Asus TX97 XE User Manual

R
TX97-XE  
®
Pentium ATX Motherboard  
USER'S MANUAL  
ASUS CONTACT INFORMATION  
ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.  
Marketing  
Address:  
Telephone:  
Fax:  
150 Li-Te Road, Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan 112  
+886-2-2894-3447  
+886-2-2894-3449  
Email:  
Technical Support  
Fax:  
+886-2-2895-9254  
BBS:  
Email:  
WWW:  
FTP:  
+886-2-2896-4667  
ftp.asus.com.tw/pub/ASUS  
ASUS COMPUTER INTERNATIONAL  
Marketing  
Address:  
6737 Mowry Avenue, Mowry Business Center, Building 2  
Newark, CA 94560, USA  
+1-510-608-4555  
Fax:  
Email:  
Technical Support  
Fax:  
+1-510-608-4555  
BBS:  
Email:  
WWW:  
FTP:  
+1-510-739-3774  
ftp.asus.com.tw/pub/ASUS  
ASUS COMPUTER GmbH  
Marketing  
Address:  
Telephone:  
Fax:  
Harkort Str. 25, 40880 Ratingen, BRD, Germany  
49-2102-445011  
49-2102-442066  
Email:  
Technical Support  
Hotline:  
BBS:  
49-2102-499712  
49-2102-448690  
Email:  
WWW:  
FTP:  
ftp.asuscom.de/pub/ASUSCOM  
ASUS TX97-XE User’s Manual  
3
CONTENTS  
I. INTRODUCTION........................................................................... 7  
How this Manual is Organized ........................................................ 7  
Item Checklist .................................................................................. 7  
II. FEATURES .................................................................................... 8  
Features of the ASUS TX97-XE Motherboard ................................ 8  
ASUS TX97 Smart Series Motherboards................................... 9  
Parts of the ASUS TX97-XE Motherboard ................................ 11  
III. INSTALLATION .......................................................................... 12  
ASUS TX97-XE Motherboard Layout ............................................ 12  
Installation Steps .............................................................................. 14  
1. Jumpers ........................................................................................ 14  
Jumper Settings .................................................................... 15  
Compatible Cyrix CPU Identification .................................. 18  
2. System Memory (SIMM & DIMM) ........................................... 18  
SIMM Memory Installation.................................................. 20  
DIMM Memory Installation Procedures .............................. 21  
3. Central Processing Unit (CPU) ................................................... 22  
4. Expansion Cards ......................................................................... 23  
Expansion Card Installation Procedure: ............................... 23  
Assigning IRQs for Expansion Cards................................... 23  
Assigning DMA Channels for ISA Cards............................. 24  
ISA Cards and Hardware Monitor ........................................ 24  
5. External Connectors.................................................................... 25  
Power Connection Procedures ................................................... 33  
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE ........................................................................ 34  
Support Software ............................................................................. 34  
Flash Memory Writer Utility...................................................... 34  
Main Menu ........................................................................... 34  
Managing and Updating Your Motherboard’s BIOS.................. 36  
6. BIOS Setup ................................................................................. 37  
Load Defaults ....................................................................... 38  
Standard CMOS Setup ............................................................... 38  
Details of Standard CMOS Setup:........................................ 38  
BIOS Features Setup .................................................................. 41  
Details of BIOS Features Setup............................................ 41  
Chipset Features Setup ............................................................... 44  
Details of Chipset Features Setup......................................... 44  
Power Management Setup.......................................................... 47  
Details of Power Management Setup ................................... 47  
4
ASUS TX97-XE User’s Manual  
CONTENTS  
PNP and PCI Setup .................................................................... 50  
Details of PNP and PCI Setup .............................................. 50  
Load BIOS Defaults ................................................................... 52  
Load Setup Defaults ................................................................... 52  
Supervisor Password and User Password .................................. 53  
IDE HDD Auto Detection .......................................................... 54  
Save & Exit Setup ...................................................................... 55  
Exit Without Saving ................................................................... 55  
Desktop Management Interface (DMI)............................................ 56  
Introducing the ASUS DMI Configuration Utility ............... 56  
System Requirements ........................................................... 56  
Using the ASUS DMI Configuration Utility ........................ 57  
16-bit Audio .......................................................................................... 59  
ASUS Audio CD ........................................................................ 61  
ASUS Audio Driver CD Contents ........................................ 61  
Audio Drivers Installation .................................................................. 61  
Win95 Audio Drivers ........................................................................... 62  
Win3.x Audio Drivers .......................................................................... 63  
Configuration Manager .............................................................. 63  
Creative PnP Configuration Manager (CTCM) ......................... 63  
Audio Software .......................................................................... 65  
Environment Variables ............................................................... 69  
SOUND Environment variable............................................. 69  
BLASTER Environment Variable ........................................ 69  
MIDI Environment Variable ................................................. 70  
Maximum Recording Rates for the Audio Hardware ........... 70  
ASUS TX97-XE User’s Manual  
5
FCC & DOC COMPLIANCE  
Federal Communications Commission Statement  
This device complies with FCC Rules Part 15. Operation is subject to the following  
two conditions:  
This device may not cause harmful interference, and  
This device must accept any interference received, including interference that  
may cause undesired operation.  
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 installa-  
tion. 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 interfer-  
ence by one or more of the following measures:  
Re-orient 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.  
WARNING! 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.  
6
ASUS TX97-XE User’s Manual  
I. INTRODUCTION  
How this Manual is Organized  
This manual is divided into the following sections:  
I.  
Introduction  
Manual information and checklist  
II. Features  
III. Installation  
IV. BIOS Software  
Information and specifications concerning this product  
Instructions on setting up the motherboard.  
Instructions on setting up the BIOS software  
V.  
Support Software Information on the included support software  
Audio Installation Audio driver installation (with onboard audio only)  
Item Checklist  
Please check that your package is complete. If you discover damaged or missing  
items, please contact your retailer.  
(1) ASUS Motherboard  
(1) IDE ribbon cable for master and slave drives  
(1) Floppy ribbon cable for (1) 5.25inch floppy and (2) 3.5inch floppies  
(1) Bag of spare jumpers  
(1) Support drivers and utilities  
(1) User’s Manual  
Infrared module (optional)  
ASUS audio onboard and audio driver CD with online help (optional)  
ASUS TX97-XE User’s Manual  
7
II. FEATURES  
Features of the ASUS TX97-XE Motherboard  
The ASUS TX97-XE is carefully designed for the demanding PC user who wants  
many features in a small package. This motherboard:  
Intel Chipset: Features Intel’s 430TX PCIset with I/O subsystems.  
Versatile Processor Support: Intel Pentium® 75-233MHz (P55C-MMX, P54C/  
P54CS), IBM®/Cyrix® 6x86-PR166+ (Rev 2.7 or later), IBM®/Cyrix® 6x86MX™  
(PR166 & faster), AMD-K5(PR75-PR133), AMD-K6(PR166 & faster).  
Versatile Memory Support: Is equipped with two DIMM sockets to support  
8-128MB 168-pin 3.3Volt SDRAM/EDO memory modules up to 256MB. Is  
also equipped with four SIMM sockets to support 4-64MB 72-pin Fast Page  
Mode (FPM) or Extended Data Out (EDO) memory modules up to 256MB.  
SIMMs and DIMMs cannot be used at the same time.  
Easy Installation: Is equipped with BIOS that supports auto detection of hard  
drives, PS/2 mouse, and Plug and Play devices to make setup of hard drives,  
expansion cards, and other devices virtually automatic.  
ISA & PCI Expansion: Provides four 16-bit ISA and four 32-bit PCI slots.  
Super Multi-I/O: Provides two high-speed UART-compatible serial ports and  
one parallel port with EPP and ECP capabilities.  
Desktop Management Interface (DMI): Supports DMI through BIOS which  
allows hardware to communicate within a standard protocol creating a higher  
level of compatibility. (Requires DMI-enabled components.) (See section V)  
PCI Bus Master IDE Controller: Comes with an onboard PCI Bus Master  
IDE controller with two connectors that supports four IDE devices in two chan-  
nels, supports PIO Modes 3 and 4 and Bus Master IDE DMA Mode 2, and  
supports Enhanced IDE devices such as Tape Backup and CD-ROM drives.  
Supports two drives of either 5.25-inch (360KB or 1.2MB) or 3.5-inch (720KB,  
1.44MB, or 2.88MB) disk drives. Supports Japanese “Floppy 3 mode” (3.5-  
inch disk drive: 1.2MB) and LS-120 floppy disk drives (3.5-inch disk drive: 120  
MB, 1.44MB, 720K). BIOS supports IDE CD-ROM or SCSI device boot-up.  
Level 2 Cache: 512KB Pipelined Burst SRAM onboard.  
Optional IrDA: Supports and optional IrDA receiver/transmitter device.  
Optional Audio: Has optional onboard Creative Labs® Audio with 3D sound.  
Optional IrDA Connector: Supports an optional infrared port module for wire-  
less interface.  
8
ASUS TX97-XE User’s Manual  
II. FEATURES  
ASUS TX97 Smart Series Motherboards  
Performance  
SDRAM Optimized Performance - ASUS TX97 smart series motherboards  
support the new generation memory - Synchronous Dynamic Random Access  
Memory (SDRAM) which increases the data transfer rate from 264MB/s max  
using EDO memory to 528MB/s max using SDRAM.  
Double the IDE Transfer Speed - ASUS TX97 smart series motherboards with  
Intel 430TX PCIset improves IDE transfer rate using Bus Master UltraDMA/33  
IDE which can handle data transfer up to 33MB/s. The best of all is that this  
new technology is compatible with existing ATA-2 IDE specs so there is no  
need to upgrade current hard drives or cables.  
Concurrent PCI - Concurrent PCI allows multiple PCI transfers from PCI master  
busses to memory to CPU.  
ACPI Ready - ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) is also  
implemented on all ASUS 430TX series of motherboards. ACPI provide more  
Energy Saving Features for the future operating systems (OS) supporting OS  
Direct Power Management (OSPM) functionality. With these features imple-  
mented in the OS, PCs can be ready around the clock everyday, yet satisfy all  
the energy saving standards. To fully utilize the benefits of ACPI, an ACPI-  
supported OS such as in the next release of Windows 95 must be used.  
PC ’97 Compliant - Both the BIOS and hardware levels of ASUS TX97 series  
of motherboards meet PC ’97 compliancy. The new PC 97 requirements for  
systems and components are based on the following high-level goals: Support  
for Plug and Play compatibility and power management for configuring and  
managing all system components, and 32-bit device drivers and installation pro-  
cedures for both Windows 95 and Windows NT.  
Intelligence: (with optional LM78/75 Hardware Monitor only)  
Fan Status Monitoring and Alarm - To prevent system overheat and system  
damage, the CPU fan and system fans are monitored for RPM and failure. Each  
fan can be set for its normal RPM range and alarm thresholds.  
Temperature Monitoring and Alert - To prevent system overheat and system  
damage, there is a heat sensor under the CPU and on the motherboard itself to  
monitor CPU and system temperature to make sure the system is operating at a  
safe heat level to avoid any failures triggered by extremely high temperature.  
ASUS TX97-XE User’s Manual  
9
II. FEATURES  
Voltage Monitoring and Alert: System voltage levels are monitored to ensure  
stable current to critical motherboard components. Voltage specifications are  
more critical for future processors, so monitoring is necessary to ensure proper  
system configuration and management.  
System ResourcesAlert: Today’s operating systems such as Windows 95, Win-  
dows NT, and OS/2, require much more memory and hard drive space to present  
enormous user interfaces and run large applications. The system resource moni-  
tor will warn the user before the system resources are used up to prevent pos-  
sible application crashes. Suggestions will give the user information on manag-  
ing their limited resources more efficiently.  
Virus Write Protection - Normally, viruses can destroy data on storage media  
such as hard drivers, floppy diskettes, and MO. Some new-generation viruses  
will not only destroy data on storage media, but also clear BIOS data which is  
usually unprotected. ASUS TX97 series of motherboards were designed to co-  
operate with BIOS, chipset, and flash EPROM to disable write permission when  
the system’s initialization stage is completed upon boot-up.  
CPU Slow Down - When CPU fans or system fans are malfunctioning, the  
system will deactivate the CPU Clock line to decrease CPU utilization to the  
speed upon detection of system overheat. This will prevent CPU damage from  
system overheat. The CPU utilization will restore normal operations when tem-  
perature falls below a safe level.  
Auto Fan Off - The system fans will power off automatically even in sleep  
mode. This function reduces both energy consumption and system noise, and  
is a important feature to implement silent PC systems.  
Dual Function Power Button (requires ATX power supply): The system can  
be in one of two states, one is Sleep mode and the other is the Soft-Off mode.  
Pushing the power button for less than 4 seconds places the system into Sleep  
mode. When the power button is pressed for more than 4 seconds, it enters the  
Soft-Off mode.  
Remote Ring On (requires external modem and ATX power supply): This  
allows a computer to be turned on remotely through an external modem. With this  
benefit on-hand, any user can access vital information from their computer from  
anywhere in the world!  
Message LED (requires ACPI OS support): Chassis LEDs now act as infor-  
mation providers. Through the way a particular LED illuminates, the user can  
determine the stage the computer is in. A simple glimpse provides useful infor-  
mation to the user.  
10  
ASUS TX97-XE User’s Manual  
II. FEATURES  
Parts of the ASUS TX97-XE Motherboard  
4 SIMM  
Sockets  
CPU Thermal  
Sensor (optional)  
CPU ZIF  
Socket 7  
512KB Pipelined  
Burst L2 Cache  
2 DIMM  
Sockets  
T: PS/2 Mouse  
B: PS/2 Keyboard  
T: USB Port 1  
B: USB Port 2  
COM 1  
T: Parallel Conn.  
B: Serial Conn.  
COM 2  
Intel’s 430TX  
PCIset  
(Optional)  
T:Joystick/Midi  
B:Out/In/Mic  
4 PCI Slots  
Creative Labs  
Audio (optional)  
4 ISA Slots  
LM78 Hardware  
Programmable  
Monitor (optional) Flash ROM  
ASUS TX97-XE User’s Manual  
11  
III. INSTALLATION  
ASUS TX97-XE Motherboard Layout  
T: Mouse  
B: Keyboard  
PS/2  
Board Power Input  
for ATX Power Supply  
CPU Voltage  
VID0  
VID1  
VID2  
VID3  
T: USB 1  
B: USB 2  
USB  
CPU Fan  
FANPWR3  
BUS Freq.  
BF0  
CPU Thermal Sensor  
(Hardware Monitor)  
BF1  
BF2  
LM75  
CPU ZIF Socket 7  
Row 3 2 3 2 1 0 1 0  
Intel  
430TX  
PCIset  
Sony CD audio in  
M/IO  
Multi-I/O (En/Dis)  
Creative® Modem  
Blaster Connector  
Row 3 2  
1 0  
BUS FREQ  
FS0  
FS1  
FS2  
PCI Slot 1  
PCI Slot 2  
®
Intel PIIX4  
PCIset  
Creative  
VOLCTL  
Volume Control  
R
Labs  
Audio  
PCI Slot 3  
AUDIO (Dis/En)  
Wake on LAN (Reserved)  
PCI Slot 4  
CR2032  
3 Volt  
Lithium Cell  
ISA Slot 1  
ISA Slot 2  
ISA Slot 3  
ISA Slot 4  
BIOS Power  
FANPWR1  
Hardware Monitor  
LM78  
Chasis open  
alarm lead  
BBLKW  
Block Program  
Flash ROM  
for BIOS  
Infrared Con. (IrDA)  
Panel Connections  
IDE  
LED  
NOTE: The items in outline are optional and may not be present.  
12  
ASUS TX97-XE User’s Manual  
III. INSTALLATION  
Jumpers  
1) RTCLR  
2) AUDIO (optional)  
3) M/IO  
4) FS0, FS1, FS2  
5) BF0, BF1, BF2  
6) VID0, 1, 2, 3  
p. 15 Real Time Clock RAM (Operation/Clear Data)  
p. 15 Onboard Audio (Disable/Enable)  
p. 16 Multi-I/O Selection (Enable/Disable)  
p. 16 CPU External Clock (BUS) Frequency Selection  
p. 16 CPU:BUS Frequency Ratio  
p. 18 CPU Voltage Regulator Output Selection  
Expansion Slots  
1) System Memory  
2) SIMM Sockets  
3) DIMM Sockets  
4) CPU ZIF Socket 7  
5) SLOT 1, 2, 3, 4  
6) PCI 1, 2, 3, 4  
p. 19 System Memory Upgrade  
p. 20 72-Pin SIMM Memory Expansion Sockets  
p. 21 168-Pin DIMM Memory Expansion Sockets  
p. 22 Central Processing Unit (CPU) Socket  
p. 23 16-bit ISA Bus Expansion Slots*  
p. 23 32-bit PCI Bus Expansion Slots  
Connectors  
1) PS2KEYBOARD  
2) PS2MOUSE  
3) PRINTER  
4) COM1, COM2  
5) FLOPPY  
p. 25 PS/2 Keyboard Connector (6-pin Female)  
p. 25 PS/2 Mouse Connector (6-pin Female)  
p. 26 Parallel (Printer) Port Connector (25-pin Female)  
p. 26 Serial Port COM1 & COM2 (Two 9-pin Female)  
p. 26 Floppy Drive Connector (34-pin Block)  
6) AUDIO (optional)  
7) GAME (optional)  
8) USB  
p. 27 Audio Port -Line Out, Line In, Mic (Three 1/8” Female)  
p. 27 Joystick/Midi Connector (15-pin Female)  
p. 27 Universal Serial BUS Ports 1 & 2 (Two 4-pin Female)  
9) Primary / Second IDE p. 28 Primary / Secondary IDE Connector (40-pin Blocks)  
10) IDELED  
11) FANPWR1, 2, 3  
12) CHASSIS  
13) IR  
p. 28 IDE LED Activity Light  
p. 29 1Chassis, 2 CPU, 3 Power Supply Fan Power Lead (3-pin Block)  
p. 29 Chassis Open Alarm Lead (4-1pin Block)  
p. 30 Infrared Port Module Connector  
14) ATXPWR  
p. 30 ATX Motherboard Power Connector (20-pin Block)  
15) VOLCTL (optional) p. 31 Digital Volume Level Control (5-pin Block)  
16) WOL p. 31 Wake on LAN (3 pins)  
17) MSG LED (PANEL) p. 32 System Message LED (2 pins)  
18) SMI (PANEL) p. 32 SMI Switch Lead (2 pins)  
19) PWR SW (PANEL) p. 32 ATX Power & Soft-Off Switch Lead (2 pins)  
20) RESET (PANEL)  
21) PWR LED (PANEL  
22) KEYLOCK (PANEL  
p. 32 Reset Switch Lead (2 pins)  
p. 32 System Power LED Lead (3 pins)  
p. 32 Keyboard Lock Switch Lead (2 pins)  
)
)
23) SPEAKER (PANEL) p. 32 Speaker Output Connector (4 pins)  
*The onboard hardware monitor uses the address 290H-297H so legacy ISA cards must not  
use this address or else conflicts will occur.  
ASUS TX97-XE User’s Manual  
13  
III. INSTALLATION  
Installation Steps  
Before using your computer, you must complete the following steps:  
1. Set Jumpers on the Motherboard  
2. Install System Memory Modules  
3. Install the Central Processing Unit (CPU)  
4. Install Expansion Cards  
5. Connect Ribbon Cables, Cabinet Wires, and Power Supply  
6. Setup the BIOS Software  
1. Jumpers  
Several hardware settings are made through the use of jumper caps to connect jumper  
pins (JP) on the motherboard. See motherboard layout for locations of jumpers. The  
jumper settings will be described numerically, such as [----], [1-2], [2-3] for no con-  
nection, connect pins 1&2, and connect pins 2&3 respectively. Pin 1 for our mother-  
PIN 1  
PIN 1  
boards is always on top  
the keyboard connector away from yourself. A1” is written besides pin 1 on jumpers  
with three pins. The jumpers will also be shown graphically such as to connect  
pins 1&2 and to connect pins 2&3. Jumpers with two pins will be shown as  
for Short (On) and for Open (Off). For manufacturing simplicity, the jump-  
or on the left  
when holding the motherboard with  
ers may be sharing pins from other groups. Use the diagrams in this manual instead of  
following the pin layout on the board. Settings with two jumper numbers require that  
both jumpers be moved together. To connect the pins, simply place a plastic jumper  
cap over the two pins as diagramed.  
WARNING! Computer motherboards, baseboards and components, such as SCSI  
cards, contain very delicate Integrated Circuit (IC) chips. To protect them against  
damage from static electricity, you should follow some precautions whenever you  
work on your computer.  
1. Unplug your computer when working on the inside.  
2. Use a grounded wrist strap before handling computer components. If you do  
not have one, touch both of your hands to a safely grounded object or to a  
metal object, such as the power supply case.  
3. Hold components by the edges and try not to touch the IC chips, leads or  
connectors, or other components.  
4. Place components on a grounded antistatic pad or on the bag that came with  
the component whenever the components are separated from the system.  
14  
ASUS TX97-XE User’s Manual  
III. INSTALLATION  
Jumper Settings  
1. Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM (RTCLR)  
The CMOS RAM is powered by the onboard button cell battery. To clear the  
RTC data: (1) Turn off your computer and remove the AC power , (2) Move this  
jumper to “Clear Data,” (3) Move the jumper back to “Operation,” (4) Turn on  
your computer, (5) Hold down <Delete> during bootup and enter BIOS setup to  
re-enter user preferences.  
Battery Test Jumper (RTCLR)  
You can test the battery’s current by removing this jumper and attaching a cur-  
rent meter to pins 1&2. WARNING: You must unplug the power cord to  
your power supply to ensure that there is no power to your motherboard.  
The CMOS RAM containing BIOS setup information may be cleared by  
this action. You should enter BIOS to “Load Setup Defaults” and re-enter  
any user information after removing and reapplying this jumper.  
RTC RAM  
Operation  
Clear Data  
RTCLR  
[1-2] (Default)  
[2-3] (momentarily)  
RTCLR  
RTCLR  
Battery Test  
Operation (Default)  
Clear Data  
RTC RAM (Operation / Clear Data)  
2. Onboard Audio Selection (AUDIO) (with optional onboard Audio)  
This jumper allows you to Disable the onboard audio chipset inorder to use your  
own audio card. Otherwise, leave on default of Enabled.  
Onboard Audio  
Enabled  
Disabled  
AUDIO  
[2-3] (Default)  
[1-2]  
AUDIO  
AUDIO  
1
2
3
1
2
3
Disable  
Enable  
(Default)  
Onboard Audio (Disable / Enable)  
ASUS TX97-XE User’s Manual  
15  
III. INSTALLATION  
3. Onboard Multi-I/O Selection (M/IO)  
You can selectively disable each onboard Multi-I/O item (floppy, serial, paral-  
lel, and IrDA) through Chipset Features Setup of BIOS SOFTWARE or dis-  
able all Multi-I/O items at once with the following jumper in order to use your  
own Multi-I/O card.  
Multi-I/O  
Enable  
Disable  
M/IO  
[1-2] (Default)  
[2-3]  
M/IO  
M/IO  
1
2
3
1
2
3
Enable (Default)  
Disabled  
Multi I/O Setting (Enable / Disable)  
4. CPU External (BUS) Frequency Selection (FS0, FS1, FS2)  
These jumpers tell the clock generator what frequency to send to the CPU. These  
allow the selection of the CPU’s External frequency (or BUS Clock). The BUS Clock  
times the BUS Ratio equals the CPU’s Internal frequency (the advertised CPU speed).  
5. CPU to BUS Frequency Ratio (BF0, BF1, BF2)  
These jumpers set the frequency ratio between the Internal frequency of the CPU  
and the External frequency (called the BUS Clock) within the CPU. These must  
be set together with the above jumpers CPU External (BUS) Frequency Selection.  
FS2  
FS1  
FS0  
FS2  
FS1  
FS0  
FS2  
FS1  
FS0  
FS2  
FS1  
FS0  
FS2  
FS1  
FS0  
1
1
1
1
1
2
3
2
3
2
3
2
3
2
3
50MHz  
55MHz  
60MHz  
66MHz  
75MHz  
CPU External Clock (BUS) Frequency Selection  
BF2  
BF1  
BF0  
BF2  
BF1  
BF0  
BF2  
BF1  
BF0  
BF2  
BF1  
BF0  
BF2  
BF1  
BF0  
BF2  
BF1  
BF0  
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
3
2
3
2
3
2
3
2
3
2
3
Complete Names:  
Intel Pentium P54C  
Pentium P55C-MMX  
AMD K5, K6  
IBM/Cyrix 6x86(L) (M1)  
IBM/Cyrix 6x86MX(M2)  
1.5x(3/2) 2.0x(2/1) 2.5x(5/2) 3.0x(3/1)  
3.5x(7/2) 2.0x(2/1) 2.5x(5/2) 3.0x(3/1)  
3.0x(3/1) 2.0x(2/1) 1.0x(1/1)  
3.0x(3/1) 2.0x(2/1) 2.0x(2/1)  
----  
----  
----  
----  
----  
----  
----  
----  
P54C/K5  
P55C/K6/MX  
IBM/Cyrix 6x86  
IBM/Cyrix 6x86L  
AMD-K6 (.25µ)  
----  
----  
----  
----  
----  
----  
4.0x(4/1) 4.5x(9/2)  
CPU : BUS Frequency Ratio  
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III. INSTALLATION  
Set the jumpers by the Internal speed of the Intel, AMD, IBM, or Cyrix CPU as follows:  
(BUS Freq.)  
BUS Freq. FS2 FS1 FS0  
(Freq. Ratio)  
BF1 BF0  
[1-2] [1-2]  
[2-3] [1-2]  
[2-3] [2-3]  
[2-3] [2-3]  
[1-2] [2-3]  
[1-2] [2-3]  
[1-2] [1-2]  
[1-2] [1-2]  
[1-2] [1-2]  
CPU Model  
Intel Pentium  
Intel Pentium  
Intel Pentium  
Intel Pentium  
Intel Pentium  
Intel Pentium  
Intel Pentium  
Intel Pentium  
Intel Pentium  
Freq.  
Ratio  
233MHz 3.5x  
200MHz 3.0x  
166MHz 2.5x  
150MHz 2.5x  
133MHz 2.0x  
120MHz 2.0x  
100MHz 1.5x  
66MHz  
66MHz  
66MHz  
60MHz  
66MHz  
60MHz  
66MHz  
60MHz  
50MHz  
[2-3] [1-2] [2-3]  
[2-3] [1-2] [2-3]  
[2-3] [1-2] [2-3]  
[2-3] [2-3] [1-2]  
[2-3] [1-2] [2-3]  
[2-3] [2-3] [1-2]  
[2-3] [1-2] [2-3]  
[2-3] [2-3] [1-2]  
[2-3] [2-3] [2-3]  
90MHz  
75MHz  
1.5x  
1.5x  
AMD-K6-PR233  
AMD-K6-PR200  
AMD-K6-PR166  
233MHz 3.5x  
200MHz 3.0x  
166MHz 2.5x  
66MHz  
66MHz  
66MHz  
[2-3] [1-2] [2-3]  
[2-3] [1-2] [2-3]  
[2-3] [1-2] [2-3]  
[1-2] [1-2]  
[2-3] [1-2]  
[2-3] [2-3]  
AMD-K5-PR133  
AMD-K5-PR120  
AMD-K5-PR100  
AMD-K5-PR90  
AMD-K5-PR75  
100MHz 1.5x  
66MHz  
60MHz  
66MHz  
60MHz  
50MHz  
[2-3] [1-2] [2-3]  
[2-3] [2-3] [1-2]  
[2-3] [1-2] [2-3]  
[2-3] [2-3] [1-2]  
[2-3] [2-3] [2-3]  
[1-2] [1-2]  
[1-2] [1-2]  
[1-2] [1-2]  
[1-2] [1-2]  
[1-2] [1-2]  
90MHz  
1.5x  
100MHz 1.5x  
90MHz  
75MHz  
1.5x  
1.5x  
IBM/Cyrix6x86MX-PR233 200MHz 3.0x  
IBM/Cyrix6x86MX-PR200 166MHz 2.5x  
66MHz  
66MHz  
[2-3] [1-2] [2-3]  
[2-3] [1-2] [2-3]  
[2-3] [1-2]  
[2-3] [2-3]  
IBM/Cyrix6x86MX-PR166 150MHz 2.5x  
60MHz  
[2-3] [2-3] [1-2]  
[2-3] [2-3]  
*IBM/Cyrix -PR166+  
133MHz 2.0x  
66MHz  
[2-3] [1-2] [2-3]  
[1-2] [2-3]  
*NOTE: Only IBM or Cyrix Rev 2.7 or later is supported on this motherboard (see next page). Bootup  
screen will show 6x86-P166+ with the Cyrix PR166+ installed on this motherboard.  
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III. INSTALLATION  
Compatible Cyrix CPU Identification  
The only Cyrix CPU that is supported on this motherboard is  
labeled Cyrix 6x86 PR166+ but must be Revision 2.7 or later.  
Look on the underside of the CPU for the serial number. The  
number should read G8DC6620A or later.  
6. Voltage Regulator Output Selection (VID0, 1, 2, 3)  
These jumpers set the voltage supplied to the CPU. VID1 for 3.4V(STD) is  
ignored, therefore, the jumper setting for 2.8V(Dual) may work for both  
3.4V(STD) and 2.8V(Dual).  
Pentium MMX (P55C)Intel Pentium (P54C) AMD-K6  
AMD-K5  
IBM/Cyrix 6x86(MX) IBM/Cyrix 6x86(M1)  
(PR166 and faster) (PR166 and faster)  
(150MHz-233MHz) (75MHz-200MHz) (PR166 and faster) (PR75-PR133)  
WARNING! Because CPU designs change rapidly, the following chart is only  
intended as a simple quideline and is not intended to be true for your CPU. Look  
for the CPU voltage included with your CPU and follow the Voltage setting  
diagramed below the chart.  
Manufacturer  
Intel/AMD/IBM/Cyrix P54C/CS/K5/M1 3.5V(VRE) ----  
AMD/IBM/Cyrix K6-166,200/MX ---- 2.9V(Dual) [----] [2-3] [2-3] [1-2]  
---- [----] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3]  
CPU Type  
Single Plane Dual Plane VID3 VID2 VID1 VID0  
[----] [2-3] [----] [1-2]  
Intel/AMD  
Intel  
P54C/CS/K5  
P55C  
3.4V(STD)  
----  
2.8V(Dual) [----] [2-3] [2-3] [2-3]  
3.2V(Dual) [----] [1-2] [2-3] [2-3]  
2.1V(Dual) [----] [----] [2-3] [1-2]  
AMD  
K6-PR233  
----  
AMD (.25micron) K6-233,266,300 ----  
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1.8 Volts  
2.7 Volts  
3.2 Volts  
1.9 Volts  
2.8 Volts  
2.1 Volts  
2.9 Volts  
2.5 Volts  
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
Voltage Regulator Output Selection  
3.4 V  
3.5 V  
*
*
Setting these two jumpers’ VID1 to [2-3] or [----] (removed)  
will result in the same voltages respectively.  
*
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III. INSTALLATION  
2. System Memory (SIMM & DIMM)  
This motherboard supports four 72-pin, 32-bit SIMMs (Single Inline Memory Mod-  
ules) of 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64MB to form a memory size between 8MB to 256MB. The  
SIMMs can be either 60ns or 70ns Fast Page Mode (FPM) (Asymmetric or Sym-  
metric), or Enhanced Data Out (EDO) (BEDO & Parity are not supported). SIMMs  
must be installed in pairs so that each Row (see Map of Motherboard for Row loca-  
tions) contains 64-bits of the same size and type of memory chips. One side (with  
memory chips) of the SIMM module takes up half a Row on the motherboard.  
Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMMs) can be used when the SIMM sockets are  
not used. Two sockets are available for 3.3Volt (power level) Unbuffered Synchro-  
nous DRAMs (SDRAM) or EDO DRAM of either 8, 16, 32, 64, or 128MB to form  
a memory size between 8MB to 256MB. One side (with memory chips) of the  
DIMM module takes up one row on the motherboard.  
IMPORTANT: Memory speed setup is required through “Auto Configuration”  
in BIOS Chipset Setup of the BIOS SOFTWARE. If both 60ns and 70ns memory  
are used, set “Auto Configuration” to 70ns. Do not use memory modules with  
more than 24 chips per module. Modules with more than 24 chips exceed the  
design specifications of the memory subsystem and will be unstable.  
Memory Socket  
SIMM Memory Module  
Total Memory  
SIMM Sockets 1&2  
(Rows 0 & 1)  
4MB, 8MB, 16MB, 32MB, 64MB  
72-pin FPM or EDO SIMM  
(DIMM Sockets must be empty)  
x2  
x2  
SIMM Sockets 3&4  
(Rows 2 & 3)  
4MB, 8MB, 16MB, 32MB, 64MB  
72-pin FPM or EDO SIMM  
(DIMM Sockets must be empty)  
Total System Memory (Max 256MB)  
=
WARNING! Do not install both SIMMs and DIMMs at the same time or else  
you will burn your memory. Mixing SIMMs and DIMMs require 5.0Volt  
(signal level) tolerant memory chips which are currently unavailable.  
Memory Socket  
DIMM Memory Module  
Total Memory  
DIMM Socket 1  
(Rows 0 & 1)  
8MB, 16MB, 32MB, 64MB, 128MB  
168-pin SDRAM or EDO DIMM  
(SIMM Sockets must be empty)  
x1  
x1  
DIMM Socket 2  
(Rows 2 & 3)  
8MB, 16MB, 32MB, 64MB, 128MB  
168-pin SDRAM or EDO DIMM  
(SIMM Sockets must be empty)  
Total System Memory (Max 256MB)  
=
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III. INSTALLATION  
SIMM Memory Installation  
1. The SIMM memory modules will only fit in one orientation as shown because  
of a safety tab on one end of the SIMM sockets, which requires the notched end  
of the SIMM memory modules.  
4
3
2
1
72 Pin SIMM Sockets  
2. Press the memory module firmly into place starting from a 45 degree angle  
making sure that all the contacts are aligned with the socket.  
3. With your finger tips, rock the memory module into a vertical position so that it  
clicks into place.  
72 Pin DRAM in SIMM Socket  
Clip  
Mounting Hole  
Plastic Safety Tab (This Side Only)  
4. The plastic guides should go through the two mounting holes on the sides and  
the support clips should snap on the other side.  
5. To release the memory module, push both support clips outward and rock the  
module out of the support clips.  
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III. INSTALLATION  
DIMM Memory Installation Procedures  
Insert the module as shown. Because the number of pins are different on either side  
of the breaks, the module will only fit in the orientation as shown. DRAM SIMM  
modules have the same pin contact on both sides. SDRAM DIMM modules have  
different pin contacts on each side and therefore have a higher pin density.  
88 Pins  
60 Pins 20 Pins  
Lock  
168 Pin DIMM Memory Sockets  
The Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) memory module must be a 3.3Volt Un-  
buffered Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) for this motherboard. You can identify  
the type of DIMM module by the illustration below:  
168-Pin DIMM Notch Key Definitions (3.3V)  
Voltage Key Position  
Reserved  
DRAM Key Position  
RFU  
Unbuffered  
Buffered  
5.0V  
3.3V  
The notch on the DIMM module will shift between left, center, or right to identify  
the type and also to prevent the wrong type to be inserted into the DIMM slot on the  
motherboard. You must ask your retailer for the specifications before purchasing.  
Four clock signals are supported on this motherboard.  
ASUS TX97-XE User’s Manual  
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III. INSTALLATION  
3. Central Processing Unit (CPU)  
The motherboard provides a 321-pin ZIF Socket 7 that is backwards compatible  
with ZIF Socket 5 processors. The CPU that came with the motherboard should  
have a fan attached to it to prevent overheating. If this is not the case then purchase  
a fan before you turn on your system. Apply thermal jelly to the CPU top and then  
install the fan onto the CPU.  
WARNING! Without a fan circulating air on the CPU and heat sinks, the CPU  
and/or heat sinks can overheat and cause damage to both the CPU and the moth-  
erboard. (See “CPU Cooling Fan Connector” at the end of this section.)  
To install a CPU, first turn off your system and remove its cover. Locate the ZIF  
socket and open it by first pulling the lever sideways away from the socket then  
upwards to a 90-degree right angle. Insert the CPU with the correct orientation as  
shown. Use the notched corner of the CPU as your guide. The white dot should  
point towards the end the of the lever. Notice that there is a blank area where one  
hole is missing from that corner of the square array of pin holes and a “1” printed on  
the motherboard next to that corner. Because the CPU has a corner pin for three of  
the four corners, the CPU will only fit in the one orientation as shown. The picture  
is for reference only; you should have a CPU fan that will cover the face of the CPU.  
With the added weight of the CPU fan, no force is required to insert the CPU. Once  
completely inserted, hold down on the fan and close the socket’s lever.  
IMPORTANT: You must set jumpers for “CPU to BUS Frequency Ratio” and  
jumpers for “BUS Frequency Selection” depending on the CPU that you install.  
Lever Lock  
Blank  
Notch  
1
1
ZIF Socket 7 with Pentium MMX Processor  
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III. INSTALLATION  
4. Expansion Cards  
WARNING! Make sure that you unplug your power supply when adding or  
removing expansion cards or other system components. Failure to do so may  
cause severe damage to both your motherboard and expansion cards.  
Expansion Card Installation Procedure:  
1. Read your expansion card documentation on any hardware and software set-  
tings that may be required to setup your specific card.  
2. Set any necessary jumpers on your expansion card.  
3. Remove your computer system’s cover.  
4. Remove the bracket on the slot you intend to use.  
Keep the bracket for possible future use.  
5. Carefully align the card’s connectors and press firmly.  
6. Secure the card on the slot with the screw you removed in step 4.  
7. Replace the computer system’s cover.  
8. Edit the BIOS settings if necessary.  
(such as “IRQ xx Used By ISA: Yes” in PNP AND PCI SETUP)  
9. Install the necessary software drivers for your expansion card.  
Assigning IRQs for Expansion Cards  
Some expansion cards need to use an IRQ to operate. Generally an IRQ must be  
exclusively assigned to one use. In an standard design there are 16 IRQs available  
but most of them are already in use by parts of the system which leaves 6 free for  
expansion cards.  
Both ISA and PCI expansion cards may need to use IRQs. System IRQs are avail-  
able to cards installed in the ISA expansion bus first, and any remaining IRQs are  
then used by PCI cards. Currently, there are two types of ISA cards. The original  
ISA expansion card design, now referred to as “Legacy” ISA cards, requires that  
you configure the card’s jumpers manually and then install it in any available slot on  
the ISA bus. You may use Microsoft’s Diagnostic (MSD.EXE) utility included in  
the Windows directory to see a map of your used and free IRQs. For Windows 95  
users, the “Control Panel” icon in “My Computer,” contains a “System” icon which  
gives you a “Device Manager” tab. Double clicking on a specific device gives you  
the “Resources” tab, which shows the Interrupt number and address. Make sure that  
no two devices use the same IRQs or your computer will experience problems when  
those two devices are in use at the same time.  
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III. INSTALLATION  
To simplify this process this motherboard has complied with the Plug and Play (PNP)  
specification which was developed to allow automatic system configuration when-  
ever a PNP-compliant card is added to the system. For PNP cards, IRQs are as-  
signed automatically from those available.  
If the system has both Legacy and PNP ISA cards installed, IRQs are  
assigned to PNP cards from those not used by Legacy cards. The PCI and PNP  
configuration of the BIOS setup utility can be used to indicate which IRQs are being  
used by Legacy cards. For older Legacy cards that does not work with the BIOS,  
you can contact your vendor for an ISA Configuration Utility.  
An IRQ number is automatically assigned to PCI expansion cards after those used  
by Legacy and PNP ISA cards. In the PCI bus design, the BIOS automatically  
assigns an IRQ to a PCI slot that has a card in it that requires an IRQ. To install a  
PCI card, you need to set something called the INT (interrupt) assignment. Since all  
the PCI slots on this motherboard use an INTA #, be sure that the jumpers on your  
PCI cards are set to INT A.  
Assigning DMA Channels for ISA Cards  
Some ISAcards, both legacy and PnP, may also need to use a DMA(Direct Memory  
Access) channel. DMA assignments for this motherboard are handled the same way  
as the IRQ assignment process described earlier. You can select a DMA channel in  
the PCI and PnP configuration section of the BIOS Setup utility.  
IMPORTANT: To avoid conflicts, reserve the necessary IRQs and DMAs for legacy  
ISA cards (under PNPAND PCI SETUP of the BIOS SOFTWARE, choose Yes in IRQ  
xx Used By ISA and DMA x Used By ISA for those IRQs and DMAs you want to reserve).  
ISA Cards and Hardware Monitor  
The onboard hardware monitor uses the address 290H-297H so legacy ISA cards  
must not use this address or else conflicts will occur.  
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III. INSTALLATION  
5. External Connectors  
WARNING! Some pins are used for connectors or power sources. These are  
clearly separated from jumpers in “Map of the Motherboard.” Placing jumper  
caps over these will cause damage to your motherboard.  
IMPORTANT: Ribbon cables should always be connected with the red stripe on  
the Pin 1 side of the connector. The four corners of the connectors are labeled on  
the motherboard. Pin 1 is the side closest to the power connector on hard drives  
and floppy drives. IDE ribbon cable must be less than 18in. (46cm), with the  
second drive connector no more than 6in. (15cm) from the first connector.  
1. PS/2 Keyboard Connector (6-pin Female)  
This connection is for a standard keyboard using an PS/2 plug (mini DIN). This  
connector will not allow standard AT size (large DIN) keyboard plugs. You  
may use a DIN to mini DIN adapter on standard AT keyboards.  
PS/2 Keyboard (6-pin Female)  
2. PS/2 Mouse Connector (6-pin Female)  
The system will direct IRQ12 to the PS/2 mouse if one is detected. If not de-  
tected, expansion cards can use IRQ12. See “PS/2 Mouse Control” in BIOS  
Features Setup of the BIOS SOFTWARE.  
PS/2 Mouse (6-pin Female)  
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III. INSTALLATION  
3. Parallel Printer Connector (25-pin Female)  
You can enable the parallel port and choose the IRQ through “Onboard Parallel  
Port” in Chipset Features Setup of the BIOS SOFTWARE. NOTE: Serial printers  
must be connected to the serial port.  
Parallel (Printer) Port (25-pin Female)  
4. Serial Port COM1 and COM2 Connectors (Two 9-pin Male)  
The two serial ports can be used for pointing devices or other serial devices. See  
“Onboard Serial Port” in Chipset Features Setup of the BIOS SOFTWARE.  
COM 1  
COM 2  
Serial Ports (9-pin Male)  
5. Floppy Disk Drive Connector (34-1pin FLOPPY)  
This connector supports the provided floppy drive ribbon cable. After connect-  
ing the single end to the board, connect the two plugs on the other end to the  
floppy drives. (Pin 5 is removed to prevent inserting in the wrong orienta-  
tion when using ribbon cables with pin 5 plugged).  
NOTE: Orient the red stripe to Pin 1  
Floppy Drive Connector  
Pin 1  
Floppy Disk Drive Connector  
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III. INSTALLATION  
6. Audio Port Connectors (Three 1/8” Female) (with optional onboard Audio)  
Line Out can be connected to headphones or preferably powered speakers.  
Line In allows tape players or other audio sources to be recorded by your com-  
puter or played through the Line Out. Mic allows microphones to be connected  
for inputing voice.  
Line Out Line In Mic  
1/8" Stereo Audio Connectors  
7. Joystick/Midi Connector (15-pin Female) (with optional onboard Audio)  
You may connect game joysticks or game pads to this connector for playing  
games. Connect Midi devices for playing or editing audio.  
Joystick/Midi (15-pin Female)  
8. Universal Serial BUS Ports 1 & 2 (Two 4-pin Female Sockets)  
Two USB ports are available for connecting USB devices.  
USB 1  
Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2  
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III. INSTALLATION  
9. Primary / Secondary IDE connectors (Two 40-1pin IDE)  
These connectors support the provided IDE hard disk ribbon cable.  
After connecting the single end to the board, connect the two plugs at the other  
end to your hard disk(s). If you install two hard disks, you must configure the  
second drive to Slave mode by setting its jumper accordingly. Please refer to the  
documentation of your hard disk for the jumper settings. BIOS now supports  
SCSI device or IDE CD-ROM bootup (see “HDD Sequence SCSI/IDE First” &  
“Boot Sequence” in the BIOS Features Setup of the BIOS SOFTWARE) (Pin  
20 is removed to prevent inserting in the wrong orientation when using  
ribbon cables with pin 20 plugged).  
TIP: You may configure two hard disks to be both Masters using one ribbon  
cable on the primary IDE connector and another ribbon cable on the secondary  
IDE connector. You may install one operating system on an IDE drive and  
another on a SCSI drive and select the boot disk through BIOS Features Setup.  
NOTE: Orient the red stripe to Pin 1  
Secondary IDE Connector  
Primary IDE Connector  
Pin 1  
IDE Connectors  
10. IDE activity LED (2-pin IDE_LED)  
This connector supplies power to the cabinet’s IDE activity LED. Read and  
write activity by devices connected to the Primary or Secondary IDE connectors  
will cause the LED to light up.  
TIP: If the case-mounted LED does not light,  
try reversing the 2-pin plug.  
IDE_LED  
IDE Activity LED  
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III. INSTALLATION  
11. Chassis , CPU , & Power Supply Fan Connectors (3-pin FANPWR)  
These connectors support cooling fans of 500mAMP (6WATT) or less. Orien-  
tate the fans so that the heat sink fins allow airflow to go across the onboard heat  
sink(s) instead of the expansion slots. Depending on the fan manufacturer, the  
wiring and plug may be different. The red wire should be positive, while the  
black should be ground. Connect the fan’s plug to the board taking into consid-  
eration the polarity of the this connector. NOTE: The “Rotation” signal is to  
be used only by a specially designed fan with rotation signal.  
WARNING! The CPU and/or motherboard will overheat if there is no airflow  
across the CPU and onboard heatsinks. Damage may occur to the motherboard  
and/or the CPU fan if these pins are incorrectly used. These are not jumpers,  
do not place jumper caps over these pins.  
Chassis Fan Power  
CPU Fan Power  
Power Supply Fan  
Air Flow  
Air Flow  
Orientate the fins so that air flow  
runs across motherboard's regulators.  
12Volt Cooling Fan Power  
12. Chassis Open Alarm Lead (4-1pin CHASSIS)  
This lead is for an open chassis monitor. Ahigh level signal to the chassis signal  
lead will indicate to the system that the chassis has been opened. For the chassis  
open alarm feature to work, you must have the LM78 hardware monitor (op-  
tional) onboard and connect a sensor or switch to the connector. The +5V power  
comes from the power supply, when the A/C is connected.  
Power supply standby +5V  
Ground  
Chassis Signal  
Chassis Open Alarm Lead  
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III. INSTALLATION  
13. IrDA / Fast IR-Compliant infrared module connector (5-pin IR)  
This connector supports the optional wireless transmitting and receiving infra-  
red module. This module mounts to a small opening on system cases that sup-  
port this feature. You must also configure the setting through “UART2 Use  
Infrared” in Chipset Features Setup to select whether UART2 is directed for  
use with COM2 or IrDA. Use the five pins as shown on the Back View and  
connect a ribbon cable from the module to the motherboard according to the pin  
definitions.  
Back View  
Front View  
+5V  
FIRRX  
GND  
IRRX  
IRTX  
+5V  
NC  
IRTX  
GND  
IRRX  
For the infrared feature to be available,  
you must connect an optional Infrared  
(IrDA) module to the motherboard.  
Infrared Module Connector  
14. ATX Power Supply Connector (20-pin ATXPWR)  
This connector connects to a ATX power supply. The plug from the power  
supply will only insert in one orientation because of the different hole sizes.  
Find the proper orientation and push down firmly making sure that the pins are  
aligned.  
IMPORTANT: Be sure that theATX power supply can take at least 10mAmp  
load on the 5volt standby lead (5VSB). You may experience difficulty in  
powering on your system without this.  
5.0V  
5.0V  
-5.0V  
GND  
GND  
12.0V  
5VSB  
PW-0K  
GND  
5.0V  
GND  
PS-ON  
GND  
-12.0V  
GND  
5.0V  
GND  
3.3V  
3.3V  
3.3V  
ATX Power Connector  
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15. Onboard Digital Audio Control (VOLCTL) (with optional onboard Audio)  
This jumper allows you to adjust the audio volume digitally using case mounted  
momentary buttons.  
Audio Control  
Volume Up  
Volume Down  
VOLCTL  
[1-2] (momentary)  
[4-5] (momentary)  
VOLCTL  
Ground  
Volume Up  
Ground  
Volume Down  
Ground  
1
2
3
4
5
Onboard Digital Audio Control  
16. Wake on LAN (3-pin WOL)  
This connector connects to LAN cards with a Wake On LAN output. When the  
system is in soft-off mode, LAN activity will power on the system.  
Wake On LAN Connector  
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III. INSTALLATION  
17. Message LED Lead (MSG LED)  
This indicates whether a message has been received from a fax/modem. The  
LED will remain lit when there is no signal and blink when there is data transfer  
or waiting in the inbox). Requires ACPI OS support.  
18. System Management Interrupt Lead (SMI)  
This allows the user to manually place the system into a suspend mode or “Green”  
mode where system activity will be instantly decreased to save electricity and  
expand the life of certain components when the system is not in use. This 2-pin  
connector (see the figure below) connects to the case-mounted suspend switch.  
If you do not have a switch for the connector, you may use the “Turbo Switch”  
since it does not have a function. SMI is activated when it detects a short to  
open moment and therefore leaving it shorted will not cause any problems. May  
require one or two pushes depending on the position of the switch. Wake-up can  
be controlled by settings in the BIOS but the keyboard will always allow wake-  
up (the SMI lead cannot wake-up the system). If you want to use this connector,  
“Suspend Switch” in the Power Management Setup of the BIOS SOFTWARE  
section should be on the default setting of Enable.  
19. ATX Power Switch / Soft Power Switch (PWR SW)  
The system power is controlled by a momentary switch connected to this lead.  
Pushing the button once will switch the system between ON and SLEEP. Push-  
ing the switch while in the ON mode for more than 4 seconds will turn the  
system off. The system power LED shows the status of the system’s power.  
20. Reset Switch Lead (RESET)  
This 2-pin connector connects to the case-mounted reset switch for rebooting  
your computer without having to turn off your power switch This is a preferred  
method of rebooting in order to prolong the life of the system’s power supply.  
21. System Power LED (PWR LED)  
This 3-pin connector connects the system power LED, which lights when the  
system is powered on and blinks when it is in sleep mode.  
22. Keyboard Lock Switch Lead (KEYLOCK)  
This 2-pin connector connects to the case-mounted key switch to allow key-  
board locking.  
23. Speaker Connector (SPEAKER)  
This 4-pin connector connects to the case-mounted speaker.  
+5V  
Message  
LED  
System  
+5V  
GND  
NC  
Power LED  
GND  
LOCK  
GND  
SMI Lead  
Keyboard Lock  
GND  
GND  
ATX Power  
Switch  
+5V  
Speaker  
Connector  
GND  
GND  
Reset SW  
GND  
SPKR  
System Panel Connections  
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III. INSTALLATION  
Power Connection Procedures  
1. After all connections are made, close the system case cover.  
2. Be sure that all switches are off (in some systems, marked with ).  
3. Connect the power supply cord into the power supply located on the back of  
your system case according to your system user’s manual.  
4. Connect the power cord into a power outlet that is equipped with a surge protector.  
5. You may then turn on your devices in the following order:  
a. Your monitor  
b. External SCSI devices (starting with the last device on the chain)  
c. Your system power. For ATX power supplies, you need to switch  
on the power supply as well as press the ATX power switch on the  
front of the case.  
6. The power LED on the front panel of the system case will light. ForATX power  
supplies, the system LED will light when theATX power switch is pressed. The  
monitor LED may light up after the system’s if it complies with “green” stan-  
dards or if it has a power standby feature. The system will then run power-on  
tests. While the tests are running, additional messages will appear on the screen.  
If you do not see anything within 30 seconds from the time you turn on the  
power, the system may have failed a power-on test. Recheck your jumper set-  
tings and connections or call your retailer for assistance.  
7. During power-on, hold down <Delete> to enter BIOS setup. Follow the instruc-  
tions in the next section, BIOS SOFTWARE.  
* Powering Off your computer: You must first exit or shut down your operating  
system before switching off the power switch. For ATX power supplies, you  
can press the ATX power switch after exiting or shutting down your operating  
system. If you use Windows 95, click the Start button, click Shut Down, and  
then click Shut down the computer?. The system will give three quick beeps  
after about 30 seconds and then power off after Windows shuts down.  
NOTE: The message “You can now safely turn off your computer” will not  
appear when shutting down with ATX power supplies.  
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IV. BIOS SOFTWARE  
Support Software  
AFLASH.EXE: This is the Flash Memory Writer utility that updates the BIOS by uploading  
a new BIOS file to the programmable flash ROM chip on the motherboard. To determine the  
BIOS version of your motherboard, check the last four numbers of the code displayed on the  
upper left-hand corner of your screen during bootup. Larger numbers represent a newer BIOS  
file. This file works only in DOS mode.  
NOTE: The following screen displays are provided as examples only and may not reflect the  
screen contents displayed on your system.  
Flash Memory Writer Utility  
IMPORTANT! If “unknown” is displayed after Flash Memory:, the memory chip is  
either not programmable or is not supported by the ACPI BIOS and therefore, cannot  
be programmed by the Flash Memory Writer utility.  
Main Menu  
1. Save Current BIOS To File  
This option allows you to save a  
copy of the original motherboard  
BIOS in case you need to reinstall  
it. It is recommended that you save  
AFLASH.EXE and the BIOS file  
to a bootable floppy disk.  
To save your current BIOS, type [1] at the Main Menu and then press <Enter>. The Save  
Current BIOS To File screen appears. Type a filename and the path, for example, A:\XXXXX-  
1 and then press <Enter>.  
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IV. BIOS SOFTWARE  
2. Update BIOS Including Boot Block and ESCD  
This option updates the boot block, the baseboard BIOS, and the ACPI extended system con-  
figuration data (ESCD) parameter block from a new BIOS file. See the next page for proce-  
dures on downloading an updated BIOS file.  
To update your current BIOS,  
type [2] at the Main Menu and  
then press <Enter>. The Update  
BIOS Including Boot Block  
and ESCD screen appears. Type  
the filename of your new BIOS  
and the path, for example,  
A:\XX2I1002.AWD, and then  
press <Enter>.  
When prompted to confirm the  
BIOS update, press Y to start the  
update.  
The utility starts to program the  
new BIOS information into the  
flash ROM. When the program-  
ming is finished, Flashed Suc-  
cessfully will be displayed.  
Follow the onscreen instructions  
to continue.  
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35  
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE  
Managing and Updating Your Motherboard’s BIOS  
Upon First Use of the Computer System  
1. Create a bootable system floppy disk by typing [FORMAT A:/S] from the DOS  
prompt without creating “AUTOEXEC.BAT” and “CONFIG.SYS” files.  
2. Copy AFLASH.EXE to the just created boot disk.  
3. RunAFLASH.EXE from this new disk and select option 1. Save Current BIOS  
to File. See 1. Save Current BIOS To File on the previous page for more de-  
tails and the rest of the steps.  
Updating BIOS Procedures (only when necessary)  
1. Download an updated ASUS BIOS file from the Internet (WWW or FTP) or a  
BBS (Bulletin Board Service) (seeASUS CONTACT INFORMATION on page  
3 for details) and save to the disk you created earlier.  
2. Boot from the disk you created earlier.  
3. At the “A:\” prompt, type AFLASH and then press <Enter>.  
4. At the Main Menu, type 2 and then press <Enter>. See 2. Update BIOS In-  
cluding Boot Block and ESCD on the previous page for more details and the  
rest of the steps.  
WARNING! If you encounter problems while updating the new BIOS, DO NOT  
turn off your system since this might prevent your system from booting up. Just  
repeat the process, and if the problem still persists, update the original BIOS file  
you saved to disk above. If the Flash Memory Writer utility was not able to  
successfully update a complete BIOS file, your system may not be able to boot  
up. If this happens, your system will need service.  
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IV. BIOS SOFTWARE  
6. BIOS Setup  
The motherboard supports two programmable Flash ROM chips: 5 Volt and 12 Volt.  
Either of these memory chips can be updated when BIOS upgrades are released.  
Use the Flash Memory Writer utility to download the new BIOS file into the ROM  
chip as described in detail in this section.  
All computer motherboards provide a Setup utility program for specifying the sys-  
tem configuration and settings. If your motherboard came in a computer system, the  
proper configuration entries may have already been made. If so, invoke the Setup  
utility, as described later, and take note of the configuration settings for future refer-  
ence; in particular, the hard disk specifications.  
If you are installing the motherboard, reconfiguring your system or you receive a  
Run Setup message, you will need to enter new setup information. This section  
describes how to configure your system using this utility.  
The BIOS ROM of the system stores the Setup utility. When you turn on the com-  
puter, the system provides you with the opportunity to run this program. This ap-  
pears during the Power-On Self Test (POST). Press <Delete> to call up the Setup  
utility. If you are a little bit late pressing the mentioned key(s), POST will continue  
with its test routines, thus preventing you from calling up Setup. If you still need to  
call Setup, reset the system by pressing <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Delete>, or by pressing  
the Reset button on the system case. You can also restart by turning the system off  
and then back on again. But do so only if the first two methods fail.  
When you invoke Setup, the CMOS SETUP UTILITY main program screen will  
appear with the following options:  
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IV. BIOS SOFTWARE  
Load Defaults  
The Load BIOS Defaults option loads the minimum settings for troubleshooting.  
Load Setup Defaults, on the other hand, is for loading optimized defaults for regu-  
lar use. Choosing defaults at this level will modify all applicable settings.  
A section at the bottom of the preceding screen displays the control keys for this  
screen. Take note of these keys and their respective uses.  
Standard CMOS Setup  
Standard CMOS Setup allows you to record some basic system hardware configu-  
ration and set the system clock and error handling. If the motherboard is already  
installed in a working system, you will not need to select this option anymore. How-  
ever, if the configuration stored in the CMOS memory on the board gets lost or  
damaged, or if you change your system hardware configuration, you will need to  
respecify the configuration values. The configuration values usually get lost or  
corrupted when the power of the onboard CMOS battery weakens.  
The preceding screen provides you with a list of options. At the bottom of this screen  
are the control keys. Take note of these keys and their respective uses.  
User-configurable fields appear in a different color. If you need information on the  
selected field, press <F1>. The help menu will then appear to provide you with the  
information you need. The memory display at the lower right of the screen is read-  
only and automatically adjusts accordingly.  
Details of Standard CMOS Setup:  
Date  
To set the date, highlight the “Date” field and then press either <Page Up>/<Page Down>  
or <+>/<–> to set the current date. Follow the month, day and year format. Valid values  
for month, day and year are: Month: (1 to 12), Day: (1 to 31), Year: (up to 2079)  
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IV. BIOS SOFTWARE  
Time  
To set the time, highlight the “Time” field and then press either <Page Up>/<Page Down>  
or <+>/<–> to set the current time. Follow the hour, minute and second format. Valid  
values for hour, minute and second are: (Hour: (00 to 23), Minute: (00 to 59), Second:  
(00 to 59). If you do not want to modify the current time, press <Enter> three times  
to go to Hard Disks.  
NOTE: You can bypass the date and time prompts by creating anAUTOEXEC.BAT  
file. For information on how to create this file, refer to the MS-DOS manual.  
Hard Disk Drives  
This field records the specifications for all non-SCSI hard disk drives installed in  
your system. The onboard PCI IDE connectors provide Primary and Secondary  
channels for connecting up to four IDE hard disks or other IDE devices. Each chan-  
nel can support up to two hard disks; the first of which is the “master” and the  
second is the “slave”.  
Specifications for SCSI hard disks need not to be entered here since they operate  
using device drivers and are not supported by any the BIOS. If you install either the  
optional PCI-SC200 or PCI-SC860 SCSI controller card into the motherboard, see  
section VI for instructions. If you install other vendor’s SCSI controller card, refer  
to their respective documentations on how to install the required SCSI drivers.  
For IDE hard disk drive setup, you can:  
Use the Auto setting for detection during bootup.  
Use the IDE HDD AUTO DETECTION in the main menu to automatically  
enter the drive specifications.  
Enter the specifications yourself manually by using the “User” option.  
The entries for specifying the hard disk type include CYLS (number of cylinders),  
HEAD (number of read/write heads), PRECOMP (write precompensation), LANDZ  
(landing zone), SECTOR (number of sectors) and MODE. The SIZE field auto-  
matically adjusts according to the configuration you specify. The documentation  
that comes with your hard disk should provide you with the information regarding  
the drive specifications.  
The MODE entry is for IDE hard disks only, and can be ignored for MFM and ESDI  
drives. This entry provides three options: Normal, Large, LBA, or Auto (see below).  
Set MODE to the Normal for IDE hard disk drives smaller than 528MB; set it to  
LBA for drives over 528MB that support Logical Block Addressing (LBA) to allow  
larger IDE hard disks; set it to Large for drives over 528MB that do not support  
LBA. Large type of drive can only be used with MS-DOS and is very uncommon.  
Most IDE drives over 528MB support the LBA mode.  
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IV. BIOS SOFTWARE  
Auto detection of hard disks on bootup  
For each field: Primary Master, Primary Slave, Secondary Master, and Secondary  
Slave, you can select Auto under the TYPE and MODE fields. This will enable auto  
detection of your IDE hard disk during bootup. This will allow you to change your  
hard disks (with the power off) and then power on without having to reconfigure  
your hard disk type. If you use older hard disks that do not support this feature, then  
you must configure the hard disk in the standard method as described earlier by the  
“User” option.  
NOTE: After the IDE hard disk drive information has been entered into BIOS, new  
IDE hard disk drives must be partitioned (such as with FDISK) and then formatted  
before data can be read from and write on. Primary IDE hard disk drives must have  
its partition set to active (also possible with FDISK).  
NOTE: SETUP Defaults are noted in parenthesis next to each function heading.  
Drive A / Drive B (None)  
These fields record the types of floppy disk drives installed in your system. The  
available options for drives A and B are: 360KB, 5.25 in.; 1.2MB, 5.25 in.; 720KB,  
3.5 in.; 1.44MB, 3.5 in.; 2.88MB, 3.5 in.; None  
To enter the configuration value for a particular drive, highlight its corresponding  
field and then select the drive type using the left- or right-arrow keys.  
Floppy 3 Mode Support (Disabled)  
This is the Japanese standard floppy drive. The standard stores 1.2MB in a 3.5inch  
diskette. This is normally disabled but you may choose from either: Drive A, Drive  
B, Both, and Disabled  
Video (EGA/VGA)  
Set this field to the type of video display card installed in your system. The options  
are EGA/VGA, CGA 49, CGA 80, and Mono (for Hercules or MDA).  
If you are using a VGA or any higher resolution card, choose EGA/VGA.  
Halt On (All Errors)  
This field determines which types of errors will cause the system to halt. Choose from  
All Errors; No Errors; All,But Keyboard, All,But Diskette; and All,But Disk/Key.  
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IV. BIOS SOFTWARE  
BIOS Features Setup  
BIOS Features Setup consists of configuration entries that allow you to improve  
your system performance, or let you set up some system features according to your  
preference. Some entries are required by the motherboard’s design to remain in  
their default settings.  
Asection at the lower right of the screen displays the control keys you can use. Take  
note of these keys and their respective uses. If you need information on a particular  
entry, highlight it and then press <F1>. A pop-up help menu will appear to provide  
you with the information you need. <F5> loads the last set values, <F6> and <F7>  
loads the BIOS default values and Setup default values, respectively.  
NOTE: SETUP Defaults are noted in parenthesis next to each function heading.  
Details of BIOS Features Setup  
Virus Warning (Disabled)  
This field protects the boot sector and partition table of your hard disk against accidental  
modifications. Any attempt to write to them will cause the system to halt and display a  
warning message. If this occurs, you can either allow the operation to continue or use a  
bootable virus-free floppy disk to reboot and investigate your system. This setting is rec-  
ommended because of conflicts with new operating systems or some programs. Installa-  
tion of these programs requires that you disable Virus Warning to prevent write errors.  
CPU Internal Cache (Enabled)  
Choose Disable to turn off the CPU’s built-in level 1 cache.  
External Cache (Enabled)  
Choose Disable to turn off the CPU’s external level 2 cache (Pentium Pro is built-in).  
Quick Power On Self Test (Enabled)  
This field speeds up the Power-On Self Test (POST) routine by skipping retesting a  
second, third, and forth time. Setup default setting for this field is Enabled. A com-  
plete test of the system is done on each test.  
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IV. BIOS SOFTWARE  
HDD Sequence SCSI/IDE First (IDE)  
When using both SCSI and IDE hard disk drives, IDE is always the boot disk using  
drive letter C (default setting of IDE). This new feature allows a SCSI hard disk  
drive to be the boot disk when set to SCSI. This allows multiple operating systems to  
be used on both IDE and SCSI drives or the primary operating system to boot using  
a SCSI hard disk drive.  
Boot Sequence (C,A)  
This field determines where the system looks first for an operating system. Options are  
C,A; A,CDROM,C; CDROM,C,A; D,A; E,A; F,A; C only; LS/ZIP, C; and A,C. The setup  
default setting is to check first the hard disk and then the floppy disk drive; that is, C, A.  
Boot Up Floppy Seek (Disabled)  
When enabled, the BIOS will seek drive A one time.  
Floppy Disk Access Control (R/W)  
This allows protection of files from the computer system to be copied to floppy disk  
drives by allowing the setting of Read Only to only allow reads from the floppy disk  
drive but not writes. The setup default R/W allows both reads and writes.  
IDE HDD Block Mode Sectors (HDD MAX)  
This field enhances hard disk performance by making multi-sector transfers instead  
of one sector per transfer. Most IDE drives, except older versions, can utilize this  
feature. Selections are HDD MAX, Disabled, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32.  
Security Option (System)  
This field determines when the system prompts for the password. The default set-  
ting is System, where the system prompts for the User Password every time you boot  
up. The other option is Setup, where the system always boots up, and prompts for  
the Supervisor Password only when the Setup utility is called up. You can specify a  
password by using the Supervisor Password or User Password option from the main  
screen as explained later in this section.  
PS/2 Mouse Function Control (Auto)  
The default of Auto allows the system to detect a PS/2 mouse on bootup. If detected,  
IRQ12 will be used for the PS/2 mouse. IRQ12 will be reserved for expansion cards  
if a PS/2 mouse is not detected. Enabled will reserve IRQ12 for the PS/2 mouse, and  
thus other devices will not be able to use IRQ12.  
PCI/VGA Palette Snoop (Disabled)  
Some display cards that are nonstandard VGAsuch as graphics accelerators or MPEG  
Video Cards may not show colors properly. The setting Enabled should correct this  
problem. Otherwise leave this on the setup default setting of Disabled.  
OS/2 Onboard Memory > 64M (Disabled)  
When using OS/2 operating systems with installed DRAM of greater than 64MB,  
you need to Enable this option otherwise leave this on the setup default of Disabled.  
......................................................................................................................................  
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IV. BIOS SOFTWARE  
Video ROM BIOS Shadow (Enabled)  
This field allows you to change the video BIOS location from ROM to RAM. Relocat-  
ing to RAM enhances system performance, as information access is faster than the ROM.  
C8000 - CBFFF Shadow to DC000 - DFFFF Shadow (Disabled)  
These fields are used for shadowing other expansion card ROMs. If you install other  
expansion cards with ROMs on them, you will need to know which addresses the  
ROMs use to shadow them specifically. Shadowing a ROM reduces the memory  
available between 640KB and 1024KB by the amount used for this purpose.  
Boot Up NumLock Status (On)  
This field enables users to activate the Number Lock function upon system boot.  
Typematic Rate Setting (Disabled)  
When enabled, you can set the two typematic controls listed next. Setup default  
setting is Disabled.  
Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec) (6)  
This field controls the speed at which the system registers repeated keystrokes. Op-  
tions range from 6 to 30 characters per second. Setup default setting is 6; other  
settings are 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, 24, and 30.  
Typematic Delay (Msec) (250)  
This field sets the time interval for displaying the first and second characters. Four  
delay rate options are available: 250, 500, 750, and 1000.  
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