Asus M2A MVP User Manual

M2A-MVP

Contents

Notices......................................................................................................... vi

Safety information ..................................................................................... vii

M2A-MVP speciﬁcations summary ............................................................ x

Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.1

1.2

1.3

Welcome! ...................................................................................... 1-2

Package contents......................................................................... 1-2

Special features............................................................................ 1-2

1.3.1

1.3.2

Product highlights ........................................................... 1-2

ASUS features ................................................................ 1-5

1.4

Before you proceed ..................................................................... 1-6

1.5

Motherboard overview................................................................. 1-7

1.5.1

1.5.2

1.5.3

Placement direction ........................................................ 1-7

Screw holes .................................................................... 1-7

Motherboard layout......................................................... 1-8

1.6

1.7

Central Processing Unit (CPU) ................................................... 1-9

1.6.1

1.6.2

Installing the CPU ........................................................... 1-9

Installing the CPU heatsink and fan...............................1-11

System memory ......................................................................... 1-14

1.7.1

1.7.2

1.7.3

1.7.4

Overview....................................................................... 1-14

Memory conﬁgurations.................................................. 1-15

Installing a DIMM .......................................................... 1-19

Removing a DIMM ........................................................ 1-19

1.8

Expansion slots.......................................................................... 1-20

1.8.1

1.8.2

1.8.3

1.8.4

1.8.5

1.8.6

Installing an expansion card ......................................... 1-20

Conﬁguring an expansion card ..................................... 1-20

Interrupt assignments ................................................... 1-21

Two PCI slots................................................................ 1-22

Two PCI Express x1 slot............................................... 1-22

Two PCI Express x16 slot............................................. 1-22

1.9

Jumpers ...................................................................................... 1-24

Connectors ................................................................................. 1-26

1.10.1 Rear panel connectors.................................................. 1-26

1.10.2 Internal connectors ....................................................... 1-28

1.10

iii

Contents

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.1

Managing and updating your BIOS ............................................ 2-2

2.1.1

2.1.2

2.1.3

2.1.4

2.1.5

Creating a bootable ﬂoppy disk....................................... 2-2

ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility................................................... 2-3

AFUDOS utility................................................................ 2-4

ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility ...................................... 2-6

ASUS Update utility ........................................................ 2-8

2.2

BIOS setup program .................................................................. 2-11

2.2.1

2.2.2

2.2.3

2.2.4

2.2.5

2.2.6

2.2.7

2.2.8

2.2.9

BIOS menu screen........................................................ 2-12

Menu bar....................................................................... 2-12

Navigation keys............................................................. 2-12

Menu items ................................................................... 2-13

Sub-menu items............................................................ 2-13

Conﬁguration ﬁelds ....................................................... 2-13

Pop-up window ............................................................. 2-13

Scroll bar....................................................................... 2-13

General help ................................................................. 2-13

2.3

2.4

2.5

Main menu .................................................................................. 2-14

2.3.1

2.3.2

2.3.3

2.3.4

2.3.5

2.3.6

System Time ................................................................. 2-14

System Date ................................................................. 2-14

Legacy Diskette A ........................................................ 2-14

Primary IDE Master/Slave; SATA1-4.............................. 2-15

Storage Conﬁguration................................................... 2-16

System Information....................................................... 2-17

Advanced menu ......................................................................... 2-18

2.4.1

2.4.2

2.4.3

2.4.4

2.4.5

2.4.6

Jumperfree Conﬁguration ............................................. 2-18

CPU Conﬁguration........................................................ 2-20

Chipset.......................................................................... 2-23

Onboard Devices Conﬁguration.................................... 2-25

PCI PnP ........................................................................ 2-26

USB Conﬁguration ........................................................ 2-27

Power menu................................................................................ 2-29

2.5.1

2.5.2

Suspend Mode [Auto] ................................................... 2-29

Repost Video on S3 Resume [No]................................ 2-29

Contents

2.5.3

2.5.4

2.5.5

2.5.6

ACPI Version Features [ACPI v1.0] .............................. 2-29

ACPI APIC support [Enabled] ....................................... 2-29

APM Conﬁguraiton........................................................ 2-30

Hardware Monitor ......................................................... 2-31

2.6

2.7

Boot menu .................................................................................. 2-33

2.6.1

2.6.2

2.6.3

Boot Device Priority ...................................................... 2-33

Boot Settings Conﬁguration .......................................... 2-33

Security......................................................................... 2-34

Tools menu ................................................................................. 2-36

2.7.1

ASUS EZ Flash 2.......................................................... 2-37

2.7.2

ASUS O.C. Proﬁle......................................................... 2-37

2.8

2.9

Exit menu.................................................................................... 2-39

RAID conﬁgurations .................................................................. 2-40

2.9.1

2.9.2

Installing hard disks ...................................................... 2-41

ULI^®RAID conﬁgurations.............................................. 2-41

2.10

Creating a RAID driver disk....................................................... 2-49

Chapter 3: Software support

3.1

Installing an operating system ................................................... 3-2

3.2

Support CD information .............................................................. 3-2

3.2.1

3.2.2

3.2.3

3.2.4

3.2.5

3.2.6

3.2.7

Running the support CD ................................................. 3-2

Drivers menu................................................................... 3-3

Utilities menu .................................................................. 3-4

Make disk menu.............................................................. 3-5

Manuals menu ................................................................ 3-6

ASUS Contact information.............................................. 3-6

Other information ............................................................ 3-7

Notices

Federal Communications Commission Statement

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. 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.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a

Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are

designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a

residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio

frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer’s

instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However,

there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If

this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception,

which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is

encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following

measures:

•

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the

receiver is connected.

•

Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is

required to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or modiﬁcations

to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance

could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.

Canadian Department of Communications Statement

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions

from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the

Canadian Department of Communications.

This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

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. If possible, disconnect all power cables from the existing system

before you add a device.

•

Before connecting or removing signal cables from the motherboard, ensure

that all power cables are unplugged.

Seek professional assistance before using an adpater or extension cord.

These devices could interrupt the grounding circuit.

Make sure that your power supply is set to the correct voltage in your area.

If you are not sure about the voltage of the electrical outlet you are using,

contact your local power company.

•

If the power supply is broken, do not try to ﬁx it by yourself. Contact a

qualiﬁed service technician or your retailer.

Operation safety

•

Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, carefully read all

the manuals that came with the package.

•

Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected and the

power cables are not damaged. If you detect any damage, contact your dealer

immediately.

•

To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from

connectors, slots, sockets and circuitry.

Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in

any area where it may become wet.

•

Place the product on a stable surface.

If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualiﬁed

service technician or your retailer.

This symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the product (electrical

and electronic equipment) should not be placed in municipal waste. Check local

regulations for disposal of electronic products.

vii

About this guide

This user guide contains the information you need when installing and conﬁguring

the motherboard.

How this guide is organized

This manual contains the following parts:

•

Chapter 1: Product introduction

This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new

technology it supports. It also lists the hardware setup procedures that you

have to perform when installing system components. It includes description of

the jumpers and connectors on the motherboard.

•

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup

menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.

Chapter 3: Software support

This chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes with the

motherboard package.

Where to ﬁnd more information

Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and

software updates.

ASUS websites

The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware and

software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information.

Optional documentation

Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty

ﬂyers, that may have been added by your dealer. These documents are not

part of the standard package.

viii

Conventions used in this guide

To make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following

symbols used throughout this manual.

DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself

when trying to complete a task.

CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components

when trying to complete a task.

IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a

task.

NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a

task.

Typography

Bold text

Italics

Indicates a menu or an item to select.

Used to emphasize a word or a phrase.

<Key>

Keys enclosed in the less-than and greater-than sign

means that you must press the enclosed key.

Example: <Enter> means that you must press the

Enter or Return key.

<Key1>+<Key2>+<Key3> If you must press two or more keys simultaneously, the

key names are linked with a plus sign (+).

Example: <Ctrl+Alt+D>

Command

Means that you must type the command exactly

as shown, then supply the required item or value

enclosed in brackets.

Example: At the DOS prompt, type the command line:

afudos /i[ﬁlename]

afudos /iM2A-MVP.ROM

M2A-MVP speciﬁcations summary

CPU

Socket AM2 for AMD^®Athlon^™64 X2 / Athlon^™64 FX

Athlon^™64 / Sempron^™processor

AMD64 architecture enables simultaneous 32- and 64-bit

computing

AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet^™Technology

AMD Live!^™Ready

Chipset

AMD 480X CrossFire^™Chipset/ SB600

2000/1600 MT/s

System bus

Memory

Dual-channel memory architecture

4 x 240-pin DIMM sockets support up to 8 GB unbufferred

ECC/non-ECC 8��/667/533 M�z DDR2 memory

modules

Expansion slots

2 x PCI Express^™x16 slots for discrete graphics card

2 x PCI Express^™x1 slots

2 x PCI slots

CrossFire

Supports ATI^™CrossFire^™graphics cards (both @ x8

mode)

Storage/RAID

AMD^™SB600 Southbridge supports:

1 x IDE connector for two Ultra DMA 133/100/66/33

hard disks

4 x Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s hard disks with RAID 0,1,

and ��1 conﬁguraiton

Audio

Realtek^®�igh Deﬁnition Audio with 6-channel CODEC

Coaxial S/PDIF Out port on the rear panel

LAN

Marvell^®88E8001 Gigabit PCI LAN controller

IEEE 1394

VIA 6308P 1394a controller supports:

1 x IEEE 1394a connector at mid-board

1 x IEEE 1394a connector at rear-board

USB 2.0

Supports up to 10 USB 2.0/1.1 ports

ASUS special features

ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3

ASUS EZ Flash 2

ASUS O.C. Proﬁle

ASUS MyLogo

ASUS Q-Fan2

ASUS C.P.R.

(continued on the next page)

M2A-MVP speciﬁcations summary

Back panel I/O ports

1 x PS/2 mouse port

1 x PS/2 keyboard port

1 x LAN (RJ-45) port

4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports

1 x IEEE1394a port

1 x Coaxial S/PDIF Out port

1 x Parallel port

1 x Serial (COM) port

6-Channel �igh Deﬁnition audio I/O

Internal I/O connectors

3 x USB 2.0 connectors support additional 6 USB ports

1 x Floppy disk drive connector

1 x IDE connector

4 x Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s connectors

1 x CPU fan connector

1 x Chassis fan connector

1 x Power fan connector

1 x IEEE1394a connector

1 x S/PDIF Out connector

Front panel �igh Deﬁnition audio connector

Chassis intrusion connector

CD audio in connector

24-pin ATX Power connector

4-pin ATX 12 V Power connector

System panel connector

BIOS features

8 Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0

Manageability

WfM 2.0, DMI 2.0, WOL by PME, WOR by PME, and

PXE Chassis Intrusion

Support CD

Drivers

ASUS PC Probe II

ASUS Live Update Utility

Anti-virus software (OEM version)

Form factor

ATX form factor: 12 in x 8.6 in (30.5 cm x 21.8 cm)

*Speciﬁcations are subject to change without notice.

xii

This chapter describes the motherboard

features and the new technologies

it supports.

Product

introduction

1.1

Welcome!

Thank you for buying an ASUS^®M2A-MVP motherboard!

The motherboard delivers a host of new features and latest technologies, making it

another standout in the long line of ASUS quality motherboards!

Before you start installing the motherboard, and hardware devices on it, check the

items in your package with the list below.

1.2

Package contents

Check your motherboard package for the following items.

Motherboard

Cables

ASUS M2A-MVP

1 x Serial ATA cable

1 x 2-port Serial ATA power cable

1 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66 cable

1 x Floppy disk drive signal cable

I/O shield

Accessories

1 x MVP-Switch card

Application CD

Documentation

ASUS motherboard support CD

User guide

If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.

1.3

Special features

1.3.1

Product highlights

Latest processor technology

The motherboard supports AMD socket AM2 single-core Athlon 64/ Sempron and

dual-core Athlon 64 X2/Athlon 64 FX processors with 2MB/1MB/512KB L2 cache,

which is based on 64-bit architecture. It features 2000/1600 MT/s HyperTransport

Bus, dual-channel un-buffered DDR2 800 memory support and AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet

Technology. See page 1-9 for details.

AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet Technology

The motherboard supports theAMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet Technology, which monitors system

operation and automatically adjusts CPU voltage and frequency for a cool and quiet

operating environment. See page 2-20 for details.

1-2

Chapter 1: Product introduction

Dual-Core CPU

Enjoy the extraordinary CPU power from the latest dual-core CPU. The advanced

processing technology contains two physical CPU cores with individually dedicated

L2 cache to satisfy the rising demand for more powerful processing capability.

Dual Channel DDR2 800

DDR2 is the next generation memory technology to replace the current DDR. With

the highest speed up to 8�� M�z, DDR2 memory provides great performance for 3D

graphics and other memory demanding applications. See page 1-14 for details.

PCI Express™ Architecture

PCI Express is the latest I/O interconnect technology that will replace the existing

PCI. With a bus bandwidth 4 times higher than that ofAGP 8X interface, PCI Express

x16 bus performs much better than AGP 8X in applications such as 3D gaming. PCI

Express x1 also outperforms PCI interface with its exceptional high bandwidth. See

page 1-21 for details.

Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s technology

This motherboard supports the next-generation hard drives based on the Serial

ATA (SATA) 3Gb/s storage speciﬁcation. The onboard NVIDIA^®nForce 430 MCP

southbridge allows RAID �, RAID 1, RAID ��1, RAID 5, and JBOD conﬁgurations

for four SATA connectors.See page 1-28 for details.

6-channel High Deﬁnition Audio

The onboard 6-channel �igh Deﬁnition audio CODEC enables high-quality

Realtek^®audio CODEC, which automatically detects and identiﬁes what types of

peripherals are plugged into the audio I/O jacks and notiﬁes users of inappropriate

connection, meaning there will be no more confusion of Line-in, Line-out, and Mic

jacks. See page 1-32 for details.

Gigabit LAN solution

Marvell^®Gigabit LAN controller delivers transfer speed up to ten times faster than

conventional 10/100 Ethernet connections. Gigabit LAN is the networking standard for

the early future and is ideal for handling large amount of data such as video, audio,

and voice.See page 1-25 for details.

ASUS M2A-MVP

1-3

IEEE 1394a support

The IEEE 1394a interface provides high speed digital interface for audio/video

appliances such as digital television, digital video camcorders, storage peripherals

& other PC portable devices. See pages 1-25 and 1-31 for details.

S/PDIF digital sound ready

This motherboard provides convenient connectivity to external home theater audio

systems via coaxial and optical S/PDIF-out (SONY-PHILIPS Digital Interface)

jacks.It allows to transfer digital audio without converting to analog format and

keeps the best signal quality. See page 1-30 for details.

USB 2.0 technology

The motherboard implements the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.� speciﬁcation,

dramatically increasing the connection speed from the 12 Mbps bandwidth on USB

1.1 to a fast 480 Mbps on USB 2.0. USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB 1.1.

See page 1-26 and 1-31 for details.

Green ASUS

This motherboard and its packaging comply with the European Union’s Restriction

on the use of �azardous Substances (Ro�S). This is in line with the ASUS vision

of creating environment-friendly and recyclable products/packaging to safeguard

consumers’ health while minimizing the impact on the environment.

1-4

Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.3.2

ASUS features

ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3

The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 allows users to restore corrupted BIOS data from a

USB ﬂash disk containing the BIOS ﬁle. This utility saves users the cost and hassle

of buying a replacement BIOS chip. See page 2-6 for details.

ASUS EZ Flash 2

EZ Flash 2 is a user-friendly BIOS update utility. Simply press the predeﬁned

hotkey to launch the utility and update the BIOS without entering the OS. Update

your BIOS easily without preparing a bootable diskette or using an OS-based ﬂash

utility. See page 2-3 for details.

ASUS O.C. Proﬁle

The motherboard features the ASUS BIOS Proﬁle that allows users to conveniently

store or load multiple BIOS settings. The BIOS settings can be stored in the

CMOS or a separate ﬁle, giving users freedom to share and distribute their favorite

settings. See page 2-37 for details.

ASUS Q-Fan2

The ASUS Q-Fan 2 technology intelligently adjusts both CPU fan and chassis fan

speed according to system loading to ensure quiet, cool, and efﬁcient operation.

See page 2-32 for details

ASUS MyLogo^™

ASUS My Logo^™is the new feature present in the motherboard that allows you to

personalize and add style to your system with customizable and animated boot

logos.

C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall)

The C.P.R. feature of the motherboard BIOS allows automatic re-setting to the

BIOS default settings in case the system hangs due to overclocking. When the

system hangs due to overclocking, C.P.R. eliminates the need to open the system

chassis and clear the RTC data. Simply shut down and reboot the system, and the

BIOS automatically restores the CPU default setting for each parameter.

ASUS M2A-MVP

1-5

1.4

Before you proceed

Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components

or change any motherboard settings.

•

Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any

component.

Use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded object or

a metal object, such as the power supply case, before handling

components to avoid damaging them due to static electricity.

•

Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them.

Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded

antistatic pad or in the bag that came with the component.

•

Before you install or remove any component, ensure that the ATX power

supply is switched off or the power cord is detached from the power

supply. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to the motherboard,

peripherals, and/or components.

Onboard LED

The motherboard comes with a standby power LED that lights up to indicate

that the system is ON, in sleep mode, or in soft-off mode. This is a reminder

that you should shut down the system and unplug the power cable before

removing or plugging in any motherboard component. The illustration below

shows the location of the onboard LED.

M2A-MVP

SB_PWR

Standby

Power

OFF

Powered

Off

M2A-MVP Onboard LED

1-6

Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.5

Motherboard overview

Before you install the motherboard, study the conﬁguration of your chassis to

ensure that the motherboard ﬁts into it.

Make sure to unplug the power cord before installing or removing the

motherboard. Failure to do so can cause you physical injury and damage

motherboard components.

1.5.1

Placement direction

When installing the motherboard, make sure that you place it into the chassis in the

correct orientation. The edge with external ports goes to the rear part of the chassis

as indicated in the image below.

1.5.2

Screw holes

Place eight (6) screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard

to the chassis.

Do not overtighten the screws! Doing so can damage the motherboard.

Place this side towards

the rear of the chassis

M2A-MVP

ASUS M2A-MVP

1-7

1.5.3

Motherboard layout

24.5cm (9.6in)

PS/2KBMS

T: Mouse

B: Keyboard

KBPWR

CPU_FAN

ATX12V

COM1

USBPW1-4

F_USB34

PWR_FAN

LAN1_USB12

Top:Line In

Center:Line Out

Below:Mic In

SPDIF_O1

AMD

480X

SPDIF_OUT

AAFP

PCIEX16_2

ALC660

M2A-MVP

CHA_FAN1

PCIEX1_1

SB600

PCIEX1_2

88E8001

PCIEX16_1

PCI1

SATA2 SATA1

SATA4 SATA3

8Mbit

BIOS

CR2032 3V

Lithium Cell

CMOS Power

VIA

VT6308P

PCI2

USBPW5-8

USBPW910

SB_PWR

CLRTC

IE1394_2

FLOPPY

USB56

CHASSIS PANEL

USB78

USB910

Refer to 1.10 Connectors for more information about rear panel connectors

and internal connectors.

1-8

Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.6

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The motherboard comes with a 940-pin AM2 socket designed for the AMD Athlon^™

64 X2/Athlon^™64/Athlon^™64FX/Sempron^™processor.

The AM2 socket has a different pinout from the 940-pin socket designed for

the AMD Opteron processor. Make sure you use a CPU designed for the AM2

socket. The CPU ﬁts in only one correct orientation. DO NOT force the CPU into

the socket to prevent bending the connectors on the socket and damaging the

CPU!

1.6.1

Installing the CPU

To install a CPU:

1. Locate the CPU socket on the motherboard.

M2A-MVP

M2A-MVP CPU Socket AM2

Unlock the socket by pressing the

lever sideways, then lift it up to a

90º angle.

Socket lever

Make sure that the socket lever is lifted up to a 9�º angle; otherwise, the CPU

will not ﬁt in completely.

ASUS M2A-MVP

1-9

Position the CPU above the socket

such that the CPU corner with the

gold triangle matches the socket

corner with a small triangle.

Carefully insert the CPU into the

socket until it ﬁts in place.

Gold triangle

Small triangle

When the CPU is in place, push

down the socket lever to secure the

CPU. The lever clicks on the side tab

to indicate that it is locked.

Install a CPU heatsink and fan

following the instructions that came

with the heatsink package.

1-10

Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.6.2

Installing the heatsink and fan

The AMD Athlon^™64FX/Athlon^™64/Athlon^™64 X2/Sempron^™processor requires a

specially designed heatsink and fan assembly to ensure optimum thermal condition

and performance.

Make sure that you use only AMD-certiﬁed heatsink and fan assembly.

To install the CPU heatsink and fan:

Place the heatsink on top of the installed CPU, making sure that the heatsink

ﬁts properly on the retention module base.

•

The retention module base is already installed on the motherboard

upon purchase.

You do not have to remove the retention module base when

installing the CPU or installing other motherboard components.

If you purchased a separate CPU heatsink and fan assembly, make

sure that a Thermal Interface Material is properly applied to the CPU

heatsink or CPU before you install the heatsink and fan assembly.

CPU fan

CPU heatsink

Retention module base

Retention bracket

Retention bracket lock

Your boxed CPU heatsink and fan assembly should come with installation

instructions for the CPU, heatsink, and the retention mechanism. If the

instructions in this section do not match the CPU documentation, follow the

latter.

ASUS M2A-MVP

1-11

Attach one end of the retention bracket

to the retention module base.

Align the other end of the retention

bracket (near the retention bracket

lock) to the retention module base.

A clicking sound denotes that the

retention bracket is in place.

Make sure that the fan and

heatsink assembly perfectly ﬁts

the retention mechanism module

base, otherwise you cannot snap

the retention bracket in place.

Push down the retention bracket lock

on the retention mechanism to secure

the heatsink and fan to the module

base.

1-12

Chapter 1: Product introduction

When the fan and heatsink assembly is in place, connect the CPU fan cable

to the connector on the motherboard labeled CPU_FAN.

CPU_FAN

M2A-MVP

M2A-MVP CPU fan connector

•

Do not forget to connect the CPU fan connector! Hardware monitoring

errors can occur if you fail to plug this connector.

This connector is backward compatible with the legacy 3-pin CPU fan.

ASUS M2A-MVP

1-13

1.7

System memory

1.7.1

Overview

The motherboard comes with four Double Data Rate 2 (DDR2) Dual Inline Memory

Modules (DIMM) sockets.

A DDR2 module has the same physical dimensions as a DDR DIMM but has a

240-pin footprint compared to the 184-pin DDR DIMM. DDR2 DIMMs are notched

differently to prevent installation on a DDR DIMM socket.

The ﬁgure illustrates the location of the DDR2 DIMM sockets:

M2A-MVP

M2A-MVP 240-pin DDR2 DIMM sockets

Channel

Channel A

Channel B

Sockets

DIMM_A1 and DIMM_A2

DIMM_B1 and DIMM_B2

In dual-channel conﬁgurations, installing identical (the same type and size)

DDR2 DIMM pairs for each channel provides optimum performance.

1-14

Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.7.2

Memory conﬁgurations

You may install 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, and 2 GB unbuffered ECC/non-ECC

DDR2 DIMMs into the DIMM sockets.

•

For dual-channel conﬁguration, the total size of memory module(s) installed

per channel must be the same (DIMM_A1+ DIMM_B1 = DIMM_A2+

DIMM_B2)

Always install DIMMs with the same CAS latency. For optimum

compatibility, we recommend that you obtain memory modules from the

same vendor. Refer to the DDR2 Qualiﬁed Vendors List below for details.

Due to chipset resource allocation, the system may detect less than 8 GB

system memory when you installed four 2 GB DDR2 memory modules.

Recommended memory conﬁgurations

Sockets

Mode

DIMM_A1

—

DIMM_B1

Populated

DIMM_A2

—

DIMM_B2

—

Single-Channel

Populated

—

Dual-channel (1)*

Dual-channel (2)**

Populated

* Use only identical DDR2 DIMM pairs.

** For dual-channel conﬁguration (2), you may:

• install identical DIMMs in all four sockets

• install identical DIMM pair in DIMM_A1 and DIMM_B1 (yellow sockets) and another

identical DIMM pair in DIMM_A2 and DIMM_B2 (black sockets)

ASUS M2A-MVP

1-15

M2A-MVP Motherboard Qualiﬁed Vendors Lists (QVL)

DDR2-800MHz capability

SS/

DIMM support

Size

Vendor

Chip No.

Part No.

•

512MB

1024MB

512MB

256MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

256MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

2048MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

KINGSTON

Qimonda

SAMSUNG

Hynix

K4T51083QC

KVR800D2N5/512

•

Heat-Sink Package

HYB18T256800AF25F

HYB18T512160BF-25F

HYB18T512800BF25F

EDD339XX

KHX6400D2LL/1G

KHX6400D2LLK2/1GN

HYS64T64020HU-25F-A

HYS64T32000HU-25F-B

HYS64T64000HU-25F-B

HYS64T128020HU-25F-B

M378T6553CZ3-CE7

M378T3354CZ3-CE7

M378T6553CZ3-CE7

M378T2953CZ3-CE7

HYMP564U64BP8-S5

HYMP512U64BP8-S5

MT8HTF6464AY-80EA3

MT16HTF12864AY-80EA3

MT8HTF6464AY-80ED4

MT16HTF12864AY-80ED4

MT8HTF6464AY-80ED4

MT16HTF12864AY-80ED4

CM2X1024-6400C4

•

K4T51163QC-ZCE7

ZCE7K4T51083QC

HY5PS12821BFP-S5

5JAIIZ9DQQ

•

Hynix

MICRON

CORSAIR

ELPIDA

5JAIIZ9DQQ

5ZD22D9GKX

•

5ZD22D9GKX

6CD22D9GKX

Heat-Sink Package

E1108AB-8E-E(ECC)

N/A

EBE10EE8ABFA-8E-E

EBE21EE8ABFA-8E-E

M2OAD6G3H3160J1E52

BL6464AA804.8FD

ELPIDA

A-DATA

•

Crucial

Heat-Sink Package

K4T51083QC

Crucial

BL12864AA804.16FD

AHU512E800C5K1C

AHU01GE800C5K1C

TS64MLQ64V8J

Apacer

•

Apacer

Transcend

K4T51083QC

TS128MLQ64V8J

1-16

Chapter 1: Product introduction

M2A-MVP Motherboard Qualiﬁed Vendors Lists (QVL)

DDR2-667MHz capability

SS/

DIMM support

Size

Vendor

Chip No.

Part No.

•

256MB

512MB

1024MB

256MB

512MB

256MB

512MB

1024MB

256MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

256MB

512MB

1024MB

256MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

KINGSTON

Qimonda

SAMSUNG

Hynix

HYB18T256800AF3

D6408TEBGGL3U

HYB18T256800AF3S

HYB18T512160AF-3S

HYB18T512800AF3S

HYB18T256800AF3S(ECC)

HYB18T512800AF3S(ECC)

HYB18T512800BF3S(ECC)

HYB18T512160BF-3S

HYB18T512800BF3S

ZCE6K4T51083QC

HY5PS12821AFP-Y5

HY5PS1G831FP-Y5(ECC)

HY5PS12821AFP-Y5(ECC)

HY5PS12821AFP-Y4

HY5PS12821AFP-Y4(ECC)

MIII00605

KVR667D2N5/256

KVR667D2N5/512

•

KVR667D2N5/1G

KVR667D2N5/256

•

HYS64T32000HU-3S-A

HYS64T64000HU-3S-A

HYS72T32000HU-3S-A

HYS72T64000HU-3S-A

HYS72T128020HU-3S-A

HYS72T128020HU-3S-B

HYS64T32000HU-3S-B

HYS64T64000HU-3S-B

HYS64T128020HU-3S-B

M378T6553CZ0-CE6

M378T2953CZ3-CE6

HYMP564U64AP8-Y5

HYMP112U72P8-Y5

HYMP564U72AP8-Y5

HYMP512U72AP8-Y5

HYMP564U64AP8-Y4

HYMP564U72AP8-Y4

VS256MB667D2

•

Hynix

•

Hynix

CORSAIR

ELPIDA

A-DATA

64M8CFEG

VS512MB667D2

64M8CFEG

VS1GB667D2

E2508AB-6E-E

EBE25UC8ABFA-6E-E

EBE51UD8AEFA-6E-E

M2OAD5G3H3166I1C52

M2OAD5G3I4176I1C52

BL6464AA663.8FD

BL12864AA663.16FD

BL12864AL664.16FD

AU512E667C5KBGC

AU01GE667C5KBGC

KLCC28F-A8KB5

•

E5108AE-6E-E

AD29608A8A-3EG

Heat-Sink Package

AM4B5708GQJS7E

KKEA88B4LAUG-29DX

E5108AE-6E-E

A-DATA

crucial

•

crucial

Apacer

Kingmax

Transcend

•

KLCD48F-A8KB5

TS64MLQ64V6J

E5108AE-6E-E

TS128MLQ64V6J

J12Q3AB-6

JM367Q643A-6

J12Q3AB-6

JM388Q643A-6

ASUS M2A-MVP

1-17

M2A-MVP Motherboard Qualiﬁed Vendors Lists (QVL)

DDR2-553 MHz capability

DIMM support

SS/

Size

Vendor

Chip No.

Part No.

256MB

512MB

1024MB

256MB

512MB

1024MB

256MB

512MB

1024MB

256MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

512MB

1024MB

KINGSTON

Qimonda

SAMSUNG

Hynix

E5116AF-5C-E

KVR533D2N4/256

•

HYB18T512800AF37

5YDIID9GCT

KVR533D2N4/512

KVR533D2N4/1G

HYB18T512160AF-3.7

HYB18T512800AF37

HYB18T5121608BF-3.7

HYB18T512800BF37

HYB18T256800AF37(ECC)

HYB18T512800AF37(ECC)

ZCD5K4T51083QC

HY5PS12821F-C4

HY5PS12821F-C4(ECC)

HY5PS12821FP-C4(ECC)

HY5PS12821AFP-C3

64M8CEDG

HYS64T32000HU-3.7-A

HYS64T64000HU-3.7-A

HYS64T128020HU-3.7-A

HYS64T32000HU-3.7-B

HYS64T64000HU-3.7-B

HYS64T128020HU-3.7-B

HYS72T32000HU-3.7-A

HYS72T128020HU-3.7-A

M378T6553CZ3-CD5

M378T2953CZ3-CD5

HYMP564U648-C4

HYMP512U648-C4

HYMP512U728-C4

HYMP564U728-C4

HYMP564U64AP8-C3

HYMP512U64AP8-C3

VS1GB533D2

•

Hynix

•

Hynix

•

Hynix

CORSAIR

ELPIDA

E5108AB-5C-E

EBE51UD8ABFA-5C-E

KLBC28F-A8EB4

•

KINGMAX

E5108AE-5C-E

KLBD48F-A8EB4

KKEA88E4AAK-37

5MB22D9DCN

KLBC28F-A8KE4

•

KLBD48F-A8ME4

SS - Single-sided DS - Double-sided

DIMM support:

Supports one module inserted into either slot in Single-channel memory conﬁguration.

Supports one pair of modules inserted into either the yellow slots or the black slots as one pair of

Dual-channel memory conﬁguration.

Supports four modules inserted into both the yellow and black slots as two pairs of Dual-channel

memory conﬁguration.

Visit the ASUS website for the latest DDR2-8��/667/533 M�z QVL.

1-18

Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.7.3

Installing a DIMM

Unplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs or other

system components. Failure to do so can cause severe damage to both the

motherboard and the components.

To install a DIMM:

DDR2 DIMM notch

Unlock a DIMM socket by

pressing the retaining clips

outward.

Align a DIMM on the socket

such that the notch on the DIMM

matches the break on the socket.

Firmly insert the DIMM into the

socket until the retaining clips

snap back in place and the DIMM

is properly seated.

Unlocked retaining clip

•

A DDR2 DIMM is keyed with a notch so that it ﬁts in only one direction. Do

not force a DIMM into a socket to avoid damaging the DIMM.

•

The DDR2 DIMM sockets do not support DDR DIMMs. Do not install DDR

DIMMs to the DDR2 DIMM sockets.

1.7.4

Removing a DIMM

To remove a DIMM:

1. Simultaneously press the retaining

clips outward to unlock the DIMM.

Support the DIMM lightly with

your ﬁngers when pressing the

retaining clips. The DIMM might

get damaged when it ﬂips out with

extra force.

DDR2 DIMM notch

Remove the DIMM from the socket.

ASUS M2A-MVP

1-19

1.8

Expansion slots

In the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The following sub-sections

describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support.

Make sure to unplug the power cord before adding or removing expansion

cards. Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and damage motherboard

components.

1.8.1

Installing an expansion card

To install an expansion card:

Before installing the expansion card, read the documentation that came with

it and make the necessary hardware settings for the card.

Remove the system unit cover (if your motherboard is already installed in a

chassis).

Remove the bracket opposite the slot that you intend to use. Keep the screw

for later use.

Align the card connector with the slot and press ﬁrmly until the card is

completely seated on the slot.

Secure the card to the chassis with the screw you removed earlier.

Replace the system cover.

1.8.2

Conﬁguring an expansion card

After installing the expansion card, conﬁgure it by adjusting the software settings.

Turn on the system and change the necessary BIOS settings, if any. See

Chapter 2 for information on BIOS setup.

Assign an IRQ to the card. Refer to the tables on the next page.

Install the software drivers for the expansion card.

When using PCI cards on shared slots, ensure that the drivers support “Share

IRQ” or that the cards do not need IRQ assignments. Otherwise, conﬂicts will

arise between the two PCI groups, making the system unstable and the card

inoperable. Refer to the table on the next page for details.

1-20

Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.8.3

Interrupt assignments

Standard interrupt assignments

IRQ

Priority Standard function

System Timer

Keyboard Controller

–

Redirect to IRQ#9

Reserved

Communications Port (COM1)*

IRQ holder for PCI steering*

Floppy Disk Controller

Printer Port (LPT1)*

System CMOS/Real Time Clock

IRQ holder for PCI steering*

PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port*

Numeric Data Processor

Primary IDE/SATA Channel

Secondary IDE/SATA Channel

* These IRQs are usually available for ISA or PCI devices.

IRQ assignments for this motherboard

—

PCI Slot 1

shared shared shared shared

PCI Slot 2

IEEE 1394a

—

shared

—

shared

—

LAN (88E8001)

PCI-E x1_1

shared shared shared shared

—

PCI-E x1_2

—

PCI-E x16_1

—

PCI-E x16_2

—

USB1.0 controller1

USB1.0 controller2

USB1.0 controller3

USB1.0 controller4

USB2.0 controller

HD audio

—

shared

—

shared

—

Onboard SATA

—

shared

—

ASUS M2A-MVP

1-21

1.8.4

Two PCI slots

The PCI slots support cards such as

a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card,

and other cards that comply with PCI

speciﬁcations. The ﬁgure shows a LAN

card installed on a PCI slot.

1.8.5

Two PCI Express x1 slot

This motherboard supports two PCI

Express x1 network cards, SCSI cards

and other cards that comply with the PCI

Express speciﬁcations. The following

ﬁgure shows a network card installed on

the PCI Express x1 slot.

1.8.6

Two PCI Express x16 slot

This motherboard supports two ATI

CrossFire^™PCI Express x16 graphics

cards that comply with the PCI Express

speciﬁcations. The ﬁgure shows two

graphics cards installed on the PCI

Express x16 slots.

1-22

Chapter 1: Product introduction

•

In single card mode, we recommend that you install a VGA card on the blue

PCI Express slot and install any other PCI Express device on the black PCI

Express slot.

•

In CrossFire^™mode, each PCI Express x16 slot works at x8 bandwidth.

In CrossFire^™mode, install the ATI CrossFire^™Edition (Master)

graphics card on the blue PCI Express slot; otherwise, the system will

not boot.

•

If you do not conﬁgure the PCI Express device(s) according to the table

below, the system may have a failed or delayed power-on self test (POST).

Refer to the table below for possible PCI Express Card conﬁgurations.

PCI Express x16 slot conﬁgurations

PCIE x 16_1 (blue) slot

PCIE x 16_2 (black) slot

Crad Type

Speed

Crad

Speed

PCIE x16 graphics card

x16

MVP Switch Card

Single graphics card*

PCIE devices (non- x8, x4,

VGA)

Dual graphics cards ATI CrossFire^™Edition

in CrossFire^™mode** graphics card

ATI graphics card

Install the MVP Switch Card on the black PCI Express slot. Remove it only

when you want to install other devices.

** Install two ATI graphics cards from the same GPU family.

ASUS M2A-MVP

1-23

1.9

Jumper

Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC)

This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in

CMOS. You can clear the CMOS memory of date, time, and system setup

parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data. The onboard button

cell battery powers the RAM data in CMOS, which include system setup

information such as system passwords.

To erase the RTC RAM:

1. Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord.

2. Remove the onboard battery.

3. Move the jumper cap from pins 1-2 (default) to pins 2-3. Keep the cap on

pins 2-3 for about 5~10 seconds, then move the cap back to pins 1-2.

4. Reinstall the battery.

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.

Except when clearing the RTC RAM, never remove the cap on CLRTC jumper

default position. Removing the cap will cause system boot failure!

M2A-MVP

CLRTC

Normal

(Default)

Clear RTC

M2A-MVP Clear RTC RAM

•

You do not need to clear the RTC when the system hangs due to

overclocking. For system failure due to overclocking, use the C.P.R. (CPU

Parameter Recall) feature. Shut down and reboot the system so the BIOS

can automatically reset parameter settings to default values.

•

Due to the chipset limitation, AC power off is required prior using C.P.R.

function. You must turn off and on the power supply or unplug and plug the

power cord before reboot the system.

1-24

Chapter 1: Product introduction

Keyboard power (3-pin KBPWR)

This jumper allows you to enable or disable the keyboard wake-up feature.

Set this jumper to pins 2-3 (+5VSB) to wake up the computer when you press

a key on the keyboard (the default is the Space Bar). This feature requires

an ATX power supply that can supply at least 1A on the +5VSB lead, and a

corresponding setting in the BIOS.

KBPWR

+5V

(Default)

+5VSB

M2A-MVP

M2A-MVP Keyboard power setting

USB device wake-up (3-pin USBPW1-4, USBPW5-8, USBPW910)

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. Set to +5VSB to wake up from S3 and S4 sleep

modes.

The USBPW1-4 jumpers are for the rear USB ports. The USBPW5-8 and

USBPW910 jumpers are for the internal USB connectors that you can

connect to additional USB ports.

USBPW1-4

+5V

(Default)

+5VSB

M2A-MVP

USBPW5-8

USBPW910

1 2

+5V

(Default)

+5VSB

M2A-MVP USB device wake up

•

The USB device wake-up feature requires a power supply that can

provide 5��mA on the �5VSB lead for each USB port; otherwise,

the system will not power up.

The total current consumed must NOT exceed the power supply

capability (+5VSB) whether under normal condition or in sleep mode.

ASUS M2A-MVP

1-25

1.10 Connectors

1.10.1

Rear panel connectors

8 7 6 5

PS/2 mouse port (green). This port is for a PS/2 mouse.

Parallel port. This 25-pin port connects a parallel printer, a scanner, or other

devices.

IEEE 1394a port. This 6-pin IEEE 1394a port provides high-speed

connectivity for audio/video devices, storage peripherals, PCs, or portable

devices.

LAN (RJ-45) port. Supported by Realtek^®Gigabit LAN controller, this port

allows Gigabit connection to a Local Area Network (LAN) through a network

hub. Refer to the table below for the LAN port LED indications.

LAN port LED indications

ACT/LINK SPEED

Activity/Link Speed LED

LED

Status

Description

No link

Status

OFF

Description

OFF

10 Mbps connection

100 Mbps connection

1 Gbps connection

ORANGE

BLINKING

Linked

ORANGE

GREEN

Data activity

LAN port

Coaxial S/PDIF Out port. This port connects an external audio output device

via a coaxial S/PDIF cable.

Line In port (light blue). This port connects the tape, CD, DVD player, or

other audio sources.

Line Out port (lime). This port connects a headphone or a speaker. In

4-channel, 6-channel, and 8-channel conﬁguration, the function of this port

becomes Front Speaker Out.

Microphone port (pink). This port connects a microphone.

1-26

Chapter 1: Product introduction

Refer to the audio conﬁguration table below for the function of the audio ports in

2, 4, or 6-channel conﬁguration.

Audio 2, 4, or 6-channel conﬁguration

Port

Headset

4-channel

6-channel

2-channel

Light Blue

Lime

Line In

Line Out

Mic In

Rear Speaker Out

Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out

Mic In Bass/Center

Pink

USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2. These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports

are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices.

10. USB 2.0 ports 3 and 4. These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports

are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices.

11. Serial port. This 9-pin COM1 port is for pointing devices or other serial

devices.

12. PS/2 keyboard port (purple). This port is for a PS/2 keyboard.

ASUS M2A-MVP

1-27

1.10.2

Internal connectors

Floppy disk drive connector (34-1 pin FLOPPY)

This connector is for the provided ﬂoppy disk drive (FDD) signal cable. Insert

one end of the cable to this connector, then connect the other end to the

signal connector at the back of the ﬂoppy disk drive.

Pin 5 on the connector is removed to prevent incorrect cable connection when

using a FDD cable with a covered Pin 5.

M2A-MVP

FLOPPY

NOTE: Orient the red markings on

the floppy ribbon cable to PIN 1.

PIN 1

M2A-MVP Floppy disk drive connector

IDE connector (40-1 pin PRI_IDE)

The onboard IDE connector is for the Ultra DMA 133/100/66 signal cable.

There are three connectors on each Ultra DMA 133/100/66 signal cable:

blue, black, and gray. Connect the blue connector to the motherboard’s IDE

connector, then select one of the following modes to conﬁgure your device.

PRI_IDE

NOTE: Orient the red markings

(usually zigzag) on the IDE

ribbon cable to PIN 1.

M2A-MVP

M2A-MVP IDE connector

•

Pin 20 on the IDE connector is removed to match the covered hole on the

Ultra DMA cable connector. This prevents incorrect insertion when you

connect the IDE cable.

Use the 80-conductor IDE cable for Ultra DMA 133/100/66 IDE devices.

1-28

Chapter 1: Product introduction

Drive jumper setting

Mode of

Cable connector

device(s)

—

Single device

Two devices

Cable-Select or Master

Cable-Select

Black

Master

Slave

Master

Slave

Gray

Master

Slave

Black or gray

If any device jumper is set as “Cable-Select,” make sure all other device

jumpers have the same setting.

Serial ATA connectors

(7-pin SATA1[red], SATA2 [red], SATA3 [black], SATA4 [black]

These connectors are for the Serial ATA signal cables for Serial ATA hard disk

drives.

If you installed Serial ATA hard disk drives, you can can create a

RAID �, RAID 1, and RAID ��1 conﬁguration. Refer to Chapter 3 for

information on creating a RAID conﬁguration.

Enable the Serial ATA Controller and Onboard SATA Boot ROM items in the

BIOS if you want to use the Serial ATA RAID feature. See section 2.3.5 Storage

Conﬁguration for details.

M2A-MVP

SATA2

SATA4

SATA1

SATA3

M2A-MVP SATA connectors

ASUS M2A-MVP

1-29

•

Plug your Serial ATA boot disk on the master port (SATA1/2 to support S3

function).

Install the Windows^®2000 Service Pack 4 or the Windows^®XP Service Pack1

or later when using Serial ATA.

Serial ATA hard disk drive connection

Connector

Color

Red

Setting

Master

Slave

Use

SATA1/SATA2

SATA3/SATA4

Boot disk

Data disk

Black

Chassis intrusion connector (4-1 pin CHASSIS)

This connector is for a chassis-mounted intrusion detection sensor or switch.

Connect one end of the chassis intrusion sensor or switch cable to this

connector. The chassis intrusion sensor or switch sends a high-level signal to

this connector when a chassis component is removed or replaced. The signal

is then generated as a chassis intrusion event.

By default, the pins labeled “Chassis Signal” and “Ground” are shorted with

a jumper cap. Remove the jumper caps only when you intend to use the

chassis intrusion detection feature.

CHASSIS

M2A-MVP

(Default)

M2A-MVP Chassis intrusion connector

1-30

Chapter 1: Product introduction

CPU, chassis, and power fan connectors

(4-pin CPU_FAN, 3-pin PWR_FAN, 3-pin CHA_FAN1)

The fan connectors support cooling fans of 350 mA ~ 2000 mA (24 W max.)

or a total of 1 A ~ 7 A (84 W max.) at +12V. Connect the fan cables to the

fan connectors on the motherboard, making sure that the black wire of each

cable matches the ground pin of the connector.

Do not forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors. Insufﬁcient air ﬂow

inside the system may damage the motherboard components. These are not

jumpers! Do not place jumper caps on the fan connectors!

CPU_FAN

PWR_FAN

GND

+12V

Rotation

CHA_FAN1

M2A-MVP

CHA_FAN1

Rotation

+12V

GND

M2A-MVP Fan connectors

Only the CPU-FAN and CHA-FAN1 connectors support the ASUS Q-Fan 2

feature.

Digital Audio connector (4-1 pin SPDIF_OUT)

This connector is for the S/PDIF audio module to allow digital sound output.

Connect one end of the S/PDIF audio cable to this connector and the other

end to the S/PDIF module.

SPDIF_OUT

GND

SPDIFOUT

M2A-MVP

+5V

M2A-MVP COM port connector

The S/PDIF out module is purchased separately.

ASUS M2A-MVP

1-31

USB connectors (10-1 pin USB56, USB 78, USB910)

These connectors are for USB 2.0 ports. Connect the USB module cable

to any of these connectors, then install the module to a slot opening at the

back of the system chassis. These USB connectors comply with USB 2.0

speciﬁcation that supports up to 48� Mbps connection speed.

USB56 USB78 USB910

M2A-MVP

M2A-MVP USB 2.0 connectors

Never connect a 1394 cable to the USB connectors. Doing so will damage the

motherboard!

The USB 2.0 module is purchased separately.

IEEE 1394a port connector (10-1 pin IE1394_2)

This connector is for a IEEE 1394a port. Connect the IEEE 1394a module

cable to this connector, then install the module to a slot opening at the back

of the system chassis.

M2A-MVP

IE1394_2

PIN1

M2A-MVP IEEE 1394 connector

Never connect a USB cable to the IEEE 1394a connector. Doing so will damage

the motherboard!

The IEEE 1394a module is purchased separately.

1-32

Chapter 1: Product introduction

Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin AAFP)

This connector is for a chassis-mounted front panel audio I/O module that

supports either HD Audio or legacy AC`97 audio standard. Connect one end

of the front panel audio I/O module cable to this connector.

AAFP

PORT1 L

PORT1 R

GND

Azalia

compliant definition

PRESENCE#

SENSE1_RETUR

PORT2 R

SENSE_SEND

PORT2 L

SENSE2_RETUR

M2A-MVP

MIC_L

MIC_R

AGND

Legacy AC’97

compliant definition

Line out_R

Line out_L

M2A-MVP Analog front panel connector

•

We recommend that you connect a high-deﬁnition front panel audio module

to this connector to avail of the motherboard’s high-deﬁnition audio capability.

By default, this connector is set to [HD Audio]. If you want to connect a AC’

97 front panel audio module to this connector, set the Front Panel Support

Type item in the BIOS setup to [AC97]. See section 2.4.4 Onboard Device

Conﬁguration for details.

10. Optical drive audio in connector (4-pin CD [black])

This connector allows you to receive stereo audio input from sound sources

such as a CD-ROM, TV-tuner, or MPEG card.

(Black)

M2A-MVP

Right Audio Channel

Ground

Left Audio Channel

M2A-MVP Internal audio connector

ASUS M2A-MVP

1-33

11. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR, 4-pin ATX12V)

These connectors are for ATX power supply plugs. The power supply plugs

are designed to ﬁt these connectors in only one orientation. Find the proper

orientation and push down ﬁrmly until the connectors completely ﬁt.

ATX12V

EATXPWR

GND

+3 Volts

Ground

+12V DC

-12 Volts

Ground

PSON#

Ground

-5 Volts

+5 Volts

Ground

+5 Volts

Ground

M2A-MVP

+5 Volts

Ground

Power OK

+5V Standby

+12 Volts

+3 Volts

M2A-MVP ATX power connectors

•

For a fully-conﬁgured system, we recommend that you use a power supply

unit (PSU) that complies with ATX 12 V Speciﬁcation 2.� (or later version)

and provides a minimum power of 400 W.

•

Do not forget to connect the 4-pin ATX �12 V power plug; otherwise, the

system will not boot up.

Use of a PSU with a higher power output is recommended when

conﬁguring a system with more power-consuming devices. The system

may become unstable or may not boot up if the power is inadequate.

•

If you want to use the ATI CrossFire^™Graphics solution, use a PSU with

500 ~ 600 W power to ensure system stability.

1-34

Chapter 1: Product introduction

12. System panel connector (20-8 pin PANEL)

This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions.

PLED

SPEAKER

PANEL

M2A-MVP

IDE_LED

RESET

PWRSW

* Requires an ATX power supply.

M2A-MVP System panel connector

•

System power LED (2-pin PLED)

This 2-pin connector is for the system power LED. Connect the chassis

power LED cable to this connector. The system power LED lights up when

you turn on the system power, and blinks when the system is in sleep mode.

Hard disk drive activity LED (2-pin IDE_LED)

This 2-pin connector is for the HDD Activity LED. Connect the HDD Activity

LED cable to this connector. The IDE LED lights up or ﬂashes when data is

read from or written to the HDD.

•

System warning speaker (4-pin SPEAKER)

This 4-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted system warning speaker. The

speaker allows you to hear system beeps and warnings.

ATX power button/soft-off button (2-pin PWRSW)

This connector is for the system power button. Pressing the power button

turns the system on or puts the system in sleep or soft-off mode depending

on the BIOS settings. Pressing the power switch for more than four seconds

while the system is ON turns the system OFF.

•

Reset button (2-pin RESET)

This 2-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted reset button for system

reboot without turning off the system power.

ASUS M2A-MVP

1-35

1-36

Chapter 1: Product introduction

This chapter tells how to change

the system settings through the BIOS

Setup menus. Detailed descriptions

of the BIOS parameters are also

provided.

BIOS setup

2.1

Managing and updating your BIOS

The following utilities allow you to manage and update the motherboard Basic

Input/Output System (BIOS) setup.

ASUS EZ Flash 2 (Updates the BIOS using a ﬂoppy disk or USB ﬂash disk.)

ASUS AFUDOS (Updates the BIOS in DOS mode using a bootable ﬂoppy

disk.)

ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 (Updates the BIOS using a bootable ﬂoppy, USB

Flash disk, or the motherboard support CD when the BIOS ﬁle fails or gets

corrupted.)

ASUS Update (Updates the BIOS in Windows^®environment.)

Refer to the corresponding sections for details on these utilities.

Save a copy of the original motherboard BIOS ﬁle to a bootable ﬂoppy disk or

a USB ﬂash disk in case you need to restore the BIOS in the future. Copy the

original motherboard BIOS using the ASUS Update or AFUDOS utilities.

2.1.1

Creating a bootable ﬂoppy disk

Do either one of the following to create a bootable ﬂoppy disk.

DOS environment

a. Insert a 1.44MB ﬂoppy disk into the drive.

b. At the DOS prompt, type format A:/S then press <Enter>.

Windows^®XP environment

a. Insert a 1.44 MB ﬂoppy disk to the ﬂoppy disk drive.

b. Click Start from the Windows^®desktop, then select My Computer.

c. Select the 3 1/2 Floppy Drive icon.

d. Click File from the menu, then select Format. A Format 3 1/2 Floppy

Disk window appears.

e. Select Create an MS-DOS startup disk from the format options ﬁeld,

then click Start.

Windows^®2000 environment

To create a set of boot disks for Windows^®2000:

a. Insert a formatted, high density 1.44 MB ﬂoppy disk into the drive.

b. Insert the Windows^®2000 CD to the optical drive.

c. Click Start, then select Run.

d. From the Open ﬁeld, type

D:\bootdisk\makeboot a:

assuming that D: is your optical drive.

e. Press <Enter>, then follow screen instructions to continue.

2-2

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

Copy the original or the latest motherboard BIOS ﬁle to the bootable ﬂoppy disk.

2.1.2

ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility

The ASUS EZ Flash 2 feature allows you to update the BIOS without having to go

through the long process of booting from a ﬂoppy disk and using a DOS-based

utility. The EZ Flash 2 utility is built-in the BIOS chip so it is accessible by pressing

<Alt> + <F2> during the Power-On Self-Test (POST).

To update the BIOS using EZ Flash 2:

Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS ﬁle for

the motherboard.

Save the BIOS ﬁle to a ﬂoppy disk or a USB ﬂash disk, then restart the system.

You can launch the EZ Flash 2 by two methods.

(1) Insert the ﬂoppy disk / USB ﬂash disk that contains the BIOS ﬁle to the

ﬂoppy disk drive or the USB port.

Press <Alt> + <F2> during POST to display the following.

ASUSTek EZ Flash 2 BIOS ROM Utility V3.00

FLASH TYPE: Winbond W39V080A/BP

Current ROM

BOARD: M2A-MVP

VER: 0204

Update ROM

BOARD: Unknown

VER: Unknown

DATE: 10/25/06

DATE: Unknown

PATH: A:\

Note

[Enter] Select or Load

[Tab] Switch

[B] Backup

[Up/Down/Home/End] Move

[ESC] Exit

(2) Enter BIOS setup program. Go to the Tools menu to select EZ Flash2

and press <Enter> to enable it.

You can switch between drives by pressing <Tab> before the correct ﬁle

is found. Then press <Enter>.

When the correct BIOS ﬁle is found, EZ Flash 2 performs the BIOS update

process and automatically reboots the system when done.

•

This function can support devices such as USB ﬂash disk, or ﬂoppy disk

with FAT 32/16 format only.

•

Do not shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent

system boot failure!

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-3

•

This function can support devices such as USB ﬂash disk, or ﬂoppy disk

with FAT 32/16 format only.

•

Do not shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent

system boot failure!

2.1.3

AFUDOS utility

The AFUDOS utility allows you to update the BIOS ﬁle in DOS environment using

a bootable ﬂoppy disk with the updated BIOS ﬁle. This utility also allows you to

copy the current BIOS ﬁle that you can use as backup when the BIOS fails or gets

corrupted during the updating process.

Copying the current BIOS

To copy the current BIOS ﬁle using the AFUDOS utility:

•

Make sure that the ﬂoppy disk is not write-protected and has at least

1�24KB free space to save the ﬁle.

•

The succeeding BIOS screens are for reference only. The actual BIOS

screen displays may not be same as shown.

Copy the AFUDOS utility (afudos.exe) from the motherboard support CD to

the bootable ﬂoppy disk you created earlier.

Boot the system in DOS mode, then at the prompt type:

afudos /o[ﬁlename]

where the [ﬁlename] is any user-assigned ﬁlename not more than eight

alphanumeric characters for the main ﬁlename and three alphanumeric

characters for the extension name.

A:\>afudos /oOLDBIOS1.rom

Main ﬁlename

Extension name

Press <Enter>. The utility copies the current BIOS ﬁle to the ﬂoppy disk.

A:\>afudos /oOLDBIOS1.rom

AMI Firmware Update Utility - Version 1.19(ASUS V2.07(03.11.24BB))

Reading ﬂash ..... done

Write to ﬁle...... ok

A:\>

The utility returns to the DOS prompt after copying the current BIOS ﬁle.

2-4

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

Updating the BIOS ﬁle

To update the BIOS ﬁle using the AFUDOS utility:

Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) and download the latest BIOS ﬁle for

the motherboard. Save the BIOS ﬁle to a bootable ﬂoppy disk.

Write the BIOS ﬁlename on a piece of paper. You need to type the exact BIOS

ﬁlename at the DOS prompt.

Copy the AFUDOS utility (afudos.exe) from the motherboard support CD to

the bootable ﬂoppy disk you created earlier.

Boot the system in DOS mode, then at the prompt type:

afudos /i[ﬁlename]

where [ﬁlename] is the latest or the original BIOS ﬁle on the bootable ﬂoppy disk.

A:\>afudos /iM2AMVP.ROM

The utility veriﬁes the ﬁle and starts updating the BIOS.

A:\>afudos /iM2AMVP.ROM

AMI Firmware Update Utility - Version 1.19(ASUS V2.07(03.11.24BB))

WARNING!! Do not turn off power during ﬂash BIOS

Reading ﬁle ....... done

Reading ﬂash ...... done

Advance Check ......

Erasing ﬂash ...... done

Writing ﬂash ...... 0x0008CC00 (9%)

Do not shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent

system boot failure!

The utility returns to the DOS prompt after the BIOS update process is

completed. Reboot the system from the hard disk drive.

A:\>afudos /iM2AMVP.ROM

AMI Firmware Update Utility - Version 1.19(ASUS V2.07(03.11.24BB))

WARNING!! Do not turn off power during ﬂash BIOS

Reading ﬁle ....... done

Reading ﬂash ...... done

Advance Check ......

Erasing ﬂash ...... done

Writing ﬂash ...... done

Verifying ﬂash .... done

Please restart your computer

A:\>

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-5

2.1.4

ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility

The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 is an auto recovery tool that allows you to restore

the BIOS ﬁle when it fails or gets corrupted during the updating process. You can

update a corrupted BIOS ﬁle using the motherboard support CD, the USB ﬂash

disk, or the ﬂoppy disk that contains the updated BIOS ﬁle.

•

Prepare the motherboard support CD, the USB ﬂash disk, or the ﬂoppy

disk containing the updated motherboard BIOS before using this utility.

•

Make sure that you rename the original or updated BIOS ﬁle in the ﬂoppy

disk or the USB ﬂash disk to M2AMVP.ROM.

If your display monitor is connected to the onboard VGA connector,

the display monitor will turn-off and the system will beep once while

CrashFree BIOS 3 starts updating your system. The system will

beep once again while the process is ﬁnished, and the display will

return after the system restarts.

Recovering the BIOS from a ﬂoppy disk

To recover the BIOS from a ﬂoppy disk:

Turn on the system.

Insert the ﬂoppy disk with the original or updated BIOS ﬁle to the ﬂoppy disk

drive.

The utility displays the following message and automatically checks the

ﬂoppy disk for the original or updated BIOS ﬁle.

Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery...

Checking for ﬂoppy...

When found, the utility reads the BIOS ﬁle and starts ﬂashing the corrupted

BIOS ﬁle.

Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery...

Checking for ﬂoppy...

Floppy found!

Reading ﬁle “M2AMVP.ROM”. Completed.

Start ﬂashing...

Restart the system after the utility completes the updating process.

2-6

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

Recovering the BIOS from the support CD

To recover the BIOS from the support CD:

Remove any ﬂoppy disk from the ﬂoppy disk drive, then turn on the system.

Insert the support CD to the optical drive.

The utility displays the following message and automatically checks the

ﬂoppy disk for the original or updated BIOS ﬁle.

Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery...

Checking for ﬂoppy...

When no ﬂoppy disk is found, the utility automatically checks the optical drive

for the original or updated BIOS ﬁle. The utility then updates the corrupted

BIOS ﬁle.

Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery...

Checking for ﬂoppy...

Floppy not found!

Checking for CD-ROM...

CD-ROM found!

Reading ﬁle “M2AMVP.ROM”. Completed.

Start ﬂashing...

Restart the system after the utility completes the updating process.

Recovering the BIOS from the USB ﬂash disk

To recover the BIOS from the USB ﬂash disk:

Insert the USB ﬂash disk that contains BIOS ﬁle to the USB port.

Turn on the system.

The utility will automatically checks the devices for the BIOS ﬁle when found,

the utility reads the BIOS ﬁle and starts ﬂashing the corrupted BIOS ﬁle.

Restart the system after the utility completes the updating process.

The recovered BIOS may not be the latest BIOS version for this motherboard.

Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS ﬁle.

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-7

•

Only the USB ﬂash disk with FAT 32/16 format and single partition can

support ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3. The device size should be smaller than

8GB.

•

DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS! Doing so

can cause system boot failure!

2.1.5

ASUS Update utility

The ASUS Update is a utility that allows you to manage, save, and update the

motherboard BIOS in Windows^®environment. The ASUS Update utility allows you

to:

•

Save the current BIOS ﬁle

Download the latest BIOS ﬁle from the Internet

Update the BIOS from an updated BIOS ﬁle

Update the BIOS directly from the Internet, and

View the BIOS version information.

This utility is available in the support CD that comes with the motherboard

package.

ASUS Update requires an Internet connection either through a network or an

Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Installing ASUS Update

To install ASUS Update:

Place the support CD in the optical drive. The Drivers menu appears.

Click the Utilities tab, then click Install ASUS Update. See page 3-4 for the

Utilities screen menu.

The ASUS Update utility is copied to your system.

Quit all Windows^®applications before you update the BIOS using this utility.

2-8

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

Updating the BIOS through the Internet

To update the BIOS through the Internet:

Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows^®desktop by clicking Start

> Programs > ASUS > ASUSUpdate > ASUSUpdate. The ASUS Update

main window appears.

Select Update BIOS from

the Internet option from the

drop-down menu, then click Next.

Select the ASUS FTP site nearest

you to avoid network trafﬁc, or

click Auto Select. Click Next.

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-9

From the FTP site, select the BIOS

version that you wish to download.

Click Next.

Follow the screen instructions to

complete the update process.

The ASUS Update utility is

capable of updating itself

through the Internet. Always

update the utility to avail all its

features.

Updating the BIOS through a BIOS ﬁle

To update the BIOS through a BIOS ﬁle:

Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows^®desktop by clicking Start

> Programs > ASUS > ASUSUpdate > ASUSUpdate. The ASUS Update

main window appears.

Select Update BIOS from a ﬁle

option from the drop-down menu,

then click Next.

Locate the BIOS ﬁle from the Open

window, then click Open.

Follow the screen instructions to

complete the update process.

2-10

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.2

BIOS setup program

This motherboard supports a programmable ﬁrmware chip that you can update

using the provided utility described in section “2.1 Managing and updating your

BIOS.”

Use the BIOS Setup program when you are installing a motherboard, reconﬁguring

your system, or prompted to“Run Setup.” This section explains how to conﬁgure

your system using this utility.

Even if you are not prompted to use the Setup program, you can change the

conﬁguration of your computer in the future. For example, you can enable the

security password feature or change the power management settings. This

requires you to reconﬁgure your system using the BIOS Setup program so that the

computer can recognize these changes and record them in the CMOS RAM of the

SPI chip.

The ﬁrmware chip on the motherboard stores the Setup utility. When you start up

the computer, the system provides you with the opportunity to run this program.

Press <Del> during the Power-On Self-Test (POST) to enter the Setup utility;

otherwise, POST continues with its test routines.

If you wish to enter Setup after POST, reboot the system by doing any of the

following procedures:

• Restart using the OS standard shut-down procedure.

• Press <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Del> simultaneously.

• Press the reset button on the system chassis.

• Press the power button to turn the system off then back on.

Using the power button, reset button, or the <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Del> keys to

force reset from a running operating system can cause damage to your data

or system. We recommend to always shut-down the system properly from the

operating system.

The Setup program is designed to make it as easy to use as possible. Being a

menu-driven program, it lets you scroll through the various sub-menus and make

your selections from the available options using the navigation keys.

•

The default BIOS settings for this motherboard apply for most conditions

to ensure optimum performance. If the system becomes unstable after

changing any BIOS settings, load the default settings to ensure system

compatibility and stability. Select the Load Setup Defaults item under the

Exit Menu. See section “2.8 Exit Menu.”

•

The BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference purposes only,

and may not exactly match what you see on your screen.

•

Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS ﬁle

for this motherboard.

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-11

2.2.1

BIOS menu screen

Menu items

Menu bar

Conﬁguration ﬁelds

General help

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Main

Advanced

Power

Boot

Tools

Exit

Use [ENTER], [TAB] or

[SHIFT-TAB] to select

a ﬁeld.

System Time

System Date

Legacy Diskette A

[17:20:30]

[Mon 11/06/2006]

[1.44M, 3.5 in]

Use [+] or [-] to

conﬁgure system Time.

Primary IDE Master

Primary IDE Slave

SATA 1

:[Not Detected]

SATA 2

SATA 3

SATA 4

Select Screen

Select Item

Change Field

Select Field

General Help

Save and Exit

Exit

Tab

Storage Conﬁguration

System Information

F10

ESC

Sub-menu items

Navigation keys

2.2.2

Menu bar

The menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items:

Main

For changing the basic system conﬁguration

Advanced

Power

For changing the advanced system settings

For changing the advanced power management (APM)

conﬁguration

Boot

Tools

Exit

For changing the system boot conﬁguration

For conﬁguring options for special functions

For selecting the exit options and loading default

settings

To select an item on the menu bar, press the right or left arrow key on the keyboard

until the desired item is highlighted.

2.2.3

Navigation keys

At the bottom right corner of a menu screen are the navigation keys for that

particular menu. Use the navigation keys to select items in the menu and change

the settings.

Some of the navigation keys differ from one screen to another.

2-12

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.2.4

Menu items

The highlighted item on the menu

bar displays the speciﬁc items for

that menu. For example, selecting

Main shows the Main menu items.

Use [ENTER], [TAB],

or [SHIFT-TAB] to

select a ﬁeld.

System Time

System Date

Legacy Diskette A

[06:22:54]

[Mon 11/06/2006]

[1.44M, 3.5 in]

Primary IDE Master

Primary IDE Slave

SATA 1

SATA 2

SATA 3

[Not Detected]

Use [+] or [-] to

conﬁgure system.

SATA 4

The other items (Advanced, Power,

Boot, Tool, and Exit) on the menu

bar have their respective menu

items.

Storage Conﬁguration

System Information

Main menu items

2.2.5

Sub-menu items

A solid triangle before each item on any menu screen means that the iteam has a

sub-menu. To display the sub-menu, select the item and press <Enter>.

2.2.6

Conﬁguration ﬁelds

These ﬁelds show the values for the menu items. If an item is user- conﬁgurable,

you can change the value of the ﬁeld opposite the item. You cannot select an item

that is not user-conﬁgurable.

A conﬁgurable ﬁeld is enclosed in brackets, and is highlighted when selected. To

change the value of a ﬁeld, select it then press <Enter> to display a list of options.

Refer to “2.2.7 Pop-up window.”

2.2.7

Pop-up window

Select a menu item then press <Enter> to display a pop-up window with the

conﬁguration options for that item.

2.2.8

Scroll bar

A scroll bar appears on the right side of a

menu screen when there are items that do

not ﬁt on the screen. Press the

Up/Down arrow keys or <Page Up> /

<Page Down> keys to display the other

items on the screen.

Pop-up window

2.2.9

General help

At the top right corner of the menu screen

is a brief description of the selected item.

Scroll bar

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-13

2.3

Main menu

When you enter the BIOS Setup program, the Main menu screen appears, giving

you an overview of the basic system information.

Refer to section “2.2.1 BIOS menu screen” for information on the menu screen

items and how to navigate through them.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Main

Advanced

Power

Boot

Tools

Exit

Use [ENTER], [TAB] or

[SHIFT-TAB] to select

a ﬁeld.

System Time

[17:20:30]

[Thu 05/22/2006]

[1.44M, 3.5 in]

System Date

Legacy Diskette A

Use [+] or [-] to

conﬁgure system Time.

Primary IDE Master

Primary IDE Slave

SATA 1

:[Not Detected]

SATA 2

SATA 3

SATA 4

Select Screen

Select Item

Change Field

Select Field

General Help

Save and Exit

Exit

Tab

Storage Conﬁguration

System Information

F10

ESC

2.3.1

System Time [xx:xx:xx]

Allows you to set the system time.

2.3.2

System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx]

Allows you to set the system date.

2.3.3

Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in.]

Sets the type of ﬂoppy drive installed.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [72�K , 3.5 in.] [1.44M, 3.5 in.]

2-14

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.3.4

Primary IDE Master/Slave; SATA1-4

While entering Setup, the BIOS automatically detects the presence of IDE devices.

There is a separate sub-menu for each IDE device. Select a device item then

press <Enter> to display the IDE device information.

SATA

Select the type of

device connected

to the system.

Device

: Not Detected

Type

[Auto]

[Enabled]

LBA/Large Mode

Block(Multi-Sector Transfer) M

PIO Mode

DMA Mode

Smart Monitoring

32Bit Data Transfer

The BIOS automatically detects the values opposite the dimmed items (Device,

Vendor, Size, LBA Mode, Block Mode, PIO Mode, Async DMA, Ultra DMA, and

SMART monitoring). These values are not user-conﬁgurable. These items show

N/A if no IDE device is installed in the system.

Type [Auto]

Selects the type of IDE drive. Setting to Auto allows automatic selection of the

appropriate IDE device type. Select CDROM if you are speciﬁcally conﬁguring a

CD-ROM drive. Select ARMD (ATAPI Removable Media Device) if your device is

either a ZIP, LS-120, or MO drive.

Conﬁguration options: [Not Installed] [Auto] [CDROM] [ARMD]

LBA/Large Mode [Auto]

Enables or disables the LBA mode. Setting to Auto enables the LBA mode if the

device supports this mode, and if the device was not previously formatted with LBA

mode disabled. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Auto]

Block (Multi-Sector Transfer) M [Auto]

Enables or disables data multi-sectors transfers. When set to Auto, the data

transfer from and to the device occurs multiple sectors at a time if the device

supports multi-sector transfer feature. When set to [Disabled], the data transfer

from and to the device occurs one sector at a time.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Auto]

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-15

PIO Mode [Auto]

Selects the PIO mode. Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [�] [1] [2] [3] [4]

DMA Mode [Auto]

Selects the DMA mode. Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [SWDMA�] [SWDMA1]

[SWDMA2] [MWDMA0] [MWDMA1] [MWDMA2] [UDMA0] [UDMA1] [UDMA2]

[UDMA3] [UDMA4] [UDMA5]

SMART Monitoring [Auto]

Sets the Smart Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology.

Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [Disabled] [Enabled]

32Bit Data Transfer [Disabled]

Enables or disables 32-bit data transfer.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2.3.5

Storage Conﬁguration

The items in this menu allow you to set or change the conﬁgurations for the IDE

devices installed in the system. Select an item then press <Enter> if you wish to

conﬁgure the item.

Storage Conﬁguration

Options

Onchip SATA Channel

Onchip SATA Type

[Enabled]

[Native IDE]

Disabled

Compatible

Onchip SATA Channel [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the onchip SATA channel.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

The succeeding item appears only if the OnChip SATA Channel item is set to

[Enabled].

Onchip SATA Type [Native IDE]

Allows you to select the onchip SATA type.

Conﬁguration options: [Native IDE] [RAID] [A�CI] [Legacy IDE]

2-16

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.3.6

System Information

This menu gives you an overview of the general system speciﬁcations. The BIOS

automatically detects the items in this menu.

AMIBIOS

Version

: 0111

Build Date : 10/25/06

Processor

Type

Speed

Count

: AMD Sempron(tm) Processor 3000+

: 1689MHz

System Memory

Installed Size: 256MB

Usable Size: 256MB

AMI BIOS

Displays the auto-detected BIOS information

Processor

Displays the auto-detected CPU speciﬁcation

System Memory

Displays the auto-detected system memory

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-17

2.4

Advanced menu

The Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other

system devices.

Take caution when changing the settings of the Advanced menu items. Incorrect

ﬁeld values can cause the system to malfunction.

Jumperfree Conﬁguration

CPU Conﬁguration

Chipset

Onboard Devices Conﬁguration

PCIPnP

USB Conﬁguration

2.4.1

Jumperfree Conﬁguration

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Advanced

Conﬁgure System Frequency/Voltage

Select the target CPU

frequency, and the

relevant parameters

will be auto-adjusted.

Frequencies higher

than CPU manufacturer

recommends are not

guaranteed to be

AI Overclocking

[Auto]

[Enabled]

CPU Spread Spectrum

PCIe Spread Spectrum

stable. If the system

becomes unstable,

return to the default.

AI Overclocking [Auto]

Allows selection of CPU overclocking options to achieve desired CPU internal

frequency. Selct either one of the preset overclocking conﬁguration options:

Manual

Auto

Allows you to individually set overclocking parameters.

Loads the optimal settings for the system.

Standard

Loads the standard settings for the system.

EPP Memory

The ASUS Non-delay Overclocking System feature

intelligently determines the system load and automatically

boosts the performance for the most demanding tasks.

2-18

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

The following items appear only when the AI Overclocking item is set to

[Manual].

FSB Frequency [200]

Allows you to adjust the FSB frequency. The value of this item is auto-

detected by the BIOS. Use the <+> and <-> keys to adjust the FSB

frequency. You can also type the desired FSB frequency using the numeric

keypad. The values range from 200 to 400.

Processor Frequency (FID) [Auto]

This item is not conﬁgurable.

Processor Voltage (VID) [Auto]

This item is not conﬁgurable.

CPU:ATI-NB HT Link Speed [Auto]

Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [x1 2�� M�z] [x2 4�� M�z] [x3 6�� M�z]

[x4 8�� M�z] [x5 1 G�z]

DDR Voltage [Auto]

Allows you to set the DDR memory voltage.

Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [1.8� V] [1.9� V] [2.��V] [2.1� V]

Setting a very high voltage may damage the component permanently. Setting a

very low voltage may cause the system to become unstable.

NB and SB Voltage [Auto]

Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [1.2� V] [1.3� V] [1.4� V] [1.5� V]

HyperTransport Voltage [Auto]

Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [1.2�V] [1.3�V] [1.4�V] [1.5�V]

CPU Spread Spectrum [Enabled]

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

PCIe Spread Spectrum [Enabled]

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-19

2.4.2

CPU Conﬁguration

The items in this menu show the CPU-related information that the BIOS

automatically detects.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Advanced

CPU Conﬁguration

Enable/disable the

Module Version: 13.06

generation of ACPI_PPC,

AGESA Version: 02.06.11

_PSS, and _PCT objects.

Physical Count: 1

Logical Count: 1

AMD Sempron(tm) Processor 3000+

Revision: F2

Cache L1: 64 KB

Cache L2: 256 KB

Speed

: 1689MHz

Current FSB Multiplier: 8x

Maximum FSB Multiplier: 8x

Able to Change Freq. : No

uCode Patch Level

: None Required

Select Screen

Select Item

Change Option

General Help

Save and Exit

Exit

Cool’n Quiet

AMD Live!

Memory Controller

[Disabled]

F10

ESC

Cool ‘n’ Quiet [Disabled]

Enables or disables the Cool ‘n’ Quiet^™technology feature.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Ennabled]

AMD Live! [Disabled]

Enables or disables the AMD Live!^™technology feature.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Ennabled]

Memory Controller

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Advanced

Memory Controller

Memory Conﬁguration

ECC Conﬁguration

Power Down Control

Alternate VID

[Auto]

Current Memory CLK

Current CAS Latency (CL)

Currency RAS/CAS Delay(Trcd)

Current TRAS

533MHz

4.0

4 CLK

12 CLK

4 CLK

3 CLK

17 CLK

Current TRP

Current TRRD

Current TRC

Asynchronous Latency

:5ns

Select Screen

Select Item

Change Option

General Help

Save and Exit

Exit

F10

ESC

2-20

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

Memory Conﬁguraiton

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Advanced

Memory conﬁguration

Select the DRAM

Frequency programming

method. If Auto,

Memory Frequency

CAS Latency (CL)

TRCD

[Auto]

the DRAM speed will

be based on SPDs.

If Limit, the DRAM

speed will not exceed

the speciﬁed value.

If Manual, the DRAM

speciﬁed will be

[Auto]

TRP

[Auto]

TRAS

2T Mode

MCT Timing Mode

Bank Interleaving

Enable Clock to All DIMMs

MemClk Tristate C3/ATLVID

Memory Hole Remapping

[Auto]

[Disabled]

[Enabled]

programmed regardless

Select Screen

Select Item

Change Option

General Help

Save and Exit

Exit

F10

ESC

Memory Frequency [Auto]

Allows you to select the DRAM Frequency programming method.

Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [Limit] [Manual]

The following item appears when the Memory Frequency item is set to [Limit]

and [Manual].

Frequency [200 MHz]

Allows you to set the memory frequency.

Conﬁguration options: [2�� M�z] [266 M�z] [333 M�z] [4�� M�z]

CAS Latency (CL) [Auto]

Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [3.�] [4.�] [5.�] [6.�]

TRCD [Auto]

Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [3 CLK] [4 CLK] [5 CLK] [6 CLK]

TRP [Auto]

Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [3 CLK] [4 CLK] [5 CLK] [6 CLK]

TRAS [Auto]

Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [5 CLK] [6 CLK] [7 CLK]~[18 CLK]

2T Mode [Auto]

Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [Disabled] [Enable]

MCT Timing Mode [Auto]

Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [Manual]

The following items appear when the MCT Timing Mode item is set to [Manual].

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-21

TRRD [Auto]

Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [2T] [3T] [4T] [5T]

TRC [Auto]

Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [11T] [12T] [13T]~[26T]

Bank Interleaving [Auto]

Sets to [Auto] or disables the Bank Memory Interleaving.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Auto]

Enable Clock to All DIMMs [Disabled]

Enables or disables the unused clocks to DIMMs.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

MemClk Tristate C3/ATLVID [Disabled]

Enables or disables the MemClk Tri-Stating during C3 and Alt VID.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Memory Hole Remapping [Enabled]

Enables or disables the Memory Remapping around Memory Hole.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ECC Conﬁguraiton

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Advanced

ECC Controller

Select the DRAM

Frequency programming

method. If Auto,

DRAM ECC Enable

4-Bit ECC Mode

[Enabled]

[Disabled]

the DRAM speed will

be based on SPDs.

If Limit, the DRAM

speed will not exceed

the speciﬁed value.

If Manual, the DRAM

speciﬁed will be

DRAM SCRUB REDIRECT

DRAM BG Scrub

L2 Cache BG Scrub

Data Cache BG Scrub

programmed regardless

DRAM ECC Enable [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable DRAM ECC, which allows the hardware to

report and correct memory errors automatically to maintain system integrity.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

4-Bit ECC Mode [Disabled]

Enables or disables the 4-bit ECC mode.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

DRAM SCRUB REDIRECT [Disabled]

Allows you to enable or disable DRAM scrub redirect, which allows the system

to correct DRAM ECC errors immediately when they occur, even if background

scrubbing is on. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2-22

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

DRAM BG Scrub [Disabled]

Allows DRAM scrubbing to correct memory errors so later reads are correct. Doing

this while memory is not being used improves performance. Conﬁguration options:

[Disabled] [40ns] [80ns] [160ns] [320ns] [640ns] [1.28us] [2.56us] [5.12us] [10.2us]

[20.5 us] [41.0us] [81.9us] [163.8us] [327.7us] [655.4us] [1.31ms] [2.62ms] [5.24ms]

[10.49ms] [20.97ms] [42.00ms] [84.00ms]

L2 Cache BG Scrub [Disabled]

Allows the L2 Data Cache RAM to be corrected while idle. Conﬁguration

options: [Disabled] [40ns] [80ns] [160ns] [320ns] [640ns] [1.28us] [2.56us]

[5.12us] [10.2us] [20.5 us] [41.0us] [81.9us] [163.8us] [327.7us] [655.4us]

[1.31ms] [2.62ms] [5.24ms] [10.49ms] [20.97ms] [42.00ms] [84.00ms]

Data Cache BG Scrub [Disabled]

Allows the L1 Data Cache RAM to be corrected while idle. Conﬁguration

options: [Disabled] [40ns] [80ns] [160ns] [320ns] [640ns] [1.28us] [2.56us]

[5.12us] [10.2us] [20.5 us] [41.0us] [81.9us] [163.8us] [327.7us] [655.4us]

[1.31ms] [2.62ms] [5.24ms] [10.49ms] [20.97ms] [42.00ms] [84.00ms]

Power Down Control [Auto]

Allows DIMMs to enter power down mode by deasserting the clock enable signal

when DIMMs are not in use. Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [Disabled]

Alternate VID [Auto]

Speciﬁes the alternate VID while in low power state.

Conﬁguration options: [1.55� V] [1.525 V] [1.5�� V] [1.475 V] [1.45�]~[�.825 V]

[0.800 V] [Auto]

2.4.3

Chipset

The Chipset menu allows you to change the advanced chipset settings. Select an

item then press <Enter> to display the sub-menu.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Advanced

Options

VGA Priority

[1st PCIE>2nd PCIE]

1st PCIE>2nd PCIE>PCI

2nd PCIE>1st PCIE>PCI

PCI>1st PCIE>2nd>PCIE

Hyper Transport Conﬁguration

PCI Express

VGA Priority [1st PCIE->2nd PCIE->PCI]

Allows you to select the priority of the VGA cards you use.

Conﬁguration options: [1st PCIE>2nd PCIE>PCI] [2nd PCIE>1st PCIE>PCI]

[PCI>1st PCIE>2nd PCIE]

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-23

Hyper Transport Conﬁguration

Allows you to conﬁgure the �T links.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Advanced

Hyper Transport Conﬁguration

Options

Disabled

RD480 HT Link Three State

RD480 RD480 HT Drive Strength

RD480 HT Receiver Comp. Ctrl

[Disabled]

[Auto]

Enabled

RD480 HT Link Three State [Disabled]

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

RD480 RD480 HT Drive Strength [Auto]

Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [Optimal]

RD480 HT Receiver Comp. Ctrl [Auto]

Conﬁguration options: [Auto] [Optimal]

PCI Express Conﬁguration

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Advanced

PCI Express Conﬁguration

Options

PCIE GFX1 Link Width

PCIE GFX2 Link Width

[x16]

[x8]

P2P Writes Between GFX Port

10% Extra Current for GPP

10% Extra Current for SB

10% Extra Current for GFX1

10% Extra Current for GFX2

[Enabled]

x16

PCIE GFX1 Link Width [x16]

Conﬁguration options: [x1] [x2] [x4] [x8] [x16]

PCIE GFX2 Link Width [x8]

Conﬁguration options: [x1] [x2] [x4] [x8]

P2P Writes Between GFX Ports [Enabled]

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

10% Extra Current for GPP [Enabled]

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

10% Extra Current for SB [Enabled]

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

10% Extra Current for GFX1 [Enabled]

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

10% Extra Current for GFX2 [Enabled]

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2-24

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.4.4

Onboard Devices Conﬁguration

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Advanced

Onboard Devices

Options

Disabled

HD Audio Azalia Device

Front Panel Support Type

Onboard LAN

Onboard LAN Boot ROM

Serial Port1 Address

Parallel Port Address

Parallel Port Mode

EPP Version

ECP Mode DMA Channel

Parallel Port IRQ

[Enabled]

[HD Audio]

[Enabled]

[Disabled]

[3F8/IRQ4]

[378]

Enabled

[EPP+ECP]

[1.9]

[DMA3]

[IRQ7]

HD Audio Azalia Device [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the �D Audio Azalia Device.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

The following item appears only when the HD Audio Azalia Device item is set

to [Enabled].

Front Panel Support Type [HD Audio]

Allows you to select the front panel support type. When the �igh Deﬁnition

Audio Front Panel is used, set the mode to [HD Audio].

Conﬁguration options: [AC97] [�D Audio]

Onboard LAN [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the onchip MAC LAN.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Onboard LAN Boot ROM [Disabled]

This item allows you to enable or disable the MAC boot ROM. This item

appears only when the Onboard LAN item is set to [Enabled].

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Serial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4]

Allows you to select the Serial Port1 base address.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [3F8/IRQ4] [2F8/IRQ3] [3E8/IRQ4] [2E8/IRQ3]

Parallel Port Address [378]

Allows you to select the Parallel Port base addresses.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [378] [278]

Parallel Port Mode [EPP+ECP]

Allows you to select the Parallel Port mode.

Conﬁguration options: [Normal] [EPP] [ECP] [EPP�ECP]

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-25

EPP Version [1.9]

Appears only when the Parallel Port Mode is set to [EPP] or [EPP+ECP]. This

item allows you to select the Parallel Port EPP version.

Conﬁguration options: [1.9] [1.7]

ECP Mode DMA Channel [DMA3]

Appears only when the Parallel Port Mode is set to [ECP] or [EPP+ECP].

This item allows you to select the Parallel Port ECP DMA.

Conﬁguration options: [DMA�] [DMA1] [DMA3]

Parallel Port IRQ [IRQ7]

Conﬁguration options: [IRQ5] [IRQ7]

2.4.5

PCI PnP

The PCI PnP menu items allow you to change the advanced settings for PCI/PnP

devices. The menu includes setting IRQ and DMA channel resources for either

PCI/PnP or legacy ISA devices, and setting the memory size block for legacy ISA

devices.

Take caution when changing the settings of the PCI PnP menu items. Incorrect

ﬁeld values can cause the system to malfunction.

Advanced PCI/PnP Settings

NO: lets the BIOS

conﬁgure all the

WARNING: Setting wrong values in below sections

may cause system to malfunction.

devices in the system.

YES: lets the operating

system conﬁgure Plug

and Play (PnP) devices

not required for boot

if your system has a

Plug and Play operating

system.

Plug And Play O/S

PCI Latency Timer

Allocate IRQ to PCI VGA

Palette Snooping

[No]

[64]

[Yes]

[Disabled]

IRQ-3 assigned to

IRQ-4 assigned to

IRQ-5 assigned to

IRQ-7 assigned to

IRQ-9 assigned to

IRQ-10 assigned to

IRQ-11 assigned to

IRQ-14 assigned to

IRQ-15 assigned to

[PCI Device]

Plug and Play O/S [No]

When set to [No], BIOS conﬁgures all the devices in the system. When set to

[Yes] and if you install a Plug and Play operating system, the operating system

conﬁgures the Plug and Play devices not required for boot.

Conﬁguration options: [No] [Yes]

2-26

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

PCI Latency Timer [64]

Allows you to select the value in units of PCI clocks for the PCI device latency

timer register. Conﬁguration options: [32] [64] [96] [128] [16�] [192] [224] [248]

Allocate IRQ to PCI VGA [Yes]

When set to [Yes], BIOS assigns an IRQ to PCI VGA card if the card requests for

an IRQ. When set to [No], BIOS does not assign an IRQ to the PCI VGA card even

if requested. Conﬁguration options: [Yes] [No]

Palette Snooping [Disabled]

When set to [Enabled], the pallete snooping feature informs the PCI devices that

an ISA graphics device is installed in the system so that the latter can function

correctly. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

IRQ-xx assigned to [PCI Device]

When set to [PCI Device], the speciﬁc IRQ is free for use of PCI/PnP devices.

When set to [Reserved], the IRQ is reserved for legacy ISA devices.

Conﬁguration options: [PCI Device] [Reserved]

2.4.6

USB Conﬁguration

The items in this menu allows you to change the USB-related features. Select an

item then press <Enter> to display the conﬁguration options.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Advanced

USB Conﬁguration

Options

Disabled

USB 1.1 Only

USB 1.1 and 2.0

Module Version - 2.24.0-11.4

USB Devices Enabled:

None

USB Controller

[USB1.1 and 2.0]

Legacy USB Support

USB 2.0 Controller Mode

BIOS EHCI Hand-off

[Enabled]

[HiSpeed]

[Enabled]

Select Screen

Select Item

Change Option

General Help

Save and Exit

Exit

F10

ESC

The Module Version and USB Devices Enabled items show the

auto-detected values. If no USB device is detected, the item shows None.

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-27

USB Controller [USB 1.1 and 2.0]

Allows you to select or disable the USB controller.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [USB 1.1 Only] [USB 1.1 and 2.�]

Legacy USB Support [Auto]

Allows you to enable or disable support for USB devices on legacy operating

systems (OS). Setting to [Auto] allows the system to detect the presence of USB

devices at startup. If detected, the USB controller legacy mode is enabled. If no

USB device is detected, the legacy USB support is disabled.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] [Auto]

USB 2.0 Controller Mode [HiSpeed]

Allows you to conﬁgure the USB 2.� controller in �iSpeed (48� Mbps) or Full

Speed (12 Mbps). Conﬁguration options: [FullSpeed] [�iSpeed]

BIOS EHCI Hand-Off [Enabled]

Allows you to enable support for operating systems without an EHCI hand-off

feature. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2-28

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.5

Power menu

The Power menu items allow you to change the settings for the Advanced

Power Management (APM). Select an item then press <Enter> to display the

conﬁguration options.

Select the ACPI state

used for System

Suspend.

Suspend Mode

[Auto]

Repost Video on S3 Resume

ACPI Version Features

ACPI APIC support

[No]

[ACPI v1.0]

[Enabled]

APM Conﬁguration

Hardware Monitor

2.5.1

Suspend Mode [Auto]

Allows you to select the Advanced Conﬁguration and Power Interface (ACPI) state

to be used for system suspend.

Conﬁguration options: [S1(POS) Only] [S3 Only] [Auto]

2.5.2

Repost Video on S3 Resume [No]

Allows you to determines whether to invoke VGA BIOS POST on S3/STR resume.

Conﬁguration options: [No] [Yes]

2.5.3

ACPI Version Features [ACPI v1.0]

Allows you to add more tables for Advanced Conﬁguration and Power Interface

(ACPI) 2.� speciﬁcations.

Conﬁguration options: [ACPI v1.�] [ACPI v2.�] [ACPI v3.�]

2.5.4

ACPI APIC support [Enabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the Advanced Conﬁguration and Power Interface

(ACPI) support in the Application-Speciﬁc Integrated Circuit (ASIC). When set

to Enabled, the ACPI APIC table pointer is included in the RSDT pointer list.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-29

2.5.5

APM Conﬁguration

Options

Restore on AC Power Loss

[Disabled]

Disabled

Power On

Power On By PS/2 Keyboard

Power On By PS/2 Mouse

Power On By External Modems

Power On By PCI/PCIe Devices

RTC Resume

[Disabled]

Power Off

Last State

Restore on AC Power Loss [Disabled]

When set to [Power Off], the system goes into off state after an AC power loss.

When set to [Power On], the system goes on after an AC power loss. When set to

[Last State], the system goes into either off or on state, whatever the system state

was before the AC power loss.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Power Off] [Power On] [Last State]

Power On By PS/2 Keyboard [Disabled]

Allows you to use speciﬁc keys on the keyboard to turn on the system. This

feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Power On By PS/2 Mouse [Disabled]

When set to [Enabled], this parameter allows you to use the PS/2 mouse to turn on

the system. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on

the �5VSB lead. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Power On By External Modems [Disabled]

This allows either settings of [Enabled] or [Disabled] for powering up the computer

when the external modem receives a call while the computer is in Soft-off mode.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

The computer cannot receive or transmit data until the computer and

applications are fully running. Thus, connection cannot be made on the ﬁrst

try. Turning an external modem off and then back on while the computer is off

causes an initialization string that turns the system power on.

Power On By PCI/PCIe Devices [Disabled]

When set to [Enabled], this parameter allows you to turn on the system through a

PCI LAN or modem card. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides

at least 1A on the +5VSB lead.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2-30

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

RTC Resume [Disabled]

Enables or disables the RTC function.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

The succeeding items appear when the RTC Resume item is set to [Enabled].

RTC Alarm Date (Days) [15]

To set the alarm date, highlight this item and press the <+> or <-> key to make the

selection.

RTC Alarm Time (HH:MM:SS) [12:30:30]

To set the alarm time, use the <Enter>, <Tab>, or <Shift> to select a ﬁeld, and

press the <+> or <-> key to make the selection.

2.5.6

Hardware Monitor

CPU Temperature

MB Temperature

[27ºC/80ºF]

[32ºC/89.5ºF]

CPU Fan Speed

Chasis Fan Speed

Power Fan Speed

[2812RPM]

[N/A]

VCORE Voltage

3.3V Voltage

5V Voltage

[ 1.344V]

[ 2.784V]

[ 4.327V]

[10.761V]

12V Voltage

Smart Q-Fan Function

[Disabled]

CPU Temperature [xxxºC/xxxºF]

MB Temperature [xxxºC/xxxºF]

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the motherboard

and CPU temperatures. Select [Ignored] if you do not wish to display the detected

temperatures.

CPU Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] or [Ignored] / [N/A]

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU

fan speed in rotations per minute (RPM). If the fan is not connected to the

motherboard, the ﬁeld shows N/A.

Chasis Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] or [Ignored] / [N/A]

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the chasis

fan speed in rotations per minute (RPM). If the fan is not connected to the

motherboard, the ﬁeld shows N/A.

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-31

Power Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] or [Ignored] / [N/A]

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the chasis

fan speed in rotations per minute (RPM). If the fan is not connected to the

motherboard, the ﬁeld shows N/A.

VCORE Voltage; 3.3V Voltage; 5V Voltage; 12V Voltage

The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the voltage output through

the onboard voltage regulators. Select [Ignored] if you do not wish to display these

items.

Smart Q-FAN Function [Disabled]

Allows you to enable or disable the ASUS Q-Fan feature that smartly adjusts the

fan speeds for more efﬁcient system operation.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

The following items appear when the Smart Q-FAN Function item is set to

[Enabled].

CPU Fan type [DC]

Allows you to set the CPU fan type. Conﬁguration options: [DC] [PWM]

Smart Fan Mode [Optimal]

Allows you to set the Smart Fan mode.

Conﬁguration options: [Performance] [Optimal] [Silent]

2-32

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.6

Boot menu

The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options. Select an item

then press <Enter> to display the sub-menu.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Main

Boot Settings

Boot Device Priority

Advanced

Power

Boot

Tools

Exit

Specifies the Boot

Device Boot Priority

sequence.

A virtual floppy disk

drive (Floppy Drive

B:) may appear when

you set the CD-ROM

drive as the ﬁrst boot

device.

Boot Settings Conﬁguration

Security

2.6.1

Boot Device Priority

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Boot

Boot Device Priority

Speciﬁes the boot

sequence from the

availabe devices.

1st Boot Device

2nd Boot Device

3rd Boot Device

[1st FLOPPY DRIVE]

[Hard Drive]

[ATAPI CD-ROM]

A device enclosed

in parenthesis has

been disabled in the

corresponding menu.

1st ~ xxth Boot Device [xxx Drive]

These items specify the boot device priority sequence from the available devices.

The number of device items that appears on the screen depends on the number of

devices installed in the system. Conﬁguration options: [xxx Drive] [Disabled]

2.6.2

Boot Settings Conﬁguration

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Boot

Boot Settings Conﬁguration

Allows BIOS to skip

certain tests while

booting. This will

decrease the time

needed to boot the

system.

Quick Boot

Full Screen Logo

AddOn ROM Display Mode

Bootup Num-Lock

PS/2 Mouse Support

Wait For ‘F1’ If Error

Hit ‘DEL’ Message Display

Interrupt 19 Capture

[Enabled]

[Force BIOS]

[On]

[Auto]

[Enabled]

[Disabled]

Quick Boot [Enabled]

Enabling this item allows the BIOS to skip some power on self tests (POST) while

booting to decrease the time needed to boot the system. When set to [Disabled],

BIOS performs all the POST items. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-33

Full Screen Logo [Enabled]

This allows you to enable or disable the full screen logo display feature.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Set this item to [Enabled] to use the ASUS MyLogo™ feature.

Add On ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS]

Sets the display mode for option ROM.

Conﬁguration options: [Force BIOS] [Keep Current]

Bootup Num-Lock [On]

Allows you to select the power-on state for the NumLock.

Conﬁguration options: [Off] [On]

PS/2 Mouse Support [Auto]

Allows you to enable or disable support for PS/2 mouse.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] [Auto]

Wait for ‘F1’ If Error [Enabled]

When set to Enabled, the system waits for the F1 key to be pressed when error

occurs. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Hit ‘DEL’ Message Display [Enabled]

When set to Enabled, the system displays the message “Press DEL to run Setup”

during POST. Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

Interrupt 19 Capture [Disabled]

When set to [Enabled], this function allows the option ROMs to trap Interrupt 19.

Conﬁguration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]

2.6.3

Security

The Security menu items allow you to change the system security settings. Select

an item then press <Enter> to display the conﬁguration options.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Boot

4.6.1

Boot Device Priority

Security Settings

<Enter> to change

password.

<Enter> again to

disabled password.

Supervisor Password

User Password

: Not Installed

Change Supervisor Password

Change User Passward

2-34

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

Change Supervisor Password

Select this item to set or change the supervisor password. The Supervisor

Password item on top of the screen shows the default Not Installed. After you set a

password, this item shows Installed.

To set a Supervisor Password:

Select the Change Supervisor Password item and press <Enter>.

From the password box, type a password composed of at least six letters

and/or numbers, then press <Enter>.

Conﬁrm the password when prompted.

The message “Password Installed” appears after you successfully set your

password.

To change the supervisor password, follow the same steps as in setting a user

password.

To clear the supervisor password, select the Change Supervisor Password then

press <Enter>. The message “Password Uninstalled” appears.

If you forget your BIOS password, you can clear clear it by erasing the CMOS

Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM. See section “1.9 Jumpers” for information on how

to erase the RTC RAM.

After you have set a supervisor password, the other items appear to allow you to

change other security settings.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Boot

4.6.1

Boot Device Priority

Security Settings

<Enter> to change

password.

<Enter> again to

disabled password.

Supervisor Password

User Password

: Not Installed

Change Supervisor Password

User Access Level

Change User Password

Clear User Password

Password Check

[Full Access]

[Setup]

User Access Level [Full Access]

This item allows you to select the access restriction to the Setup items.

Conﬁguration options: [No Access] [View Only] [Limited] [Full Access]

No Access prevents user access to the Setup utility.

View Only allows access but does not allow change to any ﬁeld.

Limited allows changes only to selected ﬁelds, such as Date and Time.

Full Access allows viewing and changing all the ﬁelds in the Setup utility.

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-35

Change User Password

Select this item to set or change the user password. The User Password item on

top of the screen shows the default Not Installed. After you set a password, this

item shows Installed.

To set a User Password:

Select the Change User Password item and press <Enter>.

On the password box that appears, type a password composed of at least six

letters and/or numbers, then press <Enter>.

Conﬁrm the password when prompted.

The message “Password Installed” appears after you set your password

successfully.

To change the user password, follow the same steps as in setting a user password.

Clear User Password

Select this item to clear the user password.

Password Check [Setup]

When set to [Setup], BIOS checks for user password when accessing the Setup

utility. When set to [Always], BIOS checks for user password both when accessing

Setup and booting the system. Conﬁguration options: [Setup] [Always]

2.7

Tools menu

The Tools menu items allow you to conﬁgure options for special functions. Select

an item then press <Enter> to display the sub-menu.

ASUS EZ Flash 2

ASUS O.C. Proﬁle

Press ENTER to run

the utility to select

and update BIOS.

This utility doesn't

support

1.NTFS format

2-36

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.7.1

ASUS EZ Flash 2

Allows you to run ASUS EZ Flash 2. When you press <Enter>, a conﬁrmation

message appears. Use the left/right arrow key to select between [Yes] or [No],

then press <Enter> to conﬁrm your choice. Please see page 2-3, section 2.1.2 for

details.

ASUSTek EZ Flash 2 BIOS ROM Utility V3.00

FLASH TYPE: Winbond W39V080A/BP

Current ROM

BOARD: M2A-MVP

VER: 0204

Update ROM

BOARD: Unknown

VER: Unknown

DATE: 10/25/06

DATE: Unknown

PATH: A:\

Note

[Enter] Select or Load

[Tab] Switch

[B] Backup

[Up/Down/Home/End] Move

[ESC] Exit

2.7.2

ASUS O.C. Proﬁle

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Tools

O.C. PROFILE Conﬁguration

Save to Proﬁle 1

O.C. Proﬁle 1 Status: Not Installed

O.C. Proﬁle 2 Status: Not Installed

Save to Proﬁle 1

Load from Proﬁle 1

Save to Proﬁle 2

Load from Proﬁle 2

Select Screen

Select Item

Change Field

Select Field

General Help

Save and Exit

Exit

Start O.C. Proﬁle

Tab

F10

ESC

Save to Proﬁle 1/2

Allows you to save the current BIOS ﬁle to the BIOS Flash. Press <Enter> to save

the ﬁle.

Load from Proﬁle 1/2

Allows you to load the previous BIOS settings saved in the BIOS Flash. Press

<Enter> to load the ﬁle.

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-37

Start O.C. Proﬁle

Allows you to run the utility to save and load CMOS. Press <Enter> to run the

utility.

ASUSTek O.C.Proﬁle Utility V1.00

Current CMOS

BOARD: M2A-MVP

VER: 0111

Restore CMOS

BOARD: Unknown

VER: Unknown

DATE: 10/25/06

DATE: Unknown

PATH: A:\

Note

[Enter] Select or Load

[Tab] Switch

[B] Backup

[Up/Down/Home/End] Move

[ESC] Exit

•

This function can support devices such as USB ﬂash disk, or ﬂoppy disk

with FAT 32/16 format and single partition only.

•

DO NOT shutdown or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent

system boot failure!

2-38

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.8

Exit menu

The Exit menu items allow you to load the optimal or failsafe default values for the

BIOS items, and save or discard your changes to the BIOS items.

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Main

Advanced

Power

Boot

Tools

Exit

Exit Options

Exit system setup

after saving the

changes.

Exit & Save Changes

Exit & Discard Changes

Discard Changes

F10 key can be used

for this operation.

Load Setup Defaults

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 & Save Changes

Once you are ﬁnished making your selections, choose this option from the Exit

menu to ensure the values you selected are saved to the CMOS RAM. An onboard

backup battery sustains the CMOS RAM so it stays on even when the PC is turned

off. When you select this option, a conﬁrmation window appears. Select OK to save

changes and exit.

If you attempt to exit the Setup program without saving your changes, the

program prompts you with a message asking if you want to save your changes

before exiting. Press <Enter> to save the changes while exiting.

Exit & Discard Changes

Select this option only if you do not want to save the changes that you made to

the Setup program. If you made changes to ﬁelds other than System Date, System

Time, and Password, the BIOS asks for a conﬁrmation before exiting.

Discard Changes

This option allows you to discard the selections you made and restore the

previously saved values. After selecting this option, a conﬁrmation appears. Select

OK to discard any changes and load the previously saved values.

Load Setup Defaults

This option allows you to load the default values for each of the parameters on the

Setup menus. When you select this option or if you press <F5>, a conﬁrmation

window appears. Select OK to load default values. Select Exit & Save Changes or

make other changes before saving the values to the non-volatile RAM.

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-39

2.9

RAID conﬁgurations

The motherboard comes with a RAID controller integrated in the ULI M1575

Southbridge that allows you to conﬁgure Serial ATA hard disk drives as RAID sets.

The motherboard supports the following RAID conﬁgurations.

RAID 0 (Data striping) optimizes two identical hard disk drives to read and write

data in parallel, interleaved stacks. Two hard disks perform the same work as a

single drive but at a sustained data transfer rate, double that of a single disk alone,

thus improving data access and storage. Use of two new identical hard disk drives

is required for this setup.

RAID 1 (Data mirroring) copies and maintains an identical image of data from one

drive to a second drive. If one drive fails, the disk array management software

directs all applications to the surviving drive as it contains a complete copy of

the data in the other drive. This RAID conﬁguration provides data protection and

increases fault tolerance to the entire system. Use two new drives or use an

existing drive and a new drive for this setup. The new drive must be of the same

size or larger than the existing drive.

RAID 0+1 is data striping and data mirroring combined without parity (redundancy

data) having to be calculated and written. With the RAID ��1 conﬁguration you get

all the beneﬁts of both RAID � and RAID 1 conﬁgurations. Use four new hard disk

drives or use an existing drive and three new drives for this setup.

RAID 5 stripes both data and parity information across three or more hard

disk drives. Among the advantages of RAID 5 conﬁguration include better

HDD performance, fault tolerance, and higher storage capacity. The RAID

5 conﬁguration is best suited for transaction processing, relational database

applications, enterprise resource planning, and other business systems. Use a

minimum of three identical hard disk drives for this setup.

JBOD (Spanning) stands for Just a Bunch of Disks and refers to hard disk drives

that are not yet conﬁgured as a RAID set. This conﬁguration stores the same

data redundantly on multiple disks that appear as a single disk on the operating

system. Spanning does not deliver any advantage over using separate disks

independently and does not provide fault tolerance or other RAID performance

beneﬁts.

If you want to boot the system from a hard disk drive included in a created RAID

set, copy ﬁrst the RAID driver from the support CD to a ﬂoppy disk before you

install an operating system to the selected hard disk drive. Refer to section 2.10

Creating a RAID driver disk for details.

2-40

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.9.1

Installing hard disks

The motherboard supports Ultra DMA 133/100/66 and Serial ATA hard disk drives.

For optimal performance, install identical drives of the same model and capacity

when creating a disk array.

Installing Serial ATA (SATA) hard disks

To install the SATA hard disks for a RAID conﬁguration:

Install the SATA hard disks into the drive bays.

Connect the SATA signal cables.

Connect a SATA power cable to the power connector on each drive.

2.9.2

ULI^®RAID conﬁgurations

The ULI^®RAID controller supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5, and JBOD

conﬁgurations. Use the ULI^®RAID BIOS Setup utility to conﬁgure a disk array.

You may also set the RAID conﬁgurations in Windows^®OS after you have

installed the Serial ATA RAID driver. See section 3.2.4 Make Disk menu for

details.

Entering the ULI^®RAID BIOS Setup Utility

To enter the ULI^®RAID BIOS setup utility:

Boot up your computer, and press <Del> during POST to enter the BIOS

setup.

In the Main Menu, go to Storage Conﬁguration, and set the Onboard SATA

Boot ROM item to [Enabled].

Press <F10> to save the changes and exit.

Reboot your computer.

During POST. press <Ctrl+A>

The RAID BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference only, and

may not exactly match the items on your screen.

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-41

Create RAID 0 Striping x2 for Performance

Create RAID 1 Mirroring for Reliability

Create RAID 0+1 Striping, Mirroring

Create JBOD for integrated Capacity

Stripe Size

Delete RAID Settings & Partition

Delete All RAID Settings & Partition

Rebuild RAID Array

SPACE: Select

16K

↑ ↓

: Moving Cursor

Enter: Select & Finish

ESC: Exit

Create RAID 5 for Reliability

Drive Model

Channel 0 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 1 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 2 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 3 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Mode

Capacity RAID Array/Type

XXXXX MB

SATA 2

Capacity

RAID Type

Stripe SizeRAID Name

RAID Array A

RAID Array B

RAID Array C

The Main Menu on the upper left side allows you to select an operation to perform.

The Main Menu options include:

Create RAID 0 Striping x2 for Performance - creates a new legacy RAID set or

allocates spare drives.

Create RAID 0+1 for Striping, Mirroring - creates a RAID setup with all the beneﬁts

of both RAID � and RAID 1 conﬁguration.

Create JBOD for integrated capacity - creates a JBOD conﬁguration.

Stripe Size - sets the stripe size.

Delete RAID Settings & Partition - deletes a selected RAID set and partition.

Delete All RAID Settings & Partition - deletes all current RAID set(s) and

partition(s).

Rebuild RAID array - rebuilds mirror drive(s).

Create RAID 5 for Reliability - creates a RAID 5 conﬁguration

On the upper right side of the screen is the legend box. The keys on the legend

box allow you to navigate through the setup menu options. The following lists the

keys in the legend box and their corresponding functions.

SPACE : Select an item

↑, ↓

Enter

ESC

Move cursor to the next item

Conﬁrms a selected item

Exit

2-42

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

Creating a RAID 0 conﬁguration

To create a RAID 0 set:

From the ULI RAID BIOS Setup utility menu, move the cursor to Create

RAID 0 Striping for Performance then press <Enter>.

Use the up or down arrow keys to select a drive then press <Space> or

<Enter>. The striped mark “S” appears before a selected drive.

Repeat step 2 to select the second drive.

The utility prompts the following warning message:

Data on RAID drives will be deleted (Y/N)?

Press <Y> to continue or press <N> to return to the menu.

Key in a RAID name with a maximum of eight (8) alphanumeric characters

then press <Enter>. Do not use special characters or symbols.

The utility displays the RAID Array settings at the bottom of the screen.

Drive Model

Channel 0 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 1 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 2 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 3 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Mode

Capacity RAID Array/Type

XXXXX MB RAID A/0x2

XXXXX MB

XXXXX MB RAID A/0x2

XXXXX MB

SATA 2

Capacity

XXXXX GB

RAID Type

0X2

Stripe SizeRAID Name

RAID Array A

RAID Array B

RAID Array C

16K

RAID0

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-43

Creating a RAID 1 conﬁguration

To create a RAID 1 set:

From the ULI RAID BIOS Setup utility menu, move the cursor to Create

RAID 1 Mirroring for Reliability then press <Enter>.

Use the up or down arrow keys to select a drive then press <Space> or

<Enter>. The striped mark “M” appears before a selected drive.

Repeat step 2 to select the second drive.

The utility prompts the following warning message:

Create RAID 1 (Y/N)?

Press <Y> to continue or press <N> to return to the menu.

Key in a RAID name with a maximum of eight (8) alphanumeric characters

then press <Enter>. Do not use special characters or symbols.

The utility prompts the following conﬁrmation message:

Duplicate Data from M to m (Y/N)?

Press <Y> to duplicate data from the source disk “M” to the target disk “m” or

press <N> to create a RAID 1 set without duplicating the data.

If you selected <Y>, the utility will duplicate your data. The following progress

bar appears.

50% completed.

The utility displays the RAID Array settings at the bottom of the screen.

Drive Model

Channel 0 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 1 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 2 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 3 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Mode

Capacity RAID Array/Type

XXXXX MB RAID A/1

XXXXX MB

XXXXX MB RAID A/1

XXXXX MB

SATA 2

Capacity

XXXXX MB

RAID Type

Stripe SizeRAID Name

RAID1

RAID Array A

RAID Array B

RAID Array C

2-44

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

Creating a RAID 0+1 conﬁguration

To create a RAID 0+1 set:

From the ULI RAID BIOS Setup utility menu, move the cursor to Create

RAID 0+1 Striping, Mirroring then press <Enter>.

The utility prompts the following warning message:

Data on ﬁrst 4 drives will be deleted (Y/N)?

Press <Y> to continue or press <N> to return to the menu.

Key in a RAID name with a maximum of eight (8) alphanumeric characters

then press <Enter>. Do not use special characters or symbols.

The utility displays the RAID Array settings at the bottom of the screen.

Drive Model

Channel 0 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 1 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 2 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 3 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Mode

Capacity RAID Array/Type

XXXXX MB RAID A/RAID0+1

SATA 2

Capacity

XXXXX MB

RAID Type

0+1 X4

Stripe SizeRAID Name

RAID01

RAID Array A

RAID Array B

RAID Array C

Creating a JBOD conﬁguration

To create a JBOD set:

From the ULI RAID BIOS Setup utility menu, move the cursor to Create

JBOD for integrated capacity then press <Enter>.

Use the up or down arrow keys to select a drive then press <Space> or

<Enter>. The striped mark “J” appears before a selected drive.

Repeat step 2 to select the second drive.

The utility prompts the following warning message:

Data on RAID drives will be deleted (Y/N)?

Press <Y> to continue or press <N> to return to the menu.

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-45

Key in a RAID name with a maximum of eight (8) alphanumeric characters

then press <Enter>. Do not use special characters or symbols.

The utility displays the RAID Array settings at the bottom of the screen.

Drive Model

Channel 0 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 1 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 2 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 3 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Mode

SATA 2

Capacity RAID Array/Type

XXXXX MB RAID A/JBOD

XXXXX MB

XXXXX MB RAID A/JBOD

XXXXX MB

SATA 2

Capacity

XXXXX MB

RAID Type

JBOD

Stripe SizeRAID Name

RAIDJ

RAID Array A

RAID Array B

RAID Array C

Setting the Stripe Size

To set the stripe size:

From the ULI RAID BIOS Setup utility menu, move the cursor to Stripe Size

then press <Enter>.

Use the up or down arrow keys to select a stripe size then press <Enter>.

The stripe size is displayed beside the Stripe Size menu item.

TIP: For server systems, we recommend using a lower array block size. For

multimedia computer systems used mainly for audio and video editing, we

recommend a higher array block size for optimum performance.

2-46

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

Deleting a RAID conﬁguration

To delete a RAID set:

From the ULI RAID BIOS Setup utility menu, move the cursor to Delete RAID

Settings & Partition then press <Enter>.

Use the up or down arrow keys to select a RAID set then press <Space> or

<Enter>. The striped mark “E” appears before a selected drive.

The utility prompts the following warning message:

Data on RAID drives will be deleted (Y/N)?

Press <Y> to continue or press <N> to return to the menu.

Pressing <Y> removes the deleted RAID Array item from the list at the

bottom of the screen.

Deleting All RAID conﬁgurations

To delete all RAID sets:

From the ULI RAID BIOS Setup utility menu, move the cursor to Delete All

RAID Settings & Partition then press <Enter>.

The utility prompts the following warning message:

Data on RAID drives will be deleted (Y/N)?

Press <Y> to continue or press <N> to return to menu.

Pressing <Y> removes all the RAID Array items from the list at the bottom of

the screen.

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-47

Rebuilding a RAID array

This option allows you to rebuild an existing RAID array.

To rebuild a RAID array:

From the ULI RAID BIOS Setup utility menu, move the cursor to Rebuild

RAID Array then press <Enter>.

Use the up or down arrow keys to select the source drive from which to

rebuild then press <Enter>. The striped mark “R” appears before a selected

drive.

The utility prompts if you want to proceed with rebuilding the array.

Press <Y> to continue or press <N> to return to the menu.

Creating a RAID 5 conﬁguration

To create a RAID 5 set:

From the ULI RAID BIOS Setup utility menu, move the cursor to Create

RAID 5 for Reliability then press <Enter>.

Use the up or down arrow keys to select a drive then press <Space> or

<Enter>. The striped mark “5” appears before a selected drive.

Repeat step 2 to select the second and third drives.

The utility prompts the following warning message:

Data on RAID drives will be deleted (Y/N)?

Press <Y> to continue or press <N> to return to the menu.

Key in a RAID name with a maximum of eight (8) alphanumeric characters

then press <Enter>. Do not use special characters or symbols.

The utility displays the RAID Array settings at the bottom of the screen.

Drive Model

Channel 0 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 1 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 2 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Channel 3 Master: XXXXXXXXXXX

Mode

SATA 2

Capacity RAID Array/Type

XXXXX MB RAID A/5

XXXXX MB

XXXXX MB RAID A/5

SATA 2

Capacity

160 GB

RAID Type

Stripe SizeRAID Name

RAID Array A

RAID Array B

RAID Array C

16K

RAID5

2-48

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

2.10 Creating a RAID driver disk

A ﬂoppy disk with the RAID driver is required when installing Windows^®2000/XP

operating system on a hard disk drive that is included in a RAID set.

To create a RAID driver disk:

Boot your computer.

Press <Del> during POST to enter the BIOS setup utility.

Set the optical drive as the primary boot device.

Save changes and exit BIOS.

Insert the support CD into the optical drive.

Press the any key when the system prompts “Press any key to boot from the

optical drive.” The following menu appears:

1) Make ULi RAID Driver Disk

2) Format Floppy Disk

3) FreeDOS command prompt

Please choose 1 ~ 3:_

Press <1> to create a RAID driver disk.

Insert a formatted ﬂoppy disk into the ﬂoppy drive then press <Enter>.

Follow succeeding screen instructions to complete the process.

- OR -

Start Windows^®.

Place the motherboard support CD into the optical drive.

When the Drivers menu appears, click Make ULi Chipset Driver Disk to

create a ULI RAID driver disk.

Insert a ﬂoppy disk into the ﬂoppy disk drive.

Follow succeeding screen instructions to complete the process.

Write-protect the ﬂoppy disk to avoid computer virus infection.

To install the RAID driver:

During the OS installation, the system prompts you to press the F6 key to

install third-party SCSI or RAID driver.

Press <F6> then insert the ﬂoppy disk with RAID driver into the ﬂoppy disk

drive.

Follow the succeeding screen instructions to complete the installation.

ASUS M2A-MVP

2-49

2-50

Chapter 2: BIOS setup

This chapter describes the contents

of the support CD that comes with the

motherboard package.

Software

support

ASUS M2A-MVP

3-1

3.1

Installing an operating system

This motherboard supports Windows^®2000/XP/64-bit XP operating systems (OS).

Always install the latest OS version and corresponding updates to maximize the

features of your hardware.

•

Motherboard settings and hardware options vary. Use the setup

procedures presented in this chapter for reference only. Refer to your OS

documentation for detailed information.

•

Make sure that you install Windows^®2000 Service Pack 4 or the Windows^®

XP Service Pack2 or later versions before installing the drivers for better

compatibility and system stability.

3.2

Support CD information

The support CD that came with the motherboard package contains the drivers,

software applications, and utilities that you can install to avail all motherboard

features.

The contents of the support CD are subject to change at any time without

notice. Visit the ASUS website(www.asus.com) for updates.

3.2.1

Running the support CD

Place the support CD to the optical drive. The CD automatically displays the

Drivers menu if Autorun is enabled in your computer.

Click an icon to display

support CD/motherboard

information

Click an item to install

If Autorun is NOT enabled in your computer, browse the contents of the support

CD to locate the ﬁle ASSETUP.EXE from the BIN folder. Double-click the

ASSETUP.EXE to run the CD.

3-2

Chapter 3: Software support

3.2.2

Drivers menu

The drivers menu shows the available device drivers if the system detects installed

devices. Install the necessary drivers to activate the devices.

ASUS InstAll-Drivers Installation Wizard

Installs the ASUS InstAll-Drivers installation wizard.

ATI Chipset Driver

Installs the ATI^®chipset driver.

AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet Driver

Installs the AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet^™driver.

Marvell Yukon Gigabit Ethernet Driver

Installs the Marvell^®Yukon Gigabit Ethernet driver.

Realtek Audio Driver

Installs the Realtek^®audio driver.

ASUS M2A-MVP

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3.2.3

Utilities menu

The Utilities menu shows the applications and other software that the motherboard

supports.

ASUS InstAll-Installation Wizard for Utilities

Install the ASUS InstAll-Installation Wizard.

ASUS Cool ‘n’ Quiet Utility

Installs the AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet™ software.

ASUS PC Probe II

This smart utility monitors the fan speed, CPU temperature, and system voltages,

and alerts you of any detected problems. This utility helps you keep your computer

in healthy operating condition.

ASUS Update

The ASUS Update utility allows you to update the motherboard BIOS in Windows^®

environment. This utility requires an Internet connection either through a network

or an Internet Service Provider (ISP)

Adobe Reader V7.0

Installs the Adobe^®Acrobat^®Reader that allows you to open, view, and print

documents in Portable Document Format (PDF).

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Chapter 3: Software support

Microsoft DirectX 9.0c

Installs the Microsoft^®DirectX 9.0c driver. The Microsoft DirectX^®9.0c is a

multimedia technology that enhances computer graphics and sound. DirectX^®

improves the multimedia features of you computer so you can enjoy watching

TV and movies, capturing videos, or playing games in your computer. Visit the

Microsoft website (www.microsoft.com) for updates.

Anti-Virus Utility

The anti-virus application scans, identiﬁes, and removes computer viruses. View

the online help for detailed information.

3.2.4

Make Disk menu

The Make Disk menu contains the item needed to create the ATI^®RAID driver disk.

Make ATI RAID Driver

Allows you to create the ATI^®driver disk.

ASUS M2A-MVP

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3.2.5

Manuals menu

The Manuals menu contains a list of supplementary user manuals. Click an item to

open the folder of the user manual.

Most user manual ﬁles are in Portable Document Format (PDF). Download the

Adobe^®Acrobat^®Reader from www.adobe.com if you do not have one.

3.2.6

ASUS Contact information

Click the Contact tab to display the ASUS contact information. You can also ﬁnd

this information on the inside front cover of this user guide.

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Chapter 3: Software support

3.2.7

Other information

The icons on the top right corner of the screen give additional information on the

motherboard and the contents of the support CD. Click an icon to display the

speciﬁed information.

Motherboard Info

Displays the general speciﬁcations of the motherboard.

Browse this CD

Displays the support CD contents in graphical format.

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Technical support form

Displays the ASUS Technical Support Request Form that you have to ﬁll out when

requesting technical support.

Filelist

Displays the contents of the support CD and a brief description of each in text

format.

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Chapter 3: Software support

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