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This chapter tells how to change system settings through the
BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS param-
eters are also provided.
You have to run the Setup Program when the following cases
occur:
    1. An error message appears on the screen during the

system POST process.

    2. You want to change the default CMOS settings.

This chapter includes the following information:

v

Enter BIOS Setup

v

Main Menu

v

Standard CMOS Features

v

BIOS Features

v

Advanced BIOS Features

v

Advanced Chipset Features

v

Integrated Peripherals

v

Power Management Setup

v

PnP/PCI Configurations

v

PC Health Status

v

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

v

Load Optimized Defaults

v

Set Supervisor/User Password

v

Save & Exit Setup

v

Exit Without Saving

Chapter

3

3

Summary of Contents for NF3250GK8AA

Page 1: ...h for NF3250K8AA NF3250GK8AA series motherboard P N 91 181 NF3 AA 1E Symbol description Version Trademark Note refers to important information that can help you to use motherboard better Attention indicates that it may damage hardware or cause data loss and tells you how to avoid such problems Warning means that a potential risk of property damage or physical injury exists More information If you ...

Page 2: ... characteristics of information technology equipment þ EN 61000 3 2 A14 2000 Electromagnetic compatibility EMC Part 3 Limits Section 2 Limits for harmonic current emissions equipment input current 16A per phase þ EN 61000 3 3 A1 2001 Electromagnetic compatibility EMC Part 3 Limits Section 2 Limits of voltage fluctuations and flicker in low voltage supply systems for equipment with rated current 16...

Page 3: ...d Manufacturer HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY COMPANY LTD Address 66 CHUNG SHAN RD TU CHENG INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT TAIPEI HSIEN TAIWAN R O C SupplementaryInformation This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 this device may not cause harmful interference and 2 this device must accept any interference received including interference that may ...

Page 4: ...4 Main menu 24 Standard CMOS Features 26 BIOS Features 29 Advanced BIOS Features 31 Advanced Chipset Features 33 Integrated Peripherals 35 Power Management Setup 39 PnP PCIConfigurations 41 PC Health Status 42 Load Fail Safe Defaults 43 Load Optimized Defaults 43 Set Supervisor User Password 43 Save Exit Setup 44 Exit Without Saving 44 Table of Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Product Introd...

Page 5: ...IA RAID Introduction RAID Arrays 49 Basic Configuration Instructions 50 Setting Up the BIOS 51 Entering the RAID BIOS Setup 52 NVIDIA RAID Utility Installation 56 Initializing and Using the Disk Array 59 Win2K Limitation with Bootable RAID 60 Table of Contents 4 Chapter 5 Chapter ...

Page 6: ...ailure to switch off the DC power supply may result in serious damage to your system or memory module Warning We cannot guarantee that your system will operate normally while over clocked Normal operation depends on the over clock capacity of your device Warning Attention Since BIOS programs are upgraded from time to time the BIOS de scription in this manual is just for reference We do not guarant...

Page 7: ... onboard 100M LAN K with onboard 1G LAN 6 with 6 channel audio 8 with 8 channel audio E with 1394 S with SATA R with RAID You can find PPID label on the motherboard It indicates the functions that the motherboard has For example On the blue mark of the PPID label it means the motherboard supports 6 Channel Audio 6 1394 port E onboard 100M LAN L SATA function S ...

Page 8: ...offers superior performance reliabil ity and quality at a reasonable price This motherboard adopts the advanced NVIDIA nForce3 250 nForce3 250Gb chipset providing users a computer platform with a high integration compatibility performance price ratio This chapter includes the following information v Main Features v Motherboard Layout 1 1 ...

Page 9: ...0 Port l Supports hot plug l Eight USB 2 0 ports four rear panel ports two onboard USB headers providing four extra ports l Supports wake up from S1 and S3 mode l Supports USB 2 0 protocol up to 480Mbps transmission rate Onboard Serial ATA optional l 150MBps transfer rate l Two Serial ATA connectors controlled by NVIDIA Chipset l Two Serial ATA connectors controlled by Silicon 3112A optional NVIDI...

Page 10: ...ut jack Microphone jack l Supports 6 channel audio setting via software BIOS l Licensed advanced AWARD Phoenix BIOS supports flash ROM Plug and Play l Supports IDE HDD Floppy CD ROM SCSI HDD or USB device boot up Green Function l Supports ACPI Advanced Configuration and Power Interface l Supports S0 normal S1 power on suspend S3 suspend to RAM S4 suspend to disk depends on OS and S5 soft off ACPI ...

Page 11: ...r Connector 12 BIOS TBL Jumper 13 Front Panel Connector 14 Floppy Disk Connector 15 IDE Connectors 16 ATX Power Connector 17 IrDA Connector 18 DDR DIMM Slots 19 SATA connectors controlled by Silicon 3112A optional 20 CPU Socket 21 CPU Fan Connector 22 AGP Slot 23 12V ATX Power Connector 24 Front Audio Connector 25 CD_IN Connector 26 AUX_IN Connector 27 PCI Expansion slots Motherboard Layout Note T...

Page 12: ...l connectors connection of hard drive and floppy drive data cables and setting up various other feature of the motherboard Caution should be exercised during the in stallation process Please refer to the motherboard layout prior to any installation and read the contents in this chapter carefully This chapter includes the following information v CPU v Memory v Power Supply v Rear Panel Connectors v...

Page 13: ...afely grounded object such as an attached power supply before handling components to avoid damaging them due to static electricity 2 Unplug the power cord before opening your chassis or touching any components 3 Hold components by their edges to avoid touching any exposed integrated circuits ICs 4 Whenever you uninstall a component place it on a grounded anti static pad or into the anti static bag...

Page 14: ...et until it fits in place 3 When the CPU is in place press it firmly on the socket while you push down the socket lever to secure the CPU The lever clicks on the side tab to indicate that it is locked Installation of CPU Follow these steps to install the CPU Push down the socket lever to secure the CPU Cut edge 90o Gap in the base For the detailed CPU vendor list qualified on this motherboard plea...

Page 15: ...o avoid problems arising from high speed operation for example overheating you need to install the proper fan The following procedure is provided for reference only please refer to your CPU fan user guide for the actual procedure 2 If required apply a light coating of silica gel to the top of the CPU NOTE The CPU heatsink may have a pre applied thermal compound In that case the silica gel is not r...

Page 16: ...cket lock on the retention mechanism to secure the heatsink and fan to module base 4 Align the other end of the reten tion bracket to fasten the cooling set on the top of the retention mechanism 3 Place the cooling set onto the re tention mechanism Attach one end of the retention bracket to retention mechanism ...

Page 17: ...10 Chapter 2 Installation Instructions NF3250K8AA NF3250GK8AA Series User Manual 6 Connect the fan s power cable to the appropriate 3 pin terminal on the motherboard ...

Page 18: ...ns 80 Pins Installation of DDR Memory 1 There is only one gap in the center of the DIMM slot and the memory module can be fixed in one direction only 2 Align the memory module to the DIMM slot and insert the module verti cally into the DIMM slot Memory This motherboard includes three 184 pin slots with 266 333 400 MHz Single Channel DDR DRAM interface If you install two or more modules they must b...

Page 19: ...ith the connector on the motherboard Firmly plug the power supply cable into the con nector and make sure it is secure ATX 12V Power Connector PWR2 The 4 pin ATX 12V power supply connects to PWR2 and provides power to the CPU ATX 20 pin Power Connector 20 10 12V 5VSB 5V GND 3 3V GND 5V GND PWR OK 3 3V 11 1 5V GND 3 3V GND GND 5V 5V GND PS ON 12V ATX 12V Power Connector 12V GND 12V 3 1 2 4 GND Atte...

Page 20: ...llel Port Printer Port The 25 pin port connects a parallel printer a scanner or other devices Serial Port COM2 This 9 pin COM2 port is for pointing devices or other serial devices 1394 Port optional This digital interface supports electronic devices such as digital cameras scanners and printers USB 2 0 Ports These four Universal Serial Bus USB ports are available for connecting USB 2 0 1 1 devices...

Page 21: ...device The Microphone jack is used to connect to the microphone When using a 6 channel sound source connect the front speaker to the green audio output connect the surround sound speaker to the blue audio output connect the center speaker subwoofer to the red Microphone output Center Front Left Front Right Rear Left Rear Right Subwoofer Blue Green Red K 100M Data activity 100M Link Giga Data activ...

Page 22: ...econdary IDE connector then connect the gray connector to the UltraDMA 133 100 66 33 slave device hard disk drive and the black connector to the UltraDMA 133 100 66 33 master device If you install two hard disks you must configure the second drive as a slave device by setting its jumper accordingly Refer to the hard disk documentation for the jumper settings Other Connectors Attention Ribbon cable...

Page 23: ...hing this switch allows the system to be turned on and off rather than using the power supply button USB Connectors F_USB 1 F_USB 2 Besides four USB ports on the rear panel the series of motherboards also have two 10 pin headers on board which may connect to the front panel USB cable to provide additional four USB ports IrDA Connector IR The IrDA infrared transmission allows your com puter to send...

Page 24: ...t SATA_3 SATA_4 are controlled by Silicon 3112A optional S ATA Connectors SATA_1 SATA_2 SATA_3 optional SATA_4 optional The audio port includes two parts the Front Audio and Rear Audio Their priority is se quenced from high to low Front Audio to Rear Audio If headphones are plugged into the front panel of the chassis using the Front Audio then the Line Out Rear Audio on the rear panel will not wor...

Page 25: ... of provid ing digital audio to external speaker or com pressed AC3 data to an external Dolby digital decoder Note The empty pin of SPDIF cable should be aligned to empty pin of S PDIF out connector 1 INTRUDERJ GND INTR Chassis Intruder Connector optional INTR Wake Up On Modem Connector WOM Through this function system in suspend or soft off mode can be waken up by a ring signal received from the ...

Page 26: ... or BIOS settings AGP Slot This motherboard has an AGP slot that supports 1 5V AGP cards AGP is an interfacing specification designed to display 3D images It provides a specialized 66Mhz 32 bit channel to allow the graphic controller to directly access the master memory and supports 4X and 8X speeds AGP Qualified Vendor List The following table lists the AGP cards that have been tested and qualifi...

Page 27: ...ings Users should refer to the table while adjusting jumper settings Clear CMOS Jumper CLS_CMOS This motherboard uses the CMOS RAM to store all the set parameters The CMOS can be cleared by removing the CMOS jumper Reference the follow ing process 1 Turn off the AC power supply and short pins 1 and 2 on the jumper 2 Return the jumper to the normal setting locking pins 2 and 3 together with the jum...

Page 28: ...S process You will no such worry when you use the BIOS TBL function It is used to protect BIOS Top Boot Block The system still can boot by using this function and show some information to recover the BIOS even if flash BIOS fail To utilize this function you just leave this jumper as pin 2 and 3 together with the jumper cap BIOS TBL Disable TBL_EN BIOS TBL Enable 3 2 1 3 2 1 ...

Page 29: ...are running the BIOS beeps or additional messages appear on the screen If you do not see anything within 30 seconds from the time you turned on the power the system may have failed a power on test Check the jumper settings and connections or call your retailer for assistance 5 After the POST routines are completed press the Del key to access the BIOS Setup Utility For detailed instructions please ...

Page 30: ...tem POST process 2 You want to change the default CMOS settings This chapter includes the following information v Enter BIOS Setup v Main Menu v Standard CMOS Features v BIOS Features v Advanced BIOS Features v Advanced Chipset Features v Integrated Peripherals v Power Management Setup v PnP PCI Configurations v PC Health Status v Load Fail Safe Defaults v Load Optimized Defaults v Set Supervisor ...

Page 31: ... show POST screen DEL to enter SETUP ESC to enter Boot Menu Main Menu The main menu allows you to select from the list of setup functions and two exit choices Use the arrow keys to select among the items and press Enter to accept or go to the sub menu The items in the BIOS Setup main menu are explained below Standard CMOS Features The basic system configuration can be set up through this menu BIOS...

Page 32: ... be set up through this menu PnP PCIConfigurations The system s PnP PCI settings and parameters can be modified through this menu PC Health Status This will display the current status of your PC Load Fail Safe Defaults The default BIOS settings can be loaded through this menu Load Optimized Defaults The optimal performance settings can be loaded through this menu however the stable default values ...

Page 33: ... allows you to set up the desired time usually as the current time with hour minute second format IDE Channel 0 1 Master Slave and 2 3 Master These categories identify the HDD types of 2 IDE channels installed in the computer system There are three choices provided for the Enhanced IDE BIOS None Auto and Manual None means no HDD device is installed or set Auto indicates the system can automaticall...

Page 34: ...A monitor adapters CGA 40 Color Graphic Adapter powering up in 40 column mode CGA 80 Color Graphic Adapter powering up in 80 column mode MONO Monochrome adapter including high resolution monochrome adapters Halt On This category determines whether or not the computer will stop if an error is detected during powering up All Errors Whenever the BIOS detects a nonfatal error the system will stop and ...

Page 35: ... Only Category determined by POST Power On Self Test of the BIOS Base Memory The BIOS POST will determine the amount of base or conventional memory installed in the system Extended Memory The BIOS determines how much extended memory is present during the POST Total Memory Total memory of the system ...

Page 36: ...Disabled and Enabled v SuperBIOS Protect SuperBIOS Protect Default Disabled SuperBIOS Protect function protects your PC from being affected by viruses e g CIH The available setting values are Disabled and Enabled v SuperRecovery SuperRecovery Hotkey Default LSHIFT F12 SuperRecovery provides the users with an excellent data protection and HDD recovery function There are 12 optional hotkey and the d...

Page 37: ...t This option is used to set chipset vcore vMemory Voltage Select Default Default This option is used to set memory voltage vHyperTransport Vdd Select Default Default This option is used to set HyperTransport vdd vCPU AGP Voltage Select Default Default This option is used to set CPU AGP voltage SuperSpeed Menu Warning Make sure your selection is right Overclocking CPU AGP Memory HyperTransprot can...

Page 38: ...ppear on the screen if any program intends to write information to the boot sector The available setting values are Disabled and Enabled Note Such function provides protection to the startup sector only it does not protect the entire hard disk vCPU Internal Cache Default Enabled This option is used to turn on or off the CPU L1 and L2 cache The available setting values are Disabled and Enabled Leav...

Page 39: ...o set the boot device sequence The available setting values are Floppy LS120 Hard Disk CDROM ZIP100 USB FDD USB ZIP USB CDROM Legacy LAN NVIDIA Boot Age and Disabled vBoot Other Device Default Enabled With this item enabled the system will search all other possible locations if it fails to find one in the devices specified under the first second and third boot devices vSecurity Option Default Setu...

Page 40: ...dress space vClock Spread Spectrum Default Disabled This option is used to enable or disable the clock spread spectrum The available setting values are Disabled and Enabled vSpecial I O for PCI Card Default Disabled This option is used enable or disable the special I O for PCI card The availabled setting values are Disabled and Enabled vSystem BIOS Cacheable Default Disabled Select Enabled to allo...

Page 41: ...electing 1T makes SDRAM signal controller run at 2T rate 1T is faster than 2T The available setting values are 1T 2T Auto vCAS Latency Default Auto This option controls the CAS latency which determines the timing delay in clock cycles before SDRAM starts a read command after recerving it The available setting values are Auto 2 0 2 5 3 0 vRAS to CAS delay Trcd Default Auto When DRAM is refreshed bo...

Page 42: ...used first when your PC starts up The available setting values are PCI Slot and Onboard AGP vUSB KB Storage Support Default Enabled This option is used to set USB keyboard storage support The available set ting values are Disabled and Enabled vIDE HDD Block Mode Default Enabled This option is used to set whether the IDE HDD Block Mode is allowed The available setting values are Disabled and Enable...

Page 43: ... determined by the infrared module installed on the board vUR2 Duplex Mode Default Half This option is available when UART 2 mode is set to either ASKIR or IRDA This option enables you to determine the infrared IR function of the onboard infra red chip The available setting values are Half and Full vOnboard Parallel Port Default 378 IRQ7 This option is used to assign the I O address and interrupt ...

Page 44: ...ovides faster access to IDE devices If you install a device that supports UItraDMA change the appropriate items on this list to Auto The available setting values are Disabled and Auto vIDE DMA Prefetch Mode Default Enabled This option is used to enable or disable IDE DMA Prefetch Mode vIDE DMA transfer access Default Enabled This option is used to enable or disable IDE DMA transfer access vSerial ...

Page 45: ...activated vIDE Channel 0 1 Master Slave RAID Default Disabled This feature allows users to enable or disable the RAID function for each IDE hard disk drive The setting values are Enabled and Disabled vSATA Primary Secondary Master RAID Default Disabled This feature allows users to enable or disable the RAID function for each SATA hard disk drive The setting values are Enabled and Disabled RAID Con...

Page 46: ...you select S1 POS mode the power will not shut off and the supply status will remain as it is in S1 mode the computer can be resumed at any time When you select S3 STR mode the power will be cut off after a delay period The status of the computer before it enters STR will be saved in memory and the computer can quickly return to the previous status when the STR function wakes When you select S1 S3...

Page 47: ...and Enabled vSoft Off by PBTN Default Instant Off This option is used to set the power down method This function is only valid for systems using an ATX power supply When Instant Off is selected press the power switch to immediately turn off power When Delay 4 Sec is selected press and hold the power button for four seconds to turn off power vPower On by Alarm Default Disabled This option is used t...

Page 48: ...upport PnP then select Auto ESCD and the BIOS will automatically distribute interruption resources If the ISA cards you installed not support ing PnP you will need to select Manual and manually adjust interruption resources in the event of hardware conflicts However since this motherboard has no ISA slot this option does not apply vIRQ Resources Press the Enter key then manually set IRQ resources ...

Page 49: ...ture Default Disabled This option is used to set the system temperature upper limit When the temperature exceeds the setting value the motherboard will automatically cut off power to the computer The available setting values are 60o C 140o F 65o C 149o F 70o C 158o F and Disabled vCase Open Warning Default Disabled This optional is used to enable or disable case open warning function The setting v...

Page 50: ...ng Highlight the item Set Supervisor User Password on the main menu and press Enter The following password dialog box appears Enter Password Enter your password not exceeding 8 characters then press Enter you will be prompted to confirm the password type in the password again and press Enter If you are deleting a password that is already installed just press Enter when the password dialog box appe...

Page 51: ...ing message on the screen Quit Without Saving Y N Press Y to discard any changes that you have made in the Setup Utility and exit the Setup Utility press N ESC to return to the main menu Under the menu Advanced BIOS Features Setup if you select System in Security Option the screen will prompt you to enter password once the system is started or you want to enter CMOS setting program If the password...

Page 52: ...y CD that came with the motherboard contains useful software and several utility drivers that enhance the mother board features This chapter includes the following information v Utility CD content v Start to install drivers ...

Page 53: ...ll additional software programs A SuperUtility a SuperStep Superstep is powerful and easy to operate tool for overclocking You can quickly increase your CPU s working frequency through its user friendly interface It will enhance your CPU s performance and meet all kinds of DIY requirements b SuperLogo SuperLogo can display user designed graphics and pictures such as a company logo or personal phot...

Page 54: ...Start to install drivers Select Install Driver to enter the driver installation menu as following pic Click the relevant button to install nVIDIA nForce Chipset System DirectX 9 0b Audio Driver USB2 0 Driver Silicon Image RAID Driver optional Please install the drives in sequence ...

Page 55: ... the common PC desktop This technol ogy uses multiple drivers to either increase total disk space or to offer data protection This chapter includes the following information v RAID Arrays v Basic Configuration Instructions v Setting up BIOS v Entering the RAID BIOS Setup v NVIDIA RAID Utility Installation v Initializing and Using the Disk Array v Win2K Limitation with Bootable RAID 5 5 Chapter ...

Page 56: ...ides a method for combining drives of different sizes into one large disk Array RAID 0 RAID 1 RAID 0 1 JBOD Advantages High data throughput 100 data redund ancy Optimized for both 100 data redun d a n c y a n d p e r f or manc e A ll ow s spare disks Combines and uses the capacity of odd size drives Drawbacks No fault tolerance Requires two drives for the storage space of one drive Requires two dr...

Page 57: ...desired RAID array 3 Install the operating system on one hard disk then reboot the computer 4 Run the Windows nForce Setup application and install the RAID driver 5 Initialize the NVRAID Array Bootable RAID Array 1 Choose the hard disks that are to be RAID enabled in the system BIOS 2 Specify the RAID level either Mirroring RAID 1 Striping RAID 0 Mirrored Striping RAID 0 1 or Spanning JBOD and cre...

Page 58: ...enter the BIOS setup Use the arrow keys to select Integrated Peripherals then press Enter 2 Use the arrow keys to select the RAID Config then press Enter 3 From the RAID Config window enabled the IDE RAID the other items would be light then you can enable the disk that you want to use as RAID disks 4 Press F10 to save the configuration and exit ...

Page 59: ...triping Block is set to Optimal Understanding the Define a New Array Window Use the Define a New Array window to Select the RAID Mode Set up the Striping Block Specify which disks to use for the RAID Array Depending on the platform used the system have one or more adapters In a typical system there are usually one channel and multiple adapters and each adapter have a slave and a master The adapter...

Page 60: ...All drives are considered to be Master since there is a one to one connection between the drive and the channel Using the Define a New Array Window If necessary press the tab key to move from field to field until the appropriate field is high lighted Selecting the RAID Mode By default this is set to Mirroring Change to a different RAID mode press the down arrow keys until the mode that you want ap...

Page 61: ...isk in the list is selected 2 Move it from the Free Disks block to the Array Disks block by pressing the right arrow key The first disk in the list is moved and the next disk in the list is selected and ready to be moved 3 Continue pressing the right arrow key until all the disks that you want to use as RAID array appear in the Array Disks block Completing the RAID BIOS Setup 1 After assigning you...

Page 62: ...ay List window appears where you can review the RAID arrays that you have set up 3 Use the arrow keys to select the array that you want to set up then press Enter The Array Detail window appears 4 If you want to mark this disk as empty and wipe out all its contents then press C 5 At the prompt press Y to wipe out all the data otherwise press N 6 Press Enter again to go back to the previous window ...

Page 63: ...stallation is completed be sure to reboot the PC 5 After the reboot initialize the newly created array Installing theNVIDIARAIDSoftware Under Windows for Non bootableRAID Array This section describes how to setup the application and install the RAID software which will upgrade the Windows IDE driver and install the RAID driver 1 Start the nForce Setup program to open the NVIDIA Windows nForce Driv...

Page 64: ...rts 2 Press F6 and wait for the Windows Setup screen to appear 3 Specify the NVIDIA drivers 1 Insert the floppy that has the RAID driver press S The Windows Setup screen appears as below 2 Select NVIDIA RAID CLASS DRIVER and then press Enter 3 Press S again at the Specify Devices screen then press Enter 4 Select NVIDIA NForce Storage Controller and then press Enter The following Windows Setup scre...

Page 65: ... on how to install operating system During the GUI portion of the installation you might be prompted to click Yes to install the RAID driver Click Yes as many times as needed in order to finish the installation This will not be an issue with a signed driver Note Each time you add a new hard drive to a RAID array the RAID driver will have to be installed under Windows once for that hard drive After...

Page 66: ... and double click on Computer Management The actual disks listed will depend on your system and the unallocated partition is the total combined storage of two hard disks You must format the unallocated disk space in order to use it 3 Format the unallocated disk space Right click Unallocated space select New Partition and follow the wizard After the drive has been formatted it is ready for use 2 Fo...

Page 67: ... Then press F10 to exit and save settings in the system BIOS This action reboots the System 6 Press F10 as the system is rebooting to go into the RAID ROM The system directs you into the NVIDIA RAID Utility 7 Select Striping under RAID Mode Press TAB to go into the Free Disk menu You can use the Right Arrow key to add the desired disk 8 After that Press F7 to finish Select N NO when asked to Clear...

Page 68: ...urs depending on disk size II The user must create a combination installation CD that includes Windows 2000 and SP3 or SP4 fixes integrated in To create the combination installation CD refer to the following website http www microsoft com windows2000 downloads servicepacks sp4 HFdeploy htm Note If the end user chooses not to install Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 or 4 RAID is still supported on Windo...

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