Asus A7N8X-VM manual

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Table of contents for the manual

  • Page 1

    Motherboard A7N8X-VM User Manual[...]

  • Page 2

    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[...]

  • Page 3

    iii Features Contents Contents ......................................................................................... iii Notices ............................................................................................ v Federal Communications Commission Statement ................. v Canadian Department of Communications Statement ..........[...]

  • Page 4

    iv Safeguards Contents 2.2 BIOS Setup Program .................................................... 2-3 2.2.1 BIOS menu bar ................................................... 2-3 2.2.2 Legend bar ......................................................... 2-4 2.3 Main Menu .................................................................... 2-5 2.3.1[...]

  • Page 5

    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[...]

  • Page 6

    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[...]

  • Page 7

    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[...]

  • Page 8

    viii ASUS contact infor mation ASUST eK COMPUTER INC. (Asia-Pacific) Address: 150 Li-T e Road, Peitou, T aipei, T aiwan 1 12 General T el: +886-2-2894-3447 General Fax: +886-2-2894-3449 General Email: info@asus.com.tw T echnical Support MB/Others (T el): +886-2-2890-7121 (English) Notebook (T el): +886-2-2890-7122 (English) Desktop/Server (T el): +[...]

  • Page 9

    ix A7N8X -VM specifications 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 3000+ 333/266 MHz FSB Support NVIDIA ® nForce2 I[...]

  • Page 10

    x A7N8X - VM 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 Probe[...]

  • Page 11

    Chapter 1 This chapter describes the features of the A7N8X-VM motherboard. It includes brief descriptions of the motherboard components, and illustrations of the layout, jumper settings, and connectors. Product introduction[...]

  • Page 12

    1-2 Chapter 1: Product Information 1 . 1 W elcome! Thank you for buying the ASUS ® A7N8X-VM motherboard! The ASUS A7N8X-VM 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 section[...]

  • Page 13

    ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 1-3 1 .3 Special features Latest processor technology The motherboard supports the latest AMD Athlon ™ /Athlon ™ XP 3000+ processors via a surface mounted 4 62- pin socket. With up to 333Mhz front side bus frequency , you can be assured of an ef ficient and reliable computing performance. USB 2.0 technology The motherb[...]

  • Page 14

    1-4 Chapter 1: Product Information 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. 17 26 20 21 22 23 19 18 25 24 23 6 1 5 13 9 4 14 8 7 10 16 12 11 15[...]

  • Page 15

    ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 1-5 A TX power connector . This standard 20-pin connector connects to an A TX 12V power supply . The power supply must have at least 1A on the +5V standby lead (+5VSB). CPU Socket. Socket 462 (Socket A) Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket for the AMD Athlon ™ /Athlon XP ™ 3000+ processors. NorthBridge Controller . The NV[...]

  • Page 16

    1-6 Chapter 1: Product Information 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 like SCSI or LAN cards with 133MB/s maximum output. LAN chip. The Realtek 8201BL PHY Fast Ethernet controller [...]

  • Page 17

    ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 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 Agere 1394 PHY Audio Codec Below:Mic In Center:Line Out T op:Line In DDR DIMM2 (64/128 bit, 184-pi[...]

  • Page 18

    1-8 Chapter 1: Product Information 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[...]

  • Page 19

    ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 1-9 1 .9 Expansion slots The A7N8X-VM motherboard has three (3) PCI, one (1) Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) and one (1) Communications and Networking Riser (CNR) 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[...]

  • Page 20

    1-10 Chapter 1: Product Information 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 LA[...]

  • Page 21

    ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 1-11 1.9.4 CNR slot The Communications and Networking Riser (CNR) slot supports interface cards that integrates audio, modem, and network functionality . The CNR specification supports interfaces including: • Audio Codec ‘ 97 (AC ’ 97) - for audio and/or modem functions • Local Area Network (LAN) - for networking f[...]

  • Page 22

    1-12 Chapter 1: Product Information 1. 10 Jumper s 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 +[...]

  • Page 23

    ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 1-13 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 caps[...]

  • Page 24

    1-14 Chapter 1: Product Information 1 . 1 1 Connectors 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 [...]

  • Page 25

    ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 1-15 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 power sup[...]

  • Page 26

    1-16 Chapter 1: Product Information 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 [...]

  • Page 27

    ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 1-17 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 the c[...]

  • Page 28

    1-18 Chapter 1: Product Information 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 Front [...]

  • Page 29

    ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 1-19 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 input[...]

  • Page 30

    1-20 Chapter 1: Product Information 13. TV out connector (6-1 pin U46) This 6-1 pin connector connects to the front panel daughter card with the audio tv-out port. 12. Infrared Module connector (10-1 pin IR_CON1) These connectors support an optional wireless transmitting and receiving infrared module. The module mounts to a small opening on the sys[...]

  • Page 31

    ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 1-21 14. 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. A7N8X-VM Serial COM2 Bracket PIN 1 COM2 A7N8X-VM 15. Optional I[...]

  • Page 32

    1-22 Chapter 1: Product Information 16. System panel connector (20-pin P ANEL1) This connector accommodates several system front panel functions. A7N8X-VM System 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 Ground Keybo[...]

  • Page 33

    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[...]

  • Page 34

    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 [...]

  • Page 35

    ASUS A7N8X-VM 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 this [...]

  • Page 36

    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[...]

  • Page 37

    ASUS A7N8X-VM 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 . T o[...]

  • Page 38

    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[...]

  • Page 39

    ASUS A7N8X-VM 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 Mode [[...]

  • Page 40

    2-8 Chapter 2: BIOS information 2.4 Advanced Menu 2.4.1 Chipset V ideo Frame Buffer Size [Auto] 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 [Auto] This feature[...]

  • Page 41

    ASUS A7N8X-VM 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. Configuration op[...]

  • Page 42

    2-10 Chapter 2: BIOS information Parallel Port Mode [Disabled] 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 B[...]

  • Page 43

    ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 2-11 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 feat[...]

  • Page 44

    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 [Disabled] This field allows the BIOS, when [Enabled], to use PCI busmastering for reading and writing to IDE drives. Configura[...]

  • Page 45

    ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 2-13 2.5.1 Power Up Control Restore on AC Power Loss [Power Off] 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 AC pow[...]

  • Page 46

    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[...]

  • Page 47

    ASUS A7N8X-VM 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 Boot S[...]

  • Page 48

    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 [Enabled] This sets the PS/2 mouse support. Con[...]

  • Page 49

    ASUS A7N8X-VM 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 specify [...]

  • Page 50

    2-18 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[...]

  • Page 51

    ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 2-19 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 for ea[...]

  • Page 52

    2-20 Chapter 2: BIOS information[...]

  • Page 53

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

  • Page 54

    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. Because motherboard settings and h[...]

  • Page 55

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

  • Page 56

    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[...]

  • Page 57

    ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user guide 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 adjust[...]

  • Page 58

    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[...]

  • Page 59

    ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user guide 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[...]

  • Page 60

    3-8 Chapter 3: Software support 4. From the selection that appears, choose a logo image. Click Next. If you wish, you may create your own boot logo image in GIF , JPG, or BMP file formats. ASUS MyLogo2™ The ASUS MyLogo2 ™ is automatically installed when you install the ASUS Update utility from the software menu. See page 3-7 for installation of[...]

  • Page 61

    ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user guide 3-9 6. The next screen prompts you to flash the original BIOS to update it with the new boot logo. Click Flash to update the BIOS. 7. When finished, click Exit, then reboot your computer . Y our system boots with the new boot logo. Instead of starting from ASUS Update, you may also launch ASUS MyLogo2 directly f[...]

  • Page 62

    3-10 Chapter 3: Software support Microsoft Direct X Driver This item installs the Microsoft Direct X 8.1 driver . PC-CILLIN 2002 This item installs the PC-cillin 2002 anti-virus program. View the PC-cillin online help for detailed information. Adobe Acrobat Reader This item installs the Adobe Acrobat Reader . The Acrobat Reader software is for view[...]

  • Page 63

    ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user guide 3-11[...]

  • Page 64

    3-12 Chapter 3: Software support[...]