Asus A7N8X-VM 400 manual

Motherboard A7N8X-VM 400 User Manual[...]

ii Checklist Copyright © 2004 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 Contents ......................................................................................... iii Notices ............................................................................................ v Safety information .......................................................................... vi ASUS contact information [...]

iv Safeguards Contents 2.4 Advanced Menu ................................................................. 2-8 2.4.1 Chipset ................................................................... 2-8 2.4.2 Onboard Devices Configuration ............................. 2-9 2.4.3 PCIPnP ................................................................. 2-1 [...]

v 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 be[...]

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 manual. 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 inform[...]

viii ASUS contact infor mation ASUST eK COMPUTER INC. (Asia-Pacific) Address 150 Li-T e Road, Peitou, T aipei, T aiwan 1 12 T elephone +886-2-2894-3447 Web site www .asus.com.tw T echnical Support T elephone(MB/Component) +886-2-2890-7121 (English) (Notebook) +886-2-2890-7122 (English) (Server/PC) +886-2-2890-7123 (English) (Networking) +886-2-2890[...]

ix A7N8X -VM 400 specif ications summar y CPU Chipset Front Side Bus (FSB) Memory Expansion slots IDE Graphics Audio LAN IEEE 1394 (optional) Hardware Monitoring Special Features Back Panel I/O Ports Internal I/O Connectors (continued on the next page) Socket A T ype 462 for AMD Athlon™/Athlon™ XP CPUs 400/333/266 MHz FSB Support NVIDIA ® nFor[...]

x A7N8X - VM 400 specifications summar y BIOS features Industry standard Manageability Support CD contents Accessories Form Factor * Specifications are subject to change without notice. 4Mb Flash EEPROM, AMI BIOS, ACPI 2.0, DMI, Green, PnP , TCA V , SMBIOS 2.3 PCI 2.2, USB 2.0/1.1 DMI 2.0, WOL, WOR, WO_USB, WO_KB/MS, SM Bus Device drivers ASUS PC P[...]

Chapter 1 This chapter describes the features of the A7N8X-VM 400 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 Information 1 . 1 W elcome! Thank you for buying the ASUS ® A7N8X-VM 400 motherboard! The ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 motherboard is loaded 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[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 1-3 1 .4 Motherboard components 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. 17 26 20 21 22 23 19 18 25 24 34 7 2 6 14 10 5 15 9 8 11 13 1 16 12[...]

1-4 Chapter 1: Product Information Onboard LED. This onboard LED lights up if there is a standby power on the motherboard. This LED acts as a reminder to turn of f 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 power supply must have at least 1[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 1-5 System Buzzer . The system buzzer allows you to hear system warning beeps when a PC speaker is not available. Audio CODEC. The Realtek ALC650 6-channel Audio CODEC is an AC’97 compliant audio CODEC designed for PC multimedia systems. PCI slots. These 32-bit PCI 2.2 expansion slots support bus master PCI cards lik[...]

1-6 Chapter 1: Product Information 1 .5 Motherboard layout 24.5cm (9.6in) 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-pin module) 2[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 1-7 1 .6 Before you proceed T ake note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings. 1 .7 Central Pr ocessing Unit (CPU) The motherboard provides a Socket A (462) for CPU installation. AMD processors offer gigahertz speeds to support all the latest computing [...]

1-8 Chapter 1: Product Information 1 .9 Expansion slots The A7N8X-VM 400 motherboard has three (3) PCI and one (1) Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) expansion slots. The following sub-sections describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support. 1 .8 System memor y The motherboard has two Double Data Rate (DDR) DIMM sockets that supports up [...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 1-9 1.9.2 Standard Interrupt Assignments IRQ Standard Function 0 System T imer 1 Keyboard Controller 2 Programmable Interrupt Controller 3* USB Universal Host Controller 4* Communications Port (COM1) 5* Onboard Audio 6 Standard Floppy Disk Controller 7* Printer Port (LPT1) 8 System CMOS/Real T ime Clock 9* Onboard LAN [...]

1-10 Chapter 1: Product Information 1.9.4 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. 1.9.3 AGP slot This motherboard has an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slot that supports +1.5V AGP 8X cards. Note the n[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 1-11 1 . 10 Jumpers This section describes and illustrates the jumpers on the motherboard. 1. USB device wake-up (3-pin USBPW12,USBPW34,USBPWR56) 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 +5[...]

1-12 Chapter 1: Product Information 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 the jumper[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 1-13 1 . 1 1 Connector s This section describes and illustrates the connectors on the motherboard. 1. IDE connectors (40-1 pin PRI_IDE, SEC_IDE) This connector supports the provided UltraA T A 133/100/66/33 IDE hard disk ribbon cable. Connect the cable’s blue connector to the primary (recommended) or secondary IDE co[...]

1-14 Chapter 1: Product Information 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 completely fit. If you will need to replace the powe[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 1-15 4. USB headers (10-1 pin USB34, USB56) If the USB 2.0 port connectors on the back panel are inadequate, two USB headers are available for four additional USB port connectors. Connect a 2- port USB connector set to a USB header and mount the USB bracket to an open slot in the chassis. 5. GAME/MIDI connector (16-1 p[...]

1-16 Chapter 1: Product Information 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.) or a total of 1A~2.22A (26.64W max.) at +12V . Connect the fan cables to the fan connectors on the motherboard, making sure that the black wire of each cable matches the ground pin of [...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 1-17 8. Front panel audio connectors (10-1 pin FP AUDIO) This is an interface for front panel audio cable that allows convenient connection and control of audio devices. 9. OnBoard LED The green Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights-ON if there is standby power and lights-OFF when the power is turned of f. A7N8X-VM 400 A7N[...]

1-18 Chapter 1: Product Information 10. 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 , MPEG card or modem. 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 [...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 1-19 13. Serial Port 2 connector (10-1 pin COM2) This connector accommodates a second serial port using an optional serial port bracket. Connect the bracket cable to this connector then install the bracket into a slot opening at the back of the system chassis. 12. TV out connector (6-1 pin U46) This 6-1 pin connector c[...]

1-20 Chapter 1: Product Information 14. System panel connector (20-pin P ANEL1) This connector accommodates several system front panel functions. • System Power LED Lead (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 . • Keyboard Lock Lead (2-1 pin KEYLOCK) This 2-1 pi[...]

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 DO NOT turn of f the system while updating the BIOS. This may cause boot problems. Just repeat the process, and if the problem persists, load the original BIOS file you saved to the boot disk. If the Flash Memory Writer utility is not able to successfully update a complete BIOS file, call the ASUS service center for [...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 2-3 2.2 BIOS Setup progr am Because the BIOS software is constantly being updated, the following BIOS setup screens and descriptions are for reference purposes only , and may not exactly match what you see on your screen. 2.2.1 BIOS menu bar The top of the screen has a menu bar with the following selections: MAIN Use t[...]

2-4 Chapter 2: BIOS information 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 <Alt + H> Dis[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 2-5 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 .[...]

2-6 Chapter 2: BIOS information 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 the month, da[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 2-7 Block (Multi-Sector T ransfer) [Auto] This field configures the Multi-Sector T ransfer Block. Select [Auto] to enable the data to transfer from and to the device occurs multiple sectors at a time if the device supports it. When [Disabled], the data transfer from and to the device occurs one sector at a time. PIO Mo[...]

2-8 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.4 Advanced Menu 2.4.1 Chipset V ideo Frame Buffer Size [ 64MB] 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] [8MB] [16MB] [32MB] [64MB] [128MB] Graphics Aperture Size [ 64MB] This featu[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 2-9 MDA Access Control [PCI] 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. Configuratio[...]

2-10 Chapter 2: BIOS information Parallel Port Mode [ECP] This field allows the BIOS to select the Parallel Port Mode. Configuration options: [Normal] [EPP] [ECP] [EPP+ECP] ECP Mode [DMA3] This field allows the BIOS to select the Parallel Port ECP DMA. Configuration options: [DMA0] [DMA1] [DMA3] Parallel Port IRQ [IRQ7] This field allows the BIOS t[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 2-11 2.4.3 PCIPnP Plug and Play O/S [Y es] 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 syste[...]

2-12 Chapter 2: BIOS information 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 . PCI IDE BusMaster [Enabled] This field allows the BIOS, when [Enabled], to use PCI busmastering for reading and writing to IDE drives. Configurat[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 2-13 2.5.1 Power Up Control Restore on AC Power Loss [Last State] When set to Power Off, the system goes into of f state after an AC power loss. When set to Power On, the system goes on after an AC power loss. When set to Last State, the system goes into either off or on state whatever was the system state before the A[...]

2-14 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.5.2 Hardware Monitor MB T emperature [xxxC/xxxF] CPU T emperature [xxxC/xxxF] Power 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 hardw[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 2-15 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 Device. 2.6.1 Bo[...]

2-16 Chapter 2: BIOS information AddOn ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS] This field sets the display mode for option ROM. Configuration options: [Force BIOS] [Keep Current] Bootup Num-Lock [On] This field selects the power-on state for the NumLock key . Configuration options: [Off] [On] PS/2 Mouse Support [Auto] This sets the PS/2 mouse support. Config[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 2-17 A note about passwords The BIOS Setup program allows you to specify passwords in the Boot menu. The passwords control access to the BIOS during system startup. Passwords are not case sensitive, meaning, passwords typed in either uppercase or lowercase letters are accepted. The BIOS Setup program allows you to spec[...]

2-18 Chapter 2: BIOS information After you have set a supervisor password, the other items appear to allow you to change other security settings. 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, thi[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 2-19 User Access Level (Full Access] This item allows you to select the access restriction to the Setup items. Configuration options: [No Access] [View Only] [Limited] [Full Access] No Access prevents user access to the Setup utility . V iew Only allows access but does not allow change to any field. Limited allows chan[...]

2-20 Chapter 2: BIOS information 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 to ensure the[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard 2-21 Discard Changes This option allows you to discard the selections you made and restore the previously saved values. After selecting this option, a confirmation appears. Select [Y es] to discard any changes and load the previously saved values. Load Setup Defaults This option allows you to load the default values fo[...]

2-22 Chapter 2: BIOS information[...]

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/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. Because motherboard settings and hard[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 motherboard 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. 3.2.3 Utilities menu The Utilities menu shows the applications and other software that the motherboard supports. Screen display and driver options ma[...]

3-4 Chapter 3: Software support Settings Lets you set threshold levels and polling intervals or refresh times of the PC’s temperature, fan rotation, and voltages. CPU Cooling System Setup Lets you select when to enable software CPU cooling. When When CPU Overheated is selected, the CPU cooling system is enabled whenever the CPU temperature reache[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 motherboard 3-5 History Lets you record the monitoring activity of a certain component of your PC for future reference. Hard Drives Shows the used and free space of the PC’ s hard disk drives and the file allocation table or file system used. Fan Control Lets you enable/disable Smart Fan Control. Smart Fan Control adjusts the fa[...]

3-6 Chapter 3: Software support Device Summary Shows a summary of devices present in your PC. DMI Explorer Shows information pertinent to the PC, such as CPU type, CPU speed, and internal/external frequencies, and memory size. Utility Lets you run programs outside of the ASUS Probe modules. T o run a program, click Execute Program . NOTE: This feat[...]

ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 motherboard 3-7 2. Select your desired update method, then click Next. 1. Launch the utility from your Windows Start menu: Programs/AsusUpdate Vx.xx.xx/ AsusUpdate The ASUS Update initial screen appears. 3. If you selected updating/downloading from the Internet, select the ASUS FTP site nearest you to avoid network traf fic, or ch[...]

3-8 Chapter 3: Software support If you selected the option to update the BIOS from a file, a window pops up prompting you to locate the file. Select the file, click Save, then follow the screen instructions to complete the update process.[...]