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Chapter 3
BIOS Setup Program
Phoenix-Award BIOS ROM has a built-in setup program that allows users to modify the
basic system configuration. This information is stored in CMOS RAM so that it can
retain the setup information, even when the power is turned off.
To enter the
Phoenix-Award BIOS
setup program press the [
Delete key
] when you
Power on
or
reboot
the computer system. The primary screen as shown in Figure 3-1 is a
list of the menus and functions available in the setup program. Select the desired item by
your arrow keys and press enter to make the changes. Operating commands are located at
the bottom of this and all other BIOS screens. When a field is highlighted, on-line help
information is displayed on the right side of the screen.
Figure 3-1 Setup Program Initial Screen
3-1 Standard CMOS Setup
The Standard CMOS Setup allows users to configure system components such as hard
disk drive, floppy disk drive and video display as well as date, time and boot-up error
signaling. This configuration menu should be changed when installing a motherboard for
the first time, changing hardware in your system such as the HDD, FDD, video display,
or when the CMOS data has been lost or contaminated. Choose the Standard CMOS
Setup option from the CMOS Setup Utility menu (Figure 3-1) to display the following
screen.
Date/Time
Set the date and time of the system. Do not skip this function as all of your timed events
such as power management, saving files, etc are based on this timer.
IDE (Primary/Secondary; Master/Slave)
This category identifies up to four IDE hard disk drives that have been installed in the
computer. This section does not show information on other IDE devices such as
CD-ROM drives or other hard drive type such as SCSI drives.
Drive A
Select different Floppy device Model. Available options are [None], [360K, 5-1/4 in],
[1.2M, 5-1/4 in], [720k, 3-1/2 in], [1.44M, 3-1/2 in], and [2.88M, 3-1/2 in].
Video
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Select the type of video adapter present in your system. You can ignore this setting if you
are using a VGA monitor; VGA BIOS will automatically configure this setting.
Halt On
When the system is powered on, BIOS performs a series of diagnostic tests called POST
(Power On Self Test). This function stops the computer if BIOS detects a hardware error.
You can tell BIOS to halt on all errors, no errors, or not to halt on specific errors.
3-2 Advanced BIOS Features
By choosing the Advanced BIOS Features option from the CMOS Setup Utility menu
(Figure 3-1), the screen below is displayed. This sample screen contains the
manufacturer's default values for the motherboard.
Anti-Virus Protection
When you set as enabled, you receive a warning message if a program (specifically, a
virus) attempts to write to the boot sector or the partition table of the hard disk drive.
Many disk diagnostic programs that access the boot sector table can trigger the
virus-warning message. If you plan to run such a program, we recommend that
you first disable the virus warning.
CPU L1 & L2 Cache
Cache memory is much faster than conventional DRAM system memory. These fields
allow you to enable or disable the CPUs Level 1 built-in cache and Level 2 external
cache. Both settings are left enabled to significantly increase the performance of your
computer.
CPU L2 Cache ECC Checking
Enable this function for the CPU L2 Cache Error Checking and Correcting (ECC)
operation.
Quick Power On Self Test
Enable this function to reduce the amount of time required to run the POST (Power On
Self Test). BIOS will save time by skipping some items during POST. It is recommended
that you disable this setting. Discovering a problem during boot up is better than loosing
data during your work.
First/Second/Third/Boot Other Device
This option sets the sequence of drives BIOS attempts to boot from after POST completes.
BIOS will search these drives for an operating system.
Boot up Floppy Seek
This is a set up check for floppy power-on after starting the computer system.
Boot Up NumLock Status
This function defines the keyboard's number pad as number keys or arrow keys. If it is set
at on the number keys will be activated, if it is set at off the arrow keys will be activated.
Keyboard Interface
1. Typematic Rate Setting
When enabled, you can set the following two-typematic control items. When disabled,
the keyboard controller determines keystrokes arbitrarily in your system.
