Specifications

080505 OPERATIONS MANUAL PPM-GX500 16
BIOS Supplemental
General Information
The PPM-GX500 includes BIOS from Insyde Software, Inc. to assure full compatibility
with PC operating systems and software. The basic system conguration is stored
in battery backed CMOS RAM within the clock/calendar. As an alternative to operate
without a battery, the conguration may be stored in EEPROM for operation without a
battery. Access to this setup information is via the Setup Utility in the BIOS.
Entering Setup
To enter setup, power up the computer and press F1 when either the splash screen is
displayed or when the Press F1 for Setup message is displayed. It may take a few
seconds before the main setup menu screen is displayed.
Saving the BIOS Conguration
The Real-Time Clock and the CMOS RAM settings can be powered by an optional
battery when the board is not powered. The battery can be enabled/disabled using the
jumpers at J1.
The EEPROM feature allows the user to save BIOS conguration options without
requiring a battery or custom BIOS. This feature can be enabled/disabled using pins 1
and 2 of J1. When enabled, the conguration can be saved to EEPROM from the BIOS
Main Menu.
At system boot, the BIOS rst performs a checksum validation on the contents of the
CMOS RAM. Upon successful validation, the BIOS continues the process using values
stored in CMOS RAM. If a checksum error occurs, the BIOS attempts to load the
conguration table from the EEPROM. Checksum errors usually occur due to a low or
disabled battery.
After a checksum validation, the BIOS conguration is loaded from the EEPROM
and the boot process continues. If the EEPROM is disabled or another checksum
error occurs, the BIOS loads the minimum conguration from the FLASH PROM and
continues the boot sequence.
For applications where the battery is enabled, it is recommended to save the BIOS
conguration to both the CMOS RAM and the EEPROM. If a battery fails at some later
point, the BIOS defaults will be loaded from the EEPROM so operation can continue
without user interaction. The disadvantage to saving the CMOS setting to the battery
backed CMOS RAM is that all of the custom settings are lost when the battery fails or if
the CMOS gets corrupted (CMOS checksum error).
Navigation of the Menus
Use the Up and Down arrow keys to move among the selections and press Enter
when a selection is highlighted to enter a sub-menu or to see a list of choices.
Pressing the letter corresponding to each menu option is a shortcut that opens the
next dialogue box with one key press.
Following are images of each menu screen in the default conguration along with
a brief description of each option where applicable. Available options are listed in
reference tables. Menu values shown in bold typeface are factory defaults.
BIOS Conguration Location
The PPM-GX500 conguration table (CMOS image) is located in CMOS RAM. The
values of this table can be populated from either three (3) locations:
(1) CMOS RAM (when battery backed) and is user congurable
(2) EEPROM (nonvolatile) and is user congurable
(3) FLASH PROM - contains the BIOS and factory default conguration