Mainboard User’s Manual

This publication, including photographs, illustrations and software,

is under the protection of international copyright laws, with all
rights reserved. Neither this manual, nor any of the material
contained herein, may be reproduced without the express written
consent of the manufacturer.
The information in this document is subject to change without
notice. The manufacturer makes no representations or warranties
with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any
implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular
purpose. Further, the manufacturer reserves the right to revise this
publication and to make changes from time to time in the content
hereof without obligation of the manufacturer to notify any person
of such revision or changes.

Trademarks
IBM, VGA, and PS/2 are registered trademarks of International
Business Machines.
Intel, Pentium, Pentium-II, Pentium-III, Pentium 4, MMX,
Celeron and Tualatin are registered trademarks of Intel
Corporation.
Microsoft, MS-DOS and Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP are
registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
PC-cillin is a trademark of Trend Micro Inc.
AMI is a trademark of American Megatrends Inc.
MediaRing Talk is a registered trademark of MediaRing Inc.
3Deep is a registered trademark of E-Color Inc.
It has been acknowledged that all mentioned brands or product
names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
holders.

Copyright © 2003
All Rights Reserved
M925 Series, V5.0A
P4M266A/January 2003
Mainboard User’s Manual

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 Mainboard User’s Manual

Notice:
1. Owing to Microsoft’s certifying schedule is various to every
supplier, we might have some drivers not certified yet by
Microsoft. Therefore, it might happen under Windows XP that a
dialogue box (shown as below) pop out warning you this
software has not passed Windows Logo testing to verify its
compatibility with Windows XP. Please rest assured that our RD

department has already tested and verified these drivers. Just

click the “Continue Anyway” button and go ahead the
installation.

2. USB 2.0 Driver Limitations:

2-1 The USB 2.0 driver only supports Windows XP and
Windows 2000.
2-2 If you connect a USB 2.0 hub to the root hub, plugging USB
devices into this hub, the system might not successfully
execute certain USB devices’ connection because it could
not recognize these devices.

Currently, we are working on such limitations’ solution. As soon

as the solution is done, the updated USB drive will be released to
our website: www.pcchips.com.tw for your downloading.

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Mainboard User’s Manual

Table of Contents
Trademarks..............................................................................I
Chapter 1........................................................................................1
Introduction........................................................................1
Key Features...........................................................................2
Package Contents....................................................................7
Static Electricity Precautions..................................................8
Pre-Installation Inspection......................................................8
Chapter 2.....................................................................................10
Mainboard Installation.....................................................10
Mainboard Components........................................................11
I/O Ports ...............................................................................12
Installing the Processor.........................................................13
Installing Memory Modules..................................................14
Jumper Settings....................................................................16
The Panel Connector.............................................................18
Other Devices Installation.....................................................20
Expansion Slots Installation .................................................21
Connecting Optional Devices...............................................22
Chapter 3......................................................................................26
BIOS Setup Utility...........................................................26
Introduction..........................................................................26
Running the Setup Utility.....................................................27
Standard CMOS Setup Page.................................................28
Advanced Setup Page...........................................................30
Power Management Setup Page............................................33
PCI / Plug and Play Setup Page............................................35
Load Optimal Settings..........................................................36
Load Best Performance Settings...........................................36
CPU PnP Setup Page............................................................39
Hardware Monitor Page........................................................40
Change Password
If you highlight this item and press Enter, a dialog box
appears that you can enter a Supervisor password. You can
enter no more than six letters or numbers. Press Enter after
you have typed in the password. There will be the second
dialog box asking you to retype the password for
confirmation. Press Enter after you have retyped it correctly.
Then, the password is required for the access to the Setup

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 Mainboard User’s Manual

Utility or for it at start-up, depending on the setting of the

Password Check item in Advanced Setup.

..............................................................................................40
Exit
Highlight this item and press Enter to save the changes that
you have made in the Setup Utility configuration and exit the
program. When the Save and Exit dialog box appears, press Y
to save and exit, or press N to exit without saving................41
Chapter 4......................................................................................39
Software & Applications..................................................39
Introduction..........................................................................39
Installing Support Software..................................................40
Bundled Software Installation ..............................................42

V
 1: Introduction

Chapter 1
Introduction

This mainboard has a Socket 478 for the Intel Pentium 4 type of
processors supporting front side bus (FSB) speeds up to 400/533
MHz.

This mainboard has the VIA P4M266/A Northbridge and VT8235

Southbridge chipsets that support AC 97 audio codec, and provide
Ultra DMA 33/66/100/133 function. It supports built-in USB 2.0
providing higher bandwidth. It implements Universal Serial Bus
Specification Revision 2.0 and is compliant with UHCI 1.1 and
EHCI 0.95. This mainboard has two 32-bit PCI slots, one 4xAGP
slot, one CNR (Communications and Networking Riser) slot, and
an onboard 10BaseT/100BaseTX Network interface (optional). In
addition, this mainboard has a full set of I/O ports including two
PS/2 ports for mouse and keyboard, one serial port, one VGA port,
one parallel port and six USB ports (USB2.0)– four back-panel
ports and onboard USB header USB2 providing two extra ports by
connecting the Extended USB Module to the mainboard.

This mainboard is a Micro ATX size mainboard and has power

connectors for an ATX power supply.

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Mainboard User’s Manual

Key Features
This mainboard has these key features:

Socket 478 Processor

♦ The PGA Socket 478
♦ Accommodates Intel Pentium 4 CPUs
♦ Supports a front-side bus (FSB) of 400/533 MHz

Chipset
There are VIA P4M266/A Northbridge and VT8235 Southbridge
in this chipset in accordance with an innovative and scalable
architecture with proven reliability and performance. A few of the
chipset’s advanced features are:
♦ An advanced V-Link memory controller architecture that
provides the bandwidth up to 266 MB/s and performance
necessary for even the most demanding Internet and 3D
graphics
♦ Support for an 4xAGP interface providing vivid 3D
graphics and video performance
♦ An ATA 133 interface on the chipset, which helps boost
system performance by providing a high-speed connection
to ATA 133 Hard Disk Drives, delivering maximum
sustained data transfer rates of 133 MB/sec

Additional key features include support for six USB ports, an AC

97 link for audio and modem, hardware monitoring, and
ACPI/OnNow power management.

Memory Support
♦ The mainboard accommodates 2 DDR + 2 SDR 168 pin,
3.3V DIMM sockets with a total capacity of 2 GB system
memory.
♦ Supports DDR up to 333MHz memory bus

2
 1: Introduction

Built-in Graphics System

♦ P4M266/A integrates S3’s Savag4 graphics accelerator
into a single chip. P4M266/A brings mainstream graphics
performance to the Value PC with leading-edge 2D, 3D
and DVD video acceleration into a cost effective package.
Based on its capabilities, P4M266/A is an ideal solution
for the consumer, corporate mobile users and entry level
professionals.
♦ Maximum shared memory size is 32 MB.

VGA
♦ This mainboard includes a 4xAGP slot that provides four
times the bandwidth of the original AGP specification.
AGP technology provides a direct connection between the
graphics sub-system and memory so that the graphics do
not have to compete for processor time with other devices
on the PCI bus.

AC’97 Audio Codec

♦ Compliant with AC’97 2.1 specification
♦ 16-bit stereo full-duplex CODEC with fixed 48KHz
sampling rate
♦ 3 analog line-level stereo inputs with 5-bit volume control:
LINE-IN, CD-IN, AUX-IN
♦ 1 analog line-level mono input: PHONE-IN
♦ Three Audio Jacks – Line-Out, Line-In and Microphone-In
♦ Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro Compatible
♦ Digital I/O compatible with consumer mode S/PDIF
♦ Advanced power management support

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Mainboard User’s Manual

Expansion Options
The mainboard comes with the following expansion options:
♦ Two 32-bit PCI slots capable of Ultra DMA bus mastering
with transfer rates of 33/66/100/133 MB/sec
♦ An 4xAGP slot
♦ A CNR (Communications and Networking Riser) slot

Onboard I/O Ports

The mainboard has a full set of I/O ports and connectors:
♦ Two PS/2 ports for mouse and keyboard
♦ One serial port
♦ One VGA port
♦ One parallel port
♦ Six USB ports (four back-panel ports, onboard USB
header providing two extra ports)— USB2.0
♦ Audio jacks for microphone, line-in and line-out

BIOS Firmware
This mainboard uses AMI BIOS that enables users to configure
many system features including the following:
♦ Power management
♦ Wake-up alarms
♦ CPU parameters and memory timing
♦ CPU and memory timing
The firmware can also be used to set parameters for different
processor clock speeds.

USB 2.0
♦ Compliant with Universal Serial Bus Specification
Revision 2.0
♦ Compliant with Intel’s Enhanced Host Controller
Interface Specification Revision 0.95
♦ Compliant with Universal Host Controller Interface
Specification Revision 1.1

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 1: Introduction

♦ PCI multi-function device consists of two UHCI Host

Controller cores for full-/low-speed signaling and one
EHCI Host Controller core for high-speed signaling
♦ Root hub consists 4 downstream facing ports with
integrated physical layer transceivers shared by UHCI and
EHCI Host Controller
♦ Support PCI-Bus Power Management Interface
Specification release 1.1
♦ Legacy support for all downstream facing ports

Built-in Ethernet LAN

♦ 100Base-TX/10Base-T Physical Layer Solution
♦ Dual Speed – 100/10 Mbps
♦ MII Interface to Ethernet Controller/Configuration &
Status
♦ Auto Negotiation: 10/100, Full/Half Duplex
♦ Meet All Applicable IEEE802.3, 10Base-T and 100Base-
TX Standards

Bundled Software
♦ PC-Cillin 2002 provides automatic virus protection under
Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP
♦ MediaRing Talk provides PC to PC or PC to Phone
internet phone communication
♦ 3Deep delivers the precise imagery and displays accurate
color in your monitor
♦ PC DJ is a dual-MP3 player that enables users to actually
mix music right on their own personal computers.
♦ Adobe Acrobat Reader V5.0 is the software to help users
read .PDF files.

Dimensions
♦ Micro ATX form factor of 244 x 244 mm

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Mainboard User’s Manual

Note: Hardware specifications and software

items are subject to change without notification.

6
 1: Introduction

Package Contents
Attention: This mainboard serial has four models,
M925ALU(P4M266A, LAN, USB2.0) and M925AU(P4M266A,
USB2.0, without LAN), M925LU(P4M266, LAN, USB2.0) and
M925U(P4M266, USB2.0, without LAN). Please contact your
local supplier for more information about your purchased model.
Each model will support different specification listed as below:
Model Specification
M925ALU P4M266A Northbridge, support
FSB 533MHz, Onboard LAN PHY
chip (U15), USB + RJ-45 LAN
connector
M925AU P4M266A Northbridge, support
FSB 533MHz, USB connector only
M925LU P4M266 Northbridge, support FSB
400MHz, Onboard LAN PHY chip
(U15), USB + RJ-45 LAN
connector
M925U P4M266 Northbridge, support FSB
400MHz, USB connector only

Your mainboard package contains the following items:

 The mainboard
 The User’s Manual
 One diskette drive ribbon cable
 One IDE drive ribbon cable
 Software support CD

Optional Accessories
You can purchase the following optional accessories for this
mainboard.
 Extended USB module
 CNR v.90 56K Fax/Modem card

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Mainboard User’s Manual

Static Electricity Precautions

Static electricity could damage components on this mainboard.
Take the following precautions while unpacking this mainboard
and installing it in a system.
1. Don’t take this mainboard and components out of their original
static-proof package until you are ready to install them.
2. While installing, please wear a grounded wrist strap if
possible. If you don’t have a wrist strap, discharge static
electricity by touching the bare metal of the system chassis.
3. Carefully hold this mainboard by its edges. Do not touch those
components unless it is absolutely necessary. Put this
mainboard on the top of static-protection package with
component side facing up while installing.

Pre-Installation Inspection
1. Inspect this mainboard whether there are any damages to
components and connectors on the board.
2. If you suspect this mainboard has been damaged, do not
connect power to the system. Contact your mainboard vendor
about those damages.

8
1: Introduction

9
 2: Mainboard Installation

Chapter 2
Mainboard Installation
To install this mainboard in a system, please follow these
instructions in this chapter:

 Identify the mainboard components

 Install a CPU
 Install one or more system memory modules
 Make sure all jumpers and switches are set correctly
 Install this mainboard in a system chassis (case)
 Connect any extension brackets or cables to connecting
headers on the mainboard
 Install other devices and make the appropriate connections to
the mainboard connecting headers.

Note:
1. Before installing this mainboard, make sure jumper JBAT1 is
under Normal setting. See this chapter for information about
locating JBAT1 and the setting options.
2. Never connect power to the system during installation;
otherwise, it may damage the mainboard.

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 2: Mainboard Installation

Mainboard Components
Identify major components on the mainboard via this diagram
underneath.

Note: Those jumpers of mainboard not appearing in this

illustration are for testing only.

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Mainboard User’s Manual

I/O Ports
The illustration below shows a side view of the built-in I/O ports
on the mainboard.

PS/2 Mouse Use the upper PS/2 port to connect a PS/2

pointing device.
PS/2 Keyboard Use the lower PS/2 port to connect a PS/2
keyboard.
LPT1 Use LPT1 to connect printers or other
parallel communications devices.
COM1 Use the COM port to connect serial devices
such as mice or fax/modems. COM1 is
identified by the system as COM1.
VGA Use the VGA port to connect VGA devices.
LAN Port Connect an RJ-45 jack to the LAN port to
connect your computer to the Network.
USB Ports Use the USB ports to connect USB devices.
Audio Ports Use the three audio ports to connect audio
devices. The first jack is for stereo Line-In
signal. The second jack is for stereo Line-Out
signal. The third jack is for Microphone.

12
 2: Mainboard Installation

Installing the Processor

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

CPU Installation Procedure

Follow these instructions to install the CPU:
1. Unhook the CPU socket’s locking lever by pulling
it away from socket and raising it to the upright
position.
2. Match the pin 1 corner of CPU socket to the one of
processor, and insert the processor into the socket.
Do not use force.
3. Push the locking lever down and hook it under the
latch on the edge of socket.
4. Apply thermal grease to the top of the CPU.
5. Lower the CPU fan/heatsink unit onto the CPU and
CPU socket, and then use the retention module
clamps to snap the fan/heatsink into place.
6. Plug the CPU fan power cable into the CPU
cooling fan power supply (CPU_FAN) on the
mainboard.

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Mainboard User’s Manual

Installing Memory Modules

This mainboard accommodates two 168-pin 3.3V unbuffered
Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM) and
two 184-pin 2.5V unbuffered Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR
SDRAM) Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) sockets,
supporting 133 MHz SDRAM / 266 MHz DDR SDRAM.

The SDRAM DIMMs and DDRs can synchronously work with

100 MHz or operates over a 266 MHz system bus.

You must install at least one memory module in order to work out
this mainboard, either SDRAM or DDR SDRAM, but you can’t
use them simultaneously.

SDRAM provides 800 MB/s or 1 GB/s data transfer rate depending

on whether the bus is 100 MHz or 266 MHz. DDR SDRAM
doubles the rate to 1.0 GB/s and 2.1 GB/s by transferring data on
both the rising and falling edges of the clock. DDR SDRAM uses
additional power and ground lines and requires 184-pin 2.5V
unbuffered DIMM module.

DDR1

DDR2

DIMM1

DIMM2

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 2: Mainboard Installation

Installation Procedure
The mainboard accommodates two types of memory modules. You
must install at least one module in any of these sockets. You can
install each module up to 2GB system memory.
Refer to the following to install the memory modules.
1. Push the latches on each side of the DIMM socket
down.
2. Align the memory module with the socket. The
DIMM sockets are keyed with notches and the
DIMMs are keyed with cutouts so that they can
only be installed correctly.
3. Check that the cutouts on the DIMM module edge
connector match the notches in the DIMM socket.
4. Install the DIMM module into the socket and press
it firmly down until it is seated correctly. The
socket latches are levered upwards and latch on to
the edges of the DIMM.
5. Install any remaining DIMM modules.

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Mainboard User’s Manual

Jumper Settings

1
JP4
1
PANEL1

1 JP1A1
1 JP1B1 JP2
1
1

PANEL2 1
J16
1
JBAT1

JP1

JBAT1: Clear CMOS Jumper

This jumper is to clear the contents of CMOS memory. You may
need to clear the CMOS memory if the settings in the Setup Utility
are incorrect that prevents your mainboard from operating. To
clear the CMOS memory, disconnect all the power cables from the
mainboard and then move the jumper cap into the CLEAR setting
for a few seconds.
Function Jumper Setting
Normal Short Pins 1-2
Clear CMOS Short Pins 2-3

JP1A1, JP1B1: CPU Clock

This jumper enables to select CPU frequency.
CPU Clock JP1A1 JP1B1
100M Short Pins 1-2 Short Pins 2-3
133M Short Pins 1-2 Short Pins 1-2

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 2: Mainboard Installation

JP1: DRAM Voltage (VCC)

This jumper enables to select voltage of DRAM.
Function Jumper Setting
2.5V (DDR) Open Pins 1-2
3V (SDR) Short Pins 1-2

J2A/B/C/D, J3A/B/C/D: DDR/SDR DRAM Type Selector

This jumper enables to select the type of DDR or SDR
DRAM.
Function Jumper Setting
DDR1,DDR2 Short all J2A/B/C/D and J3A/B/C/D pins
DIMM1, DIMM2 Open all J2A/B/C/D and J3A/B/C/D pins

JP2: Keyboard Power On

This jumper enables any keyboard activity to power up a
system previously in a standby or sleep state.
Function Jumper Setting
5V Short Pins 1-2
5VSB Short Pins 2-3

J13: Flash ROM Voltage (VCC)

This jumper enables to select voltage of flash ROM.
Function Jumper Setting
5V Short Pins 1-2
3V Short Pins 2-3

JP4: Flash ROM Size

This jumper enables to select size of flash ROM.
Function Jumper Setting
2M Short Pins 1-2
4M Short Pins 2-3

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Mainboard User’s Manual

The Panel Connector

PANEL1
If there are a headphone jack or/and a microphone jack on the front
panel, connect the cables to the PANEL1 on the mainboard.

Device Pins 10 9
Line Out (L) 9, 10 Line Out(L) Line Out(L)
(Pin 10) (Pin 9)
Empty 8
Empty NC (Pin 7)
NC 7 (Pin 8)

Line Out (R) 5, 6 Line Out(R) Line Out(R)

(Pin 6) (Pin 5)
+5V Audio 4
+5V Audio VCC MIC
VCCMIC 3 (Pin 4) (Pin 3)

GND 2 GND MIC IN

(Pin 2) (Pin 1)
MIC IN 1 2 1

PANEL2
This panel connector provides a set of switch and LED connectors
found on ATX case. Refer to the table below for information.

Device Pins 10 9
Empty 10 Empty N/C
(Pin 10) (Pin 9)
N/C 9
Power 6, 8 Power Switch Reset Switch
ON/OFF (Pins 6, 8) (Pins 5, 7)

Reset Switch 5, 7
SPD-LED +2, 4
SPD-LED HDD LED
Indicator (Pins 2, 4) (Pins 1, 3)

HDD LED +1, -3 + +

2 1

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 2: Mainboard Installation

J16: LAN LED Indicator

This connector is attached to LAN device that needs a LED
indicator.

Device Pins
Link LED 1, +2
ACT LED +3, 4

1
LINK
+ LED

+
ACT
Note: The plus sign (+) indicates a pin which must be LED
connected to a positive voltage. 4

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Mainboard User’s Manual

Other Devices Installation

Floppy Diskette Drive Installation

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

IDE Devices
Your mainboard has a primary and secondary IDE channel
interface (IDE1 and IDE2). An IDE ribbon cable supporting two
IDE devices is bundled with the mainboard.

If you want to install more than two IDE devices, get a second IDE
cable and you can add two more devices to the secondary IDE
channel.

IDE devices have jumpers or switches to set the IDE device as

MASTER or SLAVE. When installing two IDE devices on one
cable, ensure that one device is set to MASTER and the other one
to SLAVE.

This mainboard supports Ultra DMA 66/100/133. UDMA is a

technology to accelerate devices’ performance in the IDE channel.
To maximize performance, install IDE devices that support UDMA
and use 80-pin IDE cables supporting UDMA 66/100/133.

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 2: Mainboard Installation

Expansion Slots Installation

This mainboard has one 4xAGP, one CNR and two 32-bit PCI
(Peripheral Components Interconnect) expansion slots.

4 x AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) Slot

You can install a graphics adapter supporting 4xAGP specification
in the AGP slot. This slot has one 4xAGP edge connector.

CNR (Communications Networking Riser) Slot

You can install a CNR (the Communications Networking Riser)
card in the CNR slot.

PCI (Peripheral Components Interconnect) Slot

You can install the 32-bit PCI interface expansion cards in the
slots.

CNR1

PCI

AGP1

1. Remove a blanking plate from the system case

corresponding to the slot you are going to use.
2. Install the edge connector of the expansion card
into the expansion slot. Ensure that the edge
connector is correctly seated in the slot.
3. Secure the metal bracket of the card to the system
case with a screw.

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 Mainboard User’s Manual

Connecting Optional Devices

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

1 CD2 CD1
SIR1

1 1

WOM1
WOL1

1
SPK1
1

USB2

J12 1

22
 2: Mainboard Installation

J12: Sleep Switch

This header is connected to the sleep button for suspending the
computer’s activity if pushing the button. Or, the computer is
automatically suspended after passing a period of time.
Pin Signal
1 -EXTSMI
2 GND

SPK1: Speaker Connector

Connect the cable from the PC speaker to the SPK1 header on the
mainboard.
Pin Signal Pin Signal
1 SPKR 2 NC
3 GND 4 +5V

USB2: Front panel USB header

The mainboard has USB ports installed on the rear edge I/O port
array. Some computer cases have a special module that mounts
USB ports at the front of the case. If you have this kind of case, use
auxiliary USB connectors USB2 to connect the front-mounted
ports to the mainboard.
Pin Signal Pin Signal
1 VERG_FP_USBPWR0 2 VERG_FP_USBPWR0
3 USB_FP_P0- 4 USB_FP_P1-
5 USB_FP_P0+ 6 USB_FP_P1+
7 GROUND 8 GROUND
9 KEY 10 USB_FP_OC0

WOL1/WOM1: Wake On LAN/Wake On Modem

If you have installed a LAN card, use the cable provided with the
card to plug into the mainboard WOL1 connector. This enables the
Wake On LAN (WOL1) feature. When your system is in a power-
saving mode, any LAN signal automatically resumes the system.
You must enable this item using the Power Management page of
the Setup Utility.

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Mainboard User’s Manual

If you have installed a modem, use the cable provided with the
modem to plug into the mainboard WOM1 connector. This enables
the Wake On Modem (WOM1) feature. When your system is in a
power-saving mode, any modem signal automatically resumes the
system. You must enable this item using the Power Management
page of the Setup Utility. See Chapter 3 for more information.
Pin Signal
1 5VSB
2 GND
3 -RING

CD1/2:CD-ROM/DVD Audio Input Connector

If you have installed a CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive, you
can connect the drive audio cable to the onboard sound system.
On the mainboard, locate the two 4-pin connectors CD1 and CD2.
There are two kinds of connector because different brands of CD-
ROM drive have different kinds of audio cable connectors.
Connect the cable to the appropriate connector.
CD1
Pin Signal
1 GND
2 CD IN L
3 GND
4 CD IN R
CD2
Pin Signal
1 CD IN L
2 GND
3 GND
4 CD IN R

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 2: Mainboard Installation

SIR1: Serial infrared port

The mainboard supports a Serial Infrared (SIR1) data port. Infrared
ports allow the wireless exchange of information between your
computer and similarly equipped devices such as printers, laptops,
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and other computers.
Pin Signal Pin Signal
1 NC 2 KEY
3 +5V 4 GND
5 IRTX 6 IRRX

25
 3: BIOS Setup Utility

Chapter 3
BIOS Setup Utility

Introduction
The BIOS Setup Utility records settings and information of your
computer, such as date and time, the type of hardware installed,
and various configuration settings. Your computer applies those
information to initialize all the components when booting up and
basic functions of coordination between system components.

If the Setup Utility configuration is incorrect, it may cause the

system to malfunction. It can even stop your computer booting
properly. If it happens, you can use the clear CMOS jumper to
clear the CMOS memory which has stored the configuration
information; or you can hold down the Page Up key while
rebooting your computer. Holding down the Page Up key also
clears the setup information.

You can run the setup utility and manually change the
configuration. You might need to do this to configure some
hardware installed in or connected to the mainboard, such as the
CPU, system memory, disk drives, etc.

26
 3: BIOS Setup Utility

Running the Setup Utility

Every time you start your computer, a message appears on the
screen before the operating system loading that prompts you to
“Hit <DEL>if you want to run SETUP”. Whenever you see this
message, press the Delete key, and the Main menu page of the
Setup Utility appears on your monitor.

AMIBIOS SIMPLE SETUP UTILITY – VERSION 1.21.12

(C) 2000 American Megatrends, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Standard CMOS Setup Features Setup
Advanced Setup CPU PnP Setup
Power Management Setup Hardware Monitor
PCI / Plug and Play Setup Change Password
Load Optimal Settings Exit
Load Best Performance Settings
Esc : Quit ↑ ↓ ← →: Select Item (Shift)F2 : Change Color F5 : Old Values
F6 : Optimal values F7 : Best performance values F10 : Save&Exit

Standards COMOS setup for changing time, date, hard disk type, etc.

You can use cursor arrow keys to highlight anyone of options on

the main menu page. Press Enter to select the highlighted option.
Press the Escape key to leave the setup utility. Hold down the
Shift key and press F2 to cycle through the Setup Utility’s optional
color schemes.
Some options on the main menu page lead to tables of items with
installed values that you can use cursor arrow keys to highlight one
item, and press PgUp and PgDn keys to cycle through alternative
values of that item. The other options on the main menu page lead
to dialog boxes requiring your answer Yes or No by hitting the Y
or N keys.
If you have already changed the setup utility, press F10 to save
those changes and exit the utility. Press F5 to reset the changes to
the original values. Press F6 to install the setup utility with a set of
default values. Press F7 to install the setup utility with a set of
high-performance values.

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Mainboard User’s Manual

Standard CMOS Setup Page

This page helps you set up basic information such as the date and
time, the IDE devices, and the diskette drives.

AMIBIOS SETUP – STANDARD CMOS SETUP

(C) 2000 American Megatrends, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Date (mm/dd/yy) : Tue Jan 21, 2003
Time (hh/mm/ss) : 11:44:33
LBA Blk PIO 32Bit
Type Size Cyln Head WPcom Sec Mode Mode Mode Mode
Pri Master : Auto On

Pri Slave : Auto On

Sec Master : Auto On

Sec Slave : Auto On

Floppy Drive A : 1.44 MB 31/2
Floppy Drive B : Not Installed

Month : Jan – Dec ESC : Exit

Day : 01 – 31 ↑↓ : Select Item
Year : 1901 – 2099 PU/PD/+/- : Modify
(Shift)F2 : Color
F3 : Detect All HDD

Date & Time Use these items to set up system date and
time
IDE Pri Master Use these items to configure devices
Pri Slave connected to the Primary and Secondary IDE
Sec Master channels. To configure an IDE hard disk
Sec Slave drive, choose Auto. If the Auto setting fails to
find a hard disk drive, set it to User, and then
fill in the hard disk characteristics (Size,
Cyls, etc.) manually. If you have a CD-ROM
drive, select the setting CDROM. If you have
an ATAPI device with removable media (e.g.
a ZIP drive or an LS-120), select Floptical.
Floppy Drive A Use these items to set up size and capacity of
Floppy Drive B the floppy diskette drive(s) installed in the
system.

28
3: BIOS Setup Utility

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Mainboard User’s Manual

Advanced Setup Page

This page sets up more advanced information about your system.
Be more careful to this page. Any changes can affect the operation
of your computer.

AMIBIOS SETUP – ADVANCED SETUP

(C) 2000 American Megatrends, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Quick Boot Enabled AGP Aperture Size 64MB
1st Boot Device IDE-0 Auto detect DIMM/PCI Clk Enabled
2nd Boot Device Floppy CLK Gen Spread Spectrum Disabled
3rd Boot Device CDROM Hyper Threading Function Disabled
Try Other Boot Devices Yes
S.M.A.R.T. for Hard Disks Disabled
BootUp Num-Lock On
Floppy Drive Swap Disabled
Floppy Drive Seek Disabled
Password Check Setup
Boot To OS/2 No
L2 Cache Enabled
System BIOS Cacheable Enabled
SDRAM Timing by SPD Disables ESC : Quit ↑↓←→ : Select Item
SDRAM Frequency 100MHz F1 : Help PU/PD/+/- : Modify
SDRAM CAS# Latency 2.5 F5 : Old Values (Shift)F2 : Color
SDRAM Bank Interleave Disabled F6 : Load BIOS Defaults
AGP Mode 4X
F7 : Load Setup Defaults
AGP Comp. Driving Auto
Manual AGP Comp. Driving CB

30
 3: BIOS Setup Utility

Quick Boot If you enable this item, the system starts

up more quickly be elimination some of
the power on test routines.
1st Boot Device Use these items to determine the device
2nd Boot Device order the computer uses to look for an
3rd Boot Device operating system to load at start-up time.
Try Other Boot If you enable this item, the system will
Device also search for other boot devices if it
fails to find an operating system from the
first two locations.
S.M.A.R.T. for Enable this item if any IDE hard disks
Hard Disks support the S.M.A.R.T. (Self-
Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting
Technology) feature.
BootUp Num- This item determines if the Num Lock
Lock key is active or inactive at system start-
up time.
Floppy Drive If you have two diskette drives installed
Swap and you enable this item, drive A
becomes drive B and drive B becomes
drive A.
Floppy Drive If you enable this item, your system will
Seek check all floppy disk drives at start up.
Disable this item unless you are using an
old 360KB drive.
Password Check If you have entered a password for the
system, use this item to determine, if the
password is required to enter the Setup
Utility (Setup) or required both at start-
up and to enter the Setup Utility
(Always).
Boot to OS/2 > Enable this item if you are booting the
64MB OS/2 operating system and you have
more than 64MB of system memory
installed.
L2 Cache Leave these items enabled since all the
processors that can be installed on this
board have internal L2 cache memory.
System BIOS If you enable this item, a segment of the

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Mainboard User’s Manual

Cacheable system BIOS will be copied to main

memory for faster execution.
SDRAM Timing This item allows you to enable or disable
By SPD the SDRAM timing defined by the Serial
Presence Detect electrical.
SDRAM This item determines frequency of
Frequency SDRAM memory.
SDRAM CAS# This item determines the operation of
Latency SDRAM memory CAS (column address
strobe). It is recommended that you leave
this item at the default value. The 2T
setting requires faster memory that
specifically supports this mode.
SDRAM Bank Enable this item to increase SDRAM
Interleave memory speed. When enabled, separate
memory banks are set for odd and even
addresses and the next byte of memory
can be accessed while the current byte is
being refreshed.
AGP Comp. Use this item to signal driving current on
Driving AGP cards to auto or manual. Some
AGP cards need stronger than normal
driving current in order to operate. We
recommend that you set this item to the
default.
Manual AGP When AGP Driving is set to Manual, use
Comp. Driving this item to set the AGP current driving
value.
AGP Mode This item provides the OnBoard VGA
mode with three options of 1,2, 4
multiplied frequency.
AGP Aperture This item defines an AGP for the
Size graphics. Leave this item at the default
value 64MB.
Auto detect When this item is enabled, BIOS will
DIMM/PCI disable the clock signal of free
Clock DIMM/PCI slots.
CLK GEN Use this item to set the system bus

32
 3: BIOS Setup Utility

Spread Spectrum spread spectrum for the installed

processor.
Hyper Threading If your P4 CPU is not HT CPU, this item
Function will be hidden.
If your P4 CPU is HT CPU, BIOS will
show this item. You can set "Disabled"
or "Enabled" to control HT CPU support
in O.S. Set “Enabled” to test HT CPU
function.

Power Management Setup Page

This page sets up some parameters of system power management
operation.

AMIBIOS SETUP – POWER MANAGEMENT SETUP

(C) 2000 American Megatrends, Inc. All Rights Reserved
ACPI Aware O/S Yes
Power Management Enabled
Suspend Time Out <Min.> Disabled
Hard Disk Time Out <Min.> Disabled
Resume On RTC Alarm Disabled
RTC Alarm Date 15
RTC Alarm Hour 12
RTC Alarm Minute 30
RTC Alarm Second 30 ESC : Quit ↑↓←→ : Select Item
LAN/Ring Power On Disabled F1 : Help PU/PD/+/- : Modify
Keyboard Power On Disabled F5 : Old Values (Shift)F2 : Color
Wake-Up Key Any key
Wake-Up Password N/A F6 : Load BIOS Defaults
F7 : Load Setup Defaults

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Mainboard User’s Manual

ACPI Aware This item supports ACPI (Advanced

O/S Configuration and Power management
Interface). Use this item to enable or disable
the ACPI feature.
Power Use this item to enable or disable a power
Management management scheme. If you enable power
management, you can use the items below
to set the power management operation.
Both APM and ACPI are supported.
Suspend Time This sets the timeout for Suspend mode in
Out minutes. If the time selected passes without
any system activity, the computer will enter
power-saving Suspend mode.
Hard Disk This item sets up the timeout to power down
Time Out the hard disk drive, if there is no hard disk
activity after passing the preset period of
time.
Resume On The system can be turned off with a
RTC Alarm / software command. If you enable this item,
Date / Hour / the system can automatically resume at a
Minute / fixed time based on the system’s RTC
Second (realtime clock). Use the items below this
one to set the date and time of the wake-up
alarm. You must use an ATX power supply
in order to use this feature.
LAN/Ring The system can be turned off with a
Power On software command. If you enable this item,
the system can automatically resume if there
is an incoming call on the Modem. You
must use an ATX power supply in order to
use this feature.
Keyboard If you enable this item, system can
Power On automatically resume by pressing hot keys
Wake-Up Key on the keyboard or typing in the password.
Wake-Up You must enable the Keyboard Power On
Password jumper and use an ATX power supply in
order to use this feature.

34
 3: BIOS Setup Utility

PCI / Plug and Play Setup Page

This page sets up some parameters for devices installed on the PCI
bus and those utilizing the system plug and play capability.

AMIBIOS SETUP – PCI / PLUG AND PLAY SETUP

(C) 2000 American Megatrends, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Plug and Play Aware O/S Yes
Share Memory Size 32MB
Primary Graphics Adapter PCI
Allocate IRQ for PCI VGA Yes
PCI IDE BusMaster Disabled
ESC : Quit ↑↓←→ : Select Item
F1 : Help PU/PD/+/- : Modify
F5 : Old Values (Shift)F2 : Color
F6 : Load BIOS Defaults
F7 : Load Setup Defaults

Plug and Play Enable this item if you are using an O/S that
Aware O/S supports Plug and Play such as Windows 95
or 98.
Share This item lets you allocate a portion of the
Memory Size main memory for the onboard VGA display
application with three options of
8/16/32MB.
Primary This item indicates if the primary graphics
Graphics adapter uses the PCI or the AGP bus. The
Adapter default AGP setting still lets the onboard
display work and allows the use of a second
display card installed in an AGP slot.
Allocate IRQ If this item is enabled, an IRQ will be
for PCI VGA assigned to the PCI VGA graphics system.
You set this value to No to free up an IRQ.
PCI IDE This item enables or disables the DMA
BusMaster under DOS mode. We recommend you to
leave this item at the default value.

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Mainboard User’s Manual

Load Optimal Settings

If you select this item and press Enter a dialog box appears. If you
press Y, and then Enter, the Setup Utility loads a set of fail-safe
default values. These default values are not very demanding and
they should allow your system to function with most kinds of
hardware and memory chips.
Note: It is highly recommended that users enter this option to
load optimal values for accessing the best performance.

Load Best Performance Settings

If you select this item and press Enter a dialog box appears. If you
press Y, and then Enter, the Setup Utility loads a set of best-
performance default values. These default values are quite
demanding and your system might not function properly if you are
using slower memory chips or other low-performance components.

Features Setup Page

This page sets up some parameters for those peripheral devices
connected to the system.

AMIBIOS SETUP – FEATURES SETUP

(C) 2000 American Megatrends, Inc. All Rights Reserved
OnBoard FDC Enabled
OnBoard Serial PortA 3F8h/COM1

OnBoard IR Port Disabled

OnBoard Parallel Port 378h

Parallel Port Mode SPP

ESC : Quit ↑↓←→ : Select
Parallel Port IRQ 7 Item
F1 : Help PU/PD/+/- : Modify
Parallel Port DMA N/A
OnBoard Game Port 201h F5 : Old Values (Shift)F2 : Color
OnBoard MIDI Port 300h F6 : Load BIOS Defaults
MIDI Port IRQ 10 F7 : Load Setup Defaults
OnBoard IDE Both
Audio Device Enabled
Modem Device Auto
Ethernet Device Enabled
USB Controller Enabled

36
 3: BIOS Setup Utility

USB Device Legacy Support Disabled

ThumbDrive Support for DOS Disabled

37
Mainboard User’s Manual

OnBoard FDC Use this item to enable or disable the

onboard floppy disk drive interface.
OnBoard Serial Use this item to enable or disable the
PortA onboard COM1 serial port, and to assign a
port address.
OnBoard IR Use this item to enable or disable the
Port onboard infrared port, and to assign a port
address.
Parallel Port Use this item to set the parallel port mode.
Mode You can select SPP (Standard Parallel
Port), ECP (Extended Capabilities Port),
EPP (Enhanced Parallel Port), or ECP +
EPP.
Parallel Port Use this item to assign IRQ to the parallel
IRQ port.
Parallel Port Use this item to assign a DMA channel to
DMA the parallel port.
OnBoard This item enables or disables the I/O
Game Port address for the game port.
OnBoard MIDI Use this item to enable or disable the
Port onboard MIDI port, and to assign a port
address.
MIDI Port IRQ Use this item to assign IRQ 7 to the
parallel port.
OnBoard IDE Use this item to enable or disable the
onboard IDE channel.
Audio Device This item enables or disables the AC’97
audio chip.
Modem Device This item enables or disables the MC’97
modem chip.
Ethernet This item enables or disables the onboard
Device Ethernet LAN.
USB Use this item to select the USB ports or
Controller disabled.
USB Device This item allows you to enable the USB
Legacy device, if you have installed a USB device

38
 3: BIOS Setup Utility

Support on the system board.

ThumbDrive Enable this item to make a small portion of
Support For memory storage device for the USB ports.
DOS

CPU PnP Setup Page

This page helps you manually configure the mainboard for the
CPU. The system will automatically detect the type of installed
CPU and make the appropriate adjustments to the items on this
page.

AMIBIOS SETUP – CPU PnP SETUP

©2000 American Megatrends, Inc. All Rights Reserved
CPU BRAND INTEL
CPU Type Pentium 4
CPU Ratio 8.0x
CPU Frequency 100 MHz

ESC : Quit ↑↓←→ : Select Item

F1 : Help PU/PD/+/- : Modify
F5 : Old Values (Shift)F2 : Color
F6 : Load Optimal values
F7 : Load Best performance values

CPU These items show the type, core voltage,

BRAND/Type/ ratio and frequency of CPU installed in your
Core system.
Voltage/Ratio /
Frequency

39
Mainboard User’s Manual

Hardware Monitor Page

This page sets up some parameters for the hardware monitoring
function of this mainboard.
AMIBIOS SETUP – HARDWARE MONITOR
(C) 2000 American Megatrends, Inc. All Rights Reserved
*** System Hardware ***
Vcore 1.632V
Vcc 2.5V 2.496V
Vcc 3.3V 3.392V
Vcc 5V 4.945V
+12V 12.032V ESC : Quit ↑↓←→ : Select
-12V -11.968V Item
SB5V 5.026V
VBAT 3.488V F1 : Help PU/PD/+/- : Modify
SYSTEM Fan Speed 0 RPM F5 : Old Values (Shift)F2 : Color
CPU Fan Speed 1308 RPM F6 : Load BIOS Defaults
Power Temperature 33°C/91°F F7 : Load Setup Defaults

SYSTEM Temperature 39°C/102°F

CPU Temperature 62°C/143°F

CPU / System These items display CPU and system

Temperature temperature measurement.
FANs & These items indicate cooling fan speeds in
Voltage RPM and the various system voltage
Measurements measurements.

Change Password
If you highlight this item and press Enter, a dialog box
appears that you can enter a Supervisor password. You can
enter no more than six letters or numbers. Press Enter after
you have typed in the password. There will be the second
dialog box asking you to retype the password for
confirmation. Press Enter after you have retyped it
correctly. Then, the password is required for the access to
the Setup Utility or for it at start-up, depending on the
setting of the Password Check item in Advanced Setup.

40
 3: BIOS Setup Utility

Exit
Highlight this item and press Enter to save the changes that
you have made in the Setup Utility configuration and exit
the program. When the Save and Exit dialog box appears,
press Y to save and exit, or press N to exit without saving.

41
 4: Software & Applications

Chapter 4
Software & Applications
Introduction

This chapter describes the contents of the support CD-ROM that

comes with the mainboard package.

The support CD-ROM contains all useful software, necessary

drivers and utility programs to properly run our products. More
program information is available in a README file, located in the
same directory as the software.

To run the support CD, simply insert the CD into your CD-ROM
drive. An Auto Setup screen automatically pops out, and then you
can go on the auto-installing or manual installation depending on
your operating system.

If your operating system is Windows 98/ME/2000/XP, it will

automatically install all the drivers and utilities for your
mainboard; if Windows NT or manual installation, please follow
the instructions described as the Installing under Windows NT
or Manual Installation section.

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Mainboard User’s Manual

Installing Support Software

1.Insert the support CD-ROM disc in the CD-ROM drive.
2.When you insert the CD-ROM disc in the system CD-ROM
drive, the CD automatically displays an Auto Setup screen.
3.The screen displays three buttons of Setup, Browse CD and Exit
on the right side, and three others Setup, Application and
ReadMe at the bottom. Please see the following illustration.

The Setup button runs the software auto-installing program as

explained in next section.
The Browse CD button is a standard Windows command that you
can check the contents of the disc with the Windows 98 file
browsing interface.
The Exit button closes the Auto Setup window. To run the
program again, reinsert the CD-ROM disc in the drive; or click the
CD-ROM driver from the Windows Explorer, and click the Setup
icon.
The Application button brings up a software menu. It shows the
bundled software that this mainboard supports.
The ReadMe brings you to the Install Path where you can find out
path names of software driver.

40
 4: Software & Applications

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

If you are under Windows 98/ME/2000/XP, please click the Setup
button to run the software auto-installing program while the Auto
Setup screen pops out after inserting the support CD-ROM:

1. The installation program loads and displays the following

screen. Click the Next button.

2. Select the items that you want to setup by clicking on it

(the default options are recommended). Click the Next button to
proceed.

3. The support software will automatically install.

Once any of the installation procedures start, software is

automatically installed in sequence. You need to follow the
onscreen instructions, confirm commands and allow the computer
to restart as few times as needed to complete installing whatever
software you selected. When the process is finished, all the support
software will be installed and start working.

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Mainboard User’s Manual

Installing under Windows NT or Manual Installation

If you are under Windows NT, the auto-installing program doesn’t
work out; or you have to do the manual installation, please follow
this procedure while the Auto Setup screen pops out after inserting
the support CD-ROM:

1. Click the ReadMe to bring up a screen, and then click the

Install Path at the bottom of the screen.
2. Find out your mainboard model name and click on it to obtain
its correct driver directory.
3. Install each software in accordance with the corresponding
driver path.

Bundled Software Installation

All bundled software available on the CD-ROM is for users’
convenience. You can install bundled software as follows:
1. Click the Application button while the Auto Setup screen pops
out after inserting the support CD-ROM.
2. A software menu appears. Click the software you want to install.
3. Follow onscreen instructions to install the software program step
by step until finished.

42