AWARDBIOS CMOS SETUP UTILITY
Version 4.51G
(C) Copyright 1999 Phoenix Technologies, Ltd.
All Rights Reserved
Documentation Revision 1.2H
Notice
The information in this guide is subject to change without notice.
The software described in this guide is furnished under a license agreement and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the agreement.
Phoenix Technologies, Ltd. shall not be liable for technical or editorial omissions made herein; nor for incidental or consequential damages resulting from the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
This guide contains information protected by copyright. No part of this guide may be photocopied or reproduced in any form without prior written consent from Phoenix Technologies, Ltd.
January 4, 1999
1
Table of Contents
Introduction - 3
Section 1 -- Main Menu - 6
Section 2 -- Standard CMOS Setup - 8
Section 3 -- BIOS Features Setup - 12
Section 4 -- Password Setting - 18
Appendix A -- POST Messages - 19
Appendix B -- POST Codes - 24
Appendix C -- BIOS Default Drive Table - 29
Appendix D -- Low-Level Format Utility - 32
2
Introduction
This manual discusses Phoenix Technologies's Setup program built into the ROM BIOS. The Setup program allows users to modify the basic system configuration. This special information is then stored in battery-backed RAM so that it retains the Setup information when the power is turned off.
The Phoenix Technologies AwardBIOS installed in your computer system's ROM (Read Only Memory) is a custom version of an industry standard BIOS. This means that it supports Intel/Cyrix/AMD processors in a standard IBM-AT compatible input/output system. The BIOS provides critical low-level support for standard devices such as disk drives and serial and parallel ports.
The Phoenix Technologies AwardBIOS has been customized by adding important, but nonstandard, features such as virus and password protection as well as special support for detailed fine-tuning of the chipset controlling the entire system.
The rest of this manual is intended to guide you through the process of configuring your system using Setup.
Starting Setup
The Phoenix Technologies AwardBIOS is immediately activated when you first power on the computer. The BIOS reads the system information contained in the CMOS and begins the process of checking out the system and configuring it. When it finishes, the BIOS will seek an operating system on one of the disks and then launch and turn control over to the operating system.
While the BIOS is in control, the Setup program can be activated in one of two ways:
1.By pressing <Del> immediately after switching the system on, or
2.by pressing the <Del> key or by simultaneously pressing <Ctrl>, <Alt>, and <Esc> keys when the following message appears briefly at the bottom of the screen during the POST (Power On Self Test).
TO ENTER SETUP BEFORE BOOT PRESS CTRL-ALT-ESC OR DEL KEY
If the message disappears before you respond and you still wish to enter Setup, restart the system to try again by turning it OFF then ON or pressing the "RESET" button on the system case. You may also restart by simultaneously pressing <Ctrl>, <Alt>, and <Delete> keys. If you do not press the keys at the correct time and the system does not boot, an error message will be displayed and you will again be asked to...
PRESS F1 TO CONTINUE, CTRL-ALT-ESC OR DEL TO ENTER SETUP
3
Using Setup
In general, you use the arrow keys to highlight items, press <Enter> to select, use the PageUp and PageDown keys to change entries, press <F1> for help and press <Esc> to quit. The following table provides more detail about how to navigate in the Setup program using the keyboard.
Up arrow |
Move to previous item |
|
Down arrow |
Move to next item |
|
Left arrow |
Move to the item in the left hand |
|
Right arrow |
Move to the item in the right hand |
|
Esc key |
Main Menu -- Quit and not save changes into CMOS |
|
|
|
Status Page Setup Menu and Option Page Setup Menu |
|
|
-- Exit current page and return to Main Menu |
PgUp key |
Increase the numeric value or make changes |
|
PgDn key |
Decrease the numeric value or make changes |
|
+ key |
Increase the numberic value or make changes |
|
- key |
Decrease the numberic value or make changes |
|
F1 |
key |
General help, only for Status Page Setup Menu and |
|
|
Option Page Setup Menu |
(Shift)F2 |
Change color from total 16 colors. F2 to select |
|
key |
|
color forward, (Shift) F2 to select color backward |
F3 |
key |
Calendar, only for Status Page Setup Menu |
F4 |
key |
Reserved |
F5 |
key |
Restore the previous CMOS value from CMOS, only |
|
|
for Option Page Setup Menu |
F6 |
key |
Load the default CMOS value from BIOS default |
|
|
table, only for Option Page Setup Menu |
F7 |
key |
Load the default |
F8 |
key |
Reserved |
F9 |
key |
Reserved |
F10 key |
Save all the CMOS changes, only for Main Menu |
|
4
Getting Help
Press F1 to pop up a small help window that describes the appropriate keys to use and the possible selections for the highlighted item. To exit the Help Window press <Esc> or the F1 key again.
In Case of Problems
If, after making and saving system changes with Setup, you discover that your computer no longer is able to boot, the Phoenix Technologies AwardBIOS supports an override to the CMOS settings which resets your system to its defaults.
You can invoke this override by immediately pressing <Insert> when you restart your computer. You can restart by either using the ON/OFF switch, the RESET button or by pressing <Ctrl>, <Alt> and <Delete> at the same time.
The best advice is to only alter settings which you thoroughly understand. To this end, we strongly recommend that you avoid making any changes to the chipset defaults. These defaults have been carefully chosen by both Phoenix Technologies and your systems manufacturer to provide the absolute maximum performance and reliability. Even a seemingly small change to the chipset setup has the potential for causing you to use the override.
A Final Note About Setup
Not all systems have the same Setup. While the basic look and function of the Setup program remains the same for all systems, individual motherboard and chipset combinations require custom configurations. For example, you may find that your Setup main menu has a different number of entries from the main menu displayed in this manual. These are simply features not supported (or not user configurable) on your system.
The final appearance of the Setup program also depends on the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) who built your system. If your OEM has decided that certain items should only be available to their technicians, those items may very well be removed from the Setup program.
5
Section 1
Main Menu
Once you enter the Phoenix Technologies AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility, the Main Menu will appear on the screen. The Main Menu allows you to select from several setup functions and two exit choices. Use the arrow keys to select among the items and press <Enter> to accept and enter the sub-menu.
Note that a brief description of each highlighted selection appears at the bottom of the screen.
Setup Items
The main menu includes the following main setup categories. Recall that some systems may not include all entries.
Standard CMOS Setup
This setup page includes all the items in a standard, AT-compatible BIOS. See Section 2 for details.
BIOS Features Setup
This setup page includes all the items of Phoenix Technologies special enhanced features. See Section 3 for details.
Password Setting
Change, set, or disable password. It allows you to limit access to the system and Setup, or just to Setup. See Section 4.
Load BIOS Defaults
The BIOS defaults have been set by the manufacturer and represent settings which provide the minimum requirements for your system to operate.
Load Setup Defaults
The chipset defaults are settings which provide for maximum system performance. While Phoenix Technologies has designed the custom BIOS to maximize performance, the manufacturer has the right to change these defaults to meet their needs.
6
IDE HDD Auto Detection
Automatically detect and configure hard disk parameters. The Phoenix Technologies AwardBIOS includes this ability in the event you are uncertain of your hard disk's paramenters. See also Section 2, "Standard CMOS Setup".
HDD Low Level Format
If supported by your system, this provides a hard disk low level format utility. See Appendix D for details.
Save & Exit Setup
Save CMOS value changes to CMOS and exit setup.
Exit Without Save
Abandon all CMOS value changes and exit setup.
7
Section 2
Standard CMOS Setup
The items in Standard CMOS Setup Menu are divided into 10 categories. Each category includes no, one or more than one setup items. Use the arrow keys to highlight the item and then use the <PgUp> or <PgDn> keys to select the value you want in each item.
Date
The date format is <day>, <date> <month> <year>. Press <F3> to show the calendar.
day |
The day, from Sun to Sat, determined by the BIOS and |
|
is display-only |
date |
The date, from 1 to 31 (or the maximum allowed in the |
|
month) |
month |
The month, Jan through Dec |
year |
The year, from 1900 through 2099 |
Time
The time format is <hour> <minute> <second>. The time is calculated based on the 24-hour military-time clock. For example, 1 p.m. is 13:00:00.
Daylight saving
The category adds one hour to the clock when daylight-saving time begins. It also subtracts one hour when standard time returns.
Enabled |
Enable daylight-saving |
Disabled |
Disable daylight-saving |
8
Drive C Type/Drive D Type
The categories identify the types of hard disk drive C or drive D that have been installed in the computer. There are 46 predefined types and a user definable type. Type 1 to Type 46 are predefined. Type "User" is user-definable.
Press PgUp or PgDn to select a numbered hard disk type or type the number and press <Enter>. Note that the specifications of your drive must match with the drive table. The hard disk will not work properly if you enter improper information for this category. If your hard disk drive type is not matched or listed, you can use Type "User" to define your own drive type manually.
If you select Type "User", you will need to know the information listed below. Enter the information directly from the keyboard and press <Enter>. This information should be included in the documentation from your hard disk vendor or the system manufacturer.
CYLS. |
number of cylinders |
HEADS |
number of heads |
PRECOMP |
write precom |
LANDZONE |
landing zone |
SECTORS |
number of sectors |
If a hard disk has not been installed select NONE and press <Enter>.
Drive A Type / Drive B Type
The category identifies the types of floppy disk drive A or drive B that have been installed in the computer.
None |
No floppy drive installed |
360K, 5.25 in |
5-1/4 inch PC-type standard drive; 360 kilobyte |
|
capacity |
1.2M, 5.25 in |
5-1/4 inch AT-type high-density drive; 1.2 |
|
megabyte capacity |
720K, 3.5 in |
3-1/2 inch double-sided drive; 720 kilobyte |
|
capacity |
1.44M, 3.5 in |
3-1/2 inch double-sided drive; 1.44 megabyte |
|
capacity |
2.88M, 3.5 in |
3-1/2 inch double-sided drive; 2.88 megabyte |
|
capacity |
9
Video
The category selects the type of video adapter used for the primary system monitor. Although secondary monitors are supported, you do not have to select the type in Setup.
EGA/VGA |
Enhanced |
Graphics Adapter/Video |
Graphics Array. |
|
For EGA, |
VGA, SEGA, SVGA or PGA |
monitor adapters. |
CGA 40 Color Graphics Adapter, power up in 40 column mode CGA 80 Color Graphics Adapter, power up in 80 column mode
MONO Monochrome adapter, includes high resolution monochrome adapters
Error Halt
The category determines whether the computer will stop if an error is detected during power up.
No errors |
Whenever the BIOS detects a non-fatal error the |
|
system will be stopped and you will be |
|
prompted. |
All errors |
The system boot will not be stopped for any |
|
error that may be detected. |
All, |
The system boot will not stop for a keyboard |
But Keyboard |
error; it will stop for all other errors. |
All, But |
The system boot will not stop for a disk error; |
Diskette |
it will stop for all other errors. |
All, But |
The system boot will not stop for a keyboard or |
Disk/Key |
disk error; it will stop for all other errors. |
Memory
The category is display-only which is determined by POST (Power On Self Test) of the BIOS.
Base Memory
The POST will determine the amount of base (or conventional) memory installed in the system. The value of the base memory is typically 512K for systems with 512K memory installed on the motherboard, or 640K for systems with 640K or more memory installed on the motherboard.
10
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