. The
D-LED will hang if the memory mod­ule is damaged or not installed
properly.

Decompressing BIOS image to RAM
for fast booting.

Initializing Keyboard Controller.

LED Signal

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

Description

Initializing Video Interface
This will start detecting CPU clock,
checking type of video onboard. Then,
detect and initialize the video adapter.

BIOS Sign On
This will start showing information
about logo, processor brand name,
etc...

Testing Base and Extended Memory
Testing base memory from 240K to
640K and extended memory above
1MB using various patterns.

Assign Resources to all ISA.

Initializing Hard Drive Controller
This will initialize IDE drive and
controller.

LEDs

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

Testing VGA BIOS
This will start writing VGA sign-on
message to the screen.

Processor Initialization
This will show information regarding
the processor (like brand name, sys­tem bus, etc...)

Testing RTC (Real Time Clock)

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

1 2
3 4

Initializing Floppy Drive Controller
This will initialize Floppy Drive and
controller.

Boot Attempt
This will set low stack and boot via
INT 19h.

Operating System Booting

2-19

MS-7226 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 use
of 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 to clear the data:

SW1

2-20

Hardware Setup

Slots

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express Slots

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 AGP 8x de­signs with transfer rates of 4.0 GB/s over a PCI Express x16 lane for graphics
controllers, while PCI Express x1 supports transfer rate of 250 MB/s.

PCI Express x16 Slot

PCI Express x1 Slot

Important

1. When adding or removing expansion cards, make sure that you unplug the
power supply first. Meanwhile, read the documentation for the expansion
card to configure any necessary hardware or software settings for the ex
pansion card, such as jumpers, switches or BIOS configuration.

2. The mainboard supports SLI technology with two PCI Express X 16 slots.

2-21

MS-7226 Mainboard

NV SLI Technology

NVIDIA SLI (Scalable Link Interface) technology allows two GPUs to run in tandem
within a system to achieve up to twice the performance of a single graphics card. To
utilize this technology, the two GPU cards must be connected by an SLI Video Link
card.

SLI Video Link Card

If you intend to use the SLI mode for better graphics performance, please refer to the
following instructions.

1.Install two graphics cards on PCI Express x16 slots. With two cards installed, an
SLI bridge card is required to connect the atop golden fingers of these two graphics
cards (refer to the picture below). Please note that although you have installed two
graphics cards, only the video outputs on the first card will work. Hence, you only
need to connect a monitor to the first PCI Express card.

SLI Video Link Card

Important

1. Mainboard photos shown in this section are for demonstration only. The

appearance of your mainboard may vary depending on the model you purchase.

2. If you intend to install TWO x16 graphics cards, make sure that, these two

graphics cards are of the same brand and specifications.

3. Make sure that you connect an adequate power supply to the JPWR2

connector (or to the power connection on the graphics card) to ensure
stable operation of the graphics card.

2-22

Hardware Setup

2. After the hardware installation is completed, restart the system and install the NV
SLI driver/utility. A configuration panel will be provided for Multi-GPU control. Check
the Enable multi-GPU box to enable the SLI function for the onboard graphics
cards (concerning the details of multi-GPU settings, please refer to your graphics
card manual) .

Check the box

3. Restart your system and a pop-up will show in the system tray confirming that
Multi-GPU has been enabled.

Important

If you want to remove one graphics card and quit the SLI function, make sure
the "MultiGPU" function is disabled.

2-23

MS-7226 Mainboard

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slots

The PCI slots support LAN cards, SCSI cards, USB cards, and other add-on cards
that comply with PCI specifications. At 32 bits and 33 MHz, it yields a throughput rate
of 133 MBps.

32-bit PCI Slot

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 Y# INT Z# INT W# INT X#
PCI Slot 2 INT Z# INT W# INT X# INT Y#

2-24

BIOS Setup

Chapter 3

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 booting up, and requests you to run SETUP.

² You want to change the default settings for cus-

tomized features.

3-1

MS-7226 Mainboard

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.

Important

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:

A7226NMS V1.0 061506 where:

1st digit refers to BIOS maker as A = AMI, W = AWARD, and P =
PHOENIX.
2nd - 5th digit refers to the model number.
6th digit refers to the chipset as I = Intel, N = nVidia, and V = VIA.
7th - 8th digit refers to the customer as MS = all standard customers.
V1.0 refers to the BIOS version.
061506 refers to the date this BIOS was released.

3-2

Control Keys

<↑> 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

<Enter> Select the item
<Esc> Jumps to the Exit menu or returns to the main menu from a

<+/PU> Increase the numeric value or make changes
<-/PD> Decrease the numeric value or make changes
<F6> Load Optimized Defaults
<F8> Load Fail-Safe Defaults
<F10> Save all the CMOS changes and exit

BIOS Setup

submenu

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
arrow 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 can be launched from this field.
A sub-menu contains additional options for a field
parameter. You can use arrow 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 the <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-7226 Mainboard

The Main 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 Features

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.

Cell Menu

Use this menu to specify your settings for frequency/voltage control and overclocking.

3-4

BIOS Setup

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 for BIOS.

Save & Exit Setup

Save changes to CMOS and exit setup.

Exit Without Saving

Abandon all changes and exit setup.

3-5

MS-7226 Mainboard

Standard CMOS Features

The items in Standard CMOS Features Menu includes some basic 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

BIOS. Read-only.

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.

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 IDE Master/ Slave, Serial-ATA 0/1/2 Primary/ Secondary Channel

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

3-6

BIOS Setup

Device/ Vender/ Size/ LBA Mode/ Block Mode/ PIO Mode/ Async DMA/

Ultra DMA/ S.M.A.R.T.

It will showing the device information that you connected to the IDE/SATA con­nector .

LBA/Large Mode

This allows you to enable or disable the LBA Mode. Setting to Auto enables LBA
mode if the device supports it and the devices is not already formatted with LBA
mode disabled.

DMA Mode

Select DMA Mode.

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.

Important

Primary IDE Master/ Slave, Serial-ATA 0/ 1/ 2 Primary/ Secondary
Channel are appearing when you connect the HD devices to the IDE/

SATA connector on the mainboard.

Floppy Drive 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.].

3-7

MS-7226 Mainboard

Halt On

The setting determines whether the system will stop if an error is detected at boot.
Available options are:

[No Errors] The system doesn’t stop for any detected error.
[All, But Keyboard] The system doesn’t stop for a keyboard error.

System Information

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

This sub-menu shows the CPU information, BIOS version and memory status of your
system (read only).

3-8

Advanced BIOS Features

BIOS Setup

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.

Quick Boot

Setting the item to [Enabled] allows the system to boot within 10 seconds since it will
skip some check items.

Boot Up Num Lock LED

This setting is to set the Num Lock status when the system is powered on. Setting to
[On] will turn on the Num Lock key when the system is powered on. Setting to [Off]
will allow users to use the arrow keys on the numeric keypad.

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.

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.

3-9

MS-7226 Mainboard

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.

Removable Drives

This feature allows you to specify the removable device boot priority.

CD/DVD Drives

This feature allows you to specify the CD/DVD device boot priority.

3-10

Advanced Chipset Features

BIOS Setup

Hyper Transport MCP55 Configuration

LDT (AM2) to C51 (NB) FreqAuto

[Enabled] Auto Detect HT frequency.
[Disabled] Manual to setting HT frequency.

LDT (AM2) to C51 (NB) Freq

When the “LDT (AM2) to C51 (NB) FreqAuto” set to Disabled, the item will
appear. This item allows you to select the frequency from CPU to North Bridge.

LDT (AM2) to C51 (NB) Link

This item allows you to select the HT width from CPU to NB.

C51 (NB) to MCP55 (SB) Freq

This item allows you to select the frequency from North Bridge to South Bridge.

C51 (NB) to MCP55 (SB) Link

This item allows you to select the HT width from North Bridge to South Bridge.

Hyper Transport MCP55 Configuration

MCP55 (SB) to C51 (NB) Freq

This item allows you to select the frequency from South Bridge to North Bridge.

3-11

MS-7226 Mainboard

Integrated Peripherals

USB / USB 2.0 Controller

This setting allows you to enable/disable the onboard USB 1.1/ 2.0 controller.

Legacy USB Support

Select [Enabled] if you need to use a USB-interfaced device in the operating system.

Onboard GigaBit LAN0

These items are used to enable/disable the onboard LAN0 controller.

Onboard GigaBit LAN1

These items are used to enable/disable the onboard LAN1 controller.

LAN0/LAN1 Option ROM

This item is used to decide whether to invoke the Boot ROM of the LAN0/LAN1
controllers.

Onboard Audio Controller

This setting is used to enable/disable the onboard audio controller.

Onboard IEEE1394 Controller

This item allows you to enable/disable the onboard IEEE1394 controller.

On-Chip ATA Devices

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

3-12

BIOS Setup

OnBoard IDE Controller

This item allows you to enable/ disable IDE Controller.

PCI IDE BusMaster

This item allows you to enable/ disable BIOS to used PCI busmastering for
reading/ writing to IDE drives.

Onchip SATAA

These items allow users to enable or disable the SATA controller. Setting options:
[Device 0/ 1/ 2], [Device 0/ 1], [Device 0], [Disabled].

Onchip RAID Controller

This item is used to enable/disable the nVidia RAID function for SATA devices.

SATA 0/ SATA 1/ SATA 2 Primary/ Secondary Channel

These items allow users to enable or disable the RAID function for each SATA
hard disk drive.

I/O Device 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.

COM Port 1

Select an address and corresponding interrupt for the first serial port.

3-13

MS-7226 Mainboard

IR Function

This setting allows you to enable or disable the IR function.

Parallel Port

There is a built-in parallel port on the on-board Super I/O chipset that provides
Standard, ECP, and EPP features. It has the following options:

[Disabled]
[3BC] Line Printer port 0
[278] Line Printer port 2
[378] Line Printer port 1

Parallel Port Mode

[Normal] Stardand Parallel Port
[EPP] Enhanced Parallel Port
[ECP] Extended Capability Port
[ECP + EPP] Extended Capability Port + Enhanced Parallel Port

[Bi-Directional]
To operate the onboard parallel port as Standard Parallel Port only, choose [SPP].
To operate the onboard parallel port in the EPP mode simultaneously, choose
[EPP]. By choosing [ECP], the onboard parallel port will operate in ECP mode only.
Choosing [ECP + EPP] will allow the onboard parallel port to support both the ECP
and EPP modes simultaneously.

Parallel Port IRQ

This item allows you to set parallel port IRQ.

3-14

Power Management Setup

BIOS Setup

Important

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 2000/
XP, select [Enabled].

ACPI Standby State

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

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

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

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

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.

[Auto]

3-15

MS-7226 Mainboard

Re-Call VGA BIOS From S3

When ACPI Standby State is set to [S3/STR], users can select the options in this
field. Selecting [Yes] allows BIOS to call VGABIOS to initialize the VGA card when
system wakes up (resumes) from S3 sleep state. The system resume time is short­ened when you disable the function, but system will need an VGA driver to initialize
the VGA card. Therefore, if the VGA driver of the card does not support the initializa­tion feature, the display may work abnormally or not function after resuming from S3.

Power Button Function

This feature sets the function of the power button. Settings are:

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

suspend/sleep mode, but if the button is pressed for more
than four seconds, the computer is turned off.

Restore On AC Power Loss

This item specifies whether your system will reboot after a power failure or interrupt
occurs. Settings are:

[Power Off] Always leaves the computer in the power off state.
[Power On] Always leaves the computer in the power on state.
[Last State] Restores the system to the status before power failure

or interrupt occurred.

Wakeup Event Setup

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

Resume From S3 By PS/2 KB

This setting determines whether the system will be awakened from what power
saving modes when input signal of the PS/2 keyboard is detected.

Resume From S3 By PS/2 MS

This setting determines whether the system will be awakened from what power
saving modes when input signal of the PS/2 mouse is detected.

Resume by PCI Device (PME#)

When set to [Enabled], the feature allows your system to be awakened from the
power saving modes through any event on PME (Power Management Event).

3-16

BIOS Setup

Resume by PCIE Device

When set to [Enabled], the feature allows your system to be awakened from the
power saving modes through any event on PCIE device.

Resume by RTC Alarm

The field is used to enable or disable the feature of booting up the system on a
scheduled time/date.

3-17

MS-7226 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.

Primary Graphics Adapter

This setting specifies which graphics card is your primary graphics adapter. Settings
are:

[PCIE1 -> PCIE2 -> PCI]The system initializes the PCI Express graphics card
that installed in PCIE x 16 first slot first.
[PCIE2 -> PCIE1 ->PCI]The system initializes the PCI Express graphics card
that installed in PCIE x 16 second slot first.

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.

PCI Slot 1/2 IRQ

These items specify the IRQ line for each PCI slot.

3-18

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 AMIBIOS 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.

Important

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.

DMA Resource Setup

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

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

The settings determine if AMIBIOS should remove a DMA (Direct Memory Access)
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.

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MS-7226 Mainboard

H/W Monitor

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.

Smart FAN Target

The mainboard provides the Smart Fan function which can control the fan speed
automatically depending on the current temperature to keep it with in a specific range.
You can select a fan target value here. If the current CPU fan temperature reaches to
the target value, the smart fan function will be activated. It provides several sections
to speed up for cooling down automaticlly.

CPU FAN PIN Select

If you enable the Smart FAN Target, this item is available for you to choose the CPU
fan pin number of your system. Be sure to select the correct pin number iden-

tical to the pin of the CPU fan you purchase.

PC Health Status

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

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BIOS Setup

System/ CPU Temperature, SYSTEM FAN/ CPU FAN/ NB FAN Speed, CPU

Vcore, 12.0V, 3.3V, 5.0V,

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

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MS-7226 Mainboard

Cell Menu

Important

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

Current DRAM Clock/ CPU Clock/ FSB Multiplier/ CPU Voltage

These items show the current clocks of CPU and Memory speed. Read-only.

CPU Frequency

This item allows you to select the CPU Front Side Bus clock frequency (in MHz).

CPU Dynamic OverClocking

Dynamic Overclocking Technology is the automatic overclocking function, included in
the MSITM’s newly developed CoreCell
balance of CPU while running programs, and to adjust the best CPU frequency
automatically. When the motherboard detects CPU is running programs, it will speed
up CPU automatically to make the program run smoothly and faster. When the CPU is
temporarily suspending or staying in the low load balance, it will restore the default
settings instead. Usually the Dynamic Overclocking Technology will be powered only
when users' PC need to run huge amount of data like 3D games or the video process,
and the CPU frequency need to be boosted up to enhance the overall performance.
Settings are:

TM

Technology. It is designed to detect the load

3-22

BIOS Setup

[Disabled] Disable Dynamic Overclocking.
[Private] 1st level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 1%.
[Sergeant] 2nd level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 3%.
[Captain] 3rd level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 5%.
[Colonel] 4th level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 7%.
[General] 5th level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 10%.
[Commander] 6th level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 15%.

Important

Even though the Dynamic Overclocking Technology is more stable than
manual overclocking, basically, it is still risky. We suggest user to make
sure that your CPU can afford to overclocking regularly first. If you find the
PC appears to be unstable or reboot incidentally, it's better to disable the
Dynamic Overclocking or to lower the level of overclocking options. By the
way, if you need to conduct overclocking manually, you also need to disable
the Dynamic OverClocking first.

Adjust Extra CPU Voltage

This item allows you to overclock the CPU voltage.

Cool’n’Quiet

The Cool’ n’ Quiet technology can effectively and dynamically lower CPU speed and
power consumption

Important

To ensure that Cool’n’Quiet function is ac­tivated and will be working properly, it is
required to double confirm that:

1.Run BIOS Setup, and select Cell Menu.
Under Cell Menu, find Cool’n’Quiet,
and set this item to “Enable.”

2.Enter Windows, and select [Start]->
[Settings]->[Control Pannel]->[Power
Options]. Enter Power Options Prop-

erties tag, and select Minimal Power
Management under Power schemes.

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MS-7226 Mainboard

CPU Configuration

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

CPU Ratio/VID Change

Setting to Manual allows you to set the CPU ratio and voltage manually.

Adjust CPU Ratio

This item allows you to set the CPU ratio.

Adjust CPU VID

This item allows you to set the CPU voltage.

Adjust DDR2 Memory Frequency

Setting to Auto, the system will auto detect the memory clock. Setting to Manual, the
“Memory Clock” item will appear and allows you to select the memory clock.

Memory Clock

This item allows you to select the memory clock.

Adjust DDR2 Voltage (V)

Adjusting the DDR2 voltage can increase the DDR speed.

Memory Configuration

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

3-24

BIOS Setup

MCT Timing Mode

This field has the capacity to automatically detect all of the DRAM timing. If you
set this field to [Manual], the following fields will be selectable.

CAS# Latency (TCL)

When the MCT Timing Mode sets to [Manual], the field is adjustable.This
controls the CAS latency, which determines the timing delay (in clock cycles)
before SDRAM starts a read command after receiving it.

Min RAS# Active Time (TRAS)

When the MCT Timing Mode sets to [Manual], the field is adjustable. This
setting determines the time RAS takes to read from and write to a memory cell.

RAS# Precharge Time (TRP)

When the MCT Timing Mode sets to [Manual], the field is adjustable. This item
controls the number of cycles for Row Address Strobe (RAS) to be allowed to
precharge. If insufficient time is allowed for the RAS to accumulate its charge
before DRAM refresh, refreshing may be incomplete and DRAM may fail to retain
data. This item applies only when synchronous DRAM is installed in the system.

RAS# to CAS# Delay (TRCD)

When the MCT Timing Mode sets to [Manual], the field is adjustable. When
DRAM is refreshed, both rows and columns are addressed separately. This
setup item allows you to determine the timing of the transition from RAS (row
address strobe) to CAS (column address strobe). The less the clock cycles, the
faster the DRAM performance.

ROW to ROW Delay (TRRD)

When the MCT Timing Mode sets to [Manual], the field is adjustable. Specifies
the active-to-active delay of different banks.

ROW Cycle Time (TRC)

When the MCT Timing Mode sets to [Manual], the field is adjustable. The row
cycle time determines the minimum number of clock cycles a memory row takes
to complete a full cycle, from row activation up to the precharging of the active
row.

Bank Interleaveing

When the MCT Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. This
field selects 2-bank or 4-bank interleave for the installed SDRAM. Disable the
function if 16MB SDRAM is installed.

CMD-ADDR Timing Mode

When the MCT Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. This
field controls the SDRAM command rate. Selecting [1T] makes SDRAM signal
controller to run at 1T (T=clock cycles) rate. Selecting [2T] makes SDRAM signal
controller run at 2T rate.

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MS-7226 Mainboard

SoftWare Memory hole

When the MCT Timing Mode is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable. Enable
Memory Remapping Around Memory Hole.

C51/ MCP55 PCI-Express Frequency

These items allow you to select the C51/MCP55 PCI Express frequency and overclock
the processor by adjusting the PCI Express frequency to a higher frequency.

Advance Voltage Control

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

CPU to NB HT Voltage

Adjust the HT voltage betweent CPU and NB.

SB to PCIE VGA Voltage

Adjust the voltage betweent SB and PCIE slot.

NB to SB HT Voltage

Adjust the HT voltage betweent NB and SB.

NB to PCIE VGA Voltage

Adjust the voltage betweent NB and PCIE slot.

Important

The settings shown in different color in Adjusting Voltage items help to
verify if your setting is proper for your system.

Gray: Default setting.
Yellow:High performance setting.
Red: Not recommended setting and the system may be unstable.

Changing any Voltage item may result in the instability of the system;
therefore, it is NOT recommended to change the default setting for long-term
usage.

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BIOS Setup

Auto Disable PCI Clk

This item is used to auto detect the PCI slots. When set to [Enabled], the system will
remove (turn off) clocks from empty PCI slots to minimize the electromagnetic inter­ference (EMI).

Spectrum Configuration

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

CPU Spread Spectrum

This setting is used to enable or disable the CPU Spread Spectrum feature.
When overclocking the CPU, always set it to [Disabled].

C51 PCIE Spread Spectrum

This setting is used to enable or disable the C51 PCIE Spread Spectrum feature.

CPU/LDT Spread Spectrum

This setting is used to enable or disable the CPU/LDT (HT Bus multiplier) Spread
Spectrum feature.

MCP55 PCIE Spread Spectrum

This setting is used to enable or disable the MCP55 PCIE Spread Spectrum
feature.

SATA Spread Spectrum

This setting is used to enable or disable the SATA Spread Spectrum feature.

Important

1.If you do not have any EMI problem, leave the setting at [Disabled] for
optimal system stability and performance. But if you are plagued by EMI,
select the value of Spread Spectrum for EMI reduction.

2.The greater the Spread Spectrum value is, the greater the EMI is reduced,
and the system will become less stable. For the most suitable Spread
Spectrum value, please consult your local EMI regulation.

3.Remember to disable Spread Spectrum if you are overclocking because
even a slight jitter can introduce a temporary boost in clock speed which
may just cause your overclocked processor to lock up.

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MS-7226 Mainboard

nVidia LinkBoost Technology

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

NB<->SB LinkBoost Support

Overclock the HT clock between NB and SB by 30%.

NB<->SB Reference Clock

If the NB<->SB LinkBoost Support set to the Disabled, this item will apper.
You can adjust the HT clock between NB and SB manually.

PCIE LinkBoost Support

Overclock the PCIE slot frequency.

SLI-Ready Memory

Optimize the memory clock for SLI-Ready graphics card.

NVIDIA GPU Ex

Optimize the GPU clock for NVIDIA graphics card.

Important

You have to install the specific graphics card (such as 7900GTX/ 7950GX2
series) and the specific memory modules which support LinkBoost technol­ogy to let the LinkBoost items available.

3-28

BIOS Setup

CPU and Memory Clock Overclocking

The CPU Frequency / CPU Dynamic OverClocking / Adjust CPU Ratio/ Memory
Clock are the items for you to overclock the CPU and the Memory. Please refer to the

descriptions of these fields for more information.

Important

1.CPU Speed = CPU Frequency * CPU Ratio

2.This motherboard supports overclocking greatly. However, please make
sure your peripherals and components are bearable for some special
settings. Any operation that exceeds product specification is not
recommended. Any risk or damge resulting from improper operation will
not be under our product warranty.

Two ways to save your system from failed overclocking...

Reboot

1. Press the Power button to reboot the system three times. Please note that, to

avoid electric current to affect other devices or components, we suggest an
interval of more than 10 seconds among the reboot actions.

2. At the fourth reboot, BIOS will determine that the previous overclocking is failed

and restore the default settings automatically. Please press any key to boot the
system normally when the following message appears on screen.

Warning !!! The previous performance of overclocking is failed,
and the system is restored to the defaults setting.
Please press any key to continue...

Clear CMOS

- Please refer to “chapter 2” for more information about how to clear CMOS data.

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MS-7226 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.

3-30

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.

3-31

Introduction to DigiCell

Appendix A

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
features, Live Update and Dual Core Center, which
makes it easier to update the BIOS/drivers online, and
to monitor the system hardware status (CPU/Fan tem­perature and speed) or to overclock the CPU/memory.

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MS-7226 Mainboard

Activating DigiCell

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

A-2

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

Introduction to DigiCell

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.

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.

A-3

MS-7226 Mainboard

Live Update

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

Dual Core Center

You can take advantage of Dual Core Center to monitor the health status of
your mainboard/ graphics card, and to overclock under Windows OS if your
system supports overclocking function. (See appendix of Dual Core Center
for detail imformation.)

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.

Audio Speaker Setting

In this sub-menu, you can configure and test the multi-channel audio function,
speakers, sound effect and environment.

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.

Important

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

A-4

Introduction to DigiCell

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.

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MS-7226 Mainboard

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.
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.

A-6

Introduction to DigiCell

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.

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MS-7226 Mainboard

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

A-8

Introduction to DigiCell

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.

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.

A-9

MS-7226 Mainboard

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.

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Introduction to DigiCell

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

on your MEGA STICK.

Save To save a loaded playlist of mp3 files (*.m3u) on your system or on

your MEGA STICK.

Delete Click on the media files in the Play List: field and use “ Delete” button

to remove the media file from the play list. You may remove multi media
files simultaneously by using “Ctrl” to select multi files.

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:

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

A-11

MS-7226 Mainboard

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

stop

song’s information

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.

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Introduction to DigiCell

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.

A-13

MS-7226 Mainboard

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.

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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.

Important

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

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MS-7226 Mainboard

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 Outlook 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 complete

path or the website link in the Parameters: field.

add the desired
start-with program

To activate Outlook 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.

To activate a specified
website as DigiCell is ena­bled next time

delete the added program

Important

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

A-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.

A-17

Creative Sound Blaster

Appendix B

Creative Sound Blaster

The mainboard is equipped with Creative CA0106 chip.
Creative CA0106 supports up to 8-channel & SPDIF audio
effect and allows the board to attach 2, 4, 6 or 8 speak­ers for better surround sound effect. The section will
tell you how to install and use 2-, 4-, 6- or 8-channel
audio function on the board.

B-1

MS-7226 Mainboard

Hardware Setup

Connecting the Speakers

When you have set the Multi-Channel Audio Function mode properly in the software
utility, connect your speakers to the correct phone jacks in accordance with the
setting in software utility.

n 2-Channel Mode for Stereo-Speaker Output

Refer to the following diagram and caption for the function of each phone jack on the
back panel when 2-Channel Mode is selected.

Back Panel

7

1 Line In
2 Line Out (Front channels)
3 MIC
4 Line Out (Rear channels, but no functioning in this mode)
5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel, but no functioning in this mode)
6 S/PDIF Out-Optical
7 S/PDIF Out-Coaxial

1

2

3

4

5

6

B-2

n 4-Channel Mode for 4-Speaker Output

Back Panel

Creative Sound Blaster

1

4

2

5

3

7

6

Description:
Connect two speakers to back
panel’ s Line Out connector and
two speakers to the rear-chan­nel Line Out connector.

4-Channel Analog Audio Output

1 Line In
2 Line Out (Front channels)
3 MIC
4 Line Out (Rear channels)
5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel, but no functioning in this mode)
6 S/PDIF Out-Optical
7 S/PDIF Out-Coaxial

B-3

MS-7226 Mainboard

n 6-Channel Mode for 6-Speaker Output

Back Panel

1

4

2

5

3

7

6

Description:
Connect two speakers to back
panel’ s Line Out connector, two
speakers to the rear-channel
and two speakers to the cen­ter/subwoofer-channel Line Out
connectors.

6-Channel Analog Audio Output

1 Line In
2 Line Out (Front channels)
3 MIC
4 Line Out (Rear channels)
5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel)
6 S/PDIF Out-Optical
7 S/PDIF Out-Coaxial

B-4

n 8-Channel Mode for 8-Speaker Output

Back Panel

Creative Sound Blaster

7

8-Channel Analog Audio Output

1

4

2

5

3

6

Description:
Connect two speakers to back
panel’s Line Out connector, two
speakers to the rear-channel,
two speakers to the center/
subwoofer-channel Line Out
connectors, and two speakers
to the side-channel Line Out
connectors.

1 Side Surround Out (Side channels)
2 Line Out (Front channels)
3 MIC
4 Line Out (Rear channels)
5 Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channels)
6 S/PDIF Out-Optical
7 S/PDIF Out-Coaxial

B-5

MS-7226 Mainboard

Installing the Creative Audio Driver

You need to install the driver for Creative CA0106 to function properly before you can
get access to 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- channel and SPDIF audio operations. Follow the proce­dures described below to install the drivers for different operating systems.

Installation for Windows 2000/XP

For Windows® 2000, you must install Windows® 2000 Service Pack4 or later before
installing the driver. And for Windows® XP, you must install Windows® XP Service
Pack1 or later before installing the driver.

The following illustrations are based on Windows® XP environment and could look
slightly different if you install the drivers in different operating systems.

1. Insert the Creative audio driver CD into the CD-ROM drive. The setup screen will
automatically appear.

2. Click Next to enter the next page.

Important

The screens shown in this chapter may be slightly different from the latest
software utility and shall be held for reference only.

B-6

Creative Sound Blaster

3. Select the language that you needed from the scroll list .

4. On the next page, click Install to start the installation and follow the setup instruc­tions to complete the installation.

5. Finally, you have to restart the system on the last step .

B-7

MS-7226 Mainboard

Software Configuration

After installing the creative audio driver, you are able to use the 2-, 4-, 6- or 8­channel and the SPDIF audio features now. Click the creative volume control audio
icon from the system tray at the lower-right corner of the screen to activate the
Creative Audio Configuration. Or you can move the mouse to the top of screen and a
Creative MediaSource Go quickstart bar will float on the desktop, simply click on
each icon button to enter the configuration screen .

Creative MediaSource Go quick start bar

B-8

Creative volume control icon

Creative Sound Blaster

SURROUND MIXER

Click on the surround mixer icon to enter the configuration screen.

Here you can to create the perfect listening environment. You can adjust volume
levels, select input sources and even balance your speakers.

Use Creative Surround Mixer to select the device you wish to listen to or record from.
It operates in two possible modes. Click the Basic Mode or Advanced Mode button to
switch between the two modes:

In Basic mode, you can:

- mix sounds from various audio input sources when playing or recording.

- control volume.

In Advanced mode, you can:

- control balance and vary the loudness ratio between front/rear speakers.

- control the relative loudness levels between Front Center, Rear Center and
Subwoofer loudspeakers (if any).

For more information and usage details on Creative Surround Mixer, refer to its online
Help.

Important

You can simply click on the Default button to load the audio volume defaults
for the speakers you connected.

B-9

MS-7226 Mainboard

SPEAKER SETTINGS

Click on the speaker settings icon to enter its configuration screen.

Here you can adjust your speaker configuration from one place. You can use it to
select your type of speaker system, and to adjust the volume and cutoff frequency
for your subwoofer.

This is the main application to use for the following tasks:

- Designating the number and configuration of speakers to use => select the
speakers type that you conneted.

- Testing your speakers => click on the Channel or Noise button to test the speakers.

- Activating or deactivating Digital Output => check the Digital Output Only item to
enable the Digital Output only.

- Managing bass output by selecting subwoofer crossover frequency and volume.
For more information and usage details on Creative Speaker Settings, refer to its

online Help.

B-10

Creative Sound Blaster

MEDIA SOURCE PLAYER

Click on the player icon to enter its configuration screen.

MediaSource Player is the digital music center for playing, creating, organizing and
transferring digital music. This is your ultimate all-in-one digital entertainment software.

With MediaSource Player, you can:

- experience immersive listening with EAX effects.

- clean up and convert your vinyl records and cassette tapes to digital formats with
the integrated recorder.

- rip CDs and create high quality compressed digital audio files (up to 320 Kbps for
MP3 & 160 Kbps for WMA).

- burn personalized MP3 and audio CDs with a CD-writer, and print your own CD
covers.

- organize your digital music collection with a powerful, easy to use music library.

- search for tracks with an advanced Find feature that searches as you type.

- transfer tracks and files seamlessly to and from your digital audio player with
AudioSync and SmartFit.

- automatically generate playlists from your music library, based on your preferences,
with Smart Playlist.

- rate each track (up to 5 stars) to automatically generate playlists of songs you like/
dislike, with Smart Playlist.

- automatically crossfade the end of a track with the start of the next track during
playback. MP3, WMA and WAV file formats are supported.

B-11

MS-7226 Mainboard

EAX CONSOLE

Click on the EAX console icon to enter its configuration screen.

Here you can to configure the Sound Blaster Audigy processor's effects engine.
These audio effects take your computer beyond home-theater quality, immersing you
in sound so vivid, your imagination can almost "see" it.

Creative EAX Console consists of five sections: Effects, Karaoke, CMSS 3D, Clean-

up, and Time Scaling.
Audio Effects: Environmental Sound Processing

In Audio Effects, you have to check the Enable Audio Effects item to enable its
configuration mean. Then you can choose how you want to enhance all kinds of
ordinary two-channel sounds.

B-12