Foxconn A78AX 3.0 Series, User Manual

Page 1: ...A78AX 3 0 Series Motherboard User s Manual ...

Page 2: ...l indicates that this product may not be treated as household waste By ensuring this product is disposed of correctly you will help prevent potential negative consequences for the environment and human health which could other wise be caused by inappropriate waste handling of this product For more detailed information about recycling of this product please contact your local city office your house...

Page 3: ... radio disturbance characteristics of information technology equipment EN 61000 3 2 2000 Electromagnetic compatibility EMC Part 3 Limits Section 2 Limits for harmonic current emissions equipment input current 16A per phase EN 61000 3 3 A1 2001 Electromagnetic compatibility EMC Part 3 Limits Section 2 Limits of voltage fluctuations and flicker in low voltage supply systems for equipment with rated ...

Page 4: ...acturer HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY COMPANY LTD Address 66 CHUNG SHAN RD TU CHENG INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT TAIPEI HSIEN TAIWAN R O C Supplementary Information 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 ...

Page 5: ... power please make sure the power supply AC input voltage setting has been configured to the local standard To prevent damage to the motherboard do not allow screws to come in contact with the motherboard circuit or its components Also make sure there are no leftover screws or metal components placed on the motherboard or within the computer casing If you are uncertain about any installation steps...

Page 6: ... 18 System Information 20 Advanced BIOS Features 22 Fox Central Control Unit 23 Advanced Chipset Features 27 Integrated Peripherals 30 Power Management Setup 34 PC Health Status 36 BIOS Security Features 37 Load Optimal Defaults 37 Save Changes and Exit 37 Discard Changes and Exit 37 Chapter 4 CD Instruction Utility CD content 39 Install driver and utility 40 FOX ONE Main Page 42 CPU Control 46 Fr...

Page 7: ...D Array for Use 71 Install a New Windows XP 84 Setting Up a Non Bootable RAID Array 88 Technical Support Website http www foxconnchannel com Support Website http www foxconnsupport com Worldwide online contact Support http www foxconnsupport com inquiry aspx CPU Support List http www foxconnsupport com cpusupportlist aspx Memory VGA Compatibility List http www foxconnsupport com complist aspx Supp...

Page 8: ...what you need for break through performance With advanced overclocking capability and a range of connec tivity features for today multi media computing requirements A78AX 3 0 Series enables you to unleash more power from your computer This chapter includes the following information Product Specifications Layout Back Panel Connectors ...

Page 9: ...00MB s data transfer rate Support hot plug and NCQ Native Command Queuing USB Support hot plug Support up to 12 x USB 2 0 ports 6 rear panel ports 3 onboard USB headers providing 6 extra ports Supports USB 2 0 protocol up to 480Mb s Internal Connectors 1 x 24 pin ATX main power connector 1 x 4 pin ATX 12V power connector 6 x SATA connectors 3 x USB 2 0 connectors supporting 6 x USB devices 1 x CPU...

Page 10: ... management features PCI Express x16 Support 8GB s 16GB s concurrent bandwidth Low power consumption and power management features Green Function Support ACPI Advanced Configuration and Power Interface Support S0 normal S1 power on suspend S3 suspend to RAM S4 suspend to disk and S5 soft off Bundled Software FOX ONE FOX LiveUpdate FOX LOGO FOX DMI Operating System Support for Microsoft Windows 7 V...

Page 11: ...ar CMOS Jumper 12 Front USB Connectors 13 Front Panel Connector 14 SATA Connectors 15 IDE Connector 16 South Bridge AMD SB710 17 BUZ Speaker 18 SYS FAN Header 19 24 pin ATX Power Connector 20 DDR3 DIMM Slots 21 CPU FAN Header 22 North Bridge AMD 770 23 AM3 CPU Socket Note The above motherboard layout is for reference only please refer to the physical motherboard for detail 1 5 6 7 8 10 22 21 12 13...

Page 12: ...Chapter 4 and install the Realtek audio driver in CD to assign the audio output ports for different applications of 2 4 5 1 channels The fundamental audio outputs are depicted in the table above 1 3 Back Panel Connectors USB Ports LAN Port PS 2 Keyboard Port PS 2 Mouse Port Serial Port Audio Ports 4 2 Line Out Microphone In Line In 3 5 1 6 Active LED Link LED LAN Type Left Active Right Link Status...

Page 13: ... the installation of the CPU memory power supply slots pin headers and the mounting of jumpers Caution should be exercised during the installation of these modules Please refer to the motherboard layout prior to any installation and read the contents in this chapter carefully This chapter includes the following information Install the CPU and CPU Cooler Install the Memory Install an Expansion Card...

Page 14: ... an even and thin layer of thermal grease on the surface of the CPU Do not turn on the computer if the CPU cooler is not installed otherwise overheating and damage of the CPU may occur Set the CPU host frequency in accordance with the CPU specifications It is not recommended that the system bus frequency be set beyond hardware specifications since it does not meet the standard requirements for the...

Page 15: ...ooler as the example 1 Apply and spread an even thermal grease on the surface of CPU 2 Buckle the heatsink firmly at one side of the stand 3 Buckle the heatsink at another side and press the fasten lever down to tightly seat the cooler 4 Attach the 3 wire CPU cooler connector to the CPU fan header on the motherboard Use extreme care when removing the CPU cooler because the thermal grease may adher...

Page 16: ...U T I O N Read the following guidelines before you begin to install the memory Make sure that the motherboard supports the memory It is recommended that memory of the same capacity brand speed and chips be used Always turn off the computer and unplug the power cord from the power outlet before installing the memory to prevent hardware damage Memory modules have a foolproof design A memory module c...

Page 17: ...counts on both sides separated by a notch in the middle so it can only fit in one direction Follow the steps below to correctly install your memory modules into the sockets Step 1 Spread the clips at both ends of the memory socket Place the memory module onto the socket then put your fingers on top edge of the module and push it down firmly and seat it vertically into the memory socket Step 2 The ...

Page 18: ...y required BIOS changes for your expansion card s 7 Install the driver provided with the expansion card in your operating system Installing and Removing a PCI Express x16 Graphics Card Installing a Graphics Card Gently insert the graphics card into the PCI Express x16 slot Make sure the graphics card is locked by the latch at the end of the PCI Express x16 slot Removing the Card Push the latch at ...

Page 19: ...o the connector and make sure it is secure 4 pin ATX 12 V Power Connector PWR2 Connect the 4 pin ATX 12V power supply to PWR2 and provides power to the CPU We recommend you using a 24 pin power supply If you are using a 20 pin power supply you need to align the ATX power connector according to the picture C A U T I O N Pin Definition 1 GND 2 GND 3 12V 4 12V 3 1 GND 12V 4 2 PWR2 Pin Definition Pin ...

Page 20: ...s 2 pin connector is directional with sign Power Switch Connector PWR SW Connect to the power button on the front panel of the chassis Push this switch allows the system to be turned on and off rather than using the power supply button Serial ATA Connectors SATA_1 2 3 4 5 6 The Serial ATA connector is used to connect with SATA Hard Disk or CD devices which supporting this feature The current Seria...

Page 21: ...o provides three 10 pin USB headers on its motherboard By connecting through USB cables with them user can quickly expand another six USB ports on the front panel Fan Headers CPU_FAN SYS_FAN NB_FAN There are three main fan headers on this motherboard The fan speed can be controlled and monitored in PC Health Status section of the BIOS Setup These fans can be automatically turned off after the syst...

Page 22: ...dous ESD Electrical Static Discharge problem Clear CMOS Jumper CLR_CMOS The motherboard uses CMOS RAM to store the basic hardware information such as BIOS data date time information hardware password etc Clear CMOS data is the fast way to go back to factory default when the BIOS settings were mistakenly modified The steps to clear CMOS data are 1 Turn off the computer unplug the power cord from th...

Page 23: ...ng setting must be set in BIOS as below Set Power Management Setup Resume by USB Devices to Enabled USBPWR2 USBPWR3 is for the internal USB connectors USBPWR1 USBPWR4 is for the rear USB ports The USB device wake up feature requires a power supply that can provide 500mA on 5VSB lead for each USB port otherwise the system will not power up The total current consumed must not exceed the power supply...

Page 24: ...etailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided You have to run the Setup Program when the following cases oc cur 1 An error message appears on the screen during the system Power On Self Test POST process 2 You want to change the default CMOS settings This chapter includes the following information Enter BIOS Setup Main Menu System Information Advanced BIOS Features Fox Central Contr...

Page 25: ...l Control Unit Some special proprietary features such as overclocking can be set up through this menu Advanced Chipset Features The values for the chipset can be changed through this menu and the system performance can be optimized Integrated Peripherals All onboard peripherals can be set up through this menu There are IDE devices Super I O devices such as Serial I O and other USB devices etc CMOS...

Page 26: ...efore boot or access to Setup Load Optimal Defaults The optimal performance settings can be loaded through this menu However it may offer bet ter performance in some ways such as less I O cards less memory etc still it may cause problem if you have more memory or I O cards installed It means if your system loading is heavy set to optimal default may sometimes come out an unstable system What you n...

Page 27: ...nChip SATA Type is set to Native IDE while entering setup BIOS automatically detects the presence of SATA devices SATA1 is the lower SATA port of SATA1_SATA2 of the motherboard SATA2 is the upper SATA port of SATA1_SATA2 SATA3 is the lower SATA port of SATA3_SATA4 SATA4 is the upper SATA port of SATA3_SATA4 SATA5 is the lower SATA port of SATA5_ESATA E SATA is the upper SATA port of SATA5_ESATA Ha...

Page 28: ...tem boot will not stop for a mouse error if you enabled this item Model Name Model name of this product BIOS ID BIOS Version It displays the current BIOS ID version User can check this information and discuss with the field service people if a BIOS upgrade is needed Memory Size This item displays the current memory size The size is depending on how many memory mod ules were installed in your syste...

Page 29: ...CI latency timer The value is in unit of PCI cycle for PCI device latency timer register Setting values are 32 64 96 128 160 192 224 248 This feature controls how long each PCI device can hold the bus before another takes over The larger the value the longer the PCI device can retain control of the bus Low values for the PCI Latency Timer will reduce the effective PCI bandwidth while higher values...

Page 30: ...ism provided Super BIOS Protect function protects your BIOS from being affected by viruses e g CIH Auto Detect PCI Clock This option is used to auto detect PCI slot When enabled the system will turn off clock of the empty PCI slot to reduce EMI Electromagnetic Interference Smart BIOS Fox Intelligent Stepping CPU Configuration Press Enter to go to its submenu CMOS Setup Utility Copyright C 1985 200...

Page 31: ...er without password trying to get into your computer through smart boot menu CMOS Setup Utility Copyright C 1985 2006 American Megatrends Inc Smart BIOS Smart Power LED Enabled Help Item Smart Boot Menu Enabled Disabled Enabled Move Enter Select Value F10 Save ESC Exit F1 General Help F9 Optimized Defaults Enabled Options System Status Power LED Status Stop Blinking Condition Normal Always On Alwa...

Page 32: ...Serial Presence Detect SPD device is a small EEPROM chip mounted on a DDR2 memory module It contains important information about the module s speed size addressing mode and various other parameters so that the motherboard memory controller chipset can better access the memory device Select Auto for SPD enable mode Select Limit the DRAM speed will not exceed the specified value listed in the Memory...

Page 33: ...ge CPU Configuration This menu shows most of the CPU specifications Cool N Quiet Appear only when CPU supports This option helps lowering down the CPU frequency and voltage when system is idling When the CPU speed is slowing down the temperature will drop as well C1E Support C1E represents Enhanced HALT State It is a feature which CPU uses to reduce power consumption when in halt state C1E drops t...

Page 34: ... row precharge time is in unit of clock cycle Min Active RAS Displays the number of clock cycles taken between a bank active command and issuing of the precharge command RAS RAS Delay This item displays a delay time in clock cycles between the RAS and RAS strobe signals Row Cycle This item shows the minimum timing interval between successive active commands to the same bank The row cycle time is i...

Page 35: ... DCTs programmed identically Unganged channels DCT channels A and B operate as two completely independent 64 bit channels both chan nels operate at the same frequency Reduce DRAM page conflicts more concurrent open dram pages Better bus efficiency Burst lengths supported when both DCTs are enabled in unganged mode BIOS must initialize the frequency of each DCT in order CMOS Setup Utility Copyright...

Page 36: ...tem allows you to select the row precharge time in clock cycles tRTP Internal Read to Precharge Command Delay This time allows you to set the delay time in clock cycles between read command and pre charge command tRAS Active to Precharge Delay This item allows you to set the minimum RAS active time in clock cycles tRC Active to Active Auto Refresh Command Period This item allows you to set the row...

Page 37: ...tRFC1 auto refresh row cycle time for logical DIMM 1 tRFC0 auto refresh row cycle time for logical DIMM 0 Integrated Peripherals IDE Configuration USB Configuration SuperIO Configuration Press Enter to go to relative submenu OnBoard LAN This item is used to enable or disable the onboard LAN controller OnBoard LAN Boot ROM This item is used to enable or disable the onboard LAN boot optional ROM A L...

Page 38: ...vanced features including SATA features but some SATA drives may not support AHCI unless they are labeled with AHCI support in its specification If your motherboard supporting AHCI and you have a SATA device which also supports AHCI then you can select IDE option to have fair performance only PATA SATA level or you can select AHCI to get its best performance Legacy IDE This configures the SATA por...

Page 39: ...Configuration After pressing Enter you can set the reset delay for the USB mass storage device There are many different emulation types of this USB device such as floppy hard disk and CDROM can be selected CMOS Setup Utility Copyright C 1985 2006 American Megatrends Inc USB Configuration USB Configuration Help Item Module Version 2 24 5 13 4 Enables support for legacy USB USB Devices Enabled Auto ...

Page 40: ... An IrDA device for maximum 115200 bit s ASK IR A faster IrDA for 1152000 bit s OnBoard CIR Port This item is used to enable disable CIR port CMOS Setup Utility Copyright C 1985 2006 American Megatrends Inc SuperIO Configuration SuperIO Configuration Help Item Serial Port1 Address 3F8 IRQ4 Allows BIOS to Enable Serial Port1 Mode Normal or disable floppy OnBoard CIR Port Disabled controller Move En...

Page 41: ...he processor s reset vector after the wake event also called Suspend to RAM S4 The S4 sleeping state is the lowest power longest wake latency sleeping state supported by ACPI In order to reduce power to a minimum it is assumed that the hardware platform has powered off all devices Platform context is maintained also called Suspend to Disk S5 The S5 state is similar to the S4 state except that the ...

Page 42: ... Products feature When enable the suspend power of the chipset will be cut off in S5 suspend mode in order to reduce the power consumption of motherboard Enable S1 S3 S4 is normal S5 wake up only by pressing the power button Disable Normal ACPI function Resume by LAN This item is used to enable disable the LAN to generate a wake up Resume by PCI Card This item is used to enable disable the PCI car...

Page 43: ... which smart fan stops its operation Start PWM Temperature It allows you set a temperature value from which smart fan starts its operation Start PWM Value It allows you to set an initial PWM value to drive the fan when the temperature reaches Start value and smart fan begins its operation The higher PWM value can achieve the faster fan speed Slope PWM Value The slope controls the PWM value being s...

Page 44: ...ansion cards were installed the system might fail to work Save Changes and Exit When you select this option and press Enter a message will be displayed in the center of the screen Select OK to save your changes to CMOS and exit the program select Cancel or ESC to return to the main menu Discard Changes and Exit If you select this option and press Enter the following message will be displayed in th...

Page 45: ... that enhance the mother board features This chapter includes the following information Utility CD content Install driver and utility FOX ONE FOX LiveUpdate FOX LOGO FOX DMI Note Because each module is independent so the section number will be reorganized and unique to each module please understand ...

Page 46: ...r after all the drivers have been installed A AMD Chipset Driver B Realtek HDA Audio Driver C Realtek 811x LAN Driver D AMD RAID Driver 2 Software Utilities Use these options to install additional software programs FOX ONE is a very powerful user interface program which allows you to change your system setting without going to BIOS Some auto features help user to improve or overclock your system w...

Page 47: ...l the other drivers left or you can click on each individual driver to install it manually 2 Install Utility You can select the specific utility to install Manual Installation Step by Step Automatic Installation by One Click Select to Install Utilities Select to Install Drivers Click to visit Foxconn s website Browse CD Exit the program Drop to System Tray ...

Page 48: ...nt Stepping will require you to calibrate the CPU s loading Click OK to proceed and start the Utility F I S is a feature of FOX ONE which can automatically adjust your CPU clock based on your current system loading Before you running the FOX ONE program the system parameters such as CPU clock voltage etc are controlled by BIOS settings After you run FOX ONE it will take over and the controlling ri...

Page 49: ...plify the whole FOX ONE control panel to a smaller information bar i e Simple Mode as depicted below you can drag this bar to any place on your screen to help you monitoring system status Click here to go back to FOX ONE full screen Click here will drop the FOX ONE to Windows system tray Exit FOX ONE Show CPU Information Toolbar Alert Lamp Switch Button Exit Minimum Homepage Monitor Frequency Volt...

Page 50: ...t Click this button to exit the program Minimum Click this button to drop the FOX ONE to Windows system tray located at the lower right corner of your screen Homepage Click this button to visit Foxconn motherboard website http www foxconnchannel com Apply the changes Click the new skin picture to select the new skin Cancel the changes ...

Page 51: ...e Simple Mode Messages such as CPU frequency voltage etc they can be displayed one by one in Simple Mode 3 F I S Calibration FOX Intelligent Stepping Optional This function will re calibrate the CPU s loading and it may take several minutes to proceed The FOX ONE calibration process will apply different loadings to your CPU record PWM IC voltage together with the CPU clock running at these loading...

Page 52: ... After data is collected it will ask you to restart your computer now Later on when the FOX ONE program is activated and F I S feature in CPU Page is also enabled FOX ONE will automatically adjust your CPU clock according to your system loadings Loadings are like Power Gaming Data Mining etc ...

Page 53: ...eck the highest CPU clock you can use System will raise the CPU clock step by step until it hangs you can then push the RESET button on your PC panel to restart the system When system restarts run FOX ONE again it will display a recommended highest CPU clock for you click Yes to apply it A message informs you to push RESET button later if the system hangs finally Click Yes to continue Press Auto b...

Page 54: ...ET button on the front panel of your system to restart the computer Run FOX ONE program again it will inform you the previous test found that 255MHz is the recommended CPU clock for your system Click Yes to apply it to your system Now your system is running at a CPU clock of 255MHz ...

Page 55: ... speed to a minimum The four benchmarks Power Gaming Data Mining Office and Energy Saving the references of their system loading were calculated and defined in the FIS Calibration option of Configuration menu Select Auto CPU will automatically adjust its clock according to current system loading 3 Frequency Page Frequency Control This page lets you set memory and PCI Express frequencies by manual ...

Page 56: ...ert function Go to Limit Setting page Set high limit by dragging the lever Show current CPU temperature value Enable alert function when the CPU temperature is higher than high limit value Show current high limit value of the CPU temperature Set high limit by dragging the lever Show current system temperature value Enable alert function when the system temperature is higher than high limit value S...

Page 57: ...ert function Set low limit rpm by dragging the lever Show current CPU fan rpm value Enable alert function when the CPU fan runs slower than the low limit rpm value Show current low limit rpm value of CPU fan Set low limit rpm by dragging the lever Show current system fan rpm value Enable alert function when the system fan runs slower than low limit rpm value Show current low limit rpm value of sys...

Page 58: ...ge manually CPU voltage can be stepped up down by a unit of 12 5mV while memory is 0 05V step and North Bridge is 0 04V step Set low limit rpm by dragging the lever Show current FAN1 fan rpm value Enable alert function when the FAN1 fan runs slower than low limit rpm value Show current low limit rpm value of FAN1 fan Go to Voltage page Select the option you want to set Adjust by manual Reset the c...

Page 59: ...s you enable Smart Fan function or set the fan speed by manual When Smart Fan is selected you must use a 4 pin CPU cooler in your system Go to Fan page Set fan speed by dragging the lever Enable or disable smart fan function Apply the changes ...

Page 60: ...ws 2000 Windows XP 32 bit and 64 bit Windows 2003 32 bit and 64 bit Windows Vista 32 bit and 64 bit Windows 7 32 bit and 64 bit Using FOX LiveUpdate 1 Local Update 1 1 Local Update BIOS Information This page lets you know your system BIOS information please refer to the physical motherboard for detail Exit Toolbar Minimum Show current BIOS information Link to website ...

Page 61: ...sure if you really want to continue click Yes to confirm A setup wizard will guide you to load a local BIOS file to finish the operation You must remember from which directory to load your new BIOS file with an extension of BIN for Award BIOS ROM for AMI BIOS before the setup wizard starts Key in a BIOS name Click here FOX LiveUpdate can automatically backup old BIOS before update This feature can...

Page 62: ...ation 2 2 Online Update Update Driver This page lets you update your system drivers from Internet Click start it will search the new drivers from Internet Then follow the wizard to finish the update operation Click here Current information Search new BIOS from Internet Browse detailed information Update BIOS Close the window Select BIOS to update Click here Current information Search new drivers f...

Page 63: ...rom Internet Then follow the wizard to finish the update operation Browse detailed information Install the selected driver Close the window Select the driver to update Click here Current information Search new utilities from Internet Browse detailed information Install the selected utility Close the window Select the utility to update ...

Page 64: ...ll search all new BIOS drivers utilities from Internet Then follow the wizard to finish the update operation Click here Current information Search all new BIOS drivers utilities from Internet Browse detailed BIOS information Close the window Browse detailed driver information Browse detailed utility information ...

Page 65: ...m Internet and if any qualified item found it will pop out a message on the task bar to inform you to do the next step Double click on the icon as show below you can see the detailed information Double click here Apply the changes Reset to default value Click here Set auto search options Select search which kind of versions Set auto search the latest FOX LiveUpdate ...

Page 66: ...rompt you to install the new version 3 2 Configure System This page lets you set the backup BIOS location Click here Set the location of download files or auto backup BIOS Determine if the FOX LiveUpdate can auto run when the system starts up Apply the changes Reset to default value Prompt you to install the new FOX LiveUpdate ...

Page 67: ...out any interruption 4 About Help This page shows some information about FOX LiveUpdate C A U T I O N We recommend that you had better keep the default setting unchanged to avoid any damage Click here Select which BIOS ROM to flash Only available to motherboard with backup BIOS ROM Apply the changes Reset to default value Select to flash Boot Block Select to clear CMOS Click here Show information ...

Page 68: ...u enable the BIOS Quiet Boot setting in Advanced BIOS Features menu Supporting Operating Systems Windows 2000 Windows XP 32 bit and 64 bit Windows 2003 32 bit and 64 bit Windows Vista 32 bit and 64 bit Windows 7 32 bit and 64 bit Using FOX LOGO When you change Logo or delete current Logo the system will flash BIOS file auto matically During this time please DO NOT shut down the application and the...

Page 69: ...ze and troubleshoot your mother board if there is any problem occurred Supporting Operating Systems Windows 2000 Windows XP 32 bit and 64 bit Windows 2003 32 bit and 64 bit Windows Vista 32 bit and 64 bit Windows 7 32 bit and 64 bit Using FOX DMI Please operate this utility as the comments shows Click here to select the DMI Data format you need Click here to select the type you want to view ...

Page 70: ...a system with new RAID built as data storage It includes the following information RAID Configuration Introduction FastBuild Driver Create a RAID Driver Diskette RAID Enable in BIOS Select a RAID Array for use Install a New Windows XP Setting up a Non Bootable RAID Array The RAID BIOS Setup pictures shown in this chapter are for refer ence only please refer to the practical screen ...

Page 71: ...D To create RAID driver diskette if it is not bundled 6 Windows XP or Vista Install CD Creating a Non Bootable Array Existing Windows XP or Vista system with new RAID built as data storage Follow 5 5 to go through the processes to build a new RAID array in your existing Windows XP system it includes 1 Set RAID enabled in BIOS 2 Follow 5 3 to select a RAID array for use 3 Run setup program to insta...

Page 72: ...rtant for example a system that delivers video on demand TV programs to many viewers The configuration affects reliability and performance in different ways The problem with using more disks is that it is more likely that one will go wrong but by using error checking the total system can be made more reliable by being able to survive and repair the failure Basic mirroring can speed up reading data...

Page 73: ...e RAID 10 Striped Mirror RAID 10 is a combination of striping and mirroring This configuration provides optimal speed and reliability but you need four SATA hard disks Span JBOD JBOD stands for Just a Bunch of Disks Each drive is accessed as if it were on a standard SCSI host bus adapter This is useful when a single drive configuration is needed but it offers no speed improvement or fault toleranc...

Page 74: ... Channel 3 is the SATA port 3 Channel 4 is the SATA port 4 To achieve the best performance and reliability we highly recommend you using the hard disks with the same brand size and model number Though we are using four different hard disks as an example to describe RAID function in this chapter it is only helpful in explaining what the final disk volume of the RAID array will be In the real world ...

Page 75: ...xisting Windows XP system with new RAID built as data storage Install SATA Hard Disks before we continue Shut down your computer Install SATA hard disks into the drive bays connect all power and SATA cables Before installing the SATA hard disks make sure to turn off the computer and unplug the power cord from the power outlet to prevent damage to the hardware C A U T I O N ...

Page 76: ...loppy drive A this diskette will be formatted later Put the driver CD into DVD ROM drive 2 Depending on which platform your sys tem is normally it is a 32 bit XP system Use Windows explorer and go to CD Driver AMD RAID Floppy WinXP click on RaidTool icon to start the creation 3 Click GO to start 4 Select the desired destination FDD drive It can be the default drive A or any USB FDD Click OK to con...

Page 77: ...e label for this diskette click on Start to format 7 Click on OK to go through this warning message 8 Format finished Click OK to continue copying of RAID driver into this diskette 9 Check if the diskette contains the driver files ...

Page 78: ...sage asking you to press Ctrl F key to enter the main menu of FastBuild BIOS Press Ctrl F the Main Menu appears Option ROM Utility c 2008 Advanced Micro Devices Inc View Drive Assignment 1 Define LD 2 Delete LD 3 Controller Configuration 4 Main Menu Press 1 4 to Select Option ESC Exit Keys Available CMOS Setup Utility Copyright C 1985 2006 American Megatrends Inc IDE Configuration IDE Configuratio...

Page 79: ...7 LD 8 LD 9 LD10 Up Down ESC Exit Enter Select Option ROM Utility c 2008 Advanced Micro Devices Inc Keys Available LD 1 Define LD Menu Define LD Menu LD No RAID Mode Total Drv LD 1 RAID 0 2 Stripe Block 64 KB Fast Init ON Gigabyte Boundary ON Cache Mode WriteThru Channel ID Drive Model Compatibilities Capacity GB Assignment 1 Mas HDS728090PLA380 SATA 3G 82 34 Y 2 Mas WDC WD1200JD 98HBB0 SATA 1 5G ...

Page 80: ...Initialization Option has been selected It will erase the MBR data of the disks Press Ctrl Y Key if you are sure to erase it Pres any other key to ignore this option Press Ctrl Y to Modify Array Capacity or press any other key to use maximum capacity Define LD Menu LD No RAID Mode Total Drv Capacity GB LD 1 RAID 0 2 164 56 Stripe Block 64 KB Fast Init ON Gigabyte Boundary OFF Cache Mode WriteThru ...

Page 81: ...ion ROM Utility c 2008 Advanced Micro Devices Inc Keys Available LD 2 Define LD Menu Define LD Menu LD No RAID Mode Total Drv LD 1 RAID 0 0 Stripe Block 64 KB Fast Init ON Gigabyte Boundary ON Cache Mode WriteThru Channel ID Drive Model Compatibilities Capacity GB Assignment 1 Mas HDS728090PLA380 SATA 3G 42 28 Y 2 Mas WDC WD1200JD 98HBB0 SATA 1 5G 79 96 Y 3 Mas Hitachi HDT725025VLA3 SATA 3G 250 05...

Page 82: ...rv LD 1 RAID 0 0 Stripe Block 64 KB Fast Init ON Gigabyte Boundary ON Cache Mode WriteThru Channel ID Drive Model Compatibilities Capacity GB Assignment 1 Mas HDS728090PLA380 SATA 3G 42 28 Y 2 Mas WDC WD1200JD 98HBB0 SATA 1 5G 79 96 Y 3 Mas Hitachi HDT725025VLA3 SATA 3G 250 05 N 4 Mas ST3320620AS SATA 1 5G 320 07 N Up Down ESC Exit Space Change Crtl Y SAVE PgUp Dn Page Change Define LD Menu Option...

Page 83: ...LD 7 LD 8 LD 9 LD10 Up Down ESC Exit Enter Select Option ROM Utility c 2008 Advanced Micro Devices Inc Keys Available LD 1 Define LD Menu Define LD Menu LD No RAID Mode Total Drv LD 1 RAID 1 2 Stripe Block NA Fast Init ON Gigabyte Boundary ON Cache Mode WriteThru Channel ID Drive Model Compatibilities Capacity GB Assignment 1 Mas HDS728090PLA380 SATA 3G 82 34 N 2 Mas WDC WD1200JD 98HBB0 SATA 1 5G ...

Page 84: ...enu Define LD Menu LD No RAID Mode Total Drv Capacity GB LD 1 RAID 1 2 249 99 Stripe Block NA Fast Init ON Gigabyte Boundary OFF Cache Mode WriteThru Channel ID Drive Model Compatibilities Capacity GB Assignment 1 Mas HDS728090PLA380 SATA 3G 82 34 N 2 Mas WDC WD1200JD 98HBB0 SATA 1 5G 120 03 N 3 Mas Hitachi HDT725025VLA3 SATA 3G 250 05 Y 4 Mas ST3320620AS SATA 1 5G 320 07 Y Fast Initial Option ROM...

Page 85: ...LD 6 LD 7 LD 8 LD 9 LD10 Up Down ESC Exit Enter Select Option ROM Utility c 2008 Advanced Micro Devices Inc Keys Available LD 1 Define LD Menu Define LD Menu LD No RAID Mode Total Drv LD 1 RAID 10 4 Stripe Block 64 KB Fast Init ON Gigabyte Boundary ON Cache Mode WriteThru Channel ID Drive Model Compatibilities Capacity GB Assignment 1 Mas HDS728090PLA380 SATA 3G 82 34 Y 2 Mas WDC WD1200JD 98HBB0 S...

Page 86: ...unctional Define LD Menu Define LD Menu LD No RAID Mode Total Drv LD 1 RAID 10 4 Stripe Block 64 KB Fast Init ON Gigabyte Boundary OFF Cache Mode WriteThru Channel ID Drive Model Compatibilities Capacity GB Assignment 1 Mas HDS728090PLA380 SATA 3G 82 34 Y 2 Mas WDC WD1200JD 98HBB0 SATA 1 5G 120 03 Y 3 Mas Hitachi HDT725025VLA3 SATA 3G 250 05 Y 4 Mas ST3320620AS SATA 1 5G 320 07 Y Fast Initial Opti...

Page 87: ...Drv Capacity GB Status LD 1 RAID 0 2 163 99 Functional LD 2 LD 3 LD 4 LD 5 LD 6 LD 7 LD 8 LD 9 LD10 Up Down ESC Exit Enter Select Option ROM Utility c 2008 Advanced Micro Devices Inc Keys Available LD 1 Define LD Menu Define LD Menu LD No RAID Mode Total Drv LD 1 RAID READY 1 Stripe Block NA Fast Init ON Gigabyte Boundary ON Cache Mode WriteThru Channel ID Drive Model Compatibilities Capacity GB A...

Page 88: ...ADY 1 Stripe Block NA Fast Init ON Gigabyte Boundary ON Cache Mode WriteThru Channel ID Drive Model Compatibilities Capacity GB Assignment 1 Mas HDS728090PLA380 SATA 3G 42 28 N 2 Mas WDC WD1200JD 98HBB0 SATA 1 5G 79 96 N 3 Mas Hitachi HDT725025VLA3 SATA 3G 250 05 N 4 Mas ST3320620AS SATA 1 5G 320 07 Y Up Down ESC Exit Space Change Crtl Y SAVE PgUp Dn Page Change Define LD Menu Option ROM Utility c...

Page 89: ...7 LD 8 LD 9 LD10 Up Down ESC Exit Enter Select Option ROM Utility c 2008 Advanced Micro Devices Inc Keys Available LD 1 Define LD Menu Define LD Menu LD No RAID Mode Total Drv LD 1 JBOD 4 Stripe Block NA Fast Init ON Gigabyte Boundary NA Cache Mode NA Channel ID Drive Model Compatibilities Capacity GB Assignment 1 Mas HDS728090PLA380 SATA 3G 82 34 Y 2 Mas WDC WD1200JD 98HBB0 SATA 1 5G 120 03 Y 3 M...

Page 90: ...0 05 Y 4 Mas ST3320620AS SATA 1 5G 320 07 Y Up Down ESC Exit Space Change Crtl Y SAVE PgUp Dn Page Change Define LD Menu Option ROM Utility c 2008 Advanced Micro Devices Inc Keys Available Define LD Menu Fast Initialization Option has been selected It will erase the MBR data of the disks Press Ctrl Y Key if you are sure to erase it Pres any other key to ignore this option Define LD Menu LD No RAID...

Page 91: ... will go to an fatal blue screen and you may need to reboot the system again PC may not respond to your F6 input immediately and it keeps loading files until the next screen displays Windows Setup Press F6 if you need to install a 3rd party SCSI or RAID driver CMOS Setup Utility Copyright C 1985 2006 American Megatrends Inc Boot Device Priority Boot Device Priority Item Help 1st Boot Device CDROM ...

Page 92: ...ine the type of one or more mass storage devices installed in your system or you have chosen to manually specify an adapter Currently Setup will load support for the following mass storage device s none To specify additional SCSI adapters CD ROM drivers or special disk controllers for use with Windows including those for which you have a device support disk from a mass storage device manufacturer ...

Page 93: ...have a device support disk from a mass storage device manufacturer press S If you do not have any device support disks from a mass storage device manufacturer or do not want to specify additional mass storage devices for use with Windows press ENTER S Specify Additional Device ENTER Continue F3 Exit Windows Setup You have chosen to configure a SCSI Adapter for use with Windows using a device suppo...

Page 94: ...ed space on this computer Use the UP ad DOWN ARROW keys to select an item in the list To set up Windows XP on the selected item press ENTER To create a partition in the unpartitioned space press C To delete the selected partitions press D 238410 MB Disk 0 at Id 1 on bus 0 on ahcix86 MBR ENTER Install C Create Partition F3 Quit Unpartitioned space 238410 MB Windows XP Professional Setup The followi...

Page 95: ...em and go to IDE Configuration menu Enable the RAID function Press F10 to save the settings and reboot To achieve the best performance and reliability we highly recommend you using the hard disks with the same brand size and model number Though we are using different brand of hard disks as an example here the purpose is only for easy understanding W ARNING CMOS Setup Utility Copyright C 1985 2006 ...

Page 96: ...4 In Windows click Cancel to skip any Found New Hardware Wizard Use driver CD and click on AMD RAID Driver to install the AMD RAID driver The RAID driver will be installed only when you select RAID in OnChip SATA Type setting If you do not select RAID then RAID driver will not be installed Define LD Menu LD No RAID Mode Total Drv Capacity GB Status LD 1 RAID 0 2 163 99 Functional LD 2 LD 3 LD 4 LD...

Page 97: ...5 90 5 After the AMD RAID driver is installed it will ask you to click Finish to restart your computer 6 When Windows starts a message is prompting you to reboot again Click Yes to restart your computer ...

Page 98: ... and Convert Disk Wizard appears Click Next to continue The RAID array is named as Disk1 and its status is unknown and not initialized 8 A Select Disks to Initialize window will appear The disks listed depend on how many arrays you have configured Select Disk1 and click Next to continue 9 When Select Disks to Convert window appears do not select anything and click Next to continue 10 When the Comp...

Page 99: ...efore using it Right click Unallocated space select New Partition and follow the Wizard instructions 12 When New Partition Wizard appears click Next to continue 13 When Primary partition screen appears click Next to continue 14 When Specify Partition Size screen appears click Next to continue 15 When Assign Drive Letter or Path screen appears click Next to continue 16 Click Finish to end the New P...

Page 100: ...5 93 17 The format of disk array Disk1 is in processing 18 Format completed now you can start using your RAID array ...