R P2L97A Pentium II Motherboard ® USER’S MANUAL
USER’S NOTICE 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”).
ASUS CONTACT INFORMATION ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. Marketing Info Address: Telephone: Fax: Email: 150 Li-Te Road, Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan 112, ROC +886-2-894-3447 +886-2-894-3449 info@asus.com.tw Technical Support Fax: BBS: Email: WWW: Gopher: FTP: +886-2-895-9254 +886-2-896-4667 tsd@asus.com.tw www.asus.com.tw gopher.asus.com.tw ftp.asus.com.
CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION 7 How this Manual is Organized ........................................................... 7 Item Checklist ..................................................................................... 7 II. FEATURES 8 Features of the ASUS P2L97A Motherboard ..................................... 8 The ASUS P2L97A Motherboard ................................................. 9 III. INSTALLATION 10 Layout of the ASUS P2L97A Motherboard ......................................
CONTENTS BIOS Features Setup ................................................................... 37 Details of BIOS Features Setup ............................................. 37 Chipset Features Setup ................................................................ 40 Details of Chipset Features Setup .......................................... 40 Power Management Setup ........................................................... 43 Details of Power Management Setup ....................................
FCC & DOC COMPLIANCE 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.
I. INTRODUCTION I. INTRODUCTION Manual / Checklist How this Manual is Organized This manual is divided into the following sections: I. II. III. IV. V. VI.
II. FEATURES Features of the ASUS P2L97A Motherboard II. FEATURES Specifications The ASUS P2L97A is carefully designed for the discriminating PC user who wants many features processed by the fastest CPU. This motherboard: • Processor Support: Intel Pentium® II (233MHz–333MHz) processor. • Intel Chipset: Features Intel’s 440LX AGPset with I/O subsystems. • AGP Chipset: Provides ATI 3D RAGE Graphics Accelerator chipset, with onboard video controller and 4MB of 64-bit SGRAM memory.
II. FEATURES The ASUS P2L97A Motherboard SEC CPU Slot Intel 440LX AGPset DIMM Sockets Primary/Secondary IDE Connectors II.
III. INSTALLATION Layout of the ASUS P2L97A Motherboard ATX Power Connector BUS Freq. III. INSTALLATION Board Layout Row 0 1 23 (CR2032 3V Lithium Cell) VIRQ.
III. INSTALLATION Jumpers 1) CLRTC p. 13 Real Time Clock (RTC) (Short/Clear CMOS) 2) VIRQ p. 13 VGA Interrupt Selection 3) FS0, FS1, FS2 p. 14 CPU Bus Frequency 4) BF0, BF1, BF2, BF3 p. 14 CPU Core:Bus Frequency Multiple Expansion Slots/Sockets 1) DIMM Sockets p. 15 DIMM Memory Module Support 2) SEC CPU Slot p. 15 Single Edge Contact CPU Support 3) SLOT1, SLOT2 p. 21 16-bit ISA Bus Expansion Slots 4) PCI1, PCI2, PCI3, PCI4 p. 21 32-bit PCI Bus Expansion Slots 1) PS2KBMS p.
III. INSTALLATION Installation Steps Before using your computer, you must complete the following steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Set Jumpers Install DRAM Modules Install the Central Processing Unit (CPU) Install Expansion Cards Connect Ribbon Cables, Cabinet Wires, and Power Supply Setup the BIOS Software 1. Jumpers III. INSTALLATION Jumpers Several hardware settings are made through the use of jumper caps to connect jumper pins (JP) on the motherboard.
III. INSTALLATION Jumper Settings 1. Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM (CLRTC) The CMOS RAM is powered by the onboard button cell battery. To clear the RTC data: (1) Turn off your computer and unplug your AC power, (2) Short the two points (Labeled: CLRTC), (3) Turn on your computer, (4) Hold down during bootup and enter BIOS setup to re-enter user preferences. Short small solder points to clear CMOS III. INSTALLATION Jumpers CLRTC 2.
III. INSTALLATION 3. CPU Bus Frequency (FS0, FS1, FS2) This option tells the clock generator what frequency to send to the CPU. This allows the selection of the CPU’s External frequency (or BUS Clock). The BUS Clock multiplied by the BUS Ratio equals the CPU’s Internal frequency (the advertised CPU speed). 1 2 3 1 2 3 2.0x(2/1) 1 2 3 3.5x(7/2) 1 2 3 BF0 BF1 BF2 BF3 BF0 BF1 BF2 BF3 BF0 BF1 BF2 BF3 BF0 BF1 BF2 BF3 BF0 BF1 BF2 BF3 4.
III. INSTALLATION 2. System Memory (DIMM) Only Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMM’s) can be used with this motherboard. Four sockets are available for 3.3Volt (power level) Unbuffered Synchronous DRAMs (SDRAM) or EDO DRAM of either 8, 16, 32, 64, or 128MB to form a memory size between 8MB to 512MB. One side (with memory chips) of the DIMM module takes up one Row on the motherboard.
III. INSTALLATION DIMM Memory Installation Procedures: Insert the module(s) as shown. Because the number of pins are different on either side of the breaks, the module will only fit in the orientation as shown. DRAM SIMM modules have the same pin contact on both sides. SDRAM DIMM modules have a different pin contact on each side and therefore have a higher pin density. 20 Pins 60 Pins 88 Pins Lock III.
III. INSTALLATION 3. Central Processing Unit (CPU) The following items should have been included with your motherboard: Lock Holes Captive Nut Top Bar Pin Posts Base Attach Mount Bridges (Factory Installed) Pentium II Retention Mechanism Heatsink Support Base/Top Bar (for Passive Heatsink) III.
III. INSTALLATION The Motherboard As Shipped The ASUS P2L97A is shipped with the attach mount bridges already installed. SEC slot for the Pentium II processor III. INSTALLATION CPU NOTE: Encircled items are points where the attach mount bridges are factory-installed Installing the Pentium II Processor 1. Mount the Pentium II Retention Mechanism: The retention mechanism is designed to fit into the SEC slot only one way.
III. INSTALLATION 2. Mount the Heatsink: Place the SEC cartridge face down on a flat surface and lay the heatsink flush on the back (metal side) of the SEC cartridge. Be sure that the heatsink is firmly pressed against the SEC cartridge. When correctly installed, no light must be showing through between the thermal pad of the heatsink and the SEC cartridge. WARNING! If the heatsink is not mounted tightly against the SEC cartridge, the CPU will overheat.
III. INSTALLATION 4. Secure the SEC Cartridge: Secure the SEC cartridge in place by pushing the SEC cartridge locks outward so that the lock shows through the retention mechanism’s lock holes. III.
III. INSTALLATION 4. Expansion Cards WARNING! Unplug your power supply when adding or removing expansion cards or other system components. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to both your motherboard and expansion cards. First read your expansion card documentation for hardware and software settings that may be required to set up your specific card. Expansion Card Installation Procedure 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Read the documentation for your expansion card. Set any necessary jumpers on your expansion card.
III. INSTALLATION To simplify this process, this motherboard complies with the Plug and Play (PnP) specification, which was developed to allow automatic system configuration whenever a PnP-compliant card is added to the system. For PnP cards, IRQs are assigned automatically from those available. If the system has both legacy and PnP ISA cards installed, IRQs are assigned to PnP cards from those not used by legacy cards.
III. INSTALLATION 5. External Connectors WARNING! Some pins are used for connectors or power sources. These are clearly distinguished from jumpers as indicated in the motherboard layout. Placing jumper caps over these jumpers will cause damage to your motherboard. IMPORTANT: Ribbon cables should always be connected with the red stripe on the Pin 1 side of the connector. The four corners of the connectors are labeled on the motherboard.
III. INSTALLATION 3. Parallel Printer Connector (25-pin Female) You can enable the parallel port and choose the IRQ through “Onboard Parallel Port” in Chipset Features Setup of the BIOS SOFTWARE. NOTE: Serial printers must be connected to the serial port. Parallel (Printer) Port (25-pin Female) III. INSTALLATION Connectors 4. Serial Port COM1 Connectors (One 9-pin Male) One serial port can be used for pointing devices or other serial devices.
III. INSTALLATION 6. Universal Serial BUS Ports 1 & 2 (Two 4-pin Female Sockets) Two USB ports are available for connecting USB devices. USB 1 Univeral Serial Bus (USB) 2 III. INSTALLATION Connectors 7. Floppy Disk Drive Connector (34-1pin FLOPPY) This connector supports the provided floppy drive ribbon cable. After connecting the single end to the board, connect the two plugs on the other end to the floppy drives.
III. INSTALLATION 9. Primary / Secondary IDE Connectors (Two 40-1pin IDE) These connectors support the provided IDE hard disk ribbon cable. After connecting the single end to the board, connect the two plugs at the other end to your hard disk(s). If you install two hard disks, you must configure the second drive to Slave mode by setting its jumper accordingly. Refer to the documentation of your hard disk for the jumper settings.
III. INSTALLATION 12. IrDA-Compliant Infrared Module Connector (5-pin IR) This connector supports the optional wireless transmitting and receiving infrared module. This module mounts to a small opening on system cases that support this feature. Front View +5V NC IRRX s Back View IRTX Ground +5V IRTX Ground NC IRRX For the infrared feature to be available, you must connect the optional infrared (IrDA) module to the motherboard III. INSTALLATION Connectors Infrared Module Connector 13.
III. INSTALLATION 14. Message LED Lead (MSG LED) This indicates whether a message has been received from a fax/modem. The LED will remain lit when there is no signal and blink when there is data transfer or waiting in the inbox). 15. SMI Suspend Switch Lead (SMI) This allows the user to manually place the system into a suspend mode or “Green” mode where system activity will be instantly decreased to save electricity and expand the life of certain components when the system is not in use.
III. INSTALLATION Power Connection Procedures 1. After all jumpers and connections are made, close the system case cover. 2. Be sure that all switches are off (in some systems, marked with ). 3. Connect the power supply cord into the power supply located on the back of your system case according to your system user’s manual. 4. Connect the power cord into a power outlet that is equipped with a surge protector. III. INSTALLATION Power Connections 5.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE Support Software NOTE: This motherboard has onboard SCSI and therefore requires a 2Mbit flash ROM. This flash ROM requires PFLASH2.EXE as opposed to PFLASH.EXE as used by other ASUS motherboards with 1Mbit flash ROM. PFLASH2.EXE - This is the Flash Memory Writer utility that updates the BIOS by uploading a new BIOS file to the 2Mbit programmable flash ROM chip on the motherboard.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE IV. BIOS Flash Memory Writer 3. Advanced Features This option displays the Advanced Features screen for clearing the PnP configuration record and updating the motherboard BIOS. Advanced Features Menu 1. Clear PNP ESCD Parameter Block This option erases the Plug-and-Play (PnP) configuration record. 2. Update BIOS Including Boot Block and ESCD This option updates the boot block, the baseboard BIOS, and the PnP extended system configuration data (ESCD) parameter block from a new BIOS file.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE Managing and Updating Your Motherboard’s BIOS Upon First Use of the Computer System 1. Create a bootable system floppy diskette by typing [FORMAT A:/S] from the DOS prompt without creating “AUTOEXEC.BAT” and “CONFIG.SYS” files. 2. Copy PFLASH2.EXE to your new diskette. 3. Run PFLASH2.EXE from your new diskette and select option 1 “Save Current BIOS to File.” Enter the “Current BIOS Revision:” for the file name. Updating BIOS Procedures (only when necessary) 1.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE 6. BIOS Setup The motherboard supports two programmable Flash ROM chips: 5-Volt and 12Volt. Either of these memory chips can be updated when BIOS upgrades are released. Use the Flash Memory Writer utility to download the new BIOS file into the ROM chip as described in detail in this section. All computer motherboards provide a Setup utility program for specifying the system configuration and settings.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE Load Defaults The “Load BIOS Defaults” option loads the minimum settings for troubleshooting. “Load Setup Defaults”, on the other hand, is for loading optimized defaults for regular use. Choosing defaults at this level, will modify all applicable settings. A section at the bottom of the above screen displays the control keys for this screen. Take note of these keys and their respective uses.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE Time To set the time, highlight the “Time” field and then press either / or <+>/<–> to set the current time. Follow the hour, minute and second format. Valid values for hour, minute and second are: (Hour: (00 to 23), Minute: (00 to 59), Second: (00 to 59). Press twice if you do not want to modify the current time. NOTE: You can bypass the date and time prompts by creating an AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE Auto detection of hard disks on bootup For each field: Primary Master, Primary Slave, Secondary Master, and Secondary Slave, you can select Auto under the TYPE and MODE fields. This will enable auto detection of your IDE hard disk during bootup. This will allow you to change your hard disks (with the power off) and then power on without having to reconfigure your hard disk type.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE BIOS Features Setup This “BIOS Features Setup” option consists of configuration entries that allow you to improve your system performance, or let you set up some system features according to your preference. Some entries are required by the motherboard’s design to remain in their default settings. A section at the lower right of the screen displays the control keys you can use. Take note of these keys and their respective uses.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE BIOS Update (Enabled) This functions as an update loader integrated into the BIOS to supply the processor with the required data. The BIOS will load the update on all processors during system bootup in the default position of Enabled. CPU Fast String (Enabled) Leave on default setting of Enabled for best performance. Deturbo Mode (Disabled) When Enabled, FLUSH# signal is held asserted to disable caching and the P6 bus pipeline will be stalled.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE Password every time you start your system. The other option is Setup, where the system goes through its startup routine unless the Setup utility is called, when the system prompts for the Supervisor Password. PS/2 Mouse Function Control (Auto) The default of Auto allows the system to detect a PS/2 mouse on bootup. If detected, IRQ12 will be used for the PS/2 mouse. IRQ12 will be reserved for expansion cards if a PS/2 mouse is not detected.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE Chipset Features Setup This “Chipset Features Setup” option controls the configuration of the board’s chipset. Control keys for this screen are the same as in the previous screen. NOTE: SETUP Defaults are noted in parenthesis next to each function heading. Details of Chipset Features Setup EDO Auto Configuration (60ns DRAM) The default setting of 60ns DRAM sets the optimal timings for items 2 through 5 for 60ns DRAM modules.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE Video Memory Cache Mode (UC) USWC (uncacheable, speculative write combining) is a new cache technology for the video memory of the processor. It can greatly improve the display speed by caching the display data. You must leave this on the default setting of UC (uncacheable) if your display card cannot support this feature, otherwise your display may not show properly. PCI 2.1 Support (Enabled) This function allows you to enable or disable PCI 2.1 features.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE Onboard FDC Swap A & B (No Swap) This field allows you to reverse the hardware drive letter assignments of your floppy disk drives. Two options are available: No Swap and Swap AB. If you want to switch drive letter assignments through the onboard chipset, set this field to Swap AB. Onboard Serial Port 1 (3F8H/IRQ4) Settings are 3F8H/IRQ4, 2F8H/IRQ3, 3E8H/IRQ4, 2E8H/IRQ10, and Disabled for the onboard serial connector.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE Power Management Setup This “Power Management Setup” option allows you to reduce power consumption. This feature turns off the video display and shuts down the hard disk after a period of inactivity. NOTE: SETUP Defaults are noted in parenthesis next to each function heading. Details of Power Management Setup IV. BIOS Power Management Power Management (User Define) This field acts as the master control for the power management modes.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE Video Off Method (DPMS OFF) This field defines the video off features. The following options are available: DPMS OFF, DPMS Reduce ON, Blank Screen, V/H SYNC+Blank, DPMS Standby, and DPMS Suspend. The DPMS (Display Power Management System) features allow 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.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE PWR Up On Modem Act (Enabled) This allows either settings of Enabled or Disabled for powering up the computer (turns the ATX power supply on) when the modem receives a call while the computer is off. NOTE: The computer cannot receive or transmit data until the computer and applications are fully running, thus connection cannot be made on the first try.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE PNP and PCI Setup This “PNP and PCI Setup” option configures the PCI bus slots. All PCI bus slots on the system use INTA#, thus all installed PCI cards must be set to this value. NOTE: SETUP Defaults are noted in parenthesis next to each function heading. Details of PNP and PCI Setup PNP OS Installed (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.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE DMA x Used By ISA (No/ICU) These fields indicate whether or not the displayed DMA channel for each field is being used by a legacy (non-PnP) ISA card. Available options include: No/ICU and Yes. The first option, the default setting, indicates either that the displayed DMA channel is not used or an ICU is being used to determine if an ISA card is using that channel.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE Load BIOS Defaults This “Load BIOS Defaults” option allows you to load the troubleshooting default values permanently stored in the BIOS ROM. These default settings are non-optimal and disable all high performance features. To load these default settings, highlight “Load BIOS Defaults” on the main screen and then press . The system displays a confirmation message on the screen. Press and then to confirm. Press and then to abort.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE Supervisor Password and User Password These two options set the system passwords. “Supervisor Password” sets a password that will be used to protect the system and the Setup utility; “User Password” sets a password that will be used exclusively on the system. By default, the system comes without any passwords. To specify a password, highlight the type you want and then press . A password prompt appears on the screen.
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE IDE HDD Auto Detection This “IDE HDD Auto Detection” option detects the parameters of an IDE hard disk drive, and automatically enters them into the Standard CMOS Setup screen. IV. BIOS Hard Disk Detect Up to four IDE drives can be detected, with parameters for each listed inside the box. To accept the optimal entries, press or else select from the numbers displayed under the OPTIONS field (2, 1, 3 in this case); to skip to the next drive, press .
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE IMPORTANT: If your hard disk was already formatted on an older previous system, incorrect parameters may be detected. You will need to enter the correct parameters manually or use low-level format if you do not need the data stored on the hard disk. If the parameters listed differ from the ones used when the disk was formatted, the disk will not be readable. If the auto-detected parameters do not match the ones that should be used for your disk, do not accept them.
V. DESKTOP MANAGEMENT Desktop Management Interface (DMI) Introducing the ASUS DMI Configuration Utility This motherboard supports DMI within the BIOS level and provides a DMI Configuration Utility to maintain the Management Information Format Database (MIFD). DMI is able to auto-detect and record information pertinent to a computer’s system such as the CPU type, CPU speed, and internal/external frequencies, and memory size.
V. DESKTOP MANAGEMENT Using the ASUS DMI Configuration Utility Edit DMI (or delete) Use the ←→ (left-right) cursors to move the top menu items and the ↑↓ (up-down) cursor to move between the left hand menu items. The bottom of the screen will show the available keys for each screen. Press enter at the menu item to enter the right hand screen for editing. “Edit component” appears on top. The reversed color field is the current cursor position and the blue text are available for editing.
V. DESKTOP MANAGEMENT Save MIFD You can save the MIFD (normally only saved to flash ROM) to a file by entering the drive and path here. If you want to cancel save, you may press ESC and a message “Bad File Name” appears here to show it was not saved. Load MIFD You can load the disk file to memory by entering a drive and path and file name here. Load BIOS Defaults V. DMI Using DMI Utility You can load the BIOS defaults from a MIFD file and can clear all user modified and added data.
VI. ASUS PCI SCSI Cards VI. ASUS SCSI Cards (SCSI BIOS) Symbios SCSI BIOS and Drivers Aside from the system BIOS, the Flash memory chip on the motherboard also contains the Symbios SCSI BIOS. This Symbios SCSI BIOS works in conjunction with the optional ASUS PCI-SC200 controller card to provide Fast SCSI-2 interface when using compatible SCSI devices or the ASUS PCI-SC860 SCSI controller cards to provide Ultra-Fast SCSI-2 interface when using Ultra-Fast SCSI-2 devices.
VI. ASUS PCI SCSI Cards VI. ASUS SCSI Cards (Setup) Setting Up the ASUS PCI-SC200 & PCI-SC860 There are two jumper settings you may need to make on the ASUS PCI-SC200 to set it up. One setting assigns the PCI INT interrupt, the other sets the card’s termination. The ASUS PCI-SC860 has no jumper settings but you should read the “Terminator Requirements.” Setting the INT Assignment for the ASUS PCI-SC200 You must use PCI INT A setting in order to properly assign the ASUS PCI-SC200’s interrupt.
VI. ASUS PCI SCSI Cards VI. ASUS SCSI Cards (Jumpers) Terminator Settings for the ASUS PCI-SC860 Many SCSI devices including the ASUS PCI-SC860 use a set of onboard active resistors to terminate the devices at the ends automatically. Automatic termination requires that the SCSI devices be connected in a straight linear connection or “chain.” Connect SCSI devices to one or two of the SCSI connectors in a linear “chain” for auto termination of the ASUS PCI-SC860 to be effective.
VI. ASUS PCI SCSI Cards VI.