Foxconn P55A User Manual
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Foxconn P55A User Manual

English manual.
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P55A-S/P55A
Motherboard
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Summary of Contents for Foxconn P55A

  • Page 1 P55A-S/P55A Motherboard User’s Manual...
  • Page 2 Statement: This manual is the intellectual property of Foxconn, Inc. Although the information in this manual may be changed or modified at any time, Foxconn does not obligate itself to inform the user of these changes. Trademark: All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

  • Page 3: Declaration Of Conformity

    HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY COMPANY LTD 66 , CHUNG SHAN RD., TU-CHENG INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT, TAIPEI HSIEN, TAIWAN, R.O.C. declares that the product Motherboard P55A-S/P55A is in conformity with (reference to the specification under which conformity is declared in accordance with 89/336 EEC-EMC Directive) ■...
  • Page 4 Declaration of conformity Trade Name: FOXCONN Model Name: P55A-S/P55A Responsible Party: PCE Industry Inc. Address: 458 E. Lambert Rd. Fullerton, CA 92835 Telephone: 714-738-8868 Facsimile: 714-738-8838 Equipment Classification: FCC Class B Subassembly Type of Product: Motherboard Manufacturer: HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY...

  • Page 5: Installation Precautions

    Installation Precautions ■ Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is the sudden and momentary electric current that flows between two objects at different electrical potentials. Normally it comes out as a spark which will quickly damage your electronic equipment. Please wear an electrostatic discharge (ESD) wrist strap when handling components such as a motherboard, CPU or memory.

  • Page 6: Table Of Contents

    TAble of CoNTeNTS Chapter 1 Product Introduction Product Specifications ................2 Layout.......................4 Back Panel Connectors ................5 Chapter 2 Hardware Install Install the CPU and CPU Cooler ..............8 Install the Memory .................. 11 Install an Expansion Card ..............13 Install other Internal Connectors ............14 Jumpers ....................18 Onboard Button ..................19 Onboard Debug LED ................19...
  • Page 7 Local Update ..................55 Online Update ..................57 Configure ..................60 About & Help ..................62 FOX LOGO .....................63 FOX DMI ....................64 Chapter 5 RAID Configuration RAID Configuration Introduction.............67 Intel® Matrix Storage Manager ..............69 Create a RAID Driver Diskette ...............70 BIOS Configuration ................72 Create RAID in BIOS................72 Install a New Windows XP ..............100 Existing Windows XP with RAID built as data storage ......104 Technical Support :...
  • Page 8 With advanced overclocking capability and a range of connectivity features for today multi-media computing requirements, P55A-S/ P55A enables you to unleash more power from your computer. This chapter includes the following information: ■...

  • Page 9: Product Specifications

    Internal Connectors 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector 1 x IDE connector (Controlled by Marvell 88SE6121, only for P55A-S) 1 x CPU fan header (4-pin) 2 x System fan headers (4-pin) 1 x CD-IN connector...
  • Page 10 1 x Optical S/PDIF out port 8 x USB 2.0 ports 8-channel Audio Ports Hardware Monitor System voltage detection CPU/System temperature detection CPU/System fan speed detection CPU/System overheating shutdown CPU/System fan speed control PCI Express x1 Support 250MB/s (500MB/s concurrent) bandwidth Low power consumption and power management features PCI Express x4 Support 1GB/s (2GB/s concurrent) bandwidth...

  • Page 11: Layout

    1-2 layout 1. 8-pin ATX 12V Power Connector 14. Reset Button(Only for P55A-S) 2. SYS_FAN2 Header 15. Power On Button (Only for P55A-S) 3. PCI Express x1 Slot 16. Debug LED (Only for P55A-S) 4. PCI Express x16 Slot 17. SATA Connectors 5.

  • Page 12: Back Panel Connectors

    The USB port supports the USB 2.0/1.1 specification. Use this port for USB devices such as an USB keyboard/mouse, USB printer, USB flash drive and etc. 3. Clear CMoS button(only for P55A-S) Onboard Clear CMOS button is located directly on the motherboard PCB, so you can easily clear...
  • Page 13 This connector provides digital audio out to an external audio system that supports digital optical audio. 5. external SATA Port (only for P55A-S) To connect external SATA device(s) to your system by expanding the internal SATA port(s) to the chassis back panel. External SATA device shall provide power by its own.
  • Page 14 This chapter introduces the hardware installation process, including the installation of the CPU, memory, power supply, slots, pin headers and the mounting of jumpers. Caution should be exercised during the installation of these modules. Please refer to the motherboard layout prior to any installation and read the contents in this chapter carefully.

  • Page 15: Install The Cpu And Cpu Cooler

    2-1 Install the CPU and CPU Cooler Read the following guidelines before you begin to install the CPU : ■ Make sure that the motherboard supports the CPU. ■ Always turn off the computer and unplug the power cord from the power supply before installing the CPU to prevent hardware damage.
  • Page 16 Follow the steps to install the CPU onto the CPU socket : Before installing the CPU, make sure to turn off the computer and unplug the power cord from the power outlet to prevent damage to the CPU. 2. Lift the metal cover on the CPU 1.

  • Page 17: Install The Cpu Cooler

    Install the CPU Cooler Follow the steps below to correctly install the CPU cooler on the motherboard. 1. Apply and spread an even thermal 2. Place the four bolts of the CPU grease on the surface of CPU. cooler to the holes of the motherboard, push them straight down from the top, and the bolts will be fastened on the motherboard.

  • Page 18: Install The Memory

    2-2 Install the Memory Read the following guidelines before you begin to install the memory : ■ Make sure that the motherboard supports the memory. It is recommended that memory of the same capacity, brand, speed, and chips be used. ■...

  • Page 19: Installing A Memory

    Installing a Memory ■ Before installing a memory module, make sure to turn off the computer and unplug the power cord from the power outlet to prevent damage to the memory module. Be sure to install DDR3 DIMMs on this motherboard. Notch If you take a look at front side of memory module, it has asymmetric pin counts on both sides separated by a notch in the middle, so it can only fit in one direction.

  • Page 20: Install An Expansion Card

    2-3 Install an expansion Card ■ Make sure the motherboard supports the expansion card. Carefully read the manual that came with your expansion card. ■ Always turn off the computer and unplug the power cord from the power outlet before installing an expansion card to prevent hardware damage.

  • Page 21: Install Other Internal Connectors

    2-4 Install other Internal Connectors Power Connectors This motherboard uses an ATX power supply. In order not to damage any device, make sure all the devices have been installed properly before applying the power supply. 24-pin ATX Power Connector : PWR1 PWR1 is the ATX power supply connector.
  • Page 22 The current Serial ATA II interface allows up to 300MB/s data transfer rate. SATA_1/2/3/4/5/6 IDe Connector : PIDe(only for P55A-S) With the provided Ultra DMA IDE ribbon cable, you can connect to any IDE type of hard disk and CD/...
  • Page 23 front Panel Connector : fP1 This motherboard includes one connector for connecting the front panel switch and LED Indicators. HDD-LED PWR-LED Hard Disk leD Connector (HDD-leD) RESET-SW PWR-SW Connect to the chassis front panel IDE indicator LED. It EMPTY indicates the active status of the hard disks. This 2-pin connector is directional with +/- sign.
  • Page 24 Audio Connector : CD_IN CD_L GND CD_R CD_IN is a Sony standard audio connector, it can be connected to a CD/DVD-ROM drive through a CD/DVD audio cable. CD_IN Speaker Connector : SPeAKeR SPKJ The speaker connector is used to connect speaker of EMPTY the chassis.

  • Page 25: Jumpers

    Set Pin 1 and Pin 2 closed Set Pin 2 and Pin 3 closed Clear CMoS Jumper: ClR_CMoS(only for P55A) The motherboard uses CMOS RAM to store the basic hardware information (such as BIOS data, date, time information, hardware password...etc.). Clear CMOS data is the fast way to go back to factory default when the BIOS settings were mistakenly modified.

  • Page 26: Onboard Button

    Enable (Default) Disable ■ Before flashing BIOS ROM, you need to set MFG jumper to pins 2-3 first. 2-6 onboard button(only for P55A-S) Power on button: PoWeR_oN Push the power on button to power on the system. Reset button: ReSeT Push the reset button to reboot the system.
  • Page 27 This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided. You have to run the Setup Program when the following cases occur : 1. An error message appears on the screen during the system Power On Self Test (POST) process.

  • Page 28: Enter Bios Setup

    enter bIoS Setup The BIOS is the communication bridge between hardware and software, correctly setting up the BIOS parameters is critical to maintain optimal system performance. Power on the computer, when the message "Press <Del> to enter Setup, <esc> to boot menu" appears at the bottom of the screen, you can press <DEL>...
  • Page 29 All the items related with Green function features can be set up through this menu. ► PC Health Status This setup enables you to read/change Fan speeds, and displays temperatures and voltages of your CPU/System. ► BIOS Security Features The Supervisor/User password can be set up through this menu to prevent unauthorized use of your computer.

  • Page 30: System Information

    Time. ► Fourth IDE Master [Not Detected] Halt On [All Errors, But ...] Keyboard [Disabled] Mouse [Disabled] Model Name : P55A/P55A-S BIOS Version : 945F1P02 Memory : 512MB MAC Address : 00-22-68-2E-26-1D Intel (R) Core (TM) CPU @2.93GHz ↑↓←→:Move Enter:Select...
  • Page 31 Model name of this product. ► BIOS Version It displays the current BIOS version. User can check this information and discuss with the field service people if a BIOS upgrade is needed. ► Memory This item displays the current memory size. The size is depending on how many memory mod- ules were installed in your system before powering on.

  • Page 32: Advanced Bios Features

    Advanced BIOS Features CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc. Advanced BIOS Features [Press Enter] ► Boot Device Priority [Press Enter] Help Item ► Hard Disk Drives [Press Enter] Quick Boot [Enabled] Specifies the Quiet Boot [Enabled] Boot Device PCI Latency Timer [64]...

  • Page 33: Fox Central Control Unit

    ► PCI IDE BusMaster This item is used to enable/disable PCI IDE busmaster function, BIOS use PCI busmastering for read/write to IDE drives. fox Central Control Unit CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc. FOX Central Control Unit [Press Enter] ►...

  • Page 34: Cpu Configuration

    This item allows you to select the row precharge time (in clock cycles). ► DRAM tRCD (RAS-to-CAS Delay) This item allows you to select a delay time (in clock cycles) between the CAS# and RAS# strobe signals. ► DRAM tWR (Write Recovery) This item allows you to select the write recovery time (in clock cycles).
  • Page 35 ► Limit CPUID MaxVal This item is used to enable or disable CPUID maximum value limit configuration. Set [Disa- bled] for WinXP. ► Virtualization Technology Virtualization (i.e. Intel® Vanderpool Technology) allows a platform to run multiple operating systems and applications in independent partitions or “containers.” One physical compute system can function as multiple “virtual”...
  • Page 36 demote information. ► C3 Auto Demotion When enable, CPU will conditionally demote C6/C7 requests to C3 based on uncore auto-demote information. Voltage Options CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc. Voltage Options ► Vcore Offset Control Help Item ►...

  • Page 37: Advanced Chipset Features

    Advanced Chipset Features CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc. Advanced Chipset Features IMC Type : *Field Family IMC Help Item Management Engine Version : 6.0.0.1126 ENABLE: Allow remapping of [Enabled] Memory Remap Feature [Enabled] overlapped PCI memory PCI MMIO Allocation: 4GB To 3328MB above the total Initate Graphic Adapter...

  • Page 38: Integrated Peripherals

    Integrated Peripherals CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc. Integrated Peripherals ► OnChip ATA Devices [Press Enter] [Press Enter] Help Item ► OnBoard Devices [Press Enter] ► SuperIO Configuration [Press Enter] OnChip ATA Devices ► USB Configuration [Press Enter] ↑↓←→:Move Enter:Select +/-/:Value...

  • Page 39: Onboard Devices

    This item is used to select the time out value for detecting ATA/ATAPI devices. If the checking time is over the set value, the system will skip it. ► Marvell 6121 PATA and eSATA (only for P55A-S) This item is used to set the operation mode of eSATA port and IDE port. Setting values are: [Disabled], [eSATA+IDE].

  • Page 40: Superio Configuration

    [10 USB Ports]; [12 USB Ports]; [14 USB Ports]. ► OnBoard Audio Controller This item is used to enable or disable the onboard audio controller. SuperIO Configuration CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc. SuperIO Configuration Configure ITE8720 Super IO Chipset Help Item Serial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4]...

  • Page 41: Usb Configuration

    USB Configuration CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc. USB Configuration USB Configuration Help Item Module Version - 2.24.3-13.4 Enables support for legacy USB. AUTO USB Devices Enabled : option disables 2 Hubs legacy support if no USB devices are Legacy USB Support [Enabled] connected.

  • Page 42: Power Management Setup

    Power Management Setup CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc. Power Management Setup HPET [Disabled] Help Item [Disabled] ACPI Suspend Type [S3 (STR)] USB Device Wakeup From S3/S4 [Disabled] Enable / Disable Resume by PCIE PME [Enabled] Resume by PCI Card [Enabled] Resume by PS2 Keyboard...
  • Page 43 ► HPET HPET stands for High Precision Even Timer. If you have the HPET disabled, then windows does not have access to it and therefore falls back to less accurate timing methods. This item is used to enable or disable the HPET Support. ►...

  • Page 44: Pc Health Status

    PC Health Status CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc. PC Health Status Warning Temperature [Disabled] Help Item [Disabled] Shut Down Temperature [Disabled] Options Case Open Warning [Disabled] CPU Temperature C/100 System Temperature C/71 Disabled C/122 CPU Fan Speed :3590 RPM C/131 System Fan Speed1...

  • Page 45: Bios Security Features

    bIoS Security features CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc. BIOS Security Features Supervisor Password : Installed Help Item User Password : Installed Change Supervisor Password [Press Enter] Install or change the [Press Enter] User Access Level [Full Access] password.

  • Page 46: Load Optimal Defaults

    load optimal Defaults Optimal defaults are the best settings of this motherboard. Always load the Optimal defaults after updating the BIOS or after clearing the CMOS Load Optimal Defaults? values. Select this option and press Enter, it will pop out a dialogue box to let [OK] [OK] [Cancel]...
  • Page 47 The utility CD that came with the motherboard contains useful software and several utility drivers that enhance the motherboard features. This chapter includes the following information: ■ Utility CD content ■ Install driver and utility ■ FOX ONE ■ FOX LiveUpdate ■...

  • Page 48: Utility Cd Content

    Utility CD content This motherboard comes with one Utility CD. You can simply put it into your CD/DVD-ROM drive, and the main menu will be displayed on your PC screen to guide you how to install. 1. Install Driver Use these options to install all the drivers for your system. You should install the drivers in order, and you need to restart your computer after all the drivers have been installed.

  • Page 49: Install Driver And Utility

    Step by Step Automatic Installation by One Click. Exit the program Drop to System Tray Click to visit Select to Install Select to Browse CD Foxconn's Utilities Install Drivers website 2. Install Utility You can select the specific utility to install.

  • Page 50: Fox One

    foX oNe FOX ONE is a powerful utility for easily modifying system settings. It also allows users to monitor various temperature values, voltage values, frequencies and fan speeds at any time. With FOX ONE, you can : ■ Modify system performance settings, such as the CPU and memory bus speeds, CPU voltages, fan speeds, and other system performance options.

  • Page 51: Main Page

    1. Main Page Show CPU Toolbar Information Alert Lamp Switch Button Skin Button Exit Minimum Configuration Homepage Monitor Frequency/Voltage/Fan speed/Temperature value Toolbar Use the toolbar to navigate to other pages. Alert lamp When the system is in healthy state, the color of alert lamp is green. When the system is in abnormal state, the alert lamp color is red.
  • Page 52 Click this button to exit the program. Minimum Click this button to drop the FOX ONE to Windows system tray located at the lower right corner of your screen. Homepage Click this button to visit Foxconn motherboard website : http://www.foxconnchannel.com...
  • Page 53 Configuration This menu allows you to configure : 1). Monitor interval (ms) : This is to define the interval of different messages of system settings which are to be displayed on Simple Mode screen. Minimum value is 1 second. 2). Simple Mode : To select which message of system settings are to be displayed in the Simple Mode.
  • Page 54 Step 1 : Click Calibration icon, a message pops out to ask for continue. Select Yes. Step 2 : After data is collected, it will ask you to restart your computer now. Later on, when the FOX ONE program is activated, and F.I.S. feature (in CPU Page) is also enabled, FOX ONE will automatically adjust your CPU clock according to your system loadings.

  • Page 55: Cpu Control

    2. CPU Page - CPU Control This page lets you select (or overclock) CPU clock to meet the current performance level of the system. The fastest and suitable CPU clock running for current system can be calculated by FOX ONE automatically or manually input by yourselves. Manual : You can press the up/down button to adjust your CPU clock.
  • Page 56 You can see the system is raising CPU clock until the system hangs. Push RESET button on the front panel of your system to restart the computer. Run FOX ONE program again, it will inform you the previous test found that 255MHz is the recommended CPU clock for your system.

  • Page 57: Frequency Control

    FOX Intelligent Stepping (F.I.S., Optional) Select FOX Intelligent Stepping will allow your system to automatically adjust your CPU clock rate based on different system loadings. For example, if you select Power Gaming, CPU clock will be driven to run at its maximum speed. While in Energy Saving, CPU will lower down its speed to a minimum.

  • Page 58: Limit Setting

    4. Limit Setting 4.1 Limit Setting - CPU Temperature This page lets you to set CPU high limit temperature and enable the alert function. Go to Limit Show current CPU Setting page temperature value Enable alert function when the CPU temperature is higher than high limit value Show current high...
  • Page 59 4.3 Limit Setting - CPU Fan This page lets you to set CPU fan low limit rpm and enable the alert function. Show current CPU fan rpm value Enable alert function when the CPU fan runs slower than the low limit rpm value Show current low limit rpm value of CPU fan...

  • Page 60: Voltage Control

    4.5 Limit Setting - FAN1 Fan This page lets you to set FAN1 fan low limit rpm and enable the alert function. Show current FAN1 fan rpm value Enable alert function when the FAN1 fan runs slower than low limit rpm value Show current low limit rpm value of FAN1 fan Set low limit rpm by...

  • Page 61: Fan Control

    6. Fan Page - Fan Control This page lets you enable Smart Fan function or set the fan speed by manual. When Smart Fan is selected, you must use a 4-pin CPU cooler in your system. Go to Fan page Enable or disable smart fan function Set fan speed by...

  • Page 62: Fox Liveupdate

    FOX LiveUpdate FOX LiveUpdate is a useful utility to backup and update your system BIOS, drivers and utilities by local or online. Supporting Operating Systems : ■ Windows 2000 ■ Windows XP (32-bit and 64-bit) ■ Windows 2003 (32-bit and 64-bit) ■...
  • Page 63 1-2 local Update - backup This page can backup your system BIOS. You can click “Backup”, and key in a file name, then click “Save” to finish the backup operation. The extension of this backup file is ".BIN" for Award BIOS and ".ROM"...

  • Page 64: Online Update

    2. online Update 2-1 online Update - Update bIoS This page lets you update your system BIOS from Internet. Click “start”, it will search the new BIOS from Internet. Then follow the wizard to finish the update operation. Click here Current information Search new BIOS from Internet...
  • Page 65 Select the driver to update Browse detailed information Install the selected driver Close the window 2-3 online Update - Update Utility This page lets you update utilities from Internet. Click “start”, it will search the new utilities from Internet. Then follow the wizard to finish the update operation. Click here Current information Search new utilities...
  • Page 66 2-4 online Update - Update All This page lets you update your system drivers from Internet. Click “start”, it will search all new BIOS/drivers/utilities from Internet. Then follow the wizard to finish the update operation. Click here Current information Search all new BIOS/ drivers/utilities from Internet Browse detailed...

  • Page 67: Configure

    3. Configure 3-1 Configure - option This page lets you set auto search options. After you enable the auto search function, FOX LiveUpdate will start its searching from Internet and if any qualified item found, it will pop out a message on the task bar to inform you to do the next step.
  • Page 68 When you enable "Auto Search FOX LiveUpdate", if your FOX LiveUpdate version is older, it will auto search from internet and prompt you to install the new version. Prompt you to install the new FOX LiveUpdate 3-2 Configure - System This page lets you set the backup BIOS location and change different skin of the FOX LiveUpdate utility.

  • Page 69: About & Help

    3-3 Configure - Advance This page lets you select to flash BIOS / Boot Block and clear CMOS. If you choose Flash Boot Block, it means BIOS is not protective, and you must make sure the flash process is continuous and without any interruption.

  • Page 70: Fox Logo

    foX loGo FOX LOGO is a simple and useful utility to backup, change and delete the boot time Logo. The boot Logo is the image that appears on screen during POST (Power-On Self-Test). You can prepare a JPG image (1024x768) file, then use FOX LOGO to open it and change the boot time Logo.

  • Page 71: Fox Dmi

    foX DMI FOX DMI is a full Desktop Management Interface viewer, and it provides three DMI data formats : Report, Data Fields and Memory Dump. With DMI information, system maker can easily analyze and troubleshoot your mother- board if there is any problem occurred. Supporting Operating Systems : ■...

  • Page 72: Chapter 5 Raid Configuration

    This chapter will cover two topics : ■ Installing a new Windows XP (Vista) in a brand new RAID system. ■ Existing Windows XP (Vista) system with new RAID built as data storage. It includes the following information : ■ RAID Configuration Introduction ■...

  • Page 73: Data Storage

    Installing a new Windows XP (Vista) in a brand new RAID system. 1. Follow 5-1 to create a RAID driver diskette. (Windows Vista has in-box driver by its own and can skip this step). 2. Follow 5-2 to set BIOS setting "SATA Mode" to RAID or AHCI. 3.

  • Page 74: Raid Configuration Introduction

    RAID Configuration Introduction RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is a method for computer data storage schemes that divide and/or replicate data among multiple hard drives. RAID can be designed to provide increased data reliability (fault tolerance) or increased I/O ®...
  • Page 75 RAID 0 (Stripe) RAID 0 reads and writes sectors of data interleaved among multiple drives. If any disk member fails, it affects the entire array. The disk array data capacity is equal to the number of drive members times the capacity of the smallest member. The striping block size can be set from 4KB to 128KB.

  • Page 76: Intel® Matrix Storage Manager

    Intel Matrix Storage Manager ® The Intel Matrix Storage Manager technology supports RAID 0 ,RAID 1, RAID 5, and ® RAID 10 (0+1) functions. It allows you to get high performance with fault tolerance, big capacity, or data safety provided by different RAID functions. In this section, we will use four SATA hard disks as an example to guide you how to configure your RAID system.

  • Page 77: Create A Raid Driver Diskette

    5-1 Create a RAID driver diskette If you want to install a brand new Windows XP on a AHCI or RAID system, you need to configure the SATA Mode in BIOS to either AHCI or RAID first. You also need to create a RAID driver diskette for use in installing your Windows XP system.
  • Page 78 6. You can input a volume label for this diskette, click on "Start" to format. 7.Click on "OK" to go through this warning message. 8. Format finished. Click "OK" to continue copying of RAID driver into this diskette. 9. Check if the diskette contains the driver files. Later, when in the process of installing Windows XP in your RAID system, it will ask you to use this floppy diskette to provide driver for additional specific devices, for example, a RAID device.

  • Page 79: Bios Configuration

    5-2 BIOS Configuration 1. Enter the BIOS setup by pressing <DEL> key during the POST(Power On Self Test). 2. Select the “Integrated Peripherals” from the “Main menu”, then select the “OnChip ATA Devices” item and press <Enter> to go to the configuration items. 3.

  • Page 80: Create Raid Volume

    Create RAID Volume Create RAID 0 (1st Volume) 1. Select “1. Create RAID Volume” from the menu and press <Enter>. The menu appears : Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation.
  • Page 81 4. It then goes to “Disks” item. Press <Enter> to display the hard disks list for this RAID0 system. Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Copyright(C) 2003-04 Intel Corporation All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 82 6. It is now entering “Strip Size” menu. Use Up or Down arrow key to select the desired strip size. The available values range from 4KB to 128KB. The strip value should be selected based on different applications. Some suggested choices are : 16K - Best for sequential transfer.
  • Page 83 8. In “Create Volume” item, press <Enter>. Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Copyright(C) 2003-04 Intel Corporation All Rights Reserved. CREATE VOLUME MENU Name: TryRAID0 RAID Level:...
  • Page 84 Create RAID0 (2nd Volume) 1. Select “1. Create RAID Volume” from the menu and press <Enter>. The menu appears : Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Copyright(C) 2003-04 Intel Corporation All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 85 4. It then goes to “Disks” item. Press <Enter> to display the hard disks list for this RAID0 second volume system. Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Copyright(C) 2003-04 Intel Corporation All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 86 6. It goes to “Strip Size” menu directly. Capacity automatically displays 148.1GB, and at this time, you can not input any value in capacity as there is no additional volume available. The available values of Strip Size range from 4KB to 128KB. The strip value should be selected based on different applications.
  • Page 87 A message will appear : Are you sure you want to create this volume ? (Y/N) : Press <Y> to create the volume and return to the main menu. Two RAID0 volumes were configured. Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation.

  • Page 88: Create Raid

    Create RAID 1 1. Select “1.Create RAID Volume” from the main menu and press <Enter>. 2. In "Name" item, you can input a device name for the RAID1 system and press <Enter> to apply it. Here, we name it as TryRAID1 to replace the default Volume0. Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation.
  • Page 89 4. It then goes to “Disks” item. Press <Enter> to dispaly the hard disks list for this RAID1 system. Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Copyright(C) 2003-04 Intel Corporation All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 90 6. It will skip “Strip Size” menu for RAID1. Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Copyright(C) 2003-04 Intel Corporation All Rights Reserved. CREATE VOLUME MENU Name: TryRAID1...
  • Page 91 Create RAID 10 (0+1) 1. Select “1.Create RAID Volume” from the main menu and press <Enter>. 2. In "Name" item, you can input a device name for the RAID10 system and press <Enter> to apply it. Here, we name it as TryRAID10 to replace the default Volume0. Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation.
  • Page 92 4. After exiting from "RAID Level", it goes directly to "Stripe Size" item. Because all four disks are selected for RAID10, so there is no need to go to Disks option. 5. Use Up or Down arrow key to select the desired strip size when entering “Strip Size”...
  • Page 93 Create RAID5 (Parity) 1. Select “1.Create RAID Volume” from the main menu and press <Enter>. 2. In "Name" item, you can input a device name for the RAID5 system and press <Enter> to apply it. Here, we name it as TryRAID5 to replace the default Volume0. Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation.
  • Page 94 4. It then goes to “Disks” item. Press <Enter> to display the hard disks list for this RAID5 system. Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Copyright(C) 2003-04 Intel Corporation All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 95 6. Use Up or Down arrow key to select the desired strip size when entering “Strip Size” menu. The default value is 64K. Press <Enter>. Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation.
  • Page 96 Create Recovery 1. Select “1.Create RAID Volume” from the main menu and press <Enter>. 2. In "Name" item, you can input a device name for the Recovery system and press <Enter> to apply it. Here, we name it as TryRecovery to replace the default Volume0. Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation.
  • Page 97 4. It then goes to “Disks” item. Press <Enter> to display the hard disks list for this Recovery system. Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Copyright(C) 2003-04 Intel Corporation All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 98 6. It will skip “Strip size” and “Capacity” items. The default “Capacity” value is the smaller hard disk size, that is 74.5GB. In “Sync” item, we suggest you select the “Continuous” value and press <Enter>. Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation.

  • Page 99: Delete Raid Volume

    Delete RAID Volume 1. Take TryRAID5 for example. Select “2. Delete RAID Volume” in main menu and press <Enter>. Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Copyright(C) 2003-04 Intel Corporation All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 100 3. After <DEL> key is pressed, the screen appears as below: Press <Y> key to confirm the volume deletion. Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Copyright(C) 2003-04 Intel Corporation All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 101: Reset Disks To Non-Raid

    Reset Disks to Non-RAID Reset RAID volume allows you to replace a failed disk with a new one, and the operating system will rebuild the data later. For RAID0, reset a hard disk would totally crash the system, but for RAID1, RAID10 and RAID5, they all can be rebuilt. When rebuild is needed, you must first install a new hard disk in your system before getting into Intel Matrix Storage Manager utility, because the utility will ask you which...
  • Page 102 3. Select Hitachi hard disk as the one to be reset. Press <Enter>. A double confirmation message pops out, press <Y> to confirm. Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation.
  • Page 103 example 2. Reset a RAID5 system 1. A TryRAID5 volume was built with three hard disks, we want to reset one of them. Select “3. Reset Disks to Non-RAID” in main menu and press <Enter>. Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation.
  • Page 104 4. A "DeGRADeD VolUMe DeTeCTeD" screen pops out asking you to select a new hard disk for rebuilding. Here, we select ST 74.5GB. Press <Enter> to select it. Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation.

  • Page 105: Recovery Volume Options

    Recovery Volume Options 1. “Recovery Volume Options” is only available when “Recovery” is built. Here, we take TryRecovery as an example, select “4. Recovery Volume Options” in main menu and press <Enter>. The screen displays: Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation.

  • Page 106: Exit Raid Bios

    Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option ROM - 9.5.0.1021 Intel(R) Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v5.0.0.1011 ICH9R wRAID5 Copyright(C) 2003-09 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Copyright(C) 2003-04 Intel Corporation All Rights Reserved. MAIN MENU 4. Recovery Volume Options 1. Create RAID Volume 4.

  • Page 107: Install A New Windows Xp

    5-4 Install a New Windows XP hen you set the SATA Mode in BIOS to either AHCI or RAID, you need to follow these steps to install your Windows XP system. 1. Press <DEL> to enter BIOS Setup during POST. 2.
  • Page 108 5. After some files are copied to your system, the following picture appears, press <S> to continue the specific driver installation. Windows Setup Setup could not determine the type of one or more mass storage devices installed in your system, or you have chosen to manually specify an adapter. Currently, Setup will load support for the following mass storage device(s): <none>...
  • Page 109 7. Depending on South Bridge chip of your system, select appropriate driver for it. Here, we choose Intel ICH8R/ICH9R/ICH10R/D0/PCH SATA RAID Controller. ® Press <Enter> to select it. Windows Setup You have chosen to configure a SCSI Adapter for use with Windows, using a device support disk provided by an adapter manufacturer.
  • Page 110 9. Windows will display the partition of your system, you have to create partitions as many as you wish, assign them C:, D: or E: drive names. After partitions were done, you can press <Enter> to continue. It will ask you to format your hard disk, then copy files...etc., until the whole Windows is setup.

  • Page 111: Existing Windows Xp With Raid Built As Data Storage

    5-5 Existing Windows XP with RAID built as data storage When you already have a Windows XP system running at a traditional IDE hard disk, and you want to keep it unchanged, but you also want to expand the system with some SATA hard disks, to come out a new RAID system for data storage.
  • Page 112 2. Copy section 5-2, BIOS Configuration. Shut down the computer, connect SATA hard disks to SATA ports, power on computer again. Press <Del> key, get into BIOS, set "SATA Mode" to [RAID], press <F10> to save and exit BIOS. PC will reboot. CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2009, American Megatrends, Inc.
  • Page 113 ® 5. Use Explorer to get into the Intel driver directory which was previously copied to the desktop. ® 6. Click on Setup.exe to install Intel Matrix Storage Manager.
  • Page 114 7. Install complete. 8. In Windows Explorer, right click on My Computer, click on Manage, then click on Disk Management to format these new RAID disks. Follow the Wizard to finish the job.

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