User Guide Motherboard A7V8X
E1097 Checklist First Edition August 2002 Copyright © 2002 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).
Contents Features FCC/CDC statements ..................................................................... vi Safety information ......................................................................... vii About this guide ............................................................................ viii How this guide is organized ................................................ viii Conventions used in this guide ............................................. ix Where to find more information ............
Contents Safeguards 2.7 2.8 2.6.3 PCI slots .............................................................. 2-13 2.6.4 AGP slot ............................................................... 2-13 Switches and jumpers ...................................................... 2-14 Connectors ....................................................................... 2-18 Chapter 3: Powering up 3.1 3.2 3.3 Starting up for the first time ................................................ 3-1 Vocal POST Messages ....
Contents 5.3 5.2.1 Running the support CD ........................................ 5-1 5.2.2 Main menu ............................................................. 5-2 5.2.3 Drivers menu ......................................................... 5-3 5.2.4 Software menu ....................................................... 5-4 5.2.6 ASUS Contact Information ..................................... 5-5 5.2.7 Other information ................................................... 5-6 Software information ......
FCC/CDC statements 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.
Safety information Electrical safety • To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet before relocating the system. • When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power cables for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected. If possible, disconnect all power cables from the existing system before you add a device.
About this guide This user guide contains the information you need when installing the ASUS AV78X motherboard. How this guide is organized This manual contains the following parts: • Chapter 1: Product introduction This chapter describes the features of the A7V8X motherboard. It includes brief descriptions of the special attributes of the motherboard and the new technology it supports.
Conventions used in this guide To make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual. DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself when trying to complete a task. CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when trying to complete a task. IMPORTANT: Information that you MUST follow to complete a task. NOTE: Tips and additional information to aid in completing a task.
ASUS contact information ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (Asia-Pacific) Address: General Tel: General Fax: General Email: 150 Li-Te Road, Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan 112 +886-2-2894-3447 +886-2-2894-3449 info@asus.com.tw Technical Support MB/Others (Tel): Notebook (Tel): Desktop/Server (Tel): Support Fax: Support Email: Web Site: Newsgroup: +886-2-2890-7121 (English) +886-2-2890-7122 (English) +886-2-2890-7123 (English) +886-2-2890-7698 tsd@asus.com.tw www.asus.com.tw cscnews.asus.com.
A7V8X specifications summary CPU Socket A for AMD Thoroughbred, Athlon XP/Athlon/Duron 600 MHz ~ 2.4 GHz+ Chipset Northbridge: VIA KT400 Southbridge: VIA VT8235 Front Side Bus (FSB) 266/200Mhz Memory 3 x DDR DIMM Sockets Maximum 3 GB unbuffered PC2700/2100/1600 non-ECC SDRAM Memory.(Note: PC2700 maximum to 2 DIMM support only. PC3200 maximum to 1 DIMM support only.
A7V8X specifications summary Back Panel I/O Ports 1 x Parallel 2 x Serial 1 x PS/2 Keyboard 1 x PS/2 Mouse 1 x Audio I/O (on audio model only) 4 x USB 2.
Chapter 1 This chapter describes the features of the ASUS A7V8X motherboard. It includes brief explanations of the special attributes of the motherboard and the new technology it supports.
Chapter summary 1.1 Welcome! ........................................................ 1-1 1.2 Package contents .......................................... 1-1 1.3 Special features ............................................. 1-2 1.4 Motherboard overview ...................................
1.1 Welcome! Thank you for buying the ASUS® A7V8X motherboard! The ASUS A7V8X motherboard is loaded with the most advanced technologies to deliver the maximum performance for socket A processors. Based on the advanced VIA KT400 chipset with DDR 400 support, the ASUS A7V8X also features AGP 8X, serial ATA, USB 2.0 as well as optional 6-channel audio, Gigabit LAN and 1394. Unique ASUS features such as ASUS C.O.P.
1.3 Special features 1.3.1 Product highlights AGP 8X support AGP 8X (AGP 3.0) is the next generation VGA interface specification that enables enhanced graphics performance with high bandwidth speeds up to 2.12 GB/s. With a bus of 533Mhz, AGP 8X is twice as fast as AGP 4X. Serial ATA technology (optional) Serial ATA is the next generation ATA specification that provides scalable performance for today and tomorrow.
ASUS Q-Fan feature The ASUS Q-Fan technology smartly adjusts the fan speeds according to the system loading to ensure quiet, cool, and efficient operation. See details on page 4-34. C.O.P. (CPU Overheating Protection): With AMD® Athlon XP™ installed, the motherboard offers automatic CPU Overheating Protection to prolong the life of the entire system. If the CPU temperature exceeds the set criteria, the PC shuts down automatically.
6-channel Audio (optional) The A7V8X uses an onboard Realtek CODEC that lets you enjoy highquality 6-channel audio without having to buy advanced sound cards. InterVideo WinCinema (WinDVD/WinRip/WinCorder/ WinProducer) software (optional) Here’s an added bonus! The InterVideo WinCinema bundled with WinDVD, WinRip, WinCorder and WinProducer software for your multimedia needs.
ASUS A7V8X motherboard user guide 1-5
1.4 Motherboard overview Before you install the A7V8X motherboard, familiarize yourself with its physical configuration and available features to facilitate the motherboard installation and future upgrades. A sufficient knowledge of the motherboard specifications will also help you avoid mistakes that may damage the board and its components. 1.4.1 Major components The following are the major components of the A7V8X motherboard as pointed out in the picture on page 1-7. 1. North Bridge controller 19.
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1.4.2 Core specifications 1 North bridge controller. The VIA® KT400 supports AGP 8X mode, 266/200MHz Front Side Bus, and the latest 400/333/266/200MHz 64-bit memory bus. 2 CPU socket. Socket 462 (Socket A) surface mount, Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket for the AMD Athlon XP/Athlon/Duron Processors, with 600 MHz ~ 2.4GHz system bus. 3 DDR DIMM sockets. These three 184-pin DIMM sockets support up to 3GB system memory using unbuffered non-ECC PC3200/ 2700/2100/1600 DDR DIMMs.
10 RAID IDE connector. This one-channel connector supports Ultra ATA133/100/66 hard disk drivers in RAID 0 or RAID 1 configurations. (on SATA model only) 11 SATA connectors. This connector accomodates the provided Serial ATA cable. One side of the connector is slotted to prevent incorrect insertion of the cable. The Serial ATA is an evolutionary replacement for the Parallel ATA. (on SATA model only) 12 Flash ROM. This 4Mb firmware contains the programmable BIOS program. 13 SATA controller.
21 PS/2 mouse port. This green 6-pin connector is for a PS/2 mouse. 22 Parallel port. This 25-pin port connects a parallel printer, a scanner, or other devices. 23 RJ-45 port. This port allows connection to a Local Area Network (LAN) through a network hub. (on LAN models only) 24 Line In jack. This Line In (light blue) jack connects a tape player or other audio sources. In 6-channel mode, the function of this jack becomes Line Out/Front Speaker Out. (on audio models only) 25 Line Out jack.
Chapter 2 This chapter describes the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform when installing system components. It includes details on the switches, jumpers, and connectors on the motherboard.
Chapter summary 2.1 Motherboard installation ............................... 2-1 2.2 Motherboard layout ....................................... 2-2 2.3 Before you proceed ....................................... 2-3 2.4 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ..................... 2-4 2.5 System memory ............................................. 2-6 2.6 Expansion slots ............................................ 2-11 2.7 Switches and jumpers ................................. 2-14 2.8 Connectors .....
2.1 Motherboard installation Before you install the motherboard, study the configuration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard fits into it. The A7V8X uses the ATX form factor that measures 12 inches x 9.6 inches (30.5 x 24.5 cm). Make sure to unplug the power cord before installing or removing the motherboard. Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components. 2.1.
2.2 Motherboard layout 24.5cm (9.6in) OVER_VOLT1 PS/2KBMS T: Mouse B: Keyboard CPU_FAN1 VIA KT400 PWR_FAN1 Top:Line In Center:Line Out Below:Mic In 0 1 2 3 4 5 Chipset FLOPPY1 USB2.0 Top: T: USB1 RJ-45 B: USB2 PRI_ IDE1 CD1 Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP Pro) AGP_WARN1 FP_AUDIO1 SEC_ IDE1 AUX1 30.5cm (12.0in) COM2 ATX Power Connector PARALLEL PORT COM1 DDR DIMM3 (64/72 bit, 184-pin module) Socket 462 T: USB0 B: USB1 DDR DIMM2 (64/72 bit, 184-pin module) USB1.
2.3 Before you proceed Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings. 1. Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any component. 2. Use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded object or to a metal object, such as the power supply case, before handling components to avoid damaging them due to static electricity. 3. Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them. 4.
2.4 Central Processing Unit (CPU) 2.4.1 Overview The motherboard provides a Socket A (462) for CPU installation. AMD processors offer gigahertz speeds to support all the latest computing platforms and applications. The A7V8X supports AthlonTM XP/AthlonTM and DuronTM processors. CPU NOTCH TO INNER CORNER AMD™ CPU ® A7V8X CPU NOTCH LEVER LOCK A7V8X Socket A Each AMD CPU has a “marked” corner. This corner is indicated with a notch, and/or a golden square or triangle.
2.4.2 Installing the CPU Follow these steps to install a CPU: 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. Insert the CPU with the correct orientation. The notched or golden corner of the CPU must be oriented toward the inner corner of the socket base nearest to the lever hinge. The CPU should drop easily into place.
2.5 System memory 2.5.1 Overview The motherboard comes with three Double Data Rate (DDR) Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) sockets. These sockets support up to 3GB system memory using 184-pin unbuffered non-ECC PC3200/PC2700/ 2100/1600 DIMMs. (Note: DDR400 supports one (1) socket only. DDR333 supports two (2) sockets only.) 104 Pins ® 80 Pins A7V8X A7V8X 184-Pin DDR DIMM Sockets A DDR DIMM is keyed with a notch so that it fits in only one direction.
2.5.2 Memory configurations You may install any DDR DIMMs with 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, and 1GB densities into the DIMM sockets. Use only the following combinations to install DDR DIMMs. Otherwise, the system may not boot up. * DDR DIMM1 (Rows 0&1) DDR DIMM2 (Rows 2&3) DDR DIMM3 (Rows 4&5) SS/DS SS/DS SS/DS SS/DS SS/DS SS/DS SS - Single-sided DIMM DS - Double-sided DIMM 2.5.
2.5.3 Installing a DIMM Make sure to unplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs or other system components. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to both the motherboard and the components. Follow these steps to install a DIMM. 1. Unlock a DIMM socket by pressing the retaining clips outward. 2. Align a DIMM on the socket such that the notch on the DIMM matches the break on the socket. Unlocked Retaining Clip 3.
2.5.4 Removing a DIMM Follow these steps to remove a DIMM. 1. Simultaneously press the retaining clips outward to unlock the DIMM. Support the DIMM lightly with your fingers when pressing the retaining clips. The DIMM might get damaged when it flips out with extra force. 2. Remove the DIMM from the socket.
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2.6 Expansion slots In the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The motherboard has six PCI slots and one Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slot. The following sub-sections describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support. Make sure to unplug the power cord before adding or removing expansion cards. Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components. 2.6.1 Installing an expansion card Follow these steps to install an expansion card. 1.
Standard Interrupt Assignments IRQ 0 1 2 3* 4* 5* 6 7* 8 9* 10* 11* 12* 13 14* 15* * Priority 1 2 N/A 11 12 13 14 15 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Standard Function System Timer Keyboard Controller Programmable Interrupt Communications Port (COM2) Communications Port (COM1) Sound Card (sometimes LPT2) Floppy Disk Controller Printer Port (LPT1) System CMOS/Real Time Clock ACPI Mode when used IRQ Holder for PCI Steering IRQ Holder for PCI Steering PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port Numeric Data Processor Primary IDE Channel Se
2.6.3 PCI slots There are six 32-bit PCI slots in this motherboard. The slots support PCI cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other cards that comply with PCI specifications. The following figure shows a LAN card installed on a PCI slot. The blue PCI slot is a standard PCI slot and also an optional ASUS proprietary wireless slot. 2.6.4 AGP slot This motherboard has an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slot that supports +1.5V AGP cards.
2.7 Switches and jumpers 1. Keyboard power (3-pin KBPWR1) This jumper allows you to enable or disable the keyboard wake-up feature. Set this jumper to pins 2-3 (+5VSB) if you wish to wake up the computer when you press a key on the keyboard (the default is the Space Bar). This feature requires an ATX power supply that can supply at least 1A on the +5VSB lead, and a corresponding setting in the BIOS (see section 4.5.1 Power Up Control).
3. USB device wake-up (3-pin USBPWR_12, USBPWR_34, USBPWR_56) Set these jumpers to +5V to wake up the computer from S1 sleep mode (CPU stopped, DRAM refreshed, system running in low power mode) using the connected USB devices. Set to +5VSB to wake up from S3 sleep mode (no power to CPU, DRAM in slow refresh, power supply in reduced power mode). Both jumpers are set to pins 1-2 (+5V) by default because not all computers have the appropriate power supply to support this feature.
4. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC1) These jumpers allow you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in CMOS. You can clear the CMOS memory of date, time, and system setup parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data. The RAM data in CMOS is powered by the onboard button cell battery. To erase the RTC RAM: 1. Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord. 2. Remove the battery. 3. Short the jumper by replacing the jumper cap and removing it after 3 seconds. 4. Re-install the battery. 5.
6. WPCI_USB Setting (6-pin WPCI_USB1) This jumper connects one set of USB signal to PCI slot 6 to support ASUS wireless card. Since USB signals are used by some reserved pins of PCI slot and to ensure the compatibility of the other PCI cards, it should be kept at default setting except when ASUS wireless card is used.
2.8 Connectors This section describes and illustrates the internal connectors on the motherboard. Always connect ribbon cables with the red stripe to Pin 1 on the connectors. Pin 1 is usually on the side closest to the power connector on hard drives and CD-ROM drives, but may be on the opposite side on floppy disk drives. 1. Hard disk activity LED (2-pin IDE_LED1) This connector supplies power to the hard disk activity LED.
3. IDE connectors (40-1 pin IDE1, IDE2) This connector supports the provided UltraDMA/133/100/66 IDE hard disk ribbon cable. Connect the cable’s blue connector to the primary (recommended) or secondary IDE connector, then connect the gray connector to the UltraDMA/133/100/66 slave device (hard disk drive) and the black connector to the UltraDMA/133/100/66 master device. It is recommended that you connect non-UltraDMA/133/100/66 devices to the secondary IDE connector.
® A7V8X PRI_RAID1 4. RAID ATA/133/100/66/33 connector (40-1 pin PRI_RAID) This connector supports either RAID 0 or RAID 1 configuration through the onboard Serial ATA controller chip. You can use the RAID feature to set up a disk array configuration and to support additional IDE devices. You can install a hard disk (master mode only) with this connector. NOTE: Orient the red markings (usually zigzag) on the IDE ribbon cable to PIN 1.
5. Chassis intrusion connector (4-1 pin CHASSIS1) This lead is for a chassis designed with intrusion detection feature. This requires an external detection mechanism such as a chassis intrusion sensor or microswitch. When you remove any chassis component, the sensor triggers and sends a high-level signal to this lead to record a chassis intrusion event. By default, the pins labeled “Chassis Signal” and “Ground” are shorted with a jumper cap.
7. ATX power connectors (20-pin ATXPWR1) These connectors connect to an ATX 12V power supply. The plugs from the power supply are designed to fit these connectors in only one orientation. Find the proper orientation and push down firmly until the connectors completely fit. Make sure that your ATX 12V power supply can provide 8A on the +12V lead and at least 1A on the +5-volt standby lead (+5VSB). The minimum recommended wattage is 230W, or 300W for a fully configured system.
9. CPU, Chassis, and Power Fan Connectors (3-pin CPU_FAN1, PWR_FAN1, CHA_FAN1) The fan connectors support cooling fans of 350mA~740mA (8.88W max.) or a total of 1A~2.22A (26.64W max.) at +12V. Connect the fan cables to the fan connectors on the motherboard, making sure that the black wire of each cable matches the ground pin of the connector. Do not forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors. Lack of sufficient air flow within the system may damage the motherboard components.
USB+5V LDM5 LDP5 GND NC 11. USB header (10-1 pin USB_56) If the USB ports on the rear panel are inadequate, a USB header is available for additional USB ports. The USB header complies with USB 2.0 specification that supports up to 480 Mbps connection speed. This speed advantage over the conventional 12 Mbps on USB 1.1 allows faster Internet connection, interactive gaming, and simultaneous running of high-speed peripherals. If your package came with a USB 2.
+5V J1B2 J1CY GND GND J1CX J1B1 +5V 12. GAME/MIDI connector (16-1 pin GAME1) (on Audio model only) This connector supports a GAME/MIDI module. If your package came with the optional USB 2.0/GAME module, connect the GAME/MIDI cable to this connector. The GAME/MIDI port on the module connects a joystick or a game pad for playing games, and MIDI devices for playing or editing audio files. A7V8X GAM1 MIDI_IN J2B2 J2CY MIDI_OUT J2CX J2B1 +5V ® A7V8X Game Connector 13.
A7V8X +12V Ground TPBTPB+ TPATPA+ Ground Ground ® +12V Ground TPBTPB+ TPATPA+ Ground Ground 14. IEEE 1394 connector (8-1 pin IEEE1394_1, IEEE1394_2) (on 1394 model only) This connector accommodates two IEEE 1394 ports using a bundled IEEE 1394 port bracket. Connect the bracket cable to this connector then install the bracket into a slot opening at the back of the system chassis.
16. Digital audio connector (6-1 pin SPDIF1) (on audio models only) This connector supports an S/PDIF audio module that allows digital instead of analog sound output. Connect one end of the audio cable to the S/PDIF In/Out connector on the motherboard, and the other end to the S/PDIF module. SPDIF1 ® SPDIF_IN +5V GND SPDIF_OUT GND A7V8X 1 A7V8X Digital Audio Connector The S/PDIF module is not included in the motherboard package. 17.
GND RSATA_TXP2 RSATA_TXN2 GND RSATA_RXP2 RSATA_RXN2 GND ® A7V8X A7V8X SATA Connectors GND RSATA_TXP1 RSATA_TXN1 GND RSATA_RXP1 RSATA_RXN1 GND 18. Serial ATA connector (7 pin PRI_SATA1, SEC_SATA1) (on SATA model only) These connectors accommodate the primary serial ATA (PRI_SATA1) and a secondary serial ATA (SEC_SATA1) cables. Connect the serial ATA cable to this connector then install to a serial ATA ready hard disk. SEC_SATA1 PRI_SATA1 19.
20. System panel connector (20-pin PANEL1) This connector accommodates several system front panel functions. ® Reset SW A7V8X SMI Lead A7V8X System Panel Connectors Reset Ground PLEDKeylock Ground ExtSMI# Ground PWR Ground PLED+ Power LED Speaker Connector +5V Ground Ground Speaker Keyboard Lock ATX Power Switch* * Requires an ATX power supply. • System Power LED Lead (3-1 pin PLED) This 3-1 pin connector connects to the system power LED.
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Chapter 3 This chapter describes the power up sequence and gives information on the BIOS beep codes.
Chapter summary 3.1 Starting up for the first time .......................... 3-1 3.2 Vocal POST Messages ................................... 3-2 3.3 Powering off the computer ...........................
3.1 Starting up for the first time 1. After making all the connections, replace the system case cover. 2. Be sure that all switches are off. 3. Connect the power cord to the power connector at the back of the system chassis. 4. Connect the power cord to a power outlet that is equipped with a surge protector. 5. Turn on the devices in the following order: a. Monitor b. External SCSI devices (starting with the last device on the chain) c.
3.2 Vocal POST Messages This motherboard includes the Winbond speech controller to support a special feature called the ASUS POST Reporter™. This feature gives you vocal POST messages and alerts to inform you of system events and boot status. In case of a boot failure, you will hear the specific cause of the problem. These POST messages are customizable using the Winbond Voice Editor software that came with your package. You can record your own messages to replace the default messages.
POST Message Action No keyboard detected • Check your keyboard if properly connected to the purple PS/2 connector on the rear panel. • See section “1.4.1 Major components” for the location of the connector. No floppy disk detected • Make sure you have connected a floppy disk to the floppy disk connector on the motherboard. • See section “2.8 Connectors.” No IDE hard disk detected • Make sure you have connected an IDE hard disk drive to the one of the IDE connectors on the motherboard.
3.3 Powering off the computer You must first exit the operating system and shut down the system before switching off the power. For ATX power supplies, you can press the ATX power switch after exiting or shutting down the operating system. If you use Windows 95/98/2000/XP, click the Start button, click Shut Down, then click the OK button to shut down the computer. The power supply should turn off after Windows shuts down.
Chapter 4 This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.
Chapter summary 4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS .............. 4-1 4.2 BIOS Setup program ...................................... 4-7 4.3 Main Menu .................................................... 4-10 4.4 Advanced Menu ........................................... 4-17 4.5 Power Menu .................................................. 4-27 4.6 Boot Menu .................................................... 4-33 4.7 Exit Menu ......................................................
4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS It is recommended that you save a copy of the motherboard’s original BIOS to a bootable floppy disk in case you need to reinstall the original BIOS later. 4.1.1 Using ASUS EZ Flash to update the BIOS The ASUS EZ Flash feature allows you to easily update the BIOS without having to go through the long process of booting from a diskette and using a DOS-based utility.
5. At the prompt, “Please Enter File Name for NEW BIOS: _”, type in the BIOS file name that you downloaded from the ASUS website, then press . EZ Flash will automatically access drive A to look for the file name that you typed. When found, the following message appears on screen. [BIOS Information in File] BIOS Version: A7V8X Boot Block WARNING! Continue to update the BIOS (Y/N)? _ If you accidentally typed in a wrong BIOS file name, the error message, “WARNING! File not found.” appears.
4.1.2 Using AFLASH to update the BIOS Creating a bootable disk 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. To determine the BIOS version of your motherboard, check the last four numbers of the code displayed on the upper left-hand corner of your screen during bootup. Larger numbers represent a newer BIOS file. 1.
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, then press .
Updating the BIOS Update the BIOS only if you have problems with the motherboard and you are sure that the new BIOS revision will solve your problems. Careless updating may result to more problems with the motherboard! 1. Download an updated ASUS BIOS file from the Internet (WWW or FTP) (see ASUS CONTACT INFORMATION on page x for details) and save to the boot floppy disk you created earlier. 2. Boot from the floppy disk. 3. At the “A:\” prompt, type AFLASH and then press . 4.
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 possibility of boot problems in case of update failures. When the programming is done, the message “Flashed Successfully” appears. 8. Follow the onscreen instructions to continue. If you encounter problems while updating the new BIOS, DO NOT turn off the system because this may cause boot problems.
4.2 BIOS Setup program This motherboard supports a programmable Flash ROM that you can update using the provided utility described in section “4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS.” Use the BIOS Setup program when you are installing a motherboard, reconfiguring your system, or prompted to “Run Setup”. This section explains how to configure your system using this utility. Even if you are not prompted to use the Setup program, you may want to change the configuration of your computer in the future.
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 to exit the Setup program.
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 and 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.
4.3 Main Menu When you enter the Setup program, the following screen appears. 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. System Date [XX/XX/XXXX] Sets the system to the date that you specify (usually the current date).
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]. This password allows full access to the BIOS Setup menus.
4.3.1 Primary and Secondary Master/Slave 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.
[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. After entering the IDE hard disk drive information into BIOS, use a disk utility, such as FDISK, to partition and format new IDE hard disk drives. This is necessary so that you can write or read data from the hard disk. Make sure to set the partition of the Primary IDE hard disk drives to active.
Translation Method [LBA] Select the hard disk drive type in this field. When Logical Block Addressing (LBA) is enabled, the 28-bit addressing of the hard drive is used without regard for cylinders, heads, or sectors. Note that LBA Mode is necessary for drives with more than 504MB storage capacity. Configuration options: [LBA] [LARGE] [Normal] [Match Partition Table] [Manual] Cylinders This field configures the number of cylinders. Refer to the drive documentation to determine the correct value.
Multi-Sector Transfers [Maximum] This option automatically sets the number of sectors per block to the highest number that the drive supports. Note that when this field is automatically configured, the set value may not always be the fastest value for the drive. You may also manually configure this field. Refer to the documentation that came with the hard drive to determine the optimum value and set it manually. To make changes to this field, set the Type field to [User Type HDD].
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] 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.
4.4 Advanced Menu CPU Speed [Manual] When the motherboard is set to JumperFree™ mode, this field allows you to select the internal frequency of the CPU. Select [Manual] if you want to make changes to the two subsequent fields. Note that selecting a frequency higher than the CPU manufacturer recommends may cause the system to hang or crash.
Memory Frequency (Mhz) [Auto] This field allows you to select a higher memory frequency for better system performance. The options that appear in the popup menu vary according to the CPU Frequency (MHz). Configuration options: [Auto] [200] [266] [333] [400] CPU VCore Setting [Auto] The [Manual] setting allows you to manually select the core voltage supplied to the CPU (see next item).
USB Legacy Support [Auto] This motherboard supports Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices. The default of [Auto] allows the system to detect a USB device at startup. If detected, the USB controller legacy mode is enabled. If not detected, the USB controller legacy mode is disabled. When you set this field to [Disabled], the USB controller legacy mode is disabled whether or not you are using a USB device.
4.4.1 Chip Configuration SDRAM Configuration [By SPD] This parameter allows you to set the optimal timings for items 2–5, depending on the memory modules that you are using. The default setting is [By SPD], which configures items 2–5 by reading the contents in the SPD (Serial Presence Detect) device. The EEPROM on the memory module stores critical information about the module, such as memory type, size, speed, voltage interface, and module banks.
SDRAM Active Precharge Delay (value depends on SDRAM SPD) This item controls the number of DDR SDRAM clocks used for DDR SDRAM parameters. Configuration options: [5T] [6T] [7T] [8T] SDRAM 1T Command Control Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] [Auto] SDRAM Bank Interleave Configuration options: [Disabled] [2 Bank] [4 Bank] [Auto] Graphics Aperture Size [64MB] This feature allows you to select the size of mapped memory for AGP graphic data.
Video Memory Cache Mode [UC] USWC (uncacheable, speculative write combining) is a new cache technology for the video memory of the processor. It can greatly improve the display speed by caching the display data. You must set this to UC (uncacheable) if your display card does not support this feature, otherwise the system may not boot. Configuration options: [UC] [USWC] Memory Hole At 15M-16M [Disabled] This field allows you to reserve an address space for ISA expansion cards.
4.4.2 I/O Device Configuration Onboard FDC Swap A & B These fields set option to switch drive letter assignments. Configuration Options: [No Swap] [Swap AB] Floppy Disk Access Control [R/W] When set to [Read Only], this parameter protects files from being copied to floppy disks by allowing reads from, but not writes to, the floppy disk drive. The default setting [R/W] allows both reads and writes.
Onboard Parallel Port [378H/IRQ7] This field allows you to set the address of the onboard parallel port connector. If you disable this field, the Parallel Port Mode and ECP DMA Select configurations are not available. Configuration options: [Disabled] [378H/IRQ7] [278H/IRQ5] Parallel Port Mode [ECP+EPP] This field allows you to set the operation mode of the parallel port.
4.4.3 PCI Configuration Slot 1/5, Slot 2, Slot 3, Slot 4, Slot 6 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] PCI/VGA Palette Snoop [Disabled] Some non-standard VGA cards, like graphics accelerators or MPEG video cards, may not show colors properly.
Onboard LAN Boot ROM This field allows you to enable or disable the onboard LAN Boot ROM. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Onboard ATA device First [No] This field allows you to select the onboard ATA first. Configuration options: [No] [Yes] 4.4.3.1 PCI IRQ Resource Exclusion IRQ XX Reserved [No/ICU] These fields indicate whether or not the displayed IRQ for each field is being used by a legacy (non-PnP) ISA card.
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. Power Management [User Defined] This field allows you to activate or deactivate the automatic power saving features. When set to [Disabled], the power management features do not function regardless of the other settings on this menu.
Video Off Method [DPMS OFF] This field defines the video off features. The Display Power Management System (DPMS) feature allows the BIOS to control the video display card if it supports the DPMS feature. [Blank Screen] only blanks the screen. Use this for monitors without power management or “green” features. Even if installed, your screen saver does not display when you select [Blank Screen] for the above field. [V/H SYNC+Blank] blanks the screen and turns off vertical and horizontal scanning.
4.5.1 Power Up Control AC PWR Loss Restart [Disabled] This allows you to set whether or not to reboot the system after power interruptions. [Disabled] leaves your system off while [Enabled] reboots the system. [Previous State] sets the system back to the state it was before the power interruption. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] [Previous State] Wake/Power Up On Ext.
Wake/Power Up By PS/2 Keyboard [Space Bar] This parameter allows you to use specific keys on the keyboard to turn on the system. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Space Bar] [Ctrl-Esc] [Power Key] Wake/Power Up By PS/2 Mouse [Disabled] When set to [Enabled], this parameter allows you to use the PS/2 mouse to turn on the system. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead.
4.5.2 Hardware Monitor MB Temperature [xxxC/xxxF] CPU Temperature [xxxC/xxxF] POWER Temperature [N/A] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the motherboard and CPU temperatures. If your power supply comes with a two-pin thermal sensor cable, connect this cable to the TRPWR connector on the motherboard to allow BIOS to auto-detect the power supply temperature (see page 2-29 for the location of the TRPWR connector).
VCORE Voltage, +3.3V Voltage, +5V Voltage, +12V Voltage The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the voltage output through the onboard voltage regulators. Q-Fan Control [Disabled] This item allows you to enable or disable the ASUS Q-Fan feature that smartly adjusts the fan speeds for more efficient system operation.
4.6 Boot Menu Boot Sequence 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. Configuration fields include Removable Devices, IDE Hard Drive, ATAPI CD-ROM, and Other Boot Device.
Plug & Play O/S [No] This field allows you to use a Plug-and-Play (PnP) operating system to configure the PCI bus slots instead of using the BIOS. When [Yes] is selected, interrupts may be reassigned by the OS. If you installed a nonPnP OS or if you want to prevent reassigning of interrupt settings, keep the default setting [No]. Configuration options: [No] [Yes] Reset Configuration Data [No] The Extended System Configuration Data (ESCD) contain information about non-PnP devices.
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. Pressing does not immediately exit this menu. Select one of the options from this menu or from the legend bar to exit. Exit Saving Changes Once you are finished making your selections, choose this option from the Exit menu to ensure the values you selected are saved to the CMOS RAM.
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. After selecting this option, a confirmation appears.
Chapter 5 This chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes with the motherboard package.
Chapter summary 5.1 Install an operating system ........................... 5-1 5.2 Support CD information ................................ 5-1 5.3 Software information .....................................
5.1 Install an operating system This motherboard supports Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP and OS/2 operating system (OS). Always install the latest OS version and corresponding updates so you can maximize the features of your hardware. Because motherboard settings and hardware options vary, use the setup procedures presented in this chapter for general reference only. Refer to your OS documentation for more information. 5.
If the welcome screen did not appear automatically, locate and doubleclick on the file ASSETUP.EXE from the BIN folder in the support CD to display the menus. 5.2.2 Main menu From the welcome screen, the program takes you directly to the main menu. The main menu displays an image of the motherboard, and the buttons and icons that link you to the software, drivers, utilities, and other information contained in the support CD.
5.2.3 Drivers menu The drivers menu shows the available device drivers if the system detects installed devices. Install the necessary drivers to activate the devices. VIA 4 in 1 drivers This item installs the following drivers: - VIA Registry (INF) driver - VIA AGP VxD driver - VIA ATAPI vendor support driver - VIA PCI IRQ Miniport driver. VIA AGP Device This item installs AGP 8X device driver.
5.2.4 Software menu The software menu shows the applications and other software that the motherboard supports. Simply click on a specific item then follow the installation wizard to install it. ASUS PC Probe This smart utility monitors the fan speed, CPU temperature, and system voltages, and alerts you on any detected problems. This utility helps you keep your computer at a healthy operating condition. ASUS Update This program allows you to download the latest version of the BIOS from the ASUS website.
Winbond Voice Editor This program is for recording and customizing wave files for the ASUS POST Reporter™. Use this program if you wish to change the default vocal POST messages. See section “3.2 Vocal POST messages” for a list of the default messages. E-Color 3Deep This item installs the 3Deep software. 3Deep is the first application that gives online gamers the competitive edge in multi-player skirmishes. This application removes dark washed-out graphics to deliver true vibrant colors. 5.2.
5.2.6 Other information The icons on the left side of the screen give additional information on the motherboard and the contents of the support CD. This section shows the pop-up windows that appear when you click the icons. Motherboard Info The window displays the general specifications of the A7V8X motherboard. Browse this CD The window displays the support CD contents in graphical format.
Technical Support Form The window displays the ASUS Technical Support Request Form that you have to fill up when requesting technical support. Filelist The window displays the contents of the support CD and a brief description of each in text format.
5.3 Software information Most of the applications in the support CD have wizards that will conveniently guide you through the installation. View the online help or readme file that came with the software for more information. This section provides details on the software applications that the motherboard supports. 5.3.1 ASUS Update The ASUS Update is a utility that allows you to update the motherboard BIOS and drivers.
4. From the FTP site, select the BIOS version that you wish to download. Click Next. 5. Follow the instructions on the succeeding screens to complete the update process. If you selected the option to update the BIOS from a file, a window pops up prompting you to locate the file. Select the file, click Save, then follow the screen instructions to complete the update process. 5.3.2 ASUS MyLogo2™ The ASUS MyLogo2™ is automatically installed when you install the ASUS Update utility from the software menu.
4. From the selection that appears, choose a logo image. Click Next. If you wish, you may create your own boot logo image in GIF, JPG, or BMP file formats. 5. When you click on an image, it displays larger on the MyLogo2 screen. MyLogo2 may not support too complex images. Try using a simpler image if you encounter any problems. 6. The next screen prompts you to flash the original BIOS to update it with the new boot logo. Click Flash to update the BIOS. 7.
5.3.3 ASUS PC Probe The 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.
Using ASUS PC Probe Monitoring Monitor Summary Shows a summary of the items being monitored. Temperature Monitor Shows the PC temperature (for supported processors only). 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 fan rotation.
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 monitoring activity of a certain component of your PC for future reference. Fan Control Lets you enable/disable Smart Fan Control.
Information Memory Shows the PC memory load, memory usage, and paging file usage. Device Summary Shows a summary of devices present 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. NOTE: This feature is currently unavailable.
ASUS PC Probe Task Bar Icon Right clicking the PC Probe icon brings 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 change to red, the PC speaker beeps, and the ASUS PC Probe monitor appears.
5.3.4 E-Color 3Deep The 3Deep color tuner is designed to match your CRT or LCD color monitor and maximize the color quality of all graphical applications. You may also tune your internet applications to match “true” internet source colors with the color displayed on the monitor. 3Deep Control Panel Using the Windows Start button, activate the 3Deep Control Panel program from the 3Deep Applications group on the Main Program menu.
3Deep Color Tuning 1. Select the type of monitor connected to the computer, either CRT or LCD. 2. Follow the instructions to manually adjust the brightness level of the monitor. 3. Select the faintest of the three colors: blue, red, and green. 4. Select the color squares that most closely blend and match with the background.
5. The next step repeats the color matching process to achieve full color quality. 6. When a message appears indicating that the tuning process is complete, click Finish. 7. Click on the Set Up Now button to connect to the Internet. Follow the screen instructions to set up True Internet Color.
5.3.5 Winbond Voice Editor The Winbond Voice Editor software allows you to customize the vocal POST messages. Install the software from the software menu in the support CD. See section “5.2.3 Software menu”. To avoid conflicts, do not run the Winbond Voice Editor while running the ASUS PC Probe. Follow these steps to use the Winbond Voice Editor.
Changing the default language 1. Click on the Load button. a window showing the available languages appears. 2. Select your desired language then click Open. The event messages for the language you selected appear on the Voice Editor screen. For some languages, not all events have a corresponding message due to file size constraints. 3. Click on the Write button to update the EEPROM. 4. Click Yes on the confirmation window that appears.
Customizing your POST messages If your language is not in the selection or if you wish to record your own POST messages to replace the pre-installed wave files, you may easily do so. Follow these steps to customize your POST messages. 1. Launch the Voice Editor and take note of the list of POST events on the leftmost column of the screen. 2. Prepare your message for each event. The total compressed size for all the wave files must not exceed 1Mbit, so make your messages as short as possible. 3.
7. Click a POST event on the Voice Editor screen, then on the Edit button. The Event Sound Editor window appears. 8. Locate and select your wave file for the event then click on the arrow opposite Voice1. The file you selected appears on the space next to it. 9. Click OK to return to the Voice Editor screen. 10. Do steps 7 to 9 for the other events. 11. When done, click the Save button. A window appears prompting you to save your configuration. 12. Type a file name with a .flh extension, then click Save.
5.3.6 Multi-Channel Audio Feature The C-Media PCI Audio Driver and Applications are included in the Support CD that came with your motherboard package. Install these programs to enable the multi-channel audio feature. You must use 4 or 6 channel speakers for this setup. Setting the C-Media Audio Mixer 1. Install the C-Media 6-channel PCI audio driver from the support CD. 2. After installation, the C-Media Mixer icon appears on the bottom right of the screen. Mixer Icon 3.
Running the C-Media Audio Demo Program The C-Media audio demo program allows you to test and fine tune your speaker system. To launch the the multi-channel audio demo program, click on Start from your desktop, then select PCI Audio Applications/ Multi-Channel Audio Demo. From the demo program interface, click on Help to display the instructions and hardware diagrams for configuring and testing your speaker system.
Index This part contains an alphabetical list of the topics found in this document.
ASUS A7V8X motherboard
A installation 2-5 Accelerated Graphics Port 1-2, 2-13 Level 1/Level 2 Cache 4-18 Acrobat Reader 5-4 Speed 4-17 ASUS ASIC 1-8 CPU socket 1-8, 2-4 ASUS EZ Flash 4-1 Chip Configuration 4-20 ASUS iPanel 2-25 Clear RTC RAM 2-16 ASUS Multi-Language BIOS 1-3 Connectors ASUS MyLogo2™ 1-3, 5-9 ASUS iPanel 2-26 ASUS PC Probe 5-11 ATX power 1-6, 2-22 ASUS POST Reporter 1-3, 3-2, 5-21 chassis alarm 2-21 ASUS Q-Fan 1-3, 4-32 fan 2-23 ASUS Update 5-8 floppy disk 1-6, 2-29 ATAPI CD-ROM 4-33 front panel audio 2-27 Automa
keyboard power 2-14 Line Out selector 2-16 Speaker selector 2-16 USB device wake-up 2-15 VCORE over-voltage 2-14 E Expansion card installation 2-11 configuration 2-11 Expansion slots 1-9, 2-11 AGP 1-9, 2-13 PCI 1-9, 2-13 F Flash ROM 1-9 Floppy 3 Mode 4-10 Floppy disk access control 4-23 G GigaBit LAN 1-9 H Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) CHS Capacity 4-14 Cylinders 4-14 Heads 4-14 Maximum LBA Capacity 4-14 Primary/Secondary Master 4-12 Primary/Secondary Slave 4-12 Sector 4-14 Types 4-12 Hardware Monitor 4-31 He
PCI Latency Timer 4-25 PCI/VGA Palette Snoop 4-25 PIO Mode 4-15 Power Management 4-27 Power On Self Test 3-2 PS/2 Keyboard Port 1-10 PS/2 Mouse Port 1-10 PS/2 Mouse Function Control 4-18 R Suspend Mode 4-28 System Controller North Bridge 1-8 South Bridge 1-8 System Date 4-10 System memory configurations 2-11 System Time 4-10 U RAID IDE 1-9 RTC RAM clearing 2-16 UART2 4-23 Ultra DMA Mode 4-15 USB Legacy Support 4-19 USB ports 1-10 S V SDRAM 1T Command Control 4-21 Bank Interleave 4-21 Active Precharg
I-4 Index
