Chapter 3 AMI BIOS Utility This chapter tells how to configure the system by setting the BIOS parameters. 3.1 Entering the AMI BIOS Setup To enter the AMI BIOS Setup, press c. The AMI BIOS Setup Main Menu appears as shown below. The AMI BIOS is in Windows form. You can use either the keyboard or a mouse to move between the items. To select among the Setup menu groups, use v to highlight the selected group or simply click on the icon of the selected Setup menu.
AMI BIOS Utility To select among the options, you can either use the arrow keys to move the highlight bar or simply click on the icon of the desired option. After making your selection, press e or double-click on the icon to open the selected menu option. You can press h to enter the BIOS Setup screen. This procedure allows you to do the following:: • Resolve an address conflict due to an IRQ address assigned to multiple slots. For more information on IRQ assignment, see the section 3.2.
AMI BIOS Utility This menu allows you to input configuration values such as date, time and disk types. PRIMARY MASTER AND SLAVE/ SECONDARY MASTER AND SLAVE These parameters allow you to configure the hard disks and the IDE devices connected to your IDE connectors. To configure the hard disk connected to the master port of the primary IDE connector, select Primary Master and press e.
AMI BIOS Utility disk or IDE device. Select CD-ROM or Auto if you have a CD-ROM installed in your system. If you have an old type HDD installed, you may need to enter the HDD parameters manually. To do this, you must set this parameter to User. Set this to Not Installed to bypass the function. LBA/Large Mode This enhanced IDE feature allows the system to use a hard disk with a capacity of more than 528 MB. This is made possible through the Logical Block Address (LBA) mode translation.
AMI BIOS Utility Block Mode This function enhances disk performance depending on the hard disk in use. If enabled, it allows data transfers in block (multiple sectors) by increasing the data transfer rate to 256 bytes/cycle. However, if your hard disk does not support this function, set this parameter to Off. This parameter becomes non-configurable when the HDD Type parameter is set to Auto. 32-bit Mode Enabling this parameter improves system performance by increasing the hard disk access to 32-bit mode.
AMI BIOS Utility HARD DISK TYPES After you have set all the necessary parameters, press e. A list of the HDD drive parameters appears: Select your hard disk type. Press w or y to move among the selections. After you have made your selection, press e. If you cannot find your hard disk drive type on the list, select User. This allows you to enter the disk parameters manually. DATE/TIME To set the date and time, highlight Date/Time and press e.
AMI BIOS Utility After selecting the proper setting, press e. Select Floppy B and follow the same procedure to configure the second floppy drive. 3.2.2 Advanced CMOS Setup The following screen appears if you select the option Advanced from the Setup menu: The first screen does not show all the parameters of the Advanced Configuration menu. To scroll down the rest of the parameters, press }. Press w or y to highlight the desired parameter.
AMI BIOS Utility Do not change the settings of the Advanced Setup parameters if you are not a qualified technician. Doing so may cause fatal system failure. Quick Boot During the system boot process, the system performs power-on self test (POST) routines. Enable the parameter if you want to skip some POST routines during boot-up process. Set this to Disabled to let the system perform all the POST routines and follow the specified boot-up sequence.
AMI BIOS Utility Power-on Delay This parameter lets you set the POST waiting time for the HDD motor to stabilize before system boot. The settings are from 1 to 15 seconds and Disabled. The default setting is Disabled. Boot-up Sequence The boot-up sequence allows you to specify the system search sequence. The selections are C:, A:, CD-ROM / A:, CD-ROM, C: / A:, C:, CD-ROM / C:, CD-ROM, A: / CD-ROM, A:, C:, and CD-ROM, C:, A:.
AMI BIOS Utility Primary Display This function detects the type of VGA in use. The selections are VGA/EGA, CGA 40 x 25, CGA 80 x 25, Mono, and Absent. The default setting is VGA/EGA. Password Check This parameter lets you set when to check for the password. When set to Always, a password prompt appears every time you turn on the computer or when you enter Setup. When set to Setup, the password prompt appears when you try to enter setup. The Optimal and Turbo default setting is Setup.
AMI BIOS Utility System BIOS Cacheable Enabling this parameter allows you to cache the system BIOS to further system performance. Leave the parameter setting to its default (i.e., Disabled), to prevent the system BIOS from being cached. C000 ~ DC00, 16K Shadow These parameters are for shadowing expansion cards with ROM. You need to know the specific addresses that ROMs use to shadow the expansion cards before you set any of these parameters.
AMI BIOS Utility 3.2.3 Chipset Features Setup The Chipset Features Setup controls the board chipset settings. The controls for this menu are the same as for the previous screens. The Chipset Features Setup screen appears as follows. To scroll down the rest of the parameters, press }. Use w or y to highlight the desired parameter.
AMI BIOS Utility 430HX Global Features This option lets you enable or disable the 430HX chip features. To optimize system performance, set this parameter to Enabled. Select Disabled to disregard the option. The default setting is Disabled. Memory Hole This option lets you reserve system memory area for ISA cards. The settings are 512~640K, 15~16M, and Disabled. 8-bit I/O Recovery Time (Sysclk) This parameter allows you to set the response time of the 8-bit I/O devices connected to your system.
AMI BIOS Utility TURBO READ LEAD OFF When enabled, BIOS skips the first input register in the DRAM when reading data and therefore, speeds up the data read timings. Disable the option to bypass the feature. DRAM READ BURST TIMING This parameter sets the timing for burst mode reads from DRAM. Everytime the CPU reads the second-level cache miss, it reads four continuous memory cycles on four continuous addresses from the DRAM. The available parameter settings are X-4-4-4, X-3-3-3, and X-22-2.
AMI BIOS Utility Peer Concurrency Enable this parameter if you want to activate more than one PCI device. Otherwise, set this to Disabled. Memory Error Check Mode This parameter allows you to set the DRAM error checking mode. The options are ECC, Parity, and Disabled. PCI 2.1 Compliant This parameter lets you enable or disable the PIIX3 PCI register delay transaction and passive release functions.
AMI BIOS Utility To scroll down the rest of the parameters, press }. Use w or y to highlight the desired parameter. Power Management/APM This parameter enables or disables the advanced power-management function.
AMI BIOS Utility Instant On Timeout (Minutes) This parameter is configurable only if the Power Management/APM parameter is set to Instant On. This lets you specify when to resume system power after being in power-saving mode for a certain period of time. Green Monitor Power Down State This function lets you set when to power down your green PC monitor. The options are Standby and Suspend. Display Card Power Down Mode This option allows you to set when to power down your system display card.
AMI BIOS Utility IRQ 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 If you set any of these parameters to Monitor, the chipset checks the activity of the selected IRQs. Any activity detected prevents the system from entering the power-saving mode. If you set any of these parameters to Wake up, any activity detected from the selected IRQs wakes the system from power-saving mode.
AMI BIOS Utility 3.2.5 PCI/PnP Setup The PCI/PNP Setup allows you to specify the setting for your PCI devices. The screen below appears if you select PCI/PnP from the Setup menu. To scroll down the rest of the parameters, press }. Use w or y to highlight the desired parameter.
AMI BIOS Utility Plug-and-Play Aware O/S Enable this parameter only if you have a Plug-and-Play operating system such as Windows 95. This is to ensure that the PnP cards are initialized during POST and proper resources are allocated to each card by the Plug-and-Play operating system. PCI VGA Palette Snoop PCI devices support the palette snooping technique that enables the device to control access to their palette registers.
AMI BIOS Utility INTD, Hardwired, and Disabled. If the PCI IDE Card parameter is set to Auto, this parameter becomes non-configurable. PCI IDE Secondary IRQ This parameter lets you assign an IRQ for the IDE device connected to your secondary IDE card connector. The settings are INTA, INTB, INTC, INTD, Hardwired, and Disabled. If the PCI IDE Card parameter is set to Auto, this parameter becomes non-configurable.
AMI BIOS Utility Onboard FDC This parameter enables or disables the floppy drive controller. Onboard Serial Port 1 This parameter allows you to select the address for the first serial port. Selecting Disabled deactivates the port. Onboard Serial Port 2 This parameter allows you to select the address for the second serial port. Selecting Disabled deactivates the port. SERIAL PORT 2 MODE This parameter is configurable only if the Onboard Serial Port 2 parameter is enabled.
AMI BIOS Utility • AskIR - Select this setting only if the IR function is activated (i.e., an IR module is installed in your system). This setting allows infrared serial communication at a maximum baud rate of 19.2K baud. Onboard Parallel Port This parameter allows you to select the address for the parallel port. Selecting Disabled deactivates the parallel port. PARALLEL PORT IRQ This parameter is configurable only if the Onboard Parallel Port is NOT set to Auto.
AMI BIOS Utility 3.3.1 Supervisor Password The use of password prevents unauthorized use of your computer. If you set a Supervisor password, the system prompts for this password before granting access to Setup or system boot, depending on the Password Check setting in the Advanced CMOS Setup menu (refer to section 3.2.2). To set a Supervisor password, select Supervisor from the Security window. The following screen appears: Follow these steps to set up a password using the keyboard: 1.
AMI BIOS Utility 3.3.2 User Password To set a User password, select User from the Security window. The following screen appears: For instructions on how to enter a password, follow the procedures listed in section 3.3.1. If you set a Supervisor and a User password, you can enter either of the two entries when prompted for a password before system boot or entering Setup.
AMI BIOS Utility 3.3.3 Anti-virus Select Anti-Virus from the Security window to display the following option box. The virus protection options allow you to enable or disable the virus protection feature. 3.4 Utility Setup The Utility window lets you change WinBIOS Setup colors and language setting.
AMI BIOS Utility 3.4.1 Color Set Select Color Set from the Utility window to display the following screen. Use the arrow keys or simply click an option to select your desired background color for WinBIOS. 3.4.2 Language Select Language from the Utility window to display the following screen. The system language currently supported is only English. Therefore, this option is non-configurable and is for display only.
AMI BIOS Utility 3.5 Default Setup The Default window allows you to select a group of settings for all WinBIOS Setup options. 3.5.1 Original When you select Original, a dialog box prompts you to restore the old values. Select No to keep your current settings or Yes to restore the original values.
AMI BIOS Utility 3.5.2 Optimal When you select Optimal, a dialog box prompts you to load the optimal values. Select No to keep your current settings or Yes to load the optimal values. We recommend that you select Yes to ensure stable system performance. 3.5.3 Turbo When you select Turbo, a dialog box prompts you to load the Turbo values, such as setting the DRAM speed to 60 ns. Select No to keep your current settings or Yes to load the Turbo values. Loading the Turbo values enhance system performance.
AMI BIOS Utility Press y or w key then e or simply click on an option to select. Select Save changes and Exit to save the changes that you made. Select Do not save changes and Exit to leave setup without saving your changes. Select Continue if you want to make any more configuration changes. 3.7 NCR SCSI BIOS and Drivers The NCR 53C810 SCSI BIOS resides in the same flash memory chip as the system BIOS. To use the onboard NCR BIOS, install an NCR 53C810 SCSI controller card in your system.
AMI BIOS Utility The system board also supports the AMI Flash Memory Writer Utility that allows you to upgrade the system BIOS. For more information on this utility, contact your local distributor.
