ECS PM800-M2 Manual

Preface

Copyright

This publication, including all photographs, illustrations and software, is protected under international copyright laws, with all rights reserved. Neither this manual, nor any of the material contained herein, may be reproduced without written consent of the author.

Version 1.0

Disclaimer

The information in this document is subject to change without notice. The manufacturer makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose.

The manufacturer reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes from time to time in the content hereof without obligation of the manufacturer to notify any person of such revision or changes.

Trademark Recognition

Microsoft, MS-DOS and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

AMD, Athlon, and Duron are registered trademarks of AMD Corporation.

Other product names used in this manual are the properties of their respective owners and are acknowledged.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the 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 the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio 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:

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• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.

Connect the equipment onto an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Shielded interconnect cables and a shielded AC power cable must be employed with this equipment to ensure compliance with the pertinent RF emission limits governing this device. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the system’s manufacturer could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

Preface

ii

Declaration of Conformity

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following conditions:

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• This device may not cause harmful interference, and

This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Canadian Department of Communications

This class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-causing

Equipment Regulations.

Cet appareil numérique de la classe B respecte toutes les exigences du Réglement sur le matériel brouilieur du Canada.

About the Manual

The manual consists of the following:

Chapter 1

Introducing the Motherboard

Describes features of the motherboard.

Go to

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page

1

Chapter 2

Installing the Motherboard

Describes installation of motherboard components.

Go to

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page 7

Chapter 3

Using BIOS

Provides information on using the BIOS

Setup Utility.

Go to

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page 25

Chapter 4

Using the Motherboard Software

Describes the motherboard software

Go to

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page 47

Chapter 5

VIA VT8237 SATA RAID Setup Guide

Provides information about SATA RAID

Setup

Go to

!

page 51

Preface

Preface i

Chapter 1 1

Introducing the Motherboard 1

Introduction................................................................................................1

Features.......................................................................................................2

Motherboard Components.......................................................................4

Chapter 2

Installing the Motherboard 7

Safety Precautions......................................................................................7

Choosing a Computer Case.......................................................................7

Installing the Motherboard in a Case......................................................7

Checking Jumper Settings.........................................................................8

Setting Jumpers..............................................................................8

Checking Jumper Settings..............................................................9

Jumper Settings..............................................................................9

Connecting Case Components...............................................................10

Front Panel Connector.................................................................11

Installing Hardware...................................................................................12

Installing the Processor...............................................................12

Installing Memory Modules.........................................................13

Installing a Hard Disk Drive/CD-ROM/SATA Hard Drive........16

Installing a Floppy Diskette Drive...............................................18

Installing Add-on Cards..............................................................18

Connecting Optional Devices......................................................20

Connecting I/O Devices..........................................................................23

Chapter 3

Using BIOS 25

About the Setup Utility............................................................................25

The Standard Configuration........................................................25

Entering the Setup Utility..............................................................25

Updating the BIOS.......................................................................27

Using BIOS................................................................................................27

Standard CMOS Features...........................................................28

Advanced BIOS Features.............................................................30

Advanced Chipset Features.........................................................32

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iv

Integrated Peripherals.................................................................35

Power Management Setup...........................................................39

PNP/PCI Configurations.............................................................42

PC Health Status..........................................................................43

Frequency/Voltage Control..........................................................43

Load Fail-Safe Defaults................................................................45

Load Optimized Defaults.............................................................45

Set Supervisor/User Password....................................................45

Save & Exit Setup Option.............................................................46

Exit Without Saving......................................................................46

Chapter 4

Using the Motherboard Software 47

About the Software CD-ROM................................................................47

Auto-installing under Windows 98/ME/2000/XP................................47

Running Setup..............................................................................48

Manual Installation..................................................................................50

Utility Software Reference.......................................................................50

Chapter 5

VIA VT8237 SATA RAID Setup Guide 51

VIA RAID Configurations.......................................................................49

Installing RAID Software & Drives.......................................................58

Using VIA RAID Tool.............................................................................60

Multi-Language Translation

Chapter 1

Introducing the Motherboard

Introduction

Thank you for choosing PM800-M2 motherboard of great performance and with enhanced function. The PM800-M2 is designed to fit the advanced Intel Pentium 4 processors in the

478-pin package. Based on the Micro-ATX form factor, this motherboard incorporates the following chipsets: PM800 Northbridge and VT8237 Southbridge chipsets. This motherboard provides the 800/533/400 MHz front side bus with extra capability.

The PM800 Northbridge provides a high performance, cost-effective and energy efficient

UMA chipset north bridge with embedded UniChromePro graphics core used for the implementation of desktop personal computer systems. The PM800 implements twelve-level deep In-Order-Queue, and supports Intel Hyper-Threading Technology to maximize system performance for multi-threaded software applications. The PM800 supports asynchronous AGP and CPU interface for flexible system configuration. The Northbridge interfaces to the Southbridge through a high speed 8 x 66 MHz Data Transfer interconnect bus, Ultra V-Link.

The VT8237 Southbridge is a highly integrated peripheral controller, it includes V-Link to

PCI and V-Link to LPC controllers. It also integrates Serial ATA and Ultra DMA IDE controllers, USB2.0 host controller, 10/100MB networking MAC, AC’97, and system power management controllers. The VT8237 also supports both ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) and legacy (APM) power management.

Sufficient expansion is provided for one AGP slot, three 32-bit PCI slots and one optional

CNR slot. It also comes with a concurrent PCI Bus Controller that provides expandability for add-on peripheral cards. This motherboard is designed in a micro-ATX form factor using a four-layer printed circuit board and measures 244 mm x 244 mm. In addition to its excellent performance, the motherboard is featuring a host of high-definition digital media technologies.

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Feature

Processor

PM800-M2 uses a 478-pin socket type of Pentium 4 that carries the following features:

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Accommodates Intel Pentium 4 478-pin CPU

Supports a system bus (FSB) of 800/533/400 MHz

Intel P4 Celeron: FSB 400, 128K L2 cache

Intel Pentium 4 Willimette: FSB 400, 256K L2 cache

Intel Pentium 4 Northwood: FSB 533/400, 512K L2 cache

Intel Pentium 4 Northwood: FSB 800/533, 512K L2 cache, HT supported

Intel Pentium 4 Prescott: FSB 800/533, 1024K/256K L2 cache

“Hyper-Threading” technology enables the operating system into thinking it’s hooked up to two processors, allowing two threads to be run in parallel, both on separate “logical” processors within the same physical processor.

Chipset

The VIA PM800 Northbridge (NB) and VT8237 Southbridge (SB) chipset is based on an innovative and scalable architecture with proven reliability and performance.

PM800 (NB)

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• Integrated Pentium 4 Northbridge with 800 MHz FSB support and UniChromePro 2D/3D Graphics Controller in a single chip

Advanced 64-bit SDRAM controller supporting DDR400/333/

266/200 SDRAM

Supports 66 MHz V-Link Host interface with total bandwidth of 1 GB/sec

Supports AGP 3.0 with 8X/4X transfer mode

VT8237 (SB)

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• Supports 16bit 66 MHz V-Link Client interface with peak bandwidth of 1 GB/sec

Compliant with PCI 2.2 specification at 33 MHz

Integrated Serial ATA Host Controllers, supporting data transfer rates up to 1.5Gb/s

Network Controller, supporting enterprise class 10/100 Mb

Fast Ethernet MAC

Memory

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• Supports 400/333/266/200 MHz DDR SDRAM memory module

Accommodates two unbuffered 2.5V 184-pin slots

A total maximum capacity 2 GB

Graphics

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• 128-bit 2D/3D engine

Supports 64/32/16 MB Frame Buffers size

Supports 8bpp, 15/16bpp and 32bpp color depth modes

Supports pixel rate up to 200-million pixels per second for 2 textures each

AC’97 Audio CODEC

The AC’97 Audio CODEC is compliant with the AC’97 2.3 specification that provides

18-bit stereo full-duplex CODEC with independent and variable sampling rate. It supports S/PDIF compressed digital or LPCM audio out. Features include support for 3.3V

digital, 5V analog power supply and low power consumption management.


Expansion Options

The motherboard comes with the following expansion options:

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Three 32-bit PCI slots

One AGP slot (support 1.5V only)

Two IDE headers which support four IDE devices

One floppy disk drive interface

Two 7-pin SATA connectors

One optional CNR (Communication Networking Riser) slot

This motherboard supports Ultra DMA bus mastering with transfer rates of 133/100/66/

33 MB/s.

Onboard LAN (optional)

The onboard LAN provides the following features:

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Supports 10Mb/s and 100Mb/s N-way Auto-negotiation operation

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• Half and Full Duplex

Supports standard MII interface to an external PHY for 10/100 Mb

base-T Ethernet

Supports Wake-On-LAN(WOL) function and remote wake-up

Integrated I/O

The motherboard has a full set of I/O ports and connectors:

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Two PS/2 ports for mouse and keyboard

One serial port

One parallel port

One VGA port

Four USB ports

One LAN port (optional)

Audio jacks for microphone, line-in and line-out

BIOS Firmware

The motherboard uses Award BIOS that enables users to configure many system features including the following:

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Power management

Wake-up alarms

CPU parameters

CPU and memory timing

The firmware can also be used to set parameters for different processor clock speeds.

Some hardware specifications and software items are subject to change without prior notice.


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Motherboard Components


Table of Motherboard Components

LABEL COMPONENT

1 CPU Socket

2 DDR1~DDR2

3 CPUFAN1 mPGA478 socket for Pentium 4 CPUs

184-pin DDR DIMM slots

CPU cooling fan connector

4 JP3

5 IDE1

BIOS flash protect jumper

Primary IDE connector

6 IDE2

7 FDD1

8 SATA1~SATA2

9 IR1

10 JP1

11 SPK1

12 SJ1

13 PANEL1

14 USB3~USB4

15 CASFAN1

16 CNR1 *

17 SPDIFO1

18 AUXIN1

19 CDIN1

20 PCI1~PCI3

21 AGP1

22 AUDIO1

23 ATX1

24 ATX2

Secondary IDE connector

Floppy disk drive connector

Serial ATA connectors

Infrared header

Clear CMOS jumper

Speaker header

Single-color LED header

Panel connector for case switches and LEDs

Front Panel USB header

Case cooling fan connector

Communications Networking Riser slot

SPDIF out header

Auxiliary in header

CD-in connector

32-bit add-on card slots

Accelerated Graphics Port Slot

Front panel MIC/Speaker Out header

Standard 20-pin ATX power connector

Auxiliary 4-pin power connector

* Optional component

This concludes Chapter 1. The next chapter explains how to install the motherboard.

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6

Memo


Chapter 2

Installing the Motherboard

Safety Precautions

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• Follow these safety precautions when installing the motherboard

Wear a grounding strap attached to a grounded device to avoid damage from static electricity

Discharge static electricity by touching the metal case of a safely grounded object before working on the motherboard

Leave components in the static-proof bags they came in

Hold all circuit boards by the edges. Do not bend circuit boards

Choosing a Computer Case

There are many types of computer cases on the market. The motherboard complies with the specifications for the Micro-ATX system case. First, some features on the motherboard are implemented by cabling connectors on the motherboard to indicators and switches on the system case. Make sure that your case supports all the features required. Secondly,

PM800-M2 supports one or two floppy diskette drives and four enhanced IDE drives.

Make sure that your case has sufficient power and space for all drives that you intend to install.

Most cases have a choice of I/O templates in the rear panel. Make sure that the I/O template in the case matches the I/O ports installed on the rear edge of the motherboard.

This motherboard carries a Micro-ATX form factor of 244 X 244 mm. Choose a case that accommodates this form factor.

Installing the Motherboard in a Case

Refer to the following illustration and instructions for installing the motherboard in a case.

Most system cases have mounting brackets installed in the case, which correspond the holes in the motherboard. Place the motherboard over the mounting brackets and secure the motherboard onto the mounting brackets with screws.

Ensure that your case has an I/O template that supports the I/O ports and expansion slots on your motherboard.

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Do not over-tighten the screws as this can stress the motherboard.

Checking Jumper Settings

This section explains how to set jumpers for correct configuration of the motherboard.

Setting Jumpers

Use the motherboard jumpers to set system configuration options. Jumpers with more than one pin are numbered. When setting the jumpers, ensure that the jumper caps are placed on the correct pins.

The illustrations show a 2-pin jumper. When the jumper cap is placed on both pins, the jumper is SHORT. If you remove the jumper cap, or place the jumper cap on just one pin, the jumper is OPEN.

This illustration shows a 3-pin jumper. Pins

1 and 2 are SHORT

SHORT OPEN


Checking Jumper Settings

The following illustration shows the location of the motherboard jumpers. Pin 1 is labeled.

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Jumper Settings

Jumper Type Description

JP1 3-pin CLEAR CMOS

JP3

Setting (default)

1-2: NORMAL

2-3: CLEAR

Before clearing the CMOS, make sure to turn the system off.

3-pin BIOS PROTECT 1-2: Disable

2-3: Enable


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Connecting Case Components

After you have installed the motherboard into a case, you can begin connecting the motherboard components. Refer to the following:

1 Connect the CPU cooling fan cable to CPUFAN1.

2 Connect the case cooling fan connector to CASFAN1 .

3 Connect the case speaker cable to SPK1.

4 Connect the case switches and indicator LEDs to the PANEL1.

If there are 3 pins in the case LED cable, connect to SJ1.

5 Connect the standard power supply connector to ATX1.

6 Connect the auxiliary case power supply connector to ATX2.

CPUFAN1/CASFAN1: FAN Power Connectors

Pin

1

Signal Name Function

GND System Ground

2 +12V

3 Sense

Power +12V

Sensor

SPK1: Internal speaker

Pin

1

2

3

4

Signal Name

VCC

Key

Ground

Signal

SJ1: Single-color LED header

Pin Signal Name

2

3

ACPI LED

5VSB

ACPI LED function

S0 S1 S3 S4/S5

Light Blinking Blinking Dark

ATX1: ATX 20-pin Power Connector

Pin Signal Name

1 +3.3V

2 +3.3V

3 Ground

4 +5V

5 Ground

6 +5V

7 Ground

8 PWRGD

9 +5VSB

10 +12V

Pin

11

12

13

14

Signal Name

+3.3V

-12V

Ground

PS ON#

15

16

17

18

19

20

Ground

Ground

Ground

-5V

+5V

+5V


ATX2: ATX 12V Power Connector

Pin

1

2

3

4

Signal Name

Ground

Ground

+12V

+12V

Front Panel Connector

The front panel connector (PANEL1) provides a standard set of switch and LED connectors commonly found on ATX or micro-ATX cases. Refer to the table below for information:

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Pin Signal Name Function Pin Signal Name Function

1 HD_LED_P Hard disk LED+ 2 FP PWR/SLP *MSG LED+

3

5

HD_LED_N Hard disk LED-

RST_SW_N Reset Switch

7 RST_SW_P Reset Switch

9 RSVD Reserved

4 FP PWR/SLP *MSG LED-

6 PWR_SW_P Power Switch

8 PWR_SW_N Power Switch

10 Key No pin

* MSG LED (dual color or single color)

Hard Drive Activity LED

Connecting pins 1 and 3 to a front panel mounted LED provides visual indication that data is being read from or written to the hard drive. For the LED to function properly, an IDE drive should be connected to the onboard IDE interface. The LED will also show activity for devices connected to the SCSI (hard drive activity LED) connector.

Power/Sleep/Message waiting LED

Connecting pins 2 and 4 to a single or dual-color, front panel mounted LED provides power on/off, sleep, and message waiting indication.


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Reset Switch

Supporting the reset function requires connecting pin 5 and 7 to a momentary-contact switch that is normally open. When the switch is closed, the board resets and runs POST.

Power Switch

Supporting the power on/off function requires connecting pins 6 and 8 to a momentarycontact switch that is normally open. The switch should maintain contact for at least 50 ms to signal the power supply to switch on or off. The time requirement is due to internal debounce circuitry. After receiving a power on/off signal, at least two seconds elapses before the power supply recognizes another on/off signal.

Installing Hardware

Installing the Processor

Caution: When installing a CPU heatsink and cooling fan make sure that you DO NOT scratch the motherboard or any of the surface-mount resistors with the clip of the cooling fan. If the clip of the cooling fan scrapes across the motherboard, you may cause serious damage to the motherboard or its components.

On most motherboards, there are small surface-mount resistors near the processor socket, which may be damaged if the cooling fan is carelessly installed.

Avoid using cooling fans with sharp edges on the fan casing and the clips.

Also, install the cooling fan in a well-lit work area so that you can clearly see the motherboard and processor socket.

Before installing the Processor

This motherboard automatically determines the CPU clock frequency and system bus frequency for the processor. You may be able to change these settings by making changes to jumpers on the motherboard, or changing the settings in the system Setup Utility. We strongly recommend that you do not over-clock processors or other components to run faster than their rated speed.

Warning: Over-clocking components can adversely affect the reliability of the system and introduce errors into your system. Over-clocking can permanently damage the motherboard by generating excess heat in components that are run beyond the rated limits.

This motherboard has a Socket 478 processor socket. When choosing a processor, consider the performance requirements of the system. Performance is based on the processor design, the clock speed and system bus frequency of the processor, and the quantity of internal cache memory and external cache memory.


CPU Installation Procedure

The following illustration shows CPU installation components.

1 Install your CPU. Pull up the lever away from the socket and lift up to 90-degree angle.

2 Locate the CPU cut edge (the corner with the pin hold noticeably missing). Align and insert the CPU correctly.

3 Press the lever down and apply thermal grease on top of the CPU.

4 Put the CPU Fan down on the retention module and snap the four retention legs of the cooling fan into place.

5 Flip the levers over to lock the heat sink in place and connect the CPU cooling Fan power cable to the

CPUFAN connector. This completes the installation.

To achieve better airflow rates and heat dissipation, we suggest that you use a high quality fan with 4800 rpm at least. CPU fan and heatsink installation procedures may vary with the type of CPU fan/heatsink supplied. The form and size of fan/heatsink may also vary.

Installing Memory Modules

PM800-M2 accommodates two 184-pin 2.5V unbuffered Double Data Rate (DDR) SDRAM

(Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) memory modules. PM800-M2 can support DDR400/DDR333/DDR266/DDR200 memory types. The total maximum memory size is 2 GB.

DDR SDRAM memory module table

DDR200

Memory Bus

Memory Bus

100MHz

DDR266

DDR333

133MHz

166MHz

DDR400 200MHz

Do not remove any memory module from its antistatic packaging until you are ready to install it on the motherboard. Handle the modules only by their edges. Do not touch the components or metal parts. Always wear a grounding strap when you handle the modules.


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Installation Procedure

Refer to the following to install the memory modules.

1 This motherboard supports unbuffered DDR SDRAM only.

2 Push the latches on each side of the DIMM slot down.

3 Align the memory module with the slot. The DIMM slots are keyed with notches and the DIMMs are keyed with cutouts so that they can only be installed correctly.

4 Check that the cutouts on the DIMM module edge connector match the notches in the DIMM slot.

5 Install the DIMM module into the slot and press it firmly down until it seats correctly. The slot latches are levered upwards and latch on to the edges of the DIMM.

6 Install any remaining DIMM modules.


Table A: DDR (memory module) QVL (Qualified Vendor List)

The following DDR400 memory modules have been tested and qualified for use with this motherboard.

Size Vendor Module

128MB

SAMSUNG M368L1713DTM-CC4

Micron MT8VDDT1664AG-403B2

NANYA NT128D64SH4B1G-5

Infineon HYS64D16301GU-5-B

NANYA NT128D64SH4B1G-5T

256MB


NANYA NT256D64S88B1G-5

Micron MT16VDDT3264AG-403B2

Infineon HYS64D32300GU-5-B

Micron MT8VDDT3264AG-40BC4

NANYA NT256D64S88B1G-5T

Infineon HYS64D32300HU-5-C

512MB


NANYA NT512D64S8HB1G-5

Micron MT16VDDT6464AG-40BC4

NANYA NT512D64S8HB1G-5T

SAMSUNG M368L6423ETM-CC4

Infineon HYS64D64320HU-5-C

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Installing a Hard Disk Drive/CD-ROM/SATA Hard Drive

This section describes how to install IDE devices such as a hard disk drive and a CD-ROM drive.

About IDE Devices

Your motherboard has a primary and secondary IDE channel interface (IDE1 and IDE2).

An IDE ribbon cable supporting two IDE devices is bundled with the motherboard.

You must orient the cable connector so that the pin1 (color) edge of the cable correspoinds to the pin 1 of the I/O port connector.

IDE1: Primary IDE Connector

The first hard drive should always be connected to IDE1.

IDE2: Secondary IDE Connector

The second drive on this controller must be set to slave mode. The cinfiguration is the same as IDE1.

IDE devices enclose jumpers or switches used to set the IDE device as MASTER or SLAVE.

Refer to the IDE device user’s manual. Installing two IDE devices on one cable, ensure that one device is set to MASTER and the other device is set to SLAVE. The documentation of your IDE device explains how to do this.

About UltraDMA

This motherboard supports UltraDMA 133/100/66. UDMA is a technology that accelerates the performance of devices in the IDE channel. To maximize performance, install IDE devices that support UDMA and use 80-pin IDE cables that support UDMA 133/100/66.


About SATA Connectors

Your motherboard features two SATA connectors supporting a total of two drives. SATA refers to Serial ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) is the standard interface for the

IDE hard drives which are currently used in most PCs. These connectors are well designed and will only fit in one orientation. Locate the SATA connectors on the motherboard (see page 20) and follow the illustration below to install the SATA hard drives.

Installing Serial ATA Hard Drives

To install the Serial ATA (SATA) hard drives, use the SATA cable that supports the Serial

ATA protocol. This SATA cable comes with an SATA power cable. You can connect either end of the SATA cable to the SATA hard drive or the connector on the motherboard.

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SATA cable

(optional)

SATA power cable

(optional)

Refer to the illustration below for proper installation:

1 Attach either cable end to the connector on the motherboard.

2 Attach the other cable end to the SATA hard drive.

3 Attach the SATA power cable to the SATA hard drive and connect the other end to the power supply.

This motherboard does not support the “Hot-Plug” function.


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Installing a Floppy Diskette Drive

The motherboard has a floppy diskette drive (FDD) interface and ships with a diskette drive ribbon cable that supports one or two floppy diskette drives. You can install a 5.25-inch drive and a 3.5-inch drive with various capacities. The floppy diskette drive cable has one type of connector for a 5.25-inch drive and another type of connector for a 3.5-inch drive.

You must orient the cable connector so that the pin 1 (color) edge of the cable corresponds to the pin 1 of the I/O port connector.

FDD1: Floppy Disk Connector

This connector supports the provided floppy drive ribbon cable. After connecting the single end to the onboard floppy connector, connect the remaining plugs on the other end to the floppy drives correspondingly.

Installing Add-on Cards

The slots on this motherboard are designed to hold expansion cards and connect them to the system bus. Expansion slots are a means of adding or enhancing the motherboard’s features and capabilities. With these efficient facilities, you can increase the motherboard’s capabilities by adding hardware that performs tasks that are not part of the basic system.


AGP Slot The AGP slot is used to install a graphics adapter that supports the 8X/4X

AGP specification. It is AGP 3.0 compliant.

PCI Slot PM800-M2 is equipped with three standard PCI slots. PCI stands for

Peripheral Component Interconnect and is a bus standard for expansion cards, which for the most part, is a supplement of the older ISA bus standard. The PCI slots on this board are PCI v2.2 compliant.

CNR Slot

(optional)

This slot is used to insert CNR cards with Modem and Audio functionality.

Before installing an add-on card, check the documentation for the card carefully. If the card is not Plug and Play, you may have to manually configure the card before installation.

Follow these instructions to install an add-on card:

1 Remove a blanking plate from the system case corresponding to the slot you are going to use.

2 Install the edge connector of the add-on card into the expansion slot. Ensure that the edge connector is correctly seated in the slot.

3 Secure the metal bracket of the card to the system case with a screw.

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For some add-on cards, for example graphics adapters and network adapters, you have to install drivers and software before you can begin using the add-on card.


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Connecting Optional Devices

Refer to the following for information on connecting the motherboard’s optional devices:

SPDIFO1: SPDIF out header

This is an optional header that provides an S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) output to digital multimedia device through optical fiber or coaxial connector.

Pin Signal Name

1 SPDIF

2 +5VA

3 Key

4 GND

Function

SPDIF digital output

5V analog Power

No pin

Ground

AUDIO1: Front Panel Audio header

This header allows the user to install auxiliary front-oriented microphone and line-out ports for easier access.

Pin Signal Name

Pin Signal Name Function

1

2

AUD_MIC

AUD_GND

Front Panel Microphone input signal

Ground used by Analog Audio Circuits

3 AUD_MIC_BIAS Microphone Power

4 AUD_VCC

5 AUD_F_R

6 AUD_RET_R

7 REVD

Filtered +5V used by Analog Audio Circuits

Right Channel audio signal to Front Panel

Right Channel Audio signal to Return from Front Panel

Reserved

8 Key

9 AUD_F_L

10 AUD_RET_L

No Pin

Left Channel Audio signal to Front Panel

Left Channel Audio signal to Return from Front Panel


SATA1/SATA2: Serial ATA connectors

These connectors are use to support the new Serial ATA devices for the highest date transfer rates (150 MB/s), simpler disk drive cabling and easier PC assembly. It eliminates limitations of the current Parallel ATA interface. But maintains register compatibility and software compatibility with Parallel ATA.

Pin Signal Name

1 Ground

3 TX-

5 RX-

7 Ground

Pin

2

-

4

6

Signal Name

-

Ground

RX+

USB3/USB4: Front Panel USB header

The motherboard has four USB ports installed on the rear edge I/O port array. Additionally, some computer cases have USB ports at the front of the case. If you have this kind of case, use auxiliary USB connector to connect the front-mounted ports to the motherboard.

Pin Signal Name

Ground

No pin

Not connected

Function

1 USBPWR

2 USBPWR

3 USB_FP_P0-

Front Panel USB Power

Front Panel USB Power

USB Port 0 Negative Signal

4 USB_FP_P1USB Port 1 Negative Signal

5 USB_FP_P0+ USB Port 0 Positive Signal

6 USB_FP_P1+ USB Port 1 Positive Signal

7 GND Ground

8 GND

9 Key

10 NC

Please make sure that the USB cable has the same pin assignment as indicatged above. A different pin assignment may cause damage or system hang-up.

IR1: Infrared port

The motherboard supports an Infrared (IR1) data port. Infrared ports allow the wireless exchange of information between your computer and similarly equipped devices such as printers, laptops, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and other computers.

Pin Signal Name Function

1 Not assigned

2 KEY

Not assigned

No pin

3 +5V IR Power

4 GND Ground

5 IRTX IrDA serial output

6 IRRX IrDA serial output


21

22

AUXIN1: Auxiliary In header

This connector is an additional line-in audio connector. It allows you to attach a line-in cable when your rear line-in jack is set as line out port for 4-channel function.

Pin Signal Name

1 AUX_L

2 GND

3 GND

4 AUX_R

Function

AXU In left channel

Ground

Ground

AXU In right channel

CD-in: CD Audio Input header

Pin

1

Signal Name

CD in_L

2 GND

3 GND

4 CD in_R

Function

CD In left channel

Ground

Ground

CD In right channel


Connecting I/O Devices

The backplane of the motherboard has the following I/O ports:

PS2 Mouse Use the upper PS/2 port to connect a PS/2 pointing device.

PS2 Keyboard Use the lower PS/2 port to connect a PS/2 keyboard.

Parallel Port (LPT1) Use LPT1 to connect printers or other parallel communications

devices.

Serial Port

(COM1)

VGA1 port

Use the COM port to connect serial devices such as mice or fax/modems. COM1 is identified by the system as COM1/3.

Connect your monitor to the VGA port

LAN Port

(optional)

Connect an RJ-45 jack to the LAN port to connect your computer

to the Network.

USB Ports

Audio Ports

Use the USB ports to connect USB devices.

Use the three audio ports to connect audio devices. The first jack is for stereo line-in signal. The second jack is for stereo line-out signal. The third jack is for microphone

This concludes Chapter 2. The next chapter covers the BIOS.

23


24

Memo


Chapter 3

Using BIOS

About the Setup Utility

The computer uses the latest Award BIOS with support for Windows Plug and Play. The

CMOS chip on the motherboard contains the ROM setup instructions for configuring the motherboard BIOS.

The BIOS (Basic Input and Output System) Setup Utility displays the system’s configuration status and provides you with options to set system parameters. The parameters are stored in battery-backed-up CMOS RAM that saves this information when the power is turned off. When the system is turned back on, the system is configured with the values you stored in CMOS.

The BIOS Setup Utility enables you to configure:

• Hard drives, diskette drives and peripherals

• Video display type and display options

•

• Password protection from unauthorized use

Power Management features

The settings made in the Setup Utility affect how the computer performs. Before using the

Setup Utility, ensure that you understand the Setup Utility options.

This chapter provides explanations for Setup Utility options.

The Standard Configuration

A standard configuration has already been set in the Setup Utility. However, we recommend that you read this chapter in case you need to make any changes in the future.

This Setup Utility should be used:

•

•

•

•

• when changing the system configuration when a configuration error is detected and you are prompted to make changes to the Setup Utility when trying to resolve IRQ conflicts when making changes to the Power Management configuration when changing the password or making other changes to the Security Setup

Entering the Setup Utility

When you power on the system, BIOS enters the Power-On Self Test (POST) routines.

POST is a series of built-in diagnostics performed by the BIOS. After the POST routines are completed, the following message appears:

25

Using BIOS

26

Press DEL to enter SETUP

Pressing the delete key accesses the BIOS Setup Utility:

Phoenix-AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility:

!

Standard CMOS Features

!

Advanced BIOS Features

!

Frequency/Voltage Control

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

!

Advanced Chipset Features Load Optimized Defaults

!

!

!

Integrated Peripherals

Power Management Setup

PnP/PCI Configurations

!

PC Health Status

Set Supervisor Password

Set User Password

Save & Exit Setup

Exit Without Saving

Esc: Quit "#$%

: Select Item

F10: Save & Exit Setup

Time, Date, Hard Disk Type...

BIOS Navigation Keys

The BIOS navigation keys are listed below:

KEY

ESC

+/-/PU/PD

F10

F1

F5

F6

F7

Exits the current menu

FUNCTION

Scrolls through the items on a menu

Modifies the selected field’s values

Saves the current configuration and exits setup

Displays a screen that describes all key functions

Loads previously saved values to CMOS

Loads a minimum configuration for troubleshooting

Loads an optimum set of values for peak performance

Using BIOS

Updating the BIOS

You can download and install updated BIOS for this motherboard from the manufacturer’s

Web site. New BIOS provides support for new peripherals, improvements in performance, or fixes for known bugs. Install new BIOS as follows:

1 If your motherboard has a BIOS protection jumper, change the setting to allow

BIOS flashing.

2 If your motherboard has an item called Firmware Write Protect in Advanced

BIOS features, disable it. (Firmware Write Protect prevents BIOS from being overwritten.

3 Create a bootable system disk. (Refer to Windows online help for information on creating a bootable system disk.)

4 Download the Flash Utility and new BIOS file from the manufacturer’s Web site. Copy these files to the system diskette you created in Step 3.

5 Turn off your computer and insert the system diskette in your

computer’s diskette drive. (You might need to run the Setup Utility and change the boot priority items on the Advanced BIOS Features Setup page, to force your computer to boot from the floppy diskette drive first.)

6 At the A:\ prompt, type the Flash Utility program name and press <Enter>.

7 Type the filename of the new BIOS in the “File Name to Program” text box.

Follow the onscreen directions to update the motherboard BIOS.

8 When the installation is complete, remove the floppy diskette from the diskette drive and restart your computer. If your motherboard has a Flash BIOS jumper, reset the jumper to protect the newly installed BIOS from being overwritten.

Using BIOS

When you start the Setup Utility, the main menu appears. The main menu of the Setup

Utility displays a list of the options that are available. A highlight indicates which option is currently selected. Use the cursor arrow keys to move the highlight to other options. When an option is highlighted, execute the option by pressing <Enter>.

Some options lead to pop-up dialog boxes that prompt you to verify that you wish to execute that option. Other options lead to dialog boxes that prompt you for information.

Some options (marked with a triangle

!

) lead to submenus that enable you to change the values for the option. Use the cursor arrow keys to scroll through the items in the submenu.

In this manual, default values are enclosed in parenthesis. Submenu items are denoted by a triangle

!

.

27

Using BIOS

28

Standard CMOS Features

This option displays basic information about your system.

Phoenix-AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility

Standard CMOS Features

Date (mm:dd:yy) Tue, July 11 2003

Time (hh:mm:ss) 12:8:59

!

IDE Channel 0 Master [None]

IDE Channel 0 Slave [None]

IDE Channel 1 Master [None]

IDE Channel 1 Slave

IDE Channel 2 Master

IDE Channel 3 Master

[None]

[None]

[None]

Drive A

Drive B

Video

Halt On

Base Memory

Extended Memory

Total Memory

[1.44M, 3.5 in.]

[None]

[EGA/VGA]

[All Errors]

640K

261120K

262144K

Item Help

Menu Level

!

"#$%

: Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD:Value F10:Save ESC:Exit F1: General Help

F5:Previous Values F6:Fail-Safe Defaults F7:Optimized Defaults

Date and Time

The Date and Time items show the current date and time on the computer. If you are running a Windows OS, these items are automatically updated whenever you make changes to the Windows Date and Time Properties utility.

!

IDE Devices (None)

Your computer has two IDE channels (Primary and Secondary) and each channel can be installed with one or two devices (Master and Slave). Use these items to configure each device on the IDE channel.

Press <Enter> to display the IDE submenu

:


IDE Primary Master

IDE HDD Auto-Detection

IDE Primary Master

Access Mode

Capacity

Cylinder

Head

Precomp

Landing Zone

Sector

[ Press Enter]

[Auto]

[Auto]

0 MB

0

0

0

0

0

Item Help

Menu Level

!

!

To auto-detect the

HDD’s size, head...on

this channel

"#$%



IDE HDD Auto-Detection

Press <Enter> while this item is highlighted to prompt the Setup Utility to automatically detect and configure an IDE device on the IDE channel.

If you are setting up a new hard disk drive that supports LBA mode, more than one line will appear in the parameter box. Choose the line that lists LBA for an

LBA drive.

Using BIOS

IDE Channel 0/1 Master/Slave/Extended IDE Drive(Auto)

Leave this item at Auto to enable the system to automatically detect and configure

IDE devices on the channel. If it fails to find a device, change the value to Manual and then manually configure the drive by entering the characteristics of the drive in the items described below. Please noted that if you choose IDE Channel 2/3 Master, the item may change to Extended IDE Drive.

Refer to your drive’s documentation or look on the drive casing if you need to obtain this information. If no device is installed, change the value to None.

Before attempting to configure a hard disk drive, ensure that you have the configuration information supplied by the manufacturer of your hard drive.

Incorrect settings can result in your system not recognizing the installed hard disk.

Access Mode (Auto)

This item defines ways that can be used to access IDE hard disks such as LBA (Large

Block Addressing). Leave this value at Auto and the system will automatically decide the fastest way to access the hard disk drive.

Press <Esc> to return to the Standard CMOS Features page.

Drive A/Drive B (1.44M, 3.5 in./None)

These items define the characteristics of any diskette drive attached to the system.

You can connect one or two diskette drives.

Floppy 3 Mode Support (Disabled)

Floppy 3 mode refers to a 3.5-inch diskette with a capacity of 1.2 MB. Floppy 3 mode is sometimes used in Japan.

Video (EGA/VGA)

This item defines the video mode of the system. This motherboard has a built-in VGA graphics system; you must leave this item at the default value.

Halt On (All Errors)

This item defines the operation of the system POST (Power On Self Test) routine. You can use this item to select which types of errors in the POST are sufficient to halt the system.

Base Memory, Extended Memory, and Total Memory

These items are automatically detected by the system at start up time. These are display-only fields. You cannot make changes to these fields.

29

Using BIOS

30

Advanced BIOS Features

This option defines advanced information about your system.


Advanced BIOS Features

!

ATA66/100 IDE Cable Msg.

Hard Disk Boot Priority

Quick Power On Self Test

First Boot Device

Second Boot Device

Third Boot Device

Boot Other Device

X

X

Boot Up Floppy Seek

Boot Up NumLock Status

Typematic Rate Setting

Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec)

Typematic Delay (Msec)

Security Option

APIC Mode

OS Select For DRAM > 64MB

HDD S.M.A.R.T. Capability

Video BIOS Shadow

Small Logo (EPA) Show

[Enabled]

[Press Enter]

[Enabled]

[Floppy]

[Hard Disk]

[CDROM]

[Enabled]

[Disabled]

[On]

[Disabled]

6

250

[Setup]

[Enabled]

[Non-OS2]

[Disabled]

[Enabled]

[Disabled]

Item Help

Menu Level

!

"#$%



ATA 66/100 IDE Cable Msg (Enabled)

Enables or disables the ATA 66/100 IDE Cable Msg. This message will appear during reboot when you use 40-pin cable on your 66/100 hard disks.

Scroll to this item and press <Enter> to view the following screen:


Hard Disk Boot Priority

Bootable Add-in Card

Item Help

Menu Level

!

!

select a device, then press

<+> to move it up, or <-> to move it down the list.

Press <ESC> to exit this menu.

"#

: Move PU/PD/+/-/: Change Priority F10:Save ESC:Exit

Quick Power On Self Test (Enabled)

Enable this item to shorten the power on testing (POST) and have your system start up faster. You might like to enable this item after you are confident that your system hardware is operating smoothly.

Using BIOS

First/Second/Third Boot Device (Floppy/Hard Disk/CDROM)

Use these three items to select the priority and order of the devices that your system searches for an operating system at start-up time.

Boot Other Device (Enabled)

When enabled, the system searches all other possible locations for an operating system if it fails to find one in the devices specified under the First, Second, and Third boot devices.

Boot Up Floppy Seek (Disabled)

If this item is enabled, it checks the size of the floppy disk drives at start-up time. You don’t need to enable this item unless you have a legacy diskette drive with 360K capacity.

Boot Up NumLock Status (On)

This item defines if the keyboard Num Lock key is active when your system is started.

Typematic Rate Setting (Disabled)

If this item is enabled, you can use the following two items to set the typematic rate and the typematic delay settings for your keyboard.

•

•

Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec) : Use this item to define how many characters per second are generated by a held-down key.

Typematic Delay (Msec): Use this item to define how many milliseconds must elapse before a held-down key begins generating repeat characters.

Security Option (Setup)

If you have installed password protection, this item defines if the password is required at system start up, or if it is only required when a user tries to enter the Setup Utility.

APIC Mode (Enabled)

This item allows you to enable or disable the APIC (Advanced Programmable Interrupt

Controller) mode. APIC provides symmetric multi-processing (SMP) for systems, allowing support for up to 60 processors.

OS Select For DRAM > 64 MB (Non-OS2)

This item is only required if you have installed more than 64 MB of memory and you are running the OS/2 operating system. Otherwise, leave this item at the default.

HDD S.M.A.R.T Capability (Disabled)

The S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) system is a diagnostics technology that monitors and predicts device performance. S.M.A.R.T.

software resides on both the disk drive and the host computer.

Video BIOS Shadow (Enabled)

This item determines whether the BIOS will be copied to RAM for faster execution.

Small Logo (EPA) Show (Disabled)

Enables or disables the display of the EPA logo during boot.

Using BIOS

31

32

Advanced Chipset Features

These items define critical timing parameters of the motherboard. You should leave the items on this page at their default values unless you are very familiar with the technical specifications of your system hardware. If you change the values incorrectly, you may introduce fatal errors or recurring instability into your system.


Advanced Chipset Feature

!

DRAM Clock/Drive Control

AGP & P2P Bridge Control

CPU & PCI Bus Control

System BIOS Cacheable

Init Display First

[Press Enter]

[Press Enter]

[Press Enter]

[Disabled]

[PCI Slot]

Item Help

Menu Level !

"#$%





DRAM Clock/Drive Control

X

X

Current CPU Frequency

Current DRAM Frequency

DRAM Clock

DRAM Timing

SDRAM CAS Latency

Bank Interleave

X Precharge to Active (Trp)

DRAM Command Rate

100MHz

100MHz

[By SPD]

[Auto By SPD]

2.5

4 Bank

4T

[2T Command]

Item Help

Menu Level

!

!

"#$%



Current CPU/DRAM Frequency (100MHz)

These two items show the CPU and DRAM frequency.

DRAM Clock (By SPD)

This item enables you to manually set the DRAM Clock. We recommend that you leave this item at the default value.

Using BIOS

DRAM Timing (Auto By SPD)

Set this to the default value to enable the system to automatically set the SDRAM timing by

SPD (Serial Presence Detect). SPD is an EEPROM chip on the DIMM module that stores information about the memory chips it contains, including size, speed, voltage, row and column addresses, and manufacturer. If you disable this item, you can use the following three items to manually set the timing parameters for the system memory.

•

•

• SDRAM CAS Latency 2.5: Enables you to select the CAS latency time in

HCLKs of 2/2 or 3/3. The value is set at the factory depending on the DRAM installed. Do not change the values in this field unless you change specifications of the installed DRAM or the installed CPU.

Bank Interleave (4T): Enable this item to increase memory speed. When enabled, separate memory banks are set for odd and even addresses and the next byte of memory can be accessed while the current byte is being refreshed.

Precharge to Active (Trp) (4T): This item is used to designate the minimum

Row Precharge time of the SDRAM devices on the module.

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

(RAS) to accumulate its charge before the DRAM is refreshed. If insufficient time is allowed, refresh may be incomplete and data lost.

DRAM Command Rate (2T Command)

This item enables you to specify the waiting time for the CPU to issue the next command after issuing the command to the DDR memory. We recommend that you leave this item at the default value.

Press <Esc> to return to the Advanced Chipset Features page.

33

Using BIOS

34



AGP & P2P Bridge Control

X

AGP Aperture Size

AGP 2.0 Mode

AGP Driving Control

AGP Driving Value

AGP Fast Write

VGA Share Memory Size

[128M]

[4X]

[Auto]

DA

[Disabled]

[64M]

Item Help

Menu Level

!!

"#$%



AGP Aperture Size (128M)

This item defines the size of the aperture if you use an AGP graphics adapter. The AGP aperture refers to a section of the PCI memory address range used for graphics memory. We recommend that you leave this item at the default value.

AGP 2.0 Mode (4X)

This item allows you to enable or disable the caching of display data for the processor video memory. Enabling AGP-4X Mode can greatly improve the display speed. Disable this item if your graphics display card does not support this feature.

AGP Driving Control (Auto)

This item is used to signal driving current on AGP cards to auto or manual. Some AGP cards need stronger than normal driving current in order to operate. We recommend that you set this item to the default.

• AGP Driving Value: When AGP Driving Control is set to Manual, use this item to set the AGP current driving value.

AGP Fast Write (Disabled)

This item lets you enable or disable the caching of display data for the video memory of the processor. Enabling this item can greatly improve the display speed. Disable this item if your graphics display card does not support this feature.

VGA Share Memory Size (64M)

These items allows you to select the shared memory size for VGA usage.


Using BIOS



CPU & PCI Bus Control

PCI Delay Transaction [Disabled]

Item Help

Menu Level

!!

"#$%



PCI Delay Transaction(Disabled)

The mainboard’s chipset has an embedded 32-bit post write buffer to support delay transactions cycles. Select Enabled to support compliance with PCI specification version 2.1.


System BIOS Cacheable (Enabled)

This item allow the system to be cached in memory for faster execution. Leave the item at the default value for better performance.

Init Display First (PCI Slot)

Use this item to specify whether your graphics adapter is installed in one of the PCI slots or is integrated on the motherboard.

Integrated Peripherals

These options display items that define the operation of peripheral components on the system’s input/output ports.


Integrated Peripherals

!

!

!

VIA OnChip IDE Device

VIA OnChip PCI Device

SuperIO Device

[Press Enter]

[Press Enter]

[Press Enter]

Item Help

Menu Level

!

"#$%



Using BIOS

35

36



VIA OnChip IDE Device

OnChip SATA

SATA Mode

IDE DMA transfer access

OnChip IDE Channel0

OnChip IDE Channel1

IDE Prefetch Mode

Primary Master PIO

Primary Slave PIO

Secondary Master PIO

Secondary Slave PIO

Primary Master UDMA

Primary Slave UDMA

Secondary Master UDMA

Secondary Slave UDMA

IDE HDD Block Mode

[Enabled]

[IDE]

[Enabled]

[Enabled]

[Enabled]

[Enabled]

[Auto]

[Auto]

[Auto]

[Auto]

[Auto]

[Auto]

[Auto]

[Auto]

[Enabled]

Item Help

Menu Level

!!

"#$%



OnChip SATA (Enabled)

This option allows you enable or disable the onboard Serial ATA device.

SATA Mode (IDE)

Use this item to select the mode of the Serial ATA.

IDE DMA transfer access (Enabled)

This item allows you to enable the transfer access of the IDE DMA then burst onto the PCI bus and nonburstable transactions do not.

OnChip IDE Channel0/1(Enabled)

Use these items to enable or disable the PCI IDE channels that are integrated on the mainboard.

IDE Prefetch Mode (Enabled)

The onboard IDE drive interfaces supports IDE prefetching, for faster drive access. If you install a primary and secondary add-on IDE interface, set this field to Disabled if the interface does not support prefetching.

IDE Primary/Secondary Master/Slave PIO (Auto)

Each IDE channel supports a master device and a slave device. These four items let you assign which kind of PIO (Programmed Input/Output) is used by IDE devices. Choose Auto to let the system auto detect which PIO mode is best, or select a PIO mode from 0-4.

IDE Primary/Secondary Master/Slave UDMA (Auto)

Each IDE channel supports a master device and a slave device. This mainboard supports

UltraDMA technology, which provides faster access to IDE devices.

If you install a device that supports UltraDMA, change the appropriate item on this list to

Auto. You may have to install the UltraDMA driver supplied with this mainboard in order to use an UltraDMA device.

Using BIOS

IDE HDD Block Mode (Enabled)

Enable this field if your IDE hard drive supports block mode. Block mode enables BIOS to automatically detect the optimal number of block read and writes per sector that the drive can support and improves the speed of access to IDE devices.

Press <Esc> to return to the Integrated Peripherals page.



VIA OnChip PCI Device

AC97 Audio

MC97 Modem

OnBoard Lan

Onboard Lan Boot ROM

OnChip USB Controller

USB 2.0 Supports

USB Legacy Support

USB Mouse Support

[Auto]

[Auto]

[Enabled]

[Disabled]

[All Enabled]

[Enabled]

[Enabled]

[Enabled]

Item Help

Menu Level

!!

"#$%



AC97 Audio( Auto)

Enables and disables the onboard audio chip. Disable this item if you are going to install a

PCI audio add-in card.

MC97 Modem (Auto)

Enables and disables the onboard modem. Disable this item if you are going to install an external modem.

OnBoard Lan (Enabled)

Enables and disables the onboard LAN.

Onboard Lan Boot ROM (Disabled)

This item allows you to enable or disable the onboard LAN boot ROM function.

OnChip USB Controller (All Enabled)

Enable this item if you plan to use the Universal Serial Bus ports on this motherboard.

USB 2.0 Supports (Enabled)

Enable this item if your system supports USB 2.0

USB Legacy Support (Enabled)

This item allows the BIOS to interact with a USB keyboard or mouse to work with MS-DOS based utilities and non-Windows modes.

Using BIOS

37

38

USB Mouse Support (Enabled)

Enables this item if you plan to use a mouse connected through the USB port in a legacy operating system (such as DOS) that does not support Plug and Play.




Super IO Device

Onboard FDC Controller

Onboard Serial Port1

Onboard Parallel Port

Parallel Port Mode

ECP Mode Use DMA

[Enabled]

[3F8/IRQ4]

[378/IRQ7]

[ECP]

[3]

Item Help

Menu Level

!!

"#$%



Onboard FDC Controller (Enabled)

This option enables the onboard floppy disk drive controller.

Onboard Serial Port1 (3F8/IRQ4)

This option is used to assign the I/O address and interrupt request (IRQ) for onboard serial port 1 (COM1).

Onboard Parallel Port (378/IRQ7)

This option is used to assign the I/O address and interrupt request (IRQ) for the onboard parallel port.

Parallel Port Mode (ECP)

Enables you to set the data transfer protocol for your parallel port. There are four options:

SPP (Standard Parallel Port), EPP (Enhanced Parallel Port), ECP (Extended Capabilities

Port) and ECP+EPP.

SPP allows data output only. Extended Capabilities Port (ECP) and Enhanced Parallel Port

(EPP) are bi-directional modes, allowing both data input and output. ECP and EPP modes are only supported with EPP- and ECP-aware peripherals.

ECP Mode Use DMA (3)

When the onboard parallel port is set to ECP mode, the parallel port can use DMA 3 or

DMA 1.


Using BIOS

Power Management Setup

This option lets you control system power management. The system has various powersaving modes including powering down the hard disk, turning off the video, suspending to

RAM, and software power down that allows the system to be automatically resumed by certain events.

The power-saving modes can be controlled by timeouts. If the system is inactive for a time, the timeouts begin counting. If the inactivity continues so that the timeout period elapses, the system enters a power-saving mode. If any item in the list of Reload Global Timer

Events is Enabled, then any activity on that item will reset the timeout counters to zero.

If the system is suspended or has been powered down by software, it can be resumed by a wake up call that is generated by incoming traffic to a modem, a LAN card, a PCI card, or a fixed alarm on the system realtime clock.

HDD Power Down

Suspend Mode

Video Off Option

Video Off Method

MODEM Use IRQ

Soft-Off by PWRBTN

!

Ac Loss Auto Restart

IRQ/Event Activity Detect


Power Management Setup

[Disable]

[Disable]

[Suspend-> Off]

[DPMS Support]

[3]

[Instant-Off]

[Off]

[Press Enter]

Item Help

Menu Level

!

39

"#$%



HDD Power Down (Disable)

The IDE hard drive will spin down if it is not accessed within a specified length of time.

Options are from 1 Min to 15 Min and Disable.

Suspend Mode (Disable)

After the selected period of system inactivity, all devices except the CPU shut off.

Video Off Option (Suspend-> Off)

This option defines if the video is powered down when the system is put into suspend mode.

Video Off Method (DPMS Support)

This item defines how the video is powered down to save power.

MODEM Use IRQ (3)

If you want an incoming call on a modem to automatically resume the system from a powersaving mode, use this item to specify the interrupt request line (IRQ) that is used by the modem. You might have to connect the fax/modem to the motherboard Wake On Modem connector for this feature to work.

Using BIOS

40

Soft-Off by PWRBTN (Instant-Off)

Under ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power management Interface) you can create a software power down. In a software power down, the system can be resumed by Wake Up

Alarms. This item lets you install a software power down that is controlled by the power button on your system. If the item is set to Instant-Off, then the power button causes a software power down. If the item is set to Delay 4 Sec. then you have to hold the power button down for four seconds to cause a software power down.

Ac Loss Auto Start (Off)

This item defines how the system will act after AC power loss during system operation.

When you set to Off, it will keep the system in Off state until the power button is pressed.



IRQ/Event Activity Detect

VGA

LPT & COM

HDD & FDD

PCI Master

PowerOn by PCI Card

Modem Ring Resume

X

RTC Alarm Resume

Date (of Month)

X

!

Resume Time (hh:mm:ss)

IRQs Activity Monitoring

[Off]

[LPT/COM]

[ON]

[OFF]

[Enabled]

[Disabled]

[Disabled]

0

0 : 22 : 0

[Press Enter]

Item Help

Menu Level

!!

"#$%



VGA (OFF)

When set to On, the system power will resume the system from a power saving mode if there is any VGA activity.

LPT & COM (LPT/COM)

When this item is enabled, the system will restart the power-saving timeout counters when any activity is detected on the serial ports, or the parallel port.

HDD & FDD (ON)

When this item is enabled, the system will restart the power-saving timeout counters when any activity is detected on the hard disk drive or the floppy diskette drive.

PCI Master (OFF)

When set to Off, any PCI device set as the Master will not power on the system.

PowerOn by PCI Card (Enabled)

Use this item to enable PCI activity to wakeup the system from a power saving mode.

Using BIOS

Modem Ring Resume (Disabled)

Use this item to enable modem activity to wakeup the system from a power saving mode.

RTC Alarm Resume (Disabled)

When set to Enabled, additional fields become available and you can set the date (day of the month), hour, minute and second to turn on your system. When set to 0 (zero) for the day of the month, the alarm will power on your system every day at the specified time.

Press <Esc> to return to the Power Management Setup page.

This screen enables you to set IRQs that will resume the system from a power saving mode.

Primary INTR

IRQ3 (COM2)

IRQ4 (COM1)

IRQ5 (LPT2)

IRQ6 (Floppy Disk)

IRQ7 (LPT 1)

IRQ8 (RTC Alarm)

IRQ9 (IRQ2 Redir)

IRQ10 (Reserved)

IRQ11 (Reserved)

IRQ12 (PS/2 Mouse)

IRQ13 (Coprocessor)

IRQ14 (Hard Disk)

IRQ15 (Reserved)


IRQs Activity Monitoring

[ON]

[Disabled]

[Enabled]

[Enabled]

[Enabled]

[Enabled]

[Disabled]

[Disabled]

[Disabled]

[Disabled]

[Enabled]

[Enabled]

[Enabled]

[Disabled]

Item Help

Menu Level

!

!

"#$%



Set any IRQ to Enabled to allow activity at the IRQ to wake up the system from a power saving mode.

Press <Esc> to return to the IRQ/Event Activity Detect page.

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Using BIOS

42

PNP/PCI Configurations

These options configure how PnP (Plug and Play) and PCI expansion cards operate in your system. Both the ISA and PCI buses on the Motherboard use system IRQs (Interrupt

ReQuests) and DMAs (Direct Memory Access). You must set up the IRQ and DMA assignments correctly through the PnP/PCI Configurations Setup utility for the motherboard to work properly. Selecting PnP/PCI Configurations on the main program screen displays this menu:


PnP/PCI Configurations

Reset Configuration Data

X

Resources Controlled By

IRQ Resources

PCI/VGA Palette Snoop

Assign IRQ For USB

[Disabled]

[Auto(ESCD)]

Press Enter

[Disabled]

[Enabled]

Item Help

Menu Level

!

Default is Disabled. Select

Enabled to reset Extended

System Configuration Data

ESCD) when you exit Setup if you have installed a new add-on and the system reconfiguration has caused such a serious conflict that the OS cannot boot

"#$%



Reset Configuration Data (Disabled)

If you enable this item and restart the system, any Plug and Play configuration data stored in the BIOS Setup is cleared from memory.

Resources Controlled By (Auto(ESCD))

You should leave this item at the default Auto(ESCD). Under this setting, the system dynamically allocates resources to Plug and Play devices as they are required.

If you cannot get a legacy ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) expansion card to work properly, you might be able to solve the problem by changing this item to Manual, and then opening up the IRQ Resources submenu.

In the IRQ Resources submenu, if you assign an IRQ to Legacy ISA, then that Interrupt

Request Line is reserved for a legacy ISA expansion card. Press <Esc> to close the IRQ

Resources submenu.

PCI/VGA Palette Snoop (Disabled)

This item is designed to overcome problems that can be caused by some non-standard VGA cards. This board includes a built-in VGA system that does not require palette snooping so you must leave this item disabled.

Assign IRQ For USB (Enabled)

Names the interrupt request (IRQ) line assigned to the USB (if any) on your system.

Activity of the selected IRQ always awakens the system.

Using BIOS

PC Health Status

On motherboards that support hardware monitoring, this item lets you monitor the parameters for critical voltages, critical temperatures, and fan speeds.


PC Health Status

Item Help Shutdown Temperature

CPU Vcore

2.50 V

3.30 V

5.00 V

12.00 V

Voltage Battery

Current System Temp

Current CPU Temp

CPU FAN Speed

CASE FAN Speed

[Disabled]

1.68V

2.51V

3.34V

5.10V

11.84V

8.23V

34°C

29°C

2960 RPM

0 RPM

Menu Level

!

"#$%


F5:Previous Values F6”Fail-Safe Defaults F7:Optimized Defaults

Shutdown Temperature (Disabled)

Enables you to set the maximum temperature the system can reach before powering down.

System Component Characteristics

These items allow end users and technicians to monitor data provided by the

BIOS on this motherboard. You cannot make changes to these fields.

•

•

•

•

•

•

CPU Vcore

Voltage Battery

Current System Temp

Current CPU Temp

CPU FAN Speed

CASE FAN Speed

Frequency/Voltage Control

This item enables you to set the clock speed and system bus for your system. The clock speed and system bus are determined by the kind of processor you have installed in your system.


Frequency/Voltage Control

CPU Clock Ratio

Auto Detect PCI/DIMM Clk

Spread Spectrum

CPU Clock

CPU Voltage Regulator

DDR Voltage Regulator

[10X]

[Enabled]

[Enabled]

[100MHz]

[Default]

[Default]

Item Help

Menu Level

!

"#$%


F5:Previous Values F6”Fail-Safe Defaults F7:Optimized Defaults

Using BIOS

43

44

CPU Clock Ratio (10X)

Enables you to set the CPU clock. The CPU clock ratio times the CPU Host/PCI Clock should equal the core speed of the installed processor. (For unlock Ratio CPU only.)

Example: CPU Clock Ratio

CPU Host/PCI Clock

10

X100

Installed CPU Clock Speed 1 GHz

Auto Detect PCI/DIMM Clk (Enabled)

When this item is enabled, BIOS will disable the clock signal of free DIMM and PCI slots.

Spread Spectrum (Enabled)

If you enable spread spectrum, it can significantly reduce the EMI (Electro-Magnetic

Interference) generated by the system.

CPU Clock (100MHz)

Use the CPU Host Clock to set the frontside bus frequency for the installed processor

(usually 200MHz, 133 MHz or 100MHz).

CPU/DDR Voltage Regulator (Default)

If you are manually configuring the CPU clock, use this item to set the CPU voltage for more stability.

Using BIOS

Load Fail-Safe Defaults Option

This option opens a dialog box that lets you install fail-safe defaults for all appropriate items in the Setup Utility:

Press <Y> and then <Enter> to install the defaults. Press <N> and then <Enter> to not install the defaults. The fail-safe defaults place no great demands on the system and are generally stable. If your system is not functioning correctly, try installing the fail-safe defaults as a first step in getting your system working properly again. If you only want to install fail-safe defaults for a specific option, select and display that option, and then press

<F6>.

Load Optimized Defaults Option

This option opens a dialog box that lets you install optimized defaults for all appropriate items in the Setup Utility. Press <Y> and then <Enter> to install the defaults. Press <N> and then <Enter> to not install the defaults. The optimized defaults place demands on the system that may be greater than the performance level of the components, such as the CPU and the memory. You can cause fatal errors or instability if you install the optimized defaults when your hardware does not support them. If you only want to install setup defaults for a specific option, select and display that option, and then press <F7>.

Set Supervisor/User Password

When this function is selected, the following message appears at the center of the screen to assist you in creating a password.

ENTER PASSWORD

Type the password, up to eight characters, and press <Enter>. The password typed now will clear any previously entered password from CMOS memory. You will be asked to confirm the password. Type the password again and press <Enter>. You may also press

<Esc> to abort the selection.

To disable password, just press <Enter> when you are prompted to enter password. A message will confirm the password being disabled. Once the password is disabled, the system will boot and you can enter BIOS Setup freely.

PASSWORD DISABLED

If you have selected “System” in “Security Option” of “BIOS Features Setup” menu, you will be prompted for the password every time the system reboots or any time you try to enter BIOS Setup.

If you have selected “Setup” at “Security Option” from “BIOS Features Setup” menu, you will be prompted for the password only when you enter BIOS Setup.

Supervisor Password has higher priority than User Password. You can use Supervisor Password when booting the system or entering BIOS Setup to modify all settings. Also you can use User Password when booting the system or entering BIOS Setup but can not modify any setting if Supervisor Password is enabled.

Using BIOS

45

46

Save & Exit Setup Option

Highlight this item and press <Enter> to save the changes that you have made in the Setup

Utility and exit the Setup Utility. When the Save and Exit dialog box appears, press <Y> to save and exit, or press <N> to return to the main menu:

Exit Without Saving

Highlight this item and press <Enter> to discard any changes that you have made in the

Setup Utility and exit the Setup Utility. When the Exit Without Saving dialog box appears, press <Y> to discard changes and exit, or press <N> to return to the main menu.

If you have made settings that you do not want to save, use the “Exit Without

Saving” item and press <Y> to discard any changes you have made.

This concludes Chapter 3. Refer to the next chapter for information on the software supplied with the motherboard.

Using BIOS

Chapter 4

Using the Motherboard Software

About the Software CD-ROM

The support software CD-ROM that is included in the motherboard package contains all the drivers and utility programs needed to properly run the bundled products. Below you can find a brief description of each software program, and the location for your motherboard version. More information on some programs is available in a README file, located in the same directory as the software.

Never try to install all software from folfer that is not specified for use with your motherboard.

Before installing any software, always inspect the folder for files named README.TXT,

INSTALL.TXT, or something similar. These files may contain important information that is not included in this manual.

Auto-installing under Windows 98/ME/2000/XP

The Auto-install CD-ROM makes it easy for you to install the drivers and software for your motherboard.

If the Auto-install CD-ROM does not work on your system, you can still install drivers through the file manager for your OS (for example, Windows Explorer). Refer to the Utility Folder Installation Notes later in this chapter.

The support software CD-ROM disc loads automatically under Windows 98/ME/2000/XP. When you insert the CD-

ROM disc in the CD-ROM drive, the autorun feature will automatically bring up the install screen. The screen has three buttons on it, Setup, Browse CD and Exit.

If the opening screen does not appear; double-click the file “setup.exe” in the root directory.

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Setup Tab

Setup

Click the Setup button to run the software installation program. Select from the menu which software you want to install.

Browse CD The Browse CD button is the standard Windows command that allows you to open Windows Explorer and show the contents of the support

CD.

Before installing the software from Windows Explorer, look for a file named README.TXT, INSTALL.TXT or something similar. This file may contain important information to help you install the software correctly.

Some software is installed in separate folders for different operating systems, such as DOS, WIN NT, or WIN98/95. Always go to the correct folder for the kind of OS you are using.

In install the software, execute a file named SETUP.EXE or INSTALL.EXE

by double-clicking the file and then following the instructions on the screen.

Exit The EXIT button closes the Auto Setup window.

Application Tab

Lists the software utilities that are available on the CD.

Read Me Tab

Displays the path for all software and drivers available on the CD.

Running Setup

Follow these instructions to install device drivers and software for the motherboard:

1.

Click Setup . The installation program begins:

The following screens are examples only. The screens and driver lists will be different according to the motherboard you are installing.


The motherboard identification is located in the upper left-hand corner.

2.

Click Next.

The following screen appears:

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3.

Check the box next to the items you want to install. The default options are recommended.

4.

Click Next run the Installation Wizard. An item installation screen appears:

5.

Follow the instructions on the screen to install the items.

Drivers and software are automatically installed in sequence. Follow the onscreen instructions, confirm commands and allow the computer to restart a few times to complete the installation.


50

Manual Installation

Insert the CD in the CD-ROM drive and locate the PATH.DOC file in the root directory.

This file contains the information needed to locate the drivers for your motherboard.

Look for the chipset and motherboard model; then browse to the directory and path to begin installing the drivers. Most drivers have a setup program (SETUP.EXE) that automatically detects your operating system before installation. Other drivers have the setup program located in the operating system subfolder.

If the driver you want to install does not have a setup program, browse to the operating system subfolder and locate the readme text file (README.TXT or README.DOC) for information on installing the driver or software for your operating system.

Utility Software Reference

All the utility software available from this page is Windows compliant. They are provided only for the convenience of the customer. The following software is furnished under license and may only be used or copied in accordance with the terms of the license.

These software(s) are subject to change at anytime without prior notice. Please refer to the support CD for available software.

AWARD Flash Memory Utility

This utility lets you erase the system BIOS stored on a Flash Memory chip on the motherboard, and lets you copy an updated version of the BIOS to the chip. Proceed with caution when using this program. If you erase the current BIOS and fail to write a new BIOS, or write a new BIOS that is incorrect, your system will malfunction. Refer to Chapter 3, Using BIOS for more information.

WinFlash Utility

The Award WinFlash utility is a Windows version of the DOS Award BIOS flash writer utility.

The utility enables you to flash the system BIOS stored on a Flash Memory chip on the motherboard while in a Windows environment. This utility is currently available for

WINXP\ME\2000\98SE. To install the WinFlash utility, run WINFLASH.EXE from the following directory: \UTILITY\WINFLASH 1.51

PC-CILLIN

The PC-CILLIN software program provides anti-virus protection for your system. This program is available for Windows 2000/ME/98SE/XP and Windows NT. Be sure to check the readme.txt and install the appropriate anti-virus software for your operating system.

We strongly recommend users to install this free anti-virus software to help protect your system against viruses.

This concludes Chapter 4.


Chapter 5

VIA VT8237 SATA RAID Setup Guide

VIA RAID Configurations

The motherboard includes a high performance Serial ATA RAID controller integrated in the

VIA VT8237 Southbridge chipset. It supports RAID 0, RAID 1 and JBOD with two independent Serial ATA channels.

RAID: (Redundant Array of Independent Disk Drives) use jointly several hard drives to increase data transfer rates and data security. It depends on the number of drives present and

RAID function you select to fulfill the seurity or performance pruposes or both.

RAID 0 (called data striping) optimizes two identical hard disk drives to read and write data in parallel, interleaved stacks. Two hard disks perform the same work as a single drive but at a sustained data transfer rate, double that of a single disk alone, thus improving data access and storage.

RAID 1 (called data mirroring) copies and maintains an identical image of data from one drive to a second drive. If one drive fails, the disk array management software directs all applications to the surviving drive as it contains a complete copy of the data in the other drive. This RAID configuration provides data protection and increases fault tolerance to the entire system.

JBOD: (Just a Bunch of Drives) Also known as “Spanning”. Two or more hard drives are required. Several hard disk types configured as a single hard disk. The hard drives are simply hooked up in series. This expands the capacity of your drive and results in a useable total capacity. However, JBOD will not increase any performance or data security.

Install the Serial ATA (SATA) hard disks

The VIA VT8237 Southbridge chipset supports Serial ATA hard disk drives. For optimal performance, install identical drives of the same model and capacity when creating a RAID set.

•

• If you are creating a RAID 0 (striping) array of performance, use two new drives.

If you are creating a RAID 1 (mirroring) array for protection, you can use two new drives or use an existing drive and a new drive (the new drive must be of the same size or larger than the existing drive). If you use two drives of different sizes, the smaller capacity hard disk will be the base storage size.

For example, one hard disk has an 80GB storage capacity and the other hard disk has 60GB storage capacity, the maximum storage capacity for the RAID

1 set is 60GB.

Follow these steps to install the SATA hard disks for RAID configuration.

i ii iii

Before setting up your new RAID array, verify the status of your hard disks.

Make sure the Master/Slave jumpers are configured properly.

Both the data and power SATA cables are new cables. You cannot use older

40-pin 80-conductor IDE or regular IDE power cables with Serial ATA drives.

Installing Serial ATA (SATA) hard disks require the use of new Serial ATA cable (4-conductor) which supports the Serial ATA protocol and a Serial ATA power cable.

Either end of the Serial ATA data cable can be connected to the SATA hard disk or the SATA connector on the motherboard.


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52

6

7

3

4

1

2

5

Install the Serial ATA hard disks into the drive bays.

Connect one end of the Serial ATA cable to the motherboard’s primary Serial

ATA connector (SATA1).

Connect the other end of Serial ATA cable to the master Serial ATA hard disk.

Connect one end of the second Serial ATA cable to the motherboard’s secondary Serial ATA connector (SATA2).

Connect the other end of Serial ATA cable to the secondary Serial ATA hard disk.

Connect the Serial ATA power cable to the power connector on each drive.

Proceed to section “Entering VIA Tech RAID BIOS Utility” for the next procedure.

Entering VIA Tech RAID BIOS Utility

1

2

Boot-up your computer.

During POST, press <TAB> to enter VIA RAID configuration utility. The following menu options will appear.

The RAID BIOS information on the setup screen shown is for reference only. What you see on your screen may not by exactly the same as shown.

On the upper-right side of the screen is the message and legend box. The keys on the legend box allow you to navigate through the setup menu options. The message describes the function of each menu item. The following lists the keys found in the legend box with their corresponding functions.

F1

!"

Enter

ESC

View Array

Move to the next item

Confirm the selection

Exit


Create Array

1 In the VIA RAID BIOS utility main menu, select Create Array then press the

<Enter> key. The main menu items on the upper-left corner of the screen are replaced with create array menu options.

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RAID 0 for performance

1 Select the second option item Array Mode , then press the <Enter> key. The

RAID system setting pop-up menu appears.

2

3

4

Select RAID 0 for performance from the menu and press <Enter>. From this point, you may choose to auto-configure the RAID array by selecting Auto

Setup for Performance or manually configure the RAID array for stripped sets. If you want to manually configure the RAID array continue with next step, otherwise, proceed to step #5.

Select Select Disk Drives , then press <Enter>. Use arrow keys to select disk drive/s, then press <Enter> to mark selected drive. An asterisk is placed before the selected drive.

Select Block Size , then press <Enter> to set array block size. Lists of valid array block sizes are displayed on a pop-up menu.

Tip

For server systems, it is recommended to use a lower array block size. For multimedia computer systems used mainly for audio and video editing, a higher array block size is recommended for optimum performance.

Use arrow keys to move selection bar on items and press <Enter> to select.


54

5 Select Start Create Process and press <Enter> to setup hard disk for RAID system. The following confirmation appears:

The same confirmation message appears when the

Auto Setup for Performance option is selected.

Press “Y” to confirm or “N” to return to the configuration options.

RAID 1 for data protection

1 Select the second option item Array Mode, then press the <Enter> key. The

RAID system setting pop-up menu appears.

2 Select RAID 1 for data protection from the menu and press <Enter>. Select next task from pop-up menu. The task Create only creates the mirrored set without creating a backup. Create and duplicate creates both mirrored set and backup.

3

4

5

Select task and press <Enter>. The screen returns to Create Array menu items. From this point, you may choose to auto-configure the RAID array by selecting Auto Setup for Data Security or manually configure the RAID array for mirrored sets. If you want to manually configure the RAID array continue with next step, otherwise, proceed to step #5.

Select Select Disk Drives, then press <Enter>. Use arrow keys to select disk drive/s, then press <Enter> to mark selected drive. (An asterisk is placed before a selected drve.)

Select Start Create Process and press <Enter> to setup hard disk for RAID system. The following confirmation message appears:

The same confirmation message appears when the

Auto Setup for Performance option is selected.



Delete Array

1

2

In the VIA RAID BIOS utility main menu, select Delete Array then press the

<Enter> key. The focus is directed to the list of channel used for IDE RAID arrays.

Press the <Enter> key to select a RAID array to delete. The following confirmation message appears.

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Select Boot Array

1

2

In the VIA RAID BIOS utility main menu, select Select Boot Array then press the

<Enter> key. The focus is directed to the list of channel used for IDE RAID arrays.

Press the <Enter> key to select a RAID array for boot. The Status of the selected array will change to Boot. Press <ESC> key to go return to menu items. Follow the same procedure to deselect the boot array.

Serial Number View

1 In the VIA RAID BIOS utility main menu, select Serial Number View then press the <Enter> key. The focus is directed to the list of channel used for IDE RAID arrays. Move the selection bar on each item and the serial number is displayed at the bottom of the screen. This option is useful for identifying same model disks.


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Duplicate Critical RAID 1 Array

When booting up the system, BIOS will detect if the RAID 1 array has any inconsistencies between user data and backup data. If BIOS detects any inconsistencies, the status of the disk array will be marked as critical, and BIOS will prompt the user to duplicate the RAID 1 in order to ensure the backup data consistency with the user data.

If user selects Continue to boot , it will enable duplicating the array after booting into OS.

Rebuild Broken RAID 1 Array

When booting up the system, BIOS will detect if any member disk drives of RAID has failed or is absent. If BIOS detects any disk drive failures or missing disk drives, the status of the array will be marked as broken.

If BIOS detects a broken RAID 1 array but there is a spare hard drive available for rebuilding the broken array, the spare hard drive will automatically become the mirroring drive. BIOS will show a main interface just like a duplicated RAID 1. Selecting Continue to boot enables the user to duplicate the array after booting into operating system.

If BIOS detects a broken RAID 1 array but there is no spare hard drive available for rebuilding the array, BIOS will provide several operations to solve such problems.


1. Power off and Check the Failed Drive:

This item turns off the computer and replaces the failed hard drive with a good one. If your computer does not support APM, you must turn off your computer manually. After replacing the hard drive, boot into BIOS and select Choose replacement drive and rebuild to rebuild the broken array.

2. Destroy the Mirroring Relationship:

This item cancels the data mirroring relationship of the broken array. For broken RAID 1 arrays, the data on the surviving disk will remain after the destroy operation. However,

Destroy the Mirroring Relationship is not recommended because the data on the remaining disk will be lost when the hard drive is used to create another RAID 1 array.

3. Choose Replacement Drive and Rebuild:

This item enables users to select an already-connected hard drive to rebuild the broken array.

After choosing a hard drive, the channel column will be activated.

57

Highlight the target hard drive and press <Enter>, a warning message will appear. Press Y to use that hard drive to rebuild, or press N to cancel. Please note selecting option Y will destroy all the data on the selected hard drive.

4. Continue to boot:

This item enables BIOS to skip the problem and continue booting into OS.


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Installing RAID Software & Drivers

Install Driver in Windows OS

New Windows OS (2000/XP/NT4) Installation

The following details the installation of the drivers while installing Windows XP.

1

2

3

4

5

6

Start the installation:

Boot from the CD-ROM. Press F6 when the message “Press F6 if you need to install third party SCSI or RAID driver’ appears.

When the Windows Setup window is generated, press S to specify an

Additional Device(s).

Insert the driver diskette VIA VT8237 Disk Driver into drive A: and press

<Enter>.

Depending on your operation system, choose VIA Serial ATA RAID Controller (Windows XP), VIA Serial ATA RAID Controller (Windows 2000) or VIA Serial ATA RAID Controller (Windows NT4) from the list that appears on Windows XP Setup screen, press the <Enter> key.

Press <Enter> to continue with installation or if you need to specify any additional devices to be installed, do so at this time. Once all devices are specified, press <Enter> to continue with installation.

From the Windows XP Setup screen press the <Enter> key. Setup will now load all device files and the continue the Windows XP installation.

Existing Windows XP Driver Installation

3

4

1

2

Insert the ECS CD into the CD-ROM drive.

The CD will auto-run and the setup screen will appear.

Under the Driver tab, click on VIA SATA RAID Utility.

The drivers will be automatically installed.

Confirming Windows XP Driver Installation

1

2

3

From Windows XP, open the Control Panel from My Computer followed by the System icon.

Choose the Hardware tab, then click the Device manager tab.

Click the “+” in front of the SCSI and RAID Controllers hardware type. The driver VIA IDE RAID Host Controller should appear.


Installation of VIA SATA RAID Utility

The VIA SATA RAID Utility is the software package that enables high-performance RAID

0 arrays in the Windows*XP operating system. This version of VIA SATA RAID Utility contains the following key features:

•

• Serial ATA RAID driver for Windows XP

VIA SATA RAID utility

• RAID0 and RAID1 functions

Insert the ECS CD and click on the Setup to install the software.

59

The InstallShield Wizard will begin automatically for installation. Click on the Next button to proceed the installation in the welcoming window.


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Put a check mark in the check box to install the feature you want. Then click Next button to proceed the installation.

Using VIA RAID Tool

Once the installation is complete, go to Start---> Programs---> VIA---> raid_tool.exe to enable VIA RAID Tool.

After the software is finished installation, it will automatically started every time Windows is initiated. You may double-click on the icon shown in the system tray of the tool bar to launch the VIA RAID Tool utility.


The main interface is divided into two windows and the toolbar above contain the main functions. Click on these toolbar buttons to execute their specific functions. The left windowpane displays the controller and disk drives and the right windowpane displays the details of the controller or disk drives. The available features are as following:

View by Controller

View by Devices

View Event log

Help Topics

It means that VT8237 SATA RAID only has the feature of monitoring the statuses of RAID

0 and RAID 1.

Click on or button to determine the viewing type of left windowpane. There are two viewing types: By controllers and by device. Click on the object in the left windowpane to display the status of the object in the right windowpane. The following screen shows the status of Array 0-RAID 0.

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Click on the plus (+) symbol next to Array 0--RAID 0 to see the details of each disk.

You may also use the same or button to view the statuses of Array 0--

RAID 1.


Click on the plus (+) symbol next to Array 0; RAID 1 to see the details of each disk.

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