k8n Neo2f

K8N Neo2 Series
MS-7025 (v1.X) ATX Mainboard
G52-M7025X1
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Manual Rev: 1.0
Release Date: July 2004
FCC-B Radio Frequency Interference Statement
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class B
digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is
operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses and can
radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation
of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference, in which
case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.
Notice 1
The changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
Notice 2
Shielded interface cables and A.C. power cord, if any, must be used in order to
comply with the emission limits.
VOIR LA NOTICE D’INSTALLATION AVANT DE RACCORDER AU RESEAU.
Micro-Star International
MS-7025
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 cause undesired operation
ii

Copyright Notice
The material in this document is the intellectual property of MICRO-STAR
INTERNATIONAL. We take every care in the preparation of this document, but no
guarantee is given as to the correctness of its contents. Our products are under
continual improvement and we reserve the right to make changes without notice.
Trademarks
All trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.
AMD, Athlon™, Athlon™ XP, Thoroughbred™, and Duron™ are registered

trademarks of AMD Corporation.
Intel® and Pentium® are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
PS/2 and OS ® /2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines
Corporation.
Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Windows® 98/2000/NT/
XP are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, DualNet, and nForce are registered trademarks or trade-
marks of NVIDIA Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Netware ® is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc.
Award® is a registered trademark of Phoenix Technologies Ltd.
AMI® is a registered trademark of American Megatrends Inc.
Kensington and MicroSaver are registered trademarks of the Kensington Technology
Group.
PCMCIA and CardBus are registered trademarks of the Personal Computer Memory
Card International Association.
Revision History
Revision Revision History Date
V1.0 First release for PCB 1.X July 2004
with nVidia nForce3 Ultra
iii

Technical Support
If a problem arises with your system and no solution can be obtained from the user’s
manual, please contact your place of purchase or local distributor. Alternatively,
please try the following help resources for further guidance.
h Visit the MSI homepage & FAQ site for technical guide, BIOS updates, driver
updates, and other information: http://www.msi.com.tw & http://www.msi.
com.tw/program/service/faq/faq/esc_faq_list.php
h Contact our technical staff at: support@msi.com.tw
Safety Instructions
1. Always read the safety instructions carefully.
2. Keep this User’s Manual for future reference.
3. Keep this equipment away from humidity.
4. Lay this equipment on a reliable flat surface before setting it up.
5. The openings on the enclosure are for air convection hence protects the equip-
ment from overheating. Do not cover the openings.
6. Make sure the voltage of the power source and adjust properly 110/220V be-
fore connecting the equipment to the power inlet.
7. Place the power cord such a way that people can not step on it. Do not place
anything over the power cord.
8. Always Unplug the Power Cord before inserting any add-on card or module.
9. All cautions and warnings on the equipment should be noted.
10. Never pour any liquid into the opening that could damage or cause electrical
shock.
11. If any of the following situations arises, get the equipment checked by a service
personnel:
h The power cord or plug is damaged.
h Liquid has penetrated into the equipment.
h The equipment has been exposed to moisture.
h The equipment has not work well or you can not get it work according to
User’s Manual.
h The equipment has dropped and damaged.
h The equipment has obvious sign of breakage.
12. Do not leave this equipment in an environment unconditioned, storage
temperature above 60 0 C (140 0F), it may damage the equipment.
CAUTION: Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced.

Replace only with the same or equivalent type recommended by the
manufacturer.
iv

CONTENTS
Chapter 1. Getting Started ................................................................................... 1-1
Mainboard Specifications .................................................................................. 1-2
Mainboard Layout .............................................................................................. 1-5
Packing Contents ............................................................................................... 1-6
Chapter 2. Hardware Setup ................................................................................. 2-1
Quick Components Guide .................................................................................. 2-2
Central Processing Unit: CPU ............................................................................ 2-3
CPU Installation Procedures for Socket 939 ............................................. 2-4
Installing AMD Athlon64 CPU Cooler Set ................................................... 2-5
Memory ............................................................................................................... 2-7
Introduction to DDR SDRAM ....................................................................... 2-7
DIMM Module Combination .......................................................................... 2-7
Recommended Memory Combination List ................................................. 2-8
Installing DDR Modules ............................................................................... 2-9
Power Supply ................................................................................................... 2-10
ATX 20-Pin Power Connector: ATX1 ....................................................... 2-10
ATX 12V Power Connector: JPW1 .......................................................... 2-10
Important Notification about Power Issue ............................................... 2-11
Back Panel ........................................................................................................ 2-12
Mouse Connector (Green) / Keyboard Connector (Purple) .................. 2-12
IEEE1394 Port (Optional) .......................................................................... 2-12
Serial Port Connector ............................................................................... 2-13
USB Connectors ....................................................................................... 2-13
LAN (RJ-45) Jack ..................................................................................... 2-14
Audio Port Connectors ............................................................................. 2-14
Parallel Port Connector: LPT1 .................................................................. 2-15
Connectors ....................................................................................................... 2-16
Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1 ........................................................ 2-16
Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1 / SFAN1 / SFAN2 / NBFAN1 ........... 2-16
Hard Disk Connectors: IDE1/IDE2 ............................................................ 2-17
Serial ATA/Serial ATA RAID Connectors controlled by
nForce3 Ultra: SATA1 / SATA2 / SATA3 / SATA4 ........................ 2-18
CD-In Connector: JCD1 ............................................................................ 2-18
Front Panel Connectors: JFP1 / JFP2 ...................................................... 2-19
Front USB Connectors: JUSB1 / JUSB2 ................................................. 2-19
Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1 ..................................................... 2-20

IEEE 1394 Connectors: J1394_1 / J1394_2 (Optional) .......................... 2-20
IrDA Infrared Module Header: JIR1 .......................................................... 2-21
D-BracketTM 2 Connector: JDB1 (Optional) ............................................. 2-21
Jumpers ............................................................................................................ 2-24
Clear CMOS Jumper: JBAT1 .................................................................... 2-24
Slots .................................................................................................................. 2-25
AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) Slot ................................................... 2-25
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slots ...................................... 2-25
PCI Interrupt Request Routing .................................................................. 2-25
Chapter 3. BIOS Setup ........................................................................................... 3-1
Entering Setup .................................................................................................... 3-2
Selecting the First Boot Device ................................................................. 3-2
Control Keys ............................................................................................... 3-3
Getting Help ................................................................................................ 3-3
The Main Menu ................................................................................................... 3-4
Standard CMOS Features .................................................................................. 3-6
Advanced BIOS Features .................................................................................. 3-8
Advanced Chipset Features ........................................................................... 3-11
Integrated Peripherals ...................................................................................... 3-12
Power Management Setup .............................................................................. 3-17
PNP/PCI Configurations .................................................................................... 3-20
H/W Monitor ...................................................................................................... 3-22
Cell Menu .......................................................................................................... 3-23
Load Fail-Safe/Optimized Defaults ................................................................. 3-27
Set Supervisor/User Password ...................................................................... 3-28
Chapter 4. Introduction to DigiCell .................................................................... 4-1
Main ..................................................................................................................... 4-2
H/W Diagnostic ................................................................................................... 4-4
Communication ................................................................................................... 4-5
Software Access Point ..................................................................................... 4-6
Terminology ................................................................................................. 4-6
Access Point Mode .................................................................................... 4-7
WLAN Card Mode ....................................................................................... 4-8
Live Update ......................................................................................................... 4-9
MEGA STICK ..................................................................................................... 4-10
Basic Function .......................................................................................... 4-10
Non-Unicode programs supported .......................................................... 4-12
Core Center (for AMD K8 Processor) ............................................................ 4-14
vi

Audio Speaker Setting ..................................................................................... 4-16
Power on Agent ............................................................................................... 4-18
Power On .................................................................................................. 4-18
Power Off / Restart .................................................................................. 4-19
Start With .................................................................................................. 4-19
Auto Login ................................................................................................. 4-20
Chapter 5. nVIDIA RAID Introduction ................................................................. 5-1
Introduction ......................................................................................................... 5-2
System Requirement .................................................................................. 5-2
RAID Arrays ............................................................................................... 5-2
Summary of RAID Configurations .............................................................. 5-2
RAID Configuration ............................................................................................. 5-3
Basic Configuration Instructions ............................................................... 5-3
Setting Up the NVRAID BIOS ..................................................................... 5-3
NVIDIA RAID Untility Installation ........................................................................ 5-7
Installing the RAID Driver (for bootable RAID Array) ............................... 5-7
Installing the NVIDIA RAID Software Under Windows
(for Non-bootable RAID Array) ................................................................ 5-8
Initializing and Using the Disk Array .......................................................... 5-9
RAID Drives Management ................................................................................ 5-11
Viewing RAID Array Configurations ....................................................... 5-11
Setting Up a Spare RAID Disk .................................................................. 5-13
Rebuilding a RAID Mirrored Array ........................................................... 5-19
Chapter 6. Installation of Driver & Utility .......................................................... 6-1
Driver Installation ................................................................................................ 6-2
NVIDIA nForce3 System Driver ................................................................. 6-2
Realtek AC97 Audio Driver ........................................................................ 6-5
Utility Installation ................................................................................................. 6-6
vii

Getting Started
Chapter 1. Getting
Started
Getting Started
Thank you for choosing the K8N Neo2 Platinum (MS-7025)
v1.X ATX mainboard. The K8N Neo2 Platinum mainboard is based
on nVIDIA® nForce™3 Ultra chipset for optimal system efficiency.
Designed to fit the advanced AMD ® K8 Athlon 64 FX / Athlon 64
processor, the K8N Neo2 Platinum mainboard delivers a high per-
formance and professional desktop platform solution.
1-1

MS-7025 ATX Mainboard
Mainboard Specifications
CPU
h Supports Socket-939 for AMD K8 Athlon 64 FX / Athlon 64 (Socket939) processor
h Supports up to 3500+, 3800+ Athlon64FX 53, or higher CPU
(For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://www.msi.com.tw/program/
products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_cpu_support.php)
Chipset
h nVIDIA nForce3 Ultra
- HyperTransport link to the AMD Athlon 64/Athlon 64 FX CPU
- HyperTransport supporting speed up to 1GHz (2000MT/s)
- AGP3.0 8X interface at 533 MT/s (million transfers per second)
- Two independent SATA controllers, for four drives
- IEEE 802.3 nVIDIA MAC for 1000BASE-T
- Dual Fast ATA-133 IDE controllers
Main Memory
h Supports dual channel, eight memory banks DDR 266/333/400, using four 184-
pin DDR DIMMs
h Supports a maximum memory size up to 4GB
h Supports 2.5v DDR SDRAM DIMM
(For the updated supporting memory modules, please visit http://www.msi.com.tw/
program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_trp_list.php.)
Slots
h One AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) slot
- AGP specification compliant
- Supports AGP 3.0 8x
h Five 32-bit Master PCI Bus slots, includes one orange slot which is reserved as
a communication slot.
h Support 3.3V/5V PCI bus Interface
On-Board IDE
h An IDE controller on the nVIDIA® nForce3 Ultra chipset provides IDE HDD/CD-
ROM with PIO, Bus Master and Ultra DMA 66/100/133 operation modes
h Can connect up to 4 IDE devices
On-Board SATA
h Supports 4 SATA ports. Transfer rate is up to 150MB/s.
USB Interface
h 8 USB ports
- Controlled by nForce3 Ultra chipset
- 4 ports in the rear I/O, 4 ports via the external bracket
1-2

Getting Started
NV RAID (Software)
h Supports up to 4 SATA and 4 ATA133 Hard drives
- RAID 0 or 1, 0+1, JBOD is supported
- RAID function available for ATA133+SATA H/D drives
LAN
h Supports dual LAN jacks
- 1st LAN supports 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet by Marvell 88E1111 or Realtek
8201B/CL PHY
- 2nd LAN supports 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet by Realtek or 8110S
(1000Mbps) or 8100C (10/100Mbps)
IEEE 1394 (Optional)

h Supports up to three 1394 ports (rear panel x 1, pinheader x 2). Transfer rate
is up to 400Mbps
Audio
h Chip integrated by Realtek ALC850 (7.1 ch H/W audio)
- Direct Sound AC97 audio
- 7.1 Channel output
- 1 CD-In
On-Board Peripherals
h On-Board Peripherals include:
- 1 floppy port supports 1 FDD with 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88Mbytes
- 1 serial port (COMA )
- 1 parallel port supporting SPP/EPP/ECP mode
- 1 Audio jack(5-in-1), coaxial/fiber SPDIF out
- 1 IrDA pinheader
- 1 D-Bracket2 pinheader
- 3 IEEE1394s (Rear * 1 / Front * 2)(Optional)
- 8 USB1.1/2.0 ports (Rear * 4 / Front * 4)
BIOS
h The mainboard BIOS provides “Plug & Play” BIOS which detects the peripheral
devices and expansion cards of the board automatically.
h The mainboard provides a Desktop Management Interface (DMI) function which
records your mainboard specifications.
h Supports boot from LAN, USB Device 1.1 & 2.0, and SATA HDD.
1-3

Dimension
h ATX Form Factor (30.4 cm X 24.4 cm)
Mounting
h 9 mounting holes
MSI Reminds You...

1. Please note that users cannot install OS, either WinME or Win98, in
their SATA hard drive. Under these two OSs, SATA can only be used
as a normal storage device.
2. To create a bootable RAID volume for a Windows 2000 environment,
Microsoft’s Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (SP4) is required. As the
end user cannot boot without SP4, a combination installation CD
must be created before attempting to install the operating system
onto the bootable RAID volume.
To create the combination installation CD, please refer to the follow-
ing website:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/downloads/
servicepacks/sp4/HFdeploy.htm
1-4

Getting Started
Mainboard Layout
SFAN2
Top : mouse
Bottom: keyboard
JPW1
JCI1
DIMM4
DIMM3
Top : Parallel Port
DIMM2
Bottom:
COM A
1394 Port (Optional) DIMM1
SPDIF
Winbond
W83627HF
IDE 2
IDE 1
ATX1
T: LAN jack
B: USB ports
FDD 1
T: LAN jack
B: USB ports
T: Lin e-In
M: Lin e-Out
CPUFAN1
B:Mic
T:RS-Out
88E1111-RCJ
M:CS-Out SATA3
B:SPDIFOut
NBFAN1
SATA4
AGP1
RTL8110S-32 PCI Slot 1
NVIDIA
nFORCE3
PCI Slot2 Ultra
SATA2
SATA1
PCI Slot3
BATT
+
SFAN1
PCI Slot 4
BIOS
VIA
VT6306
Codec
PCI Slot 5
JDB1
(Optional)
JAUD1
(Optional) J1394_1 J1394_2 JUSB2 JUSB1

JFP2 JFP1 JIR1
JCD1
JBAT1
K8N Neo2 Platinum (MS-7025 v1.X) ATX Mainboard
1-5

Packing Contents
MSI Driver/Utility CD
nForce3 SATA RAID
MSI motherboard Driver Diskette SATA Cable (Optional)
Round Cable of
Power Cable D-Bracket 2 (Optional) IDE Devices
Round Cable of
1394 Cable (Optional) Back IO Shield
Floppy Disk
User’s Guide Test Report Quick Guide
1-6

Hardware Setup
Chapter 2. Hardware Setup
Hardware Setup
This chapter tells you how to install the CPU, memory modules,
and expansion cards, as well as how to setup the jumpers on the
mainboard. Also, it provides the instructions on connecting the periph-
eral devices, such as the mouse, keyboard, etc.
While doing the installation, be careful in holding the compo-
nents and follow the installation procedures.
2-1

Quick Components Guide
JPW1, p.2-10
SFAN2, p.2-16
CPUFAN1, p.2-16
JCI1, p.2-17
DDR DIMMs,
p.2-7
Back Panel
I/O, p.2-12 IDE1/2, p.2-17
ATX1, p.2-10
FDD1, p.2-16
SATA3, SATA4, NB_FAN1,

p.2-18 p.2-16
AGP Slot, p.2-25
SATA2, SATA1,
p.2-18
BATT
+
PCI Slots 1~5, SFAN1, p.2-16

p.2-25
JDB1, p.2-21
JAUD1, p.2-20
JIR1, p.2-21
JCD1, p.2-18
JFP1, p.2-19
JBAT1, p.2-24 JFP2, p.2-19
J1394_1, J1394_2, p.2-20 JUSB1, JUSB2, p.2-19
2-2

Hardware Setup
Central Processing Unit: CPU

The mainboard supports AMD® Athlon64 processor. The mainboard uses a CPU socket
called Socket-939 for easy CPU installation. When you are installing the CPU, make
sure the CPU has a heat sink and a cooling fan attached on the top to
prevent overheating. If you do not have the heat sink and cooling fan, contact your
dealer to purchase and install them before turning on the computer.
For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://www.msi.com.tw/program/
products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_cpu_support.php.
MSI Reminds You...

Overheating
Overheating will seriously damage the CPU and system, always make
sure the cooling fan can work properly to protect the CPU from
overheating.
Replacing the CPU
While replacing the CPU, always turn off the ATX power supply or
unplug the power supply’s power cord from grounded outlet first to
ensure the safety of CPU.
Overclocking
This motherboard is designed to support overclocking. However, please
make sure your components are able to tolerate such abnormal setting,
while doing overclocking. Any attempt to operate beyond product speci-
fications is not recommended. We do not guarantee the damages
or risks caused by inadequate operation or beyond product
specifications.
2-3

CPU Installation Procedures for Socket 939
1. Please turn off the power and

unplug the power cord before O pen Lever
installing the CPU.
Sliding
Plate 90 degree
2. Pull the lever sideways away

from the socket. Make sure to
raise the lever up to a 90-de-
gree angle.
G old arrow
3. Look for the gold arrow. The gold
arrow should point towards the
lever pivot. The CPU can only fit
in the correct orientation.
4. If the CPU is correctly installed, C orrect C PU placem ent

the pins should be completely
embedded into the socket and G old arrow
can not be seen. Please note O
that any violation of the correct
installation procedures may
cause permanent damages to
your mainboard.
IncorrectC PU placem ent
G old arrow
X
5. Press the CPU down firmly into
the socket and close the lever.
As the CPU is likely to move while
the lever is being closed, al-
ways close the lever with your Press dow n
fingers pressing tightly on top of the C PU C lose
the CPU to make sure the CPU is Lever
properly and completely embed-
ded into the socket.
2-4

Hardware Setup
Installing AMD Athlon64 CPU Cooler Set

When you are installing the CPU, make sure the CPU has a heat sink and a
cooling fan attached on the top to prevent overheating. If you do not have the
heat sink and cooling fan, contact your dealer to purchase and install them before
turning on the computer.
1. Detach the shield of the backplate’s 3. Turn over the mainboard again, and
paster. place the mainboard on the flat
surface.
Locate the two screw holes of the

mainboard.
2. Turn over the mainboard, and install

the backplate to the proper position.
4. Align the retention mechanism and
the backplate.
Fix the retention mechanism and the

backplate with two screws.
retention mechanism
2-5

5. Position the cooling set onto the re- 7. Fasten down the lever.
tention mechanism.
Hook one end of the clip to hook first,

and then press down the other end
of the clip to fasten the cooling set
on the top of the retention mechanism.
8. Make sure the safety hook completely

clasps the fixed bolt of the retention
mechanism.
6. Locate the Fix Lever, Safety Hook

and the Fixed Bolt.
Lift up the intensive fixed lever.
9. Attach the CPU Fan cable to the CPU

fan connector on the mainboard.
Safety Hook
Fixed Lever Fixed Bolt
MSI Reminds You...
While disconnecting the Safety Hook from the fixed bolt, it is neces-
sary to keep an eye on your fingers, because once the Safety Hook is
disconnected from the fixed bolt, the fixed lever will spring back instantly.
2-6

Hardware Setup
Memory
The mainboard provides 4 slots for 184-pin DDR SDRAM DIMM (Double In-Line Memory
Module) modules and supports the memory size up to 4GB. You can install DDR266/
333/400/433/466/500/533 modules on the DDR DIMM slots (DDR 1~4).
For the updated supporting memory modules, please visit http://www.msi.com.tw/
program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_trp_list.php.
DIMM1~4
(from bottom to top)
Introduction to DDR SDRAM

DDR (Double Data Rate) SDRAM is similar to conventional SDRAM, but doubles the
rate by transferring data twice per cycle. It uses 2.5 volts as opposed to 3.3 volts
used in SDR SDRAM, and requires 184-pin DIMM modules rather than 168-pin DIMM
modules used by SDR SDRAM. High memory bandwidth makes DDR an ideal solution
for high performance PC, workstations and servers.
DIMM Module Combination

Install at least one DIMM module on the slots. Each DIMM slot supports up to a maximum
size of 1GB. Users can install either single- or double-sided modules to meet their
own needs. Please note that each DIMM can work respectively for single-
channel DDR, but there are some rules while using dual-channel DDR (Please
refer to the suggested DDR population table below). Users may install memory modules
of different type and density on different-channel DDR DIMMs. However, the same
type and density memory modules are necessary while using dual-channel DDR,
or instability may happen. Please refer to the following table for detailed dual-channel
DDR. Other combination not listed below will function as single-channel DDR.
2-7

GREEN PURPLE GREEN PURPLE

DIMM1 (Ch A) DIMM2 (Ch B) DIMM3 (Ch A) DIMM4 (Ch B) System Density
128MB~1GB 128MB~1GB 256MB~2GB
128MB~1GB 128MB~1GB 256MB~2GB
128MB~1GB 128MB~1GB 128MB~1GB 128MB~1GB 512MB~4GB
MSI Reminds You...

- Dual-channel DDR works ONLY in the 3 combinations listed in
the table shown in the previous page.
- Please select the identical memory modules to install on the dual
channel, and DO NOT install three memory modules on three
DIMMs, or it may cause some failure.
- Always insert the memory modules into the GREEN slots first, and
it is strongly recommended not to insert the memory modules into
the PURPLE slots while the GREEN slots are left empty.
- This mainboard DO NOT support the memory module installed
with more than 18 pieces of IC (integrated circuit).
Recommended Memory Combination List

DIMM Slots
Green Purple Green Purple Max Speed
DIMM1 DIMM2 DIMM3 DIMM4
S - - - DDR 400
- - S - DDR 400
D - - - DDR 400
- - D - DDR 400
S - S - DDR 400
D - D - DDR 333
S S - - DDR 400
- - S S DDR 400
D D - - DDR 400
- - D D DDR 400
S S S S DDR 400
D D D D DDR 333
S: Single Side D: Double Side
2-8

Hardware Setup
MSI Reminds You...

1. The maximum memory speed decreases when the following two
Memory Combination is selected (you can also refer to the Rec-
ommended Memory Combination list shown in the previous page:
- Each channel is installed with two double-sided memory mod-
ules
- Both DIMM1 and DIMM3 slots are installed with double-sided
memory module.
2. Due to the South Bridge resource deployment, the system den-
sity will only be detected up to 3+GB (not full 4GB) when each
DIMM is installed with an 1GB memory module.
Installing DDR Modules

1. The DDR DIMM has only one notch on the center of module. The module will only
fit in the right orientation.
2. Insert the DIMM memory module vertically into the DIMM slot. Then push it in until
the golden finger on the memory module is deeply inserted in the socket.
3. The plastic clip at each side of the DIMM slot will automatically close.
Volt Notch
MSI Reminds You...

You can barely see the golden finger if the module is properly in-
serted in the socket.
2-9

Power Supply
The mainboard supports ATX power supply for the power system. Before inserting
the power supply connector, always make sure that all components are installed
properly to ensure that no damage will be caused.
ATX 20-Pin Power Connector: ATX1

This connector allows you to connect to an ATX power supply. To connect to the ATX
power supply, make sure the plug of the power supply is inserted in the proper
orientation and the pins are aligned. Then push down the power supply firmly into the
connector.
ATX 12V Power Connector: JPW1

This 12V power connector is used to provide power to the CPU.
ATX1 Pin Definition

10 20
PIN SIGNAL PIN SIGNAL
1 3.3V 11 3.3V
2 3.3V 12 -12V
3 GND 13 GND
4 5V 14 PS_ON
5 GND 15 GND
6 5V 16 GND
7 GND 17 GND
8 PW_OK 18 -5V
1 11
9 5V_SB 19 5V
ATX1 10 12V 20 5V
1 3 JPW1 Pin Definition

PIN SIGNAL
1 GND
2 4 2 GND
3 12V
JPW1
4 12V
MSI Reminds You...

1. These two connectors connect to the ATX power supply and have to
work together to ensure stable operation of the mainboard.
2. Power supply of 300 (and up) watt is highly recommended for system
stability.
2-10

Hardware Setup
Important Notification about Power Issue

NForce chipset is very sensitive to ESD (Electrostatic Discharge), therefore this
issue mostly happens while the users intensively swap memory modules under S5
(power-off) states, and the power code is plugged while installing modules. Due to
several pins are very sensitive to ESD, so this kind of memory-replacement actions
might cause system chipset unable to boot. Please follow the following solution to
avoid this situation.
Unplug the AC power cable (shown in figure 1) or unplug the ATX1 & JPW1 power
connectors (shown in figure 2 & figure 3) before the 1st installation or during sys-
tem upgrade procedure.
Figure 1:
Unplug the AC power cable
Figure 2:
Figure 3:
Unplug the ATX1 power connector
Unplug the JPW1 power connector
2-11

Back Panel
The back panel provides the following connectors:
L-In RS-Out
Parallel
Mouse LAN LAN
COM A 1394 Port SPDIF USB Ports L-Out CS-Out

Keyboard
(Optional) Out Mic SPDIF Out
(Coaxial) (Optical)
Mouse Connector (Green) / Keyboard Connector (Purple)

The mainboard provides a standard PS/2® mouse/keyboard mini DIN connector for
attaching a PS/2 ® mouse/keyboard. You can plug a PS/2® mouse/keyboard directly
into this connector. The connector location and pin assignments are as follows:
Pin Definition
6 5 PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION
4 3 1 Mouse/Keyboard Data Mouse/Keyboard data

2 NC No connection
3 GND Ground
2 1
4 VCC +5V
PS/2 Mouse / Keyboard 5 Mouse/Keyboard Clock Mouse/Keyboard clock
(6-pin Female) 6 NC No connection
IEEE1394 Port (Optional)

The back panel provides one standard IEEE 1394 port. The standard IEEE1394 port
connects to IEEE1394 devices without external power. The IEEE1394 high-speed
serial bus complements USB by providing enhanced PC connectivity for a wide range
of devices, including consumer electronics audio/video (A/V) appliances, storage
peripherals, other PCs, and portable devices.
IEEE1394 Port
2-12

Hardware Setup
Serial Port Connector

The mainboard offers one 9-pin male DIN connector as the serial port. The port is a
16550A high speed communication port that sends/receives 16 bytes FIFOs. You
can attach a serial mouse or other serial devices directly to the connector.
Pin Definition
1 2 3 4 5 PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION
1 DCD Data Carry Detect

2 SIN Serial In or Receive Data
3 SOUT Serial Out or Transmit Data
4 DTR Data Terminal Ready)
6 7 8 9
5 GND Ground
9-Pin Male DIN Connector 6 DSR Data Set Ready
7 RTS Request To Send
8 CTS Clear To Send
9 RI Ring Indicate
USB Connectors
The mainboard provides two OHCI (Open Host Controller Interface) Universal Serial
Bus roots for attaching USB devices such as keyboard, mouse or other USB-com-
patible devices. You can plug the USB device directly into the connector.
USB Port Description

PIN SIGNAL DESCRIPTION
1 VCC +5V
2 -Data 0 Negative Data Channel 0
1 2 3 4
3 +Data0 Positive Data Channel 0
4 GND Ground
5 VCC +5V
6 -Data 1 Negative Data Channel 1
5 6 7 8
7 +Data 1 Positive Data Channel 1
USB Ports 8 GND Ground
2-13

LAN (RJ-45) Jack

The mainboard provides 2 standard RJ-45 jacks for connection to single Local Area
Network (LAN). This Giga-bit LAN enables data to be transferred at 1000, 100 or
10Mbps. You can connect a network cable to either LAN jack.
Giga-bit LAN Pin Definition
1 D0P Differential Pair 0+

2 D0N Differential Pair 0-
RJ-45 LAN Jack
Audio Port Connectors

The left 3 audio jacks are for 2-channel mode for stereo speaker output: Line Out is
a connector for Speakers or Headphones. Line In is used for external CD player,
Tape player, or other audio devices. Mic is a connector for microphones.
However, there is an advanced audio application provided by Realtek ALC850 to
offer support for 7.1-channel audio operation and can turn rear audio connectors
from 2-channel to 4-/5.1-/7.1 channel audio.
S/PDIF Out-Coaxial
Line In Rear Speaker Out

(in 7.1CH / 6CH)
Center/Subwoofer
Line Out
Speaker Out
( in 7.1CH / 6CH)
MIC S/PDIF Out-Optical

(in 7.1CH / 6CH)
2-14

Hardware Setup
Parallel Port Connector: LPT1

The mainboard provides a 25-pin female centronic connector as LPT. A parallel port
is a standard printer port that supports Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) and Extended
Capabilities Parallel Port (ECP) mode.
13 1
25 14
Pin Definition
1 STROBE Strobe
2 DATA0 Data0
3 DATA1 Data1
4 DATA2 Data2
5 DATA3 Data3
6 DATA4 Data4
7 DATA5 Data5
8 DATA6 Data6
9 DATA7 Data7
10 ACK# Acknowledge
11 BUSY Busy
12 PE Paper End
13 SELECT Select
14 AUTO FEED# Automatic Feed
15 ERR# Error
16 INIT# Initialize Printer
17 SLIN# Select In
18 GND Ground
19 GND Ground
20 GND Ground
21 GND Ground
22 GND Ground
23 GND Ground
24 GND Ground
25 GND Ground
2-15

Connectors
The mainboard provides connectors to connect to FDD, IDE HDD, case, LAN, USB
Ports, IR module and CPU/System FAN.
Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1

The mainboard provides a standard floppy disk drive connector that supports 360K,
720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88M floppy disk types.
FDD1
Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1 / SFAN1 / SFAN2 / NBFAN1

The CPUFAN1 (processor fan), SFAN1 (system fan 1), SFAN2 (system fan 2) and
NBFAN1 (NorthBridge Chipset fan) support system cooling fan with +12V. It supports
three-pin head connector. When connecting the wire to the connectors, always take
note that the red wire is the positive and should be connected to the +12V, the black
wire is Ground and should be connected to GND. If the mainboard has a System
Hardware Monitor chipset on-board, you must use a specially designed fan with
speed sensor to take advantage of the CPU fan control.
GND GND GND GND

+12V +12V +12V +12V
SENSOR NC NC Sensor
CPUFAN1 SFAN1 SFAN2 NBFAN1
MSI Reminds You...

1. Always consult the vendors for proper CPU cooling fan.
2. CPUFAN1 supports fan control. You can install Core Center util-
ity that will automatically control the CPU fan speed according to
the actual CPU temperature.
3. Please refer to the recommended CPU fans at AMD ® official
website.
2-16

Hardware Setup
Hard Disk Connectors: IDE1 / IDE2

The mainboard has a 32-bit Enhanced PCI IDE and Ultra DMA 33/66/100/133 controller
that provides PIO mode 0~4, Bus Master, and Ultra DMA 33/66/100/133 function. You
can connect up to four hard disk drives, CD-ROM, or other devices.
IDE2 IDE1
IDE1 (Primary IDE Connector)

The first hard drive should always be connected to IDE1. IDE1 can connect a Master
and a Slave drive. You must configure second hard drive to Slave mode by setting the
jumper accordingly.
IDE2 (Secondary IDE Connector)
IDE2 can also connect a Master and a Slave drive.
MSI Reminds You...

If you install two hard disks on cable, you must configure the second
drive to Slave mode by setting its jumper. Refer to the hard disk
documentation supplied by hard disk vendors for jumper setting
instructions.
Chassis Intrusion Switch Connector: JCI1

This connector is connected to a 2-pin chassis switch. If the chas- GND 2
sis is opened, the switch will be short. The system will record this CINTRU 1
status and show a warning message on the screen. To clear the JCI1
warning, you must enter the BIOS utility and clear the record.
2-17

Serial ATA/Serial ATA RAID Connectors controlled by

nForce3 Ultra: SATA1 / SATA2 / SATA3 / SATA4
The Southbridge of this mainboard is nForce3 Ultra which supports four serial
ATA connectors SATA1~SATA4.
SATA1~SATA4 are dual high-speed Serial ATA interface ports. Each supports
1st generation serial ATA data rates of 150 MB/s. Both connectors are fully compliant
with Serial ATA 1.0 specifications. Each Serial ATA connector can connect to 1 hard
disk device. Please refer to the nVidia RAID Introduction for detail software instal-
lation procedure.
SATA3
SATA4 SATA1~ SATA4 Pin Definition
7 1
SATA2 SATA1 1 GND 2 TXP

3 TXN 4 GND
1 5 RXN 6 RXP
7 GND
Serial ATA cable
Take out the dust cover and

connect to the hard disk
devices
Connect to serial ATA ports
MSI Reminds You...

Please do not fold the serial ATA cable in a 90-degree angle, which will
cause the loss of data during the transmission.
CD-In Connector: JCD1 L

The connector is for CD-ROM audio connector.
JCD1 GND
2-18

Hardware Setup
Front Panel Connectors: JFP1 / JFP2

The mainboard provides two front panel connectors for electrical connection
to the front panel switches and LEDs. JFP1 is compliant with Intel® Front Panel I/O
Connectivity Design Guide.
JFP1 Pin Definition

JFP1 1 HD_LED_P Hard disk LED pull-up
2 FP PWR/SLP MSG LED pull-up
Reset HDD
Switch LED 3 HD_LED_N Hard disk active LED
4 FP PWR/SLP MSG LED pull-up
9 1 5 RST_SW_N Reset Switch low reference pull-down to GND
10 2 6 PWR_SW_P Power Switch high reference pull-up
7 RST_SW_P Reset Switch high reference pull-up
Power Power 8 PWR_SW_N Power Switch low reference pull-down to GND
Switch LED
9 RSVD_DNU Reserved. Do not use.
JFP2 Pin Definition

Speaker
2 8
JFP2 1 7
1 GND 2 SPK-
3 SLED 4 BUZ+
Power 5 PLED 6 BUZ-
LED 7 NC 8 SPK+
Front USB Connectors: JUSB1 / JUSB2

The mainboard provides two standard USB 2.0 pin headers JUSB1 & JUSB2 .
USB 2.0 technology increases data transfer rate up to a maximum throughput of
480Mbps, which is 40 times faster than USB 1.1, and is ideal for connecting high-
speed USB interface peripherals such as USB HDD, digital cameras, MP3 players,
printers, modems and the like.
JUSB1 & JUSB2 Pin Definition
1 VCC 2 VCC
2 10
3 USB0- 4 USB1-
1 9
5 USB0+ 6 USB1+
JUSB1, JUSB2 7 GND 8 GND
(USB 2.0) 9 Key (no pin) 10 USBOC
Connected to JUSB1 or JUSB2

(the USB pinheader in YELLOW color) USB 2.0 Bracket
(Optional)
2-19

Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1

The JAUD1 front panel audio connector allows you to connect to the front
panel audio and is compliant with Intel® Front Panel I/O Connectivity Design Guide.
Pin Definition
1 AUD_MIC Front panel microphone input signal

2 AUD_GND Ground used by analog audio circuits
JAUD1
3 AUD_MIC_BIAS Microphone power
2 10 4 AUD_VCC Filtered +5V used by analog audio circuits
1 9
5 AUD_FPOUT_R Right channel audio signal to front panel
6 AUD_RET_R Right channel audio signal return from front panel
7 HP_ON Reserved for future use to control headphone amplifier
8 KEY No pin
9 AUD_FPOUT_L Left channel audio signal to front panel
10 AUD_RET_L Left channel audio signal return from front panel
MSI Reminds You...

If you don’t want to connect to the front audio header,
pins 5 & 6, 9 & 10 have to be jumpered in order to have 6 10
signal output directed to the rear audio ports. Otherwise,
the Line-Out connector on the back panel will not 5 9
function.
IEEE 1394 Connectors: J1394_1 / J1394_2 (Optional)

The mainboard provides two 1394 pin headers that allow you to connect IEEE
1394 ports via an external IEEE1394 bracket (optional).
Pin Definition

2 10
1 TPA+ 2 TPA-
1 9
3 Ground 4 Ground
J1394_1, J1394_2 5 TPB+ 6 TPB-

7 Cable power 8 Cable power
9 Key (no pin) 10 Ground
IEEE1394 Bracket
(Optional)
Foolproof Design
(the 1394 pinheader in GREEN color)
2-20

Hardware Setup
IrDA Infrared Module Header: JIR1

The connector allows you to connect to IrDA Infrared module. You must con-
figure the setting through the BIOS setup to use the IR function. JIR1 is compliant with
Intel® Front Panel I/O Connectivity Design Guide.
JIR1 Pin Definition
6 5 Pin Signal Pin Signal

JIR1
1 NC 2 NC
2 1
3 VCC5 4 GND
5 IRTX 6 IRRX
D-Bracket™ 2 Connector: JDB1 (Optional)

The mainboard comes with a JDB1 connector for you to connect to D-Bracket™ 2. D-
Bracket™ 2 is a USB Bracket that supports both USB1.1 & 2.0 spec. It integrates four
LEDs and allows users to identify system problem through 16 various combinations
of LED signals.
Pin Definition
Pin Signal
1 DBG1 (high for green color)
2 DBR1 (high for red color)
2 10 3 DBG2 (high for green color)
1 9
JDB1 5 DBG3 (high for green color)
7 DBG4 (high for green color)
9 Key
10 NC
D-Bracket™ 2
Connected to JDB1 (Optional)
Connected to JUSB1 or JUSB2 LEDs

(the USB pinheader in YELLOW color)
2-21

D-Bracket™ 2 is an external USB bracket integrating four Diagnostic LEDs, which

use graphic signal display to help users understand their system. The LEDs provide
up to 16 combinations of signals to debug the system. The 4 LEDs can debug all
problems that fail the system, such as VGA, RAM or other failures. This special
feature is very useful for the overclocking users. These users can use the feature to
detect if there are any problems or failures.
D-Bracket™ 2 supports both USB 1.1 & 2.0 specification.
1 2
D-Bracket™ 2 3 4
Red Green
D-Bracket™ 2 Description
System Power ON
1 2
The D-LED will hang here if the processor is damaged or
3 4
not installed properly.
Early Chipset Initialization
Memory Detection Test

Testing onboard memory size. The D-LED will hang if the
memory module is damaged or not installed properly.
Decompressing BIOS image to RAM for fast booting.
Initializing Keyboard Controller.
Testing VGA BIOS

This will start writing VGA sign-on message to the screen.
2-22

Hardware Setup
D-Bracket™ 2 Description
Processor Initialization
1 2
This will show information regarding the processor (like
3 4
brand name, system bus, etc...)
Testing RTC (Real Time Clock)
Initializing Video Interface

This will start detecting CPU clock, checking type of video
onboard. Then, detect and initialize the video adapter.
BIOS Sign On
This will start showing information about logo, proces-
sor brand name, etc...
Testing Base and Extended Memory

Testing base memory from 240K to 640K and extended
memory above 1MB using various patterns.
Assign Resources to all ISA.
Initializing Hard Drive Controller

This will initialize IDE drive and controller.
Initializing Floppy Drive Controller

This will initialize Floppy Drive and controller.
Boot Attempt
This will set low stack and boot via INT 19h.
Operating System Booting
2-23

Jumpers
The motherboard provides the following jumpers for you to set the computer’s
function. This section will explain how to change your motherboard’s function through
the use of jumpers.
Clear CMOS Jumper: JBAT1
There is a CMOS RAM on board that has a power supply from external battery
to keep the system configuration data. With the CMOS RAM, the system can auto-
matically boot OS every time it is turned on. If you want to clear the system
configuration, use the JBAT1 (Clear CMOS Jumper ) to clear data. Follow the instruc-
tions below to clear the data:
3
1 Keep Data Clear Data
1
JBAT1
MSI Reminds You...

You can clear CMOS by shorting 2-3 pin while the system is off.
Then return to 1-2 pin position. Avoid clearing the CMOS while the
system is on; it will damage the mainboard.
2-24

Hardware Setup
Slots
The mainboard provides one AGP slot and five 32-bit PCI bus slots.
AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) Slot

The AGP slot allows you to insert the AGP graphics card. AGP is an interface
specification designed for the throughput demands of 3D graphics. It introduces a
66MHz, 32-bit channel for the graphics controller to directly access main memory.
The slot supports 8x/4x AGP card.
AGP Slot
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slots

The PCI slots allow you to insert the expansion cards to meet your needs.
When adding or removing expansion cards, make sure that you unplug the power
supply first. Meanwhile, read the documentation for the expansion card to make any
necessary hardware or software settings for the expansion card, such as jumpers,
switches or BIOS configuration.
The orange PCI slot (PCI5) also works as a communcation slot, which allows
you to insert the communcation card.
PCI Slots
PCI Interrupt Request Routing

The IRQ, acronym of interrupt request line and pronounced I-R-Q, are hard-
ware lines over which devices can send interrupt signals to the microprocessor. The
PCI IRQ pins are typically connected to the PCI bus INT A# ~ INT D# pins as follows:
Order 1 Order 2 Order 3 Order 4

PCI Slot 1 INT A# INT B# INT C# INT D#
PCI Slot 2 INT B# INT C# INT D# INT A#
PCI Slot 3 INT C# INT D# INT A# INT B#
PCI Slot 4 INT D# INT A# INT B# INT C#
PCI Slot 5 INT B# INT C# INT D# INT A#
2-25

BIOS Setup
Chapter 3. BIOS Setup
BIOS Setup
This chapter provides information on the BIOS Setup program and allows
you to configure the system for optimum use.
You may need to run the Setup program when:

An error message appears on the screen during the system
booting up, and requests you to run SETUP.
You want to change the default settings for customized
features.
MSI Reminds You...

1. The items under each BIOS category described in this chapter are
under continuous update for better system performance.
Therefore, the description may be slightly different from the latest
BIOS and should be held for reference only.
2. While booting up, the BIOS version is shown in the 1st line ap-
pearing after the memory counting. It is usually in the format:
example: W7025NMS V1.0B32 061704
where:
1st digit refers to BIOS maker as A=AMI(R); W=AWARD(R)
2nd - 5th digit refers to the model number.
6th digit refers to nVIDIA chipset.
7th - 8th digit refers to the customer, MS=all standard customers.
V1.0 refers to the BIOS version.
061704 refers to the date this BIOS is released.
3-1

Entering Setup
Power on the computer and the system will start POST (Power On Self Test) process.
When the message below appears on the screen, press <DEL> key to enter Setup.
Press DEL to enter SETUP
If the message disappears before you respond and you still wish to enter Setup,
restart the system by turning it OFF and On or pressing the RESET button. You may
also restart the system by simultaneously pressing <Ctrl>, <Alt>, and <Delete> keys.
Selecting the First Boot Device

You are allowed to select the 1st boot device without entering the BIOS setup utility
by pressing <F11>. When the same message as listed above appears on the screen,
press <F11> to trigger the boot menu.
The POST messages might pass by too quickly for you to respond in time. If so,
restart the system and press <F11> after around 2 or 3 seconds to activate the boot
menu similar to the following.
Select First Boot Device
Floppy : 1st Floppy

IDE-0 : IBM-DTLA-307038
CDROM : ATAPI CD-ROM DRIVE 40X M
[Up/Dn] Select [RETURN] Boot [ESC] cancel
The boot menu will list all the bootable devices. Select the one you want to boot from
by using arrow keys, then press <Enter>. The system will boot from the selected
device. The selection will not make changes to the settings in the BIOS setup utility,
so next time when you power on the system, it will still use the original first boot
device to boot up.
MSI Reminds You...

The items under each BIOS category described in this chapter are
under continuous update for better system performance. Therefore,
the description may be slightly different from the latest BIOS and
should be held for reference only.
3-2

BIOS Setup
Control Keys
<↑> Move to the previous item

<↓> Move to the next item
<←> Move to the item in the left hand
<→> Move to the item in the right hand
<Enter> Select the item
<Esc> Jumps to the Exit menu or returns to the main menu from a
submenu
<+/PU> Increase the numeric value or make changes
<-/PD> Decrease the numeric value or make changes
<F5> Previous Values
<F6> Load Fail-Safe Defaults
<F7> Load Optimized Defaults
<F10> Save all the CMOS changes and exit
Getting Help
After entering the Setup menu, the first menu you will see is the Main Menu.
Main Menu
The main menu lists the setup functions you can make changes to. You can use
the arrow keys ( ↑↓ ) to select the item. The on-line description of the highlighted
setup function is displayed at the bottom of the screen.
Sub-Menu
If you find a right pointer symbol (as shown in the right view) appears to the left
of certain fields that means a sub-menu can be launched from this field. A sub-
menu contains additional options for a field
parameter. You can use arrow keys ( ↑↓ ) to
highlight the field and press <Enter> to call up
the sub-menu. Then you can use the control
keys to enter values and move from field to
field within a sub-menu. If you want to return
to the main menu, just press the <Esc >.
General Help <F1>

The BIOS setup program provides a General Help screen. You can call up this screen
from any menu by simply pressing <F1>. The Help screen lists the appropriate keys
to use and the possible selections for the highlighted item. Press <Esc> to exit the
Help screen.
3-3

The Main Menu

Once you enter Phoenix-Award® BIOS CMOS Setup Utility, the Main Menu will
appear on the screen. The Main Menu allows you to select from twelve setup func-
tions and two exit choices. Use arrow keys to select among the items and press
<Enter> to accept or enter the sub-menu.
Standard CMOS Features

Use this menu for basic system configurations, such as time, date etc.
Advanced BIOS Features

Use this menu to setup the items of AWARD ® special enhanced features.
Advanced Chipset Features

Use this menu to change the values in the chipset registers and optimize your system’s
performance.
Integrated Peripherals
Use this menu to specify your settings for integrated peripherals.
Power Management Setup

Use this menu to specify your settings for power management.
PNP/PCI Configurations
This entry appears if your system supports PnP/PCI.
H/W Monitor
Use this menu to specify your settings for hardware.
Cell Menu
Use this menu to specify your settings for CPU/AGP frequency/voltage control and
overclocking.
3-4

BIOS Setup
Load Fail-Safe Setup Defaults

Use this menu to load factory default settings into the BIOS for stable system perfor-
mance operations.
Load Optimized Defaults

Use this menu to load the BIOS values for the best system performance, but the
system stability may be affected.
Set Supervisor Password

Use this menu to set Supervisor Password.
Set User Password

Use this menu to set User Password.
Save & Exit Setup

Save changes to CMOS and exit setup.
Exit Without Saving

Abandon all changes and exit setup.
3-5

Standard CMOS Features
The items in Standard CMOS Features Menu includes some basic setup items.
Use the arrow keys to highlight the item and then use the <PgUp> or <PgDn> keys to
select the value you want in each item.
Date
This allows you to set the system to the date that you want (usually the current date).
The format is <day><month> <date> <year>.
day Day of the week, from Sun to Sat, determined by
BIOS. Read-only.
month The month from Jan. through Dec.
date The date from 1 to 31 can be keyed by numeric
function keys.
year The year can be adjusted by users.
Time
This allows you to set the system time that you want (usually the current time). The
time format is <hour> <minute> <second>.
IDE Primary/Secondary Master/Slave

Press PgUp/<+> or PgDn/<-> to select [Manual], [None] or [Auto] type. Note that the
specifications of your drive must match with the drive table. The hard disk will not
work properly if you enter improper information for this category. If your hard disk
drive type is not matched or listed, you can use [Manual] to define your own drive
type manually.
If you select [Manual], related information is asked to be entered to the following
items. Enter the information directly from the keyboard. This information should be
provided in the documentation from your hard disk vendor or the system manufacturer.
Access Mode The settings are CHS, LBA, Large, Auto.
Capacity The formatted size of the storage device.
Cylinder Number of cylinders.
3-6

BIOS Setup
Head Number of heads.

Precomp Write precompensation.
Landing Zone Cylinder location of the landing zone.
Sector Number of sectors.
Drive A
This item allows you to set the type of floppy drive installed. Available options: [None],
[360K, 5.25 in.], [1.2M, 5.25 in.], [720K, 3.5 in.], [1.44M, 3.5 in.], [2.88M, 3.5 in.].
Video
The setting controls the type of video adapter used for the primary monitor of the
system. Available options are [EGA/VGA], [CGA 40], [CGA 80] and [Mono].
Halt On
The setting determines whether the system will stop if an error is detected at boot.
Available options are:
[All Errors] The system stops when any error is detected.
[No Errors] The system doesn’t stop for any detected error.
[All, But Keyboard] The system doesn’t stop for a keyboard error.
[All, But Diskette] The system doesn’t stop for a disk error.
[All, But Disk/Key] The system doesn’t stop for either a disk or a key-
board error.
CPU Type/BIOS Version/Video Memory/System Memory/Total Memory

The items show the CPU type, BIOS version and memory status of your system (read
only).
3-7

Advanced BIOS Features
Full Screen LOGO Display

This item enables you to show the company logo on the bootup screen. Settings are:
[Enabled] Shows a still image (logo) on the full screen at boot.
[Disabled] Shows the POST messages at boot.
Small Logo(EPA) Display

This item enables you to show the EPA logo (brand specific graphics) on the bootup
screen. Settings are:
[Disabled] Shows the normal POST screen at boot.
[Enabled] Shows a still image (EPA logo) on the screen at boot.
Hard Disk Boot Priority

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu. Then you may use the arrow keys ( ↑↓ ) to
select the desired device, then press <+>, <-> or <PageUp>, <PageDown> key to
move it up/down in this hard disk boot priority list.
Virus Warning
The item is to set the Virus Warning feature for IDE Hard Disk boot sector protection.
If the function is enabled and any attempt to write data into this area is made, BIOS
will display a warning message on screen and beep. Settings: [Disabled] and [Enabled].
CPU Internal Cache

The item allows you to turn on or off CPU’s internal (L1) cache. Settings: [Enabled]
and [Disabled].
External Cache
The item allows you to turn on or off CPU’s external (L2) cache. Settings: [Enabled]
and [Disabled].
3-8

BIOS Setup
Quick Boot
Setting the item to [Enabled] allows the system to boot within 5 seconds since it will
skip some check items. Available options: [Enabled], [Disabled].
1st/2nd/3rd Boot Device

The items allow you to set the sequence of boot devices where BIOS attempts to load
the disk operating system.
Boot Other Device

Setting the option to [Enabled] allows the system to try to boot from other device if the
system fails to boot from the 1st/2nd/3rd boot device.
Seek Floppy
Setting to [Enabled] will make BIOS seek floppy drive A: before booting the system.
Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].
Boot Up Num-Lock LED

This setting is to set the Num Lock status when the system is powered on. Setting to
[On] will turn on the Num Lock key when the system is powered on. Setting to [Off]
will allow users to use the arrow keys on the numeric keypad. Setting options: [On],
[Off].
Gate A20 Option

This item is to set the Gate A20 status. A20 refers to the first 64KB of extended
memory. When the default value [Fast] is selected, the Gate A20 is controlled by
Port92 or chipset specific method resulting in faster system performance. When
[Normal] is selected, A20 is controlled by a keyboard controller or chipset hardware.
Typematic Rate Setting

This item is used to enable or disable the typematic rate setting including Typematic
Rate & Typematic Delay.
Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec)

After Typematic Rate Setting is enabled, this item allows you to set the rate
(characters/second) at which the keys are accelerated. Settings: [6], [8], [10], [12],
[15], [20], [24], [30].
Typematic Delay (Msec)

This item allows you to select the delay between when the key was first pressed
and when the acceleration begins. Settings: [250], [500], [750], [1000].
3-9

Security Option
This specifies the type of BIOS password protection that is implemented. Settings are
described below:
Option Description
[Setup] The password prompt appears only when end users try to run
Setup.
[System] A password prompt appears every time when the computer is
powered on or when end users try to run Setup.
APIC Function
This field is used to enable or disable the APIC (Advanced Programmable Interrupt
Controller). Due to compliance with PC2001 design guide, the system is able to run in
APIC mode. Enabling APIC mode will expand available IRQ resources for the system.
MPS Table Version

This field allows you to select which MPS (Multi-Processor Specification) version to
be used for the operating system. You need to select the MPS version supported by
your operating system. To find out which version to use, consult the vendor of your
operating system. Settings: [1.4], [1.1].
Boot OS/2 for DRAM > 64MB

This allows you to run the OS/2® operating system with DRAM larger than 64MB.
When you choose [Non-OS2], you cannot run the OS/2 ® operating system with
DRAM larger than 64MB. But it is possible if you choose [OS2].
3-10

BIOS Setup
Advanced Chipset Features
AGP Aperture Size

This setting controls just how much system RAM can be allocated to AGP for video
purposes. The aperture is a portion of the PCI memory address range dedicated to
graphics memory address space. Host cycles that hit the aperture range are for-
warded to the AGP without any translation. The option allows the selection of an
aperture size of [32MB], [64MB], [128MB], [256MB] and [512MB].
AGP 3.0 Speed / AGP 2.0 Speed

AGP 3.0 Speed or AGP 2.0 Speed appears depending on the AGP card installed on
the mainboard. This item sets an appropriate speed for the installed AGP card. Setting
options for AGP 2.0 Speed: [1x], [1x2x], [1x2x4x]. Setting options for AGP 3.0 Speed:
[4x], [4x8x].
AGP Fast Write

The item enables or disables the AGP Fast Write feature. The Fast Write technology
allows CPU to write directly into the graphics controller without passing anything
through system memory and improves 8x speed accordingly. Select [Auto] only
when your AGP card supports the feature. Options: [Disabled], [Auto].
System BIOS Cacheable

Selecting [Enabled] allows caching of the system BIOS ROM at F0000h-FFFFFh,
resulting in better system performance. However, if any program writes to this
memory area, a system error may result. Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].
3-11

Integrated Peripherals
IDE Function Setup

Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears:
OnChip IDE Channel 0

The integrated peripheral controller contains an IDE interface with support for
two IDE channels. Choose [Enabled] to activate each channel separately.
Primary/Secondary Master/Slave PIO

The four IDE PIO (Programmed Input/Output) fields let you set a PIO mode (0-4)
for each of the four IDE devices that the onboard IDE interface supports. Modes
0 through 4 provide successively increased performance. In [Auto] mode, the
system automatically determines the best mode for each device. The settings
are: [Auto], [Mode 0], [Mode 1], [Mode 2], [Mode 3], [Mode 4].
Primary/Secondary Master/Slave UDMA

Ultra DMA/33 implementation is possible only if your IDE hard drive supports it
and the operating environment includes a DMA driver (Windows 95 OSR2 or a
third-party IDE bus master driver). If your hard drive and your system software
both support Ultra DMA/33, Ultra DMA/66 and Ultra DMA/100 select Auto to
enable BIOS support. The settings are: [Auto], [Disabled].
3-12

BIOS Setup
IDE Prefetch Mode

The onboard IDE drive interfaces support IDE prefetching, for faster drive
accesses. When you install a primary and/or secondary add-in IDE interface,
set this option to [Disabled] if the interface does not support prefetching. The
settings are: [Enabled], [Disabled].
SATA1/SATA2 DMA Transfer

SATA3/SATA4 DMA Transfer
This allows you to enable or disable onchip Serial-ATA DMA transfer function.
Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled]. The settings are: [Enabled], [Disabled].
IDE DMA Transfer Access

This item is used to enable or disable the DMA transfer function of the IDE Hard
Drive. The settings are: [Enabled], [Disabled].
Onboard Device
RAID Config
IDE RAID
This item is available for you to enable/disable the onboard IDE RAID function.
Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].
IDE Primary/Secondary Master/Slave RAID

This feature allows users to enable or disable the RAID function for each
IDE hard disk drive. Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].
SATA 1/2/3/4 RAID

This feature allows users to enable or disable the RAID function for each
SATA hard disk drive. The settings are: [Enabled], [Disabled].
3-13

OnChip USB
This setting allows you to enable/disable the onboard USB controller. Selecting
[V1.1+V2.0] enables the system to support both USB 1.1 and 2.0 spec. Setting
options: [Disabled], [V1.1], [V1.1+V2.0].
USB KB/Storage Support

Select [Enabled] if you need to use a USB-interfaced keyboard or storage
device in the operating system. Setting options: [Enabled], [Disabled].
USB Mouse Support

Select [Enabled] if you need to use a USB-interfaced mouse in the operating
system. The settings are: [Enabled], [Disabled].
SATA1/SATA2
This allows you to enable or disable onchip Serial-ATA controller 1 & 2. Settings:
[Enabled], [Disabled].
SATA3/SATA4
This allows you to enable or disable onchip Serial-ATA controller 3 & 4. Settings:
AC97 Audio
[Auto] allows the mainboard to detect whether an audio device is used. If an
audio device is detected, the onboard AC’97 (Audio Codec’97) controller will be
enabled; if not, it is disabled. Disable the controller if you want to use other
controller cards to connect an audio device. The settings are: [Auto], [Disabled].
MAC LAN (nVIDIA)

Setting to [Auto] allows the BIOS to auto-detect the nVIDIA LAN controller and
enable it. Setting options: [Auto] and [Disabled].
VIA OnBoard 1394 (Optional)

This item allows you to enable/disable the onboard IEEE1394 controller. The
settings are: [Enabled], [Disabled].
Onboard Giga LAN (Optional)

This setting controls the onboard Giga LAN controller. Setting options: [Enabled],
[Disabled].
Primary Graphics Adapter

Initialize the AGP video display before initializing any other display device on the
system. Thus the AGP display becomes the primary display. Setting options: [AGP]
and [PCI].
3-14

BIOS Setup
Onboard I/O Chip Setup

Onboard FDC Controller

Select [Enabled] if your system has a floppy disk controller (FDD) installed on
the system board and you wish to use it. If you install add-on FDC or the system
has no floppy drive, select [Disabled] in this field. The settings are: [Enabled],
[Disabled].
Onboard Serial Port 1

Select an address and corresponding interrupt for the first serial port. The
settings are: [3F8/IRQ4], [2E8/IRQ3], [3E8/IRQ4], [2F8/IRQ3], [Disabled], [Auto].
IR Function Select
This setting allows you to specify the operation mode for serial port 2. Setting
options: [IrDA], [ASKIR], [Disable].
[Disable] RS-232C Serial Port
[IrDA] IrDA-compliant Serial Infrared Port
[ASKIR] Amplitude Shift Keyed Infrared Port
RxD, TxD Active

This setting controls the receiving and transmitting speed of the IR peripheral in
use. Setting options: [Hi,Hi], [Hi,Lo], [Lo,Hi], [Lo,Lo].
IR Transmission Delay
This setting determines whether the IR transmission rate will be delayed while
converting to receiving mode. Setting options: [Disabled], [Enabled].
UR2 Duplex Mode

This setting controls the operating mode of IR transmission/reception. Setting
options: [Full], [Half]. Under [Full] Duplex mode, synchronous, bi-directional trans-
mission/reception is allowed. Under [Half] Duplex mode, only asynchronous, bi-
directional transmission/reception is allowed.
Use IR Pins
Please consult your IR peripheral documentation to select the correct setting of
the TxD and RxD signals. Setting options: [RxD2/TxD2], [IR-Rx2Tx2].
3-15

Onboard Parallel Port

There is a built-in parallel port on the on-board Super I/O chipset that provides
Standard, ECP, and EPP features. It has the following options:
[Disabled]
[3BC/IRQ7] Line Printer port 0
[278/IRQ5] Line Printer port 2
[378/IRQ7] Line Printer port 1
Parallel Port Mode

SPP : Standard Parallel Port
EPP : Enhanced Parallel Port
ECP : Extended Capability Port
ECP + EPP: Extended Capability Port + Enhanced Parallel Port
Normal
SPP/EPP/ECP/ECP+EPP
To operate the onboard parallel port as Standard Parallel Port only, choose
[SPP]. To operate the onboard parallel port in the EPP mode simultaneously,
choose [EPP]. By choosing [ECP], the onboard parallel port will operate in
ECP mode only. Choosing [ECP + EPP] will allow the onboard parallel port to
support both the ECP and EPP modes simultaneously. Choose [Normal] to
use Standard Parallel Port + Bi-Directional Mode simultaneously.
EPP Mode Select

The onboard parallel port is EPP Spec. compliant, so after the user chooses the
onboard parallel port with the EPP function, the following message will be
displayed on the screen: “EPP Mode Select.” At this time either [EPP 1.7] spec or
[EPP 1.9] spec can be chosen.
ECP Mode Use DMA

The ECP mode has to use the DMA channel, so choose the onboard parallel port
with the ECP feature. After selecting it, the following message will appear:
“ECP Mode Use DMA.” At this time, the user can choose between DMA channel
[3] or [1].
3-16

BIOS Setup
Power Management Setup
MSI Reminds You...

S3-related functions described in this section are available only when
your BIOS supports S3 sleep mode.
Sleep State
This item specifies the power saving modes for ACPI function. If your operating
system supports ACPI, such as Windows 98SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, and
Windows XP, you can choose to enter the Standby mode in S1(POS) or S3(STR)
fashion through the setting of this field. Options are:
[S1 (POS)] The S1 sleep mode is a low power state. In this state, no
system context is lost (CPU or chipset) and hardware main-
tains all system context.
[S3 (STR)] The S3 sleep mode is a lower power state where the in
formation of system configuration and open applications/files
is saved to main memory that remains powered while most
other hardware components turn off to save energy. The
information stored in memory will be used to restore the sys-
tem when a “wake up” event occurs.
Power Management
This item is used to select the degree (or type) of power saving and is related to the
HDD Power Down item. There are three options for power management:
[Min Saving] Minimum Power Management. Suspend Mode=1 Hour
[Max Saving] Maximum Power Management. Suspend Mode=1 Min
[User Define] Allows end users to configure each mode separately.
Video Off Method

This determines the manner in which the monitor is blanked.
[V/H SYNC+Blank] This selection will cause the system to turn off the
vertical and horizontal synchronization ports and write
blanks to the video buffer.
[Blank Screen] This option only writes blanks to the video buffer.
[DPMS Support] Initial display power management signalling.
3-17

HDD Power Down

If HDD activity is not detected for the length of time specified in this field, the hard disk
drive will be powered down while all other devices remain active. Settings are
[Disabled] and [1] through [15] Min.
HDD Down In Suspend

This item determines whether the hard disk drive will be turned off during suspend
mode. Settings: [Disabled] and [Enabled].
Power Button Function

This feature sets the function of the power button. Settings are:
[Power Off] The power button functions as normal power off button.
[Suspend] When you press the power button, the computer enters the
suspend/sleep mode, but if the button is pressed for more
than four seconds, the computer is turned off.
After AC Power Lost

This item specifies whether your system will reboot after a power failure or interrupt
occurs. Available settings are:
[Off] Always leaves the computer in the power off state.
[On] Always leaves the computer in the power on state.
[Last State] Restores the system to the status before power failure
or interrupt occurred.
Wake-Up Event Activity

Press <Enter> and the following sub-menu appears.
WOL (PME#) From Soft-Off

When set to [Enabled], the feature allows your system to be awakened from the
power saving modes through any event on PME (Power Management Event).
Power-On by Alarm
The field is used to enable or disable the feature of booting up the system on a
scheduled time/date. Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].
Day of Month Alarm

The field specifies the date for Power-On by Alarm. Settings: [0]~[31].
Time(hh:mm:ss) Alarm
The field specifies the time for Power-On by Alarm. Format is <hour><minute>
<second>.
3-18

BIOS Setup
S3 wake up by PS2/Keyboard, S3 wake up by PS2/Mouse

These fields allow the activity of the PS2 (keyboard and mouse) to wake up the
system from S3 sleep state. Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].
3-19

PNP/PCI Configurations
This section describes configuring the PCI bus system and PnP (Plug & Play)
feature. PCI, or Peripheral Component Interconnect, is a system which allows I/O
devices to operate at speeds nearing the speed the CPU itself uses when communi-
cating with its special components. This section covers some very technical items
and it is strongly recommended that only experienced users should make any changes
to the default settings.
Resource Controlled By
The Award Plug and Play BIOS has the capacity to automatically configure all of the
boot and Plug and Play compatible devices. However, this capability means abso-
lutely nothing unless you are using a Plug and Play operating system such as Win-
dows® 95/98. If you set this field to [Manual], choose specific resources by going into
each of the sub menu that follows this field (a sub menu is preceded by a “`”). The
settings are: [Auto (ESCD)], [Manual].
IRQ Resources
The items are adjustable only when Resources Controlled By is set to [Manual].
Press <Enter> and you will enter the sub-menu of the items. IRQ Resources list IRQ
3/4/5/7/9/10/11/12/14/15 for users to set each IRQ a type depending on the type of
device using the IRQ. Settings are:
[PCI Device] For Plug & Play compatible devices designed for PCI bus
architecture.
[Reserved] The IRQ will be reserved for further request.
MSI Reminds You...

IRQ (Interrupt Request) lines are system resources allocated to I/O
devices. When an I/O device needs to gain attention of the operating
system, it signals this by causing an IRQ to occur. After receiving the
signal, when the operating system is ready, the system will interrupt
itself and perform the service required by the I/O device.
3-20

BIOS Setup
PCI/VGA Palette Snoop

When set to [Enabled], multiple VGA devices operating on different buses can handle
data from the CPU on each set of palette registers on every video device. Bit 5 of the
command register in the PCI device configuration space is the VGA Palette Snoop bit
(0 is disabled). For example, if there are two VGA devices in the computer (one PCI
and one ISA) and the:
VGA Palette Snoop
Bit Setting Action
[Disabled] Data read or written by the CPU is only directed to the PCI
VGA device’s palette registers.
[Enabled] Data read or written by the CPU is directed to both the PCI
VGA device’s palette registers and the ISA VGA device’s
palette registers, permitting the palette registers of both
VGA devices to be identical.
The setting must be set to [Enabled] if any ISA bus adapter in the system requires
VGA palette snooping.
3-21

H/W Monitor
This section shows the status of your CPU, fan, overall system status, etc.
Monitor function is available only if there is hardware monitoring mechanism onboard.
Chassis Intrusion Detect

The field enables or disables the feature of recording the chassis intrusion status
and issuing a warning message if the chassis is once opened. To clear the warning
message, set the field to [Reset]. The setting of the field will automatically return to
[Enabled] later. Setting options: [Enabled], [Reset], [Disabled].
Smart CPU Fan Target

There are 2 pairs of Temperature/FAN Speed control: System Temperature with
System Fan, and CPU Temperature with CPU Fan. W83627THF provides the Smart
Fan system which can control the fan speed automatically depending on the current
temperature to keep it with in a specific range. Settings: [Enabled], [Disabled].
System/CPU Fan Tolerance ( oC)

You can select a fan tolerance value here for the specific range for the Smart
System/CPU Fan items. If the current temperatures of the 2 fans reach the maxi-
mum threshold (the temperatures set in the Smart System/CPU Fan plus the toler-
ance values you set here), the fans will speed up for cooling down. On the contrary
if the current temperatures reach the minimum threshold (the set temperatures minus
the tolerance values), the fans will slow down to keep the temperatures stable.
PC Health Status
Press <Enter> and the following sub-menu appears.
Current System/CPU Temperature, NB Fan/CPU Fan Speed, Vcore,

+12.0V, +3.3V, +5.0V, Battery, +5VSB
These items display the current status of all of the monitored hardware de-
vices/components such as CPU voltage, temperatures and all fans’ speeds.
3-22

BIOS Setup
Cell Menu
The items in Cell Menu includes some important settings of CPU, AGP, DRAM
and overclocking functions.
MSI Reminds You...

Change these settings only if you are familiar with the chipset.
Current CPU / DDR Clock

These two items show the current clocks of CPU & DDR. Read-only.
DRAM Configuration
Max Memclock (Mhz)

When it is set to Manual in “DDR Timing Setting by”, user can place an artificial
memory clock limit on the system. Please note that memory is prevented from
running faster than this frequency. Setting options: [100], [133], [166], [200].
1T/2T Memory Timing

This setting controls the SDRAM command rate. Selecting [Auto] allows SDRAM
signal controller to run at 1T (T=clock cycles) rate. Selecting [1T] makes SDRAM
signal controller run at 2T rate. 1T is faster than 2T. Setting options: [1T], [2T],
[Auto].
3-23

CAS# Latency (Tcl)

This controls the CAS latency, which determines the timing delay (in clock
cycles) before SDRAM starts a read command after receiving it. Settings:
[Auto], [CL=2.0], [CL=2.5], [CL=3.0]. [CL=2.0] increases the system perform-
ance the most while [CL=3.0] provides the most stable performance.
RAS# to CAS# delay (Trcd)

When DRAM is refreshed, both rows and columns are addressed separately.
This setup item allows you to determine the timing of the transition from RAS
(row address strobe) to CAS (column address strobe). The less the clock
cycles, the faster the DRAM performance. Setting options: [Auto], [2 Bus Clocks],
[3 Bus Clocks], [4 Bus Clocks], [5 Bus Clocks], [6 Bus Clocks], [7 Bus Clocks].
Min RAS# active Time (Tras)

When the DDR Timing Setting by is set to [Manual], the field is adjustable.
This setting determines the time RAS takes to read from and write to a memory
cell. Setting options: [Auto], [5 Bus Clocks], [6 Bus Clocks], [7 Bus Clocks], [8
Bus Clocks], [9 Bus Clocks], [10 Bus Clocks], [11 Bus Clocks], [12 Bus Clocks],
[13 Bus Clocks], [14 Bus Clocks], [15 Bus Clocks].
Row Precharge Time (Trp)

This item controls the number of cycles for Row Address Strobe (RAS) to be
allowed to precharge. If insufficient time is allowed for the RAS to accumulate
its charge before DRAM refresh, refreshing may be incomplete and DRAM may
fail to retain data. This item applies only when synchronous DRAM is installed in
the system. Available settings: [Auto], [2 Bus Clocks], [3 Bus Clocks], [4 Bus
Clocks], [5 Bus Clocks], [6 Bus Clocks].
High Performance Mode

This field allows you to select the DDR timing setting. Setting to [Optimized] enables
Adjust DDR Memory Frequency automatically to be determined by SPD. Selecting
[Manual] allows users to configure these fields manually. Setting options: [Optimized],
[Manual].
Aggressive Timing
This item allows you to enable or disable the memory clock. When [Enabled] is selected,
the timing delay of memory will be shorten to increase the performance. Setting
options: [Enabled], [Disabled].
Dynamic Overclocking
Dynamic Overclocking Technology is the automatic overclocking function, included in
the MSITM’s newly developed CoreCellTM Technology. It is designed to detect the load
balance of CPU while running programs, and to adjust the best CPU frequency
automatically. When the motherboard detects CPU is running programs, it will speed
up CPU automatically to make the program run smoothly and faster. When the CPU is
temporarily suspending or staying in the low load balance, it will restore the default
settings instead. Usually the Dynamic Overclocking Technology will be powered only
when users' PC need to run huge amount of data like 3D games or the video process,
and the CPU frequency need to be boosted up to enhance the overall performance.
3-24

BIOS Setup
Setting options:
[Disabled] Disable Dynamic Overclocking.
[Private] 1st level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 1%.
[Sergeant] 2nd level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 3%.
[Captain] 3rd level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 5%.
[Colonel] 4th level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 7%.
[General] 5th level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 9%.
[Commander] 6th level of overclocking, increasing the CPU frequency by 11%.
MSI Reminds You...

1. Even though the Dynamic Overclocking Technology is more stable
than manual overclocking, basically, it is still risky. We suggest
user to make sure that your CPU can afford to overclocking regu-
larly first. If you find the PC appears to be unstable or reboot
incidentally, it's better to disable the Dynamic Overclocking or to
lower the level of overclocking options. By the way, if you need to
conduct overclocking manually, you also need to disable the Dy-
namic OverClocking first.
Spread Spectrum
This setting is used to enable or disable the FSB clock generator’s Spread Spectrum
feature. When overclocking the FSB, always set it to [Disabled]. Setting options:
HT Frequency
This setting specifies the maximum operating frequency of the link’s transmitter clock.
Setting options: [1x], [2x], [3x], [4x], [5x].
Cool’n’Quiet control
This feature is especially designed for AMD Athlon processor, which provides a CPU
temperature detecting function to prevent your CPU’s from overheating due to the
heavy working loading. Setting options: [Disabled], [Auto].
MSI Reminds You...

For the purpose of ensuring the stability of Cool'n'Quiet function, it is
always recommended to have the memories plugged in DIMM1.
Adjust CPU Ratio

This item allows you to adjust the CPU ratio. Setting to [Startup] enables the CPU
running at the fastest speed which is detected by system. Setting options are:
[Startup], [x4]~[x20].
Adjust CPU FSB Frequency

This item allows you to adjust the CPU Front Side Bus clock frequency. Setting
options are: [200]~[300].
Adjust AGP Frequency

This item allows you to adjust the AGP frequency. Setting options: [66]~[100].
3-25

CPU Voltage
The settings are used to adjust the CPU clock multiplier (ratio) and CPU core voltage
(Vcore). These settings offer users a tool to overclock the system.
Memory Voltage
Adjusting the DDR voltage can increase the DDR speed. Any changes made to this
setting may cause a stability issue, so changing the DDR voltage for long-term
purpose is NOT recommended.
AGP Voltage
AGP voltage is adjustable in the field, allowing you to increase the performance of
your AGP display card when overclocking, but the stability may be affected.
MSI Reminds You...

The settings shown in different color in CPU Voltage, Memory Voltage,
and AGP Voltage Adjust helps to verify if your setting is proper for
your system.
White: Safe setting.
Yellow: High performance setting.
Red: Not recommended setting and the system may be unstable.
3-26

BIOS Setup
Load Fail-Safe/Optimized Defaults
The two options on the main menu allow users to restore all of the BIOS
settings to the default Fail-Safe or Optimized values. The Optimized Defaults are the
default values set by the mainboard manufacturer specifically for optimal performance
of the mainboard. The Fail-Safe Defaults are the default values set by the BIOS
vendor for stable system performance.
When you select Load Fail-Safe Defaults, a message as below appears:
Pressing Y loads the BIOS default values for the most stable, minimal system
performance.
When you select Load Optimized Defaults, a message as below appears:
Pressing Y loads the default factory settings for optimal system performance.
3-27

Set Supervisor/User Password
When you select this function, a message as below will appear on the screen:
Type the password, up to six characters in length, and press <Enter>. The
password typed now will replace any previously set password from CMOS memory.
You will be prompted to confirm the password. Retype the password and press
<Enter>. You may also press <Esc> to abort the selection and not enter a password.
To clear a set password, just press <Enter> when you are prompted to enter
the password. A message will show up confirming the password will be disabled.
Once the password is disabled, the system will boot and you can enter Setup
without entering any password.
When a password has been set, you will be prompted to enter it every time
you try to enter Setup. This prevents an unauthorized person from changing any part
of your system configuration.
Additionally, when a password is enabled, you can also have Award BIOS to
request a password each time the system is booted. This would prevent unautho-
rized use of your computer. The setting to determine when the password prompt is
required is the Security Option of the ADVANCED BIOS FEATURES menu. If the
Security Option is set to System, the password is required both at boot and at entry
to Setup. If set to Setup, password prompt only occurs when you try to enter Setup.
MSI Reminds You...

About Supervisor Password & User Password:
Supervisor password: Can enter and change the settings of
the setup menu.
User password: Can only enter but do not have the right to
change the settings of the setup menu.
3-28

Introduction to DigiCell
Chapter 2.
4. Hardware
Introduction
Setup
to DigiCell
DigiCell, the most useful and powerful utility that MSI has spent much
research and efforts to develop, helps users to monitor and configure all the
integrated peripherals of the system, such as audio program, power
management, MP3 files management and communication / 802.11g WLAN
settings. Moreover, with this unique utility, you will be able to activate the
MSI well-known features, Live Update and Core Center, which makes it
easier to update the BIOS/drivers online, and to monitor the system hard-
ware status (CPU/Fan temperature and speed) or to overclock the CPU/
memory.
Once you have your DigiCell installed (locate the setup source file in
the setup CD accompanying with your mainboard, path: Utility --> MSI Util-
ity --> MSI DigiCell), it will have an icon in the system tray, a short cut
icon on the desktop, and a short cut path in your “Start-up” menu. You may
double-click on each icon to enable DigiCell.
short-cut icon in the system tray
short-cut path in the start-up menu

(path: Start-->Programs-->MSI-->DigiCell)
4-1

MS-7025 ATX
MSI Mainboard
Feature
Main
Before using this utility, it is required to have all the integrated peripherals/cards (LAN
card, Wireless LAN card, MegaStick... etc.) and all the necessary drivers (onboard
LAN driver, audio driver, CoreCenter, Live Update... etc.) installed correctly.
The icon representing each item will be lit up if it is inserted/installed correctly and
properly. Otherwise, the icon will remain gray and user is not able to view the
functionality/connection of that item.
Introduction:
Click on each icon appearing above to enter the sub-menu to make further configuration.
MSI
Click on this button to link to MSI website:
http://www.msi.com.tw.
Quick Guide
Click on this button and the quick guide of DigiCell will be displayed for you
to review.
H/W Diagnostic
In this sub-menu, it provides the information of each DigiCell button for you to
check if the representing peripherals/cards/drivers are correctly installed.
Comm.
In this sub-menu, you can see the configuration details for communication
products, including the status, strength, speed and channel of the connec-
tion of the Ethernet LAN & Wireless LAN.
Software Access Point

In this sub-menu, you can change your connection mode to different ones,
and configure the advanced settings for each mode, such as the authentica-
tion encryption... etc.
4-2

Live Update
You can take advantage of Live Update to detect and update BIOS and
drivers online.
Core Center
You can take advantage of Core Center to monitor the health status of your
system and to overclock under Windows OS if your system supports
overclocking function.
MEGA STICK
If you have your MEGA STICK connected to your system, this icon will be lit
up. Click this blue icon to turn DigiCell into a MP3 player, and then you can load
media files from your MEGA STICK or the system, and edit the preferred
playlist.
Audio Speaker Setting

In this sub-menu, you can configure and test the multi-channel audio function,
speakers, sound effect and environment.
Power on Agent
In this sub-menu, you can configure date, time and auto-executed programs
of the power-on, power-off and restarting features.
MSI Reminds You...

Click on back button in every sub-menu and it will bring you back to the
main menu.
4-3

MS-7025 ATX
MSI Mainboard
Feature
H/W Diagnostic
In the H/W Diagnostic sub-menu, you can see the information, status and note of
each DigiCell. You may double check the connection and installation of the item
marked as gray.
You may also click on the Mail to MSI button to send your questions or suggestions
to MSI’s technical support staff.
4-4

Communication
In the Communication sub-menu, you can see the status of all the LAN / WLAN /
Bluetooth on the screen if the hardware is installed. The first icon indicates the
onboard LAN on your system, the second icon indicates the wireless LAN status,
and the third one is the information about the bluetooth on your system. Click on each
item for details.
This icon indicates the information and connection status of onboard LAN,
which is read-only.
The second icon indicates the wireless connection. You may click this icon
to configure the advanced settings in the WLAN Card Mode dialogue box
(see the image on p.4-8). Please note that it is only available when the
Software Access Point is set to WLAN Card Mode.
The third icon indicates the connection using bluetooth devices. If your
system is connected to the bluetooth device, the icon will light up.
4-5

MS-7025 ATX
MSI Mainboard
Feature
Software Access Point

In the Software Access Point sub-menu, you can see the communication status on
your system and choose the desired software access point mode by clicking on the
desired icon, in which the default settings are configured for your usage. The default
software access point mode is set to WLAN Card Mode. For more advanced
security settings and channels switching, click on “Setting” button to enter its sub-
menu.
Terminology
Here are the introduction of WLAN / AP communication terminology.
WEP Key
In the wireless network environment, the administrator can set up password
(Network Key) to protect the network from being attacked or unauthorized
access. When building the network, you can set up 4 sets of WEP keys,
which can be 5 characters (10 hex-adecimal digital) or 13 characters (26
hex-adecimal digital) and specify one of them to use.
Ad-hoc Mode
An Ad-hoc network is a local area network or other small network, especially
one with wireless or temporary plug-in connections, in which some of the
network devices are part of the network only for the duration of a communi-
cations session. Users in the network can share files, print to a shared
printer, and access the Internet with a shared modem. In this kind of network,
new devices can be quickly added; however, users can only communicate
with other wireless LAN computers that are in this wireless LAN workgroup,
and are within range.
Infrastructure Mode
The difference between Infrastructure network and Ad-hoc network is that
the former one includes an Access Point. In an Infrastructure network, the
Access Point can manage the bandwidth to maximize bandwidth utilization.
Additionally, the Access Point enables users on a wireless LAN to access an
existing wired network, allowing wireless users to take advantage of the
wired networks resources, such as Internet, email, file transfer, and printer
sharing. The scale and range of the Infrastructure networking are larger and
wider than that of the Ad-hoc networking.
4-6

Access Point Mode

Click on “Setting” button of the Access Point Mode and the following screen will
display.
IP Sharing
Click on this icon to enable/disable the IP sharing. The default of this setting is disabled.
Disabled. Enabled.
Enabling/disabling IP sharing depends on the different situation. For example:

1. If your family and you are getting on Internet at home with multi computers, and
your ISP only provides one IP for you, you may need to enable IP Sharing
function in order to use this one IP to get on Internet with multi computers
simultaneously.
2. If you are getting on Internet in office, usually the LAN card will automatically get
the IP this computer uses. In this case you don’t have to enable this function.
SSID
Means Service Set Identifier, a unique name shared among all points in a wireless
network. It must be identical for all points in the network. Then the card will be able
to connect to an access point with the same SSID.
Channel
Specifies the operating radio frequency channel in Infrastructure mode, which
should be set to an available one (ex: with less traffic to ensure the stable and better
connection).
Associated Client List
This option is to display information of stations that are currently associated to your
wireless gateway.
Association Control
This option allows you to control which PC can connect to the wireless LAN. If you
4-7

MS-7025 ATX
MSI Mainboard
Feature
enable this feature, only PCs with MAC address located in Association Control List
can connect to the wireless LAN.
MAC Address
MAC stands for Media Access Control. A MAC address is the hardware address of
a device connected to a network.
Security
This option allows you to enable/disable the authentication function.
Authentication
Open: Communicates the key across the network.
Shared: Devices must have identical WEP settings to communicate.
WLAN Card Mode

Click on “Setting” button of the WLAN Card Mode for the WEP status of your APs.
If the AP you are selecting (the highlighted one) is not encrypted (Disabled shown in
the Encryption column), the screen will display as below. You can click “Connect”
to make connection to that AP, click “Cancel” to close this dialogue box, or click
“Refresh” button to update the available WLAN connections.
If the network you are selecting is encrypted (WEP shown in the Encryption column),
the screen will display as below. You need to enter the correct WEP key defined by
AP in the specified WEP Key 1~4 fields to make the connection.
4-8

Live Update
Click on the Live Update icon in the main menu and the Live Update program will be
enabled.
The Live Update 3™ is a tool used to detect and update your BIOS/
drivers/VGA BIOS/VGA Driver/OSD/Utility online so that you don’t
need to search for the correct BIOS/driver version throughout the
whole Web site. To use the function, you need to install the “MSI Live
Update 3” application. After the installation, the “MSI Live Update 3”
icon (as shown on the right) will appear on the screen.
Double click the “MSI Live Update 3” icon, and the following screen
will appear:
Six buttons are placed on the left column of the screen. Click the desired button to
start the update process.
Live BIOS – Updates the BIOS online.

Live Driver – Updates the drivers online.
Live VGA BIOS – Updates the VGA BIOS online.
Live VGA Driver – Updates the VGA driver online.
Live OSD – Updates the firmware of the OSD products online.
Live Utility – Updates the utilities online.
If the product you purchased does not support any of the functions listed above, a
“sorry” message is displayed. For more information on the update instructions, insert
the companion CD and refer to the “Live Update Guide” under the “Manual” Tab.
4-9

MS-7025 ATX
MSI Mainboard
Feature
MEGA STICK
In the MEGA STICK sub-menu, you can configure the settings of MSI MEGA STICK
and the media files (*.m3u, *.mp3, *.wav, *.cda, *.wma) on your system.
Basic Function
Here you can edit your own play list with the buttons “load”, “save”, “delete”,
“shuttle”, “repeat” & “print”.
Load To load media files or the playlist of mp3 files (*.m3u) on your system or
on your MEGA STICK.
Save To save a loaded playlist of mp3 files (*.m3u) on your system or on
your MEGA STICK.
Delete Click on the media files in the Play List: field and use “Delete” button
to remove the media file from the play list. You may remove multi media
files simultaneously by using “Ctrl” to select multi files.
Shuffle To play the media file in the Play List: in a random order.
Repeat To repeat the selected files in the Play List:.
Print This button has 2 functions:
1. To print out the details of current play list through your printer with
the following information:
Song title --- Song length --- Singer name
2. To save the details of current play list and save the file in the plain
text file format in the \\Program files\MSI\DigiCell\MyMusic.txt for
your reference. The MyMusic.txt file is with the following information:
Song title --- Song length --- Singer name
4-10

There is also a toolbar for you to execute some basic function, like play, stop, pause,
previous/next song, song info and volume adjust. There is also a scroll bar on the top
for you to forward/rewind.
pause
previous next
forward/rewind
bar
stop song’s information

play
Right-click on the MP3 file and choose “Info”, a MP3 Info dialogue
will pop up to show the information of the file, including the title, artist,
album, release year and others. You may also add your own comment
in the comment field. Then click “Save” to save the change, click
“Cancel” to discard the change, or click “Remove” to remove all
this information.
4-11

MS-7025 ATX
MSI Mainboard
Feature
Non-Unicode programs supported

If you are using an operating system in European languages, and you’d like to play the
media files in MEGA STICK with East-Asian languages (such as Chinese, Japanese...
etc.), it is possible that the file names display incorrectly.
However, you can install the Supplemental Language Support provided by
Microsoft to solve this problem. You need to have your Microsoft Setup CD prepared
in the CD-ROM. The system will start to install the necessary components after the
settings are configured here. Follow the steps described below.
1. Go to [Control Panel] and choose [Regional and Languages Options].
2. Go to the [Languages] tab and enable the check box of [Install files for East
Asian languages]. A dialogue box will pop up to remind you the above selection
is chosen.
4-12

3. Then go to the [Advanced] tab and select the language you want to be
supported (the language of the filename in the MegaStick) from the drop-
down list in the [Language for non-Unicode programs], then click [Apply]. The
system will install the necessary components from your Microsoft Setup CD
immediately.
4-13

MS-7025 ATX
MSI Mainboard
Feature
Core Center (for AMD K8 Processor)

Click on the Core Center icon in the main menu and the Core Center program will
be enabled.
Cool’n’Quiet
This utility provides a CPU temperature detection function called Cool’n’Quiet.
Cool’n’Quiet is a special feature designed only for AMD® Athlon64 processor, and
with Cool’n’Quiet, the system will be capable of detecting the temperature of the
CPU according to the CPU’s working loading. When the CPU temperature climbs up to
a certain degree, the speed of the system cooling fan will be risen automatically. On
the other hand, the speed of the system cooling fan will slow down instantly when
the CPU temperature descends to its normal degree.
Here the current system status (including Vcore, 3.3V, +5V and 12V) and the current
PC hardware status (such as the CPU & system temperatures and all fans speeds)
are shown on the left and right sides for you to monitor.
When you click the red triangles in the left and right sides, two sub-menus will open
for users to overclock, overspec or to adjust the thresholds of system to send out the
warning messages.
4-14

Left-side: Current system status

In the left sub-menu, you can configure the settings of FSB, Vcore, Memory Voltage
and AGP Voltage by clicking the radio button in front of each item and make it available
(the radio button will be lighted as yellow when selected), use the “+” and “-” buttons
to adjust, then click “OK” to apply the changes. Then you can click “Save” to save
the desired FSB you just configured.
Also you may click “Auto” to start testing the maximum CPU overclocking value. The
CPU FSB will automatically increase the testing value until the PC reboots. Or you may
click “Default” to restore the default values.
Right-side: PC hardware status during real time operation

In the right sub-menu, here you can configure the PC hardware status such as CPU
& system temperatures and fan speeds. You may use the scroll bars to adjust each
item, then click “OK” to apply the changes. The values you set for the temperatures
are the maximum thresholds for the system warnings, and the values for fan speeds
are the minimum thresholds.
Center-side: Cool’n’Quiet / User mode

Here you may adjust the CPU fan speed. If you choose User mode, you may adjust
the CPU fan speed in 8 different modes, from High Speed to Low speed. If you
choose Cool’n’Quiet, the system will automatically configure an optimal setting for
you.
MSI Reminds You...

To ensure that Cool’n’Quiet
function is activated and will
be working properly, it is re-
quired to double confirm that:
1. Run BIOS Setup, and se-
lect Cell Menu. Under Cell
Menu, find Cool’n’Quiet
Support, and set this item
to “Enable.”
2. Enter Windows, and select
[Start]->[Settings]->
[Control Pannel]->[Power
Options]. Enter Power
Options Properties tag,
and select Minimal
Power Management un-
der Power schemes.
4-15

MS-7025 ATX
MSI Mainboard
Feature
Audio Speaker Setting

In the Audio Speaker Setting sub-menu, you can configure the multi-channel audio
operation, perform speaker test, and choose the environment you prefer while en-
joying the music.
You can scroll the bar of each equalizer to regulate the current playing digital sound
source. Also you may click on the “on” button to enable/disable the equalizer function.
Once the equalizer function is enabled, you can choose several preset equalizers
for your preference. You may also right-click anywhere to execute this function.
After you have chosen one equalizer, it will be indicated next to the “on” button in
yellow.
The Environment setting lets you select the environment you like, such as
Cave or Convert Hall.
4-16

Click on the “Speaker test” button and the following dialogue box will appear:
In this Speaker Configuration dialogue box, select the audio configuration which
is identical to the audio jack on your mainboard. Once the correct audio configuration
is selected, click “Apply” to save the changes. Then the following screen will
appear. In this Speaker Configuration dialogue box, first select the correct item
from the Speaker mode drop-down list, and then click on each connected speaker
to ensure if Headphone, 2-, 4-, 5.1-, or 7.1- channel audio operation is working
properly. If any speaker fails to make sound, then check whether the cable is in-
serted firmly to the connector, or replace the bad speakers with good ones.
Center
Front Left Front Right
Main Side Right
Main Side Left
Rear Left Rear Right

Subwoofer
4-17

MS-7025 ATX
MSI Mainboard
Feature
Power on Agent
In the Power on Agent sub-menu, you can configure setting of power-on, power-
off and restarting status.
In the screen below, you can set the date, time, start-up programs respectively for
power-on, power-off and restarting.
Power On
Here are the available settings for Power On function:
Date Use the drop-down list to select the date for power-on.
Time Use the arrow keys to select the hour/minute/second for power-on,
power-off and restarting. Then click “Apply” to save the changes. As
you click “Apply”, the following dialogue will appear to show you the
next power-on schedule, and the system will start to count down to
restart. Click “OK” to restart the computer right away or click “Later”
to restart your computer later.
MSI Reminds You...

Please note that the new setting will not take effect until you restart your
computer.
4-18

Power Off / Restart

You may configure the time (in the format hh:mm:ss) for the next power-off / restart.
Start With
Use the button “+Add” to add the start-up programs
as DigiCell is activated next time. For example, you
may like to have Outlook activated or a specified
website linked when you get to the office every
morning.
Step 1: Click on the Program: field and click “>>” add the desired start-
button to browse for the path of Outlook or with program
Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on “OK” to apply the setting.
Step 3: For specified file or specified website, you
may enter the file name with the complete
path or the website link in the Parameters: field.
To activate Outlook as DigiCell To activate a specified website

is enabled next time as DigiCell is enabled next time
Of course you may use the button “-Delete” to remove the added programs, or you
can right-click on the selected program and click Delete.
delete the added program
MSI Reminds You...

You can also enable the Every turn on function, which will enable the
specified program(s) and file(s) every time the Digi Cell utility runs.
4-19

MS-7025 ATX
MSI Mainboard
Feature
Auto Login
Since the Power On function allows the system to power on automatically, you may
have to enable this Auto Login function in the following situations:
1. If you are using a computer belonging to a domain in office, and you need to
enter your user name & password everytime when you boot up your computer.
2. If there are multi users using the same computer and you’d like to power on the
computer automatically with one specific user.
Enable Auto Login

Enable this setting if you want to use the Auto Login feature. It supports the
following operating systems: Win9X, Windows ME, Windows 2000 & Windows XP.
Default User Name

It is only available for Windows 2000 & Windows XP.
-- If you are using a computer belonging to a domain in office, please enter your
login user name in this field.
-- If you are using a computer with multi users (for Windows XP operating system),
please enter the user name you’d like to auto power-on in this field.
Default Password
It is only available for Windows 2000 & Windows XP.
-- If you are using a computer belonging to a domain in office, please enter your
login password in this field.
-- If you are using a computer with multi-users (for Windows XP operating system),
please enter the password for the user name you’d like to auto power-on in
this field.
4-20

nVIDIA RAID Introduction
Chapter 5. nVidia RAID In-

troduction
nVidia RAID Introduction

nVIDIA brings Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) technology—
which is used by the world’s leading businesses—to the common PC
desktop. This technology uses multiple drives to either increase total disk
space or to offer data protection. For all levels, RAID techniques optimize
storage solutions by using multiple disks grouped together and treating
them as a single storage resource.
5-1

Introduction
System Requirement
Operating System Support
NVRAID supports the following operating systems:
Windows XP Home Edition
Windows XP Professional Edition
Windows 2000 Professional
RAID Arrays
NVRAID supports the following types of RAID arrays described in this section:
RAID 0: RAID 0 defines a disk striping scheme that improves the disk read and write
times for many applications.
RAID 1: RAID 1 defines techniques for mirroring data.
RAID 0+1: RAID 0+1 combines the techniques used in RAID 0 and RAID 1 arrays.
Spanning (JBOD): JBOD provides a method for combining drives of different s i z e s
into one large disk.
Summary of RAID Configurations

Array Uses Advantages Drawbacks # Hard Fault
Disks Tolerance
RAID 0 Non-critical data High data throughput. No fault tolerance. multiple None
requiring high
performance.
RAID 1 Small databases or any 100% data Requires 2 drives for 2 Yes
other small capacity redundancy. the storage space of 1
environment requiring drive.
fault tolerance.
RAID 0+1 Critical data requiring Optimized for both Requires 2 drives for 4+ Yes
high performance. 100% data the storage space of 1
redundancy and drive—the same as
performance. RAID level 1.
Allows spare disks.
JBOD Combining odd size Combines and uses Decreases Multiple No

drives into one big drive the capacity of odd performance because
size drives. of the difficulty in
using drives
concurrently or to
optimize drives for
different uses.
MSI Reminds You...

Please note that users cannot install OS, either WinME or Win98, in
their SATA hard drive. Under these two OSs, SATA can only be used
as a normal storage device.
5-2

RAID Configuration
Basic Configuration Instructions
The following are the basic steps for configuring NVRAID:
Non-Bootable RAID Array

1. Choose the hard disks that are to be RAID enabled in the system BIOS. (Check
Chapter 3, BIOS Setup, Integrated Peripherals, for details.)
2. Specify the RAID level, either Mirroring (RAID 1), Striping (RAID 0), Striping and
Mirroring (RAID 0+1), or Spanning (JBOD) and create the desired RAID array.
3. Enter the Windows OS, run the Windows nForce Setup application and install the
RAID software. (Check Chapter 5, NVidia RAID Utility Installation, for details.)
4. Initialize the NVRAID Array Disks.
Bootable RAID Array

1. Choose the hard disks that are to be RAID enabled in the system BIOS. (Check
Chapter 3, BIOS Setup, Integrated Peripherals, for details.)
2. Specify the RAID level, either Mirroring (RAID 1), Striping (RAID 0), Striping and
Mirroring (RAID 0+1), or Spanning (JBOD) and create the desired RAID array.
3. Boot from the Windows CD, use the floppy disk that has the RAID driver to copy
and install the nForce RAID software. (Check Chapter 5, NVidia RAID Utility
Installation, for details.)
4. Initialize the NVRAID Array Disks.
Setting Up the NVRAID BIOS

Be sure to enable the SATA1/SATA2/SATA3/SATA4 RAID items in RAID Config of
Integrated Peripherals/Onboard Devices in BIOS (Check Chapter 3, BIOS Setup,
Integrated Peripherals, for details.) before configuring the NVRAID BIOS. After that
press F10 to save the configuration and exit. The PC will reboot right away. Then
enter the RAID BIOS Setup by pressing F10 ( or F7, for HP products only) when
prompted, and follow the procedures described below to set up the NVRAID BIOS.
NVRAID BIOS setup lets you choose the RAID array type and which hard drives you
want to make part of the array.
Entering the RAID BIOS Setup

1. After rebooting your PC, wait until you
see the RAID software prompting you
to press F10 ( or F7, for HP products
only). The RAID prompt appears as
part of the system POST and boot pro-
cess prior to loading the OS.
2. Press F10 ( or F7, for HP products
only), and the NVIDIA RAID Utility ---
Define a New Array window will
appear.
The default RAID Mode is set to Mir-
roring and Striping Block is set to
Optimal.
5-3

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 can have one or more channels. In a
typical system there is usually one controller and multiple channels, and each chan-
nel has a slave and a master.
The channel/controller/master/slave status of each hard disk is given in the Loc
(location) columns of the Free Disks and Array Disks lists.
In the example above, 1.0.M means the hard drive is attached to Channel 1, Controller
0, and the drive is set to Master. The following is a list of all possible combinations:
Parallel ATA
0.0.M Channel 0, controller 0, Master
0.0.S Channel 0, controller 0, Slave
0.1.S Channel 0, controller 1, Slave
Serial ATA
MSI Reminds You...

There is no such thing as Slave drive in Serial ATA. All drives are
considered to be Master since there is a one to one connection
between the drive and the controller.
5-4

Using the Define a New Array Window

If necessary, press the tab key to move from field to field until the appropriate field is
highlighted.
• Selecting the RAID Mode

By default, this is set to [Mirroring]. To change to a different RAID mode, press the
down arrow key until the mode that you want appears in the RAID Mode box—either
[Mirroring], [Striping], [Spanning], or [Stripe Mirroring].
• Selecting the Striping Block Size

Striping Block size is given in kilobytes, and affects how data is arranged on the
disk. It is recommended to leave this value at the default [Optimal], which is 32KB, but
the
values can be between [4 KB] and [128 KB].
• Assigning the Disks

The disks that you enabled from the RAID Config BIOS setup page appear in the Free
Disks block. These are the drives that are available for use as RAID array disks.
To designate a free disk to be used as a RAID array disk,
1. Tab to the Free Disks section. The first disk 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 disks appear in the Array Disks block.
It shows that two disks have been assigned as RAID1 array disks in the figure
above.
5-5

Completing the RAID BIOS Setup

1. After assigning your RAID array disks, press F7. The Clear disk data prompt
appears.
2. Press Y if you want to wipe out all the data from the RAID array, otherwise press
N. You must choose Yes if the drives were previously used as RAID drives.
The Array 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 and then press Ctrl+X to
exit the RAID setup. Now that the RAID setup has been configured from the RAID
BIOS, the next step is to configure and load NVRAID drivers under Windows, as
explained in “Installing the NVIDIA RAID Software Under Windows” on p5-7.
5-6

NVIDIA RAID Utility Installation
Installing the RAID Driver (for bootable RAID Array)

1. After you complete the RAID BIOS setup, boot from the Windows CD, and the
Windows Setup program starts.
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:
MSI Reminds You...

Please follow the instruction below to make an NVIDIA Serial ATA RAID
driver for yourself.
1. Insert the MSI CD into the CD-ROM drive.
2. Ignore the Setup screen and use “Explorer” to browse the CD.
3. Copy all the contents (including the sub-folders) in the
\\nVidia\System\CK8S\Win2k-XP\IDE\WinXP to a formatted
floppy disk.
4. The driver disk for nVIDIA Serial ATA driver is done.
(2) Select “NVIDIA RAID CLASS DRIVER”.

(3) Press S again at the Specify Devices screen, then press Enter.
(4) Select “NVIDIA NForce Storage Controller” and then press Enter. The follow-
ing Windows Setup screen appears listing both drivers:
5-7

4. Press Enter to continue with Windows XP Installation. Be sure to leave the floppy
disk inserted in the floppy drive until the blue screen portion of Windows XP
installation is completed, then take out the floppy.
5. Follow the instructions on how to install Windows XP. During the GUI portion of the
install 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.
MSI Reminds You...

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
that, the driver will not have to be installed
Installing the NVIDIA RAID Software Under Windows

(for Non-bootable RAID Array)
The existing Windows IDE Parallel ATA driver (as well as the Serial ATA driver if SATA
is enabled) must be upgraded to use the NVIDIA IDE Parallel ATA driver (as well as the
NV Serial ATA driver if SATA is enabled).
Please refer Chapter 6 Installation of Driver and Utility, Driver Installation for detailed
installation description.
5-8

Initializing and Using the Disk Array

The RAID array is now ready to be initialized under Windows.
1. Launch Computer Management by clicking “Start” --> “Settings” --> “Control Panel”
then open the “Administrative Tools” folder and double click on “Computer
Management”.
2. Click “Disk Management” (under the “Storage” section). The Initialize and Convert
Disk Wizards appears.
3. Click Next. The Select Disks to Initialize window appears. The disks listed depend
on how many arrays you have configured.
4. Click Next. The Select Disks to Convert window appears.
5-9

5. Check the disk in the list if you want to make the array a dynamic disk, then click
Next. The Completing the Initialize and Convert Disk Wizard window appears.
6. Click Finish. The “Computer Management” window appears.
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.
7. 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.
5-10

RAID Drives Management

There is an application called NVRAIDMAN which helps you perform the following
tasks of nVDIA RAID.
• Viewing RAID Array Configurations

View an array configuration (mirrored, striped, mirror-striped, JBOD, or any sup-
ported combination)
• Setting Up a Spare RAID Disk
• View free and/or dedicated free disks
• Designate a free disk to a particular array
• Rebuilding a RAID Mirrored Array
• Rebuild a broken mirrored array
• Watch the progress of rebuilding an array
Viewing RAID Array Configurations

To view your RAID configuration from Windows, launch the NVRAID Management
utility by clicking [ Start -> Programs -> NVIDIA Corporation ->RAID Manager -> RAID
Manager ]
The RAID configuration information appears in the right-side pane, as shown below.
MSI Reminds You...

The information in the figures in this part may very from what it is shown
in your system.
NVRAID Mirrored Array

The figure below shows an example of a two hard drive mirrored array using iden-
tical 55.90 GB IDE hard drives (ST360015A), where one drive is configured as
Master and the other drive is configured as Slave. The total hard disk space used is
55.90 GB. (1.1 GB = 1,073,741,824 bytes)
5-11

NVRAID Striped Array

The figure below shows an example of a two hard drive striped array using identical
55.90 GB IDE hard drives (ST360015A), where one drive is configured as Master
and the other drive is configured as Slave. The total disk space used is 111.80 GB.
NVRAID Striped Mirror Array

The figure below shows an example of a four hard drive stripe-mirrored array. The
total disk space used is 111.80 GB.
NVRAID Spanning (JBOD) Array

The figure below shows an example of a two hard drive spanning array. The total
disk space used is 111.80 GB.
NVRAID Mirrored Array and a Striped Array

The figure below shows an example of a two hard drive mirrored array as well as a
two hard drive striped array.
5-12

Setting Up a Spare RAID Disk

You can designate a hard drive to be used as a spare drive for a RAID 1 or RAID 0+1
array2. The spare drive can take over for a failed disk. NVRAID supports two types
of spare drives:
• Free Disk
A free disk is a disk that is not part of any RAID array, but can be used by any
available RAID 1 or RAID 0+1 array that requires a particular disk when one of its
disks crashes or becomes unusable. The process is automatic and doesn’t require
any user interaction.
For example, if you have a system with four hard disks where one disk is used to
boot the OS, two hard drives are set up in a mirrored array, and a fourth hard disk is
set up as a free disk, then if one of the mirrored array drives fails, the free disk will
be automatically assigned to the mirrored array to be used instead of the failed disk.
• Dedicated Disk
A dedicated free disk is a disk that is assigned to a RAID 1 or RAID 0+1 array and that
disk is used by that array only when needed, for example during a system crash
where a RAID mirrored drive is broken. The dedicated disk can be used only by the
array that it is assigned to and not by any other array, unlike a free disk which can be
used by any available RAID 1 or RAID 0+1 array.
Assigning a Free Disk

To mark a disk as free, or not a part of any array,
1. Enter the system BIOS setup and make sure that the drive that you want to mark as
free is RAID enabled.
2. Enter the RAID BIOS and make sure that the drive is not part of any array (if one
exists).
3. Boot into Windows and run the NVRAIDMAN program. The drive appears under the
Free Disk section. The figure below shows an example of the NVRAIDMAN display
if you have a mirror array and one free disk.
5-13

Assigning a Dedicated Disk

To mark a disk as dedicated, or reserve it for use by a specific array,
Step 1: Mark the Disk as a Free Disk

1. Enter the system BIOS setup and make sure that the drive that you want to mark as
free is RAID enabled.
2. Enter the RAID BIOS and make sure that the drive is not part of any array (if one
exists).
3. Boot into Windows and run the NVRAIDMAN program. The drive appears under the
Free Disk section.
Step 2: Dedicate the Free Disk to an Array

While running NVRAIDMAN, dedicate the free disk to an array using one of the
following two methods:
• Method 1: Select a free disk and then assign it to an array.
• Method 2: Select an array and then assign a free disk to it.
Both methods are equally simple ways of accomplishing the same task.
Method 1: Select a free disk and then assign it to an array.
1. Right click one of the available disks under the Free Disk section. The pop-up menu
appears.
2. Select Designate Spare from the menu to launch the Spare Disk Allocation
Wizard.
5-14

3. Click Next.
The RAID Array Selection page appears.
4. From the RAID Array Selection page, select one of the arrays from the list.
This is the array to which you want to allocate the dedicated free disk.
5. Click Next.
The Completing the NVIDIA Spare Disk Allocation page appears.
6. Click Finish.
As shown in figure below, the ST380023AS drive is now a dedicated free disk in the
mirrored array. If a system crash occurs that causes any of the two ST360015A
drives to fail, the ST380023AS hard drive will take over and be used in the newly
formed mirrored array.
Once a dedicated disk has been assigned to a particular array, it can be removed at
any time. To remove the disk, right click on the dedicated disk and select the option to
remove it.
5-15

Method 2: Select an array and then assign a free disk to it.
1. Right click on the array to which you want to assign a dedicated free disk. The pop-
up menu appears.
2. Select Designate Spare from the menu to launch the Spare Disk Allocation
Wizard.
3. Click Next. The Free Disk Selection page appears.
4. From the Free Disk Selection page, select one of the disks from the list. Please note
that there can be more than one disk to choose from.
5-16

5. Click Next. The Completing the NVIDIA Spare Disk Allocation page appears.
6. Click Finish.
You have now assigned a dedicated free disk to a mirrored array.
remove it.
5-17

Example of Dedicating a Free Disk in a RAID 1 or RAID 0+1 Array
You can also assign a dedicated free disk to a RAID 1 or a RAID 0+1 array, using the
same process.
1. Right-click either the free disk that you want to dedicate to an array, the array type,
or the array drives as shown in the figure below. Then click Designate Spare to
launch the Spare Disk Allocation Wizard.
2. Click Designate Spare and then follow the instructions in the Wizard. The figure
below shows an example of a RAID 1 array that has one spare disk dedicated to it.
remove it.
5-18

Rebuilding a RAID Mirrored Array

Rebuilding is the process of recovering data from one hard drive to another. All data
is copied from one hard drive to another and then the data is synchronized between
the two hard drives. This only applies to RAID 1 array as well as a RAID 0+1 array.
Rebuilding Instructions
After creating a mirrored array, you can rebuild the array using the following steps:
1. Go to Windows and run the NVRAID Management utility. The figure below shows
an example of a system with one mirrored array.
2. Right-click on Mirroring. The popup menu appears.
3. From the popup menu, click Rebuild Array. The NVIDIA Rebuild Array Wizard
appears.
5-19

4. Click Next. The Disk Selection page appears.
5. Select the drive that you want to rebuild by clicking it from the list, then click Next.
The Completing the NVIDIA Rebuild Array page appears.
6. Click Finish. The array rebuilding starts after a few seconds, and a small pop-up
message appears towards the bottom right corner of the screen as shown in the
figure below.
During the rebuilding process, the NVRAID Management utility screen shows the
status under the System Tasks and Details sections.
5-20

More About Rebuilding Arrays

• Rebuilding Occurs in the Background
The rebuilding process is very slow (it can take up to a day) and occurs in the
background so as not to affect the performance of the system.
• Rebuilding Applies Only to RAID 1 or RAID 0+1 Arrays
Rebuilding an array works only when using RAID1 and/or RAID 0+1. Rebuilding does
not apply to RAID 0 and JBOD arrays.
• You Can Use Any Available Free Disk
You can rebuild a mirrored array using any available Free Disk or Dedicated Disk.
For example, the figure below shows a mirrored array using 34.48 GB HD while
having two Free Disks each 55.90 GB large.
To use one of these available free disks to rebuild your array, follow the same steps
as explained in “Rebuilding a RAID Mirrored Array” on p.5-20, except when prompted
to select a disk, choose one of the two available free disks.
5-21

Installation of Driver and Utility
Chapter 6. Installation
of Driver & Utility
Installation of Driver &
Utility
MSI provides a setup CD along with your mainboard, which
contains the required drivers for your system, and many other use-
ful and powerful utility to bring you the best experience for your
office professional working and for your home leisure entertainment.
6-1

Driver Installation
Click on the Driver tab and the screen below will display. Click on the driver you like
to install, and follow the proceeding instructions.
NVIDIA nForce3 System Driver

This driver is only available for Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating system.
Please follow the following step to install the driver correctly.
1. Click on this button to install the NVIDIA nForce3 System Drivers for your Win-
dows OS. Then the welcome dialogue will display. Click Next to continue.
6-2

2. Then the following screen displays the available components to install. All the
components shown here will be selected to be installed by default. Then click
Next.
3. The system will start installing the selected driver components automatically.
4. Then the following screen displays the information for the NVIDIA IDE SW Driver
installation. Click Next to continue.
6-3

5. Then the following screen displays the installation of NVIDIA IDE SW Driver. Click
Yes to continue.
6. Then the following screen displays the installation of NVIDIA Firewall and ForceWare
Network Access Manager. It is a software firewall to protect the softwares from
hacking. However, it is strongly suggested that you do not install this component,
for you have to search other PC with its IP address instead of its PC name in your
local network. Click No to continue.
If you accidentally install NVIDIA Firewall and ForceWare Network Access Manager,
we recommend you unistall it by using the Add or Remove Programs function
in the Control Panel.
7. The following screen indicates that the installation is complete. Click Yes to restart
your computer or click No to restart it later.
6-4

Realtek AC97 Audio Driver

1. Click on this button to install the Realtek AC97 Audio Driver. Then the welcome
dialogue will display. Click Next to continue. The installation process will launch
automatically.
2. The following screen indicates the installation is complete. Click Yes to restart
your computer or click No to restart it later.
6-5

Utility Installation
Click on the Utility tab and the screen below will display. Click on the utility you like to
install, and follow the proceeding instructions.
6-6

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K8N Neo2 Series

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