Nec POWERMATE VP user Manual

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The NEC product(s) discussed in this document are warranted in accordance with
the terms of the Warranty 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 NEC.

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 NEC is prohibited.

MultiSync and PowerMate are U.S. registered trademarks of NEC Technologies, Inc.
FastFacts is a U.S. trademark of NEC Technologies, Inc.
All other product, brand, or trade names used in this publication are the trademarks or

registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.

First Printing — March 1995

Copyright 1995 Copyright 1995

NEC Technologies, Inc. NEC Corporation

1414 Massachusetts Avenue 7-1 Shiba 5-Chome, Minato-Ku

Boxborough, MA 01719 Tokyo 108-01, Japan

All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved

Contents

Using this Guide

Text Conventions....................................................... viii

Related Documents.................................................... ix

1 1-1

Using Your Computer 1-1

SYSTEM FEATURES............................................... 1-1

Front Panel............................................................ 1-2

Power Button................................................... 1-4

Lamps ..............................................................1-4

Suspend Button................................................ 1-5

Diskette Drive.................................................. 1-5

Diskette Loading................................................... 1-7

Hard Disk......................................................... 1-9

CD-ROM Reader............................................. 1-9

CD Loading .......................................................... 1-11

Audio Support ................................................. 1-13

Rear Panel.............................................................1-13

15-Pin VGA Monitor Port............................... 1-15

Printer Port ...................................................... 1-15

Serial Ports ...................................................... 1-15

Keyboard Port.................................................. 1-16

Mouse Port ...................................................... 1-16

Expansion Slot Covers .................................... 1-16

Sound Board Jacks .......................................... 1-17

Network Connectors........................................ 1-20

Power Supply........................................................1-22

Cooling Fans.................................................... 1-24

Voltage Selector Switch.................................. 1-24

System Power Socket ...................................... 1-25

Keyboard............................................................... 1-25

Function Keys.................................................. 1-26

Contents iii

Status Lamps....................................................1-26

Numeric Keypad/Cursor Control Keys............1-26

Standard Cursor Control Keys.........................1-27

Typewriter Keys ..............................................1-27

Mouse....................................................................1-27

Speakers ................................................................1-28

Microphone...........................................................1-28

SYSTEM OPERATION.............................................1-28

Startup/Shutdown..................................................1-28

Powering On ....................................................1-30

Powering Off....................................................1-32

System Reset.........................................................1-33

INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGIES ...........................1-35

Processor Subsystem.............................................1-36

System Memory ....................................................1-37

System BIOS.........................................................1-37

Flash ROM............................................................1-37

Power Management...............................................1-38

Using Standby Mode........................................1-39

Using Suspend Mode.......................................1-40

Plug and Play.........................................................1-40

System I/O Controller...........................................1-42

PCI Local Bus.......................................................1-43

PCI Auto Configuration........................................1-43

Video Features ......................................................1-43

DESKTOP MANAGEMENT INTERFACE.............1-44

DMI Components..................................................1-45

Manageable Products............................................1-46

CI Module .............................................................1-46

DMI Browser ........................................................1-46

Usage.....................................................................1-48

Troubleshooting....................................................1-48

2 2-1

Setting System Parameters 2-1

THE SETUP UTILITY ..............................................2-2

iv Contents

HOW TO START SETUP......................................... 2-3

HOW TO USE SETUP.............................................. 2-4

The Menu Bar....................................................... 2-5

The Legend Bar .................................................... 2-6

Selecting a Menu Item.....................................2-7

Displaying a Submenu..................................... 2-7

The Field Help Window.......................................2-7

The General Help Window...................................2-7

Main Menu Options..............................................2-8

IDE Adapters ........................................................2-9

Memory Shadow................................................... 2-11

Boot Sequence......................................................2-12

NumLock..............................................................2-14

THE ADVANCED MENU........................................ 2-14

Integrated Peripherals Menu................................. 2-15

Parity..................................................................... 2-16

Large Disk Access Mode......................................2-17

THE SECURITY MENU........................................... 2-17

THE POWER MENU................................................ 2-20

THE EXIT MENU..................................................... 2-21

Save Changes & Exit............................................ 2-22

Discard Changes & Exit ....................................... 2-22

Get Default Values ............................................... 2-22

Load Previous Values........................................... 2-23

Save Changes........................................................2-23

3 3-1

Using NEC Utilities and Drivers 3-1

MOUSE DRIVER......................................................3-1

Changing Mouse Parameters................................ 3-2

Command Line Options........................................ 3-2

VIDEO DRIVERS.....................................................3-5

BIOS UPDATE UTILITY......................................... 3-7

Using the Flash Utility.......................................... 3-7

NEC Bulletin Board Service................................. 3-8

Contents v

4 4-1

Maintaining Your Computer 4-1

SYSTEM CARE.........................................................4-1

Protective Measures..............................................4-1

Routine Care .........................................................4-3

Backup...................................................................4-3

MOUSE CARE ..........................................................4-4

CD CARE...................................................................4-6

MOVING GUIDELINES...........................................4-7

5 5-1

Removing the System Unit Cover 5-1

DESKTOP SYSTEM UNIT COVER........................5-1

Removing the Desktop Cover...............................5-1

Replacing the Desktop Cover................................5-4

MINITOWER SYSTEM UNIT COVER...................5-6

Removing the Minitower Cover............................5-6

Removing the Minitower Bottom Access Cover ..5-9

Replacing the Minitower Cover............................5-10

Replacing the Bottom Access Cover.....................5-12

6 6-1

Adding Options 6-1

OPTIONAL HARDWARE........................................6-1

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS ........................................6-3

EXPANSION BOARDS ............................................6-4

Desktop Slot Expansion Locations.......................6-5

Desktop Board Installation....................................6-7

Desktop Board Removal .......................................6-9

6 6-11

Adding Options 6-11

Desktop Inside Expansion Slot .............................6-12

vi Contents

Installing an Inside Slot Board........................6-12

Removing an Inside Slot Board.......................6-15

Minitower Slot Locations..................................... 6-17

Minitower Board Installation................................ 6-18

Minitower Board Removal...................................6-20

6 6-19

Adding Options 6-19

SIMM UPGRADE KITS ...........................................6-21

Precautions............................................................ 6-22

Checking the Memory in Your System ................ 6-23

SIMM Installation................................................. 6-26

VIDEO UPGRADE ................................................... 6-30

PROCESSOR UPGRADE......................................... 6-33

DATA STORAGE DEVICES ...................................6-37

Storage Device Support........................................ 6-37

6 6-37

Adding Options 6-37

Desktop Device Slots............................................ 6-38

Minitower Device Slots........................................ 6-39

Device Preparation ............................................... 6-40

Cables ................................................................... 6-40

System Power Cables ......................................6-42

Diskette Drive Signal Cable............................ 6-42

PCI/IDE Cable................................................. 6-43

Desktop Storage Device Installation .................... 6-44

Installing a Desktop Storage Device ............... 6-44

Cabling a Desktop Storage Device..................6-49

6 6-51

Adding Options 6-51

Minitower Storage Device Installation.................6-53

Installing an Accessible Minitower Storage Device6-53

Contents vii

Cabling a Minitower Storage Device...............6-58

Installing an Internal Minitower Storage Device6-60

EXTERNAL PERIPHERALS....................................6-62

VGA MONITOR........................................................6-62

PARALLEL PRINTER..............................................6-64

RS-232C DEVICE......................................................6-66

MULTIMEDIA COMPONENTS ..............................6-68

Connecting the Speakers.......................................6-69

Connecting the Microphone..................................6-71

7 7-1

Setting System Board Jumpers 7-1

JUMPER LOCATIONS.............................................7-2

JUMPER SETTINGS.................................................7-3

Changing Jumper Settings.....................................7-6

CMOS Jumper.......................................................7-7

8 8-1

Solving Problems 8-1

PROBLEM CHECKLIST..........................................8-1

PRODUCT INFORMATION.....................................8-5

IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE..................................8-7

Getting Help from Your Company........................8-7

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

Getting Help from NEC........................................8-8

A A-1

Setting Up a Healthy Work Environment A-1

MAKING YOUR COMPUTER WORK FOR YOU.A-1

ARRANGE YOUR EQUIPMENT ............................A-3

ADJUST YOUR CHAIR ...........................................A-4

ADJUST YOUR KEYBOARD AND MOUSE.........A-6

ADJUST YOUR MONITOR.....................................A-8

VARY YOUR WORKDAY.......................................A-10

viii Contents

PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS AND PSYCHOSOCIAL

FACTORS.................................................................. A-12

CHECKING YOUR COMFORT: HOW DO YOU

MEASURE UP?......................................................... A-13

Checking Your Chair............................................ A-13

Checking Your Keyboard..................................... A-13

Checking Your Mouse.......................................... A-13

Checking Your Monitor........................................ A-13

Checking You.......................................................A-14

B B-1

Specifications B-1

C C-1

CD-ROM Reader Configuration C-1

D D-1

Sound/Fax/Modem Board Configuration D-1

SOUND/FAX/MODEM BOARD CONFIGURATIOND-3
SOUND/FAX/MODEM BOARD CONNECTOR

JUMPER....................................................................D-5

FAX/MODEM COM JUMPERS ............................. D-6

FAX/MODEM IRQ JUMPERS................................ D-7

Glossary

Index

List of Tables

Setup Key Functions................................................. 2-6

Main Menu Parameters............................................. 2-8

IDE Hard Disk Parameters........................................ 2-11

Memory Shadow Parameters....................................2-12

Boot Parameters........................................................ 2-13

Contents ix

Keyboard Parameters ................................................2-14

Integrated Peripherals Parameters.............................2-16

Large Disk Parameters ..............................................2-17

System Security Options...........................................2-18

Power Management Parameters................................2-20

1-MB Video Resolutions...........................................3-5

2-MB Video Resolutions...........................................3-6

Single-Sided SIMM Upgrade Path............................6-25

Double-Sided SIMM Upgrade Path ..........................6-26

Troubleshooting ........................................................8-2

x Contents

Contents xi

Using This Guide

The PowerMate® VP Series User's Guide is a
comprehensive source of information about your com­puter. Before using this guide, read and follow the instruc­tions in the PowerMate VP Series Quick Setup sheet that
comes with your system.

To get the most out of your system, read Chapters 1,2,3,
and 4 in this guide. See

n Chapter 1, Using Your Computer, to familiarize your-

self with system components and system operation.

n Chapter 2, Setting System Parameters, to change your

system configuration and to customize the system with
security features.

n Chapter 3, Using NEC Utilities and Drivers, for mouse,

video, and Flash utility information. This chaption in­cludes information on the NEC Bulleting Board serv­ice.

n Chapter 4, Maintaining Your Computer, to extend the

life and optimize the condition of your computer. This
chapter provides protective measures, tips for routine
care, and guidelines for moving your computer.

n Chapter 5, Removing the System Unit Cover, contains

procedures for removing and replacing the system unit
cover.

n Chapter 6, Adding Options, provides comprehensive

procedures for adding expansion options to the system.
The chapter includes important device preparation and
cabling information.

Using This Guide xi

The chapter also includes procedures for connecting
external peripheral devices such as a printer, serial
device, telephone line, speakers, and a microphone.

n Chapter 7, Setting System Board Jumpers, provides a

description of system board jumper settings and ex­plains how to change jumper settings.

n Chapter 8, Solving Problems, provides a checklist of

conditions to determine and solve a problem that might
occur. This chapter also describes the assistance avail­able to you if you cannot solve the problem.

WARNING: Prolonged or improper use
of a computer workstation may pose a risk of 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.

n 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.

n Appendix B, Specifications, provides a comprehensive

n Appendix C, CD-ROM Reader Configuration,

n Appendix D, Sound Board Jumper Settings, provides

xii Using This Guide

list of system specifications by component.

contains connector and jumper setting information for
the system’s CD-ROM reader.

jumper and connection information for configuring the
sound board.

Use this guide with the other documentation that comes
with your system (see “Related Documentation” in this
preface).

TEXT CONVENTIONS

This guide uses the following text conventions.

n Warnings, cautions, and notes have the following

format:

WARNING: Warnings alert you to situa-
tions that could result in serious personal injury or
loss of life.

CAUTION: Cautions indicate situations
that can damage the hardware or software.

Notes give particularly important informa­tion about the material being described.

n Names of keyboard keys are printed as they appear on

the keyboard, for example, Ctrl, Alt, or Enter.

n Text or keystrokes that you enter appear in boldface

type. For example, type return and press Enter.

n File names are printed in uppercase letters.

Using This Guide xiii

RELATED DOCUMENTS

In addition to this guide, the following printed documenta­tion ships with your system.

n Quick Setup

Contains information for quickly getting your system
up and running. Read this information before you set
up the system for the first time.

n Windows for Workgroups and MS-DOS User's Guide

Provides a comprehensive source of information for
using Microsoft Windows for Workgroups,
Windows, and MS-DOS.

MS-DOS and Windows for Workgroups
are preinstalled on the hard disk in hard disk system
configurations.

n Ensemble User’s Guide (multimedia systems only)

Contains detailed information about using the sound
board installed in multimedia models.

n Fax/Modem User’s Guide (multimedia systems with

n Network Interface Board User’s Guide

Your system might ship with additional documentation.
See the label on the shipping carton for a complete list.

xiv Using This Guide

fax/modem only)
Describes how to connect and use the fax/modem in
fax/modem models. This guide includes procedures for
sending and receiving a fax with Delrina™ WinFax
LITE™.

(network-ready systems only)
Provides network configuration information for
connecting the system to a network.

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

n PowerMate VP Series Service and Reference Manual

(part number 819-181170-000) which provides
information for maintaining, troubleshooting, and
repairing the system. This guide also includes hardware
and interface information for programmers, engineers,
and others who need to know how the system is
designed.

To purchase the service and reference manual (avail­able in the U.S. and Canada), call NEC at 1-800-632­4525, press

3 at the prompt, and provide the document

name and part number.

n NEC FastFacts™

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

With FastFacts, you can obtain product literature and
technical information bulletins. By using FastFacts, you
can be kept up-to-date on the latest technical informa­tion for your PowerMate V486 Series system.

See “FastFacts” in Chapter 8 for information about
using FastFacts.

Using This Guide xv

1

Using Your Computer

After completing the steps on the Quick Setup sheet that
comes with your PowerMate VP Series computer, your
system is ready to use (hard disk models only).

NEC recommends that you perform the following
procedures once your system is up and running:

n Read Appendix A, Setting Up a Healthy Work

Environment, for guidelines that help you use your
computer productively and safely. Information includes
how to set up and use your computer to reduce your
risk of developing nerve, muscle, or tendon disorders.

n Run the system’s Setup utility to check your computer's

current time and date (see Chapter 2). Be sure that the
system's clock is set for your time zone.

The following sections describes system features and pro­cedures that you will use regularly to operate your com­puter. Information includes:

n system unit, keyboard, and mouse features
n startup/shutdown and reset procedures
n integrated system technologies.

SYSTEM FEATURES

The PowerMate VP75 system comes in a variety of con­figurations. Information in this manual applies to all con­figurations unless otherwise stated. All configurations are
Energy Star compliant and are listed below.

Using Your Computer 1-1

Front Panel

n Diskette drive only configuration (no hard disk) with 8

MB of system memory

n Hard disk drive configuration; including a diskette

drive, hard disk drive, and 8 MB of system memory

n Multimedia configuration; including a diskette drive,

hard disk drive, quadruple speed CD-ROM reader,
sound board, speakers, microphone, and 16 MB of
system memory

n Network configuration; including a diskette drive, hard

disk drive, network board and 8 MB of system memory

Controls, lamps, and a 3 1/2-inch diskette drive are
conveniently located on the front panel of the system units.

The desktop has two accessible 5 1/4-inch slots and a
3 1/2-inch hard disk drive slot behind the front panel.

Minitower configurations have three accessible 5 1/4-inch
slots and two internal 3 1/2-inch hard disk drive slots.

The following figure shows the front panel features. De­scriptions of these features follow the figure.

1-2 Using Your Computer

Desktop system controls and storage slots

Minitower system controls and storage slots

Using Your Computer 1-3

Power Button

Lamps

The power button controls power to the system unit. Press
the button once to turn on the power and again to turn off
the power. The power button is almost flush with the front
panel when power is off and indented further when power
is on.

See “Startup/Shutdown” later in this chapter for informa­tion about powering on and off.

The front panel contains two lamps, power and disk.

n The power lamp (green) indicates that the system unit

is powered on. When in suspend mode, the power lamp
on the front panel changes from green to amber.

A green lamp indicates that the system is in a Full
Power On mode of operation. An amber lamp indicates
that the system is in Suspend mode with full power
reduction.

See “Power Management” later in this chapter for in­formation about power saving modes of operation.

n The disk lamp (green) indicates when a hard disk is

performing a read or write operation.

CAUTION: Do not turn off the system,
unless absolutely necessary, while the disk lamp is
lit or in suspend mode. To do so can damage your
hard disk or data.

1-4 Using Your Computer

Suspend Button

After the system has been powered on, the suspend button
lets you put your computer into an instant suspend or
“Sleep” mode when it is pressed. This suspend mode is a
power saving mode that shuts down all installed devices,
video signal to the monitor, and processor without power­ing off the system.

When in suspend mode, the power lamp on the front panel
changes from green to amber. Exit the suspend mode by
moving the mouse or pressing a key on the keyboard. See
“Power Management” in this chapter for more informa­tion.

Diskette Drive

Your system comes with a 3 1/2-inch 1.44-MB diskette
drive — which is assigned as drive A.

Desktop diskette drive controls

Using Your Computer 1-5

Minitower diskette drive controls

Diskette drive A is your primary “bootable” drive. Use this
drive if you need to load and start programs from a disk­ette.

Diskette drive features include a release button and a drive
busy lamp.

n The diskette release button lets you release an inserted

diskette from the drive. Press this button to release
a diskette.

n The diskette drive busy lamp lights when the drive is

reading from or writing to a diskette.

1-6 Using Your Computer

CAUTION: To prevent damage to your
diskette drive and data, do not turn off the system or
remove a diskette while the diskette drive busy lamp
is lit.

Insert diskettes into the diskette drive with the label side

facing up (see “Diskette Loading” later in this chapter).

Diskette Loading

Use the following procedure to insert a 3 1/2-inch diskette
in the standard diskette drive.

1. Holding the diskette by the label side, insert it, label

side up, into the diskette drive (see the following fig­ure).

Using Your Computer 1-7

Inserting a 3 1/2-inch diskette in the desktop system

Inserting a 3 1/2-inch diskette in the minitower system

2. Insert the diskette all the way into the drive until you

hear a click.

1-8 Using Your Computer

You must format a new diskette before
storing information on it. Use the MS-DOS FORMAT
command. See your MS-DOS documentation for in­formation about formatting a diskette.

CAUTION: Do not format your hard disk
drive, this will erase all preinstalled applications.

To remove a diskette from the diskette drive, press the

release button on the 3 1/2-inch drive.

CAUTION: Do not remove a diskette
from the diskette drive when the diskette drive lamp
is lit. To do so can damage both the data on the
diskette and the drive.

Hard Disk

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.

Your computer supports up to four intelligent drive

electronics (IDE) devices. A 3 1/2-inch, IDE hard
disk comes standard in hard disk configurations. The hard
disk is assigned as drive C in your system and is selected
as the master device on the system board’s primary
PCI/IDE connector.

The hard disk drive in your system is formatted and the
applications have been installed for you.

Using Your Computer 1-9

CD-ROM Reader

Systems come with a CD-ROM reader. The reader is as­signed as drive E in your system and is selected as the
master device on the system board’s secondary PCI/IDE
connector. The CD-ROM reader features quadruple speed
technology.

The CD-ROM reader operates at different speeds depend­ing on whether the CD you are using contains data or mu­sic. This allows you to get your data faster and to see
smoother animation and video.

Use the CD-ROM reader to load and start programs from a
compact disc (CD). You can also use the CD-ROM reader
to play your audio CDs. The CD-ROM reader is fully
compatible with Kodak Multisession Photo CDs and
standard audio CDs.

CAUTION: Do not format the hard disk.
Formatting the hard disk destroys all of the data on
the disk.

Features for the CD-ROM reader are shown in the fol-

lowing figure. Descriptions of these features follow.

1-10 Using Your Computer

CD-ROM reader controls and indicators

The CD-ROM reader has the following features:

n A jack for connecting headphones. Use headphones

with a stereo mini-jack plug.

n A volume control knob for adjusting the headphone

volume.

The volume control has no effect on the
audio outputs from the CD-ROM reader’s audio con­nector.

n A busy indicator that lights during read operations.
n An eject/retract button to open or close the CD tray

when the power is on.

n A hole in the front panel to access the emergency eject

screw. If power is unavailable and you need to eject the
CD tray, insert a jeweler's screw driver and turn the
screw counterclockwise to open the CD tray. Turn the
screw clockwise to close the tray again.

Using Your Computer 1-11

CD Loading

n A CD tray that ejects and retracts when the eject/retract

button is pressed.

Use the following procedure to load a CD into the CD­ROM reader.

1. Press the eject/retract button to eject the tray.

2. With the printed side facing up, hold the CD by its

edges and place it into the tray.

Loading a CD into the desktop system

1-12 Using Your Computer

Loading a CD into the minitower system

3. Press the eject/retract button to close the tray.

To remove the CD, press the eject/retract button to eject
the tray.

Audio Support

The 16-bit sound board in multimedia systems provide ste­reo CD-quality sound.

The system’s audio board, stereo speakers, and micro­phone offer exceptional sound capabilities for multimedia
applications, games, or audio CDs.

The audio board supports upgrades for Wave Blaster and
Advanced Signal Processor (ASP) options. Wave Blaster
is a MIDI synthesizer with capabilities for producing ex­tremely high fidelity stereo music for computer audio sys­tems. See your Ensemble Software User’s Guide for
information on playing audio CDs.

Using Your Computer 1-13

Rear Panel

The rear panel provides connectors for setting up the sys­tem and system options. This section shows and describes
these features. The following figures identify the system
I/O ports.

Desktop system I/O connectors

1-14 Using Your Computer

15-Pin VGA Monitor Port

The monitor port supports a video graphics array (VGA)­compatible monitor. Connect the monitor's 15-pin signal
cable to this connector.

Minitower system I/O connectors

This high-performance VGA-compatible connector is
integrated on the system board’s Peripheral Component
Interconnect (PCI) local bus.

The integrated video hardware supports standard, super,
and high-resolution graphics modes. The system ships with
Microsoft Windows for Workgroups video drivers pre­installed on the hard disk.

See “Integrated Technologies” in this chapter for more in­formation about your computer's video capabilities.

Using Your Computer 1-15

Printer Port

Serial Ports

Keyboard Port

The printer port is the system's parallel interface
connector. Use this port to connect a parallel printer with a
25-pin connector to the system. See “Parallel Printer” in
Chapter 6 for printer connection information.

MS-DOS refers to this port as LPT1. The LPT1 assign­ment identifies the port for software installations. See
Chapter 2 for printer port settings.

These ports allow the connection of up to two RS-232C
serial devices with 9-pin connectors, such as a pointing
device or a serial printer, to the system. See “RS-232C
Devices” in Chapter 6 for connection information. See
Chapter 2 for serial port settings.

The keyboard port supports a PS/2-compatible, 101-key
keyboard (in the U.S. and Canada) or a 102-key keyboard
(in the United Kingdom and Germany) with a 6-pin
miniDIN connector. Attach the keyboard that comes with
your computer to this port.

CAUTION: Always turn off system
power before connecting or disconnecting the
mouse or keyboard. Failure to do so can damage
the device or the system.

Before you attach the mouse or keyboard cable to
the appropriate port, carefully align the cable
connector with the port.

1-16 Using Your Computer

Mouse Port

The mouse port supports a personal system (PS)/2-
compatible mouse. Attach the mouse that comes with your
computer to this port.

Expansion Slot Covers

Expansion slot covers are removable, allowing installation
of up to four expansion boards to the system. Desktop
systems have three slots for 16-bit industry-standard
architecture (ISA)-compatible boards and one shared slot
for either an ISA board or a 32-bit PCI-compatible board.

Minitower systems have three slots for 16-bit ISA boards,
one shared slot for either an ISA or a PCI board, and one
dedicated slot far a PCI board. See Chapter 6 for informa­tion about installing an expansion board.

Sound Board Jacks

Systems configured with multimedia components come
with a sound board. The sound board provides jacks for
connecting a microphone and external speakers to your
system. See “Multimedia Setup” in Chapter 6 for detailed
connection information.

Using Your Computer 1-17

Desktop sound board connectors

Minitower sound board connectors

1-18 Using Your Computer

n Line In Jack

The Line In Jack allows you to connect devices such as

a cassette, DAT, or Minidisc player to your sound
board for playback or recording.

n Microphone In Jack

The Microphone In (MIC) Jack allows you to connect a

microphone for voice input.

n Line Out Jack

The Line Out Jack allows you to bypass your sound

board’s internal amplifier to connect powered speakers
or an external amplifier for audio output. (Use this jack
for the speakers shipped with your system.)

n Speaker Jack

The Speaker Jack allows you to connect speakers for

audio output from the sound board’s built-in power
amplifier. The built-in amplifier has a maximum output
power of four watts per channel from four-ohm
speakers and two watts per channel from eight-ohm
speakers. Do not play at maximum volume if your
speakers cannot handle this power. (Use this jack if you
connect unamplified speakers or headphones.)

n MIDI/Joystick Connector

The MIDI/Joystick Connector allows you to connect a

joystick or MIDI kit to your sound board.
The joystick connector on your sound board is identical

to that on a standard PC game control adapter or game
I/O connector. You can connect any analog joystick
with a 15-pin D-sub connector. It also works well with
any application that is compatible with the standard PC
joystick. To use two joysticks, you need a Y-cable
splitter.

Using Your Computer 1-19

The installation of a game card in your
system will conflict with the joystick connector on
your sound board.

To avoid a conflict, either remove the game card or
disable the joystick connector on your sound board
by removing the JYEN jumper on the sound board
(see Appendix D).

The optional MIDI kit contains a MIDI adapter with a joy-

stice connector so that you can plug in a joystice and a
MIDI device simultaneously. The kit also comes with se­quencing software that allows you to record, play back,
and edit MIDI files.

Network Connectors

Network-ready models come with an Ethernet network in­terface board. The board allows you to connect the system
to an Ethernet network and communicate with other com­puters.

A network-ready system is preconfigured to use in a
Windows for Workgroups environment immediately after
you connect it to an existing Windows for Workgroups
network. See the Quick Setup sheet that comes with your
system for connection information.

1-20 Using Your Computer

The network interface board, also referred to as a network
interface card (NIC), provides three connectors for coaxial
and twisted-pair network cabling:

n BNC — supports thin coaxial cables.
n AUI connector — supports thick coaxial cables.
n RJ-45 connector — supports twisted-pair 10BASE-T

cables.

Desktop network board connectors

Using Your Computer 1-21

Power Supply

Minitower network board connectors

The desktop system uses a 145-watt (W) power supply. A
200-W power supply is installed in the minitower system.
The following figure identifies the power supply features.

1-22 Using Your Computer

Desktop power supply features

Minitower power supply features

Cooling Fans

Two cooling fans in your system provide proper ventila­tion to cool system components and prevent overheating.
One fan is in the power supply. The second fan is next to
the Pentium™ processor, inside the system. For proper
ventilation, keep these areas clear.

Voltage Selector Switch

The voltage selector switch sets the voltage for your sys­tem to 115 volts (V) or 230 V. Be sure that the switch is
set correctly for the voltage in your area. Most outlets in
the United States, Canada, and Taiwan are 115 V. Most
outlets in Europe, Australia, and Asia are 230 V.

Using Your Computer 1-23

CAUTION: Be sure that the voltage se-
lector switch is set correctly for the voltage in your
area (115 V or 230 V).

System Power Socket

The system power socket is the connector for the system
unit power cord. This is the connection for alternating cur­rent (AC) from your wall outlet to the system unit.

Keyboard

An industry-standard, membrane keyboard comes with
your computer. The keyboard is detachable and has adjust­able supports.

Keyboard key functions depend on the operating system or
software application program you use. See the documenta­tion that comes with your operating system or software. A
general description of keyboard features follows.

Most of the keys have a repeat function.
When you hold down a key, the character or function
repeats until you release the key.

You can set keyboard auto-repeat and delay rates in
the Setup utility (see Chapter 2).

1-24 Using Your Computer

Function Keys

Keyboard features (U.S. model)

The function of these keys is specific to your particular
software application or operating system.

Status Lamps

The status lamps indicate the status of the Num (Numeric)
Lock, Caps (Capital) Lock, and Scroll Lock keys.

Numeric Keypad/Cursor Control Keys

These keys work like a numeric keypad. In Numeric Key­pad mode, the Num Lock lamp is on.

To use the keys to control the direction of the cursor, press
the Num Lock key (Num Lock lamp goes off). To return to
the Numeric Keypad mode, press the Num Lock key again.

Using Your Computer 1-25

To use a keypad cursor key while in Numeric Keypad
mode, press the Shift key and the keypad cursor key.

The system enables Numeric Keypad
mode at power-on. You can set the Numeric Keypad
mode off at power-on with the Setup utility (see
Chapter 2).

Standard Cursor Control Keys

These keys control the direction of the cursor. The Num
Lock state (Num Lock lamp is lit) does not affect the
operation of these keys.

Typewriter Keys

These keys function as standard typewriter keys.

Mouse

A PS/2-compatible mouse comes standard with your sys­tem. A mouse is a hand-held pointing device that helps you
use Windows for Workgroups-based application software
more easily and efficiently. It is fast, accurate, and simple
to use. Your mouse lets you take full advantage of
applications with a Graphical User Interface (GUI).

For best results with your mouse, use it on a mouse pad.

CAUTION: To prevent damage to your
mouse and to the system, turn off the system power
before you connect or disconnect your mouse.

Also, the system fails to recognize that a mouse is
attached if you connect the mouse after system
power is on.

1-26 Using Your Computer

Speakers

Multimedia configurations come with a pair of high­quality stereo speakers. The speaker set features a volume
control, treble boost, bass boost, and a power-on button.
The speakers connect to the Line Out jack on the back of
the system unit. See “Multimedia Setup” in Chapter 6 for
connection information.

Microphone

the microphone that comes with multimedia configurations
allows you to record voice and sound into your computer
data files. See “Multimedia Setup” in Chapter 5 for con­nection information.

SYSTEM OPERATION

The following sections describe how to start up, shut
down, or reset your computer.

Startup/Shutdown

When you power on your computer, it looks for specific
files that contain the configuration information it needs to
operate properly. The system accesses the following files:

n CONFIG.SYS

This text file tells the computer where in memory to
load the operating system (MS-DOS), what device
drivers to install, and what memory management fea­tures to activate.

For example, CONFIG.SYS directs the computer to
load the video drivers that identify your monitor type
and the mouse driver that activates the mouse. When
the system boots and accesses CONFIG.SYS, MS-DOS
is activated, device drivers are loaded, and memory
management features are executed.

Using Your Computer 1-27

n AUTOEXEC.BAT

This file is a batch program that MS-DOS runs imme­diately after it executes the commands in the
CONFIG.SYS file. AUTOEXEC.BAT contains com­mands that define the characteristics of the hard­ware devices.

For example, AUTOEXEC.BAT identifies the port
to which your printer is connected, customizes how
MS-DOS information is displayed on your screen,
and starts memory resident programs and applications.
AUTOEXEC.BAT contains the commands that auto­matically start the Windows program when your com­puter boots.

CAUTION: Do not delete either the
CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Doing so will
keep your computer and applications from running
properly.

Copy the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files
to a diskette in case they are accidentally deleted or
corrupted.

Use the following procedures to start up and shut down

your computer.

Powering On

Starting up (or powering on) your computer initiates an
automatic routine called a cold boot. A cold boot performs
diagnostic tests, sets system parameters last saved by the
Setup program, loads the operating system, and prepares
the computer for use. A cold boot reinitializes all devices.

Power on (boot) your computer as follows.

1-28 Using Your Computer

1. Check that the power cables from the monitor and sys-

tem unit are connected to a wall outlet.

CAUTION: Be sure that the voltage se-
lector switch is set correctly for the voltage in your
area (115 V or 230 V).

2. If you are booting from the hard disk, make sure that

the diskette drive is empty.
To boot from the diskette drive, be sure that you have a

diskette in drive A containing operating system files.
See your operating system documentation for informa­tion about creating system diskettes.

The system looks for the drive containing
operating system files. If you have a diskette with
MS-DOS or another operating system's files in drive
A, the system boots from the diskette drive. If you do
not have a diskette in drive A, the system boots from
the hard disk.

A diskette without operating system files in drive A
prevents a system boot and displays the error mes­sage, “Non-system disk or disk error. Replace and
press any key when ready.”

Booting from a diskette can be disabled for virus pro-

tection in the Setup utility (see Chapter 2).

3. Turn on power to the system unit by pressing the power

button on the front panel.

4. Turn on the power to the monitor.

Using Your Computer 1-29

Powering Off

At power-on, the system unit's power lamp lights and the
power-on screen appears. If necessary, adjust the contrast
and brightness controls on the monitor.

The system performs Power-On Self-Test (POST) diag­nostic tests that check major hardware components, such
as memory and interface circuits. It compares the hardware
it finds with parameters last saved by the Setup program.

Several configuration messages appear on the screen.
If POST finds any discrepancies between the parameters it

finds and the parameters last saved, it displays an error
message. The system then prompts you to run the Setup
program to correct the configuration.

If POST does not find any discrepancies in its configura­tion test, the computer loads system files into memory. It
then loads Microsoft Windows in hard disk configurations.
Your computer is ready for use.

Use the following steps to shut down (power off) your
computer.

1. Check that your system is in a Full-Power On Mode of

operation. A green power lamp indicates a Full-Power
On mode of operation.

If the power lamp is amber, press any key or move your
mouse to “wake up” the system to a Full-Power On
mode of operations.

2. Save your work. See the documentation that comes

with your application program.

3. Exit the application program.

1-30 Using Your Computer

If you are in Windows, exit the Program Manager by
positioning the mouse pointer on the block at the upper
left corner of the monitor, and double click the left
button on the mouse. Select “OK” at the prompt to exit
Windows.

4. Make sure that the hard disk and diskette drives are not

in use. The “C:\>” should now be displayed on the
monitor. A lit hard disk lamp or diskette drive busy
lamp indicates that a drive is in use.

5. Turn off power to your monitor.

6. Power off the system by pressing the system unit power

button.

CAUTION: Wait until a program is fin-
ished running before powering off the system.

Unless absolutely necessary, never power off the
system when the hard disk lamp or diskette drive
busy lamp is lit. Information on the hard disk or disk­ette might be lost or damaged.

System Reset

A system reset restarts your computer after it is powered
on. You might need to restart your system if your system
power is on and you have trouble using your computer.

CAUTION: Resetting the system re-
moves information from RAM disks, volatile system
memory, and application programs. Information
saved in files on disk, like program and data files,
are not usually affected by a system reset.

Using Your Computer 1-31

You can reset the system in two ways:

CAUTION: Unless absolutely neces-
sary, do not reset the system when the power lamp
is amber or when the hard disk lamp or diskette
drive busy lamp is on. Information on the hard disk
or diskette might be lost or damaged.

n With a “warm boot.”

Press and hold Ctrl, Alt, and Del. When all three keys
are pressed, the system resets.

A warm boot is a software reset. A warm boot clears
volatile system memory and reloads the operating
system.

n With a “cold boot.”

Turn the power off using the system unit power switch,
wait at least five seconds, and then turn the power on.

A “cold boot” is a hardware reset. It checks the
hardware and reloads the operating system (see “Pow­ering On” in this chapter).

When possible, use a warm boot to restart
your computer. A warm boot is quicker and less
wearing on the computer than a cold boot.

Situations that might require a system reset include the

following conditions:

n The monitor is on but the system does not respond to

keyboard input or mouse movement (requires a cold
boot).

1-32 Using Your Computer

n You cannot exit from an application program. In this

case, first try a warm boot in Windows.

n You change the system configuration after editing the

CONFIG.SYS file.

n You change your system configuration settings or

operating system and you want to start the system with
the new settings.

n The monitor screen is black. If your screen is black, it

might only need a simple adjustment. Before you reset
the system, check the following:

 Move the mouse or press the space bar to see if the

screen is blank because you have power manage­ment features enabled.

 Check the system unit power lamp. If the power

lamp is amber, press a key or move the mouse. You
might only need to change the mode of operation
from Suspend mode to a Full-Power On mode to
solve your problem.

 Adjust the contrast and brightness controls on the

monitor.

 Check that your monitor is properly connected and

the monitor power is on.

INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGIES

NEC designed your computer with technologies that help
you get the most out of your computer. Key integrated
features include:

n Intel 75-MHz Pentium microprocessor
n A 320-pin zero insertion force (ZIF) OverDrive™

socket

n 256-KB secondary write-back or write-through cache

memory

Using Your Computer 1-33

n 8 MB or 16 MB of system memory, upgradeable to

128 MB

n System Setup program built into the BIOS
n Flash ROM for fast economical BIOS upgrades
n System I/O controller integrating serial ports, parallel

port, hard disk, and diskette drive controllers

n PCI local bus for high-speed bus performance and data

transfers

n Extended super-VGA controller with 1 MB of video

dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), upgrade­able to 2 MB

n Plug and Play support for easy board installation
n Power saving features for conserving power and re-

ducing operating cost.

Processor Subsystem

The system uses a 64-bit, Intel Pentium P54C micro­processor. The processor has 16 KB of write-back internal
cache, 8 KB for instructions and 8 KB for data. Integrated
into the processor is a math coprocessor.

To use the Pentium processor’s power, the system features
an optimized 64-bit memory interface and complementary
256-KB burst-mode secondary cache.

The Pentium processor cache design uses 15-ns static ran­dom access memory (SRAM) that allows data to be sent or
received from cache with one wait burst.

The Pentium processor is compatible with all 8-, 16-, and
32-bit software written for the Intel386, Intel486, and
Pentium microprocessors.

1-34 Using Your Computer

To protect your investment and to accommodate future
technologies and work requirements, the Pentium proces­sor comes installed a 320-pin zero insertion force (ZIF)
processor socket. The socket provides an upgrade path to
the next generation of OverDrive™ processors.

System Memory

Your system comes standard with 8 MB (16 MB in multi­media configurations) of memory, 640 KB of base mem­ory and 7 MB of extended memory. System memory can
be expanded up to 128 MB, using optional single in-line
memory modules (SIMMs) installed in SIMM sockets.

System BIOS

The system BIOS provides ISA and PCI compatibility. The
BIOS contains the system’s power-on self-test, setup, PCI
auto configuration utility, and BIOS recovery programs.
The BIOS is flashable for easy upgrades.

Flash ROM

NEC's Flash ROM allows fast, economical BIOS up­grades. NEC Flash ROMs are reprogrammable system and
video EPROMs.

With NEC’s Flash ROM, a ROM BIOS change:

n is fast and easily done using a BIOS Update utility.
n eliminates the expensive replacement of ROM BIOS

chips and reduces system maintenance costs.

n reduces inadvertent system board damage that can take

place when replacing ROMs.

n facilitates adopting new technology while maintaining

industry standards.

n gives network administrators company-wide control of

BIOS revisions.

Using Your Computer 1-35

Power Management

Each computer system is Energy Star compliant and
incorporates power management features. These features
lower power consumption when there is no activity
detected from the keyboard, mouse, diskette drive, or hard
disk drive after a predefined period of time. As soon as
activity is detected the system resumes where it left off.

CAUTION: Do not turn off the system
while the power lamp is amber, the system is in
suspend mode. To do so can damage your hard disk
or data.

You can manually initiate a power-saving mode instantly

or you can set power management features to start
automatically. To enable Power Management, see
Chapter 2, Setup. The computer's power-saving functions
shut down all installed devices, video signals to the
monitor, and processor.

Your system has three different power consumption states:

n Full-Power On mode

In Full-Power On mode, the system is in a fully active
mode of operation. Power to all components, such as
the monitor and hard disk drive, is on. When you power
on your computer, your system is in a Full-Power On
mode. A green system unit power lamp indicates that
the system is in a Full-Power On mode.

1-36 Using Your Computer

n Standby mode

Standby is a power-saving mode. When the system
goes into Standby mode, it automatically turns power
off to individual system components after a preset
period of system inactivity. If you do not use the
components, such as your keyboard, mouse, or drives,
for the preset time, your screen goes blank and the
system goes into a power-saving mode of operation.

n Suspend mode

Suspend mode is a power-saving mode. In Suspend
mode, the system turns off power to all possible system
devices. The system saves data and system status
before it shuts off power.

The following sections describe how to use Standby and
Suspend power management modes.

Using Standby Mode

In Setup, you can enable or disable the Standby mode to
start automatically. You can also set the period of
inactivity to initiate the component to power off. This
period of activity is the “timeout” parameter in Setup.

When in Standby mode, the power lamp on the front panel
lights amber. Standby mode returns to a Full-Power On
mode of operation when you press a key or move the
mouse or when there is system activity through an I/O
port.

See “Power Menu” in Chapter 2 for information about
setting the Standby parameters.

Using Your Computer 1-37

Using Suspend Mode

Suspend mode provides the greatest power savings by
putting the system in a maximum power shutdown.
When the system goes into Suspend mode, it saves data
and system status and then shuts off power to all possible
components. Suspend mode lets you save power without
first saving your work.

You can initiate Suspend mode in two ways:

n Manually by pressing the suspend button. Pressing the

suspend button is a convenient way of conserving en­ergy when you are going to be away from your system
for a short period of time.

n Automatically by setting the Suspend timeout in Setup.

The Suspend timeout is activated after a period of
system inactivity has occurred in Standby mode.

Press a key or move the mouse to wake up the system and
resume system operation. System power and system status
returns to where you left it.

An amber system unit power lamp indicates that the sys­tem is in a Suspend mode of operation.

See “Power Menu” in Chapter 2 for information about
setting the Suspend mode in Setup.

Plug and Play

Your system comes with Plug and Play system support
already installed. With this support, your system
automatically configures newly added Plug and Play
boards. You simply insert the board in the system.

1-38 Using Your Computer

Plug and Play boards are industry-standard architecture
(ISA) boards with the new configuration capability. Most
currently available ISA boards do not have the new
capability. However, you can include them with Plug and
Play boards in your system.

To work in a system, boards often use a variety of
dedicated resources. If two boards try to use the same
resource, one board might not work or the system might
not function in the way you expect.

Generally, a resource can be used by only
one board or device. However, some boards can
share the same DMA or IRQ resources. The board
manufacturer's documentation tells you whether a
board supports shared resources.

If an ISA board does not support shared resources and a

Plug and Play board is not aware that the ISA board is
using the same resource it has selected, an ISA
Configuration Utility (ICU) is needed. The ICU is used to
eliminate the guess work from the configuration
procedure. Although most Plug and Play boards come with
an ICU, an ICU can be obtained from the NEC Bulletin
Board Service (see Chapter 2).

Plug and Play boards are dynamic in nature — the system
allocates resources to these boards upon system boot.
Some device drivers support this dynamic board configu­ration, but some do not.

Using Your Computer 1-39

Device drivers that do not support the dynamic board
configuration are also known as static device drivers. If
you are using a static device driver, you need to
permanently associate resources with a Plug and Play
board, instead of relying on the default Plug and Play
behavior. Otherwise, the device driver might not be able to
find the board the next time the system boots.

System I/O Controller

The system I/O controller integrates, on one chip, the con­troller functions for the system’s two serial ports, bidirec­tional parallel port, and diskette drives.

The enhanced parallel port supports Enhanced Capabilities
Port and Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) modes for devices
that require ECP or EPP protocols. These protocols allow
high-speed bidirectional transfer over a parallel port and
increase parallel port functionality by supporting more
devices.

The two buffered high-speed serial ports use a fast 16550
UART, which supports transfer rates up to 19.2 kilobytes
(KB) per second. These ports allow the installation of
high-speed serial devices for faster data transfer rates.

1-40 Using Your Computer

PCI Local Bus

The industry-standard PCI bus is a highly integrated I/O
interface that offers the highest performance local bus
available for the Pentium processor. The PCI bus supports
burst modes that send large chunks of data across the bus,
allowing fast displays of high-resolution images.

The high bandwidth PCI local bus eliminates the data
bottleneck found in traditional systems, maintains
maximum performance at high clock speeds, and provides
a clear upgrade path to future technologies.

PCI Auto Configuration

Your system comes with a PCI auto-configuration utility
that operates in conjunction with the system’s Setup util­ity. The utility automatically configures interrupts, DMA
channels, I/O space, and other parameters to allow addi­tion of optional PCI boards with minimal intervention on
your part.

Video Features

The system’s high-performance PCI video controller with
graphics accelerator and standard 1 MB of video memory
supports the following resolutions:

Resolutions supported with the standard 1 MB of video
DRAM are as follows.

n 640 by 480 with 16 colors
n 640 by 480 with 256 colors
n 640 by 480 with 64,000 colors
n 640 by 480 with 16.8 million colors
n 800 by 600 with 16 colors
n 800 by 600 with 256 colors
n 800 by 600 with 64,000 colors
n 1024 by 768 with 16 colors

Using Your Computer 1-41

n 1024 by 768 with 256 colors
n 1280 by 1024 with 16 colors

Resolutions supported with the optional 2 MB of video
DRAM are as follows.

n 640 by 480 with 16 colors
n 640 by 480 with 256 colors
n 640 by 480 with 64,000 colors
n 640 by 480 with 16.8 million colors
n 800 by 600 with 16 colors
n 800 by 600 with 256 colors
n 800 by 600 with 64,000 colors
n 800 by 600 with 16.8 million colors
n 1024 by 768 with 16 colors
n 1024 by 768 with 256 colors
n 1024 by 768 with 64,000 colors
n 1280 by 1024 with 16 colors
n 1280 by 1024 with 256 colors

In addition to the standard VGA connector, a VESA­compliant feature connector is provided.

DESKTOP MANAGEMENT INTERFACE

The Desktop Management Interface (DMI) is the new
standard for managing computer systems. DMI is an inter­face between management applications and managed com­ponents such as systems, network boards, and printers
used with or without networked computers.

1-42 Using Your Computer

DMI allows a computer running a network management
application to retrieve system tracking information such as
memory capacity, disk capacity, expansion board settings,
or applications. It is easy to get the status of each system
via DMI even if the network consists of computers from
different manufacturers. DMI also supplies Plug and Play
capability. DMI is not a protocol but an interface. It com­plements network protocols like the Simple Network Man­agement Protocol (SNMP).

The DMI provides support for attributes such as system se­rial number, product model number, and BIOS revision
number.

DMI Components

The NEC DMI consists of two major functional
components:

n the Component Interface (CI) module
n the NEC DMI Browser.

The CI module provides the instrumentation and interface
between the BIOS and the DMI Service Layer (SL). The
DMI Browser displays and manages existing attributes in
the Management Information Format (MIF) database. The
Desktop Management Task Force (DMTF) provides the
DOS Service Layer and MIF database.

Using Your Computer 1-43

Manageable Products

Manageable products are hardware, software, or peripher­als that occupy or are attached to a desktop computer or
network server. These can be hard disks, word processors,
CD-ROMs, printers, operating systems, graphics boards,
modems, etc. Manageable products or components can
come with the system or be added later. Each component
supplies information to the MIF database by means of a
MIF file that contains the product’s pertinent management
information.

CI Module

The CI module is a Windows Direct Interface application
provided by NEC Technologies, Inc. The module uses the
CI to communicate with the SL and provides management
for a set of components defined in the PC system group
standard MIF. The NEC implementation of this MIF
provides management for a variety of attributes. Windows
starts the CI module which must be running in the back­ground. The module is added to the Windows Start-Up
program group during DMI setup.

DMI Browser

The NEC DMI Browser is a Windows application
provided by NEC Technologies. The Browser uses the MI
to provide access to MIF attributes and their respective
values and to provide the ability to set attributes and
manage DMI components.

The Browser is a local application; it only accesses the
local MIF database. The Browser lets you access MIF
attributes according to the structure defined by the DMTF.
It is not intended to be a general PC management
application. If a more comprehensive management
application is desired, use a product such as Intel®’s
LanDesk Manager™.

1-44 Using Your Computer

The NEC DMI Browser has a graphical user interface. It
displays components in a hierarchical tree structure. Use it
to install or remove MIF files to and from the database and
to inspect or manage components already present in the
database.

By pointing and clicking, components can be expanded
and collapsed. To obtain specific attributes, simply double
click on an attribute and retrieve the associated value.

You can also use the toolbar to manipulate or obtain
information on the MIF file.

The buttons are defined as follows (starting at the left):

n Install — to install a new MIF file. Use to add a

component, such as a printer that supports DMI, to
the MIF database.

n Remove — to remove a MIF file. Use to remove a

component from the MIF database. Only remove the
system component when it needs to be replaced.

n Expand — to expand a component.
n Collapse — to collapse a component.
n View Component Detail —to review the selected

component's details.

n View Group Detail — to review the selected group’s

details.

n View Attribute Detail — to review the selected

attribute’s details.

Upon exiting the Browser, the program saves the current
viewing configuration. The next time you use the Browser,
it restores all the viewing screens to the last known posi­tion.

Using Your Computer 1-45

Usage

Users are not expected to Install/Remove
components on a regular basis or on day-to-day
operations. These two functions are provided to
expand the functionality of the NEC DMI
interface.

The functions provide a mechanism for install­ing/removing new components from other vendors,
for example, an NIC card, printers, and so on.

To start the Browser, simply double click on the NEC

DMI Browser icon in the NEC Information group in Win­dows. The Browser is very easy to use. For example,
to obtain the serial number, first position the cursor over
the NEC
system component and double click to expand it. Position
the cursor over the Component ID group and double click
to expand it. Position the cursor over the Serial Number
attribute and click once; the serial number is given in the
value field.

Troubleshooting

If you experience trouble using the NEC DMI Browser,
here are a few suggestions on how to clear up the problem.

Reboot the system after installation, otherwise you may
have problems running the NEC DMI Browser.

If the product name, serial number, system boot time or
other NEC attribute returns a N/A, check the following:

n Look at the AUTOEXEC.BAT file to see if the line

DMIDIR%\WIN16\BIN\NECDMI.EXE is present.

n Make sure the file NECDMI.DAT is located in the

DMIDIR%\WIN16\BIN subdirectory.

1-46 Using Your Computer

n Check that NECCI.EXE is running.

Using Your Computer 1-47

Setting System

2

Parameters

This chapter describes the Setup utility program that al­lows you to enter system configuration information and
control special features of the system.

Your system ships from the factory with the
correct system parameters for your configuration.
Unless you add optional hardware, you do not need
to run Setup to operate your system.

However, you might wish to run the Setup utility to
set features that customize your system, such as
security features.

System configuration information is stored in a comple-

mentary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chip backed
up by a battery in the real-time clock (RTC) chip on the
system board.

NEC recommends that you print out or
write 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.

THE SETUP UTILITY

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

Setting System Parameters 2-1

n to set the time and date.
n to update or check system parameters when you add or

remove expansion options.

n to change or set power management features.
n to correct a hardware discrepancy when the Power-On

Self-Test (POST) displays an error message and
prompts you to run Setup.

n to check the installation of optional memory by

comparing the amount of memory installed with the
amount of memory displayed by Setup.

n to change certain system operating parameters, such as

boot device sequence and keyboard parameters.

n to configure system connections for peripherals such as

your diskette drive, hard disks, and devices connected
to the printer port and serial ports.

n to customize your system with security features such

as passwords, diskette drive restriction, virus check
reminder and system backup reminder.

n to set system parameters in the event that your system

board was replaced.

HOW TO START SETUP

To start the Setup utility, follow these steps:

1. Turn on or reboot your system. Setup displays the

following message:

Press <F2> to enter SETUP

2. Press F2. Setup’s Main Menu window appears similar

to the following screen.

2-2 Setting System Parameters

The screen shown is typical of your sys­tem. The actual items on the Main Menu depend
upon the hardware installed in your system.

PhoenixBIOS Setup — Copyright 1992-95 Phoenix Technologies Ltd.

Main Advanced Security Power Exit

System Time: [10 :19:20] Item Specific Help
System Date: [03/12/1995]
Diskette A: [1.44 MB, 3 ½"] <Tab>, <Shift-Tab>, or
Diskette B: [Not Installed] <Enter> selects field.
> IDE Adapter 0 Master: C: 540 Mb
> IDE Adapter 0 Slave: None
> IDE Adapter 1 Master: None
> IDE Adapter 1 Slave: None
Video System: [EGA/VGA]
> Memory Shadow: [Enabled]
> Boot sequence: [A: then C:]
> Numlock: [Auto]

System Memory: 640 KB
Extended Memory: 7 MB

F1 Help ↑↓ Select Item -/+ Change Values F9 Setup Defaults

ESCExit ←→ Select Menu Enter Select > Sub-Menu F10 Previous Values

HOW TO USE SETUP

The Setup utility has a Main Menu window and five
top-level menus with submenus.

The Main Menu window contains the following areas:

n A title line — the top line of the Main Menu. This line

displays the Setup utility name and copyright message.

n The menu bar — the line under the Setup title line. The

menu bar contains five top-level menus that you can
choose to set system parameters.

Main Menu

Setting System Parameters 2-3

n A Main Menu summary window — the center area on

the left side of the screen. This area provides a
summary of Main Menu Setup parameters. You can set
some Main Menu parameters directly from this window
or you can set them from the Main menu option in the
legend bar.

n The Field Help window or Item Specific Help — the

area on the right side of the screen. This help area
provides help information for the Setup option cur­rently selected.

n The legend bar — the area at the bottom of the screen.

The legend bar provides a summary of command keys
for using Setup.

n The General Help window — a window that appears

any time during Setup when you press F1 or Alt H. This
help window provides two pages of general information
about using Setup.

The following sections describe how to use the Main
Menu window to set system parameters.

The Menu Bar

The menu bar at the top of the Main Menu window lists
these menus:

n Main — Use this menu for basic system configuration.

For example, select “Main” to set the system time,
system date, diskette drives, and video parameters.
Use this menu to check memory parameters.

n Advanced — Use this menu to set serial port and

printer port addresses and interrupts, and to en­able/disable the system’s diskette drive controller and
dual-IDE controllers.

2-4 Setting System Parameters

The Advanced menu also provides menu items for
setting parity and for setting parameters for large disks
(for example, to use large disks with Windows NT™).

Some of the Advanced features are accessible only with
a Supervisor password when the Supervisor password
is set.

n Security — Use this menu to set User and Supervisor

Passwords and the Backup and Virus-check reminders.

n Power — Use this menu to configure Power

Management features.

n Exit — Use this menu to exit the current menu.

To select an option from the menu bar, use the left ←← and

right →→ arrow keys.
See “Exiting Setup” in this chapter for a description of

exiting the Main Menu.

Setting System Parameters 2-5

The Legend Bar

Use the keys listed in the legend bar on the bottom of the
Setup menu to make your selections or exit the current
menu. The following table describes the legend keys and
their alternates.

Setup Key Functions

KEY FUNCTION
F1 or Alt-H Displays the General Help window (described later

in this chapter).
Esc Exits the menu.
← or → arrow keys
↑ or ↓ arrow keys
Tab or Shift-Tab Cycles the cursor up and down for item selection.
Home or End Moves the cursor to the top or bottom of the

Page Up or Page Down Moves the cursor to the next or previous page.
F5 or - Selects the Previous Value for the field.
F6 or + or Space Selects the Next Value for the field.
F9 Loads the Default Configuration values for

F10 Loads the Previous Configuration values for

Enter Executes a command or selects a submenu.
Alt-R Refreshes the screen.

Selects a different menu.

Moves the cursor up and down for item selection.

window.

this menu.

this menu.

2-6 Setting System Parameters

Selecting a Menu Item

To select a menu item, use the arrow keys to move the
cursor to the field you want. Then use the value keys (F5, ­, F6, +, or space bar) to cycle through the value for that
field. The Save Values command in the Exit Menu saves
the
values currently displayed in all the menus.

Displaying a Submenu

To display a submenu, use the arrow keys to move the
cursor to the submenu you want. Then press Enter. A
pointer (a right-pointing triangle) marks all selectable
submenus.

The Field Help Window

The Field Help window or Item Specific Help window on
the right side of each menu displays the help text for the
currently selected Setup option. It updates as you move the
cursor to each new field.

The General Help Window

Pressing F1 or Alt H on any menu brings up the General
Help window that describes the legend keys and their
alternates.

The scroll bar on the right of any window indicates that
there is more than one page of information in the window.
Use Page Up and Page Down to display all the
pages. Pressing Home and End displays the first and
last page.

Press Esc to exit the current window.

Setting System Parameters 2-7

Main Menu Options

The following table lists and describes the available
parameters when you select the Main menu in the legend
bar. Other Main Menu parameters are available by select­ing submenus.

Parameters available directly from the Main Menu
summary window have a right-pointing triangle next to
the parameter. Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to
the parameter and press Enter to select a submenu.

See the sections following the table for a description of
Main Menu parameters from the summary window.

Main Menu Parameters

PARAMETER OPTIONS DESCRIPTION
System Time HH:MM:SS Sets the system time.

System Date MM/DD/YYYY Sets the system date.
Diskette A:

Diskette B:

IDE Adapter User (default) Described in the following

Video System Monochrome

Memory Shadow Enabled (default) Described in the following

Boot Sequence A: then C: (default) Described in the following

NumLock Auto (default) Described in the following

System Memory Automatically detected Displays the amount of

2-8 Setting System Parameters

360KB, 5 1/4”

1.2MB, 5 1/4”
720KB, 3 1/2”

1.44MB, 3 1/2” (default A)

2.88MB, 3 1/2”
Not Installed (default B)

EGA/VGA (default)
CGA 80x25

Selects the type of diskette
drive in your system.

sections.
Selects the default video

device.

sections.

sections.

sections.

conventional memory

Main Menu Parameters

PARAMETER OPTIONS DESCRIPTION

by the system detected at power-on.

Extended Memory Automatically detected

by the system

IDE Adapters

IDE adapters control the IDE devices, such as IDE hard
disk drives and IDE CD-ROM readers, in your system.
Your system uses two IDE controllers integrated on the
system board.

Setup supports up to four IDE devices, with the following
possible configurations:

1 Master
1 Master, 1 Slave
2 Masters
2 Masters, 1 Slave
2 Masters, 2 Slaves

The master/slave combination for configurations with an
IDE hard disk is “1 Master.” If you add a hard disk to the
primary IDE port, the combination becomes “1 Master, 1
Slave.” Jumper settings on the IDE device set the device to
master or slave (see the documentation that comes with the
device).

Displays the amount of
extended memory detected
at power-on.

In the PowerMate VP multimedia system the IDE hard

disk and CD-ROM reader are both “Masters.” The hard
disk drive is the “Master” on the primary connector and
the CR-ROM reader is the “Master” on the secondary con­nector. If you add an IDE hard disk to the system, the
combination becomes “2 Masters, 1 Slave.”

Setting System Parameters 2-9

If you change the CD-ROM reader setting
in the multimedia configuration, the CONFIG.SYS
and AUTOEXEC.BAT require changes as well.

Select the IDE Adapter option configuration directly from

the Main Menu summary window. Available options in­clude:

n IDE Adapter 0 Master
n IDE Adapter 0 Slave
n IDE Adapter 1 Master
n IDE Adapter 1 Slave.

IDE Adapter 0 configures the primary IDE port, and IDE
Adapter 1 configures the secondary IDE port.

Each IDE Adapter parameter has a right-pointing arrow to
the left of it. Selecting the option displays IDE hard disk
parameters. Select an IDE Adapter option and set parame­ters for each hard disk separately.

Use the following table to configure the hard disk. If your
IDE hard disk features auto IDE type detection, you need
only to select the Autotype Fixed Disk parameter. The
system then automatically detects the hard disk type and
sets the remaining parameters.

CAUTION: Use the following IDE Hard
Disk Parameter table only when the system cannot
auto detect any installed optional drive.

An incorrect setting can cause your system to mal­function and not be able to read your drive.

2-10 Setting System Parameters

IDE Hard Disk Parameters

PARAMETER OPTIONS DESCRIPTION
Type 1 to 39

User
Auto

Cylinders 1 to 65534 Specifies the number of cylinders.
Heads 1 to 16 Specifies the number of read/write

Sectors/Track 1 to 63 Specifies the number of sectors per

Write Precomp 0 to 65534

None

Multi-Sector

Transfers

LBA Mode Control Enabled (default)

32 Bit I/O Enabled (default)

Transfer Mode Standard, Fast

2, 4, 8, 16, Sectors
Disabled

Disabled

Disabled

PIO1, PIO2, PIO3

Selecting 1 to 39 fills in all remaining
fields with values for predefined disk
type. “User” prompts the user to fill in
remaining fields. When “Auto” is
selected the BIOS automatically sets
the drive type.

heads.

track.
Specifies the number of the cylinder at

which to change the write timing.
Specifies the number of sectors in

multi-sector transfers.
Sets LBA Mode Control on or off.

Sets 32 bit I/O to on or off.

Specifies the transfer mode.

Memory Shadow

For memory shadowing parameters, select “Memory
Shadow” directly from the Main Menu summary window.
See the following table for a description of Memory
Shadow parameters.

Setting System Parameters 2-11

CAUTION: Incorrect settings can cause
the system to malfunction.

Memory Shadow Parameters

PARAMETER OPTIONS DESCRIPTION
System Shadow Enabled

Not user­selectable

Video Shadow Enabled

Not user­selectable

Shadow Memory

Regions

Enabled
Disabled

Boot Sequence

Your system might require a Supervisor password to set
Boot Sequence parameters. Select “Boot Sequence” di­rectly from the Main Menu summary window to display
the “Boot Options” menu.

Use the legend keys to make your selections and exit to
the Main Menu. Use the following table to select your
boot options.

Always enabled. Shadows the system BIOS
and improves performance.

Always enabled. Shadows the video BIOS
and improves performance.

Default is disabled. Shadows optional ROM
located in specified segments of memory
and can improve performance.

CAUTION: Some add-in cards, particularly
with on-board firmware, do not work properly
when shadowed.

2-12 Setting System Parameters

Boot Parameters

PARAMETERS OPTIONS DESCRIPTION
Boot Sequence A: then C: (default)

C: then A:
C: only

Setup Prompt Enabled (default)

Disabled

POST Errors Enabled (default)

Disabled

Floppy Check Enabled (default)

Disabled

Summary Screen Enabled (default)

Disabled

Last Boot Fail 3 (default)

User-selectable
settings
Disabled

The BIOS attempts to load the
operating system from the disk
drives in the sequence selected
here.

“C: only” (under Supervisor
password control) provides virus
protection.

Displays “Press<F2> for Setup”
during bootup.

At boot error, pauses and displays
“Press <F1> to resume, <F2> for
Setup.”

Seeks diskette drives during bootup.
Disabling speeds boot time.

Describes system configuration at
the end of bootup.

Sets the number of times you can
attempt to boot the system. If the
system fails to boot on the set
number of tries, the “Previous Boot
Incomplete” message appears and
the system boots with default
settings.

The default setting, 3, gives you
three tries to boot the system. On
the fourth try the “Previous Boot
Incomplete” message appears.

Setting System Parameters 2-13

NumLock

Select “NumLock” directly from the Main Menu summary
window to display the Keyboard Features menu.

Use the legend keys to make your selections and exit to the
Main Menu. Use the following table to configure the key­board parameters. Select “NumLock” directly from the
Main Menu summary window to display the Keyboard
Features menu.

Keyboard Parameters

PARAMETERS OPTIONS DESCRIPTION
Numlock Auto (default)

On
Off

Keyboard Auto-

Repeat Rate

Keyboard Auto-

Repeat Delay

Key Click Enabled

Fast (default)
Medium
Slow

1/4 sec
1/2 sec (default)
3/4 sec
1 sec

Disabled (default)

THE ADVANCED MENU

Accessing the Advanced menu might require a Supervisor
password. Selecting “Advanced” from the menu bar on the
Main Menu displays a menu with the following options:

n Integrated Peripherals
n Parity
n Large Disk Access Mode.

On or Off turns Num Lock on or off
at bootup. Auto turns Num Lock on
if it finds a numeric key pad.

Sets the delay time after the key is
held down and before it begins to
repeat the keystroke.

Turns audible key click on or off.

The following sections describe Advanced menu options.

2-14 Setting System Parameters

CAUTION: Setting menu items in the
Advanced menu to incorrect values can cause your
system to malfunction.

Integrated Peripherals Menu

Select the “Integrated Peripherals” menu on the Advanced
Menu to configure the connections between the system
processor and the I/O ports (serial port 1, serial port 2,
and the printer port), the diskette drives, and hard disk
controllers.

A Supervisor password might be required
to select parameters from the Integrated Peripherals
menu.

Use the legend keys to make your selections and exit to

the Main Menu. Use the table that follows to configure
your peripherals.

Setting System Parameters 2-15

Integrated Peripherals Parameters

FEATURE OPTIONS DESCRIPTION
COM1 Port

COM2 Port

LPT Port Disabled

Diskette

Controller

Local Bus IDE

Adapter

Disabled
User-selectable
settings
Auto

COM1 default: 3F8, IRQ4
COM2 default: 2F8, IRQ3

378, IRQ 5 (default)
User-selectable
settings
Auto

Enabled (default)
Disabled

Both (default)
Disabled
Primary

Parity

The Parity option in the Advanced menu controls system
memory parity checking. The system ships with non-parity
SIMMs. The default setting for the Parity option is “Dis­abled.”

Selects a unique address and
interrupt request for the listed
COM ports. Auto selects the
next available combination.

Selects a unique address and
interrupt request for the LPT port.
Auto selects the next available
combination.

Enables the on-board diskette
drive controller.

Enables the on-board IDE
controllers. “Both” enables the
primary (fast) channel and
secondary (standard) channel.

The system supports parity and non-parity
memory. Parity should only be “Enabled” if the non­parity SIMMs that come with your system are re­moved and replaced with parity SIMMs.

The Parity parameter might require a Supervisor password.

2-16 Setting System Parameters

Large Disk Access Mode

Select the Large Disk Access Mode parameter to configure
a large disk (see the following table).

Use the legend keys to make your selections and exit to the
Main Menu.

Large Disk Parameters

PARAMETER OPTIONS DESCRIPTION
Large Disk Mode DOS

Other

THE SECURITY MENU

Selecting “Security” from the Main Menu displays a menu
with system security options.

You can enter the Setup program with
either a User or Supervisor password. However,
more Setup choices are available with a Supervisor
password.

CAUTION: The features that you set in
the Security menu affect the features that appear on
the Security menu as well as on other Setup menus.

Select DOS if you have DOS. Select
Other if you have another operating
system such as UNIX.

A large disk is one that has more than
1024 cylinders, more than 16 heads, or
more than 63 tracks per sector.

Enabling “Supervisor Password” requires a password for

entering Setup. Passwords are not case sensitive.

Setting System Parameters 2-17

Pressing Enter at either Set Supervisor Password or Set
User Password on the menu displays a Set Password dia­log box with the following prompts:

Enter new password: [ ]
Re-enter new password: [ ]

To set a password, type the password and press Enter. Re-

enter your password and press Enter.
See the following table for a description of the security

features you can select. Use the legend keys to make your
selections and exit to the Main Menu.

System Security Options

FEATURE OPTIONS DESCRIPTION
Supervisor Password Disabled (default)

Enabled

Set Supervisor

Password

User Password Disabled (default)

Set User Password Up to seven

Up to seven
alphanumeric
characters

Enabled

alphanumeric
characters

Must set to Enabled to set a
Supervisor password.

Pressing Enter displays a dialog
box for entering the supervisor
password. This password gives
FULL access to Setup menus.

Must set to Enabled to set a User
password.

Pressing Enter displays the
dialog box for entering the user
password. This password gives
RESTRICTED access to Setup
menus. Requires the prior setting
of a Supervisor password.

2-18 Setting System Parameters

System Security Options

FEATURE OPTIONS DESCRIPTION
Password on Boot Disabled (default)

Enabled

Enabled requires a password on
boot (cold boot only — no
password required for warm boot).
Requires the prior setting of a
Supervisor and/or User password.

If disabled, password(s) are
required for entering Setup but
are not required for booting.

If a Supervisor password is set
and this option is disabled, the
BIOS boots without asking for a
password.

Diskette Access User (default)

Supervisor

Fixed Disk Boot

Sector

System Backup

Reminder
Virus Check

Reminder

Normal (default)
Write Protected

Disabled (default)
Daily
Weekly
Monthly

Supervisor setting restricts
the use of diskette drives to a
supervisor. Requires setting the
Supervisor password.

Write protected helps prevent
viruses. When write protected,
operating systems (and viruses and
application programs) which
attempt to modify the boot sector
will not be able to do so.

When a schedule is specified,
displays a message during bootup
asking (Y/N) if you have backed
up the system or scanned it for
viruses.

Message returns on each boot
until you respond with “Y”.

Daily displays the message on
the first boot of the day, weekly
on the first boot after Sunday,
and monthly on the first boot of
the month.

Setting System Parameters 2-19

THE POWER MENU

Selecting “Power” from the menu bar displays a screen
with the power management parameters described in the
following table.

A power management system reduces the amount of en­ergy used after specified periods of inactivity. The Power
menu supports a Full-On state, a Standby state with partial
power reduction, and a Suspend state with full power re­duction. See “Power Management” in Chapter 1 for addi­tional
information about managing power.

Use the Power menu to specify your settings for Power
Management. Use the following table to make your
selections.

To disable all power management
features, set advanced power management (APM)
to Disabled. See the following table to set power
management parameters.

Power Management Parameters

FEATURE OPTIONS DESCRIPTION
APM Enabled (default)

Disabled

Power

Management
Mode

Standby

Timeout

Standby CPU Max (default) Sets the processor speed during

2-20 Setting System Parameters

Customize (default)
Disabled
Maximum
Medium
Minimum

15 min (default)
Disabled
User selectable

Advanced power management (APM)
allows APM-aware software to better
manage power savings.

Maximum, Medium, and Minimum
set power-management options with
predefined values. Select Customize
to select your own level of power
management.

Specifies inactivity period required
before partial power shutdown.

Power Management Parameters

FEATURE OPTIONS DESCRIPTION

Speed High

Medium
Low

Standby.

Suspend

Button

Parallel Port

Activity

Serial Port

Activity

IRQ1...IRQ15 Disabled

Suspend (default)
Standby
Disabled

Enabled (default)
Disabled

Enabled (default)
Disabled

Enabled (default)

THE EXIT MENU

Selecting “Exit” from the menu bar displays the following
exit options:

n Save Changes & Exit
n Discard Changes & Exit
n Get Default Values
n Load Previous Values
n Save Changes.

Suspend allows the system to enter
Suspend mode when the suspend
button is pressed. Standby enables the
system to enter Standby mode when
the suspend button is pressed.

Enables parallel port activity by
resetting the timer and bringing the
system to full power when it is in a
low power management mode.

Enables serial port activity by
resetting the timer and bringing the
system to full power when it is in a
low power management mode.

During Suspend, enabled IRQ turns
on processor clock. IRQ1 and IRQ12
cannot be disabled.

The following sections describe each of the options on the

Exit Menu. Note that Esc does not exit this menu. You
must select one of the items from the menu or menu bar
to exit.

Setting System Parameters 2-21

Save Changes & Exit

After making your selections on the Setup menus, always
select Save Changes to make them operative.

After you save your selections, the program displays this
message:

Changes have been saved

If you attempt to exit without saving, the program asks if

you want to save before exiting.
During bootup, Setup attempts to load the values you

saved in NVRAM. If the values saved in NVRAM cause
the system boot to fail, reboot and press F2 to enter Setup.
In Setup, you can load the ROM default values (as de­scribed in “Get Default Values”) or try to change the val­ues that caused the boot to fail.

Discard Changes & Exit

Use this option to exit Setup without recording any
changes you may have made.

Continue

Get Default Values

To load all the default Setup values in the Setup menus,
select Load ROM Default Values from the Main Menu.
The program displays this message:

Default values have been loaded!

If, during bootup, the BIOS program detects a problem in

the integrity of values stored in NVRAM, it displays these
messages:

System CMOS checksum bad - run SETUP
Press <F1> to resume, <F2> to Setup

2-22 Setting System Parameters

Continue

The CMOS values have been corrupted or modified incor-

rectly, perhaps by an application program that changes
data stored in CMOS.

Press F1 to resume the boot or F2 to run Setup with the
ROM default values already loaded into the menus. You
can make other changes before saving the values to
NVRAM.

Load Previous Values

If, during a Setup session, you change your mind about
your selections and have not yet saved the values to
NVRAM, you can restore the values you previously saved
to NVRAM.

Selecting Load Previous Values on the Exit menu updates
all the selections and displays this message:

Save Changes

Save Changes saves all the selections without exiting
Setup. You can return to the other menus if you want to
review and change your selections.

Previous values have been loaded!

Continue

Setting System Parameters 2-23

Using NEC Utilities

3

MOUSE DRIVER

and Drivers

This chapter provides information for the following NEC
drivers and utilities that you can use with your system:

n mouse driver
n video drivers
n BIOS Update utility.

Mouse driver software contains the basic operating in­structions between the computer and your mouse. It tracks
mouse position, gets data from the mouse buttons, and dis­plays a text cursor or graphics pointer on the screen, based
on information from your mouse and application. See the
following sections to run mouse drivers for your operating
system.

Use the following information to run mouse
drivers for MS-DOS. The information is not appropri­ate for using your mouse in Windows.

The MS-DOS mouse driver is LMOUSE.COM and works

with all applications that use the Microsoft mouse driver.
To run LMOUSE.COM, you must be in the Windows

directory where it is located, or you must include the
mouse software directory in your PATH statement. Then,
at the MS-DOS prompt, type LMOUSE and press Enter.

Using NEC Utilities and Drivers 3-1

You can include the LMOUSE command in
an AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

Changing Mouse Parameters

Use the mouse parameters to change the function of the
mouse and the way that your screen cursor responds to
mouse movement. You can combine any number of pa­rameters when loading the mouse drivers.

The parameters described in the following section are
common to all types of Logitech® mice. If you have an­other type of mouse, parameters may vary.

Command Line Options

The syntax for setting mouse parameters using a DOS
command line is as follows:

LMOUSE parameter...
The following list describes the parameters that you

can use.

n Ballistic Effect (BHIGH, BLOW, BON, BOFF) — The

ballistic effect gives you speed and precision as you
require them. Moving your mouse quickly lets you
sweep the cursor across your screen quickly. Moving it
slowly lets you zero in on an exact position.

The ballistic effect lets you select a single pixel easily
at any sensitivity level. This feature is ideal for graph­ics programs. When you use a paint or draw program,
the ballistic effect slows your mouse cursor when you
create fine details in your drawing and then speeds up
when you need to go between your drawing and the
toolbox or a menu.

3-2 Using NEC Utilities and Drivers

Ballistic arguments include the following:
BHIGH — sets the ballistic effect to its highest setting.

BLOW — sets the ballistic effect to its lowest setting.
BON — enables the ballistic effect.
BOFF — disables the ballistic effect.

n Driver orientation (NORTH, SOUTH, EAST,

WEST) — You can use this parameter to change the di­rection in which the screen cursor moves when you
move the mouse. For most situations, keep the default
parameter (NORTH).

With the driver orientation set to the default, NORTH,
the mouse buttons point away from your wrist so that
your fingers rest on top of the buttons. The mouse's
compass direction south points towards your wrist; east
points towards your right; west towards the left. The
screen cursor moves in the same direction that your
mouse moves.

With the driver orientation set to the default, NORTH,
the cursor moves in the following directions in re­sponse to the mouse movement:

NORTH — moves the cursor to the top of the screen.
SOUTH — moves the cursor to the bottom of the screen.
EAST — moves the cursor to the right.
WEST — moves the cursor to the left.

Using NEC Utilities and Drivers 3-3

n Sensitivity level (Sn) — defines how fast and respon-

sive the mouse movement is for the application. This
parameter sets the relationship between how fast you
move the mouse to how fast the cursor moves. The
syntax for the sensitivity level is as follows:

Sn
where n is a two-digit number from 00-10. The default

is S04.

n Button orientation (SWAP) — This parameter lets you

swap the functions of the left and right mouse buttons.
The swap argument toggles the functions between
the two.

n Number of mouse buttons (nK) — You can specify

whether you have a two- or three-button mouse using
the K command.

n ? — This parameter displays the current mouse set-

tings. Type the following command and press Enter to
view a listing of mouse settings:

lmouse ?

The following example sets the ballistic effect to high, the

mouse orientation to NORTH sets the sensitivity level to
5, and specifies a three-button mouse.

lmouse bhigh north s05 3k

VIDEO DRIVERS

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

A multi-frequency monitor, such as the
NEC MultiSync XE/XP monitors, is required to ac­cess the extended graphics mode.

3-4 Using NEC Utilities and Drivers

Your system ships with the following Windows video
drivers preinstalled on the hard disk. Resolutions sup­ported with the standard 1 MB of video DRAM are as
follows.

1-MB Video Resolutions

RESOLUTIONS COLORS REFRESH RATES
640 by 480 16 60, 72, 75 Hz

640 by 480 256 60, 72, 75 Hz
640 by 480 64,000 60, 72, 75 Hz
640 by 480 16.8 million 60 Hz
800 by 600 16 60, 72, 75 Hz
800 by 600 256 60, 72, 75 Hz
800 by 600 64,000 56, 60 Hz
1024 by 768 16 87 Hz (interlaced)
1024 by 768 256 60, 70, 75, 87 Hz

(interlaced)

1280 by 1024 16 87 Hz

Resolutions supported with the optional 2 MB of video

DRAM are as follows.

2-MB Video Resolutions

RESOLUTIONS COLORS REFRESH RATES
640 by 480 16 60, 72, 75 Hz

640 by 480 256 60, 72, 75 Hz
640 by 480 64,000 60, 72, 75 Hz
640 by 480 16.8 million 60, 72, 75 Hz
800 by 600 16 60, 72, 75 Hz

Using NEC Utilities and Drivers 3-5

2-MB Video Resolutions

800 by 600 256 60, 72, 75 Hz
800 by 600 64,000 60, 72, 75 Hz
800 by 600 16.8 million 56, 60 Hz
1024 by 768 16 87 Hz (interlaced)
1024 by 768 256 60, 70, 75, 87 Hz

(interlaced)

1024 by 768 64,000 60, 70, 75, 87 Hz

(interlaced)
1280 by 1024 16 87 Hz (interlaced)
1280 by 1024 256 60, 87 Hz (interlaced)

The default Windows video resolution is 800 by 600 with

256 colors. For an optimum screen display, you can set
video modes and refresh rates through the CLMODE util­ity, also preinstalled on your system.

To change the video drivers in Windows, use the Win­Mode utility. Select the driver and resolution you want and
the driver will load from the hard disk drive.

Additional VGA drivers are available for non-Windows
based applications through the NEC Bulletin Board Serv­ice (see “NEC Bulletin Board Service” later in this chap­ter).

BIOS UPDATE UTILITY

The system BIOS resides on a flash ROM in your system.
You can update the ROM BIOS, should it ever become
necessary. This feature allows the ROM BIOS chip to be
“flashed” with a new BIOS code through software, rather
than requiring you to replace the chip.

3-6 Using NEC Utilities and Drivers

To perform a BIOS update, you need a BIOS flash disk­ette. The diskette, which contains the latest version of the
BIOS code, can be obtained through NEC Technologies,
Inc.

Check the NEC Bulletin Board Service (BBS) for avail­able updates to your system BIOS. See “NEC Bulletin
Board Service” at the end of this chapter for information
about using the bulletin board (available in the U.S. and
Canada).

Using the Flash Utility

Use the following steps to update the BIOS from the BIOS
flash diskette. In the unlikely event that the upgrade is in­terrupted, refer to the next section for system recovery
procedures.

1. Write down the Setup parameters currently set on your

system. (See Chapter 2, Setting System Parameters.)

2. Insert the flash diskette in drive A.

3. Reboot the system.

4. At the flash upgrade Main Menu, use the arrow keys to

select “Install new BIOS” and press Enter.

5. A prompt will ask you to confirm that you want to up-

grade the BIOS. Press Enter to continue with the flash
upgrade and Cancel to quit.

6. On upgrade completion, remove the flash diskette.

7. Reboot the system and run Setup. Check and reset your

parameters, using the copy of the Setup parameters that
you made earlier.

Using NEC Utilities and Drivers 3-7

NEC Bulletin Board Service

The NEC Bulletin Board Service (BBS) provides users
with information about system software and hardware. It
allows you to download files for system enhancements and
upgrades. For example, use the NEC BBS to obtain the
latest version of the your BIOS.

Use the following steps to log onto the NEC BSS.

BBS screens contain information that you
might want to read. The following procedure steps
you through using the BBS as simply as possible.

The first time you use the BBS, it requests informa­tion for a new user questionnaire.

1. From the Windows Program Manager, select

Accessories and double click on Terminal.

2. From the Settings menu, select Communications and

check that the settings match the following BBS
parameters:

n Baud rate: 2400 bps
n Parity: none
n Data bits: 8
n Stop bits: 1

3. Log onto the BBS:

n Click on the Phone menu item.
n Enter the BBS phone number 508 635-4706. Your

business phone system and/or location might require
a 91 or 1 prefix.

n Click on “OK.”

3-8 Using NEC Utilities and Drivers

4. Press Enter twice.

5. Enter your first name, last name, and password. Press
Enter after each.

6. Follow the screen prompts until the NECTECH Main

Menu is displayed.

7. At the NECTECH Main Menu, press F and Enter for

the file menu.

To hang up and log off, follow these steps at the NEC
Technologies Bulletin Board:

1. Press Enter (to continue).

2. Press G (command for Goodbye/Hangup).

3. Press Enter.

Using NEC Utilities and Drivers 3-9

Maintaining Your

4

SYSTEM CARE

Protective Measures

Computer

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

This chapter provides information for taking care of your
computer and preparing it for moving or shipping.

Use the guidelines in the following sections to protect your
system from possible damage and to maintain its condition
and performance.

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

n 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.

n Avoid repeated power-on cycles because this subjects

the system components to temperature variations and
stress.

Maintaining Your Computer 4-1

n Disconnect your system from power lines when an

electrical storm threatens. Lightning can travel in on
power lines and damage your monitor and the system
unit.

n 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.

n Use appropriate virus detection software regularly to

protect your system from computer viruses.
If you plan to use software programs other than NEC

supplied software, NEC strongly recommends that you
take the necessary steps, such as virus checks, to pro­tect your system.

n Place your computer away from direct sunlight and

extreme hot and cold temperatures.
The recommended operating environment is from 50°F

to 95°F (10°C to 35°C).
The recommended non-operating environment (ship-

ping or storage) is from 14°F to 158°F (–10°C to
70°C).

n Back up all hard disk information on a regular basis.
n After turning off power, wait about five seconds for the

hard disk to spin down before you power on again.

n Be sure that nothing is placed on top of your system

power cables.

n Never use a hard disk parking program with your

computer. The system hard disk parks its heads
automatically whenever you turn off system power.

n Prevent dust from entering your system by covering it

when it is not in use.

4-2 Maintaining Your Computer

Routine Care

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

For safety, power off and unplug your sys­tem, monitor, and any external options before
cleaning them.

n 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.

n Check the system regularly for any loose material (such

as paper, books, magazines) that blocks air circulation
around your unit.

n Keep food and liquids away from your computer.

Backup

n Periodically clean the keyboard with a vacuum cleaner

brush attachment. Do not use any liquid cleaners on the
keyboard because 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.

n Clean the monitor screen with a glass cleaner and wipe

it with a clean, lint-free cloth. Or use wet/dry cleaning
pads manufactured for monitor screens.

Backup procedures are important for the efficient and ef­fective use of your computer. Protect your program and
data files with regular backup procedures. The Setup util­ity provides a backup reminder option (see Chapter 4).

Maintaining Your Computer 4-3

See your MS-DOS and Windows for Workgroups docu­mentation for information about backup procedures. Make
backup copies of your program and data files that are on
diskette and on the hard disk.

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. You can use the MS-DOS
DISKCOPY command for making copies of your disk­ettes. See your MS-DOS documentation for information
about using the command.

MOUSE CARE

For best results with your mouse, use it on a mouse pad.
Under normal conditions, your mouse has a self-cleaning

mechanism that prevents a buildup of dust or lint around
the mouse ball and tracking mechanism. Periodically,
however, you might need to wipe the mouse ball clean.
Use the following procedure to clean the mouse.

1. Turn off your computer and any peripherals attached

to it.

2. Turn your mouse upside down. Locate the mouse ball

cover (see the following figure).

3. Turn the ball cover counterclockwise and remove

the cover.

4. Gently turn the mouse over and let the ball fall into

your palm.

5. Clean the mouse as follows.

n Use tap water, or tap water and a mild detergent to

clean the mouse ball.

n Use a clean, lint-free cloth to dry the ball.
n Blow into the mouse socket to remove remaining

dust or lint.

4-4 Maintaining Your Computer

Locating the mouse ball cover

6. Gently put the ball back into its socket.

7. Fit the ball cover over the ball and turn the cover

clockwise until it locks in place.

Maintaining Your Computer 4-5

CD CARE

When handling CDs, keep the following guidelines in
mind.

n Always pick up the disc by its edges.

Handle a disc by its edges

n Avoid touching the side of the disc that has no printing

or writing on it. This is the data side of the disc.

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

disc.

n Keep the disc away from direct sunlight or high

temperatures.

4-6 Maintaining Your Computer