NEC PowerMate VP75 Reference Manual

PROPRIETARY NOTICE A ND LIABILITY DISCLAIMER

The information disclosed in this document, including all designs and related materials, is the valuable property of NEC Corporation (NEC) and/or its licensors. NEC and/or its li censors, as appropriate, reserve all patent, copyright and other proprietary rights to this document, including all design, manufacturing, reproduction, use, and sales rights thereto, except to the extent said rights are expressly granted to others.

The 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.

FastFacts, NEC SVGA, and PowerMate are U.S. trademarks 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 — February 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

iii

Page

Preface ..................................................................................................................................xi

Abbreviations....................................................................................................................... xiii

Section 1 Technical Information

Desktop System Unit......................................................................................................... 1-2

Minitower System Unit ...................................................................................................... 1-3

System Board............................................................................................................ 1-4

Processor........................................................................................................... 1-6

Secondary Cache ............................................................................................... 1-6

Flash ROM........................................................................................................ 1-6

Power Management............................................................................................ 1-7

I/O Addressing................................................................................................... 1-8

System Memory................................................................................................. 1-9

Interrupt Controller............................................................................................. 1-10

Video Controller................................................................................................. 1-11

Video Memory................................................................................................... 1-12

IDE/PCI -Bus Backboard........................................................................................... 1-13

ISA Bus ............................................................................................................. 1-13

PCI Local Bus.................................................................................................... 1-14

PCI Auto Configuration...................................................................................... 1-14

Parallel Interface ........................................................................................................ 1-14

Serial Interface........................................................................................................... 1-15

Indicator Panel........................................................................................................... 1-16

Power Supply ................................................................................................................... 1-16

Diskette Drive ................................................................................................................... 1-16

Hard Disk Drive................................................................................................................ 1-16

Network Board................................................................................................................. 1-17

Multimedia Components.................................................................................................... 1-17

Quad-Speed CD-ROM............................................................................................. 1-17

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

Speakers ................................................................................................................... 1-18

iv Contents

Microphone ............................................................................................................... 1-19

Keyboard ......................................................................................................................... 1-19

Mouse .............................................................................................................................. 1-19

Power Management .......................................................................................................... 1-19

Plug and Play.................................................................................................................... 1-19

Desktop Management Interface......................................................................................... 1-20

DMI Components...................................................................................................... 1-21

Manageable Products................................................................................................. 1-21

CI Module................................................................................................................. 1-21

MIF Browser............................................................................................................. 1-21

Usage ........................................................................................................................ 1-22

Troubleshooting ......................................................................................................... 1-22

Section 2 Setup and Operation

Unpacking and Repacking................................................................................................. 2-1

Setup ................................................................................................................................ 2-1

Minitower Setup ........................................................................................................ 2-7

CD-ROM Reader............................................................................................................. 2-12

External Multimedia Connections ....................................................................................... 2-13

Connecting the Speakers............................................................................................ 2-13

System Configuration......................................................................................................... 2-15

How to Start Setup .................................................................................................... 2-16

How to Use Setup ..................................................................................................... 2-16

Menu Bar........................................................................................................... 2-17

Legend Bar......................................................................................................... 2-18

Field Help Window............................................................................................. 2-18

General Help Window........................................................................................ 2-19

Main Menu Options............................................................................................ 2-19

IDE Adapters..................................................................................................... 2-20

Memory Shadow................................................................................................ 2-21

Boot Sequence................................................................................................... 2-22

Numlock ............................................................................................................ 2-23

Advanced Menu ........................................................................................................ 2-24

Integrated Peripherals Menu................................................................................ 2-24

Parity .................................................................................................................. 2-25

Contents v

Large Disk Access Mode ................................................................................... 2-25

Security Menu............................................................................................................ 2-26

Power Menu.............................................................................................................. 2-27

Exit Menu.................................................................................................................. 2-28

Save Changes & Exit .......................................................................................... 2-29

Discard Changes & Exit...................................................................................... 2-29

Get Default Values.............................................................................................. 2-29

Load Previous Values......................................................................................... 2-30

Save Changes..................................................................................................... 2-30

Bios Update Utility............................................................................................................ 2-30

System Board Jumpers...................................................................................................... 2-31

Jumper Locations....................................................................................................... 2-32

Jumper Settings.......................................................................................................... 2-32

Changing Jumper Settings.................................................................................... 2-35

CMOS Jumper................................................................................................... 2-35

Section 3 Options

Internal Options................................................................................................................. 3-1

Desktop Cover Removal............................................................................................ 3-2

Minitower Top Cover Removal.................................................................................. 3-3

Expansion Board(s).................................................................................................... 3-4

Desktop Expansion Board Installation................................................................. 3-5

Minitower Expansion Board Installation............................................................... 3-7

Expansion Board Troubleshooting....................................................................... 3-8

System Board Options ............................................................................................... 3-10

OverDrive Processor Installation......................................................................... 3-10

OverDrive Processor Troubleshooting................................................................. 3-13

SIMM Memory Installation................................................................................. 3-14

SIMM Upgrade Path.......................................................................................... 3-14

SIMM Installation............................................................................................... 3-16

SIMM Upgrade Kit Troubleshooting................................................................... 3-17

Video DRAM Module Installation....................................................................... 3-18

Video DRAM Module Troubleshooting............................................................... 3-20

Optional Storage Devices.................................................................................................. 3-21

5 1/4-Inch Diskette Drive........................................................................................... 3-21

vi Contents

5 1/4-Inch Diskette Drive Settings....................................................................... 3-21

Hard Disk Drives....................................................................................................... 3-22

Hard Disk Drive Settings..................................................................................... 3-22

Desktop Optional Storage Device Installation..................................................................... 3-24

Desktop 3 1/2-inch Drive Bracket Removal................................................................ 3-24

Desktop Blank Panel Removal................................................................................... 3-25

Desktop Device Installation........................................................................................ 3-26

Desktop 5 1/4-Inch Diskette Drive Cabling......................................................... 3-27

Desktop 5 1/4-Inch Hard Disk Drive Cabling...................................................... 3-28

Completing Desktop Device Installation...................................................................... 3-29

Minitower 5 1/4-Inch Optional Device Installation.............................................................. 3-30

Minitower Front Panel, Blank Panel, and Device Cage Removal................................. 3-30

Minitower 5 1/4-Inch Optional Device Installation....................................................... 3-33

Minitower 5 1/4-Inch Diskette Drive Cabling....................................................... 3-34

Minitower 5 1/4-Inch Hard Disk Drive Cabling ................................................... 3-35

Completing Minitower 5 1/4-Inch Device Installation........................................... 3-36

Minitower Optional 3 1/2-Inch Hard Drive Installation....................................................... 3-36

Hard Disk Drive Troubleshooting....................................................................................... 3-38

Section 4 Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Maintenance...................................................................................................................... 4-2

System Unit ............................................................................................................... 4-2

Keyboard.................................................................................................................. 4-3

Mouse....................................................................................................................... 4-4

Troubleshooting................................................................................................................. 4-5

Error Messages.......................................................................................................... 4-5

Diagnosing and Solving Problems ............................................................................... 4-7

Beep Codes............................................................................................................... 4-11

Bios Update Utility............................................................................................................ 4-11

NEC Bulletin Board Service....................................................................................... 4-12

Using the BIOS Update Utility.................................................................................... 4-13

Section 5 Desktop Repair

Disassembly and Reassembly............................................................................................. 5-1

Top Cover Removal................................................................................................... 5-3

Contents vii

Expansion Board Removal......................................................................................... 5-4

ISA/PCI-BUS Backboard Removal........................................................................... 5-7

3 1/2-inch Diskette and Hard Disk Drive Removal...................................................... 5-8

Front Panel Assembly Removal.................................................................................. 5-10

Power Button Cover Removal.................................................................................... 5-11

Speaker Assembly Removal....................................................................................... 5-12

SIMM Removal......................................................................................................... 5-13

Optional 5 1/4-Inch Device Removal.......................................................................... 5-14

5 1/4-Inch Device Cage Removal............................................................................... 5-15

Power Supply Removal.............................................................................................. 5-16

System Board Removal.............................................................................................. 5-18

Illustrated Parts Breakdown ....................................................................................... 5-19

Section 6 Minitower Repair

Disassembly and Reassembly............................................................................................. 6-1

Top Cover Removal................................................................................................... 6-3

Bottom Access Cover Removal.................................................................................. 6-5

Expansion Board Removal......................................................................................... 6-6

Front Panel Assembly Removal.................................................................................. 6-7

Power Button Cover Removal.................................................................................... 6-8

Blank Panel and Metal Cover Plate Removal.............................................................. 6-9

Speaker Assembly Removal....................................................................................... 6-10

SIMM Removal......................................................................................................... 6-11

5 1/4-Inch Device Cage Removal............................................................................... 6-12

5 1/4-Inch Device Removal........................................................................................ 6-13

3 1/2-inch Hard Disk Drive Removal.......................................................................... 6-14

3 1/2-inch Diskette Drive Removal............................................................................. 6-16

Power Supply Removal.............................................................................................. 6-19

PCI/ISA Backboard Removal.................................................................................... 6-21

System Board Removal.............................................................................................. 6-22

Illustrated Parts Breakdown ....................................................................................... 6-23

Appendix A Connector Pin Assignments

Serial Interface Connectors................................................................................................ A-3

Parallel Interface Connector............................................................................................... A-4

viii Contents

VGA Interface Connector Pin Assignments........................................................................ A-5

Speaker Connector Pin Assignments.................................................................................. A-5

Power Supply Connector .................................................................................................. A-6

Keyboard and Mouse Connectors..................................................................................... A-6

Power Lamp Connector.................................................................................................... A-7

Hard Disk Drive Busy Lamp Connector............................................................................. A-7

Fan Connector.................................................................................................................. A-7

Suspend Button Connector................................................................................................ A-8

Diskette Drive Interface Pin Assignments ........................................................................... A-8

IDE Interface Connectors.................................................................................................. A-9

SIMM Sockets................................................................................................................. A-10

ISA/PCI-Bus Backboard Connector Pin Assignments........................................................ A-11

ISA Expansion Bus Connector Pin Assignments................................................................. A-13

Sound Board Pin Assignments........................................................................................... A-15

Appendix B Specifications

System Unit Specifications................................................................................................ B-1

Power Supply Specifications............................................................................................. B-3

Diskette Drive Specifications ............................................................................................ B-4

Hard Disk Specifications .................................................................................................. B-6

Appendix C CD-ROM Reader Configuration

Appendix D Sound Board Configuration

Changing Hardware Settings.............................................................................................. D-1

MIDI Base I/O Address ............................................................................................ D-3

Joystick Connector .................................................................................................... D-3

Audio Interface DMA Channel................................................................................... D-4

Audio Interface Base I/O Address.............................................................................. D-6

Audio Interface IRQ Line........................................................................................... D-7

MIDI Interface........................................................................................................... D-8

List of Figures

1-1 Desktop System Controls and Storage Slots........................................................ 1-2

1-2 Minitower System Controls and Storage Slots..................................................... 1-3

Contents ix

2-1 Desktop Voltage Selector Switch........................................................................ 2-2

2-2 Desktop Peripherals Connections........................................................................ 2-3

2-3 Desktop Network Board Connections ................................................................ 2-4

2-4 Desktop Multimedia Connections........................................................................ 2-5

2-5 Desktop Power Button, Lamps, and Suspend Button........................................... 2-6

2-6 Minitower Voltage Selector Switch..................................................................... 2-7

2-7 Minitower Peripherals Connections ..................................................................... 2-8

2-8 Minitower Network Board Connections.............................................................. 2-9

2-9 Minitower Sound/Fax/Modem Board Connectors ............................................... 2-10

2-10 Minitower Power Button, Indicators, and Suspend Button................................... 2-11

2-11 CD-ROM Reader Controls and Indicators.......................................................... 2-12

2-12 Ready 9520 Speaker Connections ...................................................................... 2-14

2-13 Locating system configuration jumpers................................................................. 2-32

2-14 SIMM Type Jumper JP1 .................................................................................... 2-33

2-15 Processor Speed Jumpers JP5, JP6, and JP7...................................................... 2-33

2-16 Bus speed jumper JP10 ...................................................................................... 2-34

2-17 Processor voltage jumper JP12........................................................................... 2-34

3-1 Desktop Cover Screws....................................................................................... 3-2

3-2 Removing the Desktop Cover ............................................................................. 3-2

3-3 Minitower Cover Screws.................................................................................... 3-3

3-4 Removing the Minitower Cover........................................................................... 3-4

3-5 Desktop Expansion Slots .................................................................................... 3-5

3-6 Inside Expansion Slot Screw............................................................................... 3-6

3-7 Removing the Inside Expansion Slot Bracket ....................................................... 3-6

3-8 Minitower Expansion Slots.................................................................................. 3-7

3-9 Locating the Processor Socket............................................................................ 3-11

3-10 Removing the Heat Sink and Processor............................................................... 3-11

3-11 Processor Alignment ........................................................................................... 3-12

3-12 SIMM Socket Location...................................................................................... 3-16

3-13 SIMM Installation............................................................................................... 3-16

3-14 Video DRAM Socket Location........................................................................... 3-18

3-15 Video DRAM Module Installation....................................................................... 3-19

3-16 OSDA-90C, 1.44-MB Diskette Drive ................................................................ 3-21

3-17 FD-55GFR, 1.2-MB Diskette Drive ................................................................... 3-22

3-18 WDAC2540 540-MB Hard Disk Drive.............................................................. 3-23

3-19 CFA1275 1.275-GB Hard Disk Drive................................................................ 3-23

x Contents

3-20 3 1/2-Inch Drive Bracket Screws........................................................................ 3-24

3-21 Desktop Front Panel Removal............................................................................. 3-25

3-22 Blank Panel Removal.......................................................................................... 3-26

3-23 Desktop 5 1/4-Inch Device Screws..................................................................... 3-27

3-24 Desktop 5 1/4-Inch Diskette Drive Cables.......................................................... 3-28

3-25 Desktop 5 1/4-Inch Hard Disk Drive Cables....................................................... 3-29

3-26 Front Panel Removal........................................................................................... 3-30

3-27 Minitower Blank Panel Removal.......................................................................... 3-31

3-28 Device Cage Removal......................................................................................... 3-32

3-29 Minitower 5 1/4-Inch Device Screws.................................................................. 3-33

3-30 Minitower 5 1/4-Inch Diskette Drive Cables........................................................ 3-34

3-31 Minitower 5 1/4-Inch Hard Disk Drive Cables .................................................... 3-35

3-32 Installing Optional 3 1/2-Inch Hard Disk Drive .................................................... 3-37

4-1 Removing the Keyboard Enclosure...................................................................... 4-3

4-2 Removing the Mouse Ball Cover......................................................................... 4-4

5-1 Top Cover Screws ............................................................................................. 5-3

5-2 Removing the Top Cover.................................................................................... 5-4

5-3 Expansion Slot Screw......................................................................................... 5-5

5-4 Inside Expansion Slot Screw............................................................................... 5-5

5-5 Removing the Expansion Slot L-Bracket.............................................................. 5-6

5-6 ISA/PCI-Bus Backboard Screws ....................................................................... 5-7

5-7 1/2-Inch Drive Bracket Screws........................................................................... 5-8

5-8 1/2-Inch Diskette and Hard Disk Drive Screws................................................... 5-9

5-9 Indicator Panel Connectors................................................................................. 5-10

5-10 Power Button Tabs............................................................................................. 5-11

5-11 Speaker Screw................................................................................................... 5-12

5-12 SIMM Socket.................................................................................................... 5-13

5-13 5 1/4-Inch Device Screws................................................................................... 5-14

5-14 5 1/4-Inch Device Cage Screws.......................................................................... 5-15

5-15 Power Button Screws......................................................................................... 5-16

5-16 Power Supply Screws......................................................................................... 5-17

5-17 PowerMate VP Series Desktop Illustrated Parts Breakdown*............................. 5-21

6-1 Removing the Top Cover Screws........................................................................ 6-3

6-2 Removing the Top Cover.................................................................................... 6-4

6-3 Minitower Bottom Access Cover........................................................................ 6-5

6-4 Expansion Slot Screw......................................................................................... 6-6

Contents xi

6-5 Front Panel Screws............................................................................................. 6-7

6-6 Power Button Tabs............................................................................................. 6-8

6-7 Blank Panel Removal.......................................................................................... 6-9

6-8 Speaker Tabs..................................................................................................... 6-10

6-9 SIMM Socket.................................................................................................... 6-11

6-10 Removing the Device Cage Screws..................................................................... 6-12

6-11 5 1/4-Inch Device Screws................................................................................... 6-13

6-12 3 1/2-Inch Hard Disk Drive Cables..................................................................... 6-14

6-13 Removing the 3 1/2-Inch Hard Disk Drive........................................................... 6-15

6-14 3 1/2-In ch Diskette Drive Cables........................................................................ 6-16

6-15 Diskette Drive Bracket Screws ........................................................................... 6-17

6-16 Diskette Drive Screws ........................................................................................ 6-18

6-17 Power Button Screws......................................................................................... 6-19

6-18 Power Supply Screws......................................................................................... 6-20

6-19 Chassis Support Bracket Screws ........................................................................ 6-21

6-20 PowerMate VP75 Series Minitower Illustrated Parts Breakdown* ...................... 6-25

A-1 System Board Layout ......................................................................................... A-1

A-2 Serial Interface (J3/J10)...................................................................................... A-3

A-3 Parallel Interface (J15)........................................................................................ A-4

A-4 Power Supply Connector (J8) Pin Assignments ................................................... A-6

C-1 Rear View of the Quadruple Speed Reader......................................................... C-1

C-2 Quadruple Speed Reader Jumper Settings........................................................... C-2

D-1 Jumpers on the Sound Board .............................................................................. D-2

D-2 Base I/O Address Settings of MPU-401 UART MIDI........................................ D-3

D-3 Joystick Connector Settings ................................................................................ D-3

D-4 Low DMA Channel Settings ............................................................................... D-4

D-5 High DMA Channel Settings ............................................................................... D-5

D-6 Base I/O Address Settings for the Audio Interface............................................... D-6

D-7 IRQ Line Settings for the Audio Interface............................................................ D-7

D-8 MPU-401 UART MIDI Settings......................................................................... D-8

List of Tables

1-1 System Board Chips........................................................................................... 1-5

1-2 System Memory Map......................................................................................... 1-7

1-3 I/O Address Map............................................................................................... 1-8

xii Contents

1-4 Interrupt Level Assignments ................................................................................ 1-10

1-5 Video Resolutions and Frequencies..................................................................... 1-12

1-6 Parallel Port Addressing and Interrupts................................................................ 1-15

1-7 Serial Port Addressing and Interrupts .................................................................. 1-15

2-1 Setup Key Functions........................................................................................... 2-18

2-2 Legend Bar Main Menu Parameters.................................................................... 2-19

2-3 IDE Hard Disk Parameters ................................................................................. 2-21

2-4 Memory Shadow Parameters.............................................................................. 2-22

2-5 Boot Parameters................................................................................................. 2-22

2-6 Numlock Parameters .......................................................................................... 2-23

2-7 Integrated Peripherals Parameters ....................................................................... 2-25

2-8 Large Disk Parameters........................................................................................ 2-25

2-9 System Security Options ..................................................................................... 2-26

2-10 Power Management Parameters.......................................................................... 2-28

3-1 Expansion Board Problems and Solutions............................................................ 3-9

3-2 OverDrive Problems and Solutions...................................................................... 3-13

3-3 Single-Sided SIMM Upgrade Path...................................................................... 3-15

3-4 Double-Sided SIMM Upgrade Path.................................................................... 3-15

3-5 SIMM Upgrade Problems and Solutions ............................................................. 3-17

3-6 Video DRAM Module Problems and Solutions ................................................... 3-20

3-7 Optional 5 1/4-Inch Device Problems and Solutions ............................................ 3-38

4-1 NEC Service and Information Telephone Numbers.............................................. 4-1

4-2 System Error Messages ...................................................................................... 4-5

4-3 ISA NMI Error Messages .................................................................................. 4-7

4-4 Problems and Solutions....................................................................................... 4-7

4-5 Diagnostic Beep Codes....................................................................................... 4-11

5-1 PowerMate VP Series Desktop Disassembly Sequence...................................... 5-1

5-2 PowerMate VP Series Desktop Field-Replaceable Parts List* ............................ 5-19

5-3 PowerMate VP Series Desktop Options*........................................................... 5-22

5-4 PowerMate VP Series Desktop Documentation and Packaging ........................... 5-22

6-1 PowerMate VP Series Minitower Disassembly Sequence.................................... 6-1

6-2 PowerMate VP Minitower Field-Replaceable Parts List...................................... 6-23

6-3 PowerMate VP Series Minitower Options........................................................... 6-26

6-4 PowerMate VP Minitower Documentation and Packaging* ................................. 6-26

A-1 System Board Connector Descriptions ................................................................ A-2

A-2 Video Connector (J20) Pin Assignments.............................................................. A-5

Contents xiii

A-3 Speaker Connector (J18) Pin Assignments.......................................................... A-5

A-4 Keyboard (J1) and Mouse (J2) Connector Pin Assignments ................................ A-6

A-5 Power Lamp Connector (J16) Pin Assignments................................................... A-7

A-6 Hard Disk Drive Lamp Connector (J14) Pin Assignments.................................... A-7

A-7 Fan Connector Pin Assignments.......................................................................... A-7

A-8 Suspend Button Connector (J11) Pin Assignments............................................... A-8

A-9 Diskette Drive Connector (J5) Pin Assignments................................................... A-8

A-10 IDE/PCI Connector Pin Assignments (J4,J7)....................................................... A-9

A-11 SIMM Socket Pin Assignments........................................................................... A-10

A-12 ISA/PCI-Bus Backboard Connector Pin Assignments......................................... A-11

A-13 ISA Expansion Slot Pin Assignments................................................................... A-13

A-14 Sound Board Signal Connector........................................................................... A-15

A-15 Audio Connector................................................................................................ A-16

A-16 MIDI/Joystick Connector ................................................................................... A-16

B-1 System Unit Specifications .................................................................................. B-1

B-2 Power Supply Input Requirements....................................................................... B-3

B-3 Power Supply Output Specifications.................................................................... B-4

B-4 Specifications for Diskette Drives........................................................................ B-4

B-5 Specifications for 540-MB and 1.275-GB Hard Disk Drives............................... B-6

Preface

This service and reference manual contains the technical information necessary to set up, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair the NEC PowerMate VP75 series of computer systems. The manual also provides hardware and interface information for users who need an overview of the computer system design. The manual is written for NEC-trained customer engi neers, system analysts, service center personnel, and dealers.

The manual is organized as follows: Section 1, Technical Information, provides an overview of the computer features, hardware

design, interface ports, and internal devices. Section 2, Setup and Operation, takes the user from unpacking to setup and operation. In-

cluded is a description of the system configuration, system password, and the computer’s jumper settings, including the factory default settings.

Section 3, Options, provides the user with installation and troubleshooting information for each specific option.

Section 4, Maintenance and Troubleshooting, includes recommended maintenance i nformation and lists possible problem and solutions for the computer.

Section 5, Desktop Repair, includes a list of NEC service information and telephone num bers that provide access to the NEC Bul letin Board System (BBS), FastFacts™, and Technical Information Bulletins. Included are desktop disassembly and reassembly procedures along with an illustrated parts breakdown. NEC service and spare parts ordering inform ation is also provided.

Section 6, Minitower Repair, includes a list of NEC service inform ation and telephone numbers that provide access to the NEC Bulletin Board System (BBS), FastFacts, and Techni cal Inform ation Bulletins. Included are minitower disassembly and reassembly procedures along with an illustrated parts breakdown. NEC service and spare parts ordering information is also provided.

Appendix A, Connector Pin Assignments, provides a list of the system boards' internal connector pin assignments and a list of external pin assignments for the keyboard/mouse, serial port, parallel port, and video port.

Appendix B, Specifications, provides specifications for the system unit, power supply, diskette drives, hard disk drives, CD-ROM reader, sound board, and network board.

Appendix C, CD-ROM Reader Configuration, provides connector and jumper setting information for the quad-speed reader.

Appendix D, Sound Board Configuration, provides connector and jumper setting inform ation for the Creative Technology Ltd® 2261 sound board.

Abbreviations

xvii

A ampere AC alternating current AT advanced technology

(IBM PC)

BBS Bulletin Board System BCD binary-coded decimal BCU BIOS Customized Utility BIOS basic input/output system bit binary digit BUU BIOS Upgrade Utility bpi bits per inch bps bits per second C capacitance C centigrade Cache high-speed buffer storage CAM constantly addressable memory CAS column address strobe CD-ROM compact disk-ROM CG character generator CGA Color Graphics Adapter CGB Color Graphics Board CH channel clk clock cm centimeter CMOS complementary metal oxide

semiconductor

COM communication CONT contrast CPGA ceramic pin grid array CPU central processing unit DAC digital-to-analog converter DACK DMA acknowledge DC direct current DIP dual in-line package DLAB Divisor Latch Address bit DMA direct memory access

DMAC DMA controller DOS disk operating system DRAM dynamic RAM ECC error checking and correction EGA Enhanced Graphics Adapter EPROM erasable and programmable

ROM

EVGA Enhanced Video Graphics

Array

F Fahrenheit FAX facsimile transmission FCC Federal Communications

Commission

FG frame ground FM frequency modulation FRU field-replaceable unit GB gigabyte GND ground HEX hexadecimal HGA Hercules Graphics Adapter Hz hertz IC integrated circuit ID identification IDE intelligent device electronics IDTR interrupt descriptor table

in. inch INTA interrupt acknowledge IPB illustrated parts breakdown IRR Interrupt Request register ISA Industry Standard Architecture ISR In Service register I/O input/output IPC integrated peripheral controller ips inches per second IRQ interrupt request

xviii Abbreviations

K kilo (1024) k kilo (1000) KB kilobyte kg kilogram kHz kilohertz lb pound LED light-emitting diode LSB least-significant bit LSI large-scale integration M mega mA milliamps max maximum MB megabyte MDA Monochrome Display Adapter MFM modified frequency modulation MHz megahertz mm millimeter ms millisecond MSB most-significant bit NASC National Authorized Service

Center

QFP quad flat pack RAM random-access memory RAMDAC RAM digital-to-analog RAS row address strobe RGB red green blue RGBI red green blue intensity ROM read-only memory rpm revolutions per minute R read RTC real-time clock R/W read/write S slave SCSI Small Computer System

Interface

SG signal ground SIMM single inline memory module SVGA Super Video Graphics Array SW switch TAC Technical Assistance Center TSC Technical Support Center

TTL transistor/transistor logic NC not connected NMI Non-maskable Interrupt ns nanosecond NSRC National Service Response

Center

PAL programmable array logic PC personal computer PCB printed circuit board PFP plastic flat package PIO parallel input/output pixel picture element PLCC plastic lead chip carrier PLL phase lock loop p-p peak-to-peak PPI programmable peripheral

interface

PROM programmable ROM

tpi tracks per inch

V volt

Vdc volts, direct current

VESA video electronics standards

association

VGA Video Graphics Array

VRAM virtual RAM

W watt

W write

Section 1

Technical Information

The PowerMate VP75 Series includes the PowerMate VP75D (desktop) and PowerMate VP75MT (minitower) systems in several configurations. The configurations include:

n desktop and minitower diskless systems (diskette drive, no hard disk) n desktop and minitower hard disk systems (diskette drive, hard disk) n desktop and minitower hard disk network systems (diskette drive, hard disk, network

board)

n desktop and minitower multimedia systems (diskette drive, hard disk, CD-ROM

reader, multimedia components).

All configurations use the Intel 75 MHz Pentium™ processor and are Energy Star compliant.

The information in this manual applies to all configurations, except where indicated. This section provides an overview of the PowerMate VP75 Series system hardware.

Overviews of the desktop and minitower system unit styles are described in the following subsections.

1-2 Technical Information

DESKTOP SYSTEM UNIT

The desktop chassis provides an enclosure for the system board, power supply, four storage device slots, a five-connector PCI/ISA backboard, and four expansion slots. The expansion slots include three ISA slots and one shared PCI/ISA slot. For network configurations, one slot has a network board installed and the three remaining slots are empty. For multimedia configurations, one slot has a sound board installed and the three remaining slots are empty. All other configurations ship with the slots empty.

The storage device slots can accommodate a 3 1/2-inch diskette drive, a 3 1/2-inch hard disk (1inch height), and two accessible 5 1/4-inch storage devices (1.6-inch height). The non-multimedia hard disk systems ship with a 3 1/2-inch diskette drive and 3 1/2-inch hard disk drive, leaving two accessible 5 1/4-inch storage device slots available for optional devices. The multimedia systems ship with a 3 1/2-inch diskette drive, 3 1/2-inch hard disk drive, and a 5 1/4-inch CD-ROM reader, leaving one accessible 5 1/4-inch storage device slot available for an optional device.

Figure Section 1-1 shows front panel features of a typical desktop system. Multimedia systems come with a quad-speed CD-ROM reader installed in the upper accessible device slot.

Figure Section 1-1 Desktop System Controls and Storage Slots

Technical Information 1-3

MINITOWER SYSTEM UNIT

The minitower chassis provides an enclosure for the system board, power supply, five storage device slots, a six-connector PCI/ISA backboard, and five expansion slots. The expansion slots include three ISA slots, one dedicated PCI slot, and one shared PCI/ISA slot. For network configurations, one slot has a network board installed and the four remaining slots are empty. For multimedia configurations, one slot has a sound board installed and the four remaining slots are empty. All other configurations ship with the slots empty.

The storage device slots can accommodate a 3 1/2-inch diskette drive, two 3 1/2-inch hard disks, and three accessible 5 1/4-inch storage devices (1.6-inch height). The non-multimedia hard disk systems ship with a 3 1/2-inch diskette and a 3 1/2-inch hard disk drive, leaving three accessible 5 1/4-inch storage device slots available for optional devices. The multimedia systems ship with a 3 1/2-inch diskette, a 3 1/2-inch hard disk drive, and a 5 1/4-inch CD-ROM reader, leaving two 5 1/4-inch storage device slots available for optional devices.

Figure Section 1-2 shows front panel features of a typical minitower system. Multimedia systems come with a quad-speed CD-ROM reader installed in the lower accessible device slot.

Figure Section 1-2 Minitower System Controls and Storage Slots

1-4 Technical Information

System Board

The system board is identical for all configurations. The system board contains a Flash ROM which is upgradeable through the BIOS Update utility (see Section 2).

Key features of the system board are as follows:

n Intel Pentium 75 MHz Pentium processor n 16 kilobyte (KB) internal dual write-back cache integrated on the processor n 256-KB write-back secondary cache memory n PCI local bus for fast data transfer n support for Intel processor upgrades n 8 megabytes (MB) of random access memory (RAM) (16 MB in the multimedia con-

figurations)  accepts 32-bit or 36-bit, 70-nano second (ns) single-inline memory modules

(SIMMs)

 expandable to 128 MB

n Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) graphics controller and 32-bit PCI bus

 supports 640 x 480 resolution with up to 16.8 million colors, 800 x 600 with up to

16.8 million colors, 1024 x 768 with up to 64 K colors, and 1280 x 1024 with up to 256 colors

 1-MB (two 256K x 16) video dynamic RAM (DRAM), expandable to 2 MB  supports Display Data Channel (DDC) monitors.

n two intelligent drive electronics (IDE) interface connectors

 one fast IDE/PCI connector (primary interface) used by the hard disk drive to

transfer data at the hard disk's opti mum rate

 one standard IDE connector (secondary interface) used for the CD-ROM reader

n energy saving features: system switches to power save mode when idle for an

established amount of time

n 3 1/2-inch, 1.44-MB diskette drive

Technical Information 1-5

n PCI/ISA backboard configurations

 desktop: three ISA expansion slots and one shared PCI/ISA slot  minitower: three ISA expansion slots, one dedicated PCI slot, and one shared

PCI/ISA slot

n external connectors providing an interface for the following external devices:

 VGA-compatible monitor  personal system/2 (PS/2®)-style mouse  PS/2-style keyboard  Enhanced Parallel Port (ECP) and enhanced capabilities port (ECO) are supported

for a parallel printer

 two buffered serial ports  multimedia MIDI/joystick, speakers, microphone, and headphone connectors on

the sound board (multimedia configurations only).

Table Section 1-1 lists the major chips on the system board. See Section 2, Setup and Operation, for a description of the system board's jumpers. See Appendix A, Connector Pin Assignments, for a list of the system board connectors.

Table Section 1-1 System Board Chips

Chip Description

P54C (CPGA) 75-MHz Intel Pentium processor 28F001 128k x 8 Flash ROM Intel Mercury PCI/ISA Chip Set

8243LX 82433LX 82378ZB

Intel 82091AA Super I/O controller Dallas DS12887 Real-time clock

Cirrus Logic CL-GD5430/34 PCI graphics controller

PCI cache and memory controller Local bus extension System I/O bridge

1-6 Technical Information

Processor

The PowerMate VP series of computers use the 75 MHz Pentium processor with an internal speed of 75 MHz and an external speed of 50 MHz. The processor has 16 KB of writeback internal cache, 8 KB for instructions and 8 KB for data. A math coprocessor is integrated in the processor.

The processor is an advanced 64-bit processor designed to optimize multitasking operating systems. The 64-bit registers and data paths support 64-bit addresses and data types.

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 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 processor is compatible with 8-, 16-, and 32-bit software written for the Intel386™, Intel486™, and Pentium processors.

To accommodate future technologies and work requirements, the Pentium processor comes in a 320-pin ZIF socket. The socket provides an upgrade path to the next generation processor.

Secondary Cache

The 16-KB primary cache is integrated in the processor. The system board contains 256 KB of secondary cache, external to the processor. Cache memory improves read perform ance by holding copies of code and data that are frequently requested from the system memory by the processor. Cache memory is not considered part of the expansion memory.

The cache is connected directly to the processor address bus and uses physical addresses. A bus feature known as burst enables fast cache fills. Memory areas (pages) can be designated as cacheable or non-cacheable by software. The cache can also be enabled and disabled by software.

The write strategy of the cache (primary and secondary) is write-through. If the write is a cache hit, an external bus cycle is generated and information is written to the cache. Any area of memory can be cached in the system. Non-cacheable portions of memory are defined by software. The cache can be cleared by software instructions.

Flash ROM

Machine language programs are stored in a 28F010 Flash ROM known as the system's ROM BIOS. The system BIOS and video BIOS are contained in the ROM. The Flash ROM is 128 KB. It consists of 64 KB of system BIOS and 32 KB of video BIOS.

Technical Information 1-7

The Flash ROM allows the BIOS to be upgraded with the BIOS Update utility without removing the ROM (see Section 2, Setup and Configuration). The BIOS can only be reprogrammed by powering on the system with the BIOS Update utility diskette in Drive A.

The BIOS programs execute the Power-On Self-Test, initialize processor controllers, and interact with the display, diskette drives, hard disks, communication devices, and peripherals. The sy stem BIOS also contains the Setup program and provides VGA controller support. The hardware setup default copies the ROM BIOS into RAM (shadowing) for maximum performance.

System BIOS is located in the upper portion of the Flash ROM and video BIOS in the lower portion. System BIOS is located between F0000h-FFFFFh and supports shadowing and shadowed memory. System BIOS is write protected and automatically enabled.

Video BIOS is located between C0000h and C7FFFh. If the internal video is disabled, this range is mapped to ISA. The system memory map in shown in Table Section 1-2.

Table Section 1-2 System Memory Map

Memory Space Size Function

000000-07FFFF 512 KB Conventional base memory 080000-09FBFF 128 KB Extended conventional base memory 09FC00-09FFFF 1 KB Extended BIOS Data 0A0000-0BFFFF 128 KB On-board video memory 0C0000-0C7FFF 32 KB On-board BIOS 0C8000-0E7FFF 128 KB Available high DOS memory (open to ISA and PCI bus) 0E8000-0ECFFF 20 KB Plug-n-Play ESCD data 0ED000-OEDFFF 4 KB Reserved for logo 0EE000-0EFFFF 8 MB Flash boot block (available for HIMEM) 0F0000-0FFFFF 64 KB System BIOS 1000000- On-Board 130 MB Extended and/or Expanded system memory

Flash ROM supports the reprogramming of the system and built-in video BIOS. A jumper on the system board enables or disables the BIOS flashing feature. The factory default for the jumper is enabled, allowing the BIOS to be flashed. See Section 2, Setup and Operation, for jumper information. If the BIOS upgrade is interrupted, see Section 4, Maintenance and Troubleshooting, for information on recovering the BIOS if there is a catastrophic failure.

1-8 Technical Information

Power Management

Each system incorporates power management features that lower power consumption when there is no activity detected from the keyboard, mouse, diskette drive, CD-ROM reader, or hard disk drive after a pre-defined period of time. As soon as activity is detected the system resumes where it left off.

When Power Management is enabled, the computer automatically activates power-saving features and enters a suspend mode whenever inactivity is sensed. The computer's power-saving functions are as follows.

n Reduces the CPU clock speed

The CPU, cache, and video clock speeds are reduced, putting the computer in the suspend mode.

n Blanks out the monitor

Puts the video controller into suspend mode. The vertical sync clock and blank signals to the monitor are disabled.

n Forces the IDE devices into stand-by mode n A suspend command is sent to the IDE devices which put the devices into a stand-by

mode.

I/O Addressing

The processor communicates with I/O devices by I/O mapping. The hexadecimal (hex) addresses of I/O devices are listed in Table Section 1-3.

Table Section 1-3 I/O Address Map

Address (Hex) I/O Device Name

0000-000F DMA controller 1 (channel 0-3) 0200-0021 Interrupt controller 1 0400-0043 Timer 1 0408-004B Timer 2 0060 Keyboard controller byte 0061 NMI, speaker controller byte 0070, bit 7 Enable NMI 0070, bit 6:0 Real-time clock address 0071 Real-time clock data

Technical Information 1-9

Table Section 1-3 I/O Address Map

Address (Hex) I/O Device Name

0073 Reserved for system board configuration 0075 Reserved for system board configuration (read only) 0078 BIOS timer 0080-008F DMA page master 00A0-00A1 Interrupt controller 2

00C0-00DE DMA controller 2 (channel 4-7) 00F0 Reset numeric error 0170-0177 Secondary IDE channel 01F0-01F7 Primary IDE channel 0278-027B Parallel port 2 02F8-02FF Asynchronous communications port 2 0376 Secondary IDE channel command port 0377 Secondary IDE channel status port 0378-037F Parallel port 1 03BC-03BF Parallel port 2 03C0-03CF Video Graphics Array (VGA) compare registers 03E8-03EF Serial port 3 03FO-03F5 Diskette channel 1 03F6 Primary IDE channel command port 03F7 (write) Diskette channel command port 03F7, bit 7 Diskette change channel 1 03F7, bits 6:0 Primary IDE channel status port 03F8-03FF Asynchronous communications port 1 0CF8 PCI Configuration Space Enable 0CF9 Deturbo Mode Enable C000-C0FF 8243LX configuration registers C200-C2FF 823781B configuration registers C300-C3FF Cirrus Video configuration registers

1-10 Technical Information

System Memory

The system comes standard with 8 MB of memory (16 MB in multimedia configurations), 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.

Four SIMM sockets are integrated on the system board. Non-multimedia systems ship with two 4-MB SIMMs installed in two sockets. Multimedia configurations ship with two 8-MB SIMMs installed in two sockets.

The SIMM memory sockets accept 4-, 8-, 16-, 32-, or 64-MB SIMMs, either 32-bit (no parity) or 36-bit (parity). The factory installed high-speed RAM is 32 bits wide. SIMMs are 1 MB x 32 bit (4 MB), 2 MB x 32 bit (8 MB), 4 MB x 32 bit (16 MB), 8 MB x 32 bit (32 MB), and 16 MB x 32 bit (64 MB). When the standard SIMM(s) is removed, four 32-MB SIMMs may be i nstalled for a total of 128 MB.

CAUTION: SIMMs must match the tin metal plating used on the system board SIMM sockets. When adding SIMMs, use tin-plated SIMMs.

SIMMs install directly on the system board. Different size SIMMs may be intermixed. Each SIMM is inserted into a socket or bank. The system board's four SIMM sockets are assigned as banks 0 through 3. For non-multimedia configurations, the standard 8 MB of memory is installed in bank 0. The multimedia configurations have two 4 MB SIMMs installed in banks 0 and 1. See Section 3, Options, for installation instructions and SIMM memory configurations.

Interrupt Controller

The interrupt controller operates as an interrupt manager for the entire AT system envi ronment. The controller accepts requests from peripherals, issues interrupt requests to the processor, resolves interrupt priorities, and provides vectors for the processor to determine which interrupt routine to execute. The interrupt controller has priority assignment modes that can be reconfigured at any time during system operations.

The interrupt levels are described in Table Section 1-4. Interrupt-level assignments 0 through 15 are in order of decreasing priority. See Section 2, Setup and Operation , for information on chan ging the interrupts using Setup.

Table Section 1-4 Interrupt Level Assignments

Interrupt Priority Interrupt Device

IRQ00 Counter/Timer IRQ01 Keyboard

Technical Information 1-11

Table Section 1-4 Interrupt Level Assignments

Interrupt Priority Interrupt Device

IRQ02 Cascade (INT output from slave) IRQ03 COM2* IRQ04 COM1* IRQ05 Parallel Port 2 IRQ06 Diskette Drive Controller* IRQ07 Parallel Port 1*

IRQ08 Real-time clock IRQ09 Available IRQ10 Available IRQ11 Available IRQ12 PS/2 mouse* IRQ13 Coprocessor IRQ14 Primary IDE IRQ15 Secondary IDE

*Industry standard locations

Video Controller

The Circus Logic CLDG5434 PCI graphics controller combines powerful elements aimed at addressing the requirements of personal computer designs. State of the art techniques have been added for optimizing performance in computer graphic intensive applications and graphical user interfaces (GUI). A variety of industry standard 32-bit local bus interfaces are integrated on chip. The key is that local bus interfaces are 32-bit wide.

Included in the video controller are cost saving features such as an integrated palette DAC and clock synthesizer along with integrated support for multiple bus interfaces and flexible DRAMbased display memory configurations.

The TrueColor RAMDAC provides 24-bit true color. The integrated dual clock synthesizer allows full programmability of MCLK (memory clock) and PCLK (pixel clock). The integrated clock synthesizer supports frequencies from 390 kHz to 120 MHz. The CLDG5434 supports up to 2 MB of display memory. The video memory is 256K x 16 DRAM.

1-12 Technical Information

The VESA display power management signaling (DPMS) standard is supported, enabling standby, suspend, and off power saving modes. This includes the ability to independently stop HSYNC or VSYNC and hold them at a static level. Additionally the RAMDAC may be powered-down and the clock frequencies lowered for further power savings. Color Key and video overlay are supported for optional multimedia applications.

Video Memory

The 1 MB of on-board video DRAM is expandable to 2 MB and provides 640 x 480 resolutions with up to 16.8 million colors, 800 x 600 with up to 16.8 million colors, 1024 x 768 with up to 64 K colors, and 1280 x 1024 with up to 256 colors. Table Section 1-5 lists the resolutions available with the installed video memory.

Table Section 1-5 Video Resolutions and Frequencies

Resolution

640 x 480 1 MB 256 60 31.5 640 x 480 1 MB 256 72 37.0 640 x 480 1 MB 256 72 44.6 640 x 480 1 MB 65K 60 31.5 640 x 480 1 MB 65K 72 37.0 640 x 480 1 MB 65K 72 44.6 640 x 480 1 MB 16.7M 60 31.5 640 x 480 1 MB 16.7M 72 37.0 640 x 480 1 MB 16.7M 72 44.6 800 x 600 1 MB 256 95(i) 33.8

800 x 600 1 MB 256 56 35.2 800 x 600 1 MB 256 60 37.9 800 x 600 1 MB 256 70 44.5 800 x 600 1 MB 256 72 48.0

Memory Required

Color

Video Clock (Hz) Horiz Sync (KHz)

800 x 600 1 MB 256 76 52.4

Technical Information 1-13

Table Section 1-5 Video Resolutions and Frequencies

Resolution

800 x 600 1 MB 65K 95(i) 33.8 800 x 600 1 MB 65K 56 35.2 800 x 600 1 MB 65K 70 44.5 800 x 600 1 MB 65K 72 48.0 800 x 600 2 MB 65K 76 52.4 800 x 600 2 MB 16.7M 95(i) 33.8 800 x 600 2 MB 16.7M 56 35.2 800 x 600 2 MB 16.7M 60 37.9 800 x 600 2 MB 16.7M 70 44.5

800 x 600 2 MB 16.7M 72 48.0

1024 x 768 1 MB 256 87(i) 35.5 1024 x 768 1 MB 256 60 48.4 1024 x 768 1 MB 256 66 53.9 1024 x 768 1 MB 256 70 56.1

Memory Required

Color

Video Clock (Hz) Horiz Sync (KHz)

1024 x 768 1 MB 256 72 57.9 1024 x 768 1 MB 256 76 61.4 1024 x 768 2 MB 65K 87(i) 35.5 1024 x 768 2 MB 65K 60 48.4 1024 x 768 2 MB 65K 66 53.9 1024 x 768 2 MB 65K 70 56.1 1024 x 768 2 MB 65K 72 57.9 1024 x 768 2 MB 65K 76 61.4 1280 x 1024 1 MB 16 87(i) 50 1280 x 1024 1 MB 16 95(i) 50 1280 x 1024 2 MB 256 87(i) 50

1280 x 1024 2 MB 256 95(i) 50 1280 x 1024 2 MB 256 60 64.0 1280 x 1024 2 MB 256 70 74.6 1280 x 1024 2 MB 256 74 81.1

(I) Interlaced.

1-14 Technical Information

IDE/PCI-Bus Backboard

The desktop IDE/PCI-bus backboard provides three ISA expansion slots and one shared IDE/PCI expansion slot. The backboard is plugged into the bus connector on the desktop system board. The minitower PCI/IDE bus backboard provides three ISA expansion slots, one dedicated PCI expansion slot, and one shared IDE/PCI expansion slot. The backboard is plugged into the bus connector on the minitower system board.

ISA Bus

The system board uses the ISA bus for transferring data between the processor and I/O peripherals and expansion boards. The ISA bus supports 16-bit data transfers and typically operates at 8 MHz. ISA expansion slot connector pin assignments are provided in Appendix A.

PCI Local Bus

The industry-standard PCI-bus is a highly-i ntegrated 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 im ages.

The high-bandwidth PCI-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 expansion slot connector pin assignments are provided in Appendix A.

PCI Auto Configuration

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

Technical Information 1-15

Parallel Interface

The system has a 25-pin parallel port on the system board. Specifications for this port conform to the IBM-PC standards.

The BIOS has automatic ISA printer port sensing. If the BIOS detects an ISA printer port mapped to the same address, the built-in printer port is disabled. The BIOS also sets the first parallel interface port it finds as LPT1 and the second port it finds as LPT2. The interrupt is selected to either IRQ5 or IRQ7 via the Setup and jumper settings.

Interrupt levels for the parallel port are given in Table Section 1-6. Software selectable base addresses are 3BCh, 378h, and 278h.

Parallel interface signals are output through the system board's 25-pin, D-subconnector. The connector is located at the rear of the system unit. Pin locations for the parallel interface connector are shown in Appendix A.

NOTE: Any interrupts used for the built-in parallel port are not available for ISA parallel ports.

Table Section 1-6 Parallel Port Addressing and Interrupts

Starting I/O Address Interrupt Level Port

378 IRQ05 LPT1 278 IRQ05 LPT1 or LPT2 3BC IRQ05 LPT1 or LPT2 378* IRQ07 LPT1 278 IRQ07 LPT1 or LPT2 3BC IRQ07 LPT1 or LPT2

*Default for parallel port

Serial Interface

The system has two standard serial ports (COM1 and COM2). The serial ports support the standard RS-232C interface (16550 compatible). I/O addresses and interrupt levels for the two channels are given in Table Section 1-7. The interrupt is selectable via Setup to either IRQ3 or IRQ4. Software selectable base addresses are 3F8h, 2F8h, 3E8h, and 2E8h. Serial interface signals are output through the system board's 9-pin, D-subconnector. The connectors are located at the rear of the system unit. Pin locations for the serial interface connector are shown in Appendix A.

1-16 Technical Information

NOTE: Any interrupts used for the built-in serial ports are not available for ISA parallel ports.

Table Section 1-7 Serial Port Addressing and Interrupts

Starting I/O Address Interrupt Level Port

3F8* IRQ04 COM1 2F8* IRQ03 COM2 3E8 IRQ04 COM3 2E8 IRQ03 COM4

*Default for serial port

Serial interface specifications include:

n Baud rate up to 19.2 KB per second n Word length - 5, 6, 7, or 8 bits n Stop bit - 1, 1.5, or 2 bits n Start bit - 1 bit n Parity bit - 1 bit (odd parity or even parity).

Indicator Panel

The indicator panel is attached to the front panel and contains the power lamp, hard disk drive busy lamp, and suspend button. The indicator panel electrically attaches to the system board through connector J11 (suspend connector), J14 (hard disk drive busy lamp connector), and J16 (power lamp connector).

POWER SUPPLY

The power supply is mounted inside the system unit. It supplies power to the system board, option boards, diskette drives, hard disks, keyboard, and mouse. The power supply is connected to the system board through connector J6. A fan inside the power supply provides proper ventilation for the system. The power supply in the desktop supplies 145W of power. The minitower power supply provides 200W. Power requirements and specifications for both power supplies are provided in Appendix C.

Technical Information 1-17

DISKETTE DRIVE

Up to two diskette drives are supported in the system. The installed drive is connected by a single ribbon cable with one drive connector. An optional cable with two drive connectors allows the connection of two drives. The system refers to the diskette drives as A and B. Drive A is for the first drive, B is for a second optional diskette drive. The diskette drive cable plugs directly into the system board (connector J5). Typically both diskette drives are terminated. See Section 3, Options, for installing an optional 5 1/4-inch diskette drive.

Specifications for the diskette drives are provided in Appendix B, Specifications.

HARD DISK DRIVE

The system provides IDE/PCI interface connectors on the system board. The system board supports up to two IDE devices on the primary connector and two IDE devices on the secondary connector. The system unit provides one storage slot for a 3 1/2-inch hard disk (1inch height), and one available storage slot for an optional 5 1/4-inch device (1.6-inch height). See Section 3, Options, for installing an optional hard disk drive.

Specifications for the diskette drives are provided in Appendix B, Specifications.

NETWORK BOARD

Some systems are configured with a network board. The network board provides three jacks for connecting the system to the local network. The network board is a 3COM, 16-bit, Etherlink™ network interface board. Features are as follows:

n Hardware Plug and Play is supported n Hardware configuration is software selectable (no jumpers or switches to set) n AutoLink™ auto installation software which installs all Novell

client software into the operating system.

n Auto select media type capability, which enables certain drivers to automatically detect

the type of media connector that connects the network board to the network

n Network management support through Transcend ™ Etherlink SmartAgent™ soft-

ware, which is auto-installed with the drivers.

The network interface board has connectors for thin, thick, or twisted-pair Ethernet connections. A network user’s guide and drivers are shipped with network configured systems.

Netware® DOS ODI

1-18 Technical Information

MULTIMEDIA COMPONENTS

Systems configured for multimedia come with a quad-speed CD-ROM reader, sound board, a pair of speakers, and microphone. The following subsections briefly describe each. Information on attaching the speakers and microphone is in Section 2, Setup and Operation.

Quad-Speed CD-ROM

The IDE quad-speed CD-ROM reader is pre-installed as drive E on multimedia configurations. Operation of the reader is described in Section 2, Setup and Configuration. The CD-ROM reader can be used to load programs from a CD or it can be used to play audio CDs. The CDROM reader is connected to the secondary IDE/PCI port on the system board.

Sound Board

The sound board is a Creative Labs Sound Blaster™ Audio Card. The sound board is installed in the ISA/PCI backboard. System settings for the sound board can be found in a sound board directory on the computer's hard disk drive. For information on changing the sound board settings, see Appendix D in this manual and the Creative Labs Multimedia Audio Card User's Guide that comes with the computer.

The sound board uses 16-bit DMA data transfer and has software addressable IRQs and DMAs for versatility. External connectors accept speakers or headphones, a microphone, stereo input, and a musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) or joystick attachment. The speaker jack offers a four-watt (RMS)/channel amplifier. The joystick port allows a full duplex MIDI.

The advanced frequency modulation (FM) stereo synthesizers use a 16-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC) with four operator FM sounds and twenty stereo voices. The sound board provides digital sampling up to 44 kHz and playback with dynamic filtering from 2 to 44 kHz. The sound board is fully compatible with the ADLib™ software library.

Connectors for the board are shown in Section 2, Setup and Operation. See Appendix A for connector pin assignments.

Speakers

The multimedia systems come with a pair of high-quality speakers, AC adapter, and connecting wires. The speaker set features a volume control, treble boost, bass boost, and a power-on button. The speakers connect to the speaker jacks on the back of the system unit. Speaker features are as follows.

n 3-inch magnetically shielded full-range speakers for monitor, drive, and disc protection n Bass (DXBB) boost switch

Technical Information 1-19

n Treble boost switch n Built-in power booster n Power source: 6 volt (V) AC power adapter or four “C” batteries (not included) n Speaker impedance: 8 ohms n Power output: 3.6 watts n Frequency response: 60 – 15000 Hz n 3.5 mm stereo plug

Microphone

The microphone that comes with the multimedia systems record voice and sound into com puter data files. The microphone jack is located on the back of the system.

KEYBOARD

The PS/2-style keyboard is standard equipment for the system. The keyboard provides a numeric keypad, separate cursor control keys, and 12 function keys, capable of up to 48 functions. Status lamps on the keyboard indicate: Num (Numeric) Lock, Caps (Capital) Lock, and Scroll Lock key status. The keyboard's six-pin connector is plugged into the rear of the base unit. The PS/2style keyboard connector pin assignments are given in Appendix A, Connector Pin Assignments.

MOUSE

A PS/2-compatible mouse is standard equipment for the system. The mouse has a self-cleaning mechanism that prevents a buildup of dust or lint around the mouse ball and tracking mechanism. Periodically the mouse ball must be cleaned. See Section 4, Maintenance and Troubleshooting, for information on cleaning the mouse.

POWER MANAGEMENT

Each computer system is Energy Star compliant and incorporates power management features that lowers 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. To enable Power Management, see Section 2, Setup.

If the computer is put into suspend mode by pressing the suspend button, the suspend button must be pressed again to exit the suspend mode. System activity will not resume from suspend mode.

1-20 Technical Information

PLUG AND PLAY

The system comes with Plug and Play system support installed, and requires only the Plug and Play operating system. When the Plug and Play operating system is installed, the system will automatically configure newly added Plug and Play boards.

Plug and Play boards are ISA boards with the new configuration capability. Most currently available ISA boards do not have the new capability. However, Plug and Play boards can be added to the 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.

NOTE: 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 need. 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 Section 4, Troubleshooting and Maintenance).

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.

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.

DESKTOP MANAGEMENT INTERFACE

The Desktop Management Interface (DMI) is a 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.

Technical Information 1-21

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 capabil ity. DMI is not a protocol but an i nterface. It complements network protocols like the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

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

DMI Components

The DMI consists of two major functional components, the Component Interface (CI) module and the Windows Management Information Format (MIF) Browser. The CI module provides the instrumentation and interface between the BIOS, NEC Services, and the DMI Service Layer. The MIF Browser displays and manages existing attributes in the MIF database.

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. 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 StartUp program group during DMI setup.

MIF Browser

The MIF 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.

1-22 Technical Information

The MIF 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.

NOTE: The user is not expected to install or remove MIF com ponents.

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.

The toolbar can also be used 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.

Usage

To start the Browser, double click on the MIF Browser icon in the NEC DMI Interface group. The Browser is 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 trouble is experienced in using the MIF Browser, here are a few suggestions on how to clear up the problem.

If the product name, serial number, system boot time, or other NEC attribute returns a not available value, check the following:

Technical Information 1-23

n Look at the autoexec.bat file to see if the line DIR%\WIN16\BIN\NECDMI.EXE is

present.

n Make sure the file NECDMI.DAT is located in the \WIN16\BIN subdirectory. n Check that NECCI.EXE is running.

Section 2

Setup and Operation

This section provides information on hardware setup for the PowerMate VP series computers. Setup includes unpacking, cabling, and powering up the system. It also includes configuring the system with the system setup programs. Section 3 provides information for installing options.

UNPACKING AND REPACKING

Find an area away from devices that generate magnetic fields (electric motors, transform ers, etc.). Place the carton on a sturdy surface, and carefully unpack the system. The carton contents for non -multimedia configurations include the system unit, keyboard, mouse, power cord, user documentation, and system recovery diskette. The carton contents for multimedia configurations include the system unit with a quad-speed CD-ROM player, keyboard, mouse, speakers, power cord, user documentation, CD-ROM disc with hotload backup, and system recovery diskette.

Repack the system using the original shipping carton and packing material. Part numbers for replacement shipping cartons and packing material are included in Section 5 and Section 6.

SETUP

Connect the system components according to the following two subsections.

n Desktop Configuration – for setting up desktop system units. n Minitower Configuration – for setting up minitower system units.

2-2 Setup and Operation

Desktop Setup

Set up the desktop systems by making the following connections. (See the following subsection, Minitower Setup, if setting up a minitower system).

1. At the rear of the system, set the voltage selector switch to 115V or 230V and plug the

power cord into the system power socket (see Figure Section 2-1).

CAUTION: The correct AC input voltage must be properly set. Select the appropriate voltage with the voltage selector switch located at the rear of the system.

Figure Section 2-1 Desktop Voltage Selector Switch

Setup and Operation 2-3

2. Connect the keyboard and mouse cables to the back of the system unit (see

Figure Section 2-2).

3. Connect the monitor and any other peripheral cables to the rear panel (see

Figure Section 2-2).

Figure Section 2-2 Desktop Peripherals Connections

2-4 Setup and Operation

4. Connect the network cables (network configurations only) to the rear panel (see Figure

Section 2-3).

Figure Section 2-3 Desktop Network Board Connections

Setup and Operation 2-5

5. If installing a multimedia system, connect multimedia components to the sound board as

shown in Figure Section 2-4.

Figure Section 2-4 Desktop Multimedia Connections

2-6 Setup and Operation

6. Press the power button to power-on the system. The power lamp lights.

7. Press the suspend button (see Figure Section 2-5) to place the unit in the power man-

agement mode.

Figure Section 2-5 Desktop Power Button, Lamps, and Suspend Button

The system has a built-in checking program that automatically tests the components at power-on. One beep indicates that the system has successfully completed its power-on test.

If there is a problem, a series of beeps may occur. If this happens repeatedly after powering on the system, power off the system and see Section 4 for troubleshooting.

NOTE: If the system displays a message indicating that system settings have changed, run Setup (see “System Configuration” later in this section).

If a problem occurs, and is not indicated by beeps, check the following items, then turn to Section 4 for troubleshooting. Check that:

n the power switch for the system unit and monitor are on. n all cables and power cords are tightly connected. n the electrical outlet is working. n the monitor’s brightness and contrast are adjusted properly.

Setup and Operation 2-7

n all options are properly installed (see Section 3 for option installation).

Minitower Setup

Set up the minitower systems by making the following connections. (See the preceding subsection, Desktop Setup, if setting up a desktop computer.)

1. At the rear of the system, set the voltage selector switch to 115V or 230V and plug the

power cord into the power socket (see Figure Section 2-6).

CAUTION: The correct AC input voltage must be properly set. Select the appropriate voltage with the voltage selector switch located at the rear of the system.

Figure Section 2-6 Minitower Voltage Selector Switch

2-8 Setup and Operation

2. Connect the keyboard and mouse cables to the back of the system unit (see

Figure Section 2-7).

3. Connect the monitor and any other peripheral cables to the rear panel (see

Figure Section 2-7).

Figure Section 2-7 Minitower Peripherals Connections

Setup and Operation 2-9

4. Connect the network cables (network configurations only) to the rear panel (see Figure

Section 2-9).

Figure Section 2-8 Minitower Network Board Connections

2-10 Setup and Operation

5. If installing a multimedia system, connect mulitmedia components to the sound board

(Figure Section 2-9).

Figure Section 2-9 Minitower Sound/Fax/Modem Board Connectors

Setup and Operation 2-11

6. Press the power button to power-on the system (see Figure Section 2-10). The power

lamp lights.

7. Press the suspend button to place the unit in the power management mode.

Figure Section 2-10 Minitower Power Button, Indicators, and Suspend Button

The system has a built-in checking program that automatically tests the components at power-on. One beep indicates that the system has successfully completed its power-on test.

If there is a problem, a series of beeps may occur. If this happens repeatedly after powering on the system, power off the system and see Section 4 for troubleshooting.

NOTE: If the system displays a message indicating that system settings have changed, run Setup (see “System Configuration” later in this section).

If a problem occurs, and is not indicated by beeps, check the following items, then turn to Section 4 for troubleshooting. Check that:

2-12 Setup and Operation

CD-ROM READER

A quad-speed CD-ROM reader (see Figure Section 2-11) comes pre-installed as drive E in the multimedia configurations. The reader is set as a master device, and is connected to the secondary IDE/PCI port on the system board.

Use the CD-ROM reader to load and start programs from a CD. The CD-ROM reader can also be used to play audio Cds. The CD-ROM reader has the following controls and indicators:

n jack for connecting headphones with a stereo mini-jack plug n volume control for adjusting the headphone volume n busy lamp that lights during read operations n eject/reject button for opening or closing the CD tray when the power is on n CD tray that opens and closes when the eject/retract button is pressed n emergency eject hole in the front panel for manually opening the CD tray if power is

lost. Insert a jewelers screwdriver into the hole. Turn the screw counterclockwise to open the tray and clockwise to close the tray.

Figure Section 2-11 CD-ROM Reader Controls and Indicators

To load a disc in the quad-speed CD-ROM reader, follow these steps.

1. Press the stop/eject button. The CD tray opens.

2. Put the CD, printed side up, into the tray.

3. Press the stop/eject button. The tray closes.

4. To remove the disc, press the stop/eject button. The tray opens, allowing removal of

the disc.

Setup and Operation 2-13

EXTERNAL MULTIMEDIA CONNECTIONS

This subsection explains how to connect multimedia components to the system’s multimedia connectors (multimedia configurations only). The connectors are located on the sound board at the rear of the system and on the CD-ROM reader at the front of the system.

The sound board has a 15-pin connector and three jacks that attach multimedia components to the back of the system.

The external connectors for the sound board are on the rear of the system unit. Figure Section 24 shows the desktop sound board connectors. Figure Section 2-9 shows the minitower connectors. Each connector is briefly described below.

n A line in jack allows connecting such devices as a cassette, DAT, or Minidisc player

for playback or recording.

n A microphone in jack allows connecting a microphone for voice input. n A line out jack allows bypassing of the sound board’s internal amplifier so that the

speakers included with the system, powered speakers, or an external amplifier can be connected.

n A speaker jack allows connection of unamplified speakers for audio output from the

sound board’s built-in power amplifier. Maximum output power is four watts per channel from four-ohm speakers and two watts per channel from eight-ohm speakers.

n A MIDI/Joystick connector allows connection of a MIDI synthesizer kit or a joystick

with a 15-pin D-subconnector.

Connecting the Speakers

The speakers operate once they are connected to the sound board. To use the built-in am plifier for treble and bass control and additional volume, install the AC adapter. Connect the speakers to the system unit as follows.

1. Open the covers at the rear of the speakers. Pull out the speaker cables.

CAUTION: Do not install batteries in the speakers

if using the AC adapter.

2-14 Setup and Operation

2. Connect the left speaker cable (with the dual plug) to the right speaker connector la-

beled TO LEFT SPEAKER (see Figure Section 2-12).

3. Connect the right speaker cable (with the single plug) to the SPK OUT jack on the

sound board at the rear of the system unit.

Figure Section 2-12 Ready 9520 Speaker Connections

Connect the 6-volt AC adapter as follows.

1. Remove any installed batteries from the speakers.

2. Plug the AC adapter into the DC 6V jack on the back of the left speaker (see Figure

Section 2-12).

3. Plug the other end of the AC adapter into a properly grounded wall outlet.

Setup and Operation 2-15

SYSTEM CONFIGURATION

This section describes the Setup utility program that allows the system configuration information to be viewed and changed.

NOTE: The system ships from the factory with the correct system parameters for the configuration. Unless setting the time and date, customizing the sy stem, or adding optional hardware, Setup does not need to be run.

System configuration information is stored in nonvolatile memory. Nonvolatile memory in the system is a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chip backed by a real time clock (RTC)/battery module on the system board. The module supplies continuous power to the CMOS memory and maintains configuration information when system power is off.

The Setup utility is used to view and set system parameters. Use the Setup utility to:

n set the time and date. n update or check system parameters when adding or removing expansion options. n change or set power management features. n correct a hardware discrepancy when the Power-On-Self-Test (POST) displays an er-

ror message and a prompt appears to run Setup.

n check the installation of optional memory by comparing the amount of memory installed

with the amount of memory displayed by Setup.

n change certain system operating parameters, such as boot device sequence or key-

board parameters.

n configure system connections for peripherals such as the diskette drive, hard drives,

and devices connected to the printer and serial ports.

n customize the system with security features such as passwords, diskette drive restri c-

tion, virus check reminder, and system backup reminder.

n set system parameters if the system board requires replacing.

2-16 Setup and Operation

How to Start Setup

To start the Setup utility, follow these steps:

1. Turn on or reboot the 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.

NOTE: The screen shown is typical of the system.

The actual items on the Main Menu depend upon the hardware installed in the system.

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

Main Advanced Security Power Exit

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 for setting system parameters.

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. Main Menu parameters can be set directly from this window or from the Main menu option in the legend bar.

Setup and Operation 2-17

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 after

pressing F1 or Alt H . This help window provides two pages of general information about using Setup.

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

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 control lers. The Advanced menu also provides menu items for setting parity and for setting

param eters for large disks (for example, to use large disks with Windows NT™). Some of the Advanced features are accessible only with a Supervisor password.

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 — Exits the current menu.

To select an option from the menu bar, use the left and right ←← →→ arrow keys. See “Exiting Setup” in this section for a description on exiting the Main Menu.

2-18 Setup and Operation

Legend Bar

Use the keys listed in the legend bar on the bottom of the Setup menu to make the selections or exit the current menu. Table Section 2-1 describes the legend keys and their alternates.

Table Section 2-1 Setup Key Functions

Key Function

F1 or Alt-H Displays General Help window (described later in this section). Esc Exits the menu. ← or → arrow keys Selects a different menu. ↑ or ↓ arrow keys Moves cursor up and down. Tab or Shift-Tab Cycles cursor up and down. Home or End Moves cursor to top or bottom of window. Page Up or Page Down Moves cursor to 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 this menu. F10 Loads the Previous Configuration values for this menu. Enter Executes a command or selects submenu. Alt-R Refreshes screen.

n Selecting a Menu Item

To select a menu item, use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the desired field. 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.

n Displaying a Submenu

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

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 the cursor is moved to each new field.

Setup and Operation 2-19

Displays the amount of extended memory detected

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.

Main Menu Options

Table Section 2-2 lists and describes the available parameters when the Main Menu is selected 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 parameter and press Enter to select a submenu.

See the sections following Table Section 2-2 for a description of Main Menu parameters from the summary window.

Table Section 2-2 Legend Bar 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 subsections. Video System Monochrome

Memory Options Enabled (default) Described in the following subsections.

360KB, 5 1/4”

1.2MB, 5 1/4” 720KB, 3 1/2”

1.44MB, 3 1/2”

2.88MB, 3 1/2” Not Installed

EGA/VGA, (default) CGA 80x25

Selects the type of diskette drive in the system.

Selects the default video device.

Boot Sequence A: then C: (default) Described in the following subsections. NumLock Auto (default) Described in the following subsections. System Memory Automatically detected

by the system

Extended Memory Automatically detected

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

2-20 Setup and Operation

Table Section 2-2 Legend Bar Main Menu Parameters

Parameter Options Description

by the system at power-on.

IDE Adapters

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

Setup supports up to four IDE devices, with an IDE adapter for each of the following configurations:

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

The factory installed master/slave combination for configurations with an IDE hard disk connected to the primary IDE/PCI port is “1 Master.” If a second hard disk is added to the primary IDE/PCI 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).

The factory installed master/slave combination for multimedia configurations with an IDE hard disk and a CD-ROM reader is “2 Masters.” The hard disk is connected to the primary IDE/PCI port and the CD-ROM reader is connected to the secondary IDE/PCI port as a master. If an IDE hard disk is added to the primary IDE/PCI port, the combination becomes “2 Masters, 1 Slave.”

NOTE: If the CD-ROM reader settings in the multimedia configurations are changed, the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT require changing.

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.

Setup and Operation 2-21

values for predefined disk type. “User” prompts user

IDE Adapter 0 configures the primary IDE/PCI port (primary channel), 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 Table Section 2-3 to configure the hard disk. If the IDE hard disk features auto IDE type detection, select the Autotype Fixed Disk parameter. The system then automatically detects the hard disk type and sets the remaining parameters.

CAUTION: Use Table Section 2-3 only when the sy stem can not auto detect any installed optional drive. An incorrect setting can cause the system to malfunction and not be able to read the drive.

Table Section 2-3 IDE Hard Disk Parameters

Parameter Options Description

Type 1 to 39

User

Cylinders 1 to 65534 Specifies number of cylinders. Heads 1 to 16 Specifies number of read/write heads. Sectors/Track 1 to 63 Specifies number of sectors per track. Write Precomp* 0 to 65534

Multi-Sector Transfers

LBA Mode Control Enabled (default)

32-Bit I/O Enabled (default)

Transfer Mode Standard

Auto

None 2, 4, 8, 16

Sectors disabled

Disabled

Fast PIO1 Fast PIO2 Fast PIO3

Selecting 1 to 39 fills in all remaining fields with to fill in remaining fields. When Auto is selected,

the BIOS will automatically set the drive type.

Specifies number of the cylinder at which to change the write timing.

Specifies number of sectors in multisector transfers.

Sets OBA mode Control on or off.

Sets 32 bit I/O to on or off.

Specifies the transfer mode for moving data to and from the hard drive. Standard is the slowest mode but the most compatible. Fast PIO (programmed input/output) is the slowest of the three enhanced modes. Fast PIO3 is the fastest of the enhanced modes.

2-22 Setup and Operation

Default is disabled. Shadows optional ROM located

Memory Shadow

For memory shadowing parameters, select “Memory Shadow” directly from the Main Menu summary window. See Table Section 2-4 for a description of Memory Shadow parameters.

CAUTION: Incorrect settings can cause the system to malfunction.

Table Section 2-4 Memory Shadow Parameters

Parameter Options Description

System shadow Not user-

selectable

Video shadow Not user-

selectable

Shadow Memory Regions

Enabled Disabled

Boot Sequence

The 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 the selections and exit to the Main Menu. Use Table Section 2-5 to select the boot options.

Table Section 2-5 Boot Parameters

Always enabled. Shadows video BIOS and improves performance.

in specified segments of memory and can improve performance. CAUTION: Some add-in boards, particularly with on-board firmware, do not work properly when shadowed.

Parameters Options Description

Boot sequence A: then C: (default)

C: then A: C: only

Setup prompt Enabled (default)

Disabled

POST errors Enabled (default)

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”.

Table Section 2-5 Boot Parameters

Parameters Options Description

Floppy check Enabled (default)

Disabled

Seeks diskette drives during bootup. Disabling speeds boot time.

Setup and Operation 2-23

Summary screen Enabled (default)

Disabled

Last Boot Fail 3 (default)

User selectable settings Disabled

Describes system configuration at the end of bootup.

Sets number of times the system 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, allows three tries to boot the system. On the fourth try, the “Previous Boot Incomplete “ message appears.

Numlock

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

Use the legend keys to make the selections and exit to the Main Menu. Use Table Section 2-6 to configure the keyboard parameters. Select “NumLock” directly from the Main Menu sum mary window to display the Keyboard Features menu.

Table Section 2-6 Numlock 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)

On or Off turns NumLock on or off at bootup. Auto turns NumLock 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.

2-24 Setup and Operation

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.

The following sections describe Advanced menu options.

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

Integrated Peripherals Menu

Select “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 control lers.

CAUTION: If the system conditions require changing COM1, COM2, and LPT port settings, be sure that these settings match the corresponding system board jumper settings (see Section 2).

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

Use the legend keys to make the selections and exit to the Main Menu. Use Table Section 2-7 to configure the peripherals.

Table Section 2-7 Integrated Peripherals Parameters

ontrollers. Both enables

Feature Options Description

Setup and Operation 2-25

COM1 port COM2 port

LPT port Disabled

Diskette Controller

Local Bus IDE Controller

Disabled User-selectable settings Auto

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

Enabled (default) Disabled

Both (default) Disabled

For multimedia systems, COM2 is shipped disabled.

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 c the primary and secondary channels.

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.” This parameter might require a Supervisor password.

Large Disk Access Mode

Select the Large Disk Access Mode parameter when configuring a large disk (see Table Section 2-8). Use the legend keys to make the selections and exit to the Main Menu.

Table Section 2-8 Large Disk Parameters

Parameter Options Description

Large Disk Mode DOS

Other

Select DOS when using DOS. Select other when using 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.

2-26 Setup and Operation

Security Menu

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

NOTE: Enter the Setup program with either a User or Supervisor password. However, more Setup choices are available with the Supervisor password.

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

Enabling “Supervisor Password” requires a password for entering Setup. Passwords are not case sensitive.

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. Reenter the password and press Enter. See Table Section 2-9 for a description of the security features. Use the legend keys to make the

selections and exit to the Main Menu.

Table Section 2-9 System Security Options

Feature Options Description

Supervisor Password Disabled (default)

Enabled

Set Supervisor Password

User Password Disabled (default)

Up to seven alphanumeric characters

Enabled

Must set to Enabled to set a Supervisor password.

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

Must be set to Enabled to set a User password.

Table Section 2-9 System Security Options

Supervisor setting restricts use of diskette drives to

Feature Options Description

Setup and Operation 2-27

Set User Password Up to seven

alphanumeric characters

Password on boot Disabled (default)

Enabled

Diskette access User (default)

Fixed disk boot sector

Supervisor

Normal (default) Write Protected

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

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

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

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

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.

System backup reminder

Virus check reminder

Disabled (default) Daily Weekly Monthly

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

Message returns on each boot until “Y” is responded.

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.

Power Menu

Selecting “Power” from the menu bar displays a screen with the power management parameters. Use the Power menu to specify the settings for Power Management. The parameters are 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.

2-28 Setup and Operation

management options with predefined values. Select

and bringing the system to full power when it is in a

wer when it is in a

Use the legend keys to make the selections and exit to the Main Menu. Use Table Section 2-10 in making the selections.

Table Section 2-10 Power Management Parameters

Feature Options Description

APM Enabled (default) Advanced power management (APM) allows APM-

aware software to better manage power savings.

Power Management Mode

Standby Timeout

Standby CPU Speed

Suspend Button

Parallel Port Activity Enabled (default)

Serial Port Activity Enabled (default)

IRQ1...IRQ15 Disabled

Customize (default) Disabled Maximum Medium Minimum

15 min (default) Disabled User Selectable

Max (default) High Medium Low

Suspend (default) Standby Disabled

Disabled

Enabled

Maximum, Medium, and Minimum set powerCustomize to make the selections from the

following fields. Disabled turns off all power management.

Specifies inactivity period before partial power shutdown.

Sets processor speed during Standby.

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 low power management mode.

Enables serial port activity by resetting the timer and bringing the system to full po low power management mode.

During Suspend, enabled IRQ turns on processor clock.

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

Setup and Operation 2-29

n Save Changes.

The following sections describe each of the options on the Exit Menu. Note that Esc does not exit this menu. Select one of the items from the menu or menu bar to exit.

Save Changes & Exit

After making the selections on the Setup menus, always select Save Changes to Non-Volatile RAM (NVRAM) to make them operative.

Unlike standard RAM memory, NVRAM is sustained by the RTC/battery module and stays on when the system is turned off.

After saving the selections, the program displays this message:

Values have been saved to CMOS Press <space> to continue

If an attempt is made to exit without saving, Setup asks if the changes should be saved before exiting.

During bootup, Setup attempts to load the values saved in NVRAM. If the values saved in NVRAM cause the system boot to fail, reboot and press F2 to enter Setup. In Setup, the ROM default values (as described below) can be loaded or the values can be changed that caused the boot to fail.

Discard Changes & Exit

Use this option to exit Setup without recording any changes.

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:

ROM default values have been loaded! Press <space> to continue

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

2-30 Setup and Operation

The CMOS values have been corrupted or modified incorrectly, 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. Other changes can be made before saving the values to NVRAM.

Load Previous Values

During a Setup session, if a mistake has been made and has not yet been saved to NVRAM, the previ ously saved NVRAM values can be restored.

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

CMOS values have been loaded! Press <space> to continue

Save Changes

Save Changes saves all the selections without exiting Setup. Other menus selections can be reviewed or changed.

BIOS UPDATE UTILITY

The NEC Bulletin Board Service (BBS) provides information about system software and hardware. Use the NEC BBS to obtain the latest version of the BIOS Update utility (BUU) and for VGA video drivers.

To log onto the NEC BBS, follow these steps:

NOTE: First time users must answer 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

Setup and Operation 2-31

3. Log onto the BBS:

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

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. The prompts

require that you do the following:

n Press S and then Enter n Press S and then Enter n Press Enter three times.

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.

SYSTEM BOARD JUMPERS

This subsection provides jumper setting information for configuring the system for a particular system requirement. Situations that require changing the jumper settings include the following:

n Changing bank 0 SIMMs from single- to double-sided SIMMs or vice versa. n Upgrading the processor and clock speed.

CAUTION: If the system requires a jumper change, change only the jumper setting for that condition. Otherwise, keep the jumpers at their factory settings.

2-32 Setup and Operation

Jumper Locations

Figure Section 2-13 shows the location of the system board's jumpers.

Figure Section 2-13 Locating system configuration jumpers

The factory settings of the jumpers are in the following figures. Functions of each position are also provided. If the jumpers need to be changed, use the procedure that follows the figures.

Jumper Settings

In the 8-MB configurations, two 4-MB single-sided SIMMs are installed in bank 0 (SIMM 1 on the system board). (Memory bank locations and valid SIMM configurations are provided in Chapter 6 under “Checking the Memory in Your System.”) The default setting for JP1 in the 8MB configuration is pins 2 and 3 shorted. Pins 2 and 3 must be shorted when the fol lowing SIMMs are installed in bank 0.

n 1-MB SIMMs n 4-MB SIMMs n 16-MB SIMMs n 64-MB SIMMs

Setup and Operation 2-33

In the 16-MB configuration (multimedia), two 8-MB double-sided SIMMs are installed in bank

0. The default setting in the 16-MB configuration has pins 1 and 2 shorted. Pins 1 and 2 must be shorted when the following SIMMs are installed in bank 0.

n 2-MB SIMMs n 8-MB SIMMs n 32-MB SIMMs

Figure Section 2-14 SIMM Type Jumper JP1

The following jumpers set the processor frequency.

Figure Section 2-15 Processor Speed Jumpers JP5, JP6, and JP7

2-34 Setup and Operation

Jumper J10 is used to set the bus frequency. This jumper is not installed in all configurations.

Figure Section 2-16 Bus speed jumper JP10

Jumper JP12 is used to set the voltage used by the processor. This is set at the factory and should not be changed.

CAUTION: Changing the processor voltage jumper (JP12) could damage the system board processor.

Figure Section 2-17 Processor voltage jumper JP12

Setup and Operation 2-35

Changing Jumper Settings

To change system board jumper settings, use the following procedure. A label showing the jumper information is inside the system unit cover. The label provides a quick reference for the settings.

1. Turn off and unplug the system and any external options.

WARNING: The system power must be off be-

fore changing a jumper setting.

2. Remove the system unit cover (see Section 5).

3. Locate the jumper(s) on the system board (see the figure under “Jumper Locations”

earlier in this section). Some installed expansion boards may have to be removed to access the jumper (see

expansion board removal procedures in Section 6).

4. If you removed any expansion boards, replace them.

5. Replace the system unit cover (see Section 5).

6. Plug in system and peripheral cables and turn on the system.

7. Run Setup (see the Setup subsection earlier in this section).

CMOS Jumper

When clearing CMOS (JP8), use the following procedure.

1. Perform steps 1 through 3 in the preceding procedure, “Changing Jumper Settings.”

2. Install a jumper on jumper JP8.

3. Power on the system for 5 seconds. The monitor will be blank.

4. Power off the system.

5. Remove the jumper from jumper JP8.

6. Replace the system unit cover (see Section 5).

7. Power on the system and run Setup.

Section 3

Options

This section provides instructions for installing an optional processor, SIMM memory, video DRAM module, 5 1/4-inch storage devices, and an internal 3 1/2-inch hard disk drive. All options require that the system unit top cover be removed.

INTERNA L OPTIONS

When disassembling the system unit for option installation, follow these general rules.

n Disconnect all peripherals. n When handling boards or chips, touch the system unit frame to discharge static. n Do not disassemble parts other than those specified in the procedure. n All screws are Phillips-head, unless otherwise specified. n Label any removed connectors. Note where the connector goes and in what

posi tion it was installed.

WARNING: Unplug the power cord before disassembling the system unit. Voltage is present inside the system unit even after the power switch is turned off. All voltage is removed only when the power cord is unplugged.

3-2 Options

Desktop Cover Removal

Remove the desktop cover as follows.

1. Power off and unplug the keyboard, mouse, power, and all other peripheral cables at-

tached to the system unit.

2. Remove the two cover screws shown in Figure Section 3-1.

Figure Section 3-1 Desktop Cover Screws

3. Slide the top cover toward the rear about one inch (see Figure Section 3-2).

4. Lift the top cover up and off.

Figure Section 3-2 Removing the Desktop Cover

Minitower Top Cover Removal

Remove the minitower top cover as follows.

1. Power off and unplug the keyboard, mouse, power cord and all other peripheral cables

attached to the system unit.

2. Remove the four cover screws shown in Figure Section 3-3.

Options 3-3

Figure Section 3-3 Minitower Cover Screws

3-4 Options

3. Slide the top cover toward the rear about one inch (see Figure Section 3-4).

4. Lift the top cover up and off the system unit.

Figure Section 3-4 Removing the Minitower Cover

Expansion Board(s)

The desktop system has four 8/16/32-bit expansion slots on the rear of the system and five expansion board connectors on the ISA/PCI backboard. Three slots are for ISA boards and one slot is for either a PCI or ISA board. On multimedia configurations, one ISA slot contains a sound board. On network configurations, one ISA slot contains the network board. All other slots are empty, ready for installing expansion boards.

The minitower system has five 8/16/32-bit expansion slots on the rear of the system and six expansion board connectors on the ISA/PCI backboard. Three slots are for ISA boards, one is a dedicated PCI slot, and the remaining slot is a shared ISA/PCI slot. On multimedia configurations, one ISA slot contains a sound board. On network configurations, one ISA slot contains the network board. All other slots are empty, ready for installing expansion boards.

Expansion boards plug into the edge connector on the backboard. See Appendix A for connector pin assignments.

Desktop Expansion Board Installation

Install expansion boards into the desktop system as follows.

1. Remove the top cover as previously described.

2. Locate the expansion slot for board insertion (see Figure Section 3-5). Remove the slot

screw and cover. Save the slot cover for use if the board is removed in the future. To remove the inside expansion slot cover for access to the connector on the back-

board, remove the backside expansion slot screws shown in Figure Section 3-6.

Options 3-5

Figure Section 3-5 Desktop Expansion Slots

3-6 Options

Screw

L-Bracket

Slot

3. When removing an expansion slot cover from the inside, separate the inside

expansion slot L-bracket from the expansion slot cover by removing the screw shown in Figure Section 3-7.

Figure Section 3-6 Inside Expansion Slot Screw

Reattach the L-bracket to the expansion board being installed.

Cover

Figure Section 3-7 Removing the Inside Expansion Slot Bracket

Options 3-7

4. Install the expansion board into an expansion slot connector (and guide rail if

installing a full-size board). If installing a PCI board in the shared slot, install the board component side down in the top PCI connector. If installing an ISA board in the shared slot, install the board component side up in the ISA connector under the PCI connector.

NOTE: A full-size expansion board cannot be installed into the inside expansion slot.

5. Reinstall the expansion slot screw to secure the expansion board.

6. Connect any expansion board cables.

7. Reinstall the top cover.

Minitower Expansion Board Installation

Install expansion boards in the minitower system as follows.

1. Remove the top cover (previously described) and the bottom access cover (see Sec-

tion 6).

2. Locate the expansion slot for board insertion (see Figure Section 3-8). Remove the slot

screw and cover. Save the slot cover for use if the board is removed in the future.

Figure Section 3-8 Minitower Expansion Slots

3-8 Options

3. Install the expansion board into an expansion slot connector (and the guide rail if install-

ing a full-size expansion board). If installing a PCI board in the shared slot, install the board component side down in the

top PCI connector. If installing an ISA board in the shared slot, install the board component side up in the

ISA connector under the PCI connector.

4. Reinstall the expansion slot screw to secure the expansion board.

5. Connect any expansion board cables.

6. Replace the top cover and bottom access cover.

Expansion Board Troubleshooting

If a fault occurs at power-on, verify that the expansion board installation was performed correctly. One beep indicates that the computer has completed its power-on self-test. If intermittent beeping occurs, turn off the computer and try again. If the beeping persists, see “Troubleshooting” in Section 4. Table Section 3-1 summarizes problems that may develop after i nstalling an expansion board and lists in sequential order suggested corrective actions.

Table Section 3-1 Expansion Board Problems and Solutions

Problem Symptom Solution

Options 3-9

No power Power lamp on computer

status panel will not light.

2. Systematically eliminate possible shorted

Operating system does not boot

Expansion board malfunction

2. Check that pin one on cables and connectors

3. Install the expansion board in a different slot.

4. Check the troubleshooting information that

5. Check any switches or jumpers that are on

An invalid configuration message is displayed.

Expansion board is not recognized.

1. Check that the power cord is plugged into the AC connector on the computer. Check that the other end of the cord is plugged into a live properly grounded AC power outlet.

PCBs by removing cables and expansion boards.

1. Press F2 to run Setup and view parameters.

1. Reseat expansion board and cables.

match up.

came with the expansion board.

the expansion board.

6. Disable built-in controllers when installing optional video, diskette and hard drive expansion boards (see Section 2).

7. Check that IRQs and the address do not clash with those already assigned by the system board (see Section 2).

8. Replace expansion board.

9. Replace ISA backboard.

Keyboard or mouse malfunction

Monitor has prompt, but cannot input data.

1. Check that the keyboard is plugged in.

2. Check that the mouse is plugged in.

3-10 Options

System Board Options

The following system board options are available for all desktop and minitower systems.

n OverDrive processor n SIMM memory n Video DRAM module

The following subsections include the procedures for installing each option on the system board.

OverDrive Processor Installation

The zero-insertion force (ZIF) pin-grid arrays (PGA) processor socket accepts optional processors. Once the currently installed processor is removed from the socket, the next generation processor can be installed.

CAUTION: Heat sinks are required for processors installed in the system. Heat sinks are avai lable through NEC.

Install an OverDrive processor into the system board as follows.

1. Remove the top cover and any expansion boards obstructing access to the

processor socket.

2. Remove the installed processor and heat sink as follows.

n Locate the processor socket on the system board (see Figure Section 3-9). n Release the heat sink clips from the tabs on the socket and remove the heat sink. n Release the socket lever by slightly pulling it away from the socket, then swing the

lever up (see Figure Section 3-10).

n Carefully lift the processor out of the socket.

CAUTION: Before picking up the processor, reduce static discharge by touching the metal frame of the system unit.

Figure Section 3-9 Locating the Processor Socket

Options 3-11

Figure Section 3-10 Removing the Heat Sink and Processor

3-12 Options

3. Install the processor in the socket as follows.

n Align the processor with the socket (see Figure Section 3-11).

n Insert the processor in the socket, and swing the lever down to lock the

processor in place.

n Insert the heat sink clips over the tabs on the socket, and press the heat sink down

until it locks in place.

CAUTION: Incorrect alignment of the processor in the socket can damage the processor and system board.

After installing the processor, check that the processor’s speed and voltage jumpers on the system board are set correctly for the processor (see Section 2, Setup and Operation).

Figure Section 3-11 Processor Alignment

4. Set the processor’s speed and voltage jumpers on the system board for the

installed processor (see Section 2, Setup and Operation).

Options 3-13

5. Replace any removed expansion boards, reconnect any cables, and reinstall the system

top cover.

OverDrive Processor Troubleshooting

If a fault occurs at power-on, verify that the installation was performed correctly. One beep indicates that the computer has completed its power-on self-test. If intermittent beeping occurs, turn off the computer and try again. If the beeping persists, see Section 4, Maintenance and Troubleshooting.

Table Section 3-2 summarizes problems that may develop after installing an OverDrive processor and lists in sequential order suggested corrective actions.

Table Section 3-2 OverDrive Problems and Solutions

Problem Symptom Solution

No power Power lamp on computer

status panel does not light.

Operating system does not boot

OverDrive Processor malfunction

3. Check the jumper settings (see Section 2).

4. Replace OverDrive Processor.

5. Replace system board.

Keyboard or mouse malfunction

An invalid configuration message is displayed.

Software does not see OverDrive Processor.

Monitor has prompt, but cannot input data.

1. Check that the power cord is plugged into the AC connector on the computer. Check that the other end of the cord is plugged into a live properly grounded AC power outlet.

1. Press F2 to run Setup and view parameters.

1. Reseat the OverDrive Processor.

2. Check the Setup parameters.

1. Check that the keyboard is plugged in.

2. Check that the mouse is plugged in.

3-14 Options

SIMM Memory Installation

The system board comes standard with 8 MB of 32-bit (non-pari ty) memory for non-multimedia configurations and 16 MB of 32-bit memory for multimedia configurations. Memory can be expanded up to 128 MB. The system board also supports 36-bit (parity) SIMMs. SIMM kits are 70-ns SIMMs.

NOTE: The metal plating on the SIMM stick connectors must match the metal plating in the SIMM sockets in the computer. Use tin-plated SIMM sticks with tin-plated SIMM sockets.

Memory expansion option kits include the following:

n 4-MB SIMM kit (1 MB x 32-bit SIMM stick). n 8-MB SIMM kit (2 MB x 32-bit SIMM stick). n 16-MB SIMM kit (4 MB x 32-bit SIMM stick). n 32-MB SIMM kit (8 MB x 32-bit SIMM stick). n 64-MB SIMM kit (16 MB x 32-bit SIMM stick).

NOTE: The 32-bit SIMM kits are used in the U.S. and Canada only. The 36-bit SIMMs are used elsewhere.

SIMM Upgrade Path

The SIMMs come in two different types, single-sided or double-sided. In the 8-MB nonmultimedia configurations, two 4-MB single-sided SIMMs are installed in SIMM sockets 1 and 2 (bank 0). In the 16-MB multimedia configurations, two 8-MB double-sided SIMMs are installed in SIMM sockets 1 and 2. Figure Section 3-12 shows the location of the sockets and banks. Table Section 3-3 and Table Section 3-4 provide valid SIMM configurations.

Setting the system for use with single-sided or double-sided SIMMs is done by jumper JP1 on the system board, next to the SIMM sockets. For systems with the 8-MB configuration, pins 2 and 3 on JP1 are shorted. Also, pins 2 and 3 must be shorted if installing the following SIMMs in sockets 1 and 2 (bank 0):

n 1 MB SIMMs n 4 MB SIMMs n 16 MB SIMMs

Options 3-15

n 64 MB SIMMs

For multimedia systems with the 16-MB configuration, pins 1 and 2 on JP1 are shorted. Also, pins 1 and 2 must be shorted if installing the following SIMMs in sockets 1 and 2 (bank 0):

n 2 MB SIMMs n 8 MB SIMMs n 32 MB SIMMs

Table Section 3-3 Single-Sided SIMM Upgrade Path

Total Memory Bank 0 Bank 1

8 MB * 8 MB (two 4-MB SIMMs) Empty 16 MB 8 MB (two 4-MB SIMMs) 8 MB (two 4-MB SIMMs) 24 MB 8 MB (two 4-MB SIMMs) 16 MB (two 8-MB SIMMs) 32 MB 32 MB (two 16-MB SIMMs) Empty 40 MB 8 MB (two 4-MB SIMMs) 32 MB (two 16-MB SIMMs) 48 MB 32 MB (two 16-MB SIMMs) 16 MB (two 8-MB SIMMs) 64 MB 32 MB (two 16-MB SIMMs) 32 MB (two 16-MB SIMMs) 80 MB 64 MB(two 32-MB SIMMs) 16 MB (two 8-MB SIMMs) 128 MB 128 MB (two 64-MB SIMMs) Empty

* Standard on 8-MB configurations (non-multimedia)

Table Section 3-4 Double-Sided SIMM Upgrade Path

Total Memory Bank 0 Bank 1

16 MB * 16 MB (two 8-MB SIMMs) Empty 24 MB 16 MB (two 8-MB SIMMs) 8 MB (two 4-MB SIMMs) 32 MB 16 MB (two 8-MB SIMMs) 16 MB (two 8-MB SIMMs) 64 MB 64 MB (two 32-MB SIMMs) Empty 72 MB 64 MB (two 32-MB SIMMs) 8 MB (two 4-MB SIMMs) 80 MB 64 MB(two 32-MB SIMMs) 16 MB (two 8-MB SIMMs) 96 MB 64 MB (two 32-MB SIMMs) 32 MB (two 16-MB SIMMs) 128 MB 64 MB (two 32-MB SIMMs) 64 MB (two 32-MB SIMMs)

3-16 Options

Table Section 3-4 Double-Sided SIMM Upgrade Path

Total Memory Bank 0 Bank 1

* Standard on 16-MB configurations (multimedia)

SIMM Installation

Install SIMM sticks into the system board as follows.

1. Remove the top cover and any expansion boards covering the socket.

2. Locate the SIMM sockets on the system board (see Figure Section 3-12).

Figure Section 3-12 SIMM Socket Location

3. Insert the SIMM into the SIMM socket at an angle, then push the SIMM upright so

that the clips hold the SIMM in place (see Figure Section 3-13).

Options 3-17

Clips

1 of 2

Figure Section 3-13 SIMM Installation

4. Repeat step 3 for each SIMM to be installed.

5. Replace any removed expansion boards.

6. Replace the top cover and run Setup to check that the system accepted the SIMM up-

grade (see Section 2, Setup and Operation).

3-18 Options

SIMM Upgrade Kit Troubleshooting

If a fault occurs at power-on, verify that the reassembly was performed correctly. One beep indicates that the computer has completed its power-on self-test. If intermittent beeping occurs, turn off the computer and try again. If the beeping persists, see Section 4, Maintenance and Troubleshooting.

Table Section 3-5 summarizes problems that may develop after installing SIMM upgrade kits and lists in sequential order suggested corrective actions.

Table Section 3-5 SIMM Upgrade Problems and Solutions

Problem Symptom Solution

No power Power lamp on computer

status panel will not light.

Operating system does not boot

Memory malfunction

2. Systematically swap SIMMs.

3. Replace SIMMs.

4. Replace system board.

Keyboard or mouse malfunction

2. Check that the mouse is plugged in.

An invalid configuration message is displayed.

Total memory is not recognized.

Monitor has prompt, but cannot input data.

1. Check that the power cord is plugged into the AC connector on the computer. Check that the other end of the cord is plugged into a live properly grounded AC power outlet.

1. Press F2 to run setup and view parameters.

1. Reseat SIMMs. SIMM sticks must be in

specified banks.

1. Check that the keyboard is plugged in.

Options 3-19

Video DRAM Module Installation

The system board comes standard with 1 MB of video DRAM integrated into the system board. The optional 1 MB video DRAM kit consists of two 256K x 16-bit (512 KB) modules. The optional video DRAM is installed into the video DRAM sockets on the sy stem board (see Figure Section 3-14).

Figure Section 3-14 Video DRAM Socket Location

Install the video DRAM modules into the system board as follows.

1. Remove the system unit cover and bottom access cover.

2. Locate the two video DRAM sockets on the system board (see Figure Section 3-14).

If there are expansion boards obstructing the sockets, remove the boards.

3-20 Options

3. Align the alignment dot end of the video DRAM module with the notched end of the

socket (see Figure Section 3-15) and insert the module into the socket.

4. Repeat step 3 to insert the second module.

Figure Section 3-15 Video DRAM Module I nstallation

5. Replace any removed expansion boards.

6. Reinstall the top cover and bottom access cover.

7. Connect any external peripherals and power cables.

Verify that the system recognizes the additional video DRAM by performing the following:

1. Power up the system.

2. Exit Windows and return to the C:\ prompt.

3. At the C:\prompt, type cd\windows\vgautil and press Enter. Type clmode and

press Enter.

4. At the CLMODE main screen, check that the display memory is 2048k, indicating that

the system has 2 MB of video memory.

5. Press ESC to exit the CLMODE utility.

6. Press Enter to select No to the update AUTOEXEC.BAT question, and return to the

C:\prompt. Type WIN and press Enter to return to Windows.

Options 3-21

Video DRAM Module Troubleshooting

Table Section 3-6 summarizes problems that may develop after installing a video DRAM module and lists in sequential order suggested corrective actions.

Table Section 3-6 Video DRAM Module Problems and Solutions

Problem Symptom Solution

No power Power lamp on computer

status panel will not light.

Operating system does not boot

Video DRAM malfunction

2. Replace the video DRAM module.

3. Replace the system board.

Keyboard or mouse malfunction

An invalid configuration message is displayed.

Cache memory is not recognized.

Monitor has prompt, but cannot input data.

1. Check that the power cord is plugged into the AC connector on the computer. Check that the other end of the cord is plugged into a live properly grounded AC power outlet.

1. Press F2 to run setup and view parameters.

1. Reseat the video DRAM module, checking

for bent pins and correct orientation.

1. Check that the keyboard is plugged in.

2. Check that the mouse is plugged in.

3-22 Options

OPTIONAL STORAGE DEVICES

This subsection includes procedures for installing optional 5 1/4-inch and 3 1/2-inch storage devices in the system unit. The optional NEC diskette and hard disk drives are described first, then procedures for installing the devices follow.

5 1/4-Inch Diskette Drive

A 3 1/2-inch diskette drive comes standard in all systems. The drive is connected by a single ribbon cable with one drive connector. A second 5 1/4-inch diskette drive can be added but requires an optional cable with two drive connectors. The first diskette drive (3 1/2- inch) is drive A, the second diskette drive is drive B. The diskette drive cable plugs directly into the system board.

The diskette drive controller is incorporated on the system board. The controller contains the circuits and control functions needed to support up to two diskette drives.

5 1/4-Inch Diskette Drive Settings

Specifications for the 5 1/4-inch, 1.2-MB diskette drive are listed in Appendix B, Specifi cations. The standard .44-MB diskette drive settings are shown in Figure Section 3-16. The settings for the optional 1.2-MB diskette drive are shown in Figure Section 3-17.

When installing two diskette drives, both diskette drives are addressed to drive 1. The terminating resistor jumper should not be removed from the 5 1/4-inch drive. Both diskette drives (standard and optional) are normally terminated.

Signal Connector

Front of Drive

DS SW1

Power Connector

Figure Section 3-16 OSDA-90C, 1.44-MB Diskette Drive

Options 3-23

Figure Section 3-17 FD-55GFR, 1.2-MB Diskette Drive

Hard Disk Drives

All hard disk systems ship with an IDE interface cable connected to the primary IDE/PCI connector on the system board and to the hard disk drive. The cable has two connectors for connecting up to two devices (standard hard disk and an optional device).

In addition, all multimedia configurations ship with an IDE interface cable connected to the secondary IDE/PCI connector on the system board and to the CD-ROM reader. The cable has a single device connector. If installing two devices to the secondary IDE/PCI connector, an optional two-device cable must be used.

When installing a second hard disk drive, use the open connector on the cable coming from the primary IDE/PCI connector. A hard disk controller board is not required. The IDE drives described in this section are thin-height (1-inch x 3 1/2-inch) drives.

Hard Disk Drive Settings

The following IDE hard disk drives are available for installation in the system. Hard disk systems come with a hard disk drive preinstalled in the computer. Specifications for the IDE hard drives are given in Appendix B, Specifications. Jumpers for the drives are set for single drive configurations. Jumper settings and their locations are shown in Figure Section 3-18 and Figure Section 3-

19.

3-24 Options

C/D

Drive 1 and Drive 2

Master (factory setting)

Drive 2 Slave

Figure Section 3-18 WDAC2540 540-MB Hard Disk Drive

One drive installed(Factory Setting)

Power Connector

Two drives installedSlave

Two drives installedMaster

Cable Select Configuration (Dual Drives)

NOTE: All NEC hard disk drives are shipped with the jumpers set for master, one drive i nstalled.

Front of DriveSignal Connector

Figure Section 3-19 CFA1275 1.275-GB Hard Disk Drive

Options 3-25

DESKTOP OPTIONAL STORAGE DEVICE INSTALLATION

To install a 5 1/4-inch device or a 3 1/2-inch device ( 5 1/4-inch form factor) in the desktop system, the top cover, 3 1/2-inch drive bracket, and blank front panel must first be removed. If the device comes with attached rails, they must be removed and the screws reused to secure the drives to the drive bracket.

NOTE: Do not remove the 5 1/4-inch blank panel when installing a hard disk drive.

The 3 1/2-inch hard disk drives must be mounted in a 5 1/4-inch bracket.

Desktop 3 1/2-inch Drive Bracket Removal

Remove the 3 1/2-inch drive bracket from the desktop system unit as follows.

1. Remove the top cover as previously described.

2. Remove the four 3 1/2-inch drive bracket screws (see Figure Section 3-20).

3. Without removing the power and signal cables, place the 3 1/2-inch bracket with the

diskette drive and hard disk drive attached on the power supply.

Figure Section 3-20 3 1/2-Inch Drive Bracket Screws

3-26 Options

Desktop Blank Panel Removal

Remove the blank panel from the desktop chassis as follows.

1. Remove the desktop cover and 3 1/2-inch diskette drive bracket as previously

described.

2. Unplug the following cables from their connectors.

n Power lamp n Hard disk drive busy lamp n Suspend button

3. Remove the five front panel screws (see Figure Section 3-21).

4. Pull the lamp and suspend cables through the hole in the front of the system unit chassis

when removing the front panel assembly.

Figure Section 3-21 Desktop Front Panel Removal

Options 3-27

5. From the inside of the front panel, release the blank panel tabs and remove the blank

panel from the front panel (see Figure Section 3-22).

Figure Section 3-22 Blank Panel Removal

NOTE: The system unit chassis may also require a slot cover punch-out to be removed.

6. Reinstall the front panel once the blank panel is removed.

Desktop Device Installation

Install a device into the 5 1/4-inch device slot as follows.

1. Remove the top cover, front panel, and 3 1/2-inch drive bracket as previously de-

scribed.

NOTE: When installing 3 1/2-inch hard disk drives, a 5 1/4-inch hard disk bracket must first be attached to the 3 1/2-inch hard disk drives.

2. Slide the rear of the device into the 5 1/4-inch slot.

n Align the holes on the 5 1/4-inch device with the holes in the device cage.

NEC PowerMate VP75 Reference Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

PROPRIETARY NOTICE A ND LIABILITY DISCLAIMER

Contents

Preface

Abbreviations

Technical Information

Setup and Operation

Options