P4G8X Deluxe P4G8X User Guide NOTE The IEEE 1394, Gigabit LAN, SATA/RAID, and POST Reporter features are present in P4G8X Deluxe models only.
E1133 Checklist First Edition November 2002 Copyright © 2002 ASUSTeK 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, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).
Contents Features FCC/CDC statements ..................................................................... vi Safety information ......................................................................... vii About this guide ............................................................................ viii How this guide is organized ................................................ viii Conventions used in this guide ............................................. ix Where to find more information ............
Contents Safeguards 2.6 2.7 2.8 Expansion slots ................................................................ 2-14 2.6.1 Installing an expansion card ................................ 2-14 2.6.2 Configuring an expansion card ............................ 2-14 2.6.3 PCI slots .............................................................. 2-16 2.6.4 AGP Pro slot ........................................................ 2-16 Jumpers ...........................................................................
Contents Chapter 5: Software support 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Install an operating system ................................................. 5-1 Support CD information ...................................................... 5-1 5.2.1 Running the support CD ........................................ 5-1 5.2.2 Drivers menu ......................................................... 5-2 5.2.3 Utilities menu ......................................................... 5-5 5.2.4 ASUS Contact Information .......................
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 tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Safety information Electrical safety • To 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 power cables from the existing system before you add a device.
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 features of the P4G8X series motherboard. It includes brief descriptions of the special attributes of the motherboard and the new technology it supports.
Conventions used in this guide To make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual. WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself when trying to complete a task. CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when trying to complete a task. IMPORTANT: Information that you MUST follow to complete a task. NOTE: Tips and additional information to aid in completing a task.
ASUS contact information ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (Asia-Pacific) Address: General Tel: General Fax: General Email: 150 Li-Te Road, Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan 112 +886-2-2894-3447 +886-2-2894-3449 info@asus.com.tw Technical Support MB/Others (Tel): Notebook (Tel): Desktop/Server (Tel): Support Fax: Support Email: Web Site: Newsgroup: +886-2-2890-7121 (English) +886-2-2890-7122 (English) +886-2-2890-7123 (English) +886-2-2890-7698 tsd@asus.com.tw www.asus.com.tw cscnews.asus.com.
P4G8X series specifications summary * Available on P4G8X Deluxe models only CPU Socket 478 for Intel® Pentium® 4 On-die 512KB/256KB L2 cache with full speed Supports Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology New power design for up to 3.06 GHz or faster speed Chipset Intel E7205 MCH Intel 82801DB ICH4 Front Side Bus (FSB) 533/400 MHz Memory 4 x 184-pin DDR DIMM sockets for up to 4GB memory Supports PC2100/PC1600 unbuffered ECC or non-ECC DDR DIMMs Expansion slots 1 x AGP Pro/8X (1.
P4G8X series specifications summary Rear panel I/O 1 x Parallel port 2 x Serial ports 1 x PS/2 keyboard port 1 x PS/2 mouse port 4 x USB 2.0 ports 1 x RJ-45 port (optional) Line In/Line Out/Microphone ports (optional) Internal I/O 1 x USB 2.
Chapter 1 This chapter describes the features of the P4G8X motherboard. It includes brief explanations of the special attributes of the motherboard and the new technology it supports.
Chapter summary 1.1 Welcome! ........................................................ 1-1 1.2 Package contents .......................................... 1-1 1.3 Special features ............................................. 1-2 1.4 Motherboard overview ...................................
1.1 Welcome! Thank you for buying the ASUS® P4G8X series motherboard! The ASUS P4G8X series motherboard delivers a host of new features and latest technologies making it another standout in the long line of ASUS quality motherboards! The motherboard incorporates the Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor in 478-pin package coupled with the Intel® E7205 chipset to set a new benchmark for an effective desktop platform solution.
1.3 Special features The IEEE 1394, Gigabit LAN, SATA/RAID, and POST Reporter features are present in P4G8X Deluxe models only. 1.3.1 Product highlights Latest processor technology The motherboard supports the latest Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor via a 478-pin surface mount ZIF socket. The Pentium 4 processor with 512KB L2 cache on 0.13 micron process includes a 533/400 MHz system bus and features the new Hyper-Threading Technology and FMB2 power design that allow up to 3.
IEEE 1394 support (on 1394 models only) The IEEE 1394 interfaces and the TI TSB43AB22 controller onboard provide high-speed and flexible PC connectivity to a wide range of peripherals and devices compliant to IEEE 1394a standards. The IEEE 1394 allows up to 400Mbps transfer rates through simple, low-cost, highbandwidth asynchronous (real-time) data interfacing between computers, peripherals, and consumer electronic devices such as camcorders, VCRs, printers,TVs, and digital cameras. See page 2-27. USB 2.
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-Tests (POST). Through an added external speaker, you will hear the messages informing you of the system boot status and causes of boot errors, if any. The bundled Winbond Voice Editor software allows you to customize the voice messages, and provides multi-language support. See page 5-17.
1.3.2 Value-added solutions Overclocking • C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall) • adjustable CPU VCORE , and DDR memory and AGP voltages • Stepless Frequency Selection (SFS) for fine-tuning system bus frequency from 100MHz up to 400MHz at 1MHz increments Concurrent PCI This feature allows multiple PCI transfers from PCI master buses to the memory and processor. Temperature, fan, and voltage monitoring The CPU temperature is monitored by the ASUS ASIC to prevent overheating and damage.
1.4 Motherboard overview Before you install the motherboard, familiarize yourself with its physical configuration and available features to facilitate the motherboard installation and future upgrades. A sufficient knowledge of the motherboard specifications will also help you avoid mistakes that may damage the board and its components. 1.4.1 Major components The following are the major components of the P4G8X motherboard as pointed out in the picture on page 1-7.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 21 20 9 19 10 18 17 16 22 15 14 23 13 12 11 24 25 26 27 31 30 29 ASUS P4G8X series motherboard user guide 28 1-7
1.4.2 Core specifications 1-8 1 ATX 12V connector. This power connector connects the 4-pin 12V plug from the ATX 12V power supply. 2 North bridge controller. The Intel® E7205 Memory Controller Hub (MCH), designed for the next generation entry workstation platform, provides the processor interface with 533/400 MHz frequency, system memory interface at 266MHz operation, and 1.5V AGP Interface Specification 3.0 that supports 8X/4X/2X Fast Write protocol.
12 South bridge controller. The fourth-generation Intel I/O Controller Hub (ICH4) is a subsystem that integrates various I/O functions including 2-channel ATA/100 bus master IDE controller, up to six USB 2.0/1.1 ports, I/O APIC, SMBus 2.0 controller, LPC interface, AC’97 2.2 interface, and PCI 2.2 interface. The ICH4 also contains the necessary arbitration and buffering for efficient utilization of these interfaces. 13 IEEE 1394 controller.
21 LAN controller. The BROADCOM® BCM5702 Gigabit Ethernet is a single-chip solution for LAN on Motherboard (LOM) and Network Interface Card (NIC) applications. The BCM5702 provides a 32-bit interface and supports 1000/100/10 Mbps data transfer rates. Fast Ethernet models mount the BROADCOM® BCM4401 controller for 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX networking. (on LAN models only) 22 PS/2 mouse port. This green 6-pin connector is for a PS/2 mouse. 23 Parallel port.
Chapter 2 This chapter describes the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform when installing system components. It includes details on the switches, jumpers, and connectors on the motherboard.
Chapter summary 2.1 Motherboard installation ............................... 2-1 2.2 Motherboard layouts ..................................... 2-2 2.3 Before you proceed ....................................... 2-4 2.4 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ..................... 2-5 2.5 System memory ............................................ 2-11 2.6 Expansion slots ........................................... 2-14 2.7 Jumpers ........................................................ 2-17 2.
2.1 Motherboard installation Before you install the motherboard, study the configuration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard fits into it. The motherboard uses the ATX form factor that measures 12 inches x 9.6 inches (30.5 x 24.5 cm). Make sure to unplug the power cord before installing or removing the motherboard. Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components. 2.1.
2.2 Motherboard layouts 2.2.1 P4G8X Deluxe 24.5cm (9.6in) PS/2KBMS T: Mouse B: Keyboard CPU_FAN Socket 478 USB2.
2.2.2 P4G8X 24.5cm (9.6in) PS/2KBMS T: Mouse B: Keyboard CPU_FAN Socket 478 USB2.
2.3 Before you proceed Take 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 the power supply case, before handling components to avoid damaging them due to static electricity. 3. Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them. 4.
2.4 Central Processing Unit (CPU) 2.4.1 Overview The motherboard comes with a surface mount 478-pin Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket. The socket is designed for the Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor in the 478-pin package with 512KB L2 cache on 0.13 micron process. This processor includes the Intel® NetBurst™ micro-architecture that features the hyper-pipelined technology, rapid execution engine, 533/400MHz system bus, and execution trace cache.
To use the Hyper-Threading Technology on this motherboard: 1. Buy an Intel Pentium 4 CPU that supports Hyper-Threading Technology. Install the CPU. 2. Power up the system and enter BIOS Setup (see Chapter 4). Under the Advanced Menu, make sure that the item Hyper-Threading Technology is set to Enabled. The item appears only if you installed a CPU that supports Hyper-Threading Techonology. 3. Reboot the computer. 2.4.2 Installing the CPU Follow these steps to install a CPU. 1.
3. Position the CPU above the socket such that its marked corner matches the base of the socket lever. 4. Carefully insert the CPU into the socket until it fits in place. Gold Mark 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! 5. When the CPU is in place, push down the socket lever to secure the CPU. The lever clicks on the side tab to indicate that it is locked.
2.4.3 Installing the heatsink and fan The Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor requires a specially designed heatsink and fan assembly to ensure optimum thermal condition and performance. When you buy a boxed Intel Pentium 4 Processor, the package includes the heatsink, fan, and retention mechanism. In case you buy a CPU separately, make sure that you use only Intel certified heatsink and fan. Follow these steps to install the CPU heatsink and fan. 1.
2. Position the fan with the retention mechanism on top of the heatsink. Align and snap the four hooks of the retention mechanism to the holes on each corner of the module base. Make sure that the fan and retention mechanism assembly perfectly fits the heatsink and module base, otherwise you cannot snap the hooks into the holes. Retention Hole Retention Lock Retention Hook Snapped to the Retention Hole Keep the retention locks lifted upward while fitting the retention mechanism to the module base.
3. Push down the locks on the retention mechanism to secure the heatsink and fan to the module base. When secure, the retention locks should point to opposite directions. 2.4.4 Connecting the CPU fan cable When the fan, heatsink, and the retention mechanism are in place, connect the CPU fan cable to the connector on the motherboard labeled CPU_FAN. CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN) Don’t forget to connect the CPU fan connector! Hardware monitoring errors may occur if you fail to plug this connector.
2.5 System memory 2.5.1 Overview The motherboard comes with four Double Data Rate (DDR) Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) sockets. These sockets support up to 4GB system memory using 184-pin unbuffered ECC or non-ECC PC2100/ PC1600 DDR DIMMs, and allow up to 4.2GB/s data transfer rate. The following figure illustrates the location of the DDR DIMM sockets.
2.5.2 Memory configurations You may install 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, and 1GB DDR DIMMs into the DIMM sockets using the memory configurations in this section. Important notes on memory configurations 1. Installing DDR DIMMs other than the recommended configurations may cause memory sizing error or system boot failure. See Table 1 for the recommended configurations. 2. Install only identical (the same type and size) DDR DIMM pairs using the recommended configurations. 3.
2.5.3 Installing a DIMM Make sure to unplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs or other system components. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to both the motherboard and the components. Follow these steps to install a DIMM. DDR DIMM notch 1. Unlock a DIMM socket by pressing the retaining clips outward. 2. Align a DIMM on the socket such that the notch on the DIMM matches the break on the socket.
2.6 Expansion slots In the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The motherboard has five PCI slots and one Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) PRO slot. The following sub-sections describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support. Make sure to unplug the power cord before adding or removing expansion cards. Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components. 2.6.1 Installing an expansion card Follow these steps to install an expansion card. 1.
Standard Interrupt Assignments IRQ 0 1 2 3* 4* 5* 6 7* 8 9* 10* 11* 12* 13 14* 15* * Priority 1 2 N/A 11 12 13 14 15 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Standard Function System Timer Keyboard Controller Programmable Interrupt Communications Port (COM2) Communications Port (COM1) Sound Card (sometimes LPT2) Floppy Disk Controller Printer Port (LPT1) System CMOS/Real Time Clock ACPI Mode when used IRQ Holder for PCI Steering IRQ Holder for PCI Steering PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port Numeric Data Processor Primary IDE Channel Se
2.6.3 PCI slots There are five 32-bit PCI slots on this motherboard, including an ASUS proprietary BlueMagic PCI slot. The 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. 2.6.4 AGP Pro slot This motherboard has an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) Pro slot that supports +1.5V AGP cards. When you buy an AGP card, make sure that you ask for one with +1.5V specification.
2.7 Jumpers 1. USB device wake-up (3-pin USBPW56) Set this jumper 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, power supply in reduced power mode). The rear panel USB ports (Ports 1 to 4) do not support device wake-up from S4 sleep mode. USBPW56 1 2 2 3 P4G8X ® +5VSB +5V (Default) P4G8X USB Device Wake Up 2.
3. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC) This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in CMOS. You can clear the CMOS memory of date, time, and system setup parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data. The RAM data in CMOS, that include system setup information such as system passwords, is powered by the onboard button cell battery. To erase the RTC RAM: 1. Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord. 2. Move the jumper cap from pins 1-2 (default) to pins 2-3.
2.8 Connectors This section describes and illustrates the internal connectors on the motherboard. Always connect ribbon cables with the red stripe to Pin 1 on the connectors. Pin 1 is usually on the side closest to the power connector on hard drives and CD-ROM drives, but may be on the opposite side on floppy disk drives. 1. Hard disk activity LED (2-pin IDE_LED) This connector supplies power to the hard disk activity LED.
3. IDE connectors (40-1 pin PRI_IDE, SEC_IDE) This connector supports the provided UltraDMA/100/66 IDE hard disk ribbon cable. Connect the cable’s blue connector to the primary (recommended) or secondary IDE connector, then connect the gray connector to the UltraDMA/100/66 slave device (hard disk drive) and the black connector to the UltraDMA/100/66 master device. It is recommended that you connect non-UltraDMA/100/66 devices to the secondary IDE connector.
4. Serial ATA connectors (7-pin SATA1, SATA1) These next generation connectors support the thin Serial ATA cables for Serial ATA hard disks. The current Serial ATA interface allows up to 150 MB/s data transfer rate, faster than the standard parallel ATA with 133 MB/s (Ultra ATA/133).
6. SMBus connector (6-1 pin SMB) This connector allows you to connect SMBus (System Management Bus) devices. Devices communicate with an SMBus host and/or other SMBus devices using the SMBus interface. SMB P4G8X P4G8X SMBus Connector Ground SMBDATA +3V FLOATING SMBCLK 1 ® 7. CPU, Chassis, and Power Fan Connectors (3-pin CPU_FAN, PWR_FAN, CHA_FAN) The fan connectors support cooling fans of 350mA~740mA (8.88W max.) or a total of 1A~2.22A (26.64W max.) at +12V.
8. ASUS EZ Plug™ and ATX power connectors (20-pin ATXPWR, 4-pin EZ_PLUG, 4-pin ATX12V) These connectors connect to an ATX 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. In addition to the 20-pin ATXPWR connector, this motherboard requires that you connect the 4-pin ATX +12V power plug to provide sufficient power to the CPU.
SPDIF_OUT +5V SPDIF_IN GND GND 9. Digital audio connector (6-1 pin SPDIF) (on audio models only) This connector is for the S/PDIF audio module to allow digital sound input/output. Connect one end of the S/PDIF audio cable this connector and the other end to the S/PDIF module. P4G8X ® SPDIF 1 P4G8X Digital Audio Connector +5V J1B2 J1CY GND GND J1CX J1B1 +5V 10. GAME/MIDI connector (16-1 pin GAME) This connector supports a GAME/MIDI module. If your package came with the USB 2.
11. 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. This speed advantage over the conventional 12 Mbps on USB 1.1 allows faster Internet connection, interactive gaming, and simultaneous running of high-speed peripherals. Connect the USB 2.0/GAME module to this header. The module has two USB 2.
12. Internal audio connectors (4-pin CD, AUX, MODEM) (on audio models only) These connectors allow you to receive stereo audio input from sound sources such as a CD-ROM, TV tuner, or MPEG card. The MODEM connector allows the onboard audio to interface with a voice modem card with a similar connector. It also allows the sharing of mono_in (such as a phone) and a mono_out (such as a speaker) between the audio and a voice modem card.
14. Infrared module connector (5-1 pin IR_CON) This connector supports an optional wireless transmitting and receiving infrared module. This module mounts to a small opening on system chassis that support this feature. You must also configure the UART2 Use As parameter in BIOS to set UART2 for use with IR. See section “4.4.2 I/O Device Configuration” for details.
BLINE_OUT_L AGND +5VA BLINE_OUT_R 16. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin FP_AUDIO) (on audio models only) This is an interface for the Intel 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 you are connecting the front panel audio cable.
• 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, and blinks when the system is in sleep mode. • Keyboard Lock Lead (2-pin KEYLOCK) This 2-pin connector connects to a chassis-mounted switch to allow the use of the keyboard lock feature. • System Warning Speaker Lead (4-pin SPKR) This 4-pin connector connects to the case-mounted speaker and allows you to hear system beeps and warnings.
2-30 Chapter 2: Hardware information
Chapter 3 This chapter describes the power up sequence and gives information on the BIOS beep codes.
Chapter summary 3.1 Starting up for the first time .......................... 3-1 3.2 Vocal POST Messages ................................... 3-2 3.3 Powering off the computer ...........................
3.1 Starting up for the first 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. 5. Turn on the devices in the following order: a. Monitor b. External SCSI devices (starting with the last device on the chain) c.
3.2 Vocal POST Messages 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 problem. These POST messages are customizable using the Winbond Voice Editor software that came with your package. You can record your own messages to replace the default messages.
POST Message Action No keyboard detected • Check your keyboard if properly connected to the purple PS/2 connector on the rear panel. • See section “1.4.1 Major components” for the location of the connector. No floppy disk detected • Make sure you have connected a floppy disk to the floppy disk connector on the motherboard. • See section “2.8 Connectors.” No IDE hard disk detected • Make sure you have connected an IDE hard disk drive to the one of the IDE connectors on the motherboard.
3.3 Powering off the computer You must first exit the operating system and shut down the system before switching off the power. For ATX power supplies, you can press the ATX power switch after exiting or shutting down the operating system. If you use Windows ME/2000/XP, click the Start button, click Shut Down, then click the OK button to shut down the computer. The power supply should turn off after Windows shuts down.
Chapter 4 This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.
Chapter summary 4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS .............. 4-1 4.2 BIOS Setup program ...................................... 4-8 4.3 Main Menu ..................................................... 4-11 4.4 Advanced Menu ........................................... 4-18 4.5 Power Menu .................................................. 4-28 4.6 Boot Menu .................................................... 4-34 4.7 Exit Menu ......................................................
4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS It is recommended that you save a copy of the motherboard’s original BIOS to a bootable floppy disk in case you need to reinstall the original BIOS later. 4.1.1 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.
5. At the prompt, “Please Enter File Name for NEW BIOS: _”, type in the BIOS file name that you downloaded from the ASUS website, then press . EZ Flash will automatically access drive A to look for the file name that you typed. When found, the following message appears on screen. [BIOS Information in File] BIOS Version: P4G8X Boot Block WARNING! Continue to update the BIOS (Y/N)? _ If you accidentally typed in a wrong BIOS file name, the error message, “WARNING! File not found.” appears.
4.1.2 Using AFLASH to update the BIOS Creating a bootable disk AFLASH.EXE is a Flash Memory Writer utility that updates the BIOS by uploading a new BIOS file to the programmable flash ROM on the motherboard. This file works only in DOS mode. To determine the BIOS version of your motherboard, check the last four numbers of the code displayed on the upper left-hand corner of your screen during bootup. Larger numbers represent a newer BIOS file. 1.
5. Select 1. Save Current BIOS to File from the Main menu and press . The Save Current BIOS To File screen appears. 6. Type a filename and the path, for example, A:\XXX-XX.XXX, then press .
Updating the BIOS Update the BIOS only if you have problems with the motherboard and you are sure that the new BIOS revision will solve your problems. Careless updating may result to more problems with the motherboard! 1. Download an updated ASUS BIOS file from the Internet (WWW or FTP) (see ASUS CONTACT INFORMATION on page x for details) and save to the boot floppy disk you created earlier. 2. Boot from the floppy disk. 3. At the “A:\” prompt, type AFLASH and then press . 4.
7. The utility starts to program the new BIOS information into the Flash ROM. The boot block is updated automatically only when necessary. This minimizes the possibility of boot problems in case of update failures. When the programming is done, the message “Flashed Successfully” appears. 8. Follow the onscreen instructions to continue. If you encounter problems while updating the new BIOS, DO NOT turn off the system because this may cause boot problems.
4.1.3 CrashFree BIOS feature The CrashFree BIOS feature allows you to boot the computer from a floppy disk and update the BIOS in case the original BIOS fails or gets corrupted. 1. You must have a bootable floppy disk ready before updating the BIOS. 2. The bootable floppy disk could be the one that you created following the procedure in section 4.1.2, and should contain the AFLASH.EXE utility. 3. If the BIOS fails (ROM data or codes are corrupted), a message appears during POST indicating the failure.
4.2 BIOS Setup program This motherboard supports a programmable Flash ROM 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”. 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 of your computer in the future.
4.2.1 BIOS menu bar The top of the screen has a menu bar with the following selections: MAIN Use this menu to make changes to the basic system configuration. ADVANCED Use this menu to enable and make changes to the advanced features. POWER Use this menu to configure and enable Power Management features. BOOT Use this menu to configure the default system device used to locate and load the Operating System. EXIT Use this menu to exit the current menu or to exit the Setup program.
General help In addition to the Item Specific Help window, the BIOS setup program also provides a General Help screen. You may launch this screen from any menu by simply pressing or the + combination. The General Help screen lists the legend keys and their corresponding functions. Saving changes and exiting the Setup program See “4.7 Exit Menu” for detailed information on saving changes and exiting the setup program.
4.3 Main Menu When you enter the Setup program, the following screen appears. System Time [XX:XX:XX] Sets the system to the time that you specify (usually the current time). The format is hour, minute, second. Valid values for hour, minute and second are Hour: (00 to 23), Minute: (00 to 59), Second: (00 to 59). Use the or + keys to move between the hour, minute, and second fields. System Date [XX/XX/XXXX] Sets the system to the date that you specify (usually the current date).
Language [English US] This field allows you to choose the BIOS language version from the available options. Supervisor Password [Disabled] / User Password [Disabled] These fields allow you to set passwords. To set a password, highlight the appropriate field and press . Type in a password then press . You can type up to eight alphanumeric characters. Symbols and other characters are ignored. To confirm the password, type the password again and press .
4.3.1 Primary and Secondary Master/Slave Type [Auto] Select [Auto] to automatically detect an IDE hard disk drive. If automatic detection is successful, Setup automatically fills in the correct values for the remaining fields on this sub-menu. If automatic detection fails, this may be because the hard disk drive is too old or too new. If the hard disk was already formatted on an older system, Setup may detect incorrect parameters.
[User Type HDD] Manually enter the number of cylinders, heads and sectors per track for the drive. Refer to the drive documentation or on the drive label for this information. After entering the IDE hard disk drive information into BIOS, use a disk utility, such as FDISK, to partition and format new IDE hard disk drives. This is necessary so that you can write or read data from the hard disk. Make sure to set the partition of the Primary IDE hard disk drives to active.
Translation Method [LBA] 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. Configuration options: [LBA] [LARGE] [Normal] [Match Partition Table] [Manual] Cylinders This field configures the number of cylinders. Refer to the drive documentation to determine the correct value.
Multi-Sector Transfers [Maximum] This option automatically sets the number of sectors per block to the highest number that the drive supports. Note that when this field is automatically configured, the set value may not always be the fastest value for the drive. You may also manually configure this field. Refer to the documentation that came with the hard drive to determine the optimum value and set it manually. To make changes to this field, set the Type field to [User Type HDD].
4.3.2 Keyboard Features Boot Up NumLock Status [On] This field enables users to activate the Number Lock function upon system boot. Configuration options: [Off] [On] Keyboard Auto-Repeat Rate [6/Sec] This controls the speed at which the system registers repeated keystrokes. Options range from 6 to 30 characters per second.
4.4 Advanced Menu CPU Speed [Manual] When the motherboard is set to JumperFree™ mode, this field allows you to select the internal frequency of the CPU. Select [Manual] if you want to make changes to the two subsequent fields. Note that selecting a frequency higher than the CPU manufacturer recommends may cause the system to hang or crash.
AGP/PCI Frequency Setting [Auto] When set to [Auto], this field allows automatic selection of AGP/PCI frequency to enhance system performance and overclocking capability. The setting [Manual] allows you to manually select the AGP/PCI frequency. If the system becomes unstable, return to the default setting [Auto]. When this item is set to [Manual], the AGP/PCI Frequency (MHz) item appears. Configuration options: [Auto] [Manual] AGP/PCI Frequency (MHz) [66.66/33.
DDR Voltage [2.5V] This item controls the DDR SDRAM operating voltage. Configuration options: [2.5V] [2.6V] [2.7V] CPU Level 1 Cache, CPU Level 2 Cache [Enabled] These fields allow you to choose from the default [Enabled] or choose [Disabled] to turn on or off the CPU Level 1 and Level 2 built-in cache. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] BIOS Update [Enabled] This field functions as an update loader integrated into the BIOS to supply the processor with the required data.
4.4.1 Chip Configuration SDRAM Configuration [By SPD] This parameter allows you to set the optimal timings for items 2–5, depending on the memory modules that you are using. The default setting is [By SPD], which configures items 2–5 by reading the contents in the SPD (Serial Presence Detect) device. The EEPROM on the memory module stores critical information about the module, such as memory type, size, speed, voltage interface, and module banks.
SDRAM Active Precharge Delay (value depends on SDRAM SPD) This item controls the number of DDR SDRAM clocks used for DDR SDRAM parameters. Configuration options: [7T] [6T] [5T] SDRAM Idle Timer [16T] Configuration options: [Infinite] [16T] Graphics Aperture Size [64MB] This feature allows you to select the size of mapped memory for AGP graphic data.
4.4.2 I/O Device Configuration Floppy Disk Access Control [R/W] When set to [Read Only], this parameter protects files from being copied to floppy disks by allowing reads from, but not writes to, the floppy disk drive. The default setting [R/W] allows both reads and writes. Configuration options: [R/W] [Read Only] Onboard Serial Port 1 [3F8H/IRQ4] Onboard Serial Port 2 [2F8H/IRQ3] These fields allow you to set the addresses for the onboard serial connectors.
Parallel Port Mode [ECP+EPP] This field allows you to set the operation mode of the parallel port. [Normal] allows normal-speed operation but in one direction only; [EPP] allows bidirectional parallel port operation; [ECP] allows the parallel port to operate in bidirectional DMA mode; [ECP+EPP] allows normal speed operation in a two-way mode. Configuration options: [Normal] [EPP] [ECP] [ECP+EPP] ECP DMA Select [3] This field allows you to configure the parallel port DMA channel for the selected ECP mode.
4.4.3 PCI Configuration Slot 1, Slot 2, Slot 3, Slot 4, Slot 5 IRQ [Auto] These fields automatically assign the IRQ for each PCI slot. The default setting for each field is [Auto], which utilizes auto-routing to determine IRQ assignments. Configuration options: [Auto] [NA] [3] [4] [5] [7] [9] [10] [11] [12] [14] [15] PCI/VGA Palette Snoop [Disabled] Some non-standard VGA cards, like graphics accelerators or MPEG video cards, may not show colors properly.
USB 2.0 Controller [Enabled] This field allows you to enable or disable the onboard USB 2.0 controller. Set to [Enabled] if you wish to install USB 2.0 devices. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Primary VGA BIOS [PCI VGA Card] This field allows you to select the primary graphics card. Configuration options: [PCI VGA Card] [AGP VGA Card] Onboard LAN [Enabled] This field allows you to enable or disable the onboard LAN controller.
4.4.3.1 PCI IRQ Resource Exclusion IRQ XX Reserved [No/ICU] These fields indicate whether or not the displayed IRQ for each field is being used by a legacy (non-PnP) ISA card. The setting [No/ICU] for an IRQ field indicates that you are using the ISA Configuration Utility (ICU), and that this particular IRQ is NOT required by a legacy ISA card. Set the IRQ field to [Yes] if you install a legacy ISA card that requires a unique IRQ and you are NOT using ICU.
4.5 Power Menu The Power menu allows you to reduce power consumption. This feature turns off the video display and shuts down the hard disk after a period of inactivity. Power Management [User Defined] This field allows you to activate or deactivate the automatic power saving features. When set to [Disabled], the power management features do not function regardless of the other settings on this menu.
Video Off Option [Suspend -> Off ] This field determines when to activate the video off feature for monitor power management. Configuration options: [Always On] [Suspend -> Off] Video Off Method [DPMS OFF] This field defines the video off features. The Display Power Management System (DPMS) feature allows the BIOS to control the video display card if it supports the DPMS feature. [Blank Screen] only blanks the screen. Use this for monitors without power management or “green” features.
Suspend Mode [Disabled] Sets the time period before the system goes into suspend mode. Configuration options: [Disabled] [1~2 Min] [2~3 Min] [4~5 min] [8~9 Min] [20 Min] [30 Min][40 Min] [1 Hour] PWR Button < 4 Secs [Soft Off] When set to [Soft off], the ATX switch can be used as a normal system power-off button when pressed for less than 4 seconds. [Suspend] allows the button to have a dual function where pressing less than 4 seconds puts the system in sleep mode.
Wake/Power Up On Ext. Modem [Disabled] This allows either settings of [Enabled] or [Disabled] for powering up the computer when the external modem receives a call while the computer is in Soft-off mode. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] The computer cannot receive or transmit data until the computer and applications are fully running. Thus, connection cannot be made on the first try.
4.5.2 Hardware Monitor MB Temperature [xxxC/xxxF] CPU Temperature [xxxC/xxxF] POWER Temperature [Ignore] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the motherboard and CPU temperatures. If your power supply comes with a two-pin thermal sensor cable, connect this cable to the TRPWR connector on the motherboard to allow BIOS to auto-detect the power supply temperature (see page 2-26 for the location of the TRPWR connector).
VCORE Voltage, +3.3V Voltage, +5V Voltage, +12V Voltage The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the voltage output through the onboard voltage regulators. If any of the monitored items is out of range, the following error message appears: “Hardware Monitor found an error. Enter Power setup menu for details”. You will then be prompted to “Press F1 to continue or DEL to enter SETUP”.
4.6 Boot Menu Boot Sequence The Boot menu allows you to select among the four possible types of boot devices listed using the up and down arrow keys. By using the <+> or key, you can promote devices and by using the <-> key, you can demote devices. Promotion or demotion of devices alters the priority which the system uses to search for a boot device on system power up. Configuration fields include Removable Devices, IDE Hard Drive, ATAPI CD-ROM, and Other Boot Device.
Other Boot Device Select [INT18 Device (Network)] Configuration options: [Disabled] [SCSI Boot Device] [INT18 Device (Network)] [BROADCOM MBA] The BROADCOM MBA option appears only if the Onboard LAN Boot ROM item under PCI Configuration menu is set to Enabled. Plug & Play O/S [No] This field allows you to use a Plug-and-Play (PnP) operating system to configure the PCI bus slots instead of using the BIOS. When [Yes] is selected, interrupts may be reassigned by the OS.
4.7 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. Pressing does not immediately exit this menu. Select one of the options from this menu or from the legend bar to exit. Exit & Save Changes Once you are finished making your selections, choose this option from the Exit menu to ensure the values you selected are saved to the CMOS RAM.
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 , a confirmation window appears. Select [Yes] to load default values. Select Exit Saving Changes or make other changes before saving the values to the non-volatile RAM. 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.
4-38 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup
Chapter 5 This chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes with the motherboard package.
Chapter summary 5.1 Install an operating system ........................... 5-1 5.2 Support CD information ................................ 5-1 5.3 Software information ..................................... 5-9 5.4 RAID 0/RAID 1 configurations ....................
5.1 Install an operating system This motherboard supports Windows ME/2000/XP operating system (OS). Always install the latest OS version and corresponding updates so you can maximize the features of your hardware. Because motherboard settings and hardware options vary, use the setup procedures presented in this chapter for general reference only. Refer to your OS documentation for more information. 5.
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. The SATA and LAN items appear on P4G8X Deluxe models only. Intel Chipset Inf Update program This item installs the Intel® Chipset INF Update Program that enables Plug-n-Play INF support for Intel chipset components.
ALC650 Audio Driver This item installs the RealTek ALC650 audio driver to support the 6-channel audio feature. BROADCOM 5702 LAN Drivers or BROADCOM 4401 LAN Drivers On Gigabit models, this item installs the BROADCOM® BCM5702 LAN drivers for Gigabit LAN solution that provides up to 1000Mbps data transfer rates. On Fast Ethernet models, this item installs the BROADCOM® BCM4401 drivers to support 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX networking.
3. On the Device Manager window, click the plus sign (+) opposite the Network adapters item to show the ASUSTeK/BroadCom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller. Double-click the item. 4. On the window that appears, click the item Wake Up Capabilities under Property. The default value is Wake Up Frame. The Wake Up Frame setting wakes up the system from S1, S3, and S4 sleep modes. 5. Click the arrow under Value to set to Magic Frame. Click OK.
5.2.3 Utilities menu The Utilities menu shows the applications and other software that the motherboard supports. The Winbond Voice Editor appears on P4G8X Deluxe models only. Winbond Voice Editor This program is for recording and customizing wave files for the ASUS POST Reporter™. Use this program if you wish to change the default vocal POST messages. See section “3.2 Vocal POST messages” for a list of the default messages. ASUS PC Probe V2.18.
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 V5.0 This item installs the Adobe Acrobat Reader V5.0. The Acrobat Reader software is for viewing files saved in Portable Document Format (PDF). Silicon Image Serial ATA Utility This item installs the Serial ATA utility. ASUS Screen Saver This item installs the ASUS screen saver. E-Color 3Deep This item installs the 3Deep software.
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 P4G8X motherboard. Browse this CD The window displays the support CD contents in graphical format.
Technical Support Form The window displays the ASUS Technical 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.
5.3 Software information Most of the applications in the support CD have wizards that will conveniently guide you through the installation. View the online help or readme file that came with the software for more information. This section provides details on the software applications that the motherboard supports. 5.3.1 ASUS Update The ASUS Update is a utility that allows you to update the motherboard BIOS and drivers.
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 the screen instructions to complete the update process. 5.3.2 ASUS MyLogo2™ The ASUS MyLogo2™ is automatically installed when you install the ASUS Update utility from the software menu.
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. 5. When you click on an image, it displays larger on the MyLogo2 screen. MyLogo2 may not support too complex images. If you encounter any problems on complex images, try using a simpler image. You may also use a photo editing software to shink the complex image, lay it over a one-color 640x480 pixel background, and save the image with the background.
5.3.3 ASUS PC Probe The ASUS PC Probe is a convenient utility to continuously monitor your computer system’s vital components, such as fan rotations, voltages, and temperatures. It also has a utility that lets you review useful information about your computer, such as hard disk space, memory usage, and CPU type, CPU speed, and internal/external frequencies through the DMI Explorer.
Using ASUS PC Probe Monitoring Monitor Summary Shows a summary of the items being monitored. Temperature Monitor Shows the PC temperature (for supported processors only). Temperature Warning threshold adjustment (Move the slider up to increase the threshold level or down to decrease the threshold level) Fan Monitor Shows the PC fan rotation.
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 reaches the threshold value. History Lets you record the monitoring activity of a certain component of your PC for future reference. Fan Control Lets you enable/disable Smart Fan Control.
Information Memory Shows the PC memory load, memory usage, and paging file usage. 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. To run a program, click Execute Program. NOTE: This feature is currently unavailable.
ASUS PC Probe Task Bar Icon Right clicking the PC Probe icon brings up a menu to open or exit ASUS PC Probe and pause or resume all system monitoring. When the ASUS PC Probe senses a problem with your PC, portions of the ASUS PC Probe icon change to red, the PC speaker beeps, and the ASUS PC Probe monitor appears.
5.3.4 Winbond Voice Editor The Winbond Voice Editor software allows you to customize the vocal POST messages. Install the software from the software menu in the support CD. See section “5.2.3 Software menu”. To avoid conflicts, do not run the Winbond Voice Editor while running the ASUS PC Probe. Follow these steps to use the Winbond Voice Editor.
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 Voice Editor screen. For some languages, not all events have a corresponding message due to file size constraints. 3. Click on the Write button to update the EEPROM. 4. Click Yes on the confirmation window that appears.
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 customize your POST messages. 1. Launch the Voice Editor and take note of the list of POST events on the leftmost column of the screen. 2. Prepare your message for each event. The total compressed size for all the wave files must not exceed 1Mbit, so make your messages as short as possible. 3.
7. Click a POST event on the Voice Editor screen, then on the Edit button. The Event Sound Editor window appears. 8. Locate and select your wave file for the event then click on the arrow opposite Voice1. The file you selected appears on the space next to it. 9. Click OK to return to the Voice Editor screen. 10. Do steps 7 to 9 for the other events. 11. When done, click the Save button. A window appears prompting you to save your configuration. 12. Type a file name with a .flh extension, then click Save.
5.3.5 Multi-channel audio feature The RealTek ALC650 AC’97 audio CODEC provides 6-channel audio capability. The support CD that came with the motherboard package includes the driver for the 6-channel audio feature. You must use 4-channel or 6-channel speakers for this setup. RealTek ALC650 AC’97 audio configuration 1. Install the RealTek ALC650 AC’97 audio driver from the support CD. The RealTek Sound Effect icon appears on the taskbar after you have successfully installed the driver.
5. Click on the Speaker Configuration tab to customize your speaker system. 6. Click on the Speaker Test tab to test the multi-channel audio configuration. 7. Click on the SPDIF-In tab to configure S/PDIF settings. By default, the SPDIF Out function is enabled. If you use the SPDIF-In function, the S/PDIF frequency will be locked by the ALC650 controller. 8. Click on the General tab for version information and multi-language settings. 9. Click OK when done.
5.4 RAID 0/RAID 1 configurations The motherboard includes the Silicon Image Sil3112A controller chipset and two Serial ATA interfaces to support Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) configuration. This feature supports Serial ATA hard disks. Use the SATARaid™ utility to configure a RAID set. RAID 0 (called data striping) optimizes two identical hard disk drives to read and write data in parallel, interleaved stacks.
Follow these steps to install the hard disks for RAID configuration. 1. Install the Serial ATA hard disks into the drive bays. 2. Connect one Serial ATA HDD to each Serial ATA connector, using separate serial ATA cables. 4. Connect the power cable to the power connector on each drive. 5. Proceed to section 5.4.2 for the next procedure. 5.4.2 Creating and Deleting RAID sets Creating and deleting RAID sets is a built-in function found in the BIOS.
Creating RAID Sets 1. Select the option Create RAID Set. 2. Choose either a Striped or Mirrored RAID Set. 3. You may choose to auto-configure or manually configure the RAID Set. For Striped Sets, you can change the chunk size. For Mirrored Sets, you can specify the Source and Target drives, and create a Disk Copy. What is a chunk? The chunk size is the “stripe” on each disk. It is the unit of storage equivalent to one stripe on a RAID 0 set.
5-26 Chapter 5: Software support
Index This part contains an alphabetical list of the topics found in this document.
ASUS P4G8X series motherboard
A C Accelerated Graphics Port 2-16 Acrobat Reader 5-6 ASUS ASIC 1-8 ASUS EZ Flash 1-4, 4-1 ASUS EZ Plug™ 1-3, 1-8, 2-23 ASUS MyLogo™ 1-4, 5-10 ASUS PC Probe 5-12 ASUS POST Reporter 1-4, 5-17 ASUS Q-Fan 1-4, 4-33 ASUS Update 5-5 ATAPI CD-ROM 4-35 Audio CODEC 1-9 Automatic Power Up 4-32 Central Processing Unit (CPU) fan connector 2-10 installation 2-6 Level 1/Level 2 Cache 4-19 Speed 4-17 CPU socket 1-8, 2-6 Chip Configuration 4-21 Clear RTC RAM 2-18 Concurrent PCI 1-5 Connectors ASUS EZ Plug™ 1-3, 1-8, 2-
E K Expansion card installation 2-14 configuration 2-14 Expansion slots 1-9, 2-14 AGP 1-10, 2-16 PCI 1-10, 2-16 Keyboard Auto-Repeat Delay 4-16 Auto-Repeat Rate 4-16 F Flash ROM 1-9 Floppy 3 Mode 4-10 Floppy disk access control 4-24 H Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) CHS Capacity 4-14 Cylinders 4-14 Heads 4-14 LBA Capacity 4-14 Primary/Secondary Master 4-12 Primary/Secondary Slave 4-12 Sectors 4-14 Types 4-12 Hardware Monitor 4-33 Heatsink installation 2-7 Hyper-Threading Technology 2-5, 4-29 I IRQ assignments
PS/2 Mouse Port 1-10 PS/2 Mouse Function Control 4-19 R RTC RAM clearing 2-18 S SDRAM Active Precharge Delay 4-22 CAS Latency 4-21 Configuration 4-21 Idle Timer 4-22 RAS Precharge Delay 4-22 RAS to CAS Delay 4-21 Serial Ports 1-10, 4-24 SMART Monitoring 4-15 Sony/Philips Digital Interface (S/PDIF) 1-3, 2-28 Super I/O controller 1-9 Support CD 5-1 ASUS Update 5-9 Utilities menu 5-5 Drivers menu 5-2 motherboard information 5-7 multi-channel audio 5-21 Technical Support Form 5-8 Suspend Mode 4-29 System Cont
I-4 Index
