About the Setup Utility. ECS PM800-M2

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

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• 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:

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• 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:

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Using BIOS

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Press DEL to enter SETUP

Pressing the delete key accesses the BIOS Setup Utility:

Phoenix-AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility:

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Standard CMOS Features

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Advanced BIOS Features

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Frequency/Voltage Control

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

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Advanced Chipset Features Load Optimized Defaults

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Integrated Peripherals

Power Management Setup

PnP/PCI Configurations

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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