Notices .................... v Safety information ................vi About this guide ................vii Conventions used in this guide ............. vii A7N8X-VM specifications summary ..........viii Chapter 1: Motherboard Info ............1 1.1 Welcome! ................... 2 1.2 Motherboard components ............. 3 1.3 Motherboard layout ..............6 1.4 Before you proceed ..............
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Contents 2.4.2 Power Up Control ............15 2.5 Boot Menu ................. 17 2.5.1 Boot Settings Configuration ..........17 2.5.2 Security ................. 19 2.6 Exit Menu .................. 21...
Notices 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.
Safety information Electrical safety • To 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.
About this guide Conventions used in this guide To make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual. WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself when trying to complete a task. CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when trying to complete a task.
A7N8X-VM specifications summary Socket A for AMD Athlon / Athlon XP 3200+ or above 400 MHz FSB Support Chipset Northbridge: NVIDEA nFORCE2 IGP Southbridge: NVIDEA nFORCE2 MCP Front Side Bus (FSB) 400/333/266 MHz Memory 2 x 184-pin DDR DIMM Sockets Max.
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Chapter 1 This chapter gives information about the ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard that came with the system.This chapter includes the motherboard layout, jumper settings, and connector locations. ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard...
Thank you for buying the ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard! The ASUS A7N8X-VM motherboard is loaded with the most advanced technologies to deliver the maximum performance for socket A processors. This motherboard is loaded with value-added features for guaranteed consumer satisfaction. For future upgrades or system reconfiguration, this chapter provides technical information about the motherboard.
1.2 Motherboard components ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard...
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ATX power connector. This standard 20-pin connector connects to an ATX 12V power supply. The power supply must have at least 1A on the +5V standby lead (+5VSB). CPU Sockets. Socket 462 (Socket A) Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket for the AMD Athlon™/Athlon XP™...
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USB devices such as a mouse and PDA. VGA port. This 15-pin VGA port connects to a VGA monitor. Serial port. This port connects to your serial mouse and other serial devices. PS/2 keyboard port. This purple 6-pin connector is for a PS/2 keyboard. ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard...
The motherboard provides a Socket A (462) for CPU installation. AMD processors offer gigahertz speeds to support all the latest computing platforms and applications. ™ The A7N8X-VM supports Athlon XP processors with “QuantiSpeed” data processing, large data caches, 3D enhancements and 400/333/266Mhz bus speeds.
3. Firmly insert the DIMM into the socket until the retaining clips lock into place. 1.7 Expansion slots The A7N8X-VM motherboard has five (4) expansion slots. The following sub-sections describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support. 1.7.1 Configuring an expansion card Some expansion cards need an IRQ to operate.
This motherboard has an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slot that supports +1.5V AGP 8X cards. Note the notches on the card golden fingers to ensure that they fit the AGP slot on your motherboard. AGP Card without Retention Notch A7N8X-VM A7N8X-VM Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP8X) ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard...
The total current consumed must NOT exceed the power supply capability (+5VSB) whether under normal condition or in sleep mode. USBPWR12 +5VSB (Default) USBPWR34 A7N8X-VM +5VSB (Default) USBPWR56 A7N8X-VM USB Device Wake Up +5VSB (Default) 1-10 Chapter 1: Motherboard Information...
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5. Plug the power cord and turn ON the computer. 6. Hold down the <Del> key during the boot process and enter BIOS setup to re-enter data. CLRTC1 A7N8X-VM Normal Clear CMOS (Default) A7N8X-VM Clear RTC RAM ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 1-11...
UltraDMA cable connector. This prevents incorrect orientation when you connect the cables. For UltraDMA/133/100/66 IDE devices, use an 80-conductor IDE cable. NOTE: Orient the red markings (usually zigzag) on the IDE ribbon cable to PIN 1. A7N8X-VM A7N8X-VM IDE Connectors PIN 1 1-12 Chapter 1: Motherboard Information...
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PIN 1 A7N8X-VM PIN 1 A7N8X-VM Floppy Disk Drive Connector ATX power connectors (20-pin ATXPWR1) These connectors connect to an ATX 12V power supply. The plugs from the power supply are designed to fit these connectors in only one orientation. Find the proper orientation and push down firmly until the connectors completely fit.
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A7N8X-VM +12V Rotation A7N8X-VM 12-Volt Cooling Fan Power Do not forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors. Lack of sufficient air flow within the system may damage the motherboard components. These are not jumpers! DO NOT place jumper caps on the fan connectors! 7.
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This is an interface for the Intel front panel audio cable that allow convenient connection and control of audio devices. A7N8X-VM FPAUDIO1 A7N8X-VM Front Panel Audio Connector Without front panel connected you have to set jumpers to Line out_R -> BLINE_OUT_R and Line out_L -> BLINE_OUT_L...
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Left Audio Channel A7N8X-VM Ground Right Audio Channel A7N8X-VM Internal Audio Connectors 11. Digital Audio Connector (6 pin SPDIF) (optiopnal) This connector is for optional S/PDIF audio module that allows digital instead of analog sound input and output. AUX1 (White) CD1 (Black)
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This 6-1 pin connector connects to the front panel daughter card with the audio and tv-out ports. TV_OUT A7N8X-VM A7N8X-VM TV Out Connector 15. System panel connector (20-pin PANEL1) This connector accommodates several system front panel functions. Keyboard Lock Speaker...
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• System Warning Speaker Lead (4-pin SPEAKER) This 4-pin connector connects to the case-mounted speaker and allows you to hear system beeps and warnings. • System Management Interrupt Lead (2-pin SMI) This 2-pin connector permits switching to suspend mode, or “Green” mode, in which system activity is instantly decreased to save power and to expand the life of certain system components.
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Chapter 2 This chapter gives information about the ASUS A7N8X-VM Basic Input/Output System (BIOS).This chapter includes updating the BIOS using the ASUS AFLASH BIOS that is bundled with the support CD. ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard...
2.1 BIOS Setup program Use the BIOS Setup program when you are installing a motherboard, reconfiguring your system, or prompted to “Run Setup”. This section explains how to configure your system using this utility. Even if you are not prompted to use the Setup program, you may want to change the configuration of your computer in the future.
Press <Home> to display the first page, press <End> to go to the last page. To exit the help window, press <Enter> or <Esc>. ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard...
Sub-menu Note that a right pointer symbol (as shown on t h e left) appears to the left of certain fields. This pointer indicates that you can display a sub-menu from this field. A sub-menu contains additional options for a field parameter. To display a sub-menu, move the highlight to the field and press <Enter>.
LBA/Large Mode [Auto] This field configures the LBA mode. Select [Auto] to enable LBA mode if the device supports it and the device is not already formatted with LBA Mode disabled. [Disable] disables the LBA mode. ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard...
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Block (Multi-Sector Transfer) [Auto] This field configures the Multi-Sector Transfer Block. Select [Auto] to enable the data to transfer from and to the device occurs multiple sectors at a time if the device supports it. When [Disabled], the data transfer from and to the device occurs one sector at a time.
2.2.2 System Information This option displays detailed information about the BIOS, processor and system memory. The values for these fields are automatically detected. Refer to the screen capture below for details. ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard...
2.3 Advanced Menu 2.3.1 Chipset Video Frame Buffer Size [Auto] This field sets the size of the video frame buffer. The settings on this field is valid only for motherboard models with onboard VGA controller. Configuration options: [Auto] [8MB] [16MB] [32MB] [64MB] [128MB] Graphics Aperture Size [Auto] This feature allows you to select the size of mapped memory for AGP graphic data.
[ECP] allows the parallel port to operate in bidirectional DMA mode; [ECP+EPP] allows normal speed operation in a two-way mode. Configuration options: [Normal] [EPP] [ECP] [ECP+EPP] ECP Mode DMA Channel [DMA3] This field allows you to select the parallel port ECP DMA. Configuration options: [DMA0] [DMA1] [DMA3] ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard...
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Parallel Port IRQ [IRQ7] This field allows you to set the IRQ of the onboard parallel port connector. Configuration options: [IRQ5] [IRQ7] SMBUS Interface [Enabled] This field allows you to enable or disable the SMBus interface. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Modem CODEC Interface [Auto] This field allows you to disable or set to automatic the modem CODEC interface.
Configuration options: [32] [64] [96] [128] [160] [192] [224] [248] Allocate IRQ to PCI VGA [Yes] Select [Yes] to automatically assign IRQ to PCI VGA card if card requests IRQ. If set to [No], no IRQ is assigned even the card requests an IRQ. ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 2-11...
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Palette Snooping [Disabled] This field enables or disables the Palette Snooping feature. Set to [Enabled] and the PCI devices will detect that an ISA graphics device is installed in the system so the device will function correctly. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] PCI IDE BusMaster [Disabled] This field allows the BIOS, when [Enabled], to use PCI busmastering for reading and writing to IDE drives.
Suspend Mode [S1 & S3 (STR)] This field sets the ACPI state used for system suspend. Configuration options: [S1 (POS) only] [S1 & S3 (STR)] ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 2-13...
2.4.1 Hardware Monitor MB Temperature [xxxC/xxxF] CPU Temperature [xxxC/xxxF] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the motherboard and CPU temperatures. CPU Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] or [N/A] Chassis Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] or [N/A] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU, chassis, and power fan speeds in rotations per minute (RPM).
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] RI Resume [Disabled] This parameter enables or disables RI to generate a wake event. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 2-15...
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Onboard LAN Resume [Disabled] This parameter enables or disables the onboard LAN to generate a wake event. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] RTC Resume [Disabled] This parameter enables or disables RTC to generate a wake event.
This field specifies the boot sequence from the available devices. Additional plug-in boot devices installed appear in sequence after the list of current boot devices . Configuration fields include FLOPPY DRIVE, IDE Hard Drive, ATAPI CD-ROM, and Other Boot Device. 2.5.1 Boot Settings Configuration ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 2-17...
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Quick Boot [Enabled] This field allows BIOS to skip certain tests while booting. This will decrease the time needed to boot the system. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Quiet Boot [Disabled] When [Enabled], the normal POST messages are displayed and displays only OEM Logo instead of POST messages.
The password is cleared. Make a copy of the original BIOS on a bootable floppy disk before setting passwords. You will need to upload the BIOS file in case you erase the CMOS RAM in the future. ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 2-19...
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A note about passwords The BIOS Setup program allows you to specify passwords in the Boot menu. The passwords control access to the BIOS during system startup. Passwords are not case sensitive, meaning, passwords typed in either uppercase or lowercase letters are accepted. The BIOS Setup program allows you to specify two different passwords: a Supervisor password and a User password.
If you attempt to exit the Setup program without saving your changes, the program prompts you with a message asking if you want to save your changes before exiting. Pressing <Enter> saves the changes while exiting. ASUS A7N8X-VM Motherboard 2-21...
Exit Discarding Changes Select this option only if you do not want to save the changes that you made to the Setup program. If you made changes to fields other than system date, system time, and password, the BIOS asks for a confirmation before exiting. Discard Changes This option allows you to discard the selections you made and restore the previously saved values.