Asus A7N8X-VM User Manual
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Asus A7N8X-VM User Manual

Asus A7N8X-VM User Manual

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  • Page 1 A7N8X-VM User Manual...
  • Page 2 Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modified or altered, unless such repair, modification of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the product is defaced or missing.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Creating a bootable floppy disk ........2-2 2.1.1 Using AFUDOS utility to update the BIOS ....... 2-3 2.1.2 Using ASUS EZ Flash to update the BIOS ...... 2-4 BIOS Setup Program ..............2-5 2.2.1 BIOS menu bar ..............2-5 2.2.2 Legend bar ...............
  • Page 4 Contents Power Menu ................2-14 2.5.1 Power-up control ............2-15 2.5.2 Hardware Monitor ............2-16 Boot Menu ................... 2-17 2.6.1 Boot Settings Configuration ........... 2-17 2.6.2 Security ................2-19 Exit Menu ..................2-20 Chapter 3 - Software support Installing an operating system ............3-2 Support CD Information ..............

  • Page 5: Notices

    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.

  • Page 6: Safety Information

    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.

  • Page 7: About This Manual

    1. ASUS Websites The ASUS websites worldwide provide updated information on ASUS hardware and software products. The ASUS websites are listed in the ASUS Contact Information on page viii. 2. Optional Documentation Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty flyers, that may have been added by your dealer.

  • Page 8: Asus Contact Information

    General Support: +1-502-995-0883 Notebook Support: +1-510-739-3777 x5110 Web Site: www.asus.com Support Email: tsd@asus.com ASUS COMPUTER GmbH (Germany and Austria) Address: Harkortstr. 25, 40880 Ratingen, BRD, Germany General Email: sales@asuscom.de (for marketing requests only) General Fax: +49-2102-9599-31 Technical Support Support Hotlines:...

  • Page 9: A7N8X-Vm Specifications Summary

    A7N8X-VM specifications summary Socket A Type 462 for AMD Athlon™ XP up to 3000+ processors ® Chipset NVIDIA nForce2 IGP North bridge ® NVIDIA nForce2 MCP South bridge Front Side Bus (FSB) 333/266 MHz Memory 2 x 184-pin DDR DIMM sockets support up to maximum 2 GB unbuffered PC3200/2700/2100/1600 non-ECC DDR SDRAM memory.
  • Page 10 A7N8X-VM specifications summary BIOS features 4Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, ACPI, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, Green, PnP, TCAV, SMBIOS 2.3 ASUS EZ Flash, ASUS MyLogo2 Industry standard PCI 2.2, USB 2.0 Manageability DMI 2.0, WOL by PME, WOR by PME, WO_USB, WO_KB/MS...

  • Page 11: Product Introduction

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

  • Page 12: Welcome

    Thank you for buying the ASUS ® A7N8X-VM motherboard! The ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard is loaded with the most advanced technologies to deliver maximum performance for Socket A processors. This motherboard is packed with value-added features for guaranteed consumer satisfaction. The following sections provide important technical information about the motherboard for future upgrades or system reconfiguration.

  • Page 13: Special Features

    See details on page 2-10. ASUS MyLogo2 The ASUS MyLogo2 allows you to personalize and add style to your system with customizable boot logos. See details on pages 2-18 and 3-8. ASUS C.O.P.

  • Page 14: Motherboard Components

    Motherboard components Before you install the motherboard, learn about its major components and available features to facilitate the installation and future upgrades. Refer to the succeeding pages for the component descriptions. Chapter 1: Product Information...
  • Page 15 The controller supports standard UltraDMA133/100 and separate data paths for each IDE channel are built-in for up to two IDE devices. The controller supports six USB ports, one LAN port and is PCI rev2.2 compliant. ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user manual...
  • Page 16 AGP Slot. The Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slot only supports 1.5V AGP 8X/4X mode graphics cards for 3D graphical applications. The AGP slot also supports digital visual interface (DVI) cards for digital display on LCD monitors and projectors. Audio CODEC. The Realtek ALC650 6-channel Audio CODEC is an AC’97 compliant audio CODEC designed for PC multimedia systems.

  • Page 17: Motherboard Layout

    Below:Mic In A7N8X-VM Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP8X1) Realtek RTL8201 Super CR2032 3V Lithium Cell CMOS Power PCI 1 nVidia FPAUDIO CLRTC1 PCI 2 BIOS SPDIF1 CHASSIS1 PCI 3 COM2 USBPW56 Audio GAME1 Codec USB56 PANEL1 ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user manual...

  • Page 18: Motherboard Installation

    Motherboard installation The A7N8X-VM uses the Micro ATX form factor, measuring 24.5 cm (9.6 in.) x 24.5 cm (9.6 in.) - a standard fit for most large chassis. WARNING! Unplug the power cord before installing the motherboard. Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and damage Motherboard components.

  • Page 19: Before You Proceed

    When lit, the onboard LED indicates that the system is ON, in sleep mode or in soft-off mode, not powered OFF. See the illustration below. SB_PWR1 A7N8X-VM Standby Powered Power A7N8X-VM Onboard LED ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user manual...

  • Page 20: Central Processing Unit (Cpu)

    Central Processing Unit (CPU) The motherboard provides a Socket A (462) for CPU installation. The A7N8X-VM supports Athlon™ XP processors with “QuantiSpeed” data processing, large data caches, 3D enhancements and 333/266MHz bus speeds. AMD Athlon™ XP processors offer gigahertz speeds to support all the latest computing platforms and applications CPU NOTCH TO INNER...

  • Page 21: System Memory

    A7N8X-VM 184-Pin DDR DIMM Sockets PC3200 DDR is supported only when the motherboard is using an add-on VGA card. Visit www.asus.com to view a list of qualified PC3200 DDR SDRAM DIMM vendors. 1.9.1 Installing a DIMM 1. Unlock a DIMM socket by pressing DDR DIMM notch the retaining clips outward.

  • Page 22: Expansion Slots

    1.10 Expansion slots The A7N8X-VM motherboard has three (3) PCI and one (1) Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP). The following sub-sections describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support. 1.10.1 Configuring an expansion card Some expansion cards need an IRQ to operate. Generally, an IRQ must be exclusively assigned to one function at a time.

  • Page 23: Agp Slot

    A7N8X-VM ASUS AGP-NV-DVI A7N8X-VM Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP8X) The ASUS AGP-NV-DVI card is not included in this motherboard package. 1.10.4 PCI slots Three 32-bit PCI slots are available on this motherboard. The slots support PCI cards such as LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other cards that comply with PCI specifications.

  • Page 24: Jumpers

    1.11 Jumpers This section describes and illustrates the jumpers on the motherboard. 1. USB device wake-up (3-pin USBPW12, USBPW34, USBPW56) Set these jumpers to +5V to wake up the computer from S1 sleep mode (CPU stopped, DRAM refreshed, system running in low power mode) using the connected USB devices.
  • Page 25 5. Plug the power cord and turn ON the computer. 6. Hold down the <Del> key during the boot process and enter BIOS setup to re-enter data. A7N8X-VM CLRTC1 Normal Clear CMOS A7N8X-VM Clear RTC RAM (Default) ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user manual 1-15...

  • Page 26: Connectors

    1.12 Connectors This section describes and illustrates the connectors on the motherboard. 1. IDE connectors (40-1 pin PRI_IDE, SEC_IDE) This connector supports the provided UltraDMA133/100 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 UltraDMA133/100 slave device (hard disk drive) and the black connector to the UltraDMA133/100 master device.
  • Page 27 1A on the +5-volt standby lead (+5VSB). The minimum recommended wattage is 230W, or 300W for a fully configured system. The system may become unstable and may experience difficulty powering up if the power supply is inadequate. ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user manual 1-17...
  • Page 28 4. USB header (10-1 pin USB56) If the USB 2.0 port connectors on the back panel are inadequate, a USB header is available for two additional USB port connectors. Connect a 2-port USB connector set to a USB header and mount the USB bracket to an open slot in the chassis.
  • Page 29 By default, the pins labeled “Chassis Signal” and “Ground” are shorted with a jumper cap. If you wish to use the chassis intrusion detection feature, remove the jumper cap from the pins. CHASSIS1 A7N8X-VM A7N8X-VM Chassis Alarm Lead (Default) ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user manual 1-19...
  • Page 30 8. Front panel audio connectors (10-1 pin FPAUDIO) This is an interface for front panel audio cable that allows convenient connection and control of audio devices. A7N8X-VM FP_AUDIO A7N8X-VM Front Panel Audio Connector 9. Internal audio connectors (4 pin CD1, AUX1) These connectors allow you to receive stereo audio input from sound sources such as a CD-ROM, TV tuner, MPEG card or modem.
  • Page 31 10. TV out connector (6-1 pin U46) This 6-1 pin connector connects to the front panel daughter card with the audio TV-out port. This connector allows dual display (TV+VGA or TV+DVI) with the ASUS AV/S and AGP-NV-DVI cards. A7N8X-VM A7N8X-VM TV Out Connector ASUS AV/S The AV/S module is not included in this motherboard package.
  • Page 32 12. Serial Port 2 connector (10-1 pin COM2) This connector accommodates a second serial port using an optional serial port bracket. Connect the bracket cable to this connector then install the bracket into a slot opening at the back of the system chassis. COM2 PIN 1 A7N8X-VM...
  • Page 33 Hard Disk Activity Lead (2-pin IDE LED) This connector supplies power to the hard disk activity LED. The read or write activities of any device connected to the primary or secondary IDE connector cause this LED to light up. ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user manual 1-23...
  • Page 34 1-24 Chapter 1: Product Information...
  • Page 35 Chapter 2 This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup Menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided. BIOS information...

  • Page 36: Managing And Updating Your Bios

    Managing and updating your BIOS • The original BIOS file for this motherboard is in the support CD. • Copy the original BIOS to a bootable floppy disk in case you need to restore the BIOS in the future. 2.1.1 Creating a bootable floppy disk 1.

  • Page 37: Using Afudos Utility To Update The Bios

    Careless updating may result to more problems with the motherboard! 1. Download an updated ASUS BIOS file from the Internet (see ASUS CONTACT INFORMATION on page ix for details) and save to the boot floppy disk you created earlier.

  • Page 38: Using Asus Ez Flash To Update The Bios

    2.1.3 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. The EZ Flash is built-in the BIOS firmware so it is accessible by simply pressing <Alt>...

  • Page 39: Bios Setup Program

    Use this menu to exit the current menu or to exit the Setup program. To access the menu bar items, press the right or left arrow key on the keyboard until the desired item is highlighted. ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user manual...

  • Page 40: Legend Bar

    2.2.2 Legend bar At the bottom of the Setup screen is a legend bar. The keys in the legend bar allow you to navigate through the various setup menus. The following table lists the keys found in the legend bar with their corresponding functions. Navigation Key(s) Function Description <F1>...

  • Page 41: Main Menu

    Valid values for hour, minute and second are Hour: (00 to 23), Minute: (00 to 59), Second: (00 to 59). Use the <Tab> or <Shift> + <Tab> keys to move between the hour, minute, and second fields. ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user manual...

  • Page 42: Primary And Secondary Master/Slave

    System Date [XX/XX/XXXX] Sets the system to the date that you specify (usually the current date). The format is month, day, year. Valid values for month, day, and year are Month: (1 to 12), Day: (1 to 31), Year: (up to 2099). Use the <Tab> or <Shift> + <Tab> keys to move between the month, day, and year fields.

  • Page 43: System Information

    This field enables you enable or disable 32-bit data transfer mode. Configuration option: [Disabled] [Enabled] 2.3.2 System Information This option displays detailed information about the BIOS, processor and system memory. The values for these fields are automatically detected. Refer to the screen capture below for details. ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user manual...

  • Page 44: Advanced Menu

    Advanced Menu 2.4.1 Chipset Video Frame Buffer Size [ 32 MB] This field sets the size of the video frame buffer. The settings on this field is valid only for motherboard models with onboard VGA controller. Configuration options: [Auto] [8MB] [16MB] [32MB] [64MB] [128MB] Graphics Aperture Size [ 64MB] This feature allows you to select the size of mapped memory for AGP graphic data.

  • Page 45: Onboard Devices Configuration

    This field allows you to set the address for the onboard serial connector (COM2) connector. Configuration options: [3F8/IRQ4] [2F8/IRQ3] [3E8/IRQ4] [2E8/IRQ3] Parallel Port Address [Disabled] This field allows the BIOS to select the Parallel Port Base Address. Configuration options: [Disabled] [378] [278] [3BC] ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user manual 2-11...
  • Page 46 Parallel Port Mode [Disabled] This field allows the BIOS to select the Parallel Port Mode. Configuration options: [Normal] [EPP] [ECP] [EPP+ECP] ECP Mode DMA Channel [DMA3] This field allows the BIOS to select the Parallel Port ECP DMA. Configuration options: [DMA0] [DMA1] [DMA3] Parallel Port IRQ [IRQ7] This field allows the BIOS to select the Parallel Port IRQ.

  • Page 47: Pcipnp

    This field enables or disables the Palette Snooping feature. Set to [Enabled] and the PCI devices will detect that an ISA graphics device is installed in the system so the device will function correctly. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user manual 2-13...

  • Page 48: Power Menu

    PCI IDE BusMaster [Disabled] This field allows the BIOS, when [Enabled], to use PCI busmastering for reading and writing to IDE drives. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Offboard PCI/ISA IDE Card [Auto] This field allows the setting of the proper slot of installed PCI IDE cards. Some PCI IDE cards require this to be set to the PCI slot number that is holding the card.

  • Page 49: Power-Up Control

    Ring In Resume [Disabled] This parameter enables or disables RI to generate a wake event. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user manual 2-15...

  • Page 50: Hardware Monitor

    Onboard LAN Resume [Disabled] This parameter enables or disables the onboard LAN to generate a wake event. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] RTC Resume [Disabled] This parameter enables or disables RTC to generate a wake event.

  • Page 51: Boot Menu

    Other Boot Device. 2.6.1 Boot Settings Configuration Quick Boot [Enabled] This field allows BIOS to skip certain tests while booting. This will decrease the time needed to boot the system. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user manual 2-17...
  • Page 52 [Enabled] Make sure that the above item is set to [Enabled] if you wish to use the ASUS MyLogo2 feature. See MyLogo2 details on page 3-8. AddOn ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS] This field sets the display mode for option ROM. Configuration options: [Force...

  • Page 53: Security

    If you need to erase the CMOS RAM, unplug the all the power cables and remove the button cell battery. Re-install the battery after about 2 seconds, then power up the system. Refer to section “Jumpers - Clear RTC RAM” on how to erase the CMOS RAM. ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user manual 2-19...

  • Page 54: Exit Menu

    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 <Esc> does not immediately exit this menu. Select one of the options from this menu or <F10>...
  • Page 55 Chapter 3 This chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes with the motherboard package. Software support...

  • Page 56: Installing An Operating System

    The contents of the support CD are subject to change at any time without notice. Visit the ASUS website for updates. 3.2.1 Running the support CD To begin using the support CD, simply insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive. The CD automatically displays the Drivers menu if Autorun is enabled in your computer.

  • Page 57: Drivers Menu

    CPU temperature, and system voltages, and alerts you on any detected problems. This utility helps you keep your computer at a healthy operating condition. Using ASUS PC Probe Monitoring Monitor Summary Shows a summary of the items being monitored. ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user manual...
  • Page 58 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. Fan Warning threshold adjustment (Move the slider up to increase the threshold level or down to decrease the threshold level)
  • Page 59 Hard Drives Shows the used and free space of the PC’s hard disk drives and the file allocation table or file system used. Information Memory Shows the PC memory load, memory usage, and paging file usage. ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard user manual...
  • Page 60 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.

  • Page 61: Asus Update

    ASUS Update The ASUS Update is a utility that allows you to update the motherboard BIOS and drivers. This utility requires an Internet connection either through a network or an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Follow these steps to use the ASUS Update.

  • Page 62: Asus Mylogo2

    See page 3-7 for installation of ASUS Update. Before using ASUS MyLogo2 feature, use the AFUDOS utility to make a copy of your original BIOS file, or obtain the latest BIOS version from the ASUS website.
  • Page 63 Instead of starting from ASUS Update, you may also launch ASUS MyLogo2 directly from the Windows Start menu to change your BIOS boot logo. After you have modified the BIOS file with the new logo, use the ASUS Update utility to upload the new BIOS.
  • Page 64 This item installs the Adobe Acrobat Reader. The Acrobat Reader software is for viewing files saved in Portable Document Format (PDF). ASUS Screen Saver This item installs the ASUS screen saver. E-Color 3Deep This item installs the 3Deep software. 3Deep is the first application that gives online gamers the competitive edge in multi-player skirmishes.

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