Asus A7N8X Series User Manual
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Asus A7N8X Series User Manual

Asus A7N8X Series User Manual

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  • Page 1 ® A7N8X Series 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: How This Guide Is Organized

    About this guide This user manual contains complete information for installing the ASUS A7N8X motherboard. How this guide is organized • Chapter 1: Product introduction. A summary of product features and special attributes of new technologies. • Chapter 2: Hardware information. A list of hardware setup procedures and descriptions of all jumpers and connectors on the motherboard.

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    How this guide is organized ............... iii Conventions used in this guide ............iii Safety information ..................vi FCC/CDC statements ................. vii ASUS contact information ................. viii A7N8X Specifications summary ..............ix Chapter 1: Product introduction ..........1 Welcome! ....................1 Package contents ................
  • Page 5 A7N8X Motherboard Support CD ............ 72 5.3.1 Installation Procedure ............72 5.3.2 Installation of PCI Drivers: Win98 ........73 ASUS PC Probe ................75 ASUS Live Update ................80 3Deep Color Tuner ................81 NVIDIA nForce Control Panel ............83 Winbond Editor ................88 RAID 0/1 Configurations ..............

  • 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: Fcc/Cdc Statements

    FCC/CDC statements 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 8: Asus Contact Information

    Technical Support Support Fax: +1-510-608-4555 General Support: +1-502-933-8713 Web Site: www.asus.com Support Email: tsd@asus.com ASUS COMPUTER GmbH (Germany & Austria) Address: Harkortstr. 25, 40880 Ratingen, BRD, Germany General Fax: +49-2102-442066 General Email: sales@asuscom.de (for marketing requests only) Technical Support Support Hotline: MB/Others: +49-2102-9599-0...

  • Page 9: A7N8X Specifications Summary

    Memory 3 x 184-pin DDR DIMM Sockets Max. 3 GB unbuffered PC3200/2700/2100/1600 non-ECC DDR RAM memory. Dual-Channel DDR400 support. (Visit ASUS website for latest qualified DDR400 module list.) Expansion slots 5 x PCI 1 x AGP Pro/8X (1.5V only) 2 x UltraDMA 133/100/66/33...
  • Page 10 Green Industry standard PCI 2.2, USB 1.1/2.0. Manageability DMI 2.0, WOL, WOR, Chassis Intrusion, SM Bus Support CD contents Device drivers ASUS PC Probe Trend Micro PC-cillin 2002 anti-virus software ASUS LiveUpdate Utility Accessories InterVideo WinCinema (optional) User’s manual Support CD...

  • Page 11: Chapter 1: Product Introduction

    Chapter 1 Product introduction...
  • Page 12 ASUS A7N8X motherboard...

  • Page 13: Welcome

    The A7N8X is the perfect vehicle to get ahead in the world of power computing! Package contents Check your A7N8X package for the following items. ASUS A7N8X motherboard (ATX form factor: 12 in x 9.6 in) ASUS A7N8X support CD ASUS 2-port USB / Game port module (optional) 40-pin 80 conductor UltraDMA133/100/66/33 IDE ribbon cable Ribbon cable for a 3.5-inch floppy drive...

  • Page 14: Core Specifications

    Core Specifications The A7N8X motherboard is designed and assembled according to the highest standards. This ASUS motherboard represents the latest advances and offers users the finest componentry available today... ® ™ ™ ™ Athlon / Athlon XP and Duron Socket A (462) Processor ®...

  • Page 15: Asus Special Features

    ASUS Special Features ASUS POST Reporter™ (optional) A7N8X offers the ASUS POST Reporter™ to provide friendly voice messages and alerts during the Power-On Self-Test (POST). Through an added external speaker, messages inform you of system boot status and causes of boot errors. Bundled Winbond ™...

  • Page 16: Motherboard Components

    USB Connectors (Ports 3/4) .......... 44 USB Connectors (Ports 1/2) .......... 39 1 Serial Ports (COM1) ........... 43 Hardware Monitoring System Voltage Monitor (integrated in ASUS ASIC) ..16 Special Feature Onboard LED (Green) ........... 19 Onboard AGP Warning LED (Red) ........ 29 Network Feature Realtek 8201BL PHY ............
  • Page 17 1.4.1 Component Locations ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 18: Special Features

    (optional) Temperature, Fan and Voltage Monitoring: CPU temperature is monitored by ASUS ASIC through a thermal sensor mounted under the CPU. The sensor signals the computer to prevent overheating and damage. The CPU and system fans can be monitored for RPM and failure. System voltage levels are monitored to ensure stable current to critical motherboard components.

  • Page 19: Chapter 2: Hardware Information

    Chapter 2 Hardware information...
  • Page 20 ASUS A7N8X motherboard...

  • Page 21: Motherboard Installation

    Place nine (9) screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard to the chassis. CAUTION! Do not overtighten the screws! Doing so may damage the motherboard. Place this side towards the rear of the chassis ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 22 A7N8X ® IEEE1394_2 CLRTC1 PCI 3 CR2032 3V Lithium Cell COM2 CMOS Power USB56 SATA_EN1 PCI 4 USBPWR_56 Realtek GAME1 RTL8801 ASUS SATALInk ASIC PWR_LED1 Chipset MODEM1 with Hardware IR_CON1 PCI 5 Monitor Speech SMB1 Controller PWRTMP1 IDELED1 SEC_SATA1 PRI_SATA1...

  • Page 23: Layout Contents

    10) PRIMARY / SEC. IDE p. 26 IDE Connectors (2 x 40-1 pin) 11) PRI/SEC_SATA1 p. 27 SATA Serial ATA Connectors (2 x 7-pin) 12) IR_CON1 p. 27 ASUS Front Panel Audio Connector (10 pin) 13) CPU_FAN1 p. 28 CPU Fan Connector (3 pin) 14) 1394HEAD p.

  • Page 24: Before You Proceed

    Before you proceed Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings. CAUTION! 1. Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching components. 2. Use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded object or to a metal object, such as the power supply case, before handling components to avoid damaging them due to static electricity.

  • Page 25: Central Processing Unit (Cpu)

    Refer to this indicator while orienting the CPU. See the next page for installation details. A fan and heatsink should be attached to the CPU to prevent overheating. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 26: Installing The Cpu

    2.4.2 Installing the CPU Follow these steps to install a CPU: 1. Locate the Socket 462 and open it by pulling the lever gently sideways away from the socket. Then lift the lever upwards. The socket lever must be fully opened (90 to 100 degrees).

  • Page 27: System Memory

    DO NOT force a DIMM into a socket to avoid damaging the DIMM. • DIMMs with more than 18 chips are not supported. • ASUS motherboards support SPD (Serial Presence Detect)DIMMs. This is the memory of choice for best performance vs. stability • BIOS shows DDR SDRAM memory on bootup screen.

  • Page 28: Memory Configurations

    3. Firmly insert the DIMM into the socket until the retaining clips snap back in place. NOTE: Visit the ASUS website at www.asus.com for the latest DIMM Qualified Vendors List. Make sure to use only tested and qualified DDR400 DIMMs.

  • Page 29: Expansion Slots

    5. Secure the card to the chassis with the screw you removed earlier. 6. Replace the system cover. 7. Set up the BIOS if necessary. 8. Install the necessary software drivers for your expansion card. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 30: Configuring An Expansion Card

    2.6.2 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. In a standard design configuration, 16 IRQs are available but most are already in use. Normally, 6 IRQs are free for expansion cards.

  • Page 31: Pci Slots

    Three 32-bit PCI slots are available on this motherboard. The slots support PCI cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other cards that comply with PCI specifications. This figure shows a typical PCI card installed into a slot: ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 32: Agp Slot

    2.6.4 AGP slot This motherboard provides an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP 8X) slot to support AGP graphics cards. Take note of the notches on the card golden fingers to ensure that they fit the AGP slot on your motherboard. Below is an example of a +1.5V AGP card.

  • Page 33: Jumpers

    [2-3] you may use your keyboard by pressing <Spacebar> to wake up your computer. This feature requires an ATX power supply that can supply at least 1A on the +5VSB lead. KBPWR1 +5VSB (Default) ® A7N8X A7N8X Keyboard Power Setting ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 34 3) USB Device Wake-up (2x3 pin USBPWR12, 34, 56) Set these jumpers to +5V to allow wake up from the S1 sleep state (CPU stopped; RAM refreshed; system running in low power mode) using the connected USB devices. Set to +5VSB to allow wake up from S3 sleep state (no power to CPU;...
  • Page 35 This jumper when set to 1-2 pins (default), enable support for Front Side Bus 333/266. When set to pins 2-3, it sets support for FSB 200 only. CPU_FSB ® A7N8X FSB333/266 FSB200 (Default) A7N8X CPU FSB Jumper Setting ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 36: Connectors

    Connectors This section describes and illustrates the internal connectors on the motherboard. WARNING! Some pins are used for connectors or power sources. These are clearly distinguished from jumpers in the Motherboard Layout. Placing jumper caps over these connector pins will cause damage to your motherboard.
  • Page 37 To enable these ports, see Onboard Serial Port 1 / Onboard Serial Port 2 in 4.4.3 Integrated Peripherals for the settings. COM1 Serial Ports (9-pin Male) COM2 PIN 1 ® A7N8X A7N8X Serial COM2 Bracket ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 38 5) Fast-Ethernet Port Connector (Two x RJ45) (Optional) These RJ45 connectors are located on top of the USB Ports 1/2 and 3/ 4. The RJ45 supports connectivity for local area networks. 3COM LAN NVIDIA LAN RJ-45 RJ-45 6) Parallel Port (Burgundy 25-pin PRINTER) You can enable the parallel port and choose the IRQ through Onboard Parallel Port (see 4.4.3 Integrated Peripherals).
  • Page 39 Primary or Secondary IDE connectors cause the IDE LED to light up. IDELED1 ® A7N8X TIP: If the case-mounted LED does not light, try reversing the 2-pin plug. A7N8X IDE Activity LED ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 40 9) Floppy Disk Drive Connector (34-1 pin 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. (Pin 5 is removed to prevent inserting in the wrong orientation when using ribbon cables with pin 5 plugged).
  • Page 41 Use the ten pins as shown in Back View and connect a ribbon cable from the module to the motherboard SIR connector according to the pin definitions. IR_CON1 Standard Infrared (SIR) Front View Back View ® A7N8X IRTX (NC) IRRX A7N8X Infrared Connector ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 42 (Use the “Rotation” signal only with a specially designed fan with a rotation signal. You can monitor the Rotations Per Minute (RPM) using ASUS PC Probe (see 5. SOFTWARE SUPPORT). WARNING! Make sure to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors.
  • Page 43 SMBus devices. SMBus is a multi-device bus that permits multiple chips to connect to the same bus and enable each one to act as a master by initiating data transfer. SMB1 ® A7N8X A7N8X SMBus Connector ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 44 17) Internal Audio Connectors (Two x 4 pin CD1, AUX1, MODEM1) These connectors allow you to receive stereo audio input from sound sources as a CD-ROM, TV tuner, Modems, or MPEG card. MODEM1 CD1 (Black) AUX1 (White) ® A7N8X A7N8X Internal Audio Connectors 18) Digital Audio Interfaces (6 pin SPDIF1) (Optional) This connector is for optional S/PDIF audio module that allows digital instead of analog sound input and output.
  • Page 45 A7N8X ® USB56 A7N8X USB 2.0 Header 20) Power Supply Thermal Sensor (2-pin PWRTMP1) (Optional) This header supports a thermal sensor for the power supply. PWRTMP1 ® A7N8X PWRTMP Ground A7N8X Power Supply Thermal Connector ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 46 21) Game Connector (16-1 pin GAME) This connector supports an external game port. An example of a PCI game port is illustrated. ® A7N8X GAME1 A7N8X Game Connector 22) Chassis Open Alarm Lead (4-1 pin CHASSIS1) This lead is intended for a chassis designed to support intrusion detection. The lead requires an external detection mechanism such as a chassis intrusion monitor/sensor or microswitch.
  • Page 47 25) Keyboard Lock Switch Lead (2 pin KEYLOCK) This 2-pin connector supplies the case-mounted key switch for keyboard locking. 26) System Warning Speaker Lead (4 pin SPEAKER) This 4-pin connector supplies the case-mounted speaker to sound system beeps and warnings. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 48 27) System Management Interrupt Lead (2 pin SMI) This 2-pin connector permits switching to suspend mode, or “Green” mode, in which system activity is instantly decreased to save power and to expand the life of certain system components. Attach the case-mounted suspend switch this 2-pin connector.

  • Page 49: Chapter 3: Powering Up

    Chapter 3 Powering up...
  • Page 50 ASUS A7N8X motherboard...

  • Page 51: Starting Up For The First Time

    High frequency beeps when CPU overheated; system is working System running at a lower frequency 7. At power on, hold down <Delete> to enter BIOS Setup. Follow the instructions in Chapter 4. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 52: Vocal Post Messages

    3.2 Vocal POST Messages This motherboard includes the Winbond speech controller to support a special feature called the ASUS POST Reporter™. This feature gives you vocal POST messages and alerts to inform you of system events and boot status. In case of a boot failure, you will hear the specific cause of the problem.
  • Page 53 System completed Power-On Self Test • No action required Computer now booting from operating • No action required system You may disable the ASUS Speech POST Reporter™ in the BIOS setup. See section “4.4.1 Advanced BIOS Features”. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 54: Powering-Off The Computer

    3.3 Powering off the computer You must first exit the operating system and shut down the system before switching off the power. For ATX power supplies, you can press the ATX power switch after exiting or shutting down the operating system. If you use Windows 95/98/2000/XP, click the Start button, click Shut Down, then click the OK button to shut down the computer.

  • Page 55: Chapter 4: Bios

    Chapter 4 BIOS...
  • Page 56 ASUS A7N8X motherboard...

  • Page 57: Managing And Updating Your Bios

    (see section 2.7, Jumpers). If the Flash Memory Writer utility is not able to successfully update a complete BIOS file, the system may not boot. If this happens, call the ASUS service center for support. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 58: Updating Bios Procedures

    BIOS. 4.1.2.1 Updating BIOS via Built-in AwardBIOS Flash Utility 1. Download the latest BIOS file from the ASUS website (see ASUS contact info on Page viii). Save the copy to a floppy disk.
  • Page 59 <Y>. The AWDFLASH program backs-up the file. 7. AWDFLASH proceeds to check the new BIOS file and asks the user to program (flash) the new BIOS file to the motherboard. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 60 8. Type <Y> and Press <Enter> to flash the new Bios file. NOTE: Do not shut off system power or unplug the supply during the flash process. 9. The BIOS flashes and displays the results. Press <F1> to restart. 4.1.2.2 Updating BIOS via Bootable Floppy Disk 1.

  • Page 61: Bios Setup Program

    NOTE! Because the BIOS software is constantly being updated, the following BIOS setup screens and descriptions are for reference purposes only, and may not exactly match what you see on your screen. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 62: Main Menu

    4.2.1 BIOS menu bar The top of the screen has a menu bar with the following selections: MAIN Use this menu to make changes to the basic system configuration. ADVANCED Use this menu to enable and make changes to the advanced features, including BIOS, Chipset, Peripheral, Power and PnP/ PCI configurations.

  • Page 63: General Help

    While moving around through the Setup program, note that explanations appear in the Item Specific Help window located to the right of each menu. This window displays the help text for the currently highlighted field. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 64: Main Menu

    4.3 Main Menu When you enter the Setup program, the following screen appears. System Date [mm/dd/yy] 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 2084).
  • Page 65 Before attempting to configure a hard disk drive, make sure you have the correct configuration information supplied by the drive manufacturer. Incorrect settings may cause the system to fail to recognize the installed hard disk. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 66 [Manual] & [CHS] Settings Manually enter the number of cylinders, heads and sectors per track for the drive. Refer to the drive documentation or on the drive label for this information. NOTE! After entering the IDE hard disk drive information into BIOS, use a disk utility, such as FDISK, to partition and format new IDE hard disk drives.
  • Page 67 This field configures the number of sectors per track. Refer to the drive documentation to determine the correct value. To make changes to this field, set the Type field to [User Type HDD] and the Translation Method field to [Manual]. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 68 4.3.2 Secondary Master/Slave IDE HDD Auto-Detection [Press Enter] Press enter to automatically detect an IDE hard disk drive, if the hard drive is not already detected. In cases of undetected HDDs, pressing enter will detect the HDD and then open access to both the IDE Primary Master and Access Mode fields.

  • Page 69: Advanced Menu

    PCI/VGA properties. IRQ resources are accessed from this menu. To access the menu bar items, press the up and down arrow keys and then press <enter> to view the desired menu. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 70: Advanced Bios Features

    4.4.1 Advanced BIOS Features (Scroll down to view all items on the menu.) Boot Virus Detection [Disabled] This field enables boot virus protection by default. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] CPU Level 1 Cache [Enabled] This field enables the CPU level 1 cache by default. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] CPU Level 2 Cache [Enabled] This field enables the level 2 cache by default.
  • Page 71 This field determines the delay time ( in milliseconds ) between registering a keystroke and displaying it onscreen. Configuration options: [250] [500] [750] [1000] APIC Mode [Enabled] This field enables or disables the APIC mode. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 72 This field enables or disables display of the Power On Self Test (POST) complete report, which is [Enabled] by default. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] Speech POST Reporter [Enabled] This field enables or disables the ASUS POST Reporter feature. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] Chapter 4: BIOS Setup...

  • Page 73: Advanced Chipset Features

    This field is available to unlocked processors only. For unlocked processors, this field sets the frequency multiple between the CPU’s internal frequency (CPU speed) and the external frequency. Configuration options: [5.0x] [5.5x]..[11.5] [12.0] [12.5x/13.0x] ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 74 System Performance [Optimal] This field permits change of mode for system performance. When set to [Optimal], the system uses the most stable settings. When you want to use overclocked settings for higher performance but with higher risk of instability, set to [Aggressive] and to allow full customization of performance options set to [Expert].
  • Page 75 AGP 8X Support [Enabled] This field enables or disables the AGP 8X support. Configuration options: [Disable] [Enable] AGP Fast Write Capability [Enabled] This field enables or disables the AGP Fastwrite function. Configuration options: [Disable] [Enable] ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 76: Integrated Peripherals

    4.4.3 Integrated Peripherals (Scroll down to view all items on the menu.) Primary VGA BIOS [PCI VGA Card] This field sets the priority for the display of VGA signals. Change from the PCI VGA Cardt default to AGP VGA Card if using an AGP card. Configuration options: [PCI VGA Card] [AGP VGA Card] USB Controllers [V1.1+V2.0] This field sets the protocols for OnChip processing of USB outputs.
  • Page 77 Configuration options: [IR] [COM Port] Onboard Parallel Port [378/IRQ7] This field sets the address of the onboard parallel port connector to 378/ IRQ7 by default. Disabling the port makes the parallel port unavailable. Configuration options: [Disabled] [378/IRQ7] [278/IRQ5] [3BC/IRQ7] ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 78 Parallel Port Mode [SPP] This field sets the operation mode of the parallel port. The default, SPP, enables normal-speed operation but in one direction only; EPP enables bidirectional parallel port operation; ECP enables the parallel port to operate in bidirectional DMA mode; ECP+EPP enables normal speed operation in a both ECP and EPP modes.

  • Page 79: Power Management Setup

    The default setting powers off the system instantly. Configuration options: [Soft-Off] [Suspend] Power Up on PCI Device [Enabled] This field enables Wake-On-LAN from soft-off mode. The default disables this option. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 80 Wake-Power Up On Ext. Modem [Disabled] This field allows either settings of [Enabled] or [Disabled] for powering up the computer when the external modem receives a call while teh computer is in Soft-off mode. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] Automatic Power Up [Disabled] This field sets to enable or disable the automatic power up.When [Enabled] the Time (hh:mm:ss) of Alarm field is enabled for input.

  • Page 81: Pnp / Pci Configurations

    (ESCD) control. Configuration options: [Auto(ESCD)] [Manual] NOTE: Selecting Manual access the IRQ Resources sub-menu; see the next page. PCI/VGA Palette Snoop [Disabled] This field enables the PCI/VGA palette snoop. This feature is disabled by default. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled] ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 82: Security Menu

    4.5 Security Menu The BIOS Setup program permits two different passwords to control access to the BIOS during system startup: a Supervisor password and a User password. Passwords are not case sensitive, meaning, passwords can be typed in either uppercase or lowercase letters. The table below describes the authority level when setting Supervisor or User Password.
  • Page 83 If you forget a password, you can clear it by erasing the CMOS Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM. The RAM data containing the password information is powered by the onboard button cell battery. NOTE: See section “2.7 Jumpers” for more information about how to erase the RTC RAM. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 84: Hardware Monitor Menu

    N/A. Q-Fan Control [Disabled] This field allows you to enable or disable the ASUS Q-Fan feature that smartly adjusts the fan speeds for more efficient system operation. When this field is set to [Enabled], set the appropriate Fan Speed Ratio and Speed Up/Down Response Time.
  • Page 85 Fan Speed Ratio field. This item is required to be set when the Q-Fan Control field is [Enabled]. Configuration options: [1 Sec/2 Sec] [2 Sec/4 Sec] [3 Sec/6 Sec] [4 Sec/8 Sec] ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 86: Exit Menu

    4.7 Exit Menu After making all selections from the various menus in the Setup program, save the changes and exit Setup. NOTE! Pressing <Esc> does not immediately exit this menu. Select one of the options from this menu or <F10> from the legend bar to exit. Exit &...

  • Page 87: Discard Changes

    This option saves your selections without exiting the Setup program. You can then return to other menus and make further changes. After you select this option, a confirmation window appears. Select [Yes] to save any changes to the non-volatile RAM. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 88 Chapter 4: BIOS Setup...

  • Page 89: Chapter 5: Software Support

    Chapter 5 Software support...
  • Page 90 ASUS A7N8X motherboard...

  • Page 91: Install An Operating System

    NOTE! The contents of the support CD are subject to change at any time without notice. Visit the ASUS website for updates. 5.2.1 Running the support CD To begin using the support CD, simply insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive.

  • Page 92: A7N8X Motherboard Support Cd

    5.3 A7N8X Motherboard Support CD NOTE: The support CD contents are subject to change without notice. To begin using your support CD disc, just insert it into your CD-ROM drive and the support CD installation menu should appear. If the menu does not appear, double-click or run D:\ASSETUP.EXE.

  • Page 93: Asus Pc Probe

    3. If you need to remove or disconnect any Serial ATA device, UNINSTALL Silicon Image Serial ATA Utility first. Utilities: • ASUS PC Probe: Installs a smart utility to monitor your computer’s fan, temperature, and voltages. • Install ASUS Update: Instals a program that can help you update BIOS or download a BIOS image file.
  • Page 94 E-Color 3Deep: Installs the 3Deep software. 3Deep is the first application that gives online games the competitive edge in multi- player skirmishes. this application removes dark washed-out graphics to deliver true vibrant colors. Contact: • A list of addresses, phone numbers and ASUS website locations. Chapter 5: Software support...

  • Page 95: Asus Pc Probe

    ASUS Utility, and then click Probe Vx.xx. The PC Probe icon will appear on the taskbar’s system tray indicating that ASUS PC Probe is running. Clicking the icon will allow you to see the status of your PC. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 96: Using Asus Pc Probe

    5.4.2 Using ASUS PC Probe Monitoring Monitor Summary Shows a summary of the items being monitored. Temperature Monitor Shows the PC’s temperature. 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’s fan rotation.
  • Page 97 PC for future reference. Information Hard Drives Shows the used and free space of the PC’s hard disk drives and the file allocation table or file system used. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 98 Shows information pertinent to the PC, such as CPU type, CPU speed, and internal/external frequencies, and memory size. Utility Lets you run programs outside of the ASUS Probe modules. To run a program, click Execute Program. Chapter 5: Software reference...

  • Page 99: Asus Pc Probe Task Bar Icon

    5.4.3 ASUS PC Probe Task Bar Icon Right-clicking the PC Probe icon will bring up a menu to open or exit ASUS PC Probe and pause or resume all system monitoring. When the ASUS PC Probe senses a problem with your...

  • Page 100: Asus Live Update

    ASUS Live Update ASUS LiveUpdate is a utility that allows you to update your motherboard’s BIOS and drivers. The use of this utility requires that you are properly connected to the Internet through an Internet Service Provider (ISP). 1. Start ASUS Update. Launch the utility from your Windows Start menu:Programs/AsusUpdate.

  • Page 101: 3Deep Color Tuner

    1. Select the type of monitor connected to the computer, either CRT or LCD. 2. Follow the instructions to manually adjust the brightness level of the monitor. 3. Select the faintest of the three colors: blue, red and green. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 102: The 3Deep Control Panel

    4. Select the color squares which most closely blend and match with the background. 5. The next step repeats the color matching process to achieve full color quality. 6. The tuning process is complete. Click on the bottom left button to connect to the internet and follow the instructions.

  • Page 103: Nvidia Nforce Control Panel

    Mic_In jack to Center Speaker Out, Subwoofer (Center/LFE output).If your back panel I/O have 5 audio jacks, refer to Chapter 2.8 “Audio Connectors” for details. No need to use Speaker Setup Wizard to switch audio jack outputs. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 104 Connector Settings and Functions (audio jack switching for motherboards with 3 audio jacks only) Connector Headphone/2 Speaker 4-Speaker 6-Speaker Lime Line Out/ Line Out/ Line Out/ Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out Light Blue Line In Rear Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out Pink Mic In...
  • Page 105 It is just a quick way to get at their favorite audio applications from within Control Panel. Applications can be added or removed by using the buttons in the lower right hand corner of this page. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 106 5.7.6 Information The Information page shows the details of the APU (optional), hardware and software revisions, driver revisions, currect DirectX version, and in “Advanced” mode the DSP and voice utilization. This is the first place to look when you are verifying what drivers you are running and the last place to look when you want to know what is going on at the lower levels of the APU.
  • Page 107 It depends on the audio source. If the audio source is stored in Dolby ® Digital audio format, and you have a Dolby Digital Software decoder, ® then Dolby Digital audio is possible from the Analog out source. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 108 5.7.8 Audio Glossary ® ® Dolby Surround is an audio encoding process. When a Dolby Surround soundtrack is produced, four channels of audio information — left, center, right, and surround — are matrix-encoded onto two audio tracks. These two tracks are then recorded onto stereo program sources, like videotapes and TV broadcasts.

  • Page 109: Winbond Editor

    CD. IMPORTANT! To avoid conflicts, do not run the Winbond Voice Editor while running the ASUS PC Probe. Follow these steps to use the Winbond Voice Editor. Launching the program Launch the program either from the Winbond Voice Editor icon on your...
  • Page 110 Changing the default language 1. Click on the Load button. a window showing the available languages appears. 2. Select your desired language then click Open. The event messages for the language you selected appear on the Voice Editor screen. NOTE: For some languages, not all events have a corresponding message due to file size constraints.

  • Page 111: Raid 0/1 Configurations

    For example, hard disk A with an 80 GB storage capacity and hard disk B with 60 GB storage capacity, the maximum storage capacity for your RAID 1 set will be 60 GB. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 112: Creating And Deleting Raid Sets

    Follow these steps to install the hard disks for RAID configuration. 1. Install the Serial ATA hard disks into the drive bays. 2. Connect one Serial ATA HDD to each Serial ATA connector, using separate serial ATA cables. 4. Connect the power cable to the power connector on each drive. 5.

  • Page 113: Creating Raid Sets

    To resolve this, select “Resolve Conflict” and the correct metadata, including the correct drive connection information, will be written to the replacement disk. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 114 Chapter 5: Software reference...
  • Page 115 Chapter 6 Appendix...
  • Page 116 ASUS A7N8X motherboard...
  • Page 117 BIOS Setup program. The BIOS can be updated using the provided utility to copy a new BIOS file into the EEPROM. Bit (Binary Digit) A bit is he basic unit of digital data used by the computer. A bit equals either: 0 or 1. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...

  • Page 118: Chapter 6: Appendix

    Boot Boot means to start the computer operating system by loading it into system memory. When the manual instructs you to “boot” your system (or computer), it means to turn ON your computer. “Reboot” means to restart your computer. When using Windows 95 or later, selecting “Restart”...
  • Page 119 I/O devices. PS/2 Port PS/2 ports are based on IBM Micro Channel Architecture. This type of architecture transfers data through a 16-bit or 32-bit bus. A PS/2 mouse and/or keyboard may be used on ATX motherboards. ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 120 RDRAM (Rambus DRAM) Developed by Rambus, Inc., this type of memory can deliver up to 1.6GB of data per second. RDRAM is the first interface standard that can be directly implemented on high performance VLSI components such as, CMOS DRAMs, memory controllers, and graphics/video ICs.

  • Page 121: Index

    Index...
  • Page 122 ASUS A7N8X motherboard...
  • Page 123 Connectors Audio 25 Chassis Fan 9, 28 Jumpers CPU Fan 9, 28 Clear RTC RAM 9, 21 Floppy Disk Drive 9, 10, 26 HDD LED 25 CPU FSB 21 IDE 26 Keyboard Wake Up 19 ASUS A7N8X motherboard user guide...
  • Page 124 NVIDIA nForce Control Panel 83 Universal Serial Bus (USB) 23 Ports 23 Using Onboard LED 10 3Deep Color Tuner 81 Operating system ASUS LiveUpdate 80 installation 71 NVIDIA nForce Control Panel 83 PC Probe 75 Parallel Port Connector 24 Password Supervisor 64, 65...

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