User manual ASUS A7S266-VM-U2

[. . . ] A7S266-VM/U2 User Guide Motherboard E1191 First Edition V1 January 2003 Copyright © 2003 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modified or altered, unless such repair, modification of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the product is defaced or missing. ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. [. . . ] What you see on your screen may not be exactly the same as shown. 2. 1. 2 Using AFLASH to update the BIOS Creating a bootable disk AFLASH. EXE is a Flash Memory Writer utility that updates the BIOS by uploading a new BIOS file to the programmable flash ROM on the motherboard. To determine the BIOS version of your motherboard, check the last four numbers of the code displayed on the upper left-hand corner of your screen during bootup. Type COPY D:\AFLASH\AFLASH. EXE A:\ (assuming D is your CD-ROM drive) to copy AFLASH. EXE to the boot disk you created. AFLASH works only in DOS mode. It does not work with certain memory drivers that may be loaded when you boot from the hard drive. Reboot the computer from the floppy disk. BIOS setup must specify "Floppy" as the first item in the boot sequence. 4. In DOS mode, type A:\AFLASH <Enter> to run AFLASH. If the word "unknown" appears after Flash Memory:, the memory chip is either not programmable or is not supported by the ACPI BIOS and therefore, cannot be programmed by the Flash Memory Writer utility. 2-4 Chapter 2: BIOS Information 5. Type a filename and the path, for example, A:\XXX-XX. XXX, then press <Enter>. Updating the BIOS Update the BIOS only if you are sure that the new BIOS revision will solve your problems. Careless updating may result to more problems with the motherboard! 1. Download an updated ASUS BIOS file from the Internet (WWW or FTP) (see ASUS CONTACT INFORMATION on page x for details) and save to the boot floppy disk you created earlier. At the "A:\" prompt, type AFLASH and then press <Enter>. Type the filename of your new BIOS and the path, for example, A:\XXXXX. XXX, then press <Enter>. To cancel this operation, press <Enter>. ASUS A7S266-VM/U2 Motherboard 2-5 6. When prompted to confirm the BIOS update, press Y to start the update. 7. The utility starts to program the new BIOS information into the Flash ROM. When the programming is done, the message "Flashed Successfully" appears. 8. Follow the onscreen instructions to continue. DO NOT turn off the system while updating the BIOS. Just repeat the process, and if the problem persists, load the original BIOS file you saved to the boot disk. If the Flash Memory Writer utility is not able to successfully update a complete BIOS file, call the ASUS service center for support. 2-6 Chapter 2: BIOS Information 2. 1. 3 CrashFree BIOS 2 (BIOS Auto-recovery Procedure) The CrashFree BIOS 2 feature allows users to boot the computer from a floppy disk and update the BIOS using AFLASH. EXE or EZ Flash Utility in case the original BIOS fails or gets corrupted. If the user doesn't have a bootable floppy disk with the original BIOS, an auto-recovery procedure can be performed using the support CD. It is strongly recommended to save a copy of the motherboard's original BIOS along with the AFLASH. EXE utility to a bootable disk. (See section 2. 1. 2 to create a bootable floppy disk) Using the support CD 1. The support CD will automatically detect whether the BIOS is corrupted. If the BIOS data or codes are corrupted, the message "The BIOS was corrupted! [. . . ] If this occurs, you can either allow the operation to continue or use a virus-free bootable floppy disk to restart and investigate your system. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Quick Power On Self Test [Enabled] This field speeds up the Power-On-Self Test (POST) routine by skipping retesting a second, third, and fourth time. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Boot Up Floppy Seek [Enabled] When enabled, the BIOS will seek the floppy disk drive to determine whether the drive has 40 or 80 tracks. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Full Screen Logo [Enabled] This allows you to enable or disable the full screen logo display feature. [. . . ]