Asus A7N8X-E manual

Motherboard A7N8X-E Deluxe 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 ........................................................................................... vi Safety information ......................................................................... vii About this guide ............................................................................ viii How this guide is organized .[...]

iv Safeguards Contents 2.6 Jumpers ............................................................................ 2-15 2.7 Connectors ....................................................................... 2-18 2.7.1 Rear panel connectors ......................................... 2-18 2.7.2 Internal connectors ........................................[...]

v Contents 4.4.4 Power Management Setup .................................. 4-24 4.4.5 PnP/PCI Configurations ....................................... 4-26 4.5 Security Menu .................................................................. 4-27 4.6 Hardware Monitor Menu ................................................... 4-29 4.7 Exit Menu .........[...]

vi Notices Federal Communications Commission Statement This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. 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 b[...]

vii 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 al[...]

viii About this guide This user guide contains the information you need when installing and configuring the motherboard. How this guide is organized This manual contains the following parts: • Chapter 1: Product introduction This chapter describes the motherboard features of the and the new technologies it supports. • Chapter 2: Hardware inform[...]

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

x A7N8X -E Deluxe specifications summar y (continued on the next page) CPU Front Side Bus (FSB) Chipset Memory Expansion slots Storage Audio LAN 1394 Special Features Rear Panel I/O Socket A for AMD Duron™/AMD Athlon™/AMD Athlon™ XP 3200+ processors 400/333/266/200Mhz Northbridge: NVIDIA ® nForce2 Ultra 400 Southbridge: NVIDIA ® nForce2 MCP[...]

xi A7N8X -E Deluxe specif ications summar y * Specifications are subject to change without notice. Internal I/O Connectors BIOS features Industry standard Manageability Form Factor Support CD contents USB 2.0 connector supports additional 2 USB 2.0 ports Game/MIDI connector CPU/Power/Chassis fan connectors 2 x IDE connectors 20-pin A TX power conne[...]

xii[...]

Chapter 1 This chapter describes the motherboard features and the new technologies it supports. Product introduction[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard Chapter summar y 1.1 W elcome! ........................................................ 1-1 1.2 Package contents .......................................... 1-1 1.3 Special features ............................................. 1-2[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 1-1 1 . 1 Welcome! 1 .2 Package contents Check your motherboard package for the following items. Thank you for buying the ASUS ® A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard! The motherboard delivers a host of new features and latest technologies making it another standout in the long line of ASUS quality motherboards! The motherboar[...]

1-2 Chapter 1: Product introduction 1 .3 Special features 1.3.1 Product Highlights Latest processor technology The motherboard supports the latest AMD Athlon™, Athlon™ XP and AMD Duron™ processors via a 462-pin surface mount ZIF socket. The AMD Athlon™ and AMD Athlon™ XP processors features a 400Mhz front side bus and the QuantiSpeed™ a[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 1-3 IEEE 1394 support The IEEE 1394 interface provides high-speed and flexible PC connectivity to a wide range of peripherals and devices compliant to IEEE 1394a standards. The IEEE 1394 interface allows up to 400Mbps transfer rates through simple, low-cost, high-bandwidth asynchronous (real-time) data interfacing be[...]

1-4 Chapter 1: Product introduction ASUS POST Reporter™ The motherboard offers a new exciting feature called the ASUS POST Reporter™ to provide friendly voice messages and alerts during the Power-On Self-T ests (POST). Through an added external speaker , you will hear the messages informing you of the system boot status and causes of boot error[...]

Chapter 2 Hardware information This chapter lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform when installing system components. It includes description of the jumpers and connectors on the motherboard.[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard Chapter summar y 2.1 Before you proceed ....................................... 2-1 2.2 Motherboard overview ................................... 2-2 2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ..................... 2-6 2.4 System memory ............................................. 2-8 2.5 Expansion slots .....................[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 2-1 2. 1 Before you proceed T ake 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 t[...]

2-2 Chapter 2: Hardware information 2.2 Motherboard over view Before you install the motherboard, study the configuration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard fits into it. 2.2.1 Placement direction When installing the motherboard, make sure that you place it into the chassis in the correct orientation. The edge with external ports goes t[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 2-3 2.2.3 Motherboard layout 24.5cm (9.6in) 30.5cm (12.0in) PRI_IDE1 FLOPPY1 A7N8X-E NVIDIA nForce2 MCP-T Chipset ASUS ASIC with Hardware Monitor Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP Pro) NVIDIA nForce2 SPP Ultra400 Chipset CR2032 3V Lithium Cell CMOS Power SB_PWR1 DDR DIMM_A2 (64/72 bit, 184-pin module) 0 1 A TX Power Con[...]

2-4 Chapter 2: Hardware information 2.2.4 Layout Contents Slots 1. PCI slots p. 2-13 2. AGP slot p. 2-13 3. Wi-Fi slot p. 2-14 4. DDR DIMM slots p. 2-8 Jumpers 1. Keyboard wake-up (3-pin KBPWR1) p. 2-15 2. Central Processing Unit FSB Setting (3-pin CPU_FSB) p. 2-15 3. USB device wake-up (3-pin USBPW12, USBPW34, USBPW56) p. 2-16 4. Gigabit LAN Setti[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 2-5 Internal Connectors 16. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin FP_AUDIO) p. 2-26 17. Digital audio connector (6-1 pin SPDIF1) p. 2-26 18. GAME/MIDI connector (16-1 pin GAME1) p. 2-27 19. Infrared module connector (10-1 pin IR_CON1) p. 2-27 20. System panel connector (20-pin CTRL_P ANEL1) p. 2-28 - System Power LED[...]

2-6 Chapter 2: Hardware information 2.3.2 Installing the CPU Follow these steps to install a CPU. 1. Locate the 462-pin ZIF socket on the motherboard. 2.3 Central Pr ocessing Unit (CPU) 2.3.1 Overview The motherboard comes with a surface mount 462-pin Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket designed for the AMD Athlon™, AMD Athlon™ XP and AMD Duron?[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 2-7 Make sure that the socket lever is lifted up to 90°-100° angle, otherwise the CPU does not fit in completely . The CPU fits only in one correct orientation. DO NOT force the CPU into the socket to prevent bending the pins and damaging the CPU! 2. Unlock the socket by pressing the lever sideways, then lift it up[...]

2-8 Chapter 2: Hardware information 2.4 System memor y 2.4.1 Overview The motherboard comes with four Double Data Rate (DDR) Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) sockets. The following figure illustrates the location of the sockets. 2.4.2 Memory configurations Y ou may install 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, and 1GB DDR DIMMs into the DIMM sockets using the[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 2-9 Obtain DDR DIMMs only from ASUS qualified vendors for better system performance. V isit the ASUS website (www .asus.com) for the latest qualified vendors list. T able 1 Recommended memory configurations Sockets Mode DIMM_A1 DIMM_A2 DIMM_B1 Single-channel (1) Populated — — (2) — Populated — (3) — — Pop[...]

2-10 Chapter 2: Hardware information 2.4.3 Installing a DIMM 2.4.4 Removing a DIMM Follow these steps to remove a DIMM. 3. Firmly insert the DIMM into the socket until the retaining clips snap back in place and the DIMM is properly seated. 1. Simultaneously press the retaining clips outward to unlock the DIMM. 2. Remove the DIMM from the socket. 1.[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 2-11 2.5 Expansion slots 2.5.1 Installing an expansion card Follow these steps to install an expansion card. 1. Before installing the expansion card, read the documentation that came with it and make the necessary hardware settings for the card. 2. Remove the system unit cover (if your motherboard is already installe[...]

2-12 Chapter 2: Hardware information Standard Interrupt Assignments IRQ Priority Standard Function 0 1 System T imer 1 2 Keyboard Controller 2 N/A Programmable Interrupt 3* 1 1 Communications Port (COM2) 4* 12 Communications Port (COM1) 5* 13 Sound Card (sometimes LPT2) 6 14 Floppy Disk Controller 7* 15 Printer Port (LPT1) 8 3 System CMOS/Real T im[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 2-13 2.5.4 PCI slots The PCI 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. 2.5.5 AGP slot The Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slot that supports AGP8X/4X cards. When you buy an AGP ca[...]

2-14 Chapter 2: Hardware information 2.5.6 Wi-Fi slot The Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) slot will support the ASUS WiFi-b™ module when available. Visit the ASUS website (www .asus.com) for product updates. The Wi-Fi slot conforms to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.1 1b/g standard for wireless devices operating in the [...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 2-15 2.6 Jumpers A7N8X-E ® A7N8X-E Keyboard Power Setting KBPWR1 (Default) +5V 1 2 +5VSB 2 3 1. Keyboard wake up (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. This [...]

2-16 Chapter 2: Hardware information 3. 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 to +5VSB to wake up from S3 and S4 sleep modes (no power to CPU, DRAM in slow refresh, p[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 2-17 5. 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 the jump[...]

2-18 Chapter 2: Hardware information 2.7 Connectors 2.7.1 Rear panel connectors 1. PS/2 mouse port. This green 6-pin connector is for a PS/2 mouse. 2. Fast Ethernet port (RJ-45). This port allows up to 100 Mbps of data transfer rate to a Local Area Network (LAN). 3. Parallel port. This 25-pin port connects a parallel printer , a scanner , or other [...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 2-19 13. USB 2.0 ports 3 and 4. These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices. 14. PS/2 keyboard port. This purple connector is for a PS/2 keyboard. 2.7.2 Internal connectors 1. IDE connectors (40-1 pin PRI_IDE1, SEC_IDE1) This connector supports the provided UltraA T A[...]

2-20 Chapter 2: Hardware information 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-E ® NOTE: Or[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 2-21 4. Serial A T A connectors (7-pin SA T A_RAID1, SA T A_RAID2) These Serial A T A connectors support SA T A hard disks that you may configure as a RAID set. Through the onboard Promise ® PDC20378 RAID controller , you may create a RAID0, RAID1, RAID0+1, or multi- RAID configuration together with the RAID A T A13[...]

2-22 Chapter 2: Hardware information 5. CPU, Power and Chassis Fan Connectors (3-pin CPU_F AN1, PWR_F AN1, CHA_F AN1) 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 matche[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 2-23 7. A TX power connectors (20-pin A TXPWR1) This connector connects to an A TX 12V power supply . The plugs from the power supply is designed to fit this connectors in only one orientation. Find the proper orientation and push down firmly until the connector completely fits. Make sure that your A TX 12V power sup[...]

2-24 Chapter 2: Hardware information 8. USB header (10-1 pin USB56) 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 and allows faster Internet connection, interactive gaming, and simultaneous runnin[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 2-25 10. IEEE 1394 connectors (10-1 pin IE1394_1, IE1394_2) These connectors are for IEEE 1394 modules. Attach the 10-1 pin cable plugs to these connectors. Y ou may also connect a 1394-compliant internal hard disk to these connectors. 9. Internal audio connectors (4-pin MODEM1, CD1, AUX1) These connectors allow you [...]

2-26 Chapter 2: Hardware information 1 1. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin FP_AUDIO) This is an interface for the front panel audio cable that allow convenient connection and control of audio devices. By default, the pins labeled LINE_OUT_R/BLINE_OUT_R and the pins LINE_OUT_L/BLINE_OUT_L are shorted with jumper caps. Remove the caps only when [...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 2-27 13. GAME/MIDI connector (16-1 pin GAME1) This connector supports a GAME/MIDI module. If a GAME/MIDI module is available, 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. The G[...]

2-28 Chapter 2: Hardware information 15. System panel connector (20-pin CTRL_P ANEL1) This connector accommodates several system front panel functions. • System Power LED Lead (Green 3-1 pin PLED) This 3-1 pin connector connects to the system power LED. The LED lights up when you turn on the system power , and blinks when the system is in sleep m[...]

Chapter 3 Powering up This chapter describes the power up sequence, the vocal POST messages and ways of shutting down the system.[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard Chapter summar y 3.1 Starting up for the first time .......................... 3-1 3.2 Powering off the computer ........................... 3-2 3.3 ASUS POST Reporter™ ................................. 3-4[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 3-1 3. 1 St ar ting up for the fir s t 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[...]

3-2 Chapter 3: Powering up 3.2 Powering of f the com puter 3.2.1 Using the OS shut down function If you are using Windows 98/98SE/ME/NT/2000, click the Start button, click Shut Down... , make sure that the Shut down option button is selected, then the OK button to shut down the computer . The power supply should turn off after Windows shuts down. I[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 3-3 3.3 ASUS POST Repor ter™ 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[...]

3-4 Chapter 3: Powering up POST Message Action No keyboard detected • Check your keyboard if properly connected to the purple PS/2 connector on the rear panel. • See section “2.7.1 Rear panel connectors” for the location of the connector . No floppy disk detected • Make sure you have connected a floppy disk to the floppy disk connector on[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 3-5 3.3.2 W inbond V oice Editor The Winbond V oice Editor software allows you to customize the vocal POST messages. Install the software from the utilities menu of the support CD. See section “5.2.3 Utilities menu” for details. T o avoid conflicts, do not run the Winbond V oice Editor while running the ASUS PC P[...]

3-6 Chapter 3: Powering up 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 V oice Editor screen. For some languages, not all events have a corresponding message due to file size[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 3-7 Y ou may want to create a separate folder for your wave files so you can locate them easily in one place. 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 cus[...]

3-8 Chapter 3: Powering up If you receive an error message telling you that the files exceed the total allowable size, do one or all of the following. • T ry to modify your messages to make them shorter • Save the wave files at a lower quality • Skip lesser used events like FDD Detection, IDE HDD Detection, etc. 7. Click a POST event on the V[...]

Chapter 4 BIOS setup This chapter tells how to change the system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard Chapter summar y 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 ........................................... 4-14 4.5 Security Menu .......................[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 4-1 4. 1 Managing and updating your BIOS The following utilities allow you to manage and update the motherboard Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) setup. 1. A ward Flash BIOS Utility (Updates the BIOS using a floppy disk or during POST . ) 2 . ASUS Update (Updates the BIOS in a Windows ® environment.) Refer to the cor[...]

4-2 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup 4.1.2 A wardBIOS Flash Utility 1. Visit the ASUS website (www .asus.com) to download the latest BIOS file for your motherboard and rename it to A7N8X-E.ROM. Save the BIOS file to a floppy disk. 2. Reboot the computer . 3. T o use AwardBIOS Flash Utility , press <Alt> + <F2> during POST to display the following [...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 4-3 6. The program asks to save the previous BIOS to a separate file. T ype a file name for the old bios and then press <Y>. The A WDFLASH program backs-up the file. 5. T ype the name of the new BIOS file, for example: “A W0702.BIN” then press <Enter>. The program asks if you want to save the previous[...]

4-4 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup 8. T ype <Y> and Press <Enter> to flash the new Bios file. NOTE: Do not shut of f system power or unplug the supply during the flash process. 9. The BIOS flashes and displays the results. Press <F1> to restart. 1. Boot from the floppy disk. 2. At the A: prompt, type C: then press <Enter>. 3. At th[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 4-5 4.1.3 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). [...]

4-6 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup 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 t[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 4-7 4.2 BIOS Setup progr am This motherboard supports a programmable firmware chip 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”[...]

4-8 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup 4.2.2 Menu bar The menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items: Main For changing the basic system configuration Advanced For changing the advanced system settings Security Use this menu to set the Supervisor and User passwords. Hardware Monitor Monitor the status of vital components, including voltages and [...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 4-9 4.2.4 Menu items The highlighted item on the menu bar displays the specific items for that menu. For example, selecting Main shows the Main menu items. The other items (Advanced, Power , Boot, and Exit) on the menu bar have their respective menu items. 4.2.5 Sub-menu items An item with a sub-menu on any menu scre[...]

4-10 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup 4.3 Main menu When you enter the BIOS Setup program, the Main menu screen appears giving you an overview of the basic system information. 4.3.1 System T ime [xx:xx:xxxx] This item allows you to set the system time. 4.3.2 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx] This item allows you to set the system date. 4.3.3 Legacy Diskette A [1.4[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 4-11 4.3.5 Primary and Secondary Master/Slave While entering Setup, BIOS auto-detects the presence of IDE devices. There is a separate sub-menu for each IDE device. Select a device item then press Enter to display the IDE device information. The values opposite the dimmed items (Capacity , Cylinder , Head, PreComp, L[...]

4-12 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup Access Mode [Auto] The default [Auto] automatically detects an IDE hard disk drive. Select [CHS] in coordination with the [Manual] setting of the IDE Primary Master in order to enter the Hard Disk Drive values manually . After making your selections on this sub-menu, press the <Esc> key to return to the Main menu. W[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 4-13 Access Mode [Auto] 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 . Select [CHS] to mak[...]

4-14 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup 4.4 Advanced menu The Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other system devices. T ake caution when changing the settings of the Advanced menu items. Incorrect field values may cause the system to malfunction.[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 4-15 4.4.1 Advanced BIOS Features (Scroll down to view all items on the menu.) Boot V irus Detection [Disabled] This field enables or disables the boot virus protection. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] CPU Level 1 Cache [Enabled] This field enables or disables the CPU level 1 cache. Configuration options:[...]

4-16 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup First Boot Device [Floppy] This field sets the priority of the first boot device. By default, the system boots up on the floppy diskette drive. Configuration options: [Floppy] [LS120] [HDD-0] [SCSI] [CDROM] [HDD-1] [HDD-2] [HDD-3] [ZIP] [USB- FDD] [USB-ZIP] [USB-CDROM] [USB-HDD] [LAN] [Disabled] Second Boot Device [HDD] T[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 4-17 T ypematic Rate Setting [Disabled] This field enables or disable permission to change the rate of keystroke registration and display . By default, the rate cannot be changed. Change to [Enabled] to make settings in the nextt field. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] T ypematic Rate Setting (Char/Sec) [6[...]

4-18 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup 4.4.2 Advanced Chipset Features The Chipset menu items allow you to change the advanced chipset settings. Select an item then press Enter to display the sub-menu. (Scroll down to view all items on the menu.) CPU External Frequency (MHz) [100MHz] This field sets the external frequency ratio of the CPU. The system normally [...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 4-19 CPU Frequency Multiple [5.0x] This field is available to unlocked processors only . For unlocked processors, this field sets the frequency multiple between the CPU’s internal frequency (CPU speed) and the external frequency . System Performance [Optimal] This field permits change of mode for system performance[...]

4-20 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup SDRAM RAS to CAS Delay [1] RAS-to-CAS. This item controls the latency between the SDRAM Active command to the SDRAM. SDRAM RAS Precharge Delay [1] This item controls the idle clocks after issuing a precharge command to the DDR SDRAM. SDRAM CAS Latency [2.5T] This field sets the override clock cycle for the latency time be[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 4-21 System BIOS Cacheable [Disabled] This field establishes whether or not the BIOS is cacheable. Disabled by default. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] V ideo RAM Cacheable [Disabled] This field establishes whether or not the video RAM is cacheable. Disabled by default. Configuration options: [Enabled] [D[...]

4-22 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup Primary VGA BIOS [PCI VGA Card] This field sets the priority for the display of VGA signals. Change from the PCI VGA Cardt default to AGP VGA Card if using an AGP card. Configuration options: [PCI VGA Card] [AGP VGA Card] USB Controllers [V1.1+V2.0] This field sets the protocols for OnChip processing of USB outputs. The d[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 4-23 Onboard 1394 Device [Enabled] When enabled, this field sets the on chip support for IEEE 1394 signal outputs. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] Floppy Disk Access Controller [Enabled] This field enables the FDA Controller . Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] Onboard Serial Port 1 [3F8/IRQ4] Th[...]

4-24 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup Onboard Game Port [201] This field sets the address of the game port t0 201 by default. Disabling the game port makes the port unavailable. Configuration options: [Disabled] [201] [209] Onboard MIDI I/O [330] This field sets the address of the MIDI I/O port to 330 by default. Configuration options: [Disabled] [330] [300] [...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 4-25 PWR button < 4 Secs [Suspend] This field sets the delay after which the system powers off after depressing the external case-mounted power button. The default setting powers off the system instantly . Configuration options: [Soft-Off] [Suspend] Power Up on PCI Device [Enabled] This field enables W ake-On-LAN [...]

4-26 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup 4.4.5 PnP/PCI Configurations Resources Controlled By [Auto(ESCD)] This field sets control over the IRQ resources by the automatic (ESCD) system or manual assignment of IRQ channels. The default enables automatic (ESCD) control. Configuration options: [Auto(ESCD)] [Manual] PCI/VGA Palette Snoop [Disabled] This field enable[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 4-27 4.5 Security Menu The BIOS Setup program permits two different passwords to control access to the BIOS during system startup: a Supervisor password and a User password. Passwords are not case sensitive, meaning, passwords can be typed in either uppercase or lowercase letters. The table below describes the author[...]

4-28 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup Security Option [Setup] This field sets the security options. The default enables the setup option for security . Configuration options: [Setup] [System] Set Supervisor Password / Set User Password T o set a password, highlight the appropriate field and press <Enter>. T ype in a password then press <Enter>. Y [...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 4-29 4.6 Hardwar e Monitor Menu The Harware Monitor menu displays all vital system statistics. MB, CPU T emperature [xx C / xx F] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the MB (motherboard) and CPU temperatures. VCORE V oltage, +3.3V V oltage, +5V V oltage, +12V V oltage The onboard hardware monitor autom[...]

4-30 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup Fan Speed Ratio [10/15] This item allows you to select the appropriate fan speed ratio for the system. The default [10/15] is the minimum fan speed ratio. Select a higher ratio if you installed additional devices and the system requires more ventilation. This item is required to be set when the Q-Fan Control field is [Ena[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 4-31 Exit & Discard Changes Select this option only if you do not want to save the changes that you made to the Setup program. If you made changes to fields other than system date, system time, and password, the BIOS asks for a confirmation before exiting. Load Setup Defaults This option allows you to load the de[...]

4-32 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup[...]

Chapter 5 Software support This chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes with the motherboard package.[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard Chapter summar y 5.1 Install an operating system ........................... 5-1 5.2 Support CD information ................................ 5-1 5.3 NVIDIA ® nForce Control Panel ...................... 5-3 5.4 NVIDIA ® NVSwap 1.0 Utility .......................... 5-1 1 5.5 RAID 0 / RAID 1 configurations ..........[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 5-1 5. 1 Inst all an operating system This motherboard supports Windows 2000/XP operating system (OS). Always install the latest OS version and corresponding updates so you can maximize the features of your hardware. 5.2 Suppor t CD information The support CD that came with the motherboard contains useful software an[...]

5-2 Chapter 5: Software support 5.2.2 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 nForce driver This item installs the NVIDIA ® nForce2 drivers. Silicon Image Serial A T A driver This item displays the step-by-step installati[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 5-3 5.2.3 Utilities menu The Utilities menu shows the applications and other software that the motherboard supports. 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 [...]

5-4 Chapter 5: Software support 5.2.4 ASUS Contact Information Clicking the ASUS Contact Information tab displays as stated. Y ou may also find this information in the inside front cover of this user guide. I’m InT ouch Remote Access Application This item installs the I’m InT ouch Remote Access application that allow users to remotely access fi[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 5-5 5.2.5 Other information The icons on the top right corner of the screen give additional information on the motherboard and the contents of the support CD. Click an icon to display the specified information. Motherboard Info The window displays the general specifications of the A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard. Browse t[...]

5-6 Chapter 5: Software support T echnical Support Form The window displays the ASUS T echnical 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.[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 5-7 5.3 NVIDIA ® nForce contr ol panel The NVIDIA ® nForce Control Panel is a suite of five convenient applications to help you get the most from all your computer controlled audio systems. Follow the installation wizard to install the NVIDIA nForce drivers from the motherboard support CD. Use 4-channel or 6-channe[...]

5-8 Chapter 5: Software support • Dolby ® Surround Encoding - enables audio to be encoded for playback on home theater receivers (using analog stereo outputs only) • Dolby ® Digital Encoding - enables audio to be encoded for playback on 5.1 home theater receivers (using digital SPDIF output only) Here are some of the features on the Speaker S[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 5-9 5.3.4 MIDI This tab allows you to change settings to MIDI playback. A MIDI song can be tested at the Audition section using all available ef fects or just the highted effect. The Download Sounds section allows the loading and unloading of DLS or SoundFont sample banks from system memory . These banks provide the [...]

5-10 Chapter 5: Software support 5.3.7 Information The Information tab shows the details of the APU (optional), hardware and software revisions, driver revisions, currect DirectX version, and in “Advanced” mode the DSP and voice utilization. This is the first place to look when you are verifying what drivers you are running and the last place t[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 5-11 5.4 NVIDIA ® NVSwap 1 .0 Utility Running the NVSwap Application NVSwap 1.0 sets up and optimizes your audio experience when you use NVIDIA ® audio products such as the NVIDIA SoundStorm™ audio solution. This software helps you configure your speaker setup on NVIDIA nForce™ motherboards equipped with an aud[...]

5-12 Chapter 5: Software support Line In and Rear Speaker T oggle Button The first button is for toggling between Line In and Rear Speaker settings. The default setting for the NVSwap application is for Line In to be active. If you are clicking this button, you disable the Line In and enable Rear Speakers. When Rear Speaker is enabled, the connecti[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 5-13 5.5 RAID 0/RAID 1 Configurations The motherboard includes the Silicon Image Sil 31 12A controller chipset and two Serial A T A interfaces to support Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) configuration. This feature supports Serial A T A hard disks. Use the SA T ARaid™ utility to configure the RAID sets. [...]

5-14 Chapter 5: Software support Follow these steps to install the hard disks for RAID configuration. 1. Install the Serial A T A hard disks into the drive bays. 2. Connect one Serial A T A HDD to each Serial A T A connector , using separate serial A T A cables. 4. Connect the power cable to the power connector on each drive. 5. Make sure that the [...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 5-15 Creating RAID Sets 1. Select “Create RAID Set” 2. Choose either a “Striped” or “Mirrored” RAID Set. 3. Select if you want the utility to Auto Configure the RAID Set or if you want to manually configure the RAID set. For Striped Sets, you can change the chunk size. For Mirrored Sets, you assign which [...]

5-16 Chapter 5: Software support 5.6 Onboard L AN dr iver s for Windows 98SE/ME Before you can use the onboard LAN under Windows ® 98SE or Windows ® ME OS, you need to install the onboard LAN drivers from the support CD. Installing onboard LAN drivers Follow these instructions to install the onboard LAN drivers for Windows 98SE/ME. 1. Boot your c[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 5-17 3. Click on Run to execute test. • The Virtual Cable T ester™ (VCT) feature is supported in Windows ® XP™ and Windows ® 2000™ operating systems only . • The Run button on the VCT T ester dialogue box is disabled if no problem is detected on the network. 5.7 Mar vell ® Vir tual Cable T ester™ (VCT)[...]

5-18 Chapter 5: Software support 5.8 I’m In T ouch™ Remote Access Application The motherboard supports the I’m InT ouch™ remote access application. This application is a remote access and control service that allows you to connect and interact to your home or office computer using a computer , Pocket PC, or a cellular phone with Internet ac[...]

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard 5-19 8. Key-in a unique Computer Name , Login Name and Password . Confirm the Password, then click Next . Items marked with an asterisk “*” are required fields. 9. Make sure that the Enable Remote Control box is checked. If you want to use the same Login password you created in step 8, check the Use the same Logi[...]

5-20 Chapter 5: Software support 5.8.2 Using I’m InT ouch™ 1. From any web browser , go to the I’m InT ouch™ locator website: locator .01com.com 2. From the Connect T o My Computer screen, key-in your Computer Name . 3. Click the appropriate button, either a Desktop Browser or a Wireless Browser depending on the browser you are using. 4. Af[...]