NEC DIRECTION T User Manual

PROPRIETARY NOTICE AND LIABILITY DISCLAIMER

The information disclosed in this document, including all designs and related
materials, is the valuable property of NEC Computer Systems Division, Packard
Bell NEC, Inc. (hereinafter “NECCSD”) and/or its licensors. NECCSD and/or its
licensors, as appropriate, reserve all patent, copyright and other proprietary righ ts
to this document, including all design, manufacturing, reproduction, use, and
sales rights thereto, except to the extent said rights are expressly granted to
others.

The NECCSD product(s) discussed in this document are warranted in accordance
with the terms of the Warr anty Statement accompanying each product. However,
actual performance of each such product is dependent upon factors such as system
configuration, customer data, and operator control. Since implementation by
customers of each product may vary, the suitability of specific product
configurations and applications must be determined by the customer and is not
warranted by NECCSD.

To allow for design and specification improvements, the information in this
document is subject to change at any time, without notice. Reproduction of this
document or portions thereof without prior written approval of NECCSD is
prohibited.

FaxFlash and Direction are trademarks of NEC Computer Systems Division, Packard Bell, NEC.
NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation; MultiSync is a registered trademark of NEC

Technologies, Inc.; these trademarks are used under license by NEC Computer Systems Division,
Packard Bell, NEC.

All other product, brand, or trade names used in this publication are the trademarks or registered

trademarks of their respective trademark owners.

First Printing — August 1997

Copyright 1997

NEC Computer Systems Division

Packard Bell NEC, Inc.

1414 Massachusetts Avenue

Boxborough, MA 01719-2298

All Rights Reserved

Contents

Using This Guide

Text Conventions...................................................... xiii

Related Documents ................................................... xiv

1 Introducing Your Computer

Front Features .......................................................... 1-2

System Controls and Lamps................................. 1-3

Diskette Drive A.................................................. 1-4

CD-ROM Reader................................................. 1-5

Back Features........................................................... 1-7

External Connectors............................................. 1-9

Power Supply Features ........................................ 1-12

Zip Drive............................................................. 1-12

Microphone ......................................................... 1-14

Speakers.............................................................. 1-14

Mouse ................................................................. 1-15

2 Using Your Computer

System Operation ..................................................... 2-1

Starting Up.......................................................... 2-2

Shutting Down..................................................... 2-3

Setting the Date and Time.................................... 2-4

Using Diskettes.................................................... 2-4

Using CDs........................................................... 2-5

Handling Compact Discs................................. 2-6

Loading a CD................................................. 2-7

Removing a CD .............................................. 2-8

Using Your System’s Audio Functions ................. 2-8

Power Management ............................................. 2-8

Protecting Your System ....................................... 2-9

Setting a Password.......................................... 2-9

Using a Password ........................................... 2-10

Contents iii

Productivity.............................................................. 2-11

Saving Your Work............................................... 2-11

Backing Up Your Work ....................................... 2-12

Printing a Document ............................................ 2-12

Display Properties .................................................... 2-13

System Care ............................................................. 2-15

Protecting Your System from Damage.................. 2-15

Keeping Your System in Good Condition ............. 2-16

Moving or Shipping Your System ........................ 2-17

Battery Replacement................................................. 2-18

Online Documentation............................................... 2-21

Where to Go from Here............................................. 2-21

3 Understanding System Features

Standard Features ..................................................... 3-1

System Chassis......................................................... 3-2

System Board Components ....................................... 3-2

Processor............................................................. 3-2

Ports.................................................................... 3-2

System Memory................................................... 3-3

Intel Xcelerator Multifunction Controller.............. 3-3

Flash ROM.......................................................... 3-3

Plug and Play ...................................................... 3-4

Graphics and Multimedia Features....................... 3-4

Video Support ................................................ 3-4

Audio ............................................................. 3-4

Super I/O Controller ............................................ 3-5

USB Ports ........................................................... 3-5

Dual IDE Channels.............................................. 3-6

Power-Saving Feature.......................................... 3-6

Options and Upgrades............................................... 3-6

Network Interface Card........................................ 3-6

Modem................................................................ 3-7

Removable Storage.............................................. 3-7

Keyboard............................................................. 3-7

Audio .................................................................. 3-7

Power Backup ..................................................... 3-7

iv Contents

4 System BIOS and Utilities

System BIOS and the Setup Utility............................ 4-1

The Setup Utility ................................................. 4-2

When to Use Setup ......................................... 4-2

How to Start Setup ......................................... 4-3

How to Use Setup........................................... 4-3

Main Menu.......................................................... 4-4

Floppy Options Submenu................................ 4-6

Primary/Secondary IDE Master/Slave

(Submenus) ................................................... 4-8

Advanced Menu................................................... 4-11

Resource Configuration Submenu ................... 4-12

Peripheral Configuration Submenu.................. 4-13

Keyboard Configuration Submenu .................. 4-15

Video Configuration Submenu ........................ 4-16

DMI Event Logging Submenu......................... 4-17

Security Menu ..................................................... 4-18

How to Set a Password ................................... 4-19

How to Disable Password Protection............... 4-20

Power Menu ........................................................ 4-20

Boot Menu........................................................... 4-22

Hard Drive Submenu ...................................... 4-23

Removable Drive Submenu............................. 4-24

Removable Format Submenu .......................... 4-24

Exit Menu ........................................................... 4-25

BIOS Flash Utility.................................................... 4-26

Video Drivers ........................................................... 4-27

5 Installing Options

Option Installation .................................................... 5-1

Safety Precautions ............................................... 5-2

Cover Removal and Replacement .............................. 5-3

Removing the Access Cover................................. 5-4

Replacing the Access Cover ................................. 5-6

Expansion Boards..................................................... 5-8

Installing an Expansion Board.............................. 5-9

Removing an Expansion Board ............................ 5-11

Contents v

DIMM Upgrade........................................................ 5-12

Removing a DIMM.............................................. 5-14

Installing a DIMM............................................... 5-15

Video Upgrade.......................................................... 5-17

Data Storage Devices................................................ 5-17

Locating Device Slots .......................................... 5-17

Preparing the Device............................................ 5-18

Identifying Device Cables .................................... 5-19

Diskette Drive Signal Cable ............................ 5-19

IDE Signal Cables .......................................... 5-21

System Power Cables...................................... 5-22

Cabling Storage Devices ...................................... 5-22

Cabling an IDE Device ................................... 5-23

Cabling a Diskette Drive................................. 5-24

Installing Storage Devices.................................... 5-25

Removing the Front Panel ............................... 5-25

Installing a 3 1/2-Inch Device.......................... 5-26

Installing a 5 1/4-Inch Device.......................... 5-30

Accessing the CD-ROM Reader...................... 5-32

Replacing the Front Panel ............................... 5-32

Adding External Options........................................... 5-33

Connecting a Parallel Printer................................ 5-33

Connecting a Serial Device .................................. 5-34

6 Setting System Board Jumpers

Locating Jumpers...................................................... 6-2

Changing Jumper Settings......................................... 6-3

Denying Access to BIOS Setup............................ 6-4

BIOS Recovery.................................................... 6-5

Clearing CMOS................................................... 6-7

Processor/Bus Speed Jumpers .............................. 6-9

7 24-Hour Information Services

NECCSD FaxFlash Service ...................................... 7-2

NECCSD Bulletin Board Service.............................. 7-3

America Online Service............................................. 7-6

vi Contents

Compuserve Online Service ...................................... 7-7

E-Mail/Fax Technical Support Service...................... 7-8

Internet..................................................................... 7-9

NECCSD Technical Support Services....................... 7-10

8 If You have a Problem

Problem Checklist..................................................... 8-2

Solutions to Common Problems................................. 8-3

System Problems ................................................. 8-3

Diskette Drive Problems ...................................... 8-5

Monitor Problems................................................ 8-6

Keyboard/Mouse Problems .................................. 8-7

CD-ROM Problems ............................................. 8-7

Speaker Problems ................................................ 8-8

Microphone Problems .......................................... 8-8

Getting Help ............................................................. 8-9

Getting Help from Your Company........................ 8-9

Getting Help from Your NECCSD Dealer............ 8-9

Getting Help from NECCSD Technical Support... 8-10
NECCSD Warranty/Non-Warranty

Repair Service.................................................... 8-10

A Setting Up a Healthy Work Environment

Making Your Computer Work for You...................... A-1

Arrange Your Equipment .......................................... A-3

Adjust Your Chair .................................................... A-4

Adjust Your Input Devices........................................ A-6

Adjust Your Monitor ................................................ A-8

Vary Your Workday ................................................. A-10

Preexisting Conditions and Psychosocial Factors....... A-11

Checking Your Comfort: How Do You

Measure Up?........................................................... A-12

Checking Your Chair ........................................... A-12

Checking Your Keyboard..................................... A-12

Checking Your Mouse ......................................... A-12

Checking Your Monitor ....................................... A-12

Contents vii

Checking You...................................................... A-13

B Limited Warranty

How Long is the Warranty? ...................................... B-1

Who is Protected?..................................................... B-1

What is Covered and What is Not Covered?.............. B-1

What We Will Pay for and What We

Will Not Pay For..................................................... B-2

How You Can Get Warranty Service......................... B-3

Year One........................................................ B-3

Years Two and Three...................................... B-3

For Customer Service And Other Information,

Telephone [phone]...................................... B-4

Limitation of Damages and Implied Warranties ......... B-5

How State Law Relates to the Warranty.................... B-5

C System Specifications

Standard Features ..................................................... C-1

Memory............................................................... C-1

External Cache Memory ...................................... C-3

Chipset & PCI/IDE Interface ............................... C-3

Universal Serial Bus (USB) Support .................... C-5

IDE Support ........................................................ C-6

Super I/O Controller ............................................ C-6

Serial Ports.......................................................... C-7

Parallel Port......................................................... C-7

Diskette Drive Controller ..................................... C-8

Keyboard & Mouse ............................................. C-8

Interrupt Requests (IRQs).................................... C-9

Audio Support ..................................................... C-10

Audio Connectors ........................................... C-10

CD-ROM Audio Connector ............................ C-10

Expansion Slots................................................... C-10

BIOS................................................................... C-10

Video Support and Monitor.................................. C-11

Power Supply ...................................................... C-11

viii Contents

Power Consumption........................................ C-12

DC Voltage .................................................... C-12

Environmental Specifications ............................... C-13

Ambient Temperature ..................................... C-13

Humidity ............................................................. C-13

D System Board, Connectors, and Error Messages

System Board ........................................................... D-1

Connectors ............................................................... D-2

Rear Panel Connectors......................................... D-3

Internal Connectors.............................................. D-4

Error Messages......................................................... D-6

ISA NMI Messages ............................................. D-12

Index

Contents ix

x Contents

Using This Guide

The NEC Direction T-Series User Manual provides a quick
reference to information about your computer.

This manual contains the following information:

Chapter 1, Introducing Your Computer, provides a look



at system components. See this chapter to familiarize
yourself with your system.

Chapter 2, Using Your Computer, explains how to start



up and shut down your system, use your system
components, and care for your system.

Chapter 3, Understanding System Features, provides a



quick overview of the various features of your system.



Chapter 4, System BIOS and Utilities, describes the
system BIOS Setup utility program and other utilities
you can use to configure your system. This chapter
provides detailed information about BIOS settings,
including security and power management parameters.

Chapter 5, Installing Options, provides installation



instructions and in some cases, removal procedures for
the options.



Chapter 6, Setting System Board Jumpers, provides
information on changing jumper settings when
reconfiguring your system.



Chapter 7, 24-Hour Information Services, lists the
services available to you for information and help, and
describes how to access the services.

Using This Guide xi

Chapter 8, If You Have a Problem, contains



troubleshooting tips for solving simple problems and
provides information on where you can find help when
you cannot solve a problem yourself.

Appendix A, Setting Up a Healthy Work Environment,



contains guidelines to help you use your computer
productively and safely. This appendix also instructs
you on how to set up and use your computer to reduce
your risk of developing nerve, muscle, or tendon
disorders.

!

Prolonged or improper use of a computer
workstation may pose a risk of serious injury. To
reduce your risk of injury, set up and use your
computer in the manner described in Appendix A,
Setting Up a Healthy Work Environment.

WARNING







xii Using This Guide

Appendix B, Limited Warranty, provides warranty
information, policies, and restrictions.

Appendix C, System Specifications, provides a technical
description of your computer and its components.

Appendix D, System Board, Connectors, and Error
Messages provides a technical description of the system
board, connectors, and describes system error messages.

TEXT CONVENTIONS

This manual uses the following text conventions.

Warnings, cautions, and notes have the following



meanings:

W arnings alert you t o situations that coul d result in
serious personal injury or loss of life.

Cautions indicate situations that can damage the
hardware or software.

!

WARNING

!

CAUTION

NOTE

Notes give important information about the

material being described.



Names of keyboard keys are printed as they appear on
the keyboard, for example,

Text or keystrokes that you enter appear in boldface



type. For example, press



Filenames are printed in uppercase letters.

Ctrl, Alt

Enter

.

Enter

, or

Using This Guide xiii

.

RELATED DOCUMENTS

In addition to this manual, the following printed
documentation ships with your NEC Direction T-Series
system:

NEC Direction T-Series Quick Setup



Quick Setup contains information for quickly getting
your system up and running. Read this information to set
up the system for the first time.

How Does Your Workplace Measure Up?



This brochure provides information for setting up and
using your computer productively and safely.
Information includes guidelines to reduce the risk of
injury associated with using a computer.



NEC Direction T-Series Release Notes

This document provides you with additional information
about your computer that was not available at the time
your user manual was printed.

Your system ships with additional documentation depending
on your configuration and any options you selected. See the
documentation specific to devices such as your monitor,
speakers, and video graphics board for detailed information
about them.

In addition to the documentation that ships with the system,
the following documentation is available from NECCSD:



xiv Using This Guide

NEC Direction T-Series Service and Reference Manual

This manual provides information for maintaining,
troubleshooting, and repairing NEC Direction T-Series
systems. This guide also includes hardware and interface
information for programmers, engineers, and others who
need to know how the systems are designed.

NECCSD FaxFlash™ Service



NECCSD FaxFlash is an automated service that sends
the latest information about NECCSD and its products
directly to a fax machine. The service is available
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

With FaxFlash, you can obtain product literature and
technical information bulletins. By using FaxFlash, you
can be kept up-to-date on the latest technical information
for your system.

See Chapter 7 for information about using FaxFlash.

Using This Guide xv

Introducing Your

1

Computer

!

Prolonged or improper use of a computer
workstation may pose a risk of serious injury. To
reduce your risk of injury, set up and use your
computer in the manner described in Appendix A,
Setting Up a Healthy Work Environment.

Your NEC Direction T-Series multimedia computer comes
with state-of-the-art, high-performance components for

delivering years of service. Based on an Intel
Pentium® processor with MMX™ technology, your system

has the power and speed to tackle all today’s computing
needs and most of tomorrow’s.

After setting up your system, take the time to familiarize
yourself with your computer. This chapter provides a brief
look at the features of your system.

WARNING

®

NOTE

This guide covers both desktop and mini tower
models of the NEC Direction T-Series system.
Features are identical for desktop and minitower
systems; only their orientation differs.

Introducing Your Computer 1-1

FRONT FEATURES

Daily contact with your system is through the controls on
the front panel. The following figures show the control
features on the front of the system.

Front features — desktop models

1-2 Introducing Your Computer

Front panel features — minitower models

System Controls and Lamps

System controls let you select specific system operations;
the lamps let you know the status of system operation. Your
computer has the following controls and lamps:



Power button
Turns the system on and off.



Reset button
Lets you restart your system manually when it does not
respond to keyboard commands.

!

Resetti ng your system can resul t i n t he loss of dat a.
Press the reset button only when all other methods
of restarting your computer fail.

CAUTION

Introducing Your Computer 1-3





Do not turn off the system, unless absolutely
necessary, while the di sk l amp is lit. To do so can
damage your hard disk or data.

Diskette Drive A

Your diskette drive has the following features:



System power lamp
Lights when the system is turned on.

Disk lamp
Lights when the hard disk drive is active, reading or
writing data.

!

Diskette drive busy lamp
Lights when the diskette drive is active, reading or
writing data on a diskette.

CAUTION

To prev ent damage to y our di skette dr iv e and data,
do not turn off the system or remove a diskette
while the diskette drive busy lamp is lit.



Diskette drive eject button
Lets you remove a diskette from the diskette drive.

1-4 Introducing Your Computer

!

CAUTION

CD-ROM Reader

Your computer comes with a high-speed ATAPI CD-ROM
reader. The CD-ROM reader operates at different speeds
depending on whether the CD you are using contains data
or music. High-speed operation lets you get your data faster
and see smoother animation and video.

Diskette drive features

NOTE

The CD-ROM reader in your system might
look different from the one shown in the following
figure. The features depend upon the model you
purchased.

Introducing Your Computer 1-5

CD-ROM reader features



Headphone jack
Allows the connection of an optional set of stereo
headphones through a mini-jack plug.

Volume control knob



Controls the volume of the optional headphones.
Open/close button



Opens and closes the CD tray. Press this button when
the computer power is on to insert or remove a CD.



CD tray
Provides a surface for loading a CD into the reader.
Press the open/close button to open or close the CD tray.



CD busy lamp
Lights when reader is retrieving data, music, or
graphics/audio from a CD. Do not eject the CD or turn
off the system when the lamp is on.



Emergency eject hole
Allows you to remove a CD manually if normal methods
fail with the open/close button or through sound
software.

1-6 Introducing Your Computer

BACK FEATURES

Setting up your system is mainly done through external
connectors on the back of the computer. The following
figures show these connectors.

Note that the minitower and desktop models differ only in
orientation.

Rear features — desktop models

Introducing Your Computer 1-7

Audio connectors — desktop models

1-8 Introducing Your Computer

Rear features — minitower models

External Connectors

Your peripheral components attach to connectors on the
back of your computer. This is where you connect the
monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, and printer.

Audio connectors — minitower models

NOTE

Your system might have additional boards not
shown in the previous figures. Boards and board
locati ons vary dependi ng on the model and opt ions you
purchased.

Introducing Your Computer 1-9

Keyboard port



Connect the keyboard that comes with your computer to
this port. The keyboard port supports a personal system

®

(PS)/2

-compatible, 104-key keyboard with a 6-pin

mini DIN connector.



Mouse port
Attach the mouse that comes with your computer to this
port. The mouse port supports a PS/2-compatible
mouse.



Parallel port
Use this port to connect a parallel printer with a 25-pin
connector to the system.

Serial ports (COM1 and COM2)



Attach a serial device with a 9-pin connector to a serial
port. Serial devices include a pointing device, serial
printer, or modem.



Universal serial bus (USB) ports
Use these ports to connect a wide range of new USB
devices, such as printers, mice, joysticks, keyboards, and
telecommunication devices. The speed varies between
12 megabits per second (Mbps) for printers and

1.5 Mbps for mice and keyboards. You can daisy chain
up to 127 devices using USB ports.



Audio connectors
Depending on the model, these connectors are either
integrated on the system board or on a sound board. The
audio connectors include line out, line in, and
microphone in jacks, and a MIDI/game port.

 The line out jack connects powered speakers and

other powered output devices.

 The line in jack connects stereo audio devices, such

as an amplifier or a cassette or minidisc player for
playback or recording.

1-10 Introducing Your Computer

 The microphone in jack connects a microphone or

telephone headset. Connect the microphone that
comes with your system to this jack.

 The MIDI/game port lets you attach a digital

musical instrument for creating your own musical
instrument digital interface (MIDI) files or a joystick
or gamepad for playing games.

Video connector



Attach the signal cable from your monitor to this
connector. This connection supports an NEC

®

MultiSync

monitor or other video graphics array

(VGA)-compatible monitor with a 15-pin connector.
The video board in your system depends on your system

configuration. See the documentation that comes with
your computer for detailed information about the board.



Fax/modem ports (some models)
Some models come with a fax/data/voice modem board.
The fax/modem allows the connection of a phone line to
the computer for fax, data communications, and
speakerphone functions. This is your connection to
information services worldwide.

See the fax/modem documentation that comes with your
system to connect and use your fax/modem.

Introducing Your Computer 1-11

Power Supply Features

The system power supply has the following features.

Power supply fan



Keep this area clear for proper ventilation. The power
supply fan cools system components and prevents them
from overheating.

Voltage selector switch



Sets the voltage for your system to 115 volts or 230
volts.

Set the switch correctl y f or the v olt age in your ar ea.
Most wall outlets in the United States and Canada
are 115 volts.

Zip Drive

Some models come with an Iomega® Zip™ drive. The Zip
drive lets you expand the storage capacity of your hard disk
quickly and easily, 100 megabytes (MB) at a time.

!

CAUTION

Use the Zip drive to back up work, archive old files and
email, organize your work, transport your work, and more.
With 100-MB Zip disks, you get an unlimited storage
capacity. The Zip drive features include:



Release button
Press this button to release a Zip disk from the drive.



Data lamp
The data lamp lights to indicate drive activity or status.

1-12 Introducing Your Computer

!

To prev ent damage to your Z ip drive and data, do
not turn of f the system or rem ove a Zi p disk while
the data lamp is lit.

CAUTION

Zip drive features (on Zip models only)

Introducing Your Computer 1-13

Microphone

All systems come with a microphone. Use it to record voice
and sound into your audio files.

Microphone

Speakers

All systems come with a pair of high-quality, stereo
speakers that you can arrange to suit your work
environment. See the documentation that comes with your
speakers to set up your speakers and to adjust sound.

1-14 Introducing Your Computer

Mouse

In addition to the right and left mouse buttons, your mouse
features a cursor movement wheel. The cursor movement
wheel lets you scroll vertically and horizontally and zoom in
to view data on the screen.

Mouse features

Introducing Your Computer 1-15

2

Using Your Computer

This chapter provides the information you need to start
using your computer. Information includes:

System operation





Productivity
Video display properties



System care



Moving or shipping your system





Battery replacement



Online documentation.

NOTE

Check the additional documentation that
comes with your computer for information about
using your monitor, speakers, graphics board, and
any other devices that you purchased (such as a
fax/data/voice modem).

Read Windows Help files for information about
using your mouse and customizing the settings.

SYSTEM OPERATION

In this section, you can find the following information:



starting up and shutting down your system
setting the date and time



Using Your Computer 2-1

Starting Up

using system features such as the CD-ROM reader



using power management and security features.



Press the power button to start up your system. The power
lamp lights green to indicate that the system is on.

Several configuration messages appear on the screen at
startup. These messages are part of your system’s Power­On Self-Test (POST). Your computer is checking your
hardware for any changes since the last startup. One beep
indicates that the system has successfully completed the
power-on test.

NOTE

You can bypass the POST memory test by

pressing the space bar.

If a problem occurs, a series of beeps may sound. If this
happens repeatedly after powering on, power off the system
and turn to Appendix D. This appendix provides some
helpful hints on obvious system problems.

NOTE

that system sett ings have changed, run Setup (see
Chapter 4).

On models loaded with the Windows NT® operating
system, press
so. The log-on box appears for entering a password.

2-2 Using Your Computer

If the system displays a message indicating

Ctrl-Alt-Del

when prompted on-screen to do

Shutting Down

Follow these steps to shut down (power off) your computer.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Save your work. See the documentation that comes with
your application.

Exit the application program.
Close any open applications. If you have programs in

the taskbar, click on them and close them.
Make sure that the hard drive and diskette drives are off.

If the hard drive light or diskette drive light is lit, it
indicates that the drive is in use.

!

To protect the integrity of your data, shut down all
applications before turning off the power. Unless
absolutely necessary, never power off the system:

• without exiting properly

CAUTION

• or when the hard driv e light or diskette drive

light is lit.

5.

Press the Start button on the Windows® taskbar, then
highlight and click “Shut Down.” Selecting Shut Down
gives you several choices in the pop-up submenu. Click

Yes

“Shut down the computer,” then click the

Enter

press

6.

Windows displays the message “It’s now safe to turn off

to shut down the computer.

button or

your computer.”

7.

Turn off power to your monitor.

Using Your Computer 2-3

NOTE

If you are unable to exit using the Windows
Start button, you can use the power button on the
front of t he system to power off. Press and hold i n
the power button f or about ten seconds to shut down
the system manually.

Setting the Date and Time

Use the following steps to set the system date and time
within Windows 95 or Windows NT.

Double click the system clock on the taskbar.

1.

Set the time by entering the current hour, minutes, and

2.

seconds in the appropriate fields, hh:mm:ss. Move from
field to field with the Tab key or Shift-tab to move from
right to left.

Set the date by entering the month and year in

3.

appropriate fields. To select the day, click on the
numeric day of the calendar.

Using Diskettes

.Follow these steps to insert a 3.5-inch diskette in the
standard diskette drive.

Holding the diskette at its top edge, insert it into the

1.

diskette drive:





Insert the diskette all the way into the drive until you

2.

hear a click.

2-4 Using Your Computer

label side facing right in desktop systems.
label side up in minitower systems.

NOTE

If your diskette did not come formatted, you
must f ormat it bef ore storing inf ormati on on it. See
your operating system documentation for
information about formatting a diskette.

!

Do not f ormat your hard dr ive. F ormatti ng the hard
drive erases all preinstalled applications.

CAUTION

To remove a diskette from the diskette drive, press the
release button on the 3.5-inch diskette drive.

Do not remove a diskette from the drive when the



diskette drive lamp is lit. To do so can damage both the
data on the diskette and the drive.

Using CDs



Do not turn off the system power while the diskette is
being accessed.



Do not reset the system (except as a last resort) when the
diskette drive is in use.

See the following sections for information about handling,
loading, and removing CDs.

Using Your Computer 2-5

Handling Compact Discs

To protect your CDs from damage, use the following
guidelines when you handle them.

Always pick up the disc by its edges.



Do not touch the surfaces of the disc. Handle it by the



edges and, if necessary, by putting your finger through
the hole.



Do not write on or apply labels to either side of the disc.



Keep the disc away from direct sunlight or high
temperatures Clean fingerprints or dust from the disc by
wiping it with a soft dry cloth.



Gently, brush the cloth from the center of the disc
toward the edge.

2-6 Using Your Computer

Handling a CD

Loading a CD

Cleaning a CD

!

Do NOT use benzene, paint thi nner, recor d cleaner,
static repellent, or any other chemical on the disc.
Chemicals and cleaners can damage the disc.

To insert a CD into the CD-ROM reader, follow these
steps:

CAUTION

1.

Press the open/close button. A CD tray slides out from
the reader.

2.

Remove the CD from its protective case. Hold the CD
by its center hole and outer edges to avoid touching its
surface.

3.

Place the CD, printed side up, into the circular area of
the tray.

4.

Press the open/close button again. The reader
automatically slides into the tray.

Using Your Computer 2-7

Removing a CD

To remove a CD, simply press the open/close button and
remove the CD when the tray slides out. Press the
open/close button again to close the reader door.

Using Your System’s Audio Functions

Multimedia systems come with all the audio functions and
components you need to produce fine stereo output. See the
separate documentation included with these devices.

The integrated audio components in multimedia systems
provide support for industry sound standards including,
Sound Blaster™ , Windows Sound System™, and MPU­401 to provide all the functionality required for your
multimedia applications.

Power Management

Your system provides an energy-saving Advanced Power
Management feature, which reduces power consumption
when your computer is idle. You can set the length of this
idle time in your system’s Setup utility.

Enter the Setup utility by pressing F2 when the

1.

following bootup message appears.

The Main menu appears. Use your right arrow key to

2.

select the Power menu. The Power Management option
is factory set to “Disabled.”

Press

3.

box appears.
Use your arrow keys to select “Enabled.”

4.

Follow the on-screen prompts to change the options.

5.

You can set the Inactivity Timer for up to a 16-minute
delay.

2-8 Using Your Computer

Press <F2> to enter SETUP

to select Power Management. A sub-menu

Enter

Use the up and right arrow keys to select Exit.

6.

Select “Exit Saving Changes.” Press

7.

At the prompt, to confirm exiting setup, press

8.

Exit the Setup utility.

NOTE

When you want to resume work after your
computer has entered power-saving mode, just
move your mouse or press a key, and your
computer is active again.

Protecting Your System

Your system’s security features provide protection against
unauthorized access to your system and data. This
protection includes a user and supervisor password.

Dual password security provides two levels of password
security. A “Supervisor password” allows access to the
system’s Setup utility for system configuration. A “User
password” allows system bootup only after the entry of a
password.

Enter

.

Enter

.

When you start up your system for the first time, you are
asked to enter a system password. The following section
explains the password procedure.

Setting a Password

Use the following procedure to set a password.

Turn on or reboot your system. Setup displays the

1.

following message:

Press F2. Setup’s Main menu appears.

2.

Press <F2> to enter SETUP

Using Your Computer 2-9

Using your arrow keys, select Security from the menu

3.

bar. The Security menu appears.
Select “Set Supervisor Password” or “Set User

4.

Password” with the arrow keys and press

NOTE

Enabling the Supervisor Password feature
requires that a password be entered before ent ering
the Setup Utility.

Enter

.

Setup displays a dialog box with the following
prompts:

Enter new password: [ ]
Confirm new password: [ ]

Type your password and press

5.

case-sensitive. Reenter your password and press
again.

Use the arrow keys to select Exit.

6.

Select “Exit Saving Changes.” Press

7.

At the prompt, to confirm exiting setup, press

8.

Your password takes effect the next time you power on
the system. You must enter a password the next time
you power on.

Using a Password

After you set your password in Setup and reboot the
system, a password prompt appears each time you power on
the system.

To use your password, type the password at the password
prompt and press

2-10 Using Your Computer

Enter

. Passwords are not

Enter

Enter

.

Enter

.

Enter

.

NOTE

appear on your screen. Enter your password
carefully.

If you enter the password incorrectly, your system does not
boot. You have three chances to enter the correct password.
After the third unsuccessful attempt, you must reboot your
system and try again.

PRODUCTIVITY

The following sections explain how to use your system to
maximize your productivity.

Saving Your Work

Save your work often! The time you take to periodically
save your data file as you work can save you time in the
end! By doing so, you can avoid losing a whole day’s work
or more when the unexpected happens, such as losing power
due to a power outage.

For security, characters you enter do not

Some applications provide automatic save options for
specified intervals of time as you work. For example, you
might want to save your work every 10 minutes. This
reduces the amount of lost information should you lose
power or experience some other problem.

In Windows programs, you can select a Save option from
the File menu. If you are creating a new file, you’ll need to
specify a name for your file and a location to store it (drive
and directory).

Always save your work before you exit an application. See
the application’s documentation for available save options.

Using Your Computer 2-11

Backing Up Your Work

Back up your work on a regular basis! Backup procedures
are important for the efficient and effective use of your
computer. Protect your program and data files with regular
backup procedures.

Make backup copies of your program and data files that are
on diskette and on the hard drive.

The standard practice for diskette backup is to copy each
diskette, store the original in a safe place, and use the copy
as your working diskette. See your operating system
documentation for information about copying diskettes. Use
your Zip drive or Ditto tape backup unit (in installed) to
backup your files.

Printing a Document

Before you can print out a document, you must



connect a printer to your computer



set up the printer.

If you have not connected a printer, see “Connecting a
Parallel Printer” in Chapter 5.

If you did not choose a printer when you initially set up
your computer, you’ll need to do that before you can print
(see your Windows documentation). If you are using a non­Windows program, you’ll need to set up a printer driver for
that program. See your printer documentation for printer
setup information.

Once your program is set up to work with your printer,
printing a file within a Windows application is easy:

Turn on your printer power.

1.

2-12 Using Your Computer

Be sure you have paper in your printer. See your printer

2.

documentation to load paper.
Check that the printer is “online” or “selected.” See your

3.

printer documentation for information about choosing
the online mode.

Select “Print” from the File menu of your Windows

4.

application. A Print dialog box appears.
Select how many print copies you want and the range of

5.

pages. To print one copy of all the pages, simply click
“OK.”

DISPLAY PROPERTIES

The following procedure describes how to load video
drivers to change the properties of your display. The display
properties that you can set include the screen resolution, the
number of colors displayed, and the video refresh rate.

For information about the resolutions, colors, and refresh
rates supported by your video drivers, see the separate
documentation that describes your video adapter.

NOTE

If your monitor is flickering or you change
your moni tor, check that the Moni t or ty pe param eter
is set correctly for your monitor.

From the Windows desktop, press the right mouse

1.

button and click on Properties.
The Display Properties window appears. Select the

2.

Settings tab.

Using Your Computer 2-13

NOTE

The appearance of your desktop may vary

slightly from the one shown.

NOTE

palette were set at the factory for optimum
perform ance. Before you change t hese settings, be
sure that your monitor and video adapter support
the new settings.

2-14 Using Your Computer

Display Properties Window

Both the screen resolution and the color

3.

4.

5.

SYSTEM CARE

Your system is a durable, dependable computer built for
heavy use. With protective measures and proper care, you
can prevent problems and promote the successful operation
and long life span of your computer.

Use the slide bar in the Display Area section of the
screen to select the screen resolution.

Select the number of colors you want to display from the
Color Palette section of the screen.

NOTE

If you are using Windows NT, you can click
on List All Modes. You get a list of all the modes
available for your video board.

Click “Apply” to test the new display settings. If you are
sure that the settings are correct, click “OK.”

Protecting Your System from Damage

There are several ways that you can protect your system
from possible damage. NECCSD strongly recommends the
following protective measures:



Connect a surge suppressor between your computer and
a grounded wall outlet. A surge suppressor protects your
system from sudden transient increases and decreases in
electrical power.

Be sure to connect all peripherals, such as your monitor
and printer, to the surge protector. The surge protector
should be the only device that you plug into the wall
outlet.

Using Your Computer 2-15

Avoid repeated power-on cycles. These subject the



system components to temperature variations and stress.
Disconnect your system from telephone and power lines



when an electrical storm threatens. If you have a
fax/modem, lightning can travel in on the phone line and
damage both the fax/modem and the system unit.
Lightning can also travel in on power lines and damage
your monitor and system unit.



Be sure that system power is off before you connect or
disconnect a cable. Never make cable changes when the
system power is on. To do so could damage your system
and its peripherals.



Use Setup options to limit access to your computer (see
“Security Menu” in Chapter 4). Use appropriate virus
detection software regularly to protect your system from
computer viruses.



Keep your computer away from direct sunlight and
extreme hot and cold temperatures.

You can find the operating and non-operating (storage)
temperatures in Appendix C, System Specifications.

After turning off the power, wait about five seconds for



the hard drive to spin down before you power on again.



Be sure that nothing is placed on top of your monitor’s
ventilation vents or the system’s power cables.



Prevent dust from entering your system by covering it
when it is not in use.

Keeping Your System in Good Condition

Maintain the condition of your system by periodically
following the general procedures listed next.

2-16 Using Your Computer

!

For safety, turn off and unplug your system,
monitor, and any external devices before cleaning
them.



Clean the outside of the computer with a soft clean cloth.
You can remove stubborn stains with a cloth slightly

dampened with a mild detergent. Never use a strong
cleaner or solvent on any part of the system.



Keep food and liquids away from your computer.
Periodically clean the keyboard with a vacuum cleaner



brush attachment. Do not use any liquid cleaners on the
keyboard as they can damage the keyboard.

If an object, such as a paper clip, falls into the keyboard,
turn the keyboard over and gently shake it.



Clean the monitor screen with a glass cleaner and wipe it
with a clean, lint-free cloth. You may use wet/dry
cleaning pads manufactured for monitor screens.

WARNING

Moving or Shipping Your System

Use these steps to prepare your system for moving or
shipping:

1.

Back up your hard drive files onto diskettes, Zip disks,
or tape cartridges.

Be sure to take precautions for storing and transporting
diskettes or cartridges so that they are not exposed to
magnetic fields or electrical impulses.

Using Your Computer 2-17

Remove any diskette from the diskette drive. If you have

2.

a CD in the CD-ROM reader, remove the CD. If you
have a Zip disk in a Zip drive, remove the disk.

Turn off the system unit and any external options

3.

connected to it.
Unplug the system unit power cable from the wall outlet

4.

or surge suppressor, then from the unit itself.
Unplug any external options from the wall outlets or

5.

surge suppressor, then disconnect them from the system
unit.

Pack the system components in the original shipping

6.

materials and cartons. If these are not available, be sure
to use adequate packing materials to protect the
components.

BATTERY REPLACEMENT

All system boards use a battery to maintain system
configuration information. Your system uses a coin-sized
battery mounted on the system board (see the following
figure). If it fails to maintain system configuration
information, replace it with an identically rated battery from
the same manufacturer.

2-18 Using Your Computer

!

Removing the battery from the system board
causes the computer to lose system configuration
information. Before removing the battery, run the
Setup Utility and print out or write down your system
configuration settings. Then you can restore your
system to its previous settings.

The batt ery can explode i f it is incorrect ly replac ed
or impr operly discarded. Use only the same batt ery
or an equivalent type recommended by the
manufacturer when replacing the battery.

Lithium acts as a catalyst when exposed to water
and causes spontaneous combustion on contact.
Discard used batteries according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.

CAUTION

!

WARNING

If you need to replace the battery, follow these steps:

1.

Turn off and unplug the computer and any external
components connected to it.

2.

Remove the system access cover. Observe all safety
precautions when removing the cover.

3.

Locate the battery on the system board. You may have
to remove any expansion boards in the way.

Using Your Computer 2-19

Locating the battery

Carefully pull the battery upward until there is sufficient

4.

space to slide the battery out of the socket . You can lift
the battery with a plastic screwdriver or orange wood
stick; however, be careful to avoid scratching the system
board.

Remove the battery and discard in accordance with the

5.

manufacturer’s instructions.
With the positive (+) side facing up, slide the new

6.

battery into the socket.
Replace any removed expansion boards.

7.

Replace the system access cover.

8.

Connect external peripherals and power cables

9.

Run the Setup Utility to reconfigure your system

10.

parameters (see Chapter 4).

2-20 Using Your Computer

ONLINE DOCUMENTATION

Most of your application programs include online help at
the touch of a button (usually the Help button). Many
programs also incorporate separate, complete online user’s
guides.

Windows 95 and Windows NT provide extensive online
help and “wizards” to guide you through procedures.

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE

Once you have your system up and running, we suggest that
you install your applications and study the documentation
that comes with them.

See the following quick reference chart to find information
about some of the things you might want to do.

Quick Reference to Information About Your Computer

WHAT YOU WANT TO FIND WHERE TO FIND IT

Basic information about my
computer

Setting a password “Setting a Password” in this chapter
Loading a CD “Loading a CD” in this chapter
Adding options Chapter 5, “Installing Options”
Understanding power

management
Accessing the World Wide Web “Microsoft Internet Explorer”
Protecting my system from

viruses
Changing video drivers “Display Properties” in this chapter.
Using support services “24-Hour Information Services,” Chapter 7
Taking care of my system “System Care” in this chapter
Troubleshooting tips “If You Have a Problem,” Chapter 8

“Introducing Your Computer,” Chapter 1

“Power Saving Feature,” Chapter 3, and “Power
Menu,” Chapter 4

“VirusScan” and “WebScan”

Using Your Computer 2-21

2-22 Using Your Computer

Understanding System

3

STANDARD FEATURES

Features

Your Direction T-Series computer is a 200-MHz or
233-MHz Intel

pipeline burst cache memory.

All models come with the following features:

3.5-inch, 1.44-MB diskette drive





Memory — 32 MB or 64 MB of Synchronized Dynamic
Random Access Memory (SDRAM) Dual In-line
Memory Modules (DIMMs)



A hard disk drive, 3-, 4- or 7-gigabyte (GB) Ultra
DMA/33



CD-ROM reader



Yamaha® audio subsystem, some systems include the
Creative Labs Sound Blaster™ AWE32 board

®

Pentium®-based system with 512 KB of

Altec™ Lansing® external speakers





NEC microphone



Video board with 4 MB of video memory, upgradable to
8 MB or video board with 8 MB of video memory



NEC palmrest keyboard
Microsoft® Intelliouse®.



Understanding System Features 3-1

Software installed on the hard disk includes:



Microsoft® Windows NT® or Windows® 95



MS Office 97® Small Business Edition



Appropriate drivers for your hardware
McAfee® VirusScan™, McAfee WebScan™.



SYSTEM CHASSIS

The chassis provides an enclosure for the system board,
power supply, three PCI, two ISA expansion slots, one set
of shared PCI/ISA slots, and seven storage device slots.

SYSTEM BOARD COMPONENTS

Your computer’s system board has the following
components.

Processor

Processing for your system is provided by the Intel
Pentium microprocessor at speeds of 200 MHz or
233 MHz.

Ports

Your computer’s system board includes the following
connectors on the rear-panel:



PS/2-style keyboard and mouse ports



Two Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports



Two serial ports (9-pin “D” style)



One parallel port
Audio (on some systems) — microphone in, line in, line



out, MIDI/game port.

3-2 Understanding System Features

System Memory

Your system’s standard memory configuration is 32 MB or
64 MB, depending upon the model you purchased. You can
expand the memory to a maximum of 256 MB. See
Appendix C for memory upgrade options.

Intel Xcelerator Multifunction Controller

Your computer uses an Intel PIIX4, which incorporates the
PC-to ISA bridge, a USB controller, a dual-channel IDE
interface, an enhanced DMA controller, an interrupt
controller, power management, and a real-time clock.

See Appendix C for the interrupt level assignments (IRQ)
table.

Flash ROM

With Flash ROM, a ROM BIOS change:



is fast and easily done using a Flash utility



eliminates the expensive replacement of ROM BIOS
chips, and reduces system maintenance costs



reduces inadvertent system board damage that can take
place when replacing ROMs



facilitates adopting new technology while maintaining
corporate standards



gives network administrators company-wide control of
BIOS revisions.

Information on how to use the Flash utility is provided in
Chapter 4, System BIOS and Utilities.

Understanding System Features 3-3

Plug and Play

The BIOS is Plug and Play. It automatically configures
both PCI and Plug and Play devices. This autoconfiguration
feature allows you to insert or remove a PCI or Plug and
Play ISA add-in card and power up your computer without
complicated setting changes. The system automatically
configures interrupts, I/O space, and other parameters. Any
interrupts set to “Available” in the system Setup can be
used by the Plug and Play card.

Graphics and Multimedia Features

The system provides the following multimedia features.

Video Support

Your system comes with a video board installed. For more
information about your video board see its documentation.

Audio

Your system’s onboard audio chip, the Yamaha

®

3-SA3, integrates an enhanced stereo controller with

OPL
an interface for MPU401 and a game port. It provides:



all the digital and analog mixing functions you need
to record and play sound



line, microphone, and monoaural inputs



Plug and Play compatibility



Sound Blaster, ADLib™, and Windows Sound
System™ compatibility



Altec Lansing speakers complete the standard audio
components.

3-4 Understanding System Features

Some systems also include the AWE32 Wavetable
Synthesizer chip integrates all the features of the chip with a
general MIDI processor and wavetable ROM, able to
generate up to 24 voices simultaneously.

Super I/O Controller

As standard equipment, your system provides the National
Semiconductor PC87307 Super I/O Controller, an ISA Plug
and Play multifunction I/O device that incorporates:

Two serial ports with



 Two UART, software compatible with the 16450

and 16450A

 16-byte FIFO buffer



Multimode bidirectional parallel port with

 Standard mode compatibility
 Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) mode with BIOS and

driver support

USB Ports

 High-speed Extended Capabilities Port (ECP) mode



Floppy disk controller



Keyboard and mouse controller.

The two Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports allow you to add
serial devices without opening up the system; simply plug
them into the port.



The ports are hot-pluggable: You can plug in a
peripheral without shutting down the computer; the USB
determines system resources for each peripheral and
assigns them automatically.

Understanding System Features 3-5

If you attach an external USB hub, up to 127 devices



can be connected to a single PC.

Dual IDE Channels

The system board provides two independent bus-mastering
PCI IDE interfaces. They support such ATAPI devices as a
CD-ROM reader, and Ultra DMA/33 hard drives. Up to
four IDE devices may be connected at a time.

Power-Saving Feature

An Advanced Power Management (APM) feature in the
BIOS can put the system into a power reduction mode of
operation. This feature reduces energy consumption, but
still allows the system to respond to requests from external
devices, such as modems or a network.

In Setup, you can adjust how long a period of inactivity will
elapse before the energy-saving Standby mode takes effect.
This is a convenient way to save power when you need to be
away from your computer for a short period of time.

Press a key or move the mouse and your system quickly
returns to full power and to where you left off.

OPTIONS AND UPGRADES

Your system supports a variety of options.

Network Interface Card

You can select any of the following cards to add networking
functions to your computer:

3COM 3C509 10 Base T Ethernet card





3COM 3C905 Fast Etherlink® XL 10/100 PCI card.

3-6 Understanding System Features

Modem

U. S. Robotics® 56Kbps data/fax/voice modem.

Removable Storage

Iomega® Ditto™ 3200 Internal Tape Backup Unit
Some models include an internal Iomega

Keyboard

Microsoft Natural Keyboard

Audio

Altec Lansing ACS-410 Dolby® Surround Sound Stereo
speaker system with ACS-251 subwoofer

Power Backup

APC Model BF250 Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)
power backup system

®

Zip™ Drive.

Understanding System Features 3-7

System BIOS and

4

SYSTEM BIOS AND THE SETUP UTILITY

Utilities

Your NEC Direction T-Series computer system is made up
of many different components that work together to keep the
system operating normally. This chapter provides
information on the NECCSD utilities available for your
system:

Setup utility



BIOS flash utility





Video drivers.

Configuration information is stored in a nonvolatile
memory chip, a device that retains its data when system
power is turned off. This chip is called a complementary
metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chip, and it is backed
up by a battery on the system board. The battery supplies
continuous power to CMOS memory and maintains
configuration information when system power is off.

The system BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is a set of
configuration instructions burned into the CMOS chip.
Your system ships from the factory with the BIOS set
correctly for your configuration. Unless you add optional
hardware, you do not need to run the Setup utility to operate
your system. However, you might wish to run Setup to set
features that customize your system, such as to add or
adjust security features.

System BIOS and Utilities 4-1

The Setup Utility

The Setup utility program allows you to enter system
configuration information in the BIOS and control special
features of the system.

NOTE

down your current setup parameters and store the
information in a safe place. This lets you restore
your system to the current parameters if you ever
need to replace the battery.

When to Use Setup

The Setup utility lets you view and set system parameters.
Use the Setup utility program:



to set the time and date



to update or check system parameters when you add or
remove expansion options

We recommend that you print out or write



to change or set power management features



to correct a hardware discrepancy when the Power-On
Self-Test (POST) displays an error message and
prompts you to run Setup



to check the installation of optional memory by
comparing the amount of memory installed with the
amount of memory displayed by Setup



to change certain system operating parameters, such as
boot device sequence and keyboard parameters



to configure system connections for peripherals such as
a diskette drive, hard disks, and devices connected to the
printer port and serial ports

4-2 System BIOS and Utilities

to customize your system with security features such as



passwords
to set system parameters in the event that you need to



replace the CMOS battery.

How to Start Setup

To start the Setup utility, follow these steps:

Turn on or reboot the system.

1.

Press

2.

up, to start the memory test. You have about five
seconds to press

Setup’s Main Menu appears.

How to Use Setup

The bottom of all menus show the specific keys used to
navigate around the menus. Pressing the
Help screen. The right hand side of the menu is pop-up
item-sensitive help.

Use the left and right arrow keys (or cursor keys) to select
one of the menus (Main, Advanced, Security, etc.) and the
up and down arrows to move to an option within a menu.
Press
value either with the arrows or with the plus and minus
(+ or –) keys.

Some entries cannot be changed; their function is to report
the status of a system parameter. Other entries, when
marked with an arrow () symbol, lead to submenus when
you press the

after POST begins, but before the system boots

F2

before system boot continues.

F2

key brings up a

F1

to select an option or submenu. Change the

Enter

key.

Enter

System BIOS and Utilities 4-3

Main Menu

Use the

key to return to a previous menu or to “escape”

Esc

from the Setup program without changing any settings.
When exiting and the menu asks if you want to discard
configuration changes and exit now, be sure the menu’s

Yes

field is highlighted.
If you make a mistake changing settings and you need to

change them again, press the

key from anywhere within

Esc

the Setup program. When the Setup Confirmation menu
asks you if you want to discard configuration changes and
exit now, press the Tab key or the right arrow key to
highlight the menu’s

field. With this choice, you remain

No

in the Setup program, and you can continue to change
settings, if necessary. Press the

key to confirm.

Enter

The Main Menu options are described in the following
sections.

4-4 System BIOS and Utilities

Main Menu

Various menu options are available; others cannot be
changed. Brief explanations of each menu entry follow.

Processor Type



This field displays your computer’s processor type.

Processor Speed



This field displays your processor’s speed.

Cache RAM



This field displays the size of your system’s L2
(external) cache.

Total Memory



This field displays the total amount of memory installed
on your system board.



BIOS Version
This field displays your system’s BIOS version number.



Language
This field displays the current default language used by

the BIOS. Depending on the system you purchased, you
may choose a different display language from among the
options listed below.

 English (US) — (default)
 Italiano
 Français
 Deutsche
 Español

System BIOS and Utilities 4-5

System Time and Date



These two fields specify the correct time and date. To
change them, press the
want to change, then press the
setting.

NOTE

Your comput er has been designed t o c or r ec tly

report the year 2000 and beyond.

Hard Disk Predelay



This option keeps BIOS from searching for a drive until
the specified predelay time has passed. This allows
certain drives time to spin up before being detected by
the BIOS.

Floppy Options Submenu

This submenu can be used to configure your system’s
diskette drives. To enter the submenu, highlight the Floppy
Options field, then press the
following options:

key to highlight the field you

Tab

or – keys to change the

+

key. You’ll see the

Enter



Diskette A:/B:
These fields specify the capacity and physical size of

Diskette Drive A and B (if included). To change these,
highlight the field for the drive, press the
select from the following options:

 Disabled (default for Drive B)
 360KB, 5.25 inch
 1.2MB, 5.25 inch
 720KB, 3.5 inch
 1.44/1.25 MB, 3.5 inch (default for Drive A)
 2.88 MB, 3.5 inch.

4-6 System BIOS and Utilities

Enter

key and

If you add an optional 5.25-inch diskette drive to your
system, select Floppy B and change the parameter to

1.2 MB, 5.25 inch.

Floppy Write Protect



This option enables or disables write protection for the
diskette drive(s). Choose the desired setting to enable or
disable (default) this option.

To return to the Main Menu, press the

IDE Devices



Esc

key.

The next four entries, Primary IDE Master and Slave
and Secondary IDE Master and Slave, refer to settings
for IDE devices. These fields report the presence of, and
identification for as many as four physical IDE devices,
two on each PCI/IDE connector.

The submenus can be used to auto-configure or
manually configure the IDE devices, usually hard drives
or CD-ROM drives. Depending on the system you
purchased, the available options may include “User,”
“Auto” (default), “CD-ROM,” “IDE Removable,”
“ATAPI Removable” or “None.”

The standard hard drive (drive C) shipped with the
system is configured as “Primary IDE Master.” The
standard CD-ROM reader is configured as “Secondary
IDE Master.” When the cursor is placed on one of these
fields and selected by pressing the

Enter

key, the IDE
Device submenu appears showing the drive parameters
you can set.

System BIOS and Utilities 4-7

NOTE

Jumpers on the IDE device must be set to t he
master or slav e dev i ce ( see the doc umentat ion that
comes with the device).

Primary/Secondary IDE Master/Slave (Submenus)

These entries let you check or change the following hard
disk drive parameters. They are not available if “Auto” is
selected.

Type



This option lets you choose “Auto” to have BIOS detect
the type and properties of the drive or “User definable”
where you provide the BIOS with the specific drive
properties. “Disabled” is used when there are no IDE
drives installed in the system.



Cylinders/Heads/Sectors fields.
Cylinders — If your device configuration type is set to

“Auto,” this field displays the number of cylinders for
your hard drive and cannot be changed. If the Type is set
to “User,” you must enter the correct number of
cylinders for your hard drive.

Heads — If your device configuration type is set to
“Auto,” this field displays the number of heads for your
hard drive and cannot be changed. If the Type is set to
“User,” you must enter the correct number of heads for
your hard drive.

Sectors — If your device configuration type is set to
“Auto,” this field displays the number of sectors for
your hard drive and cannot be changed. If the Type is set
to “User,” you must enter the correct number of sectors
for your hard drive.

4-8 System BIOS and Utilities

Maximum Capacity — This field displays the maximum
capacity of your hard disk drive, a value based on the
number of cylinders, heads and sectors.

Multi-Sector Transfers



This option sets the IDE programmed I/O cycles so that
multiple sectors are transferred with a single interrupt.
Like the Cylinders/Heads/Sectors options discussed
above, you cannot access this option if the configuration
type is set to “Auto.” If necessary, check the
specification for your hard drive to determine the best
setting for optimum drive performance.

The options include:

 2 Sectors
 4 Sectors
 8 Sectors
 16 Sectors (default)
 Disabled.



LBA Mode Control
This option specifies the IDE translation mode. LBA

causes Logical Block Addressing to be used in place of
Cylinders/Heads/Sectors. You can “Enable” (default) or
“Disable” this option. This mode cannot be changed
when “Auto” is selected.

System BIOS and Utilities 4-9

!

Don’t change the translati on mode setting from the
option select ed when the hard driv e was f ormatt ed.
Changing the opti on after f ormatti ng could result i n
corrupted data!

Transfer Mode



This option determines how fast transfers occur on the
IDE interface. This mode cannot be changed when
“Auto” is selected. The options include:

 Standard
 Fast PIO 1
 Fast PIO 2
 Fast PIO 3
 Fast PIO 4 (default).

WARNING

Ultra DMA



This option sets the Ultra DMA Mode for the hard drive.
This mode cannot be changed when “Auto” is selected.
The options include:

 Mode 0
 Mode 1
 Mode 2
 Disabled (default).

To return to the Main Menu, press the
the Advanced Menu, press the right arrow key.

4-10 System BIOS and Utilities

Esc

key. To move to

Advanced Menu

This menu features the following information fields or
options:

Advanced Menu

Plug & Play O/S



This option enables or disables Plug and Play­compatible operating system to avoid DMA conflicts
with ISA boards. Choose “Yes” (default) or “No.”



Reset Configuration Data
This option is used to reset advanced configuration

options to default settings without affecting other CMOS
changes. The options include “No” (default) or “Yes.”

System BIOS and Utilities 4-11

Memory Cache



This option enables or disables memory caching. The
options include “Enabled” (default) or “Disabled.”

Memory Banks 0/1



These fields report the amount of memory detected in the
system’s two memory banks.

Resource Configuration Submenu

This option allows you to reserve specific resources for use
by legacy ISA devices. To enter the submenu, highlight this
field, then press the

Enter

options:

Memory Reservation (submenu)



This option lets you reserve specific upper memory
blocks for use by legacy ISA devices. To do so,
highlight this field, then press the
arrow (cursor) keys to highlight an upper memory block,
then press

. Select “Available” (default) or

Enter

“Reserved” with the cursor keys, then press the
key to change the setting.

key. You’ll see the following

key. Use the

Enter

Enter



Memory Hole
If this option is enabled (“Disabled” is the default),

system RAM is turned off to allow address space to be
available by an option board. You can choose either a
128 KB conventional memory hole (starting at 512 KB),
or a 1 MB extended memory hole, beginning at 15 MB.

To return to the Resource Configuration submenu, press
the

Esc

4-12 System BIOS and Utilities

key.

IRQ Reservation Submenu



This option lets you reserve specific IRQs (interrupt
requests) for use by legacy ISA devices. To do so,
highlight this field, then press the

Enter

key. Use the
arrow (cursor) keys to highlight the specified IRQ, then
press
with the arrow keys, then press

. Select “Available” (default) or “Reserved”

Enter

to change the

Enter

setting.

!

An asterisk symbol appearing next to an option
indicates that the selected IRQ is set to conflict with
another device,

WARNING

To return to the Advanced Menu, press the
twice.

Peripheral Configuration Submenu

This submenu can be used to configure your system’s ports
or peripheral devices. To enter the submenu, highlight this
field, then press the

Enter

following options appear:



Serial Port A/Serial Port B
These options let you configure your system’s Serial

Port A or Serial Port B. You can choose “Auto”,
“Enabled” or “Disabled.” The “Auto” setting causes the
Setup program to assign the first free COM port (e.g.,
COM 1 3F8h, IRQ4 or COM2, 2F8h, IRQ3). Note that
if you set a specific serial port address, it does not
appear in the list of options for the other serial port.

Esc

key

key on your keyboard. The

System BIOS and Utilities 4-13

NOTE

If you select the Enabled option, you’ll see
additional opt ions that al low you to specify the Base
I/O address and IRQs for the port you’re
configuring.

Parallel Port



This option configures the system’s parallel port.
Choose “Auto,” “Enabled,” or “Disabled.” The
“Enabled” setting assigns LPT 1 378h, IRQ7, and
bidirectional mode.

NOTE

If you select the Enabled option, you’ll see
additional opt ions that al low you to specify the Base
I/O address and IRQs for the port you’re
configuring.

Mode (Parallel Port)



This option sets the mode for the parallel port. The
options include “Output Only” (AT-compatible mode),
“Bidirectional” (PS/2-compatible mode), “EPP”
(Extended Parallel Port – high speed bidirectional) and
“ECP” (Enhanced Capabilities Port – high speed
bidirectional).

4-14 System BIOS and Utilities

!

An asterisk symbol appearing next to an option
indicates that the selected IRQ is set to conflict with
another device.

WARNING

To return to the Resource Configuration submenu, press
the

Esc

key on your keyboard. Then press

Esc

a second

time to return to the Advanced Menu.

Floppy Disk Controller



This option configures the system’s floppy disk
controller. Select “Enabled” (default) or “Disabled.”



IDE Controller
This option configures the system’s integrated IDE

controller. Select from “Primary,” “Secondary,” “Both”
(default) or “Disabled.”

To return to the Advanced Menu, press the

Keyboard Configuration Submenu

This submenu can be used to configure specific keyboard
features. To enter the submenu, highlight this field, then

Enter

press the



NumLock

key. The following options appear:

This option controls whether the NumLock key on the
keyboard is on or off at boot-up. The choices are “Auto”
(default), “On” or “Off.”

Esc

key.

System BIOS and Utilities 4-15

Key Click



This feature enables or disables the key click option.
Select “Enabled” or “Disabled” (default).

Keyboard Auto-Repeat Rate



This feature selects the key repeat rate, the rate at which
a key, when pressed and held, repeats itself. The eight
options range from 30 per second (default) to 2 per
second.

Keyboard Auto-Repeat Delay



This feature selects the delay before key repeats. The
four options include from ¼ second to 1 second. The
default is ½ second.

To return to the Advanced Menu, press the

Video Configuration Submenu

This submenu can be used to configure specific video
features. To enter the submenu, highlight the field, then
press the

key on your keyboard. The following

Enter

options appear:

Palette Snooping



This option controls the ability of a primary PCI
graphics controller to share a common palette with an
ISA add-in video board. Select “Enabled” or “Disabled”
(default).



Video Monitor Type
This option selects the type of VGA Monitor you’re

using. This setting should be set to either “VGA” or
“VGA and TV OUT,” depending on your system
configuration.

Esc

key.

4-16 System BIOS and Utilities

TV Out Signal Type



This setting selects the type of TV Out signal to be used
and was configured based on the region where you
purchased your system. The options include:

 NTSC (North America)
 PAL (Europe)
 PAL-M (South America)

To return to the Advanced Menu, press the

DMI Event Logging Submenu

This submenu can be used to view and modify DMI Event
Logs. To enter the submenu, highlight the DMI Event
Logging field, then press the
options appear:



Event Log Capacity/Event Log Validity
These fields indicate whether space is available in the

Event Log, and whether the contents of the log are valid.



View DMI Event Log
To view the DMI Event Log, highlight this option and

press the

Enter

log displays No unread events.



Clear All DMI Event Logs
This option clears the DMI Event Log after rebooting

the system. Choose “No” or “Yes.”

key.

Esc

key. The following

Enter

key. If there are no event logs stored, the



Event Logging
This option enables logging of DMI Events. Choose

“Disabled” or “Enabled” (default).

System BIOS and Utilities 4-17

Mark DMI Events as Read



This option is used to mark off all DMI Events as read.
If necessary, press the

key to access the

Enter

Confirmation dialog box and confirm your preference.

To return to the Advanced Menu, press the
press the right arrow (cursor) key to move to the Security
Menu.

Security Menu

key. Then

Esc

Security Menu

The Security Menu can be used to set a user password
and/or a supervisor password.

A User Password controls access to the system and Setup
Utility program at boot up. If the User Password feature
has been enabled, you’ll need to enter your User password
correctly whenever you boot the system before you’ll be
able to use it.

4-18 System BIOS and Utilities

A Supervisor Password controls access to the BIOS and
Setup Utility program. If the Supervisor Password feature
has been enabled, a Supervisor password must be entered
correctly before all options in the Setup Utility program are
available (for example, to disable password protection).

W hen a Supervi sor Password is enabled, access to
many features in the Setup Utility program is
restricted.

How to Set a Password

Use the following steps to select the password feature you
want to set.

1.

Highlight the “Set User Password” or “Set Supervisor
Password” field, then press the
Password or Set Supervisor Password dialog box
appears on your monitor.

!

WARNING

Enter

key. The Set User

2.

Type a password (up to seven alphanumeric characters)
in the Enter New Password field, then press the
key. Your password should be easy for you to
remember, but hard for others to guess.

!

Be caref ul when typi ng your password, because y ou
won’t be able to see any of the characters you type.

3.

Retype your password in the Confirm New Password
field, then press the

WARNING

Enter

key.

System BIOS and Utilities 4-19

Enter

If the message “User Password Is Set” (or “Supervisor

4.

Password Is Set”) appears in the Security Menu, the
password has been set up successfully.

!

If the User Password Is Clear field (or Supervisor
Password Is Clear) appears in the Security Menu,
the corresponding password feature is disabled.
(Your system is not password protected.)

WARNING

How to Disable Password Protection

1.

From the Security Menu, highlight the “Set User
Password” or “Set Supervisor Password” field
(depending on which password you’re disabling).

2.

Type your password in the Enter Current Password
field, then press the

3.

Don’t type anything in the Enter New Password
field — just press the

Enter

Enter

key.

key.

4.

Again, don’t type anything in the Confirm New
Password field — jus t press the

If the message “User Password Is Clear” (or “Supervisor
Password Is Clear”) appears in the Security Menu, the User
(or Supervisor) password feature is disabled.

Press the right arrow (cursor) key to move to the Power
Menu.

Power Menu

The Power Menu can be used to enable or disable the
system’s power management features. When the power
management option is enabled, the Power Menu displays
the options shown in the following screen.

4-20 System BIOS and Utilities

Enter

key.

Power Menu



Inactivity Timer
The Inactivity Timer lets you set the delay time for

activation of power management. Standby mode powers
down various devices in the system until you resume
using it. You can select from “Off,” “1,” “2,” “4,” “6,”
“8,” “12” or “16 minutes.” A setting of 1 minute
achieves maximum power savings, while a setting of
16 minutes allows maximum performance.



Hard Drive
This option enables or disables hard drive power down.

Your choices are “Enabled” (default) or “Disabled.”



VESA Video Power Down
This option sets the monitor’s power management mode.

Your choices are “Disabled,” “Standby” (default),
“Suspend,” or “Sleep.”

System BIOS and Utilities 4-21

Boot Menu

Press the right arrow (cursor) key to move to the Boot
Menu.

The Boot Menu can be used to adjust the system’s boot
features. The Boot Menu features the following options:

!

Sett ing some i tem s in any menu to incorrec t v al ues
can cause your system to malfunction.

CAUTION

4-22 System BIOS and Utilities

Boot Menu

Restore on AC/Power Loss



This option specifies how the system responds to power
restoration after an unexpected power loss. The options
are “Stay Off” (default) which keeps the power off until
the system’s power button is pressed, “Power On” which
restores the system’s power, and “Last State” which
restores the previous power state.

On Modem Ring



This option sets whether or not the modem powers up on
boot or remains off until manually activated. The
options are “Stay Off” and “Power On” (default).

Scan User Flash Area



This feature enables or disables automatic scanning of
the user flash area on bootup. “Disabled” is the default.

First/Second/Third/Fourth Boot Device



You can select the sequence of boot devices by type.
Pressing your keyboard’s + (plus) or – (minus) keys
allows you to select the order. For maximum system
accessibility, Removable Device should always be set as
the First Boot Device.

Hard Drive Submenu

This submenu lists the system’s available hard drives. Your
computer will try to boot to the operating system on the first
device listed on the Hard Drive submenu. If no operating
system is found, the system continues trying the drives in
the order they are listed until an operating system is located.

System BIOS and Utilities 4-23

To see a list of available drives, highlight this field and
press the

key. You can select the boot device by

Enter

pressing your keyboard’s + or – keys. To exit from the
Hard Drive submenu, press the

Removable Drive Submenu

This submenu lists any available removable drives (if
included). The operating system assigns drive letters to
these devices in the order listed. You can change the
sequence (and drive lettering) by highlighting this field and
pressing the

Enter

keys to move a device up or down the list. To exit from the
Removable Drive submenu, press the

Removable Format Submenu

This submenu selects the media format of any available
removable drives (if included). To change the format,
highlight this field and press the
Removable Format submenu, make sure the Hard Drive
option is highlighted, then press the
“Removable” or “Hard Drive” by pressing your keyboard’s

or – keys, then press the

+

Removable Format submenu, press the

key.

Esc

key. Then press your keyboard’s + or

key.

Esc

key. From the

Enter

key. Select either

Enter

key. To exit from the

Enter

key.

Esc

–

Press the right arrow (cursor) key to move to the Exit
Menu.

4-24 System BIOS and Utilities

Exit Menu

The Exit Menu allows you to choose how to exit the Setup
program. Press the arrow (cursor) keys to select the desired
option, then press the

key to make your choice (or

Enter

use the arrow key to select another one).

Exit Menu



Exit Saving Changes
This option exits the Setup program and saves your

changes to the BIOS and reboots the system.



Exit Discarding Changes
This option exits the Setup program without saving your

changes to the BIOS and reboots the system.

System BIOS and Utilities 4-25

Load Setup Defaults



This option loads the Setup Program’s default values.

Load Custom Defaults



This option loads Custom default settings.



Save Custom Defaults
This option saves your changes as Custom default

settings.

Discard Changes



This option discards any changes made to BIOS settings
during the current session but does not reboot the
system.

NOTE

If your system’s CMOS fails, the BIOS will
load custom defaul t settings (if y ou’ve saved t hem)
or factory default settings

Finally, press the
Setup program.

BIOS FLASH UTILITY

From time to time, changes are made to a computer
system’s BIOS. While not essential, it is usually beneficial
to upgrade if there is a new BIOS for your system. Check
the NECCSD Bulletin Board Service (BBS) for information
regarding an update to your system’s BIOS. If there is one
available, the BBS will have both the BIOS itself and
instructions for downloading it.

Update the BIOS from the BIOS flash diskette as follows.

4-26 System BIOS and Utilities

key again to confirm and exit the

Enter

Write down the setup parameters currently set on your

1.

system.
Turn off the system.

2.

Insert the flash upgrade diskette in drive A and turn on

3.

the system.
When the flash upgrade menu appears, choose “Update

4.

Flash Memory Area from a file.”
When the menu asks you to enter a path/filename, use

5.

the arrow keys to select the .bio file, and press
The utility asks for a confirmation that you want to load

6.

Enter

.

the new flash upgrade into memory. Select “Continue
with Programming.”

After the upgrade completes, remove the upgrade disk.

7.

Reboot the system and start the Setup program. Press

8.

F5

to reset the BIOS defaults. Then, use the copy of the
Setup selections you made at the beginning of this
procedure to set the options.

See “NECCSD Bulletin Board Service” in Chapter 7 for
information about using the bulletin board (available in the
U.S. and Canada).

VIDEO DRIVERS

Video drivers let you take advantage of your computer’s
video hardware and extended graphics modes.

Your system ships with video drivers for Windows 95 or
Windows NT loaded on your hard disk.

You can change the default video resolution in Windows
Setup. You can also change the video resolution and other
video features such as refresh rates in Windows. See
“Changing Display Properties,” in Chapter 2.

System BIOS and Utilities 4-27

Additional VGA drivers are available for a variety of
software applications through the NECCSD BBS (see
“NECCSD Bulletin Board Service” in Chapter 7).

NOTE

A multifrequency monitor, such as an NEC
MultiSync® monitor, is required to access the
extended graphics mode.

4-28 System BIOS and Utilities

5

Installing Options

Your Direction T-Series system supports a variety of
industry-standard and NECCSD expansion options. You
can customize your computer with:

Monitors − your system supports the connection of a



VGA-compatible monitor such as the NEC MultiSync
XE and XP series and NEC CS series.

DIMM memory − your system comes with 32 MB or



64 MB of RAM upgradeable to 256 MB of memory.



Video memory − your system comes standard with a
4-MB video board. Its video memory may be
upgradable; see the documentation for your video board.



Drives − your system supports a total of seven storage
devices. In addition to the standard 3 1/2-inch, 1.44-MB
diskette drive, internal hard disk drive, and CD-ROM
reader, four other storage device slots are available.

OPTION INSTALLATION

Installation instructions for the following options are
provided in this chapter:



expansion boards



DIMM memory upgrade

Installing Options 5-1

video memory upgrade



data storage devices





external options.

Installation of all options (except external options) requires
system access cover removal. Procedures for removing the
cover are explained in this chapter.

Safety Precautions

Before opening your computer, see the grounding
instructions in Appendix D.

Take care when working inside the system and when
handling computer components. Avoid electric shock or
personal injury by observing the following warning.

Before remov ing the system access cover, turn off
the power and unplug any attac hed peri pheral s. The
system power cord should remain connected, with
the power off.

!

WARNING

Static electricity and improper installation procedures can
damage computer components. Protect computer
components by following these safety instructions.





5-2 Installing Options

Avoid carpets in cool, dry areas. Leave an option, such
as a board or chip, in its anti-static packaging until
ready to install it.

Dissipate static electricity before handling any system
components (boards, chips, and so on) by touching a
grounded metal object, such as the system’s unpainted
metal chassis.

If possible, use anti-static devices, such as wrist straps
and floor mats.

Always hold a chip or board by its edges. Avoid



touching the components on the chip or board.
Take care when connecting or disconnecting cables. A



damaged cable can cause a short in the electrical circuit.
Misaligned connector pins can cause damage to system
components at power-on.

When installing a cable, route the cable so it is not



pinched by other components and is out of the path of
the system covers. Prevent damage to the connectors by
aligning connector pins before you connect the cable.

When disconnecting a cable, always pull on the cable



connector or strain-relief loop; do not pull on the cable
itself.

COVER REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT

The following sections explain how to remove and to
replace the access cover from your computer.

Note that the access cover is on the top of the desktop
model and on the right side of the minitower model.

NOTE

It is recommended that you place the
mini tower m odel on its side with the base over the
edge of a tabl e to rem ov e/repl ace the access cov er
and add options. In this position, the following
figures apply to the minitower as well as the
desktop.

Installing Options 5-3

Removing the Access Cover

The following procedure describes how to remove the
system access cover.

Turn off the computer.

1.

Disconnect the keyboard, mouse, monitor, and any other

2.

external options (such as a printer) from the rear of the
computer.

Label all cables to make reinstallation easier.

Electrostatic discharge can damage computer
components. Discharge stat ic el ectri cit y by touchi ng
a metal object before removing the access cover.

!

CAUTION

5-4 Installing Options

Loosen the thumb screw at the rear of the system by

3.

turning it counterclockwise. If you installed a lock on the
back of the system, unlock the lock and remove it.

Press in the release tabs located at the sides of the access
cover.

Loosening the screw and pressing the tabs

Installing Options 5-5

Slide the cover toward the rear until it stops. (If it is very

4.

tight, you can also carefully insert a screwdriver into the
slot adjacent to the fans at the back side of the cover,
and very gently rock the cover loose, taking care not to
scratch the system).

Sliding off the cover

Lift it away from the system.

5.

Replacing the Access Cover

Gently set the access cover inside the edge of the case,

1.

taking care not to bend the metal tabs as follows.



Align the tabs on the access cover with their
corresponding slots on the system.

5-6 Installing Options

Insert the tabs on the edge of the access cover into



their slots on the system.

Aligning the tabs

Slide the access cover forward to meet the front panel.

2.

Tighten the thumb screw.

3.

NOTE

The cover fits tightly. I f it does not slide all the
way to the front panel, pl ace one hand on the front
of the unit while you slide the cover forward from
the rear.

Reconnect all external peripherals.

4.

Installing Options 5-7

EXPANSION BOARDS

Your computer’s system board features several expansion
slots that can accommodate accessory adapter boards, such
as a sound board or TV board. Depending on the system
you purchased, some of these devices may be installed in
your system.

The Direction T-Series supports ISA Plug and Play
expansion boards, which allow you to install a board in an
expansion slot without changing the hardware settings.
There are no system resource conflicts to resolve. Plug and
Play automatically configures the board for the system.

Industry-standard 8-bit and 16-bit ISA, and 32-bit PCI
expansion boards are supported in the system unit. ISA
expansion boards can be Plug and Play or non-Plug and
Play boards.

PCI expansion boards run at one half the system host’s bus
speed. The PCI bus handles 32 bits of data at a time, being
wider as well as faster than the standard ISA bus. PCI
boards can send and receive data much faster, thereby
boosting system performance.

Your system has six expansion slots:







The option board slot configuration accommodates the
following devices:

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5-8 Installing Options

two ISA slots
three PCI slots
one set of shared ISA and PCI slots.

Slot 1 — (Highest slot on the minitower, furthest-right
slot on the desktop model) Accommodates an optional
PCI board.

Slot 2 — Accommodates an optional PCI board.

Slot 3 — Accommodates an optional PCI board.

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Slots 4 and 5 (shared) —.Accommodate either an



optional PCI or an ISA board.
Slot 6 — Accommodates an optional ISA board.



Slot 7 (Lowest slot on the minitower, furthest-left slot on



the desktop model) — Accommodates an optional ISA
board.

Installing an Expansion Board

Although Plug and Play boards are detected by the system,
and potential conflicts are resolved automatically, boards
which are not Plug and Play may require you to change
settings. Before installing the new board, check its
documentation and the Interrupt Request (IRQ) assignments
in Appendix C. This information ensures that your new
board does not conflict with any installed components.

Locating expansion slots

Installing Options 5-9

Follow these steps to install an expansion board.

Remove the access cover (see “Removing the Access

1.

Cover”).
Follow any preinstallation instructions that come with

2.

the expansion board (such as setting switches or jumpers
on the board).

Remove the screw securing an expansion slot cover and

3.

remove the cover.

5-10 Installing Options

Removing the slot cover

Save the screw for installing the expansion board. Be
sure to save the slot cover for future use.

!

A slot c over can damage the syst em board or any
option board i f it fall s into the system . Take car e to
keep the slot cover from f alling when rem oving the
screw.

CAUTION

If the slot cover does fall into the unit, remove it before
replacing the cover.

4.

Hold the board by its edges and insert it into the
expansion slot.

5.

Press the board firmly into the expansion slot connector.
Gently rock the board from side-to-side to seat it into the
connector.

6.

Insert the screw removed in step 3 to secure the
expansion board to the support bracket.

7.

Attach any cables required by the expansion board.

8.

Replace the access cover (see “Replacing the Access
Cover”).

Removing an Expansion Board

Follow these steps to remove a board.

1.

Remove the access cover (see “Removing the Access
Cover).

2.

Label and remove any cables connected to the board.

3.

Remove the screw that secures the board to the support
bracket.

4.

Pull the board out of the connector. Gently rock the
board from side-to-side to release it from its connector.

Installing Options 5-11

5.

DIMM UPGRADE

Your system comes factory-installed with 32 MB or 64 MB
of main system memory, as two 168-pin sockets on the
system board for Dual In-line Memory Modules (DIMMs).

You may install memory in one or two sockets and the size
and speed may vary between sockets. Single-and double­sided DIMMs are supported.

Before installing memory, read the detailed explanation of
memory types and configuration options in Appendix C.





Replace the access cover (see “Replacing the Access
Cover).

Depending on product upgrade availability, your system
memory can be upgraded to a total of 256 MB. When
upgrading your system memory, note the following
conditions:

Be sure to use 168-pin 3.3V DIMMs with gold-plated
contacts.

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

5-12 Installing Options

Bus speed of 66 MHz only is supported.
Non-Error Correcting and Checking (64-bit) DIMMs

are supported.

NOTE

Although memory si z e and type may vary, the
SDRAM DIMMs must meet the Intel 4-clock, 66­MHz, unbuffered SDRAM DIMM specification for
64-bit SDRAM.

Use the following procedure to:

Check the memory installed in the system



Determine the DIMM configuration needed to increase



memory
Identify DIMM sockets.



NOTE

If any cables block access to the DIMM
sockets, label and disconnect them. If any boards
block access to the sockets, remove them.

Locate the two DIMM sockets, J5F2–Bank 0 and

1.

J5G1–Bank 1. See Appendix D to identify the sockets.
Any approved size DIMM can be installed in either

2.

socket The following table shows some example
configurations.

Installing Options 5-13

Optional Memory Configurations

BANK 0 BANK 1 TOTAL RAM
1Mx64 (8MB) Empty (0MB) 8MB (min.

memory)

Empty (0MB) 1Mx64 (8MB) 8MB (min.

memory)
1Mx64 (8MB) 1Mx64 (8MB) 16MB
2Mx64 (16MB) 2Mx64 (16MB) 32MB
2Mx64 (16MB) 4Mx64 (32MB) 48MB
4Mx64 (32MB) 4Mx64 (32MB) 64MB
8Mx64 (64MB) 1Mx64 (8MB) 72MB
2Mx64 (16MB) 8Mx64 (64MB) 80MB
4Mx64 (32MB) 8Mx64 (64MB) 96MB
2Mx64 (16MB) 16Mx64 (128MB) 144MB
16Mx64 (128MB) 2Mx64 (16MB) 144MB
16Mx64 (128MB) 4Mx64 (32MB) 160MB
16Mx64 (128MB) 8Mx64 (64MB) 192MB
16Mx64 (128MB) 16Mx64 (128MB) 256MB

Removing a DIMM

Use the following procedure to remove a DIMM.

Reduce static discharge by touching the system’s
metal chassis.

1.

Remove the access cover (see “Removing the Access
Cover).

5-14 Installing Options

!

CAUTION: