Chapter 3. Bios Setup - Abit WI-2P User Manual

BIOS Setup 3-1
Chapter 3. BIOS Setup
The BIOS is a program located in a Flash Memory chip on the workstation board.
This program will not be lost when you turn the computer off. This program is also
referred to as the boot program. It is the only channel the hardware circuit has to
communicate with the operating system. Its main function is to manage the setup of
the workstation board and interface card parameters, including simple parameters
such as time, date, hard disk drive, as well as more complex parameters such as
hardware synchronization, and device operating mode. The computer will operate
normally, or will operate at its best, only if all of these parameters are correctly
configured through the BIOS.
Don't change the parameters inside the BIOS unless you fully understand its
meanings and consequences: The parameters inside the BIOS are used to setup the
hardware synchronization or the device-operating mode. If the parameters are not
correct, they will produce errors, the computer will crash, and sometimes you will not
even be able to boot the computer after it has crashed. We recommend that you do not
change the parameters inside the BIOS unless you are very familiar with them. If you
are not able to boot your computer anymore, please refer to the section "CMOS
Memory Clearing Header" in Chapter 2.
When you start the computer, the BIOS program controls it. The BIOS first operates
an auto-diagnostic test called POST (Power On Self Test) for all of the necessary
hardware. It then configures the parameters of the hardware synchronization, and
detects all of the hardware. After these tasks are completed, the operating system (OS)
give up control of the computer to the next level. Since the BIOS is the only channel
for hardware and software to communicate, it is the key factor for system stability,
and in ensuring that your system performs at its best. After the BIOS has achieved the
auto-diagnostic and auto-detection operations, it will display the following message:
PRESS DEL TO ENTER SETUP
NOTE: As the BIOS menu is being constantly improved to increase system stability
and performance; the BIOS screens in this manual may not completely match those of
your BIOS version.
User's Manual