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VT-502 Mainboard Manual
6
Something Interesting
This section provides useful information that you will need to know should
you decide to modify or upgrade the configuration of the mainboard and
the system it is installed in. If you do not have the confidence to upgrade the
mainboard yourself, we advise that you consult a qualified service
technician for assistance.
The BIOS Setup Utility
The BIOS (Basic Input Output System) is the basic firmware that instructs
the computer how to operate. For the BIOS to work properly, there must be
a record of the computer's hardware and configuration settings for it to
refer to. This record is created using the Setup Utility, a program that is
stored permanently in the BIOS ROM chip on the mainboard.
The system configuration record created by the Setup Utility is also stored
on the mainboard, but not permanently. This section of the memory it is
stored is in the NVRAM. When you buy your computer, the system
configuration record will already be set and may in some cases differ from
the basic defaults. The first time you use your computer or when you need
to re-configure your system, you should run the Setup Utility and write
down the settings.
IRQ Functionality
As you read through this manual, you will see the term IRQ on a number of
occasions. It is important for you to know what this term means,
particularly if you intend to upgrade your system.
IRQ stands for Interrupt Request, the process in which an input or output
device tells the processor to temporarily interrupt its current task and
immediately process something from the source of the interrupt. When it
has completed this, the processor returns to the task it was already
processing. Devices that need an
IRQ line to operate sometimes need to have exclusive use of that line.
A large number of add-on cards, such as sound cards and LAN cards,
require the use of an IRQ line to function. Some no. of IRQs may already be
in use by components in the system such as the keyboard and mouse. Add-
on cards that need to use an IRQ draw from the unused group of IRQs.
When installing a card that uses an IRQ, it will have a default IRQ setting