Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product A7N8X-XE Asus
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Motherboard A7N8X-XE User Guide.
ii Copyright © 2005 ASUST eK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a r.
iii Contents Notices ...........................................................................................................v Safety Information .......................................................................................... vi About This Guide .
iv Contents Chapter 2: BIOS Setup 2.1 Managing and Updating Y our BIOS ............................................... 2-2 2.1.1 Creating a bootable floppy disk ....................................... 2-2 2.1.2 Using AFUDOS to copy the current BIOS .
v Canadian Department of Communications Statement This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications. This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
vi Safety Information Electrical safety • T o prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet before relocating the system. • When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power cables for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected.
vii Where to find more information Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software updates. 1. ASUS websites The ASUS websites worldwide provide updated information on ASUS hardware and software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information.
viii A7N8X-XE Specifications Summary (continued next page) S oc k et A f or A M D A t hl o n™ XP / Se m p ro n ™ / D ur o n™ pr o ce s so r s NVIDIA ® nForce 2 Ultra 400 NVIDIA ® nForce 2 MCP.
ix * Specifications are subject to change without notice. Drivers ASUS PC Probe Anti-Virus Software ASUS LiveUpdate User ʼs Manual UltraDMA cable FDD cable I/O shield SA T A cable A TX, 12” x 7.
x.
1 Product Introduction This chapter describes the motherboard features and the new technologies it supports..
1-2 Chapter 1: Product Introduction 1.3 Special features 1.3.1 Product highlights 400 MHz FSB Athlon XP CPU Support The motherboard supports 400MHz front side bus frequency for AMDʼs Athlon XP and Sempron processors allowing increased office productivity and enhanced digital media experience.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 1-3 Serial A T A technology Serial A T A is the next generation A T A specification that provides scalable performance for today and tomorrow . With up to 150MB/s data transfer rate, Serial A T A is faster than current Parallel A T A, while providing 100% software compatibilit y .
1-4 Chapter 1: Product Introduction 1.3.2 Innovative ASUS features CrashFree BIOS CrashFree BIOS allows users to restore BIOS data from a floppy diskette even wh e n B IO S c od e a nd d at a a re c or ru pt e d du r in g u pg ra d e or i nv a de d b y v ir us .
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 1-5 1.4 Before you proceed T ake note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings. • Unp lug th e p ower c ord fr om t he wal l s ocke t b efor e to uchi ng an y component.
1-6 Chapter 1: Product Introduction 1.5 Motherboard overview 1.5.1 Motherboard layout Bottom:Mic In Center:Line Out T op:Line In P ANEL A7 N8 X- XE CR2032 3V Lithium Cell CMOS Power AUX IDE1 A TXPWR 19.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 1-7 Do not overtighten the screws! Doing so can damage the motherboard. 1.5.2 Placement direction When installing the motherboard, make sur e that you place it into the chassis in t he correct orientation. The edge with external ports goes to the rear part of t he chassis as indicated in the image below .
1-8 Chapter 1: Product Introduction 1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU) 1.6.1 Overview The motherboard has a Socket A for installation. The AMD Athlon™/Sempron™ /Duron™ CPU has a “marked” corner . This corner is usually indicated with a notch, and/or a golden square or triangle.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 1-9 Sockets Mode DIMM_A1 DIMM_A2 DIMM_B1 Single-channel (1) Populated — — (2) — Populated — (3) — — Populated Dual-channel* (1) Populated — Populated (2) — Populated Populated (3) Populated Populated Populated 1.
1-10 Chapter 1: Product Introduction DDR400 Qualified V endors List Size V endor Model CL Brand SS/DS Component DIMM socket support (Optional) A* B* C* 256MB Kingston KVR333X64C25/256 N/A Kingston SS.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 1-1 1 1.7.3 Installing a DIMM Follow these steps to install a DIMM. 1 . Locate the DIMM sockets in the motherboard. 2. Unlock a DIMM socket by pressing the retaining clips outward. 3 . Align a DIMM on the socket such that the notch on the DIMM matches the break on the socket.
1-12 Chapter 1: Product Introduction 1.8 Expansion slots In the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The following sub-sections describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support. 1.8.1 Installing an expansion card T o install an expansion card: 1.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 1-13 Standard interrupt assignments IRQ Standard Function 0 System T imer 1 Standard 101-102-key or microsoft natural keyboard 2 Programmable interrupt controller 3 ACPI IRQ .
1-14 Chapter 1: Product Introduction 1.8.4 PCI slots The PCI slots support cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other cards that comply with PCI specifications. The figure shows a LAN card installed on a PCI slot. 1.8.3 AGP slot The motherboard has an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slot that supports +1.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 1-15 1.9 Jumpers 1. Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC) This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (R TC) RAM in CMOS. Y ou can clear the CMOS memory of da te, time, and system setup parame ters b y e r a s i n g t h e C M O S R T C R A M d a t a .
1-16 Chapter 1: Product Introduction 2. PS2/USB Device W ake-up (3-pin PS2USBPW) This jumper allows you to enable or disable the USB/PS2 keyboard or mouse wake-up feature.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 1-17 1. PS/2 mouse port (green). This port is for a PS/2 mouse. 2. Parallel port. This 25-pin port connects a parallel printer , a scanner , or other devices. 3. LAN (RJ-45) port. This port allows 10/100 Mbps connection to a Local Area Network (LAN) through a network hub.
1-18 Chapter 1: Product Introduction 2. IDE connectors (40-1 pin PRI_IDE, SEC_IDE) T h i s c o n n e c t o r i s f o r a n U l t r a D M A 1 3 3 s i g n a l c a b l e .
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 1-19 3. Serial A T A connectors (7-pin SA T A1, SA T A2) These connectors are for the Serial A T A signal cables for Serial A T A hard disk drives. 4. CPU and chassis fan connectors (3-pin CPU_F AN, CHA_F AN) The fan conne ctor s supp ort coolin g fans of 350 mA~740 mA (8.
1-20 Chapter 1: Product Introduction 5. USB connectors (10-1 pin USB56, USB78) These connectors are for USB 2.0 ports. Connect the USB module cable to any of these connectors, then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 1-21 7. Front panel audio connectors (10-1 pin FP_AUDIO) This connector is for the front panel audio cable. This connector supports the front panel audio I/O ports. A7N8X -XE ® A7N8X-XE Front panel audio connector FP_AUDIO BLINE_OUT_L MIC2 Line out_R Line out_L BLINE_OUT_R NC MICPWR +5V A AGND 8.
1-22 Chapter 1: Product Introduction 9. System panel connector (20-pin P ANEL) This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions. • System power LED (3-1 pin PLED) This connector is for the system power LED. Connect the chassis power LED cable to this connector .
2 BIOS Setup T h i s c h a p t e r t e l l s h o w t o c h a n g e the system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIO S p ara mete rs are als o p rov ide d.
2-2 Chapter 2: BIOS Setup 2 . 1 M a n a g i n g a n d u p d a ti ng y ou r B I O S The following utilities allow you to manage and update the motherboard Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) setup. 1. ASUS AFUDOS (Updat es the BIOS in DOS mode usin g a boo table flopp y disk.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 2-3 2.1.2 Using AFUDOS to copy the current BIOS The AFUDOS.EXE utility can also be used to copy the current system BIOS settings to a floppy or hard disk. The copy can be used as a backup in case the system BIOS fails or gets corrupted.
2-4 Chapter 2: BIOS Setup 4. At the DOS prompt, type the command line: afudos /i [filename.rom] where [filename.rom] means the latest (or original) BIOS file that you copied to the bootable floppy disk. 5. Press <Enter>. The screen displays the status of the update process.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 2-5 2.1.4 ASUS CrashFree BIOS utility The ASUS CrashFree BIOS allows you to update the BIOS file when it fails or gets corrupted. Y ou can update a corrupted BIOS file using a floppy disk that contains the updated BIOS file and the AFUDOS utility .
2-6 Chapter 2: BIOS Setup 2.1.5 Using ASUS EZ Flash to update the BIOS The ASUS EZ Flash feature allows you to easily update the BIOS without having to go through the long process of booting from a floppy disk and using a DOS-based utility .
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 2-7 2.1.6 ASUS Update utility Th e AS US Up dat e i s a u til ity t hat a llo ws yo u t o m ana ge, s ave , a nd up dat e t he mot herb oar d B IOS in Win dow s ® en viro nme nt.
2-8 Chapter 2: BIOS Setup Updating the BIOS through a BIOS file T o update the BIOS through a BIOS file: 1. Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows ® desktop by clicking Start > Programs > ASUS > ASUSUpdate > ASUSUpdate. The ASUS Update main window appears.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 2-9 2.2 BIOS setup program This motherboard supports a programmable FLASH ROM that you can update usin g the pro vided util ity d escrib ed in sec tion “2 .1 Ma naging an d upda ting y our BIOS.” Use the BIOS Setup program when you are installing a motherboard, reconfiguring your system, or prompted to “Run Setup.
2-10 Chapter 2: BIOS Setup 2.2.1 BIOS menu bar The top of the screen has a menu bar with the following selections: MAIN U s e t h i s m e n u t o m a k e c h a n g e s t o t h e b a s i c s y s t e m configuration. ADV ANCED Use this menu to enable and make changes to the advanced features.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 2-1 1 Sub-menu The right pointer symbol that appears at the left of certain parameters indicates that a sub-menu exists for this field. A sub-menu offers additional parameter options. T o display a sub-menu, move the highlight to the field and press <Enter>.
2-12 Chapter 2: BIOS Setup 2.3 Main menu System Time [hh:mm:ss] Sets the system to the time that you specify (usually the current time). The format is hour , minute, second. V alid values for hour , minute and second are Hour: (00 to 23), Minute: (00 to 59), Second: (00 to 59).
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 2-13 Primary and Secondary IDE Master/Slave; Third and Fourth IDE Master Primary IDE Master Type [Auto] LBA/Large Mode [Auto] Block (Multi-Sector Transfer) M [Auto] PIO Mode .
2-14 Chapter 2: BIOS Setup System Information AMIBIOS Version : 08.00.12 Build Date: 06/02/05 Processor Type : AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2500+ Speed : 1833HAz Count : 1 System Memory Size : 256MB PIO Mode [Auto] Selects the PIO mode. Configuration options: [Auto] [0] [1] [2] [3] [4] DMA Mode [Auto ] S el e c t s t h e D MA m o d e .
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 2-15 2.4 Advanced menu The Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other system devices. JumperFree Configuration USB Configuration CPU Config.
2-16 Chapter 2: BIOS Setup CPU Frequency [166] Allows you to set the CPU host frequency . Range: 100MHz-300MHz. FSB Spread Spectrum [Disabled] Allows you to enable and disable the FSB clock generator spread spectrum.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 2-17 2.4.3 CPU Configuration This menu displays the CPU type, speed, cache RAM, and current front side bus frequency auto-detected by the BIOS. CPU C onfigu ratio n CPU Internal Cache [Disabled] Options Disabled Write-Thru Write-Back v02.
2-18 Chapter 2: BIOS Setup Primary Graphices Adapter [PCI] Graphics Aperture Size [ 64MB] MDA Access Control [PCI] TV Mode Support [Default] C1 Disconnect [Auto Mode] System Clock Settings System Perf.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 2-19 Memory Clock [Auto] DRAM Timing [Auto] TRAS [7] TRCD [4] TRP [2] CAS# Latency [Auto] System Clock Settings Memory Clock can be set by the code using AUTO, or you can set one of the standard values. v02.58 (C)Copyright 1985-2004, American Megatrends, Inc.
2-20 Chapter 2: BIOS Setup Onboard LAN [Enabled] MAC Bridge Mode [Enabled] AC97 Audio [Auto] Modem CODEC Interface [Auto] OnBoard SATA Controller [Enabled] SATA Operation Mode [non-RAID] SMBus Interface [Enabled] IOAPIC [Enabled] South Bridge Chipset Configuration South Bridge Chipset configuration Enable or Disable Onboard LAN device v02.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 2-21 2.4.5 Onboard Devices Configuration Th e O nbo ard De vic es Con figu rat ion me nu all ows yo u t o a dju st the se tti ngs fo r o nbo ard de vic es . S el ect a n i tem t hen p res s <En te r> to di spl ay th e sub -m enu .
2-22 Chapter 2: BIOS Setup 2.4.6 PCIPnP The PCIPnP menu allows you to change the settings for installed PCI devices. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the sub-menu. Advan ced PC I/PnP Setti ngs NO: lets the BIOS configure all the devices in the system.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 2-23 2.5 Power menu T h e P o w e r m e n u i t e m s a l l o w y o u t o c h a n g e t h e s e t t i n g s f o r t h e A d v a n c e d Po we r M an ag eme nt ( AP M) . Se le ct an i te m, th en p re ss < En te r> to d is pl ay t he configuration options.
2-24 Chapter 2: BIOS Setup Power Management/APM [Enabled] Allows you to enable or disable the Advanced Power Management (APM) feature. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Suspend Power Saving.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 2-25 PME Resume [Disabled] Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Ring-In Power On [Disabled] This field allows you to enable or disable the Ring-In Power on function. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] RTC Resume [Disabled] Allows you to enable or disable RTC to genera te a wake event.
2-26 Chapter 2: BIOS Setup 2.5.2 Hardware Monitor Hardware Health Event Monitoring CPU Temperature : 45ºC/113ºF M/B Temperature : 32ºC/89ºF CPU Fan Speed : 3863 RPM Chassis Fan Speed : N/A Vcore : 1.661 V + 3.30V : 3.403 V + 5.00V : 5.094 V + 12.00V : 11.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 2-27 Boot Settings Boot Device Priority Boot Settings Configuration Security 2.6 Boot menu The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot settings. Select a sub- menu, then press <Enter> to display the configuration options.
2-28 Chapter 2: BIOS Setup 2.6.2 Boot Settings Configuration This menu allows you to adjust the system boot settings. Boot Settings Configuration Allows BIOS to skip certain tests while booting. This will decrease the time needed to boot the system.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 2-29 W ait for ʻF1ʼ If Error [Enabled] When set to Enabled, the system waits for the F1 key to be pressed when error occurs. configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Hit ʻDEL ʼ Message Display [Enabled] When set to Enabled, the system displays the message “Press DEL to run Setup” during POST .
2-30 Chapter 2: BIOS Setup If you forget your BIOS password, you can clear it by erasing the CMOS Real TMe Clock (RTC) RAM. See section “1.6 Jumpers” for information on how to erase the RTC RAM. Change User Password Select this item to set or c hange the user password.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 2-31 2.7 Exit menu The Exit menu items allow you to save or discard your changes to, and/or load the optimal or failsafe default values for the BIOS items. Exit Options Exit & Save Changes Exit & Discard Changes Discard Changes Load Setup Default Exit system setup after saving the changes.
3 Software Support This chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes with the motherboard package..
3-2 Chapter 3: Software Support If Autorun is NOT enabled in your computer , browse the contents of the support C D t o l o ca t e t h e f i l e A S SE T U P . E XE f r o m t he B I N f ol d e r. D o ub l e - cl i c k t h e ASSETUP .EXE to run the CD.
ASUS A7N8X-XE Motherboard 3-3 3.2.2 Drivers menu The drivers menu shows the available device drivers if the system detects installed devices. Install the necessary drivers to activate the devices. NVIDIA ALL in 1 Driver Install NVIDIA ALL in 1 Driver .
3-4 Chapter 3: Software Support ASUS Update The ASUS Update utility allows you to update the motherboard BIOS in a Windows ® environment. This utility requires an Internet connection either through a network or an Internet Service Provider (ISP). See pages 2-7 to 2-8 for details.
An important point after buying a device Asus A7N8X-XE (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
If you have not bought Asus A7N8X-XE yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data Asus A7N8X-XE - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, Asus A7N8X-XE you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get Asus A7N8X-XE will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of Asus A7N8X-XE, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime Asus A7N8X-XE.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with Asus A7N8X-XE. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device Asus A7N8X-XE along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
