® A7N266-C JumperFree™ DDR DRAM 266MHz FSB NVIDIA® nForce 415-D™ Chipset Socket A Motherboard USER’S MANUAL
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CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 7 1.1 How This Manual Is Organized ................................................... 7 1.2 Item Checklist .............................................................................. 7 2. FEATURES ........................................................................................ 8 2.1 ASUS A7N266-C Motherboard ................................................... 8 2.1.1 Core Specifications .......
CONTENTS 4.2.2 Legend Bar ....................................................................... 52 4.3 Main Menu ................................................................................. 54 4.3.1 Primary & Secondary Master/Slave ................................. 55 4.3.2 Keyboard Features ............................................................ 58 4.4 Advanced Menu ......................................................................... 60 4.4.1 Chip Configuration ............................
FCC & DOC COMPLIANCE Federal Communications Commission Statement This device complies with FCC Rules Part 15. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: • • This device may not cause harmful interference, and This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. 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.
1. INTRODUCTION 1. INTRODUCTION Manual / Checklist 1.1 How This Manual Is Organized This manual is divided into the following sections: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. INTRODUCTION FEATURES HARDWARE SETUP BIOS SETUP SOFTWARE SETUP SOFTWARE REFERENCE APPENDIX Manual information and checklist Production information and specifications Instructions on setting up the motherboard.
2. FEATURES 2.1 ASUS A7N266-C Motherboard The ASUS A7N266-C motherboard is a high-performance motherboard powered by AMD® Athlon™ XP / Athlon™ /Duron™ processors. It sports the new nVidia® nForce 415-D™ chipset. The board offers users advanced features to provide superlative performance. The A7N266-C meets today’s demand for a superior quality, fully integrated system. 2. FEATURES Specifications 2.1.
2. FEATURES 2.1.2 Connections • • • • • • • • • • • • • CPU socket: Socket A (462) for Athlon™ XP / Athlon™ / Duron™ processors. PCI Expansion Slots: Provides five 32-bit PCI slots, (PCI 2.2 compliant) with no ISA. All PCI slots can support Bus Master PCI cards, such as SCSI or LAN cards. (PCI supports up to 133MB/s maximum throughput.) The MB supports Concurrent PCI, which allows multiple PCI transfers from PCI master bus to the memory and processor.
2. FEATURES 2.1.4 Performance and Intelligence • • 2. FEATURES Performance • • • • • • 10 UltraDMA/100 Support: Comes with an onboard PCI Bus Master IDE controller with two connectors that support four IDE devices on two channels. Supports UltraDMA/100, UltraDMA/66, UltraDMA/33, PIO Modes 3 & 4, Bus Master IDE DMA Mode 2, and Enhanced IDE devices, such as DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, CD-R/RW, LS-120, and Tape Backup drives.
2. FEATURES • • • • • • • Two Onboard LEDs: 1) A green LED lights up to indicate that power is available onboard. It reminds users that standby power is available. The LED also serves as a reminder to disconnect the power supply when making any change to the configuration. 2) A red onboard warning LED lights up only if the wrong type of AGP card is connected to the board. Concurrent PCI: Concurrent PCI allows multiple PCI transfers from PCI master busses to the memory and processor.
2. FEATURES 2.2 Motherboard Components See opposite page for locations. Location Processor Support Socket A for AMD® Athlon™ XP, Athlon™ and Duron™ CPUs 1 2. FEATURES M/B Components Chipsets nVidia® nForce™ IGP-128 North Bridge .................................. 2 nVidia® nForce™ MCP-D South Bridge ................................. 12 Multi-I/O controller .................................................................. 9 2Mbit Programmable Flash EEPROM .....................................
2. FEATURES 2.2.1 Component Locations 2 3 45 6 2.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 3.1 Motherboard Layout 24.5cm (9.64in) USBPWR01 JEN BSEL0 BSEL1 FLOPPY ® NB_FAN Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP Pro) CR2032 3V Lithium Cell CMOS Power WARNING PCI 1 nVidia 2Mb BIOS MCP-D Chipset PCI 2 Super I/O PCI 5 with Hardware Monitor PCI 4 ASUS ASIC Realtek RTL8100 PCI 3 USBPWR45 USBPWR23 USB45 USB23 JTPWR BUZZER IDELED ACR (Grayed components are optional at the time of purchase.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 3.2 Layout Contents Motherboard Settings 1) LED p. 18 Onboard System Indicators (Green:power / Red: AGP warning) 2) JEN p. 18 Jumperfree Setting (Enable / Disable) 3) BSEL0, BSEL1 p. 19 CPU:DRAM Frequency Setting (100:100, 100:133, 133:100, 133:133) 4) VID1, 2, 3, 4 p. 20 Voltage Regulator Output Volt. Setting (1.675V-1.85 V) 5) VDDR p. 20 DDR Voltage Setting (2.7V, 2.6V, 2.5V) 7) CLR_RTC p. 22 Clear RTC RAM (3 pin jumper) Expansion Slots/Sockets 1) DIMM 1/2/3 p.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 18) PWR.LED p. 44 System Power LED Lead (3 pin) 19) KEYLOCK p. 44 System Keyboard Lock Switch Lead (2 pin) 20) SPEAKER p. 44 System Warning Speaker Lead (4 pin) 21) LED p. 44 System Message LED Lead (2 pin) 22) SMI p. 44 System Management Interrupt Lead (2 pin) 23) PWR p. 44 ATX / Soft-Off Switch Lead (2 pin) 24) RESET p. 44 Reset Switch Lead (2 pin) 3.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 3.3 Hardware Setup Procedure Complete these procedures before powering up the computer: 1. Check motherboard settings 2. Install memory modules 3. Install the Central Processing Unit (CPU) 4. Install Expansion Cards 5. Connect ribbon cables, panel wires, and power supply cables 6. Configure the BIOS parameter settings 3. H/W SETUP Motherboard Settings All pertinent information to configure settigns and power up the computer for the first time appears in the following pages. 3.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 1) Onboard System Indicators (LED - Light Emitting Diodes) The GREEN onboard LED indicates that the system power is okay. This light also lights when the PC is in suspend or soft-off mode. The RED onboard warning LED lights up only if the wrong type of AGP card is connected to the board: (See AGP Pro, p. 28) PLED A7N266-C 0 1 0 1 0 1 ON Standby Power ® OFF Powered Off WARNING 3.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 3) CPU:DRAM Frequency Setting (BSEL0, BSEL1) This jumper sets the external CPU:DRAM frequency ratio for normal operation. The default operates at 100:100 Mhz. Note: To make any changes to jumper speed settings, the JEN jumper must be set to [1-2].
3. HARDWARE SETUP 4) Voltage Regulator Output Setting (VID1, VID2, VID3, VID4) This jumpers allow you to manually adjust the CPU core voltage. It is recommended to use CPU Default as the CPU core voltage. CPU Default means the Vcore is generated according to the CPU VID configuration. For each jumper setting, there are two voltage options, depending on the CPU used. A7N266-C 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 0 1 0 1 0 1 VID1 VID2 VID3 VID4 (CPU Default) ® VID1 VID2 VID3 VID4 1.85/1.825Volts 1.80/1.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 6) USB Device Wake-up (USB01PWR / USB23PWR / USB45PWR) Set these jumpers to +5V to allow wake up from the S1 sleep state (CPU stopped; RAM refreshed; system running in low power mode). The default setting for the three jumpers is [1-2] to select +5V, since not all computers have the appropriate power supply. NOTE: This feature requires an ATX power supply that can supply at least 2A on the +5VSB lead when these jumpers are set to +5VSB. Otherwise, the system does not power up.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 7) Clear RTC RAM (2-pin CLR_RTC) This jumper allows you to reset the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in CMOS. The RAM data in CMOS, that include system setup information such as system passwords, is powered by the onboard button cell battery. Erase the RTC RAM: 1. Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord. 2. Remove the battery. 3. Change the jumper from “normal” to “clear CMOS” for a few seconds then replace the jumper cap to the “normal” position. 4. Re-install the battery. 5.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 3.5 System Memory 3.5.1 DDR DIMM Support Capacity 128 MB 192 MB 256 MB 384 MB 512 MB 786 MB 1 GB 1.25 GB 1.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 3.5.2 Memory Installation WARNING! Make sure that you unplug your power supply when adding or removing memory modules or other system components. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to both your motherboard and expansion cards (see 3.3 Hardware Setup Procedure for more information). Insert the module(s) as shown. Because the number of pins are different on either side of the breaks, the module will only fit in the orientation shown.
3. HARDWARE SETUP Removing a DIMM: 3. H/W SETUP System Memory 1. Simultaneously press the retaining clips outward to unlock the DIMM. 2. Carefully remove the DIMM from the socket. 3.5.4 General DIMM Memo • • • • • • See the Configuration Rules on page 21 for essential installation parameters. DIMMs that have more than 18 chips are not supported on this motherboard. ASUS motherboards support SPD (Serial Presence Detect) DIMMs. This is the memory of choice for best performance vs. stability.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 3.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU) The motherboard provides a Socket 462 or Socket A for CPU installation. A fan and heatsink should be attached to the CPU to prevent overheating. A7N266-C CPU NOTCH TO INNER CORNER 0 1 0 1 0 1 LOCK ® LEVER AMD™ CPU CPU NOTCH A7N266-C Socket 462 1. Locate the Socket 462 and open it by pulling the lever gently sideways away from the socket. Then lift the lever upwards. The socket lever must be fully opened (90 to 100 degrees). 2.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 3.7 Expansion Cards In the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The motherboard has five PCI expansion slots to support these cards. Follow the steps in the next section when installing expansion cards. WARNING! Unplug the system power cord when adding or removing expansion cards or other system components. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to both the motherboard and expansion cards. 3.7.1 Installing an Expansion Card 1.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 3.7.2 Assigning IRQs for Expansion Cards Some expansion cards need an IRQ to operate. Generally, an IRQ must be exclusively assigned to one use. In a standard design, there are 16 IRQs available but most of them are already in use, leaving 6 IRQs free for expansion cards. If your motherboard has PCI audio onboard, an additional IRQ will be used. If your motherboard also has MIDI enabled, another IRQ will be used, leaving 4 IRQs free.
3. HARDWARE SETUP Interrupt Request Table for this Motherboard INT-B — — — used — — — — — INT-C — — shared — — — — shared — INT-D — shared — — — — — — shared INT-E — — — — — used — — — 3.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 3.7.3 Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) Pro Slot This motherboard has an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) Pro slot to support the new generation graphics cards with ultra-high memory bandwidth. A7N266-C AGP Card without Retention Notch 0 1 0 1 0 1 ® TOP VIEW 20-pin bay Rib (inside slot) 28-pin bay Rib A7N266-C Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP PRO) 3. H/W SETUP Expansion Cards CAUTION! The AGP Pro slot is shipped with a warning label over the 20-pin bay.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 3.7.4 Advanced Communications Riser (Slot) This motherboard supplies an Advanced Communication Riser (ACR) slot for communications and audio systems. The A7N266-C motherboard is bundled with an innovative digital audio resource, the ACR-A6CH card. This super-connector card includes two AC’97 audio CODEC chips that supply 6-channel audio output. The ACR-A6CH produces an S/PDIF_OUT digital audio signal with help from the nVidia™ MCP-D south bridge.
3. HARDWARE SETUP ACR-A6CH Hardware Installation Procedure 1. Power OFF your computer. 2. Carefully align the ACR-A6CH card’s connector to the ACR slot (PCI 6) and press firmly so that the slot receives all the teeth evenly along the entire length of the card. 3. Secure the ACR card onto the PC chassis with a chassis screw. 4. Connect the three black internal connectors (TAD, CD_IN, AUX_IN) with the appropriate leads as required.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 3.8 Connectors 3.8.1 External Connectors WARNING! Some pins are used for connectors or power sources. These are clearly distinguished from jumpers in the Motherboard Layout. Placing jumper caps over these connector pins will cause damage to your motherboard. IMPORTANT: Ribbon cables should always be connected with the red stripe to Pin 1 on the connectors.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 3) Universal Serial Bus Ports 1 & 2 (Black two 4-pin USB) Two USB ports are available for connecting USB devices. Universal Serial Bus (USB) 3. H/W SETUP Connectors 4) Parallel Port (Burgundy 25-pin PRINTER) You can enable the parallel port and choose the IRQ through Onboard Parallel Port (see 4.4.2 I/O Device Configuration). NOTE: Serial printers must be connected to the serial port.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 6) Serial Port Connectors (Teal/Turquoise 9-pin COM1, 10-1 pin COM2) One serial port is ready for a mouse or other serial devices. A second serial port is available using a serial port bracket connected from the motherboard to an expansion slot opening. See Onboard Serial Port 1/2 in 4.4.2 I/O Device Configuration for settings. COM 1 Serial Port (9-pin male) A7N266-C 3.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 7) Game/MIDI Ports (Gold 15-pin GAME) (Optional) This connector supports a joystick or a game pad for playing games, and MIDI devices for playing or editing audio files. Joystick/MIDI (15-pin female) 3.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 8) IDE Activity LED (2-pin IDELED) This connector supplies power to the cabinet’s IDE activity LED. Read and write activity by devices connected to the Primary or Secondary IDE connectors cause the IDE LED to light up. A7N266-C 0 1 0 1 0 1 ® IDELED TIP: If the case-mounted LED does not light, try reversing the 2-pin plug. 3. H/W SETUP Connectors A7N266-C IDE Activity LED 9) Floppy Disk Drive Connector (34-1 pin FLOPPY) This connector supports the provided floppy drive ribbon cable.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 10) Primary (Blue) / Secondary IDE Connectors (40-1 pin IDE1/IDE2) These connectors support the UltraDMA/100/66 IDE hard disk ribbon cable supplied with the motherboard. Connect the cable’s blue connector to the primary (recommended) or secondary IDE connector, then connect the gray connector to the UltraDMA/100/66 slave device (hard disk drive) and the black connector to the UltraDMA/100/66 master device.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 11) CPU Fan, North Bridge Fan, and Chassis Fan Connectors (CPU, NB, CHA_FAN) The three fan connectors support cooling fans of 350mA (4.2 Watts) or less. Orient the fans so that the heat sink fins allow airflow to go across the onboard heat sinks instead of the expansion slots. The fan wiring and plug may vary. Connect the fan cable to the connector making sure that the black wire matches the ground pin.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 12) Infrared Connector (10-1 pin IrDA) This connector supports an optional wireless transmitting and receiving infrared module to the CIR and SIR connectors for both wireless transmitting and remote control functions through an external infrared module. This connector supports an optional wireless transmitting and receiving infrared module. This module mounts to a small opening on system cases that support this feature. You must also configure the setting through UART2 Use Infrared (see 4.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 13) Power Supply Connectors (20-pin block ATXPWR) This connector supplies to an ATX 12V power supply. The plug from the power supply fits in only one orientation because of the different hole sizes. Find the proper orientation and push down firmly making sure that the pins are aligned. IMPORTANT: Make sure that the ATX 12V power supply (minimum recommended wattage: 230W) can supply at least 10mA on the +5-volt standby lead (+5VSB).
3. HARDWARE SETUP 14) Chassis Open Alarm Lead (4-pin CHASSIS) This lead is designed for chassis intrusion detection. It requires an external detection mechanism such as a chassis intrusion monitor/sensor or microswitch. Opening the chassis triggers the sensor and a high-level signal is sent to this lead to record the chassis intrusion event. When not using the chassis intrusion lead, place a jumper cap over the pins to close the circuit.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 16) Power Supply Thermal Sensor Connector (2-pin JTPWR) If you have a power supply with thermal monitoring, connect its thermal sensor cable to this connector. A7N266-C 0 1 0 1 0 1 ® JTPWR JTPWR Ground 3. H/W SETUP Connectors A7N266-C Power Supply Thermal Connector 17) SMBus Connector (5-1 pin SMB) This connector allows you to connect SMBus (System Management Bus) devices. SMBus devices communicate by means of the SMBus with an SMBus host and/or other SMBus devices.
3. HARDWARE SETUP The following 20-pin PANEL illustration is for items 18-24. A7N266-C 0 1 0 1 0 1 PLED+ PLEDKeylock Ground Power LED Speaker Connector +5V Ground Ground Speaker Keyboard Lock Message LED SMI Lead A7N266-C System Panel Connectors Reset Ground MLED+ MLEDExtSMI# Ground PWR GND ® Reset SW ATX Power Switch* * Requires an ATX power supply. 3. H/W SETUP Connectors 18) System Power LED Lead (3-1 pin PWR.LED) This 3-1 pin connector connects to the system power LED.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 3.9 Starting Up the First Time 1. After all connections are made, close the system case cover. 2. Be sure that all switches are off (in some systems, marked with ). 3. Connect the power supply cord into the power supply located on the back of your system case according to your system user’s manual. 4. Connect the power cord into a power outlet that is equipped with a surge protector. 5. You may then turn on your devices in the following order: a. Your monitor b.
3. HARDWARE SETUP 7. During power-on, hold down to enter BIOS setup. Follow the instructions in 4. BIOS SETUP. * Powering Off your computer: You must first exit or shut down your operating system before switching off the power switch. For ATX power supplies, you can press the ATX power switch after exiting or shutting down your operating system.
4. BIOS SETUP 4.1 Managing and Updating Your BIOS 4.1.1 Upon First Use of the Computer System It is recommended that you save a copy of the original motherboard BIOS along with a Flash Memory Writer utility (AFLASH.EXE) to a bootable floppy disk in case you need to reinstall the BIOS later. AFLASH.EXE is a Flash Memory Writer utility that updates the BIOS by uploading a new BIOS file to the programmable flash ROM on the motherboard. This file works only in DOS mode.
4. BIOS SETUP 5. Select 1. Save Current BIOS to File from the Main menu and press . The Save Current BIOS To File screen appears. 6. Type a filename and the path, for example, A:\XXX-XX.XXX and then press . 4.
4. BIOS SETUP 4.1.2 Updating BIOS Procedures WARNING! Update the BIOS only if you have problems with the motherboard and you know that the new BIOS revision will solve your problems. Careless updating can result in your motherboard having more problems! 4. BIOS SETUP Updating BIOS 1. Download an updated ASUS BIOS file from the Internet (WWW or FTP) (see ASUS CONTACT INFORMATION on page 3 for details) and save to the boot floppy disk you created earlier. 2. Boot from the floppy disk. 3.
4. BIOS SETUP 7. The utility starts to program the new BIOS information into the Flash ROM. The boot block is updated automatically only when necessary. This minimizes the possibilities of boot problems in case of update failures. When the programming is done, Flashed Successfully appears. 8. Follow the onscreen instructions to continue. 4. BIOS SETUP Updating BIOS WARNING! If you encounter problems while updating the new BIOS, DO NOT turn off the system because this may cause boot problems.
4. BIOS SETUP 4.2 BIOS Setup Program This motherboard supports a programmable EEPROM that you can update using the provided utility described in 4.1 Managing and Updating Your BIOS. The utility is used if you are installing a motherboard, reconfiguring your system, or prompted to “Run Setup”. This section describes how to configure your system using this utility. Even if you are not prompted to use the Setup program, at some time in the future you may want to change the configuration of your computer.
4. BIOS SETUP 4.2.1 BIOS Menu Bar The top of the screen has a menu bar with the following selections: MAIN Use this menu to make changes to the basic system configuration. ADVANCED Use this menu to enable and make changes to the advanced features. POWER Use this menu to configure and enable Power Management features. BOOT Use this menu to configure the default system device used to locate and load the Operating System. EXIT Use this menu to exit the current menu or specify how to exit the Setup program.
4. BIOS SETUP General Help In addition to the Item Specific Help window, the BIOS setup program also provides a General Help screen. You may launch this screen from any menu by simply pressing or the + combination. The General Help screen lists the legend keys with their corresponding functions. Saving Changes and Exiting the Setup Program See 4.7 Exit Menu for detailed information on saving changes and exiting the setup program.
4. BIOS SETUP 4.3 Main Menu When you enter the Setup program, the following screen appears: 4. BIOS SETUP Main Menu System Time [XX:XX:XX] Sets the system to the time that you specify (usually the current time). The format is hour, minute, second. Valid values for hour, minute and second are Hour: (00 to 23), Minute: (00 to 59), Second: (00 to 59). Use the or + keys to move between the hour, minute, and second fields.
4. BIOS SETUP 4.3.1 Primary & Secondary Master/Slave 4. BIOS SETUP Master/Slave Drives Type [Auto] Select [Auto] to automatically detect an IDE hard disk drive. If automatic detection is successful, Setup automatically fills in the correct values for the remaining fields on this sub-menu. If automatic detection fails, this may be because the hard disk drive is too old or too new. If the hard disk was already formatted on an older system, Setup may detect incorrect parameters.
4. BIOS SETUP [User Type HDD] Manually enter the number of cylinders, heads and sectors per track for the drive. Refer to the drive documentation or on the drive label for this information. If no drive is installed or if you are removing a drive and not replacing it, select [None]. 4. BIOS SETUP Master/Slave Drives Translation Method [LBA] Select the hard disk drive type in this field.
4. BIOS SETUP 4. BIOS SETUP Master/Slave Drives CHS Capacity This field shows the drive’s maximum CHS capacity as calculated by the BIOS based on the drive information you entered. Maximum LBA Capacity This field shows the drive’s maximum LBA capacity as calculated by the BIOS based on the drive information you entered. Multi-Sector Transfers [Maximum] This option automatically sets the number of sectors per block to the highest number that the drive supports.
4. BIOS SETUP 4.3.2 Keyboard Features Boot Up NumLock Status [On] This field enables users to activate the Number Lock function upon system boot. Configuration options: [Off] [On] 4. BIOS SETUP Keyboard Features Keyboard Auto-Repeat Rate [6/Sec] This controls the speed at which the system registers repeated keystrokes. Options range from 6 to 30 characters per second.
4. BIOS SETUP Language [English] This field displays the BIOS language version. 4. BIOS SETUP Main Menu Supervisor Password [Disabled] / User Password [Disabled] These fields allow you to set passwords. To set a password, highlight the appropriate field and press . Type in a password then press . You can type up to eight alphanumeric characters. Symbols and other characters are ignored. To confirm the password, type the password again and press . The password is now set to [Enabled].
4. BIOS SETUP 4.4 Advanced Menu Current CPU Speed This field displays the internal frequency of your CPU. In JumperFree mode, it is possible to change the speed of processors by adjusting the CPU/PCI multiple. 4. BIOS SETUP Advanced Menu CPU Speed [Manual] When the motherboard is set to JumperFree™ mode, this field sets the internal frequency of your CPU. Select [Manual] if you want to make changes to the next two fields.
4. BIOS SETUP CPU/Memory Frequency Ratio [Auto] This field determines whether the memory clock frequency is set to be in synchronous or asynchronous mode with respect to the memory frequency. The options that appear in the popup menu vary according to the status of the CPU/PCI Frequency (MHz) field.
4. BIOS SETUP Summary of Warning Messages The system may crash or hang up due to conflicts between settings and CPU compatibility: checksum errors, improper frequency settings, change of CPU and improper CPU speed settings. The system starts up in safe mode running at a bus speed of 100MHz and enters the BIOS Setup. Each time a system hangup occurs, BIOS interrupts the bootup process with a specific warning message. These messages always appear on the right side of the BIOS screen in red print: 1.
4. BIOS SETUP 4.4.1 Chip Configuration 4. BIOS SETUP Chip Configuration SDRAM Configuration [By SPD] This sets the optimal timing. The default setting is [By SPD], which automatically configures the timing by reading the contents in the SPD (Serial Presence Detect) device. The EEPROM on the memory module stores critical parameter information about the module, such as memory type, size, speed, voltage interface, and module banks.
4. BIOS SETUP Video Memory Cache Mode [UC] USWC (uncaheable, speculative write combining) is a new cach technology for the processor’s video memory. It can greatly improve the display speed by caching the display data. Set this to UC (uncacheable) if the display card cannot support this feature; otherwise, the system may not boot up.
4. BIOS SETUP 4.4.2 I/O Device Configuration Onboard FDC Swap A & B [No Swap] This field allows you to reverse the hardware drive letter assignments of your floppy disk drives. Configuration options: [No Swap] [Swap AB] 4. BIOS SETUP I/O Configuration Floppy Disk Access Control [R/W] Set this field to read and write the floppy disk (R/W). Change to [Read Only] for reading disks.
4. BIOS SETUP Parallel Port Mode [ECP+EPP] This field allows you to set the operation mode of the parallel port. [Normal] allows normal-speed operation but in one direction only; [EPP] allows bidirectional parallel port operation; [ECP] allows the parallel port to operate in bidirectional DMA mode; [ECP+EPP] allows normal speed operation in a two-way mode.
4. BIOS SETUP 4.4.3 PCI Configuration Slot 1/5, Slot 2, Slot 3, Slot 4 IRQ [Auto] These fields automatically assign the IRQ for each PCI slot. The default setting for each field is [Auto], which utilizes auto-routing to determine IRQ assignments. Configuration options: [Auto] [NA] [3] [4] [5] [7] [9] [10] [11] [12] [14] [15] 4. BIOS SETUP PCI Configuration PCI/VGA Palette Snoop [Disabled] Some non-standard VGA cards, such as graphics accelerators or MPEG video cards, may not show colors properly.
4. BIOS SETUP PCI DMA Resource Exclusion DMA x Reserved for Legacy Drive [No/ICU] These fields indicate whether or not the DMA channel displayed for each field is being used by a legacy (non-PnP) ISA card. The default setting indicates either that the DMA channel displayed is not used or an ICU is being used to determine if an ISA device is using the channel instead. Configuration options: [No/ICU] [Yes] PCI UMB Resource Exclusion 4.
4. BIOS SETUP 4.4.4 Shadow Configuration Video ROM BIOS Shadow [Enabled] This field allows you to change the video BIOS location from ROM to RAM. Relocating to RAM enhances system performance, as information access is faster than the ROM. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] ASUS A7N266-C User’s Manual 4. BIOS SETUP Shadow Configuration C8000-DFFFF Shadow [Disabled] These fields are used for shadowing other expansion card ROMs.
4. BIOS SETUP 4.5 Power Menu The Power menu allows you to reduce power consumption. This feature turns off the video display and shuts down the hard disk after a period of inactivity. Video Off Option [Suspend -> Off ] This field determines when to activate the video off feature for monitor power management. Configuration options: [Always On] [Suspend -> Off] 4. BIOS SETUP Power Menu Video Off Method [DPMS OFF] This field defines the video off features.
4. BIOS SETUP PWR Button < 4 Secs [Soft Off] When set to [Soft off], the ATX switch can be used as a normal system power-off button when pressed for less than 4 seconds. [Suspend] allows the button to have a dual function where pressing less than 4 seconds will place the system in sleep mode. Regardless of the setting, holding the ATX switch for more than 4 seconds will power off the system. Configuration options: [Soft off] [Suspend] 4. BIOS SETUP Power Up Control 4.5.
4. BIOS SETUP 4.5.2 Hardware Monitor MB Temperature [xxxC/xxxF] CPU Temperature [xxxC/xxxF] POWER Temperature N/A The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the MB (motherboard), CPU, and JTPWR (power supply) temperatures. 4. BIOS SETUP Hardware Monitor CPU Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] CHIP Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] PWR Fan Speed N/A The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the speeds of the CPU fan, chassis fan, and chassis fan measured in rotations per minute (RPM). VCORE1/VCORE2 Voltage +3.
4. BIOS SETUP 4.6 Boot Menu Boot Sequence 4. BIOS SETUP Boot Menu The Boot menu allows you to select among the four possible types of boot devices listed using the up and down arrow keys. By using the <+> or key, you can promote devices and by using the <-> key, you can demote devices. Promotion or demotion of devices alters the priority which the system uses to search for a boot device on system power up.
4. BIOS SETUP Boot Virus Detection [Enabled] This field allows you to set boot virus detection, ensuring a virus-free boot sector. The system halts and displays a warning message when it detects a virus. If this occurs, you can either allow the operation to continue or use a virus-free bootable floppy disk to restart and investigate your system.
4. BIOS SETUP 4.7 Exit Menu When you have made all of your selections from the various menus in the Setup program, save your changes and exit Setup. Select Exit from the menu bar to display the following menu: 4. BIOS SETUP Exit Menu NOTE: Pressing does not immediately exit this menu. Select one of the options from this menu or from the legend bar to exit this menu.
4. BIOS SETUP Load Setup Defaults This option allows you to load the default values for each of the parameters on the Setup menus. When you select this option or if you press , a confirmation window appears. Select [Yes] to load default values. Select Exit Saving Changes or make other changes before saving the values to the non-volatile RAM. Discard Changes This option allows you to discard the selections you made and restore the previously saved values.
5. SOFTWARE SETUP 5.1 Install Operating System You should always use the latest operating system and updates when using new hardware to ensure full compliancy. You may use any version of Windows 98/2000/ Millenium, but for Windows 95, you must use OSR 2.0 or later. For Windows NT 4.0, you must use Service Pack 3.0 or later. 5.2 Start Windows When you start Windows for the first time after installing your motherboard, Windows will detect all plug-and play devices.
5. SOFTWARE SETUP 5.3 A7N266-C Series Motherboard Support CD NOTE: The support CD contents are subject to change at any time without notice. To begin using your support CD disc, just insert it into your CD-ROM drive and the support CD installation menu should appear. If the menu does not appear, doubleclick or run D:\ASSETUP.EXE (assuming that your CD-ROM drive is drive D:).
5. SOFTWARE SETUP • • • • PC-CILLIN 2000: Installs the latest anti-virus protection application. ADOBE Acrobat Reader: Installs the Adobe Acrobat Reader software necessary to view user’s manuals saved in PDF format. Updated or other language versions of this motherboard's manual is available in PDF format at any of our web sites. Cyberlink Video and Audio Applications: Installs Cyberlink PowerPlayer SE and Cyberlink VideoLive Mail. ASUS Screen Saver: Installs a nifty ASUS screen saver.
5. SOFTWARE SETUP 5.3.3 Manual Installation of Drivers for Windows 98 Use the Device Manager to uninstall all previously installed system drivers that may conflict with the installation and operation of the nVidia® system drivers . ~ Three nVidia® drivers need to be installed to operate with the Win98 system. The installation procedure is described in items 1 through 3: 1. PCI System Management Bus. 2. PCI Standard Host CPU Bridge. 3. PCI Standard RAM Controller.
5. SOFTWARE SETUP ITEM 3: PCI Standard Ram Controller 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Go to the Device Manager Select PCI standard RAM Controller in “System Devices” Click on “Properties.” Click on “Driver.” Select “update driver” Select “Search for a better driver than the one your device is using now” option. Click on “Specify the location” and then type or browse for the path on the CDROM Drive:\Drivers\Chipset\Nvidia\win9x\MemoryController. This installs the driver. 8. Click “Next.” 9.
6. SOFTWARE REFERENCE 6. S/W REFERENCE ASUS Update 6.1 ASUS Live Update ASUS LiveUpdate is a utility that allows you to update your motherboard’s BIOS and drivers. The use of this utility requires that you are properly connected to the Internet through an Internet Service Provider (ISP). 1. Start ASUS Update Launch the utility from your Windows Start menu:Programs/AsusUpdate 2. Select an update method. 3. If you selected updating/downloading from the Internet, you will need to select an Internet site.
PC Probe 6. S/W REFERENCE 6.2 ASUS PC Probe ASUS PC Probe is a convenient utility to continuously monitor your computer system’s vital components, such as fan rotations, Voltages, and temperatures. It also has a utility that lets you review useful information about your computer, such as hard disk space, memory usage, and CPU type, CPU speed, and internal/external frequencies through the DMI Explorer. 6.2.
6. SOFTWARE REFERENCE Monitoring Monitor Summary Shows a summary of the items being monitored. Temperature Monitor Shows the PC’s temperature. Temperature Warning threshold adjustment (Move the slider up to increase the threshold level or down to decrease the threshold level) Fan Monitor Shows the PC’s fan rotation. Fan Warning threshold adjustment (Move the slider up to increase the threshold level or down to decrease the threshold level) Voltage Monitor Shows the PC’s voltages.
6. S/W REFERENCE PC Probe Settings Lets you set threshold levels and polling intervals or refresh times of the PC’s temperature, fan rotation, and voltages. CPU Cooling System Setup Lets you select when to enable software CPU cooling. When When CPU Overheated is selected, the CPU cooling system is enabled whenever the CPU temperature reaches the threshold value. History Lets you record the current monitoring activity of a certain component of your PC for future reference.
6. SOFTWARE REFERENCE 6. S/W REFERENCE PC Probe Memory Shows the PC’s memory load, memory usage, and paging file usage. Device Summary Shows a summary of devices in your PC. DMI Explorer Shows information pertinent to the PC, such as CPU type, CPU speed, and internal/external frequencies, and memory size. Utility Lets you run programs outside of the ASUS Probe modules. To run a program, click Execute Program.
PC Probe 6. S/W REFERENCE 6.2.3 ASUS PC Probe Task Bar Icon Right-clicking the PC Probe icon will bring up a menu to open or exit ASUS PC Probe and pause or resume all system monitoring. When the ASUS PC Probe senses a problem with your PC, portions of the ASUS PC Probe icon changes to red, the PC speaker beeps, and the ASUS PC Probe monitor is displayed. ASUS A7N266-C User’s Manual 87 PC Probe 6.
6. SOFTWARE REFERENCE 6. S/W REFERENCE 3Deep Color 6.3 3Deep Color Tuner The 3-Deep color tuner is designed to match your CRT or LCD color monitor to maximize the color quality of all graphical applications. Users may also tune their internet applications to match “true” internet source colors with the color displayed on the monitor. Simply run the setup program from the start menu and follow the instructions on the various setup/test screens. 6.3.1 3Deep Color Tuning 1.
6. S/W REFERENCE 3Deep Color 6. SOFTWARE REFERENCE 4. Select the color squares which most closely blend and match with the background. 5. The next step repeats the color matching process to achieve full color quality. 6. The tuning process is complete. Click on the bottom left button to connect to the internet and follow the instructions. 6.3.2 The 3Deep Control Panel Using the Windows Start button, activate the 3Deep Control Panel program from the 3Deep Applications group on the Main Program menu.
6. SOFTWARE REFERENCE 6. S/W REFERENCE Cyberlink 6.4 CyberLink PowerPlayer SE CyberLink PowerPlayer SE is an intelligent software player that can automatically detect and playback all kinds of video/audio files, CD and MP3 files as well. This is the only software you need for all types of video and audio files. No need to waste time identifying your file types. 6.4.
6. SOFTWARE REFERENCE 6. S/W REFERENCE Cyberlink 6.5 CyberLink VideoLive Mail CyberLink’s VideoLive Mail Plus Ver 3.0 (a.k.a. VLM 3) is a convenient and excellent way to create professional quality video mails from PC video/audio input devices and to send the mails to any recipients via VLM 3’s built-in e-mail system through the Internet. VLM 3’s mails comprise video, sound, or snapshot information; and thus may convey the most profound information to target audiences.
6. SOFTWARE REFERENCE 6. S/W REFERENCE Cyberlink 6.5.1 Starting VideoLive Mail To start VideoLive Mail, click the Windows Start button, point to Programs, and then CyberLink VideoLive Mail, and then click VideoLive Mail x.x. VLM 3’s Setup Wizard will start and guide you through configuring the video and audio input peripherals and to setup the e-mail environment. 1. Setup Wizard first will prompt a dialog to confirm that you want to configure the hardware and E-mail setting.
7. APPENDIX 7.1 Modem Riser 7.2.1 56K Software Modem Layout of Primary Top: 7.2.2 Primary/Seconday MR There are two types of modem risers: primary MR and secondary MR. In appearance, the primary MR has a crystal onboard but the secondary does not. If your motherboard has an audio codec and no PCI audio chipset onboard, you may use the secondary MR; otherwise, you should use the primary MR. 7.
7. APPENDIX 7.2.4 Software Setup in Windows 98 The Modem Riser supports the Plug and Play feature. It allows your computer to automatically set the optimal configurations for the MR and communication software. Follow the procedure below to install the modem driver. 1. Power ON the computer after the hardware installation is completed. 7. APPENDIX Modem Riser 2. Windows 98 will automatically detect the modem and display a “PCI Card” message under “Add New Hardware Found”. 3.
7. APPENDIX 7.2 Glossary Bus Bus Frequency Bandwidth Data Transfer Rate PCI AGP 1X AGP 2X AGP 4X 33MHz 66MHz 66MHz 66MHz 33MHz 66MHz 133MHz 266MHz 133MByte/sec 266MByte/sec 512MByte/sec 1024MByte/sec 7 . APPENDIX Glossary 1394 1394 is the IEEE designation for a high performance serial bus tht offers data transfers at 100/ 200/400 Mbps. This serial bus defines both a back plane physical layer and a point-to-point cable-connected virtual bus.
7. APPENDIX 7. APPENDIX Glossary Boot Boot means to start the computer operating system by loading it into system memory. When the manual instructs you to “boot” your system (or computer), it means to turn ON your computer. “Reboot” means to restart your computer. When using Windows 95 or later, selecting “Restart” from “Start | Shut Down...” will reboot your computer. Bus Master IDE PIO (Programmable I/O) IDE requires that the CPU be involved in IDE access and waiting for mechanical events.
7. APPENDIX ASUS A7N266-C User’s Manual 7 . APPENDIX Glossary IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) IDE devices integrate the drive control circuitry directly on the drive itself, eliminating the need for a separate adapter card (in the case for SCSI devices). UltraDMA/33 IDE devices can achieve up to 33MB/Sec transfer. I/O (Input/Output) The data transfers from the input devices like a keyboard, mouse, or scanner, to the output devices like a printer or the monitor screen.
7. APPENDIX 7. APPENDIX Glossary PS/2 Port PS/2 ports are based on IBM Micro Channel Architecture. This type of architecture transfers data through a 16-bit or 32-bit bus. A PS/2 mouse and/or keyboard may be used on ATX motherboards. RDRAM (Rambus DRAM) Developed by Rambus, Inc., this type of memory can deliver up to 1.6GB of data per second.
INDEX A Accelerated Graphics Port AGP Capability 64 AGP Pro Slot 30 Accessories Modem Riser 93 ACR-A6CH-Audio Card 31 ASUS PC Probe 83 ASUS Update 82 ATAPI CD-ROM 73 B BIOS Advanced Menu 60 Beep Code 45 Boot Menu 73 Boot Sequence 73 Exit Menu 75 Language 59 Legend Bar 52 Main Menu 54 Menu Bar 52 Power Menu 70 Setup Defaults, loading 76 Setup Program 51 Smart BIOS 8 Sub-menu launching 53 Updating 47 BIOS Beep Codes 45 Boot Device Selection 73 Boot Up NumLock Status 58 Boot Virus Detection 74 C Central Proc
INDEX Voltage Regulator 20 G K Glossary 95 H Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) CHS Capacity 57 Cylinders 56 Heads 57 LBA Capacity 57 Primary/Secondary Master 55 Primary/Secondary Slave 55 Sectors 56 Translation Method 56 Types 55 Hardware Monitor 72 Hardware Setup CPU Installation 26 Memory Installation 24 Procedure 17 Headers USB 42 I Keyboard Auto-Repeat Rate 58 Connector 33 Features 58 Keyboard Lock Switch Lead 44 L LED indicators 18 Legacy Diskette 54 M Memory Installation 24 Modem Riser 93 Motherboard Com
INDEX PCI Latency Timer 67 PCI/VGA Palette Snoop 67 PIO Mode 57 Ports.
NOTES 102 ASUS A7N266-C User’s Manual
