Asus A7N8X-VM/400 manual

Motherboard A7N8X-VM/400 User Guide[...]

ii Checklist Copyright © 2003 ASUST eK 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[...]

iii Features Contents Notices ........................................................................................................ v Safety information ...................................................................................... vi About this guide .......................................................................................[...]

iv Contents 2.3 Main menu ................................................................................... 2-10 2.3.1 Primary and Secondary IDE Master/Slave .................... 2-1 1 2.3.2 System Information ........................................................ 2-12 2.4 Advanced menu ..........................................................[...]

v Notices 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 test[...]

vi Safety information Electrical safety • T o 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[...]

vii Conventions used in this guide T o make sure that you perform certain tasks properly , take note of the following symbols used throughout this guide. Where to find more information Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software updates. 1. ASUS W ebsites The ASUS websites worldwide provide updated informa[...]

viii A7N8X - VM/400 specification summar y* (continued next page) Socket A for AMD Athlon™ XP 2700MHz+ processors NVIDIA ® nForce2 IGP North bridge NVIDIA ® nForce2 MCP South bridge 400/333/266 MHz 2 x 184-pin DDR DIMM sockets support up to maximum 2 GB unbuffered PC2700/2100 non-ECC DDR SDRAM memory . Dual-channel memory architecture 3 x PCI 1[...]

ix BIOS features Industry standard Manageability Support CD contents Accessories Form Factor * Specifications are subject to change without notice. 4Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, ACPI, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, Green, PnP , TCA V , SMBIOS 2.3 ASUS EZ Flash, ASUS MyLogo2 PCI 2.2, USB 2.0 DMI 2.0, WOL by PME, WOR by PME, WO_USB, WO_KB/MS Device drivers ASUS PC Probe[...]

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Chapter 1 This chapter describes the features of the motherboard. It includes brief descriptions of the motherboard components, and illustrations of the layout, jumper settings, and connectors. Product introduction[...]

1-2 Chapter 1: Product introduction 1 . 1 W elcome! Thank you for buying the ASUS ® A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard! The ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard comes with the most advanced technologies to deliver maximum performance for Socket A processors. This motherboard is packed with value-added features for guaranteed consumer satisfaction. The following se[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 1-3 AGP 8X support AGP 8X (AGP 3.0) is the next generation VGA interface specification that enables enhanced graphics performance with high bandwidth speeds of up to 2.12 GB/s. See details on page 1-13. Integrated GeForce4 MX GPU This motherboard is equipped with an integrated GeForce MX GPU, a second-genera[...]

1-4 Chapter 1: Product introduction 1 .4 Motherboard com ponents Before you install the motherboard, learn about its major components and available features to facilitate the installation and future upgrades. Refer to the succeeding pages for the component descriptions. 34 7 2 6 13 10 5 14 9 8 11 12 1 15 25 18 19 20 21 17 16 23 22 24[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 1-5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Onboard LED. This onboard LED lights up if there is a standby power on the motherboard. This LED acts as a reminder to turn off the system power before plugging or unplugging devices. A TX power connector . This standard 20-pin connector connects to an A TX 12V power supply . The [...]

1-6 Chapter 1: Product introduction Audio CODEC. The Realtek ALC650 6-channel Audio CODEC is AC’97-compliant onboard audio solution for PC multimedia systems. PCI slots. These 32-bit PCI 2.2 expansion slots support bus master PCI cards like SCSI and LAN cards. LAN controller . The Realtek 8201BL LAN PHY Fast Ethernet controller allows connection [...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 1-7 1 .5 Motherboard layout 24.5cm (9.64in) PRI_IDE FLOPPY1 A7N8X-VM Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP8X1) nV idia nForce2 IGP A TX Power Connector Super I/O 4Mb BIOS PCI 1 PS/2 T : Mouse B: Keyboard Realtek RTL8201 U46 CHA_F AN Audio Codec Below:Mic In Center:Line Out T op:Line In DDR DIMM2 (64/128 bit, 184-pi[...]

1-8 Chapter 1: Product introduction 1 .6 Motherboard ins tallation The A7N8X-VM/400 uses the Micro A TX form factor . 1.6.1 Placement direction When installing the motherboard, orient the chassis correctly . The edge with the external ports goes to the rear part of the chassis. Refer to the image below . It may be more convenient to install major c[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 1-9 1 .7 Before you proceed T ake note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings. A7N8X-VM A7N8X-VM/400 Onboard LED SB_PWR1 ON Standby Power OFF Powere d Off When lit, the onboard LED indicates that the system is ON, in sleep mode or in soft-off[...]

1-10 Chapter 1: Product introduction 1 .8 Central Pr ocessing Unit (CPU) The motherboard provides a Socket A (462) for CPU installation. The A7N8X-VM/400 supports Athlon™ XP processors with “QuantiSpeed” data processing, large data caches, 3D enhancements and 400/333/266MHz bus speeds. AMD Athlon™ XP processors of fer gigahertz speeds to su[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 1-11 1 .9 System memor y The motherboard has two DDR DIMM sockets that supports up to 2GB non-ECC PC2700/2100 DDR SDRAM DIMMs. Each DIMM socket is two-sided. DIMMs come in combinations of single or double-sided types ranging through 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB and 1GB. The A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard supports the[...]

1-12 Chapter 1: Product introduction IRQ assignments for this motherboard AB C D PCI slot 1 used – – – PCI slot 2 – – – used PCI slot 3 – – used – AGP slot – used – – 1. 10 Expansion slots The A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard has three (3) PCI and one (1) Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP). The following sub-sections describe the slots[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 1-13 1.10.3 PCI slots Three 32-bit PCI slots are available on this motherboard. The slots support PCI cards such as LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other cards that comply with PCI specifications. This figure shows a typical PCI card installed into a slot: 1.10.2 AGP slot This motherboard has an Accelerat[...]

1-14 Chapter 1: Product introduction 1 . 1 1 Jumpers This section describes and illustrates the jumpers on the motherboard. 1. USB device wake-up (3-pin USBPW12, USBPW34, USBPW56) 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 t[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 1-15 2. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC1) This jumper clears the Real T ime Clock (RTC) RAM of date, time and system setup parameters in CMOS. The RAM data in CMOS is powered by the onboard button cell battery . T o erase the RTC RAM: 1. T urn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord. 2. Remove the battery . 3. Move [...]

1-16 Chapter 1: Product introduction 2. Floppy disk drive connector (34-1 pin FLOPPY1) This connector supports the provided floppy drive ribbon cable. After connecting one end to the motherboard, connect the other end to the floppy drive. (Pin 5 is removed to prevent incorrect insertion when using ribbon cables with pin 5 plug.) A7N8X-VM NOTE: Orie[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 1-17 3. A TX power connectors (20-pin A TXPWR1) These connectors connect to an A TX 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 fit. A7N8X-VM A7N8X-VM/400 A TX Power Conn[...]

1-18 Chapter 1: Product introduction 6. CPU and chassis fan connectors (3-pin CPU_F AN1, CHA_F AN) The fan connectors support cooling fans of 350mA~740mA (8.88W max). 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 . 5. GAME/MIDI connector (16-1 p[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 1-19 7. 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 signa[...]

1-20 Chapter 1: Product introduction 9. Internal audio connectors (4 pin CD1, AUX1) These connectors allow you to receive stereo audio input from sound sources such as a CD-ROM, TV tuner or MPEG card. A7N8X-VM A7N8X-VM/400 Internal Audio Connectors AUX1 (White) CD1 (Black) Right Audio Chann el Left Audio Channel Ground 10. TV out connector (6-1 pin[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 1-21 1 1. Digital audio connector (6-1 pin SPDIF1) This connector is for optional S/PDIF audio module that allows digital instead of analog sound input and output. A7N8X-VM A7N8X-VM/400 Digital Audio Connector SPDIF1 GND +5V SPDIF_IN SPDIF_OUT 1 GND When you input sound for S/PDIF IN, the LINE_OUT will outpu[...]

1-22 Chapter 1: Product introduction 13. System panel connector (20-pin P ANEL1) This connector accommodates several system front panel functions. A7N8X-VM A7N8X-VM/400 Panel Connectors * Requires an A TX power supply . PLED- Ground PWR Keylock +5V Speaker Speaker Connector Power LED Ground Reset SW SMI Lead ExtSMI# Ground Reset Ground Ground Groun[...]

Chapter 2 This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup Menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided. BIOS information[...]

2-2 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2. 1 Managing and updating your BIOS The following utilities allow you to manage and update the motherboard Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) setup. 1. AFUDOS (Updates the BIOS in DOS mode using a bootable floppy disk.) 2. ASUS EZ Flash (Updates the BIOS using a floppy disk during POST .) 3. ASUS Update (Updates the B[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 2-3 2. The utility will copy the current system BIOS by default to the floppy disk. Make sure that the floppy disk is not write-protected and have enough space (at least 600KB) to store the file. The BIOS information on the screen is for reference only . What you see on your screen may not be exactly the sam[...]

2-4 Chapter 2: BIOS information 1. Download an updated ASUS BIOS file from the Internet (www .asus.com), then save the file to the bootable floppy disk you created earlier . 2. Copy the AFUDOS.EXE utility from the support CD to the bootable floppy disk that contains the BIOS file. 3. Boot the system from the floppy disk. 3. At the DOS prompt, type [...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 2-5 2.1.4 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 . The EZ Flash is built-in the BIOS firmware so it is accessible by simply pressing <Alt>[...]

2-6 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.1.5 ASUS Update The ASUS Update is a utility that allows you to update the motherboard BIOS in Windows ® environment. This utility is available in the support CD that comes with the motherboard package. ASUS Update requires an Internet connection either through a network or an Internet Service Provider (ISP). T o [...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 2-7 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 S[...]

2-8 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.2 BIOS Setup progr am 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 o[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 2-9 2.2.2 Legend bar At the bottom of the Setup screen is a legend bar . The keys in the legend bar allow you to navigate through the various setup menus. The following table lists the keys found in the legend bar with their corresponding functions. Navigation Key(s) Function Description <F1> or <Al[...]

2-10 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.3 Main menu When you enter the Setup program, the following screen appears. Sub-menu Note that a right pointer symbol (as shown on the left) appears to the left of certain fields. This pointer indicates that you can display a sub-menu from this field. A sub-menu contains additional options for a field parameter . [...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 2-11 System Date [XX/XX/XXXX] Sets the system to the date that you specify (usually the current date). The format is month, day , year . V alid values for month, day , and year are Month: (1 to 12), Day: (1 to 31), Y ear: (up to 2099). Use the <T ab> or <Shift> + <T ab> keys to move between[...]

2-12 Chapter 2: BIOS information PIO Mode [Auto] This option lets you set a PIO (Programmed Input/Output) mode for the IDE device. Modes 0 through 4 provide successive increase in performance. Configuration options: [0] [1] [2] [3] [4] Ultra DMA Mode [Auto] This field enables you to select the DMA mode. Configuration options: [Auto] [SWDMA0] [SWDMA[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 2-13 2.4 Advanced menu The [512MB] option is available only when you use an AGP 8X graphics card. V ideo Frame Buffer Size [ 32MB] This field sets the size of the video frame buffer . The settings on this field is valid only for motherboard models with onboard VGA controller . Configuration options: [Auto] [[...]

2-14 Chapter 2: BIOS information MDA Access Control [AGP] This field selects the MDA Access cycles direction. Configuration options: [AGP] [PCI] Primary Video [PCI] This will switch the PCI Bus scanning order while searching for a video card. This allows the user to select the type of Primary VGA in case of multiple video controllers. Configuration[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 2-15 Parallel Port Mode [ECP] This field allows the BIOS to select the Parallel Port Mode. Configuration options: [Normal] [EPP] [ECP] [EPP+ECP] ECP Mode DMA Channel [DMA3] This field allows the BIOS to select the Parallel Port ECP DMA. Configuration options: [DMA0] [DMA1] [DMA3] Parallel Port IRQ [IRQ7] Thi[...]

2-16 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.4.3 PCIPnP Plug and Play O/S [No] This field configures the Plug and Play O/S feature. If set to [No], the BIOS configures all the devices attached to the system. If set to [Y es], the operating system configures Plug and Play (PnP) devices not required for boot if the system has a Plug and Play operating system f[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 2-17 PCI IDE BusMaster [Enabled] When this option is [Enabled], the BIOS uses the PCI bus mastering to read and write to IDE drives. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] Offboard PCI/ISA IDE Card [Auto] This field allows the setting of the proper slot of installed PCI IDE cards. Some PCI IDE cards req[...]

2-18 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.5.1 Power Up Control 2.5 Power menu The Power menu allows you to reduce power consumption. This feature turns of f the video display and shuts down the hard disk after a period of inactivity . Suspend Mode [S1 & S3 (STR)] This field allows the BIOS to select the ACPI state used for System Suspend . Configurati[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 2-19 Resume on Keyboard [Disabled] This parameter allows you to use the keyboard keys to turn on the system. This feature requires an A TX power supply that provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Resume on PS/2 Mouse [Disabled] This parameter allows you to use the[...]

2-20 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.5.2 Hardware Monitor MB T emperature [xxxC/xxxF] CPU T emperature [xxxC/xxxF] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the motherboard, CPU, and power temperatures CPU Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] or [Disabled] Chassis Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] or [Disabled] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detec[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 2-21 2.6 Boot menu 1st, 2nd, 3rd Boot Device This field specifies the boot sequence from the available devices. Additional plug-in boot devices installed appear in sequence after the list of current boot devices . Configuration fields include FLOPPY DRIVE, IDE Hard Drive, A T API CD-ROM, and Other Boot Devic[...]

2-22 Chapter 2: BIOS information Full Screen Logo [Enabled] When [Enabled], MyLogo is displayed instead of the POST messages. Setting to [Disabled] displays the normal POST messages. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] AddOn ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS] This field sets the display mode for option ROM. Configuration options: [Force BIOS] [K[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 2-23 Change Supervisor Password Select this item to set or change the supervisor password. The Supervisor Password item on top of the screen shows the default Not Installed . After you have set a password, this item shows Installed . T o set a Supervisor Password: 1. Select the Change Supervisor Password ite[...]

2-24 Chapter 2: BIOS information Security Settings Supervisor Password Not Installed User Password Not Installed Change Supervisor Password User Access Level [Full Access] Clear User Password Password Check [Setup] <Enter> to change password. <Enter> again to disable password. User Access Level (Full Access] This item allows you to sele[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 2-25 2.7 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. Exit & Save Changes Once you are finished making your selections, choose this option from the Exit menu [...]

2-26 Chapter 2: BIOS information 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 <F5>, a confirmation window appears. Select [Y es] to load default values. Select Exit Saving Changes or make other changes before saving the values t[...]

Chapter 3 This chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes with the motherboard package. Software support[...]

3-2 Chapter 3: Software support 3. 1 Installing an oper ating system This motherboard supports Windows ® 98SE/ME/NT/2000/XP as well as Linux Red Hat, SuSE, T urboLinux and Caldera operating systems (OS). Always install the latest OS version and corresponding updates so you can maximize the features of your hardware. 3.2 Suppor t CD infor mation Th[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 3-3 3.2.2 Drivers menu The drivers menu shows the available device drivers if the system detects installed devices. Install the necessary drivers to activate the devices. NVIDIA Display Driver This item installs the NVIDIA display driver for the onboard VGA. NVIDIA nForce Driver This item installs the driver[...]

3-4 Chapter 3: Software support 3.2.3 Utilities The Utilities tab displays the applications that the motherboard supports. ASUS PC Probe This convenient utility continuously monitors your computer systems vital components such as fan rotations, CPU temperature, and system voltages, and alerts you on any detected problems. This utility helps you kee[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 motherboard user guide 3-5 3.2.4 ASUS contact information Click the Contact tab to display the ASUS contact information.[...]

3-6 Chapter 3: Software support[...]