The P5H30-NS/WS represents the highest level of technology available in PC Mainboards
today. Designed as a flexible, high-performance and cost-effective solution for System
Integrators and End Users alike, the P5H30-NS/WS provides the power and expandability
to meet the requirements of the most advanced operating systems and software applications.
Support for Intel® Pentium® processors at speeds of up to 200Mhz is just the beginning. The
P5H30-NS/WS is designed to provide greater overall system throughput by utilizing the
latest in I/O technology. By incorporating such advanced features as Ultra SCSI (P5H30NS), Ultra-Wide SCSI (P5H30-WS), Bus Mastering IDE and Universal Serial Bus (USB)
onto the mainboard, optimum system performance is assured and system design and
implementation is simplified.
Fully “Plug & Play” compatible via an Award BIOS, the P5H30-NS/WS facilitates easy
system configuration and peripheral setup. With support for up to 512MB of System RAM,
EDO and ECC, the P5H30-NS/WS is the ideal foundation for high-end computer systems.
Item Checklist
Your mainboard package should include the items listed below. Damaged or missing items
should be reported to your vendor.
2. MAINBOARD BIOS: Award BIOS supporting “Plug and Play”, DMI, Green PC
specification, on screen setup for Adaptec SCSI, Enhanced IDE and Multi-I/O. The
BIOS is FLASH Upgradeable via the AWDFLASH Utility.
3. USB CONNECTOR: A connector for an optional USB (Universal Serial Bus)
module is provided. This connector permits the connection of two USB peripheral
devices directly to the port without an external hub. USB is a new technology
supporting keyboards, mouse, printers, fax modems and other telephony devices.
4. PS/2 MOUSE CONNECTOR: Connector for optional PS/2 mouse bracket/connector.
If you are using a PS/2 mouse, you must purchase this bracket to insert into your PC
and connect to the PS/2 mouse pin-header on the mainboard.
5. AT-KEYBOARD CONNECTOR: Supports IBM compatible AT style keyboards.
6. INFRARED (IR) CONNECTOR: UART2 can also be used for the optional Infrared
Module, enabling wireless communication capability. A supplied bracket with a single
customized cable connects directly to the infrared pin-header on the mainboard.
7. COM2 CONNECTOR: High-speed UART compatible serial port. COM2 can be
directed to the Infrared Module for wireless connection capability.
8. COM1 CONNECTOR: High-speed UART compatible serial port.
9. PRINTER PORT CONNECTOR: EPP and ECP compatible parallel port.
10. POWER CONNECTOR: 12-Pin Power Connector.
11. DRAM SIMM SOCKETS: (4) 72-pin SIMM sockets are provided to support a
maximum RAM memory capacity of 512 MB. SIMM types of either Fast Page Mode
(FPM) or Extended Data Output (EDO) are supported and automatically detected by
the BIOS. *ECC Support: The Intel 430HX PCIset chipset can detect and correct 1-bit
memory errors when DRAM SIMM modules supporting parity are used.
17. ADAPTEC RAIDport CONNECTOR: This connector, located behind PCI slot
4, supports the Adaptec multifunction expansion card for RAID subsystems. This
connector does not interfere with the use of standard PCI cards with PCI slot 4.
18. PRIMARY IDE CONNECTOR: Connector for first IDE channel. The on-board PCI
Bus Mastering IDE controller features support for DMA Mode 2 and PIO Modes 3 and
4 for faster data transfer rates. (2) Connectors are provided for support of up to (4) IDE
devices on two channels. Other ATAPI and Enhanced IDE devices such as Tape Drives
and CD-ROMs are also supported.
19. SECONDARY IDE CONNECTOR: Connector for second IDE channel.
20. PCI SLOTS: (4) 32-bit PCI slots are provided.
21. REAL TIME CLOCK: Circuitry responsible for the system time and date.
INSTALLING THE CPU AND MEMORYINSTALLING THE CPU AND MEMORY
Static Precautions
Static electricity can be a serious danger to the electronic components on this mainboard. To
avoid damage caused by electrostatic discharge, observe the following precautions:
ü Don’t remove the mainboard from its anti-static packaging until you are ready to install
it into a computer case.
ü Before you handle the mainboard in any way, touch a grounded, anti-static surface, such
as an unpainted portion of the system chassis, for a few seconds to discharge any builtup static electricity.
ü Handle add-in cards and modules by the edges or mounting bracket.
Installing the CPU
ü WARNING: Use of a CPU Cooling Fan to prevent CPU
overheating is highly recommended. The Fan should be
installed first before inserting the CPU into its socket.
1. Locate the ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) Socket 7. This
socket supports Pentium (P5) CPUs (75-200Mhz).
2. First open the socket by pulling the lever sideways,
then upwards. Notice how the lever locks in place
when pressed all the way down.
3. The CPU must be inserted with the correct orientation.
One corner of the CPU has a “notch” and looks
different that the other three. This corner is also missing a pin unlike the other three
and is marked with a white dot on top of the CPU. Align this corner towards the end of
the lever as shown in the figure below. Insert the CPU, hold it down, and close the
lever until it locks into place.
Connecting the CPU Cooling Fan (JP13)
JP13 is a small 3-pin Header Connector that provides 12-Volt power for
CPU Cooling Fans. This is useful if your Fan provides this type of
connector, instead of the normal Molex-Type Power-Supply connector.
Pin-2 corresponds to the RED power lead as shown:
INSTALLING THE CPU AND MEMORYINSTALLING THE CPU AND MEMORY
Internal
Ratio
External
JP6
Product
Ext/Int
JP6
Setting the CPU Clock Selection Jumper (JP6)
After installing the CPU, you must set
the clock selection jumper to match the
frequency of the CPU. Find the Jumper
Block labeled JP6 on the mainboard
(Refer to the diagram on page 7). Set
the jumper according to the table below
for the CPU frequency you are using.
The Internal (Core) frequency corresponds to the number marked on the
CPU. The External Frequency when
multiplied with the Ratio gives the
CPU's internal frequency. This jumper
automatically sets the ISA Clock as well.
* If you are uncertain about the speed or
voltage requirements of your particular
CPU, you should obtain Technical
Documentation from the manufacturer.
Such information is available via the Intel, Cyrix and AMD WWW sites.
Setting the CPU Voltage Selection Jumper (JP9, JP10, JP11, JP12)
Locate Jumpers JP9, JP10, JP11 and JP12 on the mainboard (Refer to the diagram on page
10). Set these jumpers in accordance with the table below for your specific CPU type (Refer
to the CPU documentation)
Banks. Each bank consists of (2)
SIMM Sockets. Memory must be
installed two SIMMS (1 Bank) at a
time. The two SIMMS in a bank
must be identical.
1. Install SIMMS 1 and 2 first. The
SIMMS must be oriented in the
correct way. There is a notch in one end of the SIMM. Align this notch as shown in the
Diagram below. Retainers on either side of the SIMM will hold it in place.
mounting
Mainboard
Bank 1
Bank 0
hole
SIMM 4
SIMM 3
SIMM 2
SIMM 1
1
mounting
hole
notched en
1
1
1
1
The Level-2 Cache (SRAM)
Your mainboard features 512K of Pipeline-Burst Static RAM Cache Memory. Locate the L2
Cache on the Diagram on page 5. Two possible implementations are available: Four
32Kx32 128K chips or Two 64Kx32 256K chips.
The 512K of Level-2 Cache on this mainboard is not upgradeable.
Jumpers are used on this mainboard to
select various settings and features. A 2-pin
jumper has two settings: Open and Short (or
Closed). The jumper is closed by placing the
Jumper Cap across the two pins, thereby
connecting them. 3-pin jumpers can be set
to pins 1-2 or 2-3 connected. Pin-1 is
labeled on the circuit board for these jumpers as shown:
3-pin Jumper2-pin Jumper
Pin 1-2Open
Pin 2-3Short
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
JP5
JP10
JP11
JP12
JP13
JP9
JP8
JP7
JP6
JP3
JP3: Clear CMOS RAM - When closed, the CMOS information is reset to default. All
user-entered information is cleared. To clear the CMOS, first turn the computer off, then
connect a jumper cap over the two pins for a moment. Remove the jumper and power the
system on.
JP5: IDE Activity LED - Hook the IDE LED lead to this jumper, with the RED lead
corresponding to Pin-1.
JP6: CPU Clock Selection - This jumper is explained in detail on page 9.
JP7: SCSI Activity LED - Hook the SCSI LED lead to this jumper, with the RED lead
corresponding to Pin-2.
JP8: System Functions Jumper Block
Pins [3 & 5] Turbo LED switch - The Turbo function is
not supported by this mainboard. Therefore, the Turbo LED
will always remain lit as long as the system power is on.
Pins [7 & 9] SMI suspend switch lead - If your system’s
case has a suspend switch, hook the lead from the switch to
pins 7 & 9 of JP8. A suspend switch is used to save
electricity by putting the system into a suspend mode when
the computer is not being used. This switch could also be
used by the Turbo switch on the front of the system, since
this mainboard does not support that function. For this switch to be functional, it must
first be enabled in the Power Management Setup in the BIOS Setup utility.
Pins [17 & 19] Reset switch lead - Connects to the Reset Switch lead from the system’s
case. The reset switch is used to “cold-boot” the system without actually turning off the
power, reducing wear and tear on the power supply.
Pins [2, 6, 8, 10] Keyboard lock switch lead - Pins 2 & 6 connect to the Power LED
from the system’s case. Pins 8 & 10 connect to the case-mounted keylock switch.
Pins [14 & 20] Speaker connector - Connects to the Speaker lead from the system’s
case.
JP9, JP10, JP11, JP12: CPU Voltage Selection Jumper - This jumper is explained in
detail on page 9.
JP13: CPU cooling fan connector - Hook the CPU cooling fan power connector to this
jumper, observing the correct polarity. Pin-2 corresponds to the RED power lead as shown:
The two cables from the standard 5-volt power supply
connect to the power connector on the mainboard (refer
to page 4). You must align the connectors on the power
cable at a slight angle to correctly fit them onto the
mainboards power connector. Then, press down on the
connectors to lock them in place. The (2) connectors
should be installed so that the BLACK wires meet in
the middle of the connector.
Serial and Parallel Ports
The cables from the supplied serial port connector bracket hook to the COM1 and COM2
connectors on the mainboard. Generally, the upper serial port on the bracket would be
configured as COM1 and the lower port as COM2. Make sure to orient Pin-1 marked on the
mainboard to the RED stripe on the ribbon cables.
The cable from the supplied parallel port connector bracket hooks to the parallel connector
on the mainboard. Make sure to orient Pin-1 marked on the mainboard to the RED stripe on
the ribbon cable.
IrDA-compliant infrared module connector
The IrDA connector bracket hooks directly to this connector on the
mainboard. This connector provides support for the optional wireless
transmitting and receiving infrared module. You must first configure
through the BIOS setup where UART2 is directed, COM2 or IrDA.
This connection is for a standard IBM-compatible keyboard. May also be known as a 101
enhanced keyboard.
PS/2 Mouse ConnectorIf you are using a PS/2 mouse, you must purchase one bracket to insert into your PC and a
single customized cable to directly connect to the PS/2 mouse pin-header on your
mainboard.
Floppy drives
The on-board floppy controller supports (2) floppy disk drives with the floppy ribbon cable
provided. Make sure the RED stripe on the ribbon cable is oriented towards Pin-1. Notice
the “twist” between the sets of connectors on the floppy cable. The floppy drive “A”
position is at the END of the cable, whereas floppy drive “B” is hooked to one of the
connectors on the other side of the twist. The cable provides both “Edge” and “Pin”
connectors for both the A and B positions to match the connector on your floppy drives.
IDE Hard Drives and CD-ROMs
The on-board Enhanced IDE controller can support up to (4) IDE hard drives or other
ATAPI devices, such as CD-ROMs. This controller, as with all Enhanced IDE controllers,
consists of both Primary and Secondary ports. Each port has an associated connector and
cable which can support up to (2) ATAPI devices each.
All IDE devices have jumpers which allow the user to configure the device as either
“Master” or “Slave”. A Master device is one that is ALONE on the IDE cable, whereas a
Slave device is installed as a SECOND device on the same cable. Keep in mind that the
Master device will appear before the Slave device in the CMOS Setup, as well as the
Operating System software. *Refer to the device documentation for jumper settings.
The Secondary IDE port can be used for up to (2) additional ATAPI devices. Normally it’s
recommended that you connect your first hard drive to the Primary port, and the first CDROM to the Secondary.
Make sure to align the RED stripe on the ribbon cable with Pin-1 on the mainboard IDE
connector. On most hard drives and CD-ROMs, the RED stripe should be oriented towards
the power connector of the device.
8-Bit SCSI-2/3 Devices
The 50-pin Ultra SCSI connector is capable of supporting up to (7) 8-bit SCSI-2 or SCSI-3
devices. Remember that the on-board controller uses
the “SCSI ID” of 7. So, when hooking up your SCSI
devices, start with ID 0, and avoid ID 7. As with all
SCSI Controllers, only the LAST device on the cable
should be terminated.
16-Bit (Wide) SCSI-2/3 Devices
• The 68-pin Ultra-Wide SCSI connector if featured on the P5H30-WS mainboard. It can
support up to (15) 16-bit SCSI devices. These include Wide SCSI-2 and Ultra-Wide
devices. Remember the controller’s SCSI ID is 7. So, avoid ID 7 when configuring your
SCSI devices. As with all SCSI Controllers, only the
LAST device on the cable should be terminated.
• Both the 8-bit and 16-bit connectors represent the
same SCSI bus. The total number of devices for this controller is (15). This means that
once a SCSI ID is used on one of the cables, that ID cannot be used again. The
maximum of (15) devices could consist of all 16-bit devices, or a mixture of 16-bit and
8-bit devices. (P5H30-WS Only)
Optional RAIDport Module
You can take greater advantage of the Ultra-Wide SCSI controller already embedded on the
P5H30-WS mainboard by turning it into a hardware assisted RAID solution through the
addition of the Adaptec RAIDport Module. This PCI add-in card contains the Adaptec
RAID engine ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and its associated hardware.
This is the most cost effective, flexible, and risk-free way to add RAID functionality to your
SCSI subsystem.
This solution is also particularly cost effective since it takes advantage of the embedded
SCSI controller and avoids the extra cost of the PCI-to-PCI bridge that is present in most
high performance RAID solutions. Furthermore no recabling of the SCSI devices is
required.
The Mainboard BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) acts as the bridge between your
Hardware (CPU, Disk Drives, Video, etc.) and Operating System Software (Windows 95,
OS/2 and so on…) The BIOS Setup (also called CMOS Setup) is where many hardware
configuration options are set and stored. This configuration information will remain in the
BIOS until it is changed, or cleared via the “Clear CMOS” jumper (see page 11).
CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) refers to the chip in which the BIOS
information is stored.
The P5H30-NS/WS mainboard features Award BIOS, which provides an easy to use Setup
program to aid in hardware configuration. In this section we will look at the various menus
and options contained in the Award BIOS Setup Program. This mainboard also features a
“Flash” BIOS. A Flash BIOS can be upgraded via software, thereby eliminating the need to
actually replace the “BIOS Chip” on the mainboard. Procedures for updating the BIOS
follow this section.
The Award BIOS 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.
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.
Getting Help
Pressing F1 will display 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>.
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.
• Shortly after the system is powered on, provided a CPU and sufficient RAM are
installed, you will see the message: Press DEL to enter SETUP.
• Press the DEL key to enter the Award BIOS Setup program.
MAIN MENU
Once you enter the Award BIOS 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.
ROM PCI/ISA BIOS (2A59F008)
CMOS SETUP UTILITY
AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.
STANDARD CMOS SETUP INTEGRATED PERIPHERALS
BIOS FEATURES SETUP SUPERVISOR PASSWORD
CHIPSET FEATURES SETUP USER PASSWORD
POWER MANAGEMENT SETUP IDE HDD AUTO DETECTION
PNP / PCI CONFIGURATION SAVE & EXIT SETUP
LOAD BIOS DEFAULTS EXIT WITHOUT SAVING
LOAD SETUP DEFAULTS
Esc : Quit
F10 : Save & Exit Setup (Shift) F2 : Change Color
Time, Date,Hard Disk Type...
↑↓→← : Select Item
Note that a brief description of each highlighted selection appears at the bottom of the
screen.
This first menu is where the most basic hardware options are set. Information regarding the
system clock, IDE hard disks and floppy drives is stored and configured in this section. To
enter the Standard CMOS Setup, press the [ENTER] key with this menu highlighted.
Date (mm:dd:yy) : Fri, Apr 7 1996
Time(hh:mm:ss) : 00:00:00
HARD DISKS TYPE SIZE CYLS HEAD PRECOMP LANDZ SECTOR MODE
Primary Master : Auto 0 0 0 0 0 0 Auto
Primary Slave : Auto 0 0 0 0 0 0 Auto
Secondary Master : Auto 0 0 0 0 0 0 Auto
Secondary Slave : Auto 0 0 0 0 0 0 Auto
Drive A : 1.44M , 3.5in.
Drive B : None
Floppy 3 Mode Support: Disabled
Video : EGA / VGA
Halt On : All Errors
ESC : Quit ↑↓→← : Select Item PU / PD / + / - : Modify
F1 : Help (Shift) F2 : Change Color
Upon entering the Standard CMOS Setup screen, you will see a screen like that below.
Again, notice that the bottom of the screen provides information relating to the highlighted
item as you move around the screen.
First, let’s set the system Date. Use the arrow keys to move to and highlight the “Date”
option. Select the Month by using the PgDn and PgUp keys. This is how most settings will
be configured. Then, move to the day, year and time via the arrow keys to finish setting the
system date and time.
Keep in mind that the system time is set in 24-hour time. With this method, 1PM is
represented as 13:00, 2PM as 14:00 and so on, with 00:00 corresponding to Midnight.
Pri Master, Pri Slave, Sec Master, Sec Slave - These four options relate to the (4) IDE
hard drives, CD-ROMs or other ATAPI devices that can be controlled via the on-board IDE
controller (review IDE Hard Drives and CD-ROMs on page 13). The “Pri Master” setting
specifies the first device on the primary IDE channel, “Pri Slave” - the second. Sec Master
and Sec Slave specify the devices on the secondary channel.
The first option available is the most important: Type. This is where you will specify the
type of device and how it is represented in the BIOS Setup. If the device is a hard disk or
CD-ROM, generally the Auto option is the best choice for fast and easy setup of the hard
disk parameters. Let’s take a look at the difference between the Auto, User and Types (1-
45) options:
•Auto - This option instructs the BIOS to automatically configure the hard disk by
reading the parameters (cylinders, sectors, etc.) directly from the hard disk’s firmware.
Use this option if you are configuring a new hard drive, or one that has already been
formatted using the Auto option. Keep in mind that a hard drive is configured using a
certain set of parameters, those same parameters must be used for the life of the drive,
unless the drive is re-FDISKed using a different parameter set. (This procedure deletes
the old partition(s) on the drive and creates a new one, using the new parameters).
•User - This option allows you to manually
enter in the parameters of the hard drive.
Generally, this option would be used only if
the hard drive has already been formatted
with a certain set of parameters, and assured
consistency between the old and new
parameters is desired.
•Types 1-45 - Similar to the User option, these types should only be used if the exact
parameters for the hard drive are already entered as a specific type stored in the Setup
Program. Again, this would only be needed to assure that the parameters the drive was
formatted with and those it is using now, are identical. For new hard drives, the Auto
option is the preferred choice.
Mode - One of Enhanced IDE’s most important features is LBA (Logical Block Addressing)
Mode. This feature allows the use of larger hard drives by providing a way to bypass the
cylinder limitations imposed by many Operating Systems. LBA Mode is used to extend a
hard drive’s useable capacity by “remapping” the cylinders in a way that is acceptable to
these operating systems. For instance, a hard drive with the parameters of 2100 Cylinders,
16 Heads and 63 Sectors would be represented by LBA Mode as 525 Cylinders, 64 Heads
and 63 Sectors. (Notice that the Cylinders have been divided, and the Heads have been
multiplied, by a factor of 4)
On hard drives smaller in capacity than 528MB, LBA support is not needed. The option on
these devices is ignored, even if enabled. For hard drives greater than 528MB, LBA mode
should be enabled. The following rules apply:
• Operating Systems that do not use the FAT file system do not need LBA Mode, and
can use the Normal or Large Modes. Examples would be Netware and Unix.
• When configuring a new hard drive greater than 528MB in capacity, always make sure
LBA mode is enabled.
• If you are using a hard drive that is over 528MB in capacity, but was already formatted
TYPEdrive type
CYLS.number of cylinders
HEADSnumber of heads
PRECOMPwrite precom
LANDZONElanding zone
SECTORSnumber of sectors
MODEmode type
without using LBA mode, LBA support will be ignored even if it is enabled. This
assures correct access to the drive’s data.
•SCSI Hard Drives are NOT entered into the Mainboard BIOS Setup in any way.
The hard drive settings in the Standard CMOS Setup are only for drives connected to
the IDE Controller. So, if only SCSI drives were installed, all these settings would be
set to Type: None. SCSI Devices are configured via the SCSI controller’s BIOS.
Floppy Drives A: and B: - Select the Type for the A: and/or B: floppy drives. Remember,
floppy drive A: is the first drive, hooked to the END of the floppy ribbon cable. Floppy drive
B: is hooked up after the twist. Available settings are listed below:
NoneNo floppy drive installed
360K, 5.25 in5-1/4 inch PC-type standard drive; 360 kilobyte capacity
1.2M, 5.25 in5-1/4 inch AT-type high-density drive; 1.2 megabyte capacity
720K, 3.5 in3-1/2 inch double-sided drive; 720 kilobyte capacity
1.44M, 3.5 in3-1/2 inch double-sided drive; 1.44 megabyte capacity
2.88M, 3.5 in3-1/2 inch double-sided drive; 2.88 megabyte capacity
Floppy 3 Mode Support: - Enable this option ONLY for floppy drive(s) that support the
Japanese standard (1.2MB on 3.5” Diskette). Options: Disabled (Default), Both, Drive A /
B.
Video - This category selects the type of video adapter used for the primary system monitor.
Although secondary monitors are supported, you do not have to select their type in Setup.
EGA/VGAEnhanced Graphics Adapter/Video Graphics Array. For EGA, VGA,
CGA 40Color Graphics Adapter, power up in 40 column mode
CGA 80Color Graphics Adapter, power up in 80 column mode
MONOMonochrome adapter, includes high resolution monochrome adapters
Error Halt - Determines whether or not the system will prompt you if an error is detected
during POST.
No errorsThe system boot will not be stopped for any error that may be detected.
All errorsWhenever the BIOS detects a non-fatal error the system will be stopped
All,
But Keyboard
All, But DisketteThe system boot will not stop for a disk error; it will stop for all other
All, But
Disk/Key
Memory - This category is display-only. All memory detected by the POST (Power On Self
Test) of the BIOS is shown as the following types:
Base Memory is the amount of conventional memory installed in the system. This value is
typically 640K for systems with 640K or more memory installed on the motherboard. The
SEGA, SVGA or PGA monitor adapters.
and you will be prompted.
The system boot will not stop for a keyboard error; it will stop for all
other errors.
errors.
The system boot will not stop for a keyboard or disk error; it will stop
for all other errors.
Extended Memory is the amount of memory located above 1MB in the CPU's memory
address map. Other Memory refers to the memory located in the region between 640K and
1MB. This region can be used for shadowing as well as expanded memory in DOS.
BIOS FEATURES SETUP
This menu provides access to more advanced BIOS configuration settings that deal with
overall performance of the system and peripheral setup. This section allows you to configure
your system for basic operation. You have the opportunity to select the system’s default
speed, boot-up sequence, keyboard operation, shadowing and security.
Virus Warning: DisabledVideo BIOS Shadow: Enabled
CPU Internal Cache: EnabledC8000-CBFFF Shadow: Disabled
External Cache: EnabledCC000-CFFFF Shadow: Disabled
Quick Power On Self Test: EnabledD0000-D3FFF Shadow: Disabled
Hard Disk Boot From: Pri-IDED4000-D7FFF Shadow: Disabled
Boot Sequence: C, AD8000-DBFFF Shadow: Disabled
Swap Floppy Drive: DisabledDC000-DFFFF Shadow: Disabled
Boot Up Floppy Seek: Disabled
Floppy Disk Access Control: R/W
Boot Up NumLock Status: On
Boot Up System Speed: High
Typematic Rate Setting: Disabled
Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec): 6
Typematic Delay (Msec): 250
Security Option: System
PCI / VGA Palett Snoop: DisabledF1 : Help PU/PD/+/- : Mod
Assign PCI IRQ For VGA: DisabledF5 : Old Values (Shift) F2 : Color
OS/2 Onboard Memory > 64MB: Non-OS2F6 : Load BIOS Defaults
ESC : Quit ↑↓→←: Select
F7 : Load Setup Defaults
Virus Warning - When enabled, the BIOS will warn the user when any program attempts
to write to or format the boot sector. If an attempt is made, the BIOS will halt the system
and the following error message will appear:
You can accept or abort this operation.
Note: This feature is designed to guard
against viruses that modify the boot sector
on hard disks. However, many disk
diagnostic programs which attempt to access
Type "Y" to accept write or "N" to abort write
! WARNING !
Disk boot sector is to be modified
Award Software, Inc.
the boot sector table, as well as partition and format programs, will also trigger this
warning. If you will be running such a program, you can disable Virus Protection first, or
choose “Y” to accept the boot sector modification when this message shows up.
CPU Internal Cache - Enables or Disables the Level-1 Internal Cache memory. Generally,
this would only be Disabled for troubleshooting purposes.
External Cache - Enables or Disables the Level-2 External Cache memory. Generally, this
would only be Disabled for troubleshooting purposes.
Quick Power on Self Test - Speeds up Power On Self Test (POST) after the computer is
powered on. When set to Enable, the BIOS will shorten or skip some checks during POST.
Hard Disk Boot From - This option lets you choose to boot from Primary IDE (Pri-IDE),
Secondary IDE (Sec-IDE), or SCSI hard disk. Same as IDE options, the Boot Sequence in
the next field is set to C, A when the SCSI is chosen.
Boot Sequence - When your system is powered on, the BIOS performs a variety of
operations, then attempts to boot an Operating System from either a hard drive, floppy
drive, or CD-ROM. This setting determines the sequence that the BIOS will follow when
searching devices for a bootable disk. Most users find the C, A setting to be most
beneficial, since it takes the least amount of time to boot the system. If however, you want
the ability to boot from a Floppy or CD-ROM drive, you would need to choose either the A,C or CDROM, C, A setting. For instance, if your boot sequence was set to C, A and for some
reason you wanted to boot to your Floppy A: Drive, it would not be possible, since the BIOS
would always boot from the C: drive first. In this case, this setting would need to be
changed to A, C so that the system would first check the floppy drive for a bootable disk.
This would slow bootup speed, however, since the floppy would be checked on every boot.
C, ASystem will first search hard disk drive then floppy disk drive for boot sector.
A,CSystem will first search for boot sector on floppy disk, then hard disk.
CDROM, C, ASystem will first search the CDROM drive, then hard disk drive and then floppy
C, CDROM, ASystem will first search for boot sector on hard disk drive , then CDROM drive,
Swap Floppy Drive - The hardware connections determine which floppy is configured as
drive A: and drive B: “Swapping” the floppy drives can be useful if your system has two
floppy drives, and you want the ability to boot from both. For example: Since a PC cannot
boot from the B: Floppy, you would need to “Swap” floppy drives A: and B: in order to set
the second floppy drive to drive A:, thereby making it bootable.
Boot Up Floppy Seek - When enabled, BIOS will determine if the floppy disk drive
installed is 40 or 80 tracks. It will display a warning if the floppy is Low Density (40 Trks).
EnabledBIOS searches for floppy disk drive to determine if it is 40 or 80 tracks. Note that
DisabledBIOS will not search for the type of floppy disk drive by track number.
Floppy Disk Access Control - When R/W, the floppy disk can be read and written. The
other option is Read Only.
Boot Up NumLock Status - When On, the NumLock key will be automatically enabled
when the system boots.
disk drive for boot sector.
and then floppy disk drive.
BIOS can not tell from 720K, 1.2M or 1.44M drive type as they are all 80 tracks.
Note that there will not be any warning message if the drive installed is 360K.
Boot Up System Speed - Sets the system speed to High or Low. Generally, low speed
would only be used for troubleshooting purposes.
Typematic Rate Setting - Determines if the
typematic rate is to be used. When disabled,
continually holding down a key on your keyboard will
generate only one instance. In other words, the BIOS will only report that the key is down.
When the typematic rate is enabled, the BIOS will report as before, but it will then wait a
moment, and, if the key is still down, it will begin to report that the key has been depressed
repeatedly. This feature is used to accelerate cursor movements with the arrow keys.
Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec) - When the
typematic rate is enabled, this selection allows
you to select the rate at which the keys are
accelerated. See the table to the right:
Typematic Delay (Msec) - When the typematic
rate is enabled, this selection allows you to select
the delay (in msec) between when the key was
first depressed and when the acceleration begins.
Security Option - This option enables password checking every time the computer is
powered on or every time BIOS Setup is executed. If System is chosen, a user password
prompt appears every time the computer is turned on. If Setup is chosen, the password
prompt appears only when the BIOS Setup program is executed. Refer to the section
Supervisor Password for more information.
PCI / VGA Palette Snoop - This option must be set to Enabled if any ISA MPEG card
installed requires VGA palette snooping. The settings are Disabled or Enabled.
Assign PCI IRQ For VGA - The Enabled option allows you to auto-route an IRQ for use
by a PCI VGA card.
OS/2 Onboard Memory > 64MB - This should be set to OS2 if you are running IBM OS/2
with more than 64MB of RAM in the system. Otherwise, the setting should be Non-OS2.
Video BIOS Shadow - This option controls the location of the contents of the 32KB of
Video ROM beginning at the C0000h memory location. The settings are:
EnabledThe contents of C0000h-C7FFFh are written to the same address in system
memory (RAM) for faster execution.
DisabledThe video ROM is not copied to RAM. The contents of the video ROM cannot be
read from or written to cache memory.
C8000-DFFFF Shadow - These options control the location of the contents of the 16KB
expansion card ROMs beginning at the specified memory location. If no adapter ROM is
using the named ROM area, this area is made available to the local bus. Shadowing a ROM
66 characters per second
88 characters per second
1010 characters per second
1212 characters per second
1515 characters per second
2020 characters per second
2424 characters per second
3030 characters per second
reduces the memory available between 640KB and 1024KB by the amount used for this
purpose. The settings are Enabled or Disabled.
CHIPSET FEATURES SETUP
This setup menu contains advanced configuration options relating to the mainboard chipset.
These options are rarely changed by the user.
Auto Configuration: EnabledSingal Bit Error Report: Enabled
DRAM Timing: 60nsPassive Release: Enabled
DRAM Read Burst (EDO/FPM): x222/x333Delayed Transaction: Disabled
DRAM Write Burst Timing: x333
DRAM RAS# Precharge Time: 3 HCLKs
DRAM R/W Leadoff Timing: 6/5 HCLKs
Fast RAS# To CAS# Delay: 3 HCLKs
Turbo Read Leadoff: Disabled
DRAM Speculative Leadoff: Disabled
Turn-Around Insertion: Disabled
ISA Bus Clock: PCI CLK/4
Video BIOS Cacheable: Enabled
8 Bit I/O Recovery Time: NA
16 Bit I/O Recovery Time: NA
Memory Hole At 15M-16M: Disabled
Peer Concurrency: EnabledF1 : Help PU/PD/+/- : Mod
Chipset Special Features: EnabledF5 : Old Values (Shift) F2 : Color
DRAM ECC / PARITY Select: ParityF6 : Load BIOS Defaults
Memory Parity / ECC Check: DisabledF7 : Load Setup Defaults
ESC : Quit ↑↓→←: Select
Auto Configuration - When Enabled, pre-defined values for DRAM, Cache, Timings, etc.
are set according to the CPU type & system clock. Enabled is the recommended setting.
These settings are only editable when Auto Configuration is Disabled.
Note: The first chipset settings deal with CPU access to dynamic random access memory
(DRAM). The default timings have been carefully chosen and should only be altered if data
is being lost. Such a scenario might occur if your system had mixed speed DRAM chips
installed. Here, greater delays may be required to preserve the integrity of the data held in
the slower memory chips.
DRAM Timing - DRAM timing is controlled by the DRAM timing registers. The timings
programmed into this register are dependent on the system design. 60ns is the fastest rate.
The 70ns timing is slower and may be required in certain system designs to support loose
layouts or slower memory.
DRAM Read Burst (EDO/FPM) - Sets the burst mode read timing for two different
DRAM types - (EDO/FPM). Burst read and write requests are generated by the CPU in four
separate parts. The first part provides the location within the DRAM where the read or
write is to take place, while the remaining three parts provide the actual data. The lower the
timing numbers, the faster the system will address memory. *x222/x333 timings is the
default.
x222/x333Read DRAM (EDO/FPM) timings are 2-2-2/3-3-3
x333/x444Read DRAM (EDO/FPM) timings are 3-3-3/4-4-4
x444/x444Read DRAM (EDO/FPM) timings are 4-4-4/4-4-4
DRAM Write Burst Timing - Sets the timing for burst mode writes from DRAM. Burst
read and write requests are generated by the CPU in four separate parts. The first part
provides the location within the DRAM where the read or write is to take place, while the
remaining three parts provide the actual data. The lower the timing numbers, the faster the
system will address memory. *x333 timings is the default.
x222Write DRAM timings are 2-2-2-2
x333Write DRAM timings are 3-3-3-3
x444Write DRAM timings are 4-4-4-4
DRAM RAS# Precharge Time - DRAM must continually be refreshed or it will lose its
data. Normally, DRAM is refreshed entirely as the result of a single request. This option
allows you to determine the number of CPU clocks allocated for the Row Address Strobe to
accumulate its charge before the DRAM is refreshed. If insufficient time is allowed, refresh
may be incomplete and data will be lost. Options are 3 or 4 Clocks. *Default = 3 CPUClocks.
DRAM R/W Leadoff Timing - Sets the number of CPU clocks allowed before reads and
writes to DRAM are performed. * 6 CPU Clocks is the default.
Fast RAS# to CAS# Delay - The DRAM row miss leadoff timing is controlled by this
option. This setup item allows you to determine the timing of the transition from Row
Address Strobe (RAS) to Column Address Strobe (CAS). Options are 2 or 3 Clocks delay.
*3 CPU clocks is the default.
Turbo Read Leadoff - The turbo read leadoff may be required in certain system
designs to support layouts or faster memories. *Disabled is the default.
DRAM Speculative Leadoff - The Triton II chipset is capable of allowing a DRAM read
request to be generated slightly before the address has been fully decoded. This can reduce
all read latencies. More simply, the CPU will issue a read request and included with this
request is the place (address) in memory where the desired data is to be found. This request
is received by the DRAM controller. When the ‘Speculative Leadoff’ is enabled, the
controller will issue the read command slightly before it has finished determining the
address. *Disabled is the default.
Turn-Around Insertion - When Enabled, the chipset will insert one extra clock to the
turn-around of back-to-back DRAM cycles. *Disabled is the default.
ISA Bus Clock - This item allows you to select the PCI clock type. PCI CLK/3 or PCI
CLK/4.
Video BIOS Cacheable - When Enabled, the Video BIOS cacheable will cause access to
the video BIOS addressed at C0000H to C7FFFH to be cached. *Enabled is the default.
8 Bit I/O Recovery Time - The recovery time is the length of time, measured in CPU
clocks, that the system will delay after the completion of an input/output request. This delay
takes place because the CPU is operating faster than the input/output bus. Therefore the
CPU must be delayed to allow for the completion of I/O transfers. This item allows you to
determine the recovery time allowed for 8 bit I/O. Choices are from NA, 1 to 8 CPU clocks.
*NA is the default.
16 Bit I/O Recovery Time - This item allows you to determine the recovery time allowed
for 16 bit I/O. Choices are from NA, 1 to 4 CPU clocks. *NA is the default.
Memory Hole At 15M-16M - In order to improve performance, certain space in memory
can be reserved for ISA cards. This memory must be mapped into the memory space below
16 MB. *Disabled is the default.
Peer Concurrency - Peer concurrency means that more than one PCI device can be active
at a time. *Enabled is the default.
Chipset Special Features - When Disabled, the chipset behaves like an earlier version.
(Used mainly for Troubleshooting).
DRAM ECC/PARITY Select - Select between two methods of DRAM error checking,
ECC and Parity (default).
Memory Parity / ECC Check - Allows you to select between three methods of memory
error checking: Auto, Enabled and Disabled.
Single Bit Error Report - When Enabled, if a single bit error is detected, the offending
DRAM row ID is latched. The latched Value is held until the software explicitly clears the
error status flag.
Passive Release - The PIIX3 (PCI ISA IDE Xcelerator) provides a programmable Passive
Release mechanism to meet the required master latencies. When enabled (default), ISA
masters may see long delays in access to any PCI memory, including the main DRAM array.
Delayed Transaction - It is used by targets that cannot complete the initial data phase
within the requirements of the PCI 2.1 specification. Disabled is the default.
This menu contains configuration options that reduce power consumption when the system
is not in use. Other “Green-PC” compliant peripherals are also supported. Power
Management allows you to configure you system to use energy most efficiently, and yet still
in a manner consistent with your own style of computer use.
Power Management: User Defined** Power Down & Resume Events **
PM Control by APM: YesIRQ3 (COM 2): OFF
Video Off Method: V/H SYNC+BlankIRQ4 (COM 1): ON
Video Off Option: Susp, Stby -> OffIRQ5 (LPT 2): ON
Suspend Switch: EnabledIRQ6 (Floppy Disk): ON
MODEM Use IRQ: 3IRQ7 (LPT 1): ON
Doze Mode: DisabledIRQ9 (IRQ2 Redir): ON
Standby Mode: DisabledIRQ10 (Reserved): ON
Suspend Mode: DisabledIRQ11 (Reserved): ON
HDD Power Down: DisabledIRQ12 (PS/2 Mouse): ON
** Wake Up Events In Doze & Standby **IRQ14 (Hard Disk): ON
IRQ3 ( Wake - Up Event ): OFFIRQ15 (Reserved): ON
IRQ4 ( Wake - Up Event ): ON
IRQ8 ( Wake - Up Event ): OFFF1 : Help PU/PD/+/- : Modify
IRQ12 ( Wake - Up Event ): ONF5 : Old Values (Shift) F2 : Color
Power Management - This category allows you to select the type (or degree) of power
saving and is directly related to the following modes: Doze Mode, Standby Mode, Suspend
Mode and HDD Power Down. There are four selections for Power Management, three of
which have fixed mode settings:
IRQ8 (RTC Alarm): OFF
IRQ13 (Coprocessor): ON
ESC : Quit ↑↓→←: Select Item
F6 : Load BIOS Defaults
F7 : Load Setup Defaults
Disabled (default)No power management. Disables all four modes
Min. SavingMinimum power management. Doze Mode = 1 hr. Standby Mode = 1
Max. Saving
User DefinedSet each mode individually. When Enabled, each range is from 1 min.
hr., Suspend Mode = 1 hr., and HDD Power Down = 15 min.
Maximum power management -- ONLY AVAILABLE FOR SLCPUs. Doze Mode = 1 min., Standby Mode = 1 min., Suspend Mode
= 1 min., and HDD Power Down = 1 min.
to 1 hr., except for HDD Power Down which ranges from 1 min. to 15
min.
PM Control by APM - When Enabled, an Advanced Power Management device will be
activated to enhance the Max. Power Saving mode and stop the CPU internal clock. If the
Max. Power Saving is not enabled, this will be preset to No.
Video Off Method - This determines the manner in which the monitor is blanked.
V/H YNC+BlankThis selection will cause the system to turn off the vertical and
horizontal synchronization ports, writing blanks to the video buffer.
Blank ScreenThis option only writes blanks to the video buffer.
DPMSInitial display power management signaling.
Video Off Option - This is to determine when to activate the video off function. Options
are: “Susp, Stby -. Off” (default), “All Modes -> Off”, and “Always On”.
Suspend Switch - Enables or Disables the SMI connector on the mainboard. (See page 12)
When Enabled, a switch on the computer case can be used to trigger power saving
functions.
MODEM Use IRQ - This setting tells the BIOS which IRQ the modem is using, so that any
activity on that interrupt can bring the system out of power saving mode. Options are: NA, 3
(default), 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11.
PM Timers - The following four modes are Green PC power saving functions which are
only user configurable when User Defined Power Management has been selected. See
above for available selections.
Doze Mode - When enabled and after the set time of system inactivity, the CPU clock will
run at slower speed while all other devices still operate at full speed.
Standby Mode - When enabled and after the set time of system inactivity, the fixed disk
drive and the video will be shut off while all other devices still operate at full speed.
Suspend Mode - When enabled and after the set time of system inactivity, all devices
except the CPU will be shut off.
HDD Power Down - When enabled and after the set time of system inactivity, the hard disk
drive will be powered down while all other devices remain active.
Wake Up Events in Doze & Standby - When set to ON, any activity on the specified IRQ
will cause the system to “wake up” from Doze or Standby mode. The OFF setting disables
wake up for the specified IRQ.
Power Down & Resume Events - Power Down and Resume events are I/O events whose
occurrence can prevent the system from entering a power saving mode or can awaken the
system from such a mode. In effect, the system remains alert for anything which occurs to a
device which is configured as On, even when the system is in a power down mode.
When an I/O device wants to gain the attention of the operating system, it signals this by
causing an IRQ to occur. When the operating system is ready to respond to the request, it
interrupts itself and performs the service. As above, the choices are On and Off. Off is the
default. When set On, activity will neither prevent the system from going into a power
management mode nor awaken it.
You can set IRQ3 - 15 individually. Activity detected from any enabled IRQ channel will
wake up the system.
PNP/PCI CONFIGURATION SETUP
The PCI Personal Component Interconnect Bus was developed by Intel and other industry
leader partners primarily to address two important issues faced by PC hardware designers
today: a) How to allow peripheral devices to take the fullest advantage of the power of
Pentium and Pentium Pro chip technology, and b) Provide a simpler installation process for
peripheral devices, such as Network cards, EIDE or SCSI controllers.
PCI accomplishes these goals with its 32-bit Data path Local Bus design, and support for
Plug & Play. Unlike older expansion bus architectures, PCI provides peripherals with a
direct connection to the CPU and memory. The PCI bus runs at 33Mhz and has a maximum
transfer capability of 132MBps. With Plug & Play, the system BIOS automatically
determines hardware resources for new peripherals, simplifying installation of multiple
interface cards.
This Setup Menu provides configuration options for the PCI Bus and its assigned resources.
Resources Controlled by: ManualPCI IRQ Activated By: Level
Reset Configuration Data: DisabledPCI IDE IRQ Map To: PCI-AUTO
IRQ-3 assigned to: Legacy ISA Secondary IDE INT#: B
IRQ-4 assigned to: Legacy ISAOnboard SCSI Chip: Enabled
IRQ-5 assigned to: PCI/ISA PnPPCI Latency Timer: 80 PCI Clocks
IRQ-7 assigned to: PCI/ISA PnP
IRQ- 9 assigned to: PCI/ISA PnP
IRQ-10 assigned to: PCI/ISA PnP
IRQ-11 assigned to: PCI/ISA PnP
IRQ-12 assigned to: PCI/ISA PnP
IRQ-14 assigned to: Legacy ISA
IRQ-15 assigned to: Legacy ISA
DMA-0 assigned to: PCI/ISA PnP
DMA-1 assigned to: PCI/ISA PnP
DMA-3 assigned to: PCI/ISA PnPF1 : Help PU/PD/+/- : Modify
DMA-5 assigned to: PCI/ISA PnPF5 : Old Values (Shift) F2 : Color
DMA-6 assigned to: PCI/ISA PnPF6 : Load BIOS Defaults
DMA-7 assigned to: PCI/ISA PnPF7 : Load Setup Defaults
Primary IDE INT#: A
ESC : Quit ↑↓→←: Select Item
Resources Controlled By - The Award Plug and Play BIOS has the capacity to
automatically configure all of the boot and Plug and Play compatible devices. This
capability is specifically designed for a Plug and Play operating system such as Windows
Reset Configuration Data - Reset Configuration Data: When set to Enabled, ESCD
(Extended System Configuration Data) is cleared. This setting will automatically be set
back to Disabled when the system reboots. Enabled and Disabled (default).
IRQ3/4/5/7/9/10/11/12/14/15, DMA0/1/3/5/6/7 assigned to - By default, all resources are
assigned to the PCI Bus except IRQs 3 and 4. If an ISA card requires a particular IRQ or
DMA channel, those resources should be set to Legacy ISA so that the PCI Bus will not try
to use them. Choices are Legacy ISA and PCI/ISA PnP.
PCI IRQ Activated By - This sets the method by which the PCI bus recognizes that an IRQ
service is being requested by a device. Under all circumstances, you should retain the
default configuration unless advised otherwise by your system’s manufacturer. Choices are
Level (default) and Edge.
PCI IDE IRQ Map To - Configures what type of IDE disk controller is in use. By default,
Setup assumes that you are using the on-board PCI IDE Controller and this option is set to
PCI-AUTO. If you have equipped your system with an add-on PCI controller, changing this
setting allows you to specify which slot has the controller and which PCI interrupt (A, B, C
or D) is associated with the Primary and/or Secondary port. Most add-on IDE controllers are
configured to use INT# A for the primary and INT# B for the secondary.
Onboard SCSI Chip - Enables or Disables the Onboard SCSI Controller and the SCSI
BIOS.
PCI Latency Timer - This option sets latency of all PCI devices on the PCI bus. The
settings are in units equal to PCI clocks. Available settings are 0 ~ 248. The default is 80.
LOAD BIOS DEFAULTS
Loads “Fail Safe” settings into the BIOS Setup program. These options are designed to slow
the system down for troubleshooting purposes. To load the default values, highlight this
option and press [ENTER]. Enter “Y” in the confirmation screen and press [ENTER] again.
User-defined options in the Standard CMOS Setup are not affected.
LOAD SETUP DEFAULTS
Loads the default values for best system performance into the BIOS Setup program. To load
the default values, highlight this option and press [ENTER]. Enter “Y” in the confirmation
screen and press [ENTER] again. User-defined options in the Standard CMOS Setup are
not affected.
This menu is used to configure the integrated IDE subsystem and other peripherals.
IDE HDD Block Mode: Enabled
Onboard Primary PCI IDE: Enabled
IDE Primary Master PIO: Auto
IDE Primary Slave PIO: Auto
Onboard Secondary PCI IDE: Enabled
IDE Secondary Master PIO: Auto
IDE Secondary Slave PIO: Auto
PCI Slot IDE 2nd Channel: Disabled
USB Controller: Disabled
On-board FDC Controller: Enabled
On-board Serial Port 1: COM1/3F8
On-board Serial Port 2: COM2/2F8
On-board Parallel Port: 378/IRQ7
Parallel Port Mode: Normal
ESC: Quit ↑ ↓ → ←: Select
F1 : Help PU/PD/+/- : Modify
InfraRed/COM2 Selected: UART COM2F5 : Old Values (Shift) F2: Color
F6 : Load BIOS Defaults
F7 : Load Setup Defaults
IDE HDD Block Mode
This allows your hard disk controller to use fast block mode to transfer data to and from
your hard disk drive (HDD). Enabled or Disabled. Enabled is the default.
PIO Mode - IDE Programmed I/O Mode - This setting relates to the speed at which the
hard drive is able to transfer data, up to 16.6MB/second for Mode 4 drives. Available
settings are Auto, 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4. As with the Type setting, Auto is the preferred choice, in
that the supported PIO Mode is read directly from the hard
drive. Be sure not to enter in a PIO Mode Setting that is
higher than what the drive actually supports. This will
probably result in loss of data.
• The relation between the IDE PIO mode value and IDE
Onboard Primary PCI IDE - Enables or Disables the primary controller. Situations where
this controller would be disabled are: a) You are not using any IDE Drives or b) You areusing an add-on IDE controller in a PCI Slot.
EnabledPrimary onboard HDD controller used -- Default
DisabledPrimary onboard HDD controller not used.
Onboard Secondary PCI IDE - Enables or Disables the secondary controller. Situations
where this controller would be disabled are: a) You are not using any IDE Drives or b) You
are using IDE Drives ONLY on the primary controller or c) You are using an add-on IDE
controller in a PCI Slot.
EnabledSecondary onboard HDD controller used
DisabledSecondary onboard HDD controller not used.
PCI Slot IDE 2nd Channel - Allows you designate an IDE controller board inserted into
one of the PCI slots as your secondary IDE controller. *Disabled default.
USB Controller - Enables or Disables the on-board USB (Universal Serial Bus) controller.
Onboard FDC Controller - Enables or Disables the on-board Floppy Disk Controller.
Onboard Serial Port 1 - With this option, the on-board Serial Port 1 can be Disabled, or
set to COM1/3F8 (*Default), COM2/2F8, COM3/3E8 or COM4/2E8.
Onboard Serial Port 2 - With this option, the on-board Serial Port 2 can be Disabled, or
set to COM2/2F8 (*Default), COM1/3F8, COM3/3E8 or COM4/2E8.
Onboard Parallel Port - With this option, the on-board Parallel Port can be Disabled, or
set to 378/IRQ7 (*Default), 3BC/IRQ7 or 278/IRQ5.
Parallel Port Mode - Sets the operating mode of the parallel port. Options are: Normal,
EPP/Normal, ECP and ECP/EPP.
ECP Mode Use DMA - Options are 1 and 3. This field is available only when one of the
two following options in Parallel Port Mode is selected: ECP or ECP/EPP.
EPP Version - Options are 1.7 (default) and 1.9 (IEEE 1284 compliant).
InfraRed /COM2 Selected - By default, this field is set to UART COM2, which directs
the second serial port UART to support the COM2 serial port. Choosing IrDA SIR or
SHARP IR will activate the on-board infrared feature and redirect the second serial port
UART to support the infrared module connector on the mainboard.
Passwords can be set to provide protection for the BIOS configuration options, or to restrict
access to the computer itself.
When enabled, User Password will require all users to enter a password in order to use the
system, and/or enter the BIOS setup (but can’t change its contents). A Supervisor Password
is used to protect the stored CMOS options from being changed by unauthorized users.
Keep in mind that when set, a password is required only when booting the system. It will
not provide protection to a system that is already booted.
The password check option is set in BIOS FEATURES SETUP by choosing either System
(the password prompt appears every time the system is powered on) or Setup (the password
prompt appears only when the user enters the BIOS Setup). The password is stored in
CMOS RAM, and can be cleared with the Clear CMOS Jumper.
To set a password:
1. You must first set the Supervisor password by choosing Supervisor Password and
pressing [ENTER]. Setup prompts for a password.
2. Enter a 1-8 character password using letters, numbers, or a combination of both. The
specific characters are not shown as you enter them. Press [ENTER].
3. A confirmation box appears asking you to re-enter the password. Enter the password
again. Press [ENTER]. Follow the same procedure to set the User Password.
Changing a Password:
1. Select the appropriate password option (Supervisor or User) from the main menu and
press [ENTER]. Enter the current password and press [Enter]. The screen does not
display the characters entered. Enter in the new password, then the confirmation. You
cannot change the current password unless you know it.
Erasing a Password:
1. If you know the current password, but want to disable password checking, follow the
procedure for changing the password. When Setup prompts for the new password,
simply press [ENTER]. You will see a message indicating that the password is
disabled.
2. If you do not know the current password, the CMOS must be cleared via the Clear
CMOS Jumper, JP3 (See page 10). *This will clear all user-defined BIOS Setup
options.
Automatically detect and configure hard disk parameters. The Award BIOS includes this
ability in the event you are uncertain of your hard disk’s parameters. See also “Standard
CMOS Setup”.
SAVE & EXIT SETUP / EXIT WITHOUT SAVING
Select Save & Exit Setup to save into the CMOS memory all modifications specified during
the current session. To save the configuration changes, highlight this option in the main
menu and press [ENTER]. The system displays a confirmation message on the screen. Press
the “Y” key and then [Enter]. Press the “N” key and then the [Enter] key to abort. The ExitWithout Saving option allows the user to exit the BIOS Setup without updating any changes
made during the current session.
PCI Device Listing
This list of installed PCI devices appears after the System Configuration screen:
PCI device listing .....
Bus No. Device No. Func No. Vender ID Device ID Device Class IRQ
0 7 1 8086 7010 IDE Controller
14/15
0 7 2 8086 8829 Serial bus controller
11
0 9 0 1013 7333 Display controller
NA
Bus No.Encoded value indicating 1 of 256 possible buses in a system.
Device No.Encoded value indicating 1 of 32 possible devices on a given bus.
Func No.Encoded value indicating 1 of 8 possible functions on a multifunction device.
Vender IDIdentifies the manufacturer of the device. Valid vendor identifiers are
allocated by the PCI SIG (Special Interest Group) to ensure uniqueness.
Device IDIdentifies the particular device. This identifier is allocated by the vendor.
Device ClassSpecifies one of the following device classes: Mass storage controller,
The PCI device listing is useful for troubleshooting purposes. More detailed information for
each field may be obtained through the PCI specification documentation.
This mainboard supports the Desktop Management Interface (DMI), which is a new
method of providing enterprise management for personal computers. The main component
of DMI is the Management Information Format Database (MIF), which contains information
about the computer system and its components, such as BIOS version/vendor, CPU
speed/type, memory size/type, L1/L2 cache, port connectors (IDE, floppy, 2S/1P, USB,
keyboard, mouse, ), slots … etc. Using DMI, remote PC management software is able to
obtain various information about the system, including hardware profiles, capabilities,
operational status, installation dates, and other information about the system and its
components.
This DMI utility, DMICFG.EXE, allows you to add additional information, such as serial
numbers, vendor information, and enclosure/chassis configurations, into the MIF.
Cache
Port Connector
Port Connector
Port Connector
Port Connector
Port Connector
Port Connector
Port Connector
System slots
Type : BIOS Information
Handle : 0000
===Display Component===
Vendor Name : Award Software International, Inc.
BIOS Version : 4.51 PG
BIOS starting Address Segment : E000
BIOS Build Date : 10/07/96
BIOS Characteristics :
Size of BIOS ROM : 0128K
Updating the Award BIOS Code is made easy with the AWDFLASH Utility. Since this
mainboard features FLASH BIOS, it is not necessary to change the actual BIOS chip in
order to upgrade the System BIOS. The user can simply re-program the old BIOS using the
AWDFLASH Utility as follows:
1. First, boot the system with DOS or to “Safe Mode” under Windows 95. If you are
booting DOS from a hard drive or floppy disk, press [F5] when the message “Starting
MS-DOS…” appears on the screen. If you are booting Windows 95, press the [F8] key,
and select the “Safe mode command prompt” option. This will assure that the system is
running in “real mode” with no device drivers loaded. This is the only correct way to
run the AWDFLASH Utility program.
2. There are (2) important files needed to re-program the BIOS. The first is
“AWDFLASH.EXE” which is the FLASH BIOS Programming Utility. The second file
needed is the updated “BIN” file which contains the actual BIOS code. This file will
have the extension [.bin], such as “P598GH.BIN”. Make sure these files are on the
diskette or hard drive in the same directory.
3. Start the AWDFLASH Utility by changing to the directory where the two required files
exist and typing: AWDFLASH and pressing [ENTER].
4. The AWDFLASH Utility Screen appears. You will be asked for the file name to
program. Type in the name of the new BIOS (.bin) file and hit [ENTER].
5. The program will then ask if you want to backup the old BIOS. This is recommended
in case there are any problems with the new “.bin” file. Enter the name of the new
backup file (such as “backup.bin”) and press [ENTER].
6. At this time the system will prompt you for final confirmation before beginning
programming. The Utility can be aborted at this time by hitting “n”. To begin
programming, hit “y”…
7. When the Flash programming starts, a bar indicator will show the progress of the
programming operation. After successful completion, hit the reset button or power off
the computer.
The Adaptec SCSISelect Utility provides the user with a convenient way to configure the
on-board SCSI controller’s BIOS and the attached devices, performing a function similar to
the Mainboard BIOS Setup program.
There will be slight differences in the SCSISelect Utility depending on which mainboard
you are using. The following table shows the differences in the P5H30-NS and P5H30-WS
mainboards as they relate to the SCSISelect Utility:
MainboardChipDevices SupportedMaximum Xfer Rate
P5H30-NSAIC-7860(7) SCSI-2 or Ultra SCSI20MB/Sec
P5H30-WSAIC-7880(15) SCSI-2, Wide SCSI-2, Ultra-
SCSI or Ultra-Wide SCSI
• The type of chip that your mainboard features will be shown at the top of the
SCSISelect Utility Screen.
Once the on-board SCSI
controller is enabled in the
Mainboard BIOS Setup, the
SCSI BIOS becomes active, and
the user can enter the
SCSISelect Utility by pressing
Ctrl+A when the BIOS banner
is displayed as shown to the
right:
40MB/Sec
SCSISelect Utility Main Menu Options - Upon entering the Utility, the main menu screen
is displayed:
Press [ENTER] to choose the Configure/View Host Adapter Settings menu.
Configure / View On-board Host Adapter Settings Menu
Note: Pressing F6 will reset all settings to the host adapter defaults. Host adapter default
settings are marked with an asterisk (*) throughout the selection submenus.
Host Adapter SCSI ID - This option
allows you to change the host adapter
SCSI ID. There are (16) available IDs for
the AIC-7880 Ultra-Wide controller, (8)
for the AIC-7860. The default setting for
both models is SCSI ID 7, which has the
highest priority on the SCSI bus. (We
recommend that you do not change this
setting).
Each SCSI device on the SCSI bus ,
including the host adapter, must be set to a unique SCSI ID. The SCSI ID serves two
purposes: it uniquely identifies each SCSI device on the bus, and it determines the device's
priority on the bus during the Arbitration phase. The Arbitration phase determines which
device controls the bus when two or more devices request use of it.
When selecting the host adapter SCSI ID, consider the following:
• If you install more than one SCSI host adapter in the computer, each board has its own
SCSI bus. This means devices can have duplicate SCSI IDs , as long as they are not on
the same SCSI bus (e. g. each SCSI bus can have a device with SCSI ID 0, etc.).
• If you plan to connect two host adapters in two different computers to the same SCSI
bus so they can share SCSI devices, set the host adapters to different SCSI IDs. IDs 6
and 7 are preferable, since they have the highest priority on the SCSI bus.
SCSI Parity Checking - Select this
option to enable or disable SCSI Parity
Checking on the host adapter. The
default setting is Enabled.
The host adapter always checks parity
when reading from the SCSI bus to
verify the correct transmission from
your SCSI devices. You should disable
SCSI Parity Checking if any attached
SCSI devices do not support SCSI
parity. (Most currently available SCSI devices do support SCSI parity.)
Host Adapter SCSI Termination This option allows you to configure host
adapter SCSI termination. Both ends of
the SCSI bus should be terminated. Host
Adapter termination should be disabled
if you attach SCSI devices to both
internal and external connectors since
the host adapter would then be in the
middle of the SCSI bus. The P5H30NS/WS Mainboard is equipped with an
Active Terminator that will automatically switch from Enabled to Disabled or vice versa by
scanning the devices mounted on the SCSI bus. So, manual termination is not required.
Boot Device Configuration Boot Target ID and Boot LUN Number -
let you specify the boot device. The
default boot device is the device at SCSI
ID 0 and logical unit number (LUN) 0.
To specify a different boot device,
choose a different SCSI ID: ID 0 through
7 on the 8-bit cable, or ID 0 through 15
on the 16-bit cable. If the boot device
has multiple logical units, you must also
specify the boot LUN, which can be 0
through 7 (on 8-bit or 16-bit adapters).
SCSI Device Configuration - This option allows you to configure certain parameters of
each SCSI device on the SCSI bus. The screen shows a column of information for each SCSI
ID, even if some SCSI IDs are not assigned to a device.
Initiate Sync Negotiation - This option determines whether the host adapter initiates
synchronous negotiation with the SCSI device. When set to yes, the host adapter initiates
synchronous negotiation with the SCSI device. When set to no, the host adapter does not
initiate synchronous negotiation. The host adapter, however, always responds to
synchronous negotiation if the SCSI device initiates it. The default setting is yes.
Data is transferred in asynchronous mode if neither the on board SCSI nor the SCSI
peripheral negotiates for synchronous data transfers.
Note: Some older SCSI-1 devices do not support synchronous negotiation. This may cause
your computer to operate erratically or hang if Initiate Sync Negotiation is enabled. Set
Initiate Sync Negotiation to no for these devices.
Maximum Sync Transfer Rate - This option determines the maximum data transfer rate
that the host adapter will use for a particular device. The default value is 20.0. The P5H30WS mainboard provides a 16-bit (2-byte) channel that supports an effective maximum
synchronous transfer rate of 40.0 MBytes/sec. (20.0 Mbytes per 8-bit channel). Valid setting
are:
In most cases, you can use the maximum value of 20.0. If the host adapter is set not to
negotiate for synchronous data transfer (i.e., Initiate Sync Negotiation is set to no) then the
value selected here is the maximum rate that the host adapter accepts from the device
during negotiation. (This is standard SCSI protocol.)
Enable Disconnection - This option determines whether the host adapter allows a SCSI
device to disconnect from the SCSI bus (sometimes called Disconnect/ Reconnect).
Disconnect/Reconnect allows the host adapter to perform other operations on the SCSI bus
while the SCSI device is temporarily disconnected.
When set to yes, the SCSI device may disconnect from the SCSI bus. The SCSI device,
however, may choose not to disconnect, even if permitted by the host adapter (this can
usually be configured on the SCSI device).
When set to no, the SCSI device is not allowed to disconnect from the SCSI bus. The
default setting is yes. You should leave Enable Disconnection set to yes if two or more SCSI
devices are connected to the on board SCSI port. This optimizes SCSI bus performance. If
only one SCSI device is connected to the SCSI port, set Enable Disconnection to no to
achieve slightly better performance.
Send Start Unit Command - This option, which is supported by some SCSI devices,
determines whether the Start Unit Command (SCSI command 1B) is sent to the SCSI device
(most devices do not require this). Enabling this option reduces the load on your computer's
power supply by allowing the host adapter to power-up SCSI devices one-at -a-time when
you boot your computer. Otherwise, the devices all power-up at the same time. Most
devices require you to set a jumper before they can respond to this command.
When set to yes, the Start Unit Command is sent to the SCSI device during bootup. When
set to no, each SCSI device powers-up in its normal fashion. The default setting is no.
Note: The Send Start Unit Command setting is valid only if the host adapter BIOS is
enabled.
If this option is enabled for more than one SCSI device, the Start Unit Command is sent first
to the device with the lowest SCSI ID. When this device responds to the host adapter, the
Start Unit Command is sent to the next highest SCSI ID with a setting of yes. The process
continues until all supported devices responds to the host adapter.
Note: If many drives are set to yes for Send Start Unit Command, the boot time will vary
depending on how long it takes each drive to spin up.
Initiate Wide Negotiation - This option, which appears for only 16-bit adapters, lets the
adapter initiate wide negotiation with a 16-bit SCSI device. The adapter will not attempt
wide negotiation with 8-bit devices, so you can leave this option enabled (that is, set to yes)
even if the bus includes 8-bit devices.
Advanced Configuration Options - Do not change these five options unless absolutely
necessary.
Plug and Play Support - This option appears only if the BIOS is configured to include
SCAM-1 support. When enabled, the option allows the adapter to automatically assign a
SCSI ID to an attached SCSI device that supports SCAM-1 protocol. Most non-SCAM
devices tolerate SCAM protocol, so you can usually enable this option even if you have
some non-SCAM devices. In rare cases an old SCSI-1 device may not tolerate SCAM and
may cause the computer to hang or operate erratically. If this happens, leave this option
disabled.
Host Adapter BIOS - This setting Enables or Disables the AIC-78x0 BIOS. The BIOS
must be enabled if you want the computer to boot from a SCSI hard disk drive connected to
the adapter. In addition, the BIOS must be enabled if you want to enable any of the
following options:
• Support Removable Disks Under BIOS as Fixed Disks
• Extended BIOS Translation for DOS Drives > 1 Gbyte
• Display <Ctrl> <A> Message During BIOS Initialization
• Multiple Lun support
• BIOS Support for More Than 2 Drives
• BIOS Support for Bootable CD-ROM
• BIOS Support for Int 13h Extensions
• Support for Ultra Speed
• Send Start Unit SCSI Command
If the devices on the SCSI bus are controlled by device drivers, you can disable the SCSI
BIOS and free 16 Kbytes of memory. This also shortens the boot time by up to 60 seconds.
Support Removable Disk Under BIOS as Fixed Disks - This option allows you to control
which removable-media drives are supported by the AIC-78x0 BIOS. It is only valid if the
AIC-78x0 BIOS is enabled. The default setting is Boot Only. The following choices are
available:
•Boot Only - Only the removable-media drive designated as the boot device are treated
as a hard disk drive.
•All Disks - All removable - media drives supported by the BIOS are treated as hard
disk drives.
•Disabled - No removable-media drives are treated as hard disk drives In this situation,
software drives are needed because the drive(s) are not controlled by the BIOS.
Caution: Support for removable media drives means that the host adapter BIOS allows you
to use a removable media drive only as if it were a hard disk drive; you cannot remove the
disk media during operation. If a removable media SCSI device is controlled by the host
adapter BIOS, do not remove the media while the drive is powered-on or you may lose data.
If you want to be able to remove media while the power is on, install the removable-media
device driver and set this option to Disabled.
Extended BIOS Translation for DOS Drives > 1Gbyte - This option allows you to enable
or disable extended translation for SCSI hard disks with a capacity greater than 1 GByte. It
is only valid if the host adapter BIOS is enabled. The default setting is Enabled. When this
option is enabled, the following translation schemes are used:
• Disks < 1 GByte use a translation scheme of 64 heads, 32 sectors per track
• Disks > 1 GByte use a translation scheme of 255 heads, 63 sectors per track
Display <Hot><Key> Message During BIOS Initialization - This option allows you to
enable or disable the BIOS prompt for the SCSI utility.
When this option is enabled, the following prompt appears on screen when the computer
boots:
Press <Ctrl> <A> for SCSISelect(TM) Utility
Multiple Lun Support - When enabled, this option allows the BIOS to support Multiple
logical units. Enable this option if any devices have multiple logical units.
BIOS Support for More Than 2 Drives - Under MS-DOS 5.0 and later versions, the AIC-
78x0 BIOS supports up to eight standard (for example, IDE or EIDE) and SCSI hard drives
without the need for drivers, as long as the BIOS Support for More Than 2 Drives is
enabled.(The AIC-78x0 BIOS must also be enabled for this setting to be valid)
The operation of the AIC-78x0 BIOS on attached SCSI hard drives depends on the number
of IDE and other standard hard drives running under DOS:
•Operation with No IDE Hard Drives Installed: The AIC-78x0 BIOS supports up to
(8) SCSI drives. The BIOS scans all targets on the SCSI bus. If the BIOS cannot find
the boot device specified in SCSISelect, the first drive or bootable CD-ROM the BIOS
encounters on Int 13h becomes the boot drive.
•Operation with One IDE Hard Drives Installed: The AIC-78x0 BIOS supports up to
(7) SCSI drives (a total of eight drives). The first standard drive or bootable CD-ROM
encountered becomes the boot drive.
•Operation with Two IDE Hard Drives Installed: The AIC-78x0 BIOS support up to
(6) SCSI drives (eight drives total). The first standard drive or bootable CD-ROM
encountered becomes the boot drive.
BIOS Support for Bootable CD-ROM - This option appears only if the BIOS is
configured to include it. Leave this option enabled to boot from a CD-ROM. If booting from
a hard disk or other device, make sure no bootable CD-ROM is installed, or disable this
option.
BIOS Support for Int 13h Extensions - This option appears only if the BIOS is configured
to include bootable CD-ROM support. When this option is enabled, the adapter BIOS
supports E1 Torito Int 13h extensions, which are required for bootable CD-ROMs. You can
disable this option if the boot device is not a CD-ROM; however, leaving it enabled causes
no harm.
Support for Ultra SCSI Speed - This option appears only if the BIOS is configured to
include Ultra SCSI support. Enable this option to use Ultra SCSI speeds with the AIC-78x0.
When you select SCSI Disk Utilities from the Options menu the SCSISelect utility scans the
SCSI bus and lists all SCSI devices installed on the SCSI bus. You can easily determine
from this screen which SCSI ID is assigned to each device on the SCSI bus.
Format Disk - The Format Disk utility performs a low-level format on disk devices. Your
fixed disk media must be low-level formatted before you can use your operating system's
partitioning and file preparation utilities, such as MS-DOS fdisk and format. Most SCSI
disk devices are pre-low-level formatted and do not need to be formatted again. The
Adapter Format Disk utility is compatible with the vast majority of SCSI disk drives. Run it
on hard disk drives or removable-media drives that were previously used with a nonAdaptec host adapter.
Caution: A low-level format will destroy all data on the drive. Be sure to back up your data
before performing this operation. You cannot abort a low-level format once it is started.
Verify Disk Media - Scans the selected device's media for defects. If the utility finds bad
blocks, it prompts you to reassign them; if you select yes, these blocks will no longer be
used. This Utility can be aborted by pressing [Esc].
This mainboard provides a connector for an optional ARO-1130 PCI RAIDport card
located at the extension end of PCI slot 3. The ARO-1130 RAID controller supports up to
four arrays in any combination of RAID levels 0, 1, 0/1, or 5 to meet the performance and
data redundancy requirements of your workstation or server system.
Supported RAID Levels:
RAID 0:
RAID 1:
RAID 0/1:Combines the protection of mirroring with the high performance of data
RAID 5:
A separate AIC-7810 RAID co-processor on the ARO-1130 card manages DRAM memory
and offloads RAID 1 secondary writes and RAID 5 parity calculations from the host CPU,
freeing it for other tasks. The DRAM memory module is isolated from the data path and
memory is automatically bypassed when direct data transfer offers better performance.
The ARO-1130 RAIDport card is easy to install and configure. With its ArrayConfig
software drives can be configured into arrays with a few simple menu-driven steps. The
ArrayConfig software enhances fault-tolerance reliability by letting users set up an initial
array configuration before the operating system is installed.
The Adaptec CI/O Array Management software takes the complexity out of array
management. Arrays can be managed either locally from the host system or remotely from
any PC over the network. In Windows operating systems, an easy-to-use graphical user
interface is provided.
Advanced Features:
• RAID co-processor
• Up to 3 mainboard SCSI channels supported
• Uses same cabling as mainboard SCSI
• Multiple operating system support
• Hot-swap drive support
• Hot-spare standby
• Dynamic sector repairing
Data is striped across multiple disks without data redundancy. Used where
disk performance is the top priority.
Simultaneously reads and writes to dual hard disks, thereby mirroring the
data. Used where data redundancy is the major concern.
striping. The only RAID level that can tolerate multiple drive failures,
RAID 0/1 is ideal for mission-critical applications.
Uses parity information striped across multiple disks to provide data
redundancy and increased performance. RAID 5 provides the best balance
of fault-tolerance, speed, and storage cost for most applications.