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Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modified or altered, unless such repair, modification of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the product is defaced or missing.
1.11 Starting up for the first time ............1-28 Chapter 2: Manage/update BIOS AFUDOS utility ................2-1 Award BIOS Flash Utility ............2-3 ASUS Update utility ..............2-6 ASUS BIOS Updater ..............2-9 Chapter 3: Troubleshooting Troubleshooting for Motherboard DIY ........3-1 3.1.1 Basic troubleshooting ............3-1 Other common troubles ..............
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Contents 3.2.2 Failure to boot-up; No screen display ......3-5 3.2.3 Failure to enter the operating system ......3-5 3.2.4 FAQs ................3-6 Chapter 4: Computer care tips Proper care of your PC ..............4-1 Basic knowledge ................4-1 Usage knowledge ................. 4-1 Tips ....................
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. If possible, disconnect all power cables from the existing system before you add a device.
CPU notch. The CPU fits in only one correct Gold orientation. DO NOT force the triangle CPU into the socket to prevent mark bending the connectors on the socket and damaging the CPU! Alignment key ASUS Motherboard installation guide...
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Apply some Thermal Interface Material to the exposed area of the CPU that the heatsink will be in contact with, ensuring that it is spread in an even thin layer. Some heatsinks come with pre- applied thermal paste. If so, skip this step.
CPU notch PnP cap Alignment key The CPU fits in only one correct orientation. DO NOT force the CPU into the socket to prevent bending the connectors on the socket and damaging the CPU! ASUS Motherboard installation guide...
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Apply some Thermal Interface Material to the exposed area of the CPU that the heatsink will be in contact with, ensuring that it is spread in an even thin layer. Some heatsinks come with pre- applied thermal paste. If so, skip this step.
CPU notches. The CPU fits in only one correct orientation. DO NOT force the CPU into the socket to prevent Gold triangle bending the connectors on the mark socket and damaging the CPU! Alignment keys ASUS Motherboard installation guide...
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Apply some Thermal Interface Material to the exposed area of the CPU that the heatsink will be in contact with, ensuring that it is spread in an even thin layer. Some heatsinks come with pre-applied thermal paste. If so, skip this step. The Thermal Interface Material is toxic and inedible.
CPU notches. The CPU fits in only one correct orientation. DO NOT force the CPU into the socket to prevent Gold triangle bending the connectors on the mark socket and damaging the CPU! Alignment keys ASUS Motherboard installation guide...
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Apply some Thermal Interface Material to the exposed area of the CPU that the heatsink will be in contact with, ensuring that it is spread in an even thin layer. Some heatsinks come with pre-applied thermal paste. If so, skip this step. The Thermal Interface Material is toxic and inedible.
Position the CPU above the socket such that the CPU corner with the gold triangle matches the socket corner with a small triangle. Carefully insert the CPU into the socket until it fits in place. Gold triangle Small triangle ASUS Motherboard installation guide...
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When the CPU is in place, push down the socket lever to secure the CPU. The lever clicks on the side tab to indicate that it is locked. Apply some Thermal Interface Material to the exposed area of the CPU that the heatsink will be in contact with, ensuring that it is spread in an even thin layer.
Select an Intel-certified or AMD-certified heatsink and fan assembly based on your motherboard. There are 3-pin (left) and 4-pin (right) fan connectors. Only CPU fans with 4-pin connectors supports the ASUS Q-Fan technology. For Intel-certified heatsink: Some heatsinks will come with pre-applied thermal paste. If so,...
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Push down two fasteners at a time Connect the CPU fan cable to the in a diagonal sequence to secure corresponding connector on the the heatsink and fan assembly in motherboard. place. DO NOT forget to connect the CPU fan connector! Hardware monitoring errors can occur if you fail to plug this connector and we suggest you use an omni- directional heatsink to gain the maximum heat dissipation area.
DIMM. Remove the DIMM from the socket. Support the DIMM lightly with your fingers when pressing the retaining clips. The DIMM might get damaged when it flips out with extra force. ASUS Motherboard installation guide 1-13...
Installing a DIMM on a single clip DIMM socket Unlock a DIMM socket by pressing DIMM notch the retaining clip outward. Align a DIMM on the socket such that the notch on the DIMM matches the DIMM slot key on the socket.
For some chassis models, it might be difficult to remove the expansion slot cover after the installation. • DO NOT over-tighten the screws. Doing so may damage the motherboard. ASUS Motherboard installation guide 1-15...
Installing the power supply unit There are two kinds of commonly-used power supply units. One is with Active Power Factor Correction (PFC) and the other with passive PFC. Select a power supply unit. Power supply with active PFC: Power supply with passive PFC: Active PFC automatically corrects Passive PFC requires user to the AC input voltage.
Refer to the card documentation for the card configuration details, and to the motherboard user guide in case you need to configure any jumpers after installing the expansion card. • Refer to the motherboard user guide for the instructions of the expansion card signal cable connection. ASUS Motherboard installation guide 1-17...
Installing disk drives 1.7.1 PATA optical disk drive Remove the dummy cover and Align with the screw holes and slide the optical disk drive into the secure the disk drive with screws. bay. Orient and plug the IDE cable into the optical drive.
SATA cables are dummy-proof. Never force a SATA cable into the connector. Connect the SATA power cable to Attach the audio cable to the the the optical drive. connector on the optical drive. ASUS Motherboard installation guide 1-19...
1.7.3 Floppy disk drive Remove the dummy cover and Align with the screw holes and insert the floppy disk drive into the secure the disk drive with screws. bay. Orient and plug the floppy interface Connect the floppy power cable to cable into the floppy disk drive.
Match hard disk drive. the dummy-proof notch and do not force the cable into the connector. Attach the other end of the signal cable to the corresponding slot on the motherboard. ASUS Motherboard installation guide 1-21...
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Notes for installing PATA hard disk drive • If your operating system is installed to the hard disk drive controlled by the RAID or other controllers, you have to install the controller driver to the hard disk first. • The cables are designed with pull tabs.
The SATA power cable connector provides higher data transmission is different from the traditional speed, and better voltage tolerance. 4-pin power connector. ASUS The narrow design of the SATA motherboard bundles power adapter cable also solves cabling issues cables for you in case your power...
ASUS Q-Connector ASUS Q-Connector’s one step installation saves your time from struggling with the messy front panel cables. Refer to the user guide for details. The Q-connector is available in selected models. Refer to the user guide for details. Connecting the ATX power The ATX power connectors can fit in only one orientation.
• DO NOT attach the external AC power when connecting the power connectors to the motherboard. • Ensure the power connectors are firmly secured to the motherboard. • If your power supply supports 20-pin+4-pin, you are able to combine these two connectors and install to the 24-pin connectors on the motherboard.
Microphone port + 13. VGA port + CRT monitor microphone Line out port + speaker 14. DVI port + LCD monitor The rear panel connectors vary with models. Refer to the user guide for details. ASUS Motherboard installation guide 1-27...
1.11 Starting up for the first time The system then runs the power-on self tests or POST. While the tests are running, the BIOS beeps. BIOS Beep Description One continuous beep followed by three No VGA detected short beeps One continuous beep followed by two No memory detected short beeps then a pause (repeated) One continuous beep followed by four...
The utility returns to the DOS prompt after copying the current BIOS file. Updating the BIOS file To update the BIOS file using the AFUDOS utility: Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) and download the latest BIOS file for the motherboard. Save the BIOS file to a bootable floppy disk. ASUS Motherboard installation guide...
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A:\>afudos /iP5K3D.ROM The utility verifies the file and starts updating the BIOS. A:\>afudos /iP5K3D.ROM AMI Firmware Update Utility - Version 1.19(ASUS V2.07(03.11.24BB)) Copyright (C) 2002 American Megatrends, Inc. All rights reserved. WARNING!! Do not turn off power during flash BIOS Reading file ..
The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) can be updated using the AwardBIOS Flash Utility. Follow these instructions to update the BIOS using this utility. Download the latest BIOS file from the ASUS web site. Rename the file to XXXXX.BIN (model name.BIN)and save it to a floppy disk, CD ROM or a USB flash disk in FAT 16/12 format.
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Type the BIOS file name in AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.14 the File Name to Program (C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved field, then press <Enter>. For NF590-SLI-M2N32-SLI-DELUXE DATE:03/30/2006 Flash Type - PMC Pm49FL004T LPC/FWH File Name to Program: M2N32SLI.bin...
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To save the current BIOS file using the AwardBIOS Flash Utility: Follow steps 1 to 6 of the AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.14 previous section. (C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved Press <Y> when the utility...
ASUS Update utility The ASUS Update is a utility that allows you to manage, save, and update the motherboard BIOS in Windows environment. The ASUS Update utility allows you ® • Save the current BIOS file • Download the latest BIOS file from the Internet •...
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BIOS version that you wish to download. Click Next. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the update process. The ASUS Update utility is capable of updating itself through the Internet. Always update the utility to avail all its features. ASUS Motherboard installation guide...
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Updating the BIOS through a BIOS file To update the BIOS through a BIOS file Fom the Windows desktop, click ® Start > Programs > ASUS > ASUSUpdate > ASUSUpdate. The ASUS Update main window appears. Select Update BIOS from a file from the dropdown menu, then click Next.
ASUS BIOS Updater The ASUS BIOS Updater allows you to update BIOS in DOS environment. This utility also allows you to copy the current BIOS file that you can use as a backup when the BIOS fails or gets corrupted during the updating process.
Backing up the current BIOS To backup the current BIOS file using the BIOS Updater Ensure that the USB flash drive is not write-protected and has enough free space to save the file. At the FreeDOS prompt, type bupdater /o[filename] and press <Enter>. D:\>bupdater /oOLDBIOS1.rom Filename Extension The [filename] is any user-assigned filename with no more than eight...
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Select the Load Setup Defaults item under the Exit BIOS menu. See Chaper 3 of your motherboard user manual for details. • Ensure to connect all SATA hard disk drives after updating the BIOS file if you have disconnected them. ASUS Motherboard installation guide 2-11...
This chapter provides answers to some common questions about your PC before entering the operating system. Read this chapter for basic troubleshooting. It saves time and hassles for you on contacting ASUS technical support team or returning the product for warranty service.
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Ensure there is no broken or bended pins on your connector pins or CPU pins. A broken and bended pin will cause the component malfunction. Contact your retailer for further support. Connector pins AMD CPU gold pins If the broken or bended pins are caused after the purchase, your retailer may ask for repair charge.
Running enter OS Running Running If the problem has been fixed but a new problem emerges, go over the checklist again. If the problem persists, contact your retailer or ASUS technical support team for further help. ASUS Motherboard installation guide...
If the problem persists, you may need to contact your retailer for a new power supply unit. If the power supply unit functions, contact your ASUS motherboard retailer for motherboard warranty service. Chapter 3: Troubleshooting...
If the problem emerges after you change the BIOS settings, reboot and enter the BIOS to load the setup defaults. Refer the motherboard user guide for details. ASUS Motherboard installation guide...
If the problem comes from a computer virus or a corrupt file, follow the instructions below to fix the problem. Enter the operating system in safe mode and do a full system virus scan using an anti-virus application. Contact the operating system company for further support. If the previous instructions fail to fix the problem, you may need to reformat your hard disk drive and reinstall a new operating system.
• Uninstall the motherboad and hard/optical disk drives, then clean them with canned air or a soft brush. • Remove the dust and hair debris on the power supply unit with an anti- static vacuum. ASUS Motherboard installation guide...
Tips If your computer will not be used for a long time, put some desiccant moisture absorbers in the chassis to prevent humidity damage. In some hot and humid climatic areas, you had better turn on your computer every other week. Doing so also helps prevent humidity damage. Chapter 4: Computer care tip...