Zotac ION ITX User Manual

1

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Statement

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,
pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and
can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with instructions
contained in this manual, may cause harmful interference to radio and television communications.
However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation.

If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can
be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:

- REORIENT OR RELOCATE THE RECEIVING ANTENNA

- INCREASE THE SEPARATION BETWEEN THE EQUIPMENT AND THE RECEIVER

- CONNECT THE EQUIPMENT INTO AN OUTLET ON A CIRCUIT DIFFERENT FROM
THAT OF THE RECEIVER

- CONSULT THE DEALER OR AN EXPERIENCED AUDIO/TELEVISION TECHNICIAN

NOTE:

Connecting this device to peripheral devices that do not comply with Class B requirements, or
using an unshielded peripheral data cable, could also result in harmful interference to radio or
television reception.

The user is cautioned that any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.

To ensure that the use of this product does not contribute to interference, it is necessary to use
shielded I/O cables.

Copyright

This manual is copyrighted with all rights reserved. No portion of this manual may be copied or
reproduced by any means.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual, no responsibility for
errors or omissions is assumed. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the
use of the information contained herein.

Trademarks

All brand names, logos and registered trademarks mentioned are property of their respective
owners.

Electronic Emission Notices

WARNING!

2

ION ITX Series Motherboard

Table of Contents

Motherboard Specifications ------------------------------------------------------------------- 4
Motherboard Layout------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6
Hardware Installation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9

Safety Instructions ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9

Preparing the Motherboard -------------------------------------------------------------------- 10

Installing Memory DIMMs -------------------------------------------------------------------- 10
Installing the Motherboard ------------------------------------------------------------------- 11
Installing the I/O Shield ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 11

Connecting Cables and Setting Switches ------------------------------------------------ 12

20-pin ATX Power-PW1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 13
DC OUT Connector-CN7 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13
serial Port Header - COM -------------------------------------------------------------------- 14
SPK Header ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14
USB Headers------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 14
Front Panel Header ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15
Front Audio Header ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16
Connecting Serial ATA Cables -------------------------------------------------------------- 17
Fan Connections ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17
Expansion Slots -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18
Mini PCIE Slot----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18
Jumper Settings -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19

Configuring the BIOS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20

Enter BIOS Setup ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20

Main Menu -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21
Advanced Menu ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22

CPU Configuration ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22
IDE Configuration -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22
Floppy Configuration ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 23
ACPI Configuration ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 23
APM Configuration ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23
Event Log Configuration ----------------------------------------------------------------- 23
MPS Configuration ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 23
PCI Express Configuration -------------------------------------------------------------- 23
Smbios Configuration --------------------------------------------------------------------- 23
USB Configuration ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23

PCI/PnP Menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24
Boot Menu -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25
Security Menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26
Chipset Menu ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27
Exit Menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28

3

Table of Contents

Installing Drivers and Software -------------------------------------------------------------- 30
Drivers Installation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31
HDMI SETUP --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38
REALTEK HD AUDIO DRIVER SETUP ----------------------------------------------------- 39

Getting Started ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 39
Sound Effect ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 39
Environment Simulation ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 39
Equalizer Selection --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40
Frequently Used Equalizer Setting -------------------------------------------------------- 40
Karaoke Mode ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40
Mixer----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 41
Playback control --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 41
Recording control -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 42
Audio I/O ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 43
Speaker Configuration ------------------------------------------------------------------- 44
Connector Settings ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 45
S/PDIF --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 45
Speaker Calibration ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 46
Microphone---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47
Noise Suppression ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 47
Beam Forming ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47
Acoustic Echo Cancellation ------------------------------------------------------------- 47
Audio Demo --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 48
Information --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 48

SATA RAID User Manual ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 49

Setting up the BIOS --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 49
Entering the RAID BIOS Setup ------------------------------------------------------------- 51
Installing the RAID Drives -------------------------------------------------------------------- 54

4

ION ITX Series Motherboard

Motherboard Specications

q Chipset
v NVIDIA MCP7A-ION Series
q Size
v Mini-ITX form factor of 6.69inch x 6.69 inch(171mm x 171mm)
q Microprocessor support
v Intel ATOM 230 / 330 CPU
v Support for 533MHz FSB
q Operating systems:
v Supports Windows XP 32bit/64bit and Windows Vista 32bit/64bit
q System Memory support
v Supports DDRII667/800. Supports up to 4GBs DDRII memory.
v Supports dual Channel DDR2 128-Bit Memory Interface
q USB 2.0 Ports
v Supports hot plug and play
v Ten USB 2.0 ports (six rear panel ports, four from onboard USB headers)
v Supports USB 2.0 protocol up to 480 Mbps transmission rate
q Onboard Serial ATA II
v Independent DMA operation on four ports (three is onboard SATA headers,
one is rear panel e-SATA).
v Data transfer rates of 3Gb/s.
q On board RTL8211CL Gigabit LAN(Optional)
v Supports 10/100/1000M bps operation
q On board RTL8201EL Fast Ethernet(Optional)
v Supports 10/100Mbps operation
v Supports half/full duplex operation
q Onboard Audio(Optional)
v Azalia High-Definition audio

v Supports 6-channel
v Supports Jack-Sensing function
q Green Function
v Supports ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface)
v RTC timer to power-on the system
v AC power failure recovery
q Onboard Graphics support
v Integrated 300MHz DAC for analog displays with resolutions up to 1920x1440

at 75Hz.

v Integrated GeForce 9xxx Series GPU,Supports DX10
v VGA / DVI / HDMI output support(optional)

5

Motherboard Specifications

q Integrated HDMI Interface with HDCP

v Support Dual link DVI,resolutions up to 2560x1600

v Supports DVI or HDMI 1.3 interfaces
v Secure digital audio merged from integrated HDA codec with no external audio

signals required

v Support for HDCP 1.3 using soft or hard HDCP keys
v HDCP encryption support when configured as DVI or HDMI link without the

need for external HDCP key crypto ROM

q Dual Head Display Controller
v Full NVIDIA nView™ multi-display technology capability, with independent

display controllers for the CRT, TMDS, DisplayPort, and HDMI interface
v Each controller can drive same or different display contents to different resolu­ tions and refresh rates

q Expansion Slots
v One Mini PCI Express slot.(Occupied by WiFi module in some models)

6

ION ITX Series Motherboard

Motherboard Layout

Figure 1 shows the motherboard and Figures 2 shows the back panel connectors.

Figure 1. Board Layout

1. 20-pin ATX Power Connector(Optional)

2. System Fan Connector

3. Front Panel Header

4. Speaker Header

5. Mini PCIE Slot

6. COM Header

7. Serial-ATA (SATA) Connectors

8. Clear CMOS Jumper

9. Chip Fan Connector

10. Front Audio Header

11. Backpanel Connectors

12. USB power Jumper

13. USB Headers

14. DC-OUT Connector(Optional)

15. CPU

16. Chipset

17. CPU Fan Connector

18. DDRII DIMM Sockets

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CPU

K b

d

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5

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7

9

8

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3

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11

12

13

14 1516 17

18

Ke
yboard

/USB

HDM

I

SPDIF-

OUT

JP3

D
VI/VG

A

eS
ATA

/USB

LA
N/US

B

SD1

PT3

Fro nt Au di o

-FP_S1

CHIP_FA N- J 25 05

Clear CMOS

-JP1

SATA1

SATA21

SATA3

COM

Chiset

USB- FP _U 2

USB- FP _U 1

DC OU T-D N7

C_F

AN
1

DDRII1

DDRII2

2 52

51

20

pi
n A

TX
Po
wer-PW1

S_F

AN
1

FP
1

S
PK1

Mini PCIE

7

Rear Panel

7. Port 2-Channel 4-Channel 6-Channe

Blue Line-In Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out

Green Line-Out Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out

Pink Mic In Mic In Center/Subwoofer

8. LAN Connector

Lan Port with LEDs to indicate status.

· Yellow/Light Up/Blink = 10 Mbps/Link/Activity

· Yellow and Orange/Light Up/Blink = 100 Mbps/link/Activity

· Yellow and Orange/Light Up/Blink = 1000 Mbps/link/Activity

9. VGA Port

Figure 2: Backpanel connectors

1. PS/2 keyboard connector

2. USB Connectors

3. HDMI Port

4. SPDIF Out(Coaxial / Optical)

5. DVI Connector

6. eSATA Connector

6

11

5

10

15

72 2

3

4

5

6

8

9

10

11

8

ION ITX Series Motherboard

Remove the red antenna connector cover(as picture 1), install the antenna to the connector
and make sure that screw down clockwise(as picture 2),at last as picture 3.

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CPU

6

According to your requirement modulate to the
antenna as right picture.

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11

5
10
15

4





5

6

11

5
10
15











10. 19V DC Power input(Optional)
This motherboard contains a DC power input jack(as picture 2), you can plug a 19V AC/DC

adapter to the DC power input jack(as picture 1). Use a 19V DC power adapter instead of
ATX power supply,at last as the picture 3.

1

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CPU

3

6

11

5

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15

2



11. WiFi antenna connctor(Optional)

9

Hardware Installation

This section will guide you through the installation of the motherboard. The topics
covered in this section are:

q Preparing the motherboard

v Installing the memory

q Installing the motherboard

q Connecting cables and setting switches

Safety Instructions

To reduce the risk of fire, electric shock, and injury, always follow basic safety precations.

Remember to remove power from your computer by disconnecting the AC main source
before removing or installing any equipment from/to the computer chassis

Hardware Installation

10

ION ITX Series Motherboard

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DDRII-1
DDRII-2

Preparing the Motherboard

The motherboard shipped in the box does not contain a memory. You need to pur­chase these to complete this installation.

Installing Memory DIMMs

Your new motherboard has two 1.8V 240-pin slots for DDR2 memory. These slots
support 256 MB, 512 Mb, 1GB / 2GB / 4GB DDR2 technologies. There must be at
least one memory bank populated to ensure normal operation. Use the following the
recommendations for installing memory. (See Figure 1 for the location of the memory
slots.)

q One DIMM: You can install the DIMM into any slot.

q Two DIMMs: Install into slots 1 and 2. The idea is to run on dual channel

mode.

11

Use the following procedure to install memory DIMMs into the slots on the mother­board. Note that there is only one gap near the center of the DIMM slot. This slot
matches the slot on the memory DIMM to ensure the component is installed prop­erly.

1. Unlock a DIMM slot by pressing the module clips outward.

2. Align the memory module to the DIMM slot, and insert the module vertically into

the DIMM slot. The plastic clips at both sides of the DIMM slot automatically lock
the DIMM into the connector.

Installing the Motherboard

The sequence of installing the motherboard into the chassis depends on the chassis
you are using and if you are replacing an existing motherboard or working with an
empty chassis. Determine if it would be easier to make all the connections prior to this
step or to secure the motherboard and then make all the connections. It is normally
easier to secure the motherboard first.

Use the following procedure to install the I/O shield and secure the motherboard into
the chassis.

Installing the I/O Shield

The motherboard kit comes with an I/O shield that is used to block radio frequency
transmissions, protects internal components from dust and foreign objects, and
promotes correct airflow within the chassis.

Before installing the motherboard, install the I/O shield from the inside of the chassis.
Press the I/O shield into place and make sure it fits securely. If the I/O shield does
not fit into the chassis, you would need to obtain the proper size from the chassis
supplier.

Hardware Installation

12

ION ITX Series Motherboard

Connecting Cables and Setting Switches

This section takes you through all the connections and switch settings necessary on
the motherboard. This will include:
q Power Connections
v 20-pin ATX power-PW1

v DC OUT Connector-CN7

q Internal Headers

v Serial Port Header - COM
v SPK Header
v USB Headers
v Front panel header
v Front Audio Header

q Serial ATA

q Chassis Fans

q Mini PCIE Connector

q Jumper settings

See Figure 1 to locate the connectors and jumpers referenced in the following
procedure.

13

Hardware Installation

20-pin ATX Power-PW1(Optional)

PW1 is the main power supply connector located along the edge of the board next to
the DIMM slots. Make sure that the power supply cable and pins are properly aligned
with the connector on the motherboard. Firmly plug the power supply cable into the
connector and make sure it is secure.

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CPU

110

1120

DC OUT Connector-CN7(Optional)

This motherboard can supply the power to
SATA devices with a SATA power cable,plug
a SATA power cable(as picture 7) to DC out
connector(as picture 8),at last as picture 9.

CN7-Pin Difinition

PIN Assignment

1 12V

2 GND

3 GND

4 5V

1

CN7

PW1-Pin Assignments

Pin Signal Pin Signal

1 +3.3V 11 +3.3V

2 +3.3V 12 -12V

3 GND 13 GND

4 +5V 14 PS_ON

5 GND 15 GND

6 +5V 16 GND

7 GND 17 GND

8 PWROK 18 -5V

9 +5V_AUX 19 +5V

10 +12V 20 +5V

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9

7

1

8

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CPU



14

ION ITX Series Motherboard

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CPU

SPK Header

Serial Port Header - COM

COM

1

2

9

10

USB Headers

This motherboard contains six USB 2.0
ports that are exposed on the rear panel
of the chassis(Figure 2). The motherboard
also contains two 10-pin internal header
connectors onboard.

1. Secure the bracket to either the front or

rear panel of your chassis (not all chassis
are equipped with the front panel option).

1 9

102

FP_U2

FP_U1

1

SPK

1 9

102

COM-Pin Definition

PIN Assignment PIN Assignment

1 DCD 6 DSR

2 RXD 7 RTS

3 TXD 8 CTS

4 DTR 9 RI

5 GND 10 NC

USB-Pin Definition

PIN Assignment PIN Assignment

1 VCC 6 USBP1+

2 VCC 7 GND

3 USBP0- 8 GND

4 USBP1- 9 KEY

5 USBP0+ 10 OC#

SPK-Pin Definition

PIN Assignment

1 VCC

2 NC

3 NC

4 SPK-

15

Hardware Installation

Front panel header

The front panel header on this motherboard is one connector used
to connect the following four cables (see Table 2 for pin definitions):
q PWRLED
Attach the front panel power LED cable to these two pins of the connector. The
Power LED indicates the system’s status.

Note: Some chassis do not have all four cables. Be sure to match the name on
the connectors to the corresponding pins.

q PWR SW
Attach the power button cable from the case to these two pins. Pressing the
power button on the front panel turns the system on and off rather than using the
power supply button.
q HDD LED
Attach the hard disk drive indicator LED cable to these two pins. The HDD
indicator LED indicates the activity status of the hard disks.

q RST SW

Attach the Reset switch cable from the front panel of the case to these two pins.
The system restarts when the RESET switch is pressed.

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CPU

RESET
GND

HDD_LED­HDD_LED+

FP1

NC

PWR_SW

KEY

PW_LED+

7

9

5
3

1

6

8

10

2

4

GND

PW_LED-

Front Panel Header Pin Definition

16

ION ITX Series Motherboard

Front Audio Header

The audio connector supports HD audio standard and provides two kinds of audio
output choices: the Front Audio, the Rear Audio. The front Audio supports re-tasking
function.

Note:

In order to utilize the front audio header, your chassis must have front audio connector.
Also please make sure the pin assignment on the cable is the same as the pin assignment
on the mainboard header. To find out if the chassis you are buying supports a front audio
connector, please contract your dealer.

2
1

10
9

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CPU

FP Audio-Pin Definition

PIN Assignment

1 MIC2(L)

2 GND

3 MIC(R)

4 -ACZ-DET

5 Front Audio(R)

6 Reserved

7 FAVDIO-JD

8 Key(No pin)

9 Front Audio(L)

10 Reserved

17

Hardware Installation

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PIN SIGNAL

1 GND
2 TXP
3 TXN
4 GND
5 RXN
6 RXP
7 GND

SATA II Pin Definition

Connecting Serial ATA II Cables

The Serial ATA II connector is used to connect the Serial ATA II device to the
motherboard. These connectors support the thin Serial ATA II cables for primary
storage devices. The current Serial ATA II interface allows up to 3Gb/s data transfer
rate.
There are four serial ATA II connectors(include one eSATA of real panel) on the
motherboard that support AHCI and RAID configurations.

Fan Connections

There are three fan connections on
the motherboard. The fan speed
can be detected and viewed in the
PC Health Status section of the
CMOS Setup.
If your system working at a torrid
room,you can append a FAN to the
heatsink.Connect the FAN cable(as
picture 11) to CPU fan connector(as
picture 10) and fixup the FAN on the
heatsink with screw(as picture 12).

CPU FAN Connector

GND

+12V

Sense

Control

SYS FAN Connector

Sense

+12V

GND

CHIP FAN Connector

GND

5V

1

SATA -1

1

SATA -2

1

SATA -3

10

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

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12

11

note:
Fan is only for
330 CPU board!

18

ION ITX Series Motherboard

Expansion slots

The NVIDIA MCP7A-ION motherboard provide one expansion slot.

Mini PCIE slot

There is one Mini PCI Express slot,reserved for WiFi Module.

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2 52

19

Hardware Installation

Jumper Setting

This chapter explains how to configure the motherboard’s hardware. Before using your
computer, make sure all jumpers and DRAM modules are set correctly. Refer to this
chapter whenever in doubt.

JP1-CMOS Clear Jumper

JP1 Selection

1-2* Normal*

2-3 CMOS Clear

1

1

Close Open * = Default setting.

If you want to clear the system conguration, use the JP1 (Clear CMOS Jumper) to clear data.

Notice:

1. Be sure to save the CMOS setting when exit the CMOS.

2. If the CPU is frequency multiplier locked, no CPU speed change will be seen
even if the frequency multiplier setting in CMOS setup is changed.

JP3-USB power Jumper

JP3 Selection

1-2* 5Vdual(for USB wake up support) *

2-3 5V

1

1

20

ION ITX Series Motherboard

Conguring the BIOS

This section discusses how to change the system settings through the BIOS Setup
menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.

Enter BIOS Setup

The BIOS is the communication bridge between hardware and software. Correctly
setting the BIOS parameters is critical to maintain optimal system performance.

Use the following procedure to verify/change BIOS settings.

1. Power on the computer.,

2. Press the Del key when the following message briefly displays at the bottom of
the screen during the Power On Self Test (POST).

Pressing Del takes you to the BIOS Setup Utility.

Note: It is strongly recommended that you do not change the default BIOS
settings. Changing some settings could damage your computer.

21

Configuring the BIOS

Main Menu

Note: Note that the data in gray is non-changeable, and the others are for
selection.

This menu gives you an overview of the general system specifications. The BIOS
automatically detects the items in this menu.

q AMI BIOS

Displays the auto-detected BIOS information

q Processor

Display the auto-detected CPU specification

q System Memory

Displays the auto-detected system memory

q System time

Allows you to set the system time

22

ION ITX Series Motherboard

Advanced Menu

The Advanced menu items allow you to change the setting for the CPU and other
system devices.Press <enter> to display the configuration options:

CPU Conguration

The items in this menu show the CPU-related information that the BIOS automatically
detects. Press <enter>to display the configuration options:

q Configure advanced CPU settings

Displays the auto-detected CPU information

q Max CPUID Value Limit

Allows you to determine whether to limit CPUID maximum value. Set this item
to [Disable] Windows XP operating system; set this item to [Enable] for legacy
operating system such as Windows NT4.0..

q Execute Disable Bit Capability

This function enhances protection of your computer , reducing exposure to viruses
and malicious buffer overflow attacks when working with its supporting software
and system.

q Hyper Threading Technology

Enabled this function for Windows and Linux4 OS, (OS support Hyper Threading
Technology)
Disabled this function for other OS.(OS not optimized for Hyper Threading
Technology)

IDE Conguration

The items in this menu allow you to set or change the configurations for the IDE
devices installed in the system. Press <enter>to display the configuration options:
q On-chip SATA Controller

This item allow you to enabled or disabled the SATA controller.

q SATA Mode select

This item allow you to set the SATA to IDE/AHCI/RAID mode.

23

Configuring the BIOS

q Hard Disk Write Protect

This will be effective only if device is accessed through BIOS.

q IDE Detect Time Out

The items allow you to select the time out value for detecting ATA/ATAPI devices.

q ATA(PI) 80pin cable detection

The items allow you to select the mechanism for detecting 80pin ATA(PI) cable.

Floppy Conguration

The items in this menu allow you to set or change the configurations for the floppy
devices installed in the system.

ACPI Conguration

The items in this menu allow you to setting general APCI configuration.

APM Conguration

These items allow you to configure Advanced Power Management.

Event Log Conguration

Make as read,clear,or view Event log statistics.

MPS Conguration

The items in this menu allow you to configure MPS.

PCI Express Conguration

The items in this menu allow you to enable or disable PCI Express L0S and L1 link
power states.

Smbios Conguration

SMBIOS SMI wrapper support for PnP Function 50h-54h.

USB Conguration

The items in this menu allow you to change the USB-related features .Press <enter>
To display the configuration options:
q Legacy USB Support

Allows you to enable or disable support for USB devices on legacy operating
systems.

q USB 2.0 Controller Mode

Allows you to configure the USB 2.0 controller in HiSpeed or Full Speed .

q BIOS EHCI Hand-Off

Allows you to enable support for operating systems without an EHCI hand-off
feature.

24

ION ITX Series Motherboard

PCI/PnP Menu

The PCI PnP menu items allow you to change the advanced settings for PCI/PnP
devices. The menu includes setting IRQ and DMA channel resources for either PCI/
PnP or legacy ISA devices , and setting the memory size block for legacy ISA devices.
Press <enter> To display the configuration options:

q Clear NVRAM

The items allow you to select whether clear NVRAM during system boot.

q Plug and Play O/S

When set to [No], BIOS configure all the devices in the system. When set to
[YES] and if you install a Plug and Play operating system, the operating system
configures the Plug and Play devices not required for boot.

q PCI Latency Timer

Allows you to select the value in units of PCI clocks for PCI device latency timer
register.

q Allocate IRQ to PCI VGA

When set to [YES], BIOS assigns an IRQ to PCI VGA card if the requests for an
IRQ. When set to [No], BIOS does not assign an IRQ to the PCI VGA card even
if requested .

q Palette Snooping

When set to [enable], the pallete snooping feature informs the PCI devices that
an ISA graphics device is installed in the system so that the latter can function
correctly.

q PCI IDE BusMaster

When set to [enable], BIOS use PCI busmastering for reading /writing to IDE
drives.

q OffBoard PCI/ISA IDE Card

Use this option to set the PCI slot number for some PCI IDE Cards holding.

q IRQ-xx assigned to

When set to [PCI Device], the specific IRQ is free for use of PCI/PnP devices.
When set to [Reserved], the IRQ is reserved for legacy ISA devices.

25

Configuring the BIOS

Boot Menu

The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options .Press <enter> to
display the configuration options:

Boot settings conguration

The items allow you to configure Boot settings . Press <enter> To display the
configuration options:

q Quick Boot

Enabling this item allows the BIOS to skip some power on self tests while booting
to decrease the time needed to boot the system. When set to [Disabled], BIOS
performs all the POST items.

q Quiet Boot

When set to [Disabled], displays normal POST message. When set to [Enabled],
displays OEM Logo instead of POST messages.

q Add On ROM Display Mode

Sets the display mode for option ROM.

q Bootup Num-Lock

Allows you to select the power-on state for the NumLock.

q PS/2 Mouse Support

Allows you to enable or disable support for PS/2 mouse.

q Wait for ‘F1’ If Error

When set to [Enabled], the system waits for the F1 key to be pressed when error

occurs.

q Hit ‘DEL’ Message Display

When set to [Enabled], the system displays the message “press DELL to run
setup” during POST.

q Interrupt 19 Capture

When set to [Enabled], this function allows the option ROMS to trap interrupt 19.

Boot Device Priority

The items allow you to specify the boot device priority sequence.

26

ION ITX Series Motherboard

Hard Disk Drivers

This option allows you to specify the boot device from hard disk drivers.

CD/DVD Drivers

This option allows you to specify the boot device from CD/DVD drivers.

Security Menu

The security menu items allow you to change the system security settings. Press
<enter> to display the configuration options:

Change Supervisor/User Password

Select this item to set or change the supervisor/user password. The Supervisor/user
Password item on top of the screen shows the default not installed. After you set a
password , this item shows installed.

To set a Supervisor/user Password:

1. Select the change supervisor/user password item and press <Enter>.

2. From the password box, type a password compose of at least six letters and/or
number, the press <Enter>.

3. Confirm the password when prompted:
The message “Password installed” appears after you successfully set your
password.
To change the supervisor/user password, follow the same steps as in setting a use
password.
To clear the supervisor/user password, select the change supervisor/user password
then press <enter>. The message “password uninstalled” appears.

Boot Sector Virus Protection

The items allow you to enable or disable booting sector virus protection.

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Configuring the BIOS

Chipset Menu

The chipset menu items allow you to change the advanced chipset settings. Press
<enter> to display the sub-menu:

North bridge conguration

The items allow you to configure north bridge features, include Memory, Graphic,
Video, and so on.

South bridge conguration

The items allow you to configure south bridge features, include USB, HAD, PCIE Port,
Onboard Lan/1394, CPU GTL REF, and so on.

Fan Control Options

The items allow you to configure speed of the fan.

MCP FAN Control

The items allow you to configure CPU/Chipset fan control

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Exit Menu

The exit menu items allow you to load the option or failsafe default values for the BIOS
items, and save or discard your changes to the BIOS items. Press <enter> to display
the sub-menu:

Save Change and Exit

Once you are finished making your selections, choose this option from the Exit menu
to ensure the values you selected are saved to the CMOS RAM. An onboard backup
battery sustains the CMOS RAM so it stays on even when the PC is turned off. When
you select this option, a confirmation window appears .Select OK to save change and
exit.

Discard Changes and Exit

Select this option only if you do not want to save the changes that you made to the
setup program. If you made changes to fields other than system date, system time,
and password, the BIOS asks for a confirmation before exiting.

Discard Changes

This option allows you to discard the selections you made and restore the previously
saved values. After selecting this option, a confirmation appears. Select Ok to discard
any change and load the previously saved values.

Load Optimal Defaults

This option allows you to load the default values for each of the parameters on the
setup menus. When you select this option, a confirmation window appears. Select Ok
to load default values. Select Exit and Save Change or make other changes before
saving the values to the non-volatile RAM.

Load Failsafe Defaults

This option has been set by the manufacturer and represents settings which provide
the minimum requirements for your sys to operate.

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Configuring the BIOS

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Installing Drivers and Software

Note: It is important to remember that before installing the driver CD that is
shipped in the kit, you need to load your operating system. The
motherboard supports Windows XP 32bit and 64bit and is Vista-capable.

The kit comes with a CD that contains utility drivers and additional software.

The CD that has been shipped with your NVIDIA MCP7A-ION motherboard contains
the following software and drivers:

q Nvidia chipset driver

q HDA Sound driver

q Nvidia HDMI Audio driver

q Wireless Install driver

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Installing Drivers and Software

Drivers Installation

1. Insert the driver CD after loading your operating system. Waiting for one

minute you can see blow interface.

2. Follow the below steps to install Nvidia chipset driver.

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Installing Drivers and Software

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3. Follow the below for HDA sound driver installing.

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Installing Drivers and Software

4. Follow the below for Nvidia HDMI Audio driver installing.

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5. Follow the below for Wireless LAN driver installing.

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Installing Drivers and Software

At last, you can open below page that provides information about the har­ware devices on this motherboard, and check whether finish your installa­tion.

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HDMI SETUP

1. You can connect HDMI device to the HDMI port directly, or connect to DVI

port by a DVI - HDMI dongle.

2. Enter Control Panel, double click “Sounds and Auddio Devices”, select

“NVIDIA HDMI Audio” as default play back device, then click ok.

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Installing Drivers and Software

Realtek HD Audio Driver Setup

Getting Started

After Realtek HD Audio Driver being installed (insert the driverCD and follow the on­screen instructions), “Realtek HD Audio Manager” icon will show in System tray as
below. Double click the icon and the control panel will appear:

Sound Effect

After clicking on the “Sound Effect” tab, 3 sections “Environment”, “Equalizer” and
“Karaoke” are available for selection.

Environment Simulation

You will be able to enjoy different sound experience by pulling down the arrow, totally
23 kinds of sound effect will be shown for selection. Realtek HD Audio Sound Manager
also provides five popular settings “Stone Corridor”, “Bathroom”, “Sewer pipe”, “Arena”
and “Audio Corridor” for quick enjoyment.

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Equalizer Selection

The Equalizer section allows you to create your own preferred settings by utilizing
this tool.

In standard 10 bands of equalizer, ranging from 100Hz to 16KHz are available:

Frequently Used Equalizer Setting

Realtek recognizes the needs that you might have. By leveraging our long experience
at audio field, Realtek HD Audio Sound Manager provides you certain optimized equal­izer settings that are frequently used for your quick enjoyment.

How to Use

Other than the buttons “Pop” “Live” “Club” & “Rock” shown on the page, to pull down
the arrow in “Others” , you will find more optimized settings available to you.

Karaoke Mode

Karaoke mode brings Karaoke fun back home by simply using the music you usually
play, Karaoke mode can help you eliminate the vocal of the song or adjust the key to
accommodate your range.

Vocal Cancellation: Single click on “Voice Cancellation”, the vocals of the songs will
be erased, while the background music is still playing which lets you take over the vocal
part.

Key Adjustment: Using “Up / Down Arrow” to find a key which better fits your vocal
range.

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Installing Drivers and Software

Mixer

Realtek HD Audio Sound Manager integrates Microsoft’s “Volume Control” functions
into the Mixer page. This gives you the advantage to you to create your favorite sound
effect in one single tool.

Playback control

Mute

You may choose to mute single or multiple volume controls or to completely mute
sound output.

Tool

√ Show the following volume control

This is to let you freely decide which volume control items to be displayed, total
13 items to be chosen.

√ Advanced controls

√ Enable playback multi-streaming

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ION ITX Series Motherboard

With this function, you will be able to have an audio chat with your friends via headphone
(stream 1 from front panel) while still have music (stream 2 from back panel) playing.
At any given period, you can have maximum 2 streams operating simultaneously.

Recording control

Mute

You may choose to mute single or multiple volume controls or to completely mute
sound input.

Tool

√

Show the following volume controls

This is to let you freely decide which volume control items to be displayed.

√ Advanced controls.

Advanced control is a “Microphone Boost” icon.
Once this item is checked, you will find “advanced” icon beside “Front Pink In” &
“Mic Volume”. With this, the input signal into “Front Pink In” & “Mic Volume” will
be strengthen.

√ Enable recording multi-streaming

At any given period, you can have maximum 2 streams operating simultaneously.

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Installing Drivers and Software

Audio I/O

Realtek HD Audio Manager frees you from default speaker settings. Different from
before, for each jack, they are not limited to perform certain functions. Instead, now
each jack is able to be chosen to perform either output (i.e. playback) function or input
(i.e. Recording) function, we call this “Retasking”.

Audio I/O aims to help you setting jacks as you wish. Moreover, other than blue to blue,
pink to pink, the way that you used to do, Audio I/O would guide you to other right jacks
that can also serve as microphone / speaker / headphone.

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Speaker Configuration

Step 1: Plug in the device in any available jack.
Step 2: Dialogue “connected device” will pop up for your selection. Please select the

device you are trying to plug in.

* If the device is being plugged into the correct jack, you will be able to find the icon
beside the jack changed to the one that is same as your device.

* If not correct, Realtek HD Audio Manager will guide you to plug the device into the
correct jack.

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Installing Drivers and Software

Connector Settings

Click to access connector settings

√ Mute rear panel when front headphone plugged in

Once this option is checked, whenever front headphone is plugged, the music
that is playing from the back panel, will be stopped.

√ Disable front panel jack detection (option)

Did not find any function on front panel jacks?
Please check if front jacks on your system are so-called AC’97 jacks. If so,
please check this item to disable front panel jack detection.

√ Enable auto popup dialogue, when device has been plugged in.

Once this item checked, the dialog “Connected device”, would not automatically
pop up when device plugged in.

S/PDIF

Short for Sony/Philips Digital Interface, a standard audio file transfer format. S/PDIF
allows the transfer of digital audio signals from one device to another without having
to be converted first to an analog format. Maintaining the viability of a digital signal
prevents the quality of the signal from degrading when it is converted to analog.

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√

Output Sampling Rate

- 44.1KHz: This is recommend while playing CD

- 48KHz: This is recommended while playing DVD or Dolby.

- 96KHz: This is recommended while playing DVD-Audio.

√

Output Source

- Output digital audio source: The digital audio format (such as .wav, .mp3,

.midi etc) will come out through S/PDIF-Out.

Speaker Calibration

After you have successfully plugged in speakers and assigned to the right jacks, you are
only one more step to go to enjoy the intended sound. We provide “Speaker Calibration”

to help you check if the speakers are located in the correct position.

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Installing Drivers and Software

Microphone

This page is designed to provide you better microphone / recording quality.

Below picture indicates both “Noise Suppression” & “Acoustic Echo
Cancellation” are both enabled.

Noise Suppression

If you feel that the background noise, especially the sound generated from the fan
inside PC, is too loud? Try “Noise Suppression”, which allows you to cut off and sup­press disturbing noise.

Beam Forming

Also known as “directional recording”, this option lets you do the following: Once beam
forming is enabled; only the sound from certain direction will be recorded. You will get
the best quality if you chose 90° position, which we recommend you to use, this ef­fectively means that you speak right into the microphone.

Note: A Stereo Microphone is required when using Beam Forming function.

Acoustic Echo Cancellation

This function prevents playback sound from being recorded by microphone together
with your sound. For example, you might have chance to use VOIP function through
Internet with your friends. The voice of your friend will come out from speakers (play­back). However, the voice of your friend might also be recorded into your microphone
then go back to your friend through Internet. In that case, your friend will hear his/her
own voice again. With AEC (Acoustic Echo Cancellation) enabled at your side, your
friend can enjoy the benefit with less echo.

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ION ITX Series Motherboard

Audio Demo

The section “3D Audio Demo” grants you another possibility to enjoy your sound. The
Audio Demo allows you to listen to sound in an extraordinary way.

Information

This section provides information about your current system audio device.

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Installing Drivers and Software

SATA RAID User Manual

Setting up the BIOS

1. Setting your computer, then press Delete to enter the Bios setup.

2. Use the arrow keys to select Advanced menu.When enter the Advanced,

use the arrow keys to select the Item “IDE Configuration“.

3. Press Enter to display the IDE Configuration,then use the arrow keys to Select

the item SATA mode select and set it RAID Mode.

4. Use the arrow keys to Select the item nVidia RAID Setup.

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ION ITX Series Motherboard

6. From the Raid Setup window,enable RAID, then enable the disks that you want
to use as RAID disks.

7. Press F10 to save the configuration and exit. The PC reboots.

8. Enter the RAID BIOS Setup by pressing F10 when prompted, and proceed to set
up the NVRAID BIOS as described in the next Section.

5. Press enter to display the RAID Setup

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Installing Drivers and Software

Entering the RAID BIOS Setup

1. After rebooting your computer, wait until you see the RAID software promptint
you to press F10.

2. The NVIDIA RAID Utility –Define a New Array window appears

3. In the RAID Mode field, use the UP or Down ARROW key to select a RAID Mode.
The supported RAID modes include Mirroring (RAID 1), Striping (RAID 0) and
Stripe Mirroring (RAID 0+1), Spanning(JBOD) and RAID 5. The following is an
example of RAID 0 array creation.

4. If RAID 0(Striping) is selected, you can manually set the striping block size. in the
Striping Block field, use the UP or DOWN ARROW ey to set the Striping Block
size. The KB is standard unit of Striping Block size. We recommend you leaving
it to the default setting-Optimal(64k). The size range is from 4k to 128k.

5. Select the hard drivers which you wish to be included in the disk array. The Free
Disks section displays the information about the currently installed SATA hard
drives. Press the TAB key to move to the Free Disks section. Select the target
hard drives using the UP or DOWN ARROW key and use the RIGHT ARROW key
to add the hard drives to the Array Disks section.

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6. Press F7 after selecting the target hard disks. A message which says “Clear disk
data?” will appear. If you are sure to clear the data in the selected hard drives,
press Y. (If the hard drives contain previously created RAID array, you need to
press Y to clear the data from the hard drives.)

7. After that, then Array List screen displaying the RAID array you created will appear.
If you want to set the disk array as boot device, use the UP or DOWN ARROW
key to select the array and press B. The Boot section will show Yes.

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Installing Drivers and Software

8. To read more information about the RAID array, press ENTER to enter the Array
Detail screen, where you should see detailed information about RAID mode, disk
block size, disk model name, and disk capacity, etc.

9. To delete the array, press D in the Array Detail screen. When the “Delete
this array?” message appears, press Y to confirm or N to cancel. Press
ENTER to return to the Array List screen. To exit the Nvidia RAID utility,
press ESC in the main menu or Ctrl+X in the Array List screen. Now, you
can proceed to install the SATA controller driver and operating system.

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ION ITX Series Motherboard

Installing the RAID Drivers

1. After you complete the RAID BIOS setup, boot from the windowsXP CD. The

Windows Setup program starts.

2. Press F6 and wait a few moments for the Windows Setup screen to appear.

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Installing Drivers and Software

3. Specify the NVIDIA drivers.
(1). Insert the floppy that has the RAID driver, press S, then press Enter.

(2). Select “NVIDIA RAID CLASS DRIVER” and then press Enter.

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ION ITX Series Motherboard

(3). Press S again at the Specify Devices screen, then press Enter.

(4). Select “NVDIA Nforce Storage Controller” and then press Enter.

4. Press Enter to continue with Windows XP Installation.
Be sure to leave the floppy disk inserted in the floppy drive until the blue screen
portion of Windows XP installation is completed, then take out the floppy.

5. Follow the instructions on how to install Windows XP.
During the GUI portion of the install you might be prompted to click Yes to install
the RAID driver. Click Yes as many times as needed in order to finish the instal­lation. This will not be an issue with a signed driver.

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