World Magazine 2024
The WINBIOS Setup main menu is organized into four windows. Each window corresponds to a section below, with each window and each section containing several icons. Clicking on an icon activates a specific function. The WINBIOS Setup icons and functions are described as follows:
| Windows | Function |
| Setup | This section has five icons that permit you to set system configuration options such as date, time, hard disk type, floppy type, and many others. |
| Utilities | Has four icons that perform system functions. |
| Security | Has two icons that control AMIBIOS security features. |
| Default | This section has three icons that permit you to select a group of settings for all WINBIOS Setup options. |
Table of Contents
Default Settings
Each WINBIOS Setup option has two default settings. These settings can be appliedto all WINBIOS Setup options when you select the Default section on the WINBIOS Setup main menu. The types of defaults are:
| Defaults | Description |
| OptimalOptimal default setting | These settings provide the best performance characteristics. |
| Fail-SafeFail-Safe default setting | These settings are more likely to configure a workable computer when something is wrong. If you cannot boot the computer successfully, select the Fail-Safe WINBIOS Setup options and try to diagnose the problem after the computer boots. These settings do not provide optimal performance. |
Setup Types
WINBIOS Setup can have up to six separate screens. Different types of system configuration parameters are set on each screen.
| Type | Description |
| Standard Setup | Set the time and date. Configure disk drives. |
| Advanced Setup | Configure basic system performance parameters. |
| Chipset Setup | Configure features specific to the chipset used in the computer. |
| Power Management Setup | Configure power conservation features. |
| PCI/PnP Setup | Configure PCI and Plug-and-Play features. |
| Peripheral Setup | Configure I/O support. |
Standard Setup
Standard Setup options are displayed by choosing the Standard icon from the WINBIOS Setup menu. All Standard Setup options are described below.
Date/Time Select the Date/Time option to change the date or time. The current date and time are displayed. Enter new values through the displayed window.
Floppy Drive A, B Choose the Floppy Drive A or B icon to specify the floppy drive type. The settings are 360 KB 5¼”, 1.2 MB 5¼”, 720 KB 3½”, 1.44 MB 3½”, or 2.88 MB 3½”.
Pri Master
Pri Slave
Sec Master
Sec Slave
Choose these icons to configure the hard disk drive named in the option. When you click on an icon, the following parameters are listed: Type, LBA/Large Mode, Block Mode, 32Bit Mode, and PIO Mode. All parameters relate to IDE drives except Type.
Configuring an MFM Drive If configuring an old MFM hard disk drive, you must know the drive parameters (number of heads, number of cylinders, number of sectors, the starting write precompensation cylinder, and drive capacity). Choose Type and choose the appropriate hard disk drive type (1 – 46). The old MFM hard drive types are listed on page 82. If the drive parameters of your MFM drive do not match any drive type listed on page 82, select User in the Type field and enter the drive parameters on the screen that appears.
User-Defined Drive If you are configuring a SCSI drive or an MFM, RLL, ARLL, or ESDI drive with drive parameters that do not match drive types 1-46, you can select the User in the Type field. You must then enter the drive parameters on the screen that appears. The drive parameters include:
-
Cylinder (number of cylinders),
-
Hd (number of heads),
-
WP (starting write precompensation cylinder),
-
Sec (number of sectors),
-
Size (drive capacity).
| Parameter | Description |
| Type | The number for a drive with certain identification parameters. |
| CylindersNumber of Cylinders | The number of cylinders in the disk drive. |
| HeadsNumber of Heads | The number of heads. |
| Write PrecompensationWrite Precompensation | The size of a sector gets progressively smaller as the track diameter diminishes. Yet each sector must still hold 512 bytes. Write precompensation circuitry on the hard disk compensates for the physical difference in sector size by boosting the write current for sectors on inner tracks. This parameter is the track number where write precompensation begins. |
| Landing ZoneLanding Zone | This number is the cylinder location where the heads will normally park when the system is shut down. |
| SectorsNumber of Sectors | The number of sectors per track. MFM drives have 17 sectors per track. RLL drives have 26 sectors per track. ESDI drives have 34 sectors per track. SCSI and IDE drives have more sectors per track. |
| CapacityHard Disk Drive Capacity | The formatted capacity of the drive is (Number of heads) x (Number of cylinders) x (Number of sectors per track) x (512 bytes per sector) |
Configuring IDE Drives If the hard disk drive to be configured is an IDE drive, select the appropriate drive icon (Pri Master, Pri Slave, Sec Master, or Sec Slave). Select the IDE Detect icon to automatically detect all drive parameters.
AMIBIOS automatically detects the IDE drive parameters (including ATAPI CD-ROM drives) and displays them. Click on the OK button to accept these parameters Or you can set the parameters manually if you are absolutely certain that you know the correct IDE drive parameters.
Click on LBA/Large Mode and choose On to enable support for IDE drives with capacities greater than 528 MB.
Click on Block Mode and choose On to support IDE drives that use Block Mode.
Click on 32Bit Mode and click on On to support IDE drives that permit 32-bit accesses.
Click on PIO Mode to select the IDE Programmed I/O mode. PIO programming also works with ATAPI CD-ROM drives. The settings are Auto, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. Click on Auto to allow AMIBIOS to automatically find the PIO mode that the IDE drive being configured uses. If you select 0-5 you must make absolutely certain that you are selecting the PIO mode supported by the IDE drive being configured.
Configuring a CD-ROM Drive Select the appropriate drive icon (Pri Master, Pri Slave, Sec Master, or Sec Slave). Choose the Type parameter and select CDROM. You can boot the computer from a CD-ROM drive. You can also choose Auto and let AMIBIOS will automatically set the correct drive parameters.
Hard Disk Drive Types
| Type | Cylinders | Heads | Write
Precompensation |
Landing
Zone |
Sectors | Capacity |
| 1 | 306 | 4 | 128 | 305 | 17 | 10 MB |
| 2 | 615 | 4 | 300 | 615 | 17 | 20 MB |
| 3 | 615 | 6 | 300 | 615 | 17 | 31 MB |
| 4 | 940 | 8 | 512 | 940 | 17 | 62 MB |
| 5 | 940 | 6 | 512 | 940 | 17 | 47 MB |
| 6 | 615 | 4 | 65535 | 615 | 17 | 20 MB |
| 7 | 462 | 8 | 256 | 511 | 17 | 31 MB |
| 8 | 733 | 5 | 65535 | 733 | 17 | 30 MB |
| 9 | 900 | 15 | 65535 | 901 | 17 | 112 MB |
| 10 | 820 | 3 | 65535 | 820 | 17 | 20 MB |
| 11 | 855 | 5 | 65535 | 855 | 17 | 35 MB |
| 12 | 855 | 7 | 65535 | 855 | 17 | 50 MB |
| 13 | 306 | 8 | 128 | 319 | 17 | 20 MB |
| 14 | 733 | 7 | 65535 | 733 | 17 | 43 MB |
| 16 | 612 | 4 | 0 | 663 | 17 | 20 MB |
| 17 | 977 | 5 | 300 | 977 | 17 | 41 MB |
| 18 | 977 | 7 | 65535 | 977 | 17 | 57 MB |
| 19 | 1024 | 7 | 512 | 1023 | 17 | 60 MB |
| 20 | 733 | 5 | 300 | 732 | 17 | 30 MB |
| 21 | 733 | 7 | 300 | 732 | 17 | 43 MB |
| 22 | 733 | 5 | 300 | 733 | 17 | 30 MB |
| 23 | 306 | 4 | 0 | 336 | 17 | 10 MB |
| 24 | 925 | 7 | 0 | 925 | 17 | 54 MB |
| 25 | 925 | 9 | 65535 | 925 | 17 | 69 MB |
| 26 | 754 | 7 | 754 | 754 | 17 | 44 MB |
| 27 | 754 | 11 | 65535 | 754 | 17 | 69 MB |
| 28 | 699 | 7 | 256 | 699 | 17 | 41 MB |
| 29 | 823 | 10 | 65535 | 823 | 17 | 68 MB |
| 30 | 918 | 7 | 918 | 918 | 17 | 53 MB |
| 31 | 1024 | 11 | 65535 | 1024 | 17 | 94 MB |
| 32 | 1024 | 15 | 65535 | 1024 | 17 | 128 MB |
| 33 | 1024 | 5 | 1024 | 1024 | 17 | 43 MB |
| 34 | 612 | 2 | 128 | 612 | 17 | 10 MB |
| 35 | 1024 | 9 | 65535 | 1024 | 17 | 77 MB |
| 36 | 1024 | 8 | 512 | 1024 | 17 | 68 MB |
| 37 | 615 | 8 | 128 | 615 | 17 | 41 MB |
| 38 | 987 | 3 | 987 | 987 | 17 | 25 MB |
| 39 | 987 | 7 | 987 | 987 | 17 | 57 MB |
| 40 | 820 | 6 | 820 | 820 | 17 | 41 MB |
| 41 | 977 | 5 | 977 | 977 | 17 | 41 MB |
| 42 | 981 | 5 | 981 | 981 | 17 | 41 MB |
| 43 | 830 | 7 | 512 | 830 | 17 | 48 MB |
| 44 | 830 | 10 | 65535 | 830 | 17 | 69 MB |
| 45 | 917 | 15 | 65535 | 918 | 17 | 114 MB |
| 46 | 1224 | 15 | 65535 | 1223 | 17 | 152 MB |
| USER-DEFINED HARD DRIVE – Enter user-supplied parameters. |
Advanced Setup
Advanced Setup options are displayed by choosing the Advanced icon from the WINBIOS Setup main menu. All Advanced Setup options are described in this section.
Quick BootSet this option to Enabled to instruct AMIBIOS to boot quickly when the computer is powered on. This option replaces the old Above 1 MB Memory Test Advanced Setup option. The settings are:
| Setting | Description |
| Disabled | AMIBIOS test all system memory. AMIBIOS waits up to 40 seconds for a READY signal from the IDE hard disk drive. AMIBIOS waits for .5 seconds after sending a RESET signal to the IDE drive to allow the IDE drive time to get ready again. AMIBIOS checks for a |
| Enabled | AMIBIOS does not test system memory above 1 MB.
AMIBIOS does not wait up to 40 seconds for a READY signal from the IDE hard disk drive. If a READY signal is not received immediately from the IDE drive, AMIBIOS does not configure that drive. AMIBIOS does not wait for .5 seconds after sending a RESET signal to the IDE drive to allow the IDE drive time to get ready again. You cannot run WINBIOS Setup at system boot, because there is no delay for the Hit |
The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Enabled.
Boot Up Sequence This option sets the sequence of boot drives (floppy drive A:, hard disk drive C:, or a CD-ROM drive) that the AMIBIOS attempts to boot from after AMIBIOS POST completes. The settings are C:,A:,CDROM, CDROM,A:,C:, or A:,C:, CDROM. The default settings are C:,A:,CDROM.
Boot Up CPU Speed This option lets you specify the CPU speed at system boot. The settings are Low or High. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are High.
Boot Up Num LockSet this option to Off to turn the Num Lock key off when the computer is booted so you can use the arrow keys on both the numeric keypad and the keyboard. The settings are On or Off. The default settings are On.
Turbo Switch Set this option to Enabled to permit AMIBIOS to control the hardware turbo (speed) switch. The settings are Disabled or Enabled. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Disabled.
Floppy Drive Swap Set this option to Enabled to permit drives A: and B: to be swapped. The settings are Enabled or Disabled. The default settings are Disabled.
Floppy Drive Seek Set this option to Enabled to specify that floppy drive A: will perform a Seek operation at system boot. The settings are Disabled or Enabled. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Disabled.
Mouse Support When this option is set to Enabled, AMIBIOS supports a PS/2-type mouse. The settings are Enabled or Disabled. The default settings are Disabled. System Boot Up Sequence.
Typematic Rate This option specifies the speed at which a keyboard keystroke is repeated. The settings are Fast or Slow. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Fast.
System Keyboard This option specifies that a keyboard is attached to the computer. The settings are Present or Absent. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Present.
Primary Display This option specifies the type of display monitor and adapter in the computer. The settings are Mono, CGA40, CGA80, EGA/VGA, or Absent. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are EGA/VGA.
Password Check This option enables password checking every time the computer is powered on or every time WINBIOS Setup is executed. If Always is chosen, a user password prompt appears every time the computer is turned on. If Setup is chosen, the password prompt appears if WINBIOS is executed. The Optimal and Power-On defaults are Setup.
Parity Check Set this option to Enabled to check the parity of all system memory. The settings are Disabled or Enabled. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Disabled.
OS/2 Compatible Mode Set this option to Enabled to permit AMIBIOS to run with IBM OS/2. The settings are Enabled or Disabled. The default settings are Disabled.
Wait For F1 if Error AMIBIOS POST error messages are followed by:Press to continue
If this option is set to Disabled, AMIBIOS does not wait for you to press the key after an error message. The settings are Disabled or Enabled. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Enabled.
Hit Del Message Display Set this option to Disabled to prevent Hit if you want to run Setup. from appearing on the first AMIBIOS screen when the computer boots. The settings are Disabled or Enabled. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Enabled.
CPU Selection This option allows you to select the type of CPU installed in the computer. The settings are Auto (AMIBIOS automatically determines the CPU type) or Intel. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Auto.
Internal Cache This option specifies the caching algorithm used for L1 internal cache memory. The settings are:
| Setting | Description |
| Disabled | Neither L1 internal cache memory on the CPU or L2 secondary cache memory is enabled. |
| WriteBack
(default) |
Use the write-back caching algorithm. |
| WriteThru | Use the write-through caching algorithm. |
External Cache This option specifies the caching algorithm used for L2 secondary (external) cache memory. The settings are:
| Setting | Description |
| Disabled | Neither L1 internal cache memory on the CPU or L2 secondary cache memory is enabled. |
| WriteBack
(default) |
Use the write-back caching algorithm. |
| WriteThru | Use the write-through caching algorithm. |
System BIOS Shadow Cacheable When this option is set to Enabled, the contents of the F0000h system memory segment can be read from or written to L2 secondary cache memory. The contents of the F0000h memory segment are always copied from the BIOS ROM to system RAM for faster execution.
The settings are Enabled or Disabled. The Optimal default setting is Enabled. The Fail-Safe default setting is Disabled.
C000,16K Shadow
C400,16K Shadow
C800,16K Shadow
CC00,16K Shadow
D000,16K Shadow
D400,16K Shadow
D800,16K Shadow
C000,16K Shadow
These options control the location of the contents of the 16KB of ROM beginning at the specified memory location. If no adaptor ROM is using the named ROM area, this area is made available to the local bus. The settings are:
| Setting | Description |
| Shadow | The contents of C0000h – C3FFFh are written to the same address in system memory (RAM) for faster execution. |
| Cache | The contents of the named ROM area are written to the same address in system memory (RAM) for faster execution, if an adaptor ROM will be using the named ROM area. Also, the contents of the RAM area can be read from and written to cache memory. |
| Disabled | The video ROM is not copied to RAM. The contents of the video ROM cannot be read from or written to cache memory. |
The default setting is Cache.
In the AMIBIOS for the Intel Triton chipset, the E000h page is used as ROM during POST, but shadowing is disabled and the ROM CS# signal is disabled to make the E000h page available on the local bus.
P6 Microcode Update Set this option to Enabled to allow the Pentium Pro microcode to be updated. The settings are Disabled or Enabled. The optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Disabled.
Chipset Setup
Memory Hole Use this option to specify an area in memory that cannot be addressed on the ISA bus. The settings are Disabled, 512-640K, or 15-16MB. The default setting is Disabled.
DRAM Speed Specify the RAS access speed of the SIMMs installed in the motherboard as system memory. The settings are 60ns or 70 ns. The default is 70ns.
|
Caution: If you have installed SIMMs with different speeds in the motherboard, select the speed of the slowest SIMM. You must always use SIMMs that have the same speed within a memory bank. |
IRQ12/M Mouse Function Set this option to Enabled to specify that IRQ12 will be used for the mouse. The settings are Disabled or Enabled. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Enabled.
8-Bit I/O Recovery Time (SYSCLK) This option specifies the length of the delay (in SYSCLKs) inserted between consecutive 8-bit I/O operations. The settings are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are 2.
16-Bit I/O Recovery Time (SYSCLK) This option specifies the length of the delay (in SYSCLKs) inserted between consecutive 16-bit I/O operations. The settings are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are 2.
Power Management Setup
Power Management Setup options are displayed by choosing the Power Management icon from the WINBIOS Setup main menu. All Power Management Setup options are described in this section.
Power Management Set this option to Enabled to enable the power management and APM (Advanced Power Management) features.
The settings are Enabled or Disabled. The default settings are Disabled.
InstantON Support Set this option to Enabled to allow the computer to go to full power on mode when leaving a power-conserving state. This option is only available if supported by the computer hardware. AMIBIOS uses the RTC Alarm function to wake the computer at a prespecified time. The settings are Enabled or Disabled. The default settings are Disabled.
Green PC Monitor Power State This option specifies the power management state that the Green PC-compliant video monitor enters after the specified period of display inactivity has expired. The settings are Disabled, Off, Standby, or Suspend. The default settings are Disabled.
Video Power Down Mode This option specifies the power management state that the video subsystem enters after the specified period of display inactivity has expired. The settings are Disabled, Standby, or Suspend. The default settings are Disabled.
Hard Disk Power Down Mode This option specifies the power management state that the hard disk drive enters after the specified period of display inactivity has expired. The settings are Disabled, Standby, or Suspend. The default settings are Disabled.
Hard Disk Timeout (Min) This option specifies the length of a period of hard disk inactivity. When this period expires, the hard disk drive enters the power-conserving mode specified in the Hard Disk Power Down Mode option described on the previous page. The settings are Disabled, 1 Min (minutes), and all one minute intervals up to and including 15 Min. The default settings are Disabled.
Full-On to Standby Timeout This option specifies the length of the period of system inactivity when the computer is in Full-On mode before the computer is placed in Standby mode. In Standby mode, some power use is curtailed. The settings are Disabled, 1 Min, 2 Min, and all one minute intervals up to and including 15 Min. The default settings are Disabled.
Standby to Suspend Timeout This option specifies the length of the period of system inactivity when the computer is already in Standby mode before the computer is placed in Suspend mode. In Suspend mode, nearly all power use is curtailed. The settings are Disabled, 1 Min, 2 Min, and all one minute intervals up to and including 15 Min. The default settings are Disabled.
Slow Clock Ratio This option specifies the speed at which the system clock runs in power saving modes. The settings are expressed as a ratio between the normal clock speed and the power down clock speed. The settings are 1:1, 1:2 (half as fast as normal), 1:4 (the normal clock speed), 1:8, 1:16, 1:32, 1:64, or 1:128. The default setting is 1:1.
Display Activity This option specifies if AMIBIOS is to monitor activity on the display monitor for power conservation purposes. When this options set to Monitor and there is no display activity for the length of time specified in the value in the Full-On to Standby Timeout (Min) option, the computer enters a power saving state. The settings are Monitor or Ignore. The default settings are Ignore.
IRQ 3
IRQ 4
IRQ 5
IRQ 7
IRQ 9
IRQ 10
IRQ 11
IRQ 12
IRQ 13
IRQ 14
IRQ 15
These options enable event monitoring. When the computer is in a power saving mode, activity on the named interrupt request line is monitored by AMIBIOS. When any activity occurs, the computer enters Full On mode.
Each of these options can be set to Monitor or Ignore. The default setting for all options is Ignore.
PCI/PnP Setup
PCI/PnP Setup options are displayed by choosing the PCI/PnP Setup icon from the WINBIOS Setup main menu. All PCI/PnP Setup options are described in this section.
Plug and Play Aware OS Set this option to Yes if the operating system installed in the computer is Plug and Play-aware. AMIBIOS only detects and enables PnP ISA adapter cards that are required for system boot. The Windows 95 operating system detects and enables all other PnP-aware adapter cards. Windows 95 is PnP-aware. Set this option to No if the operating system (such as DOS, OS/2, Windows 3.x) does not use PnP. You must set this option correctly or PnP-aware adapter cards installed in your computer will not be configured properly. The settings are No or Yes. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are No.
PCI Burst Mode Set this option to Enabled to enable PCI burst mode. The settings are Disabled or Enabled. The Optimal default setting is Enabled. The Fail-Safe default setting is Disabled.
PCI Latency Timer (in PCI Clocks) This option sets latency of all PCI devices on the PCI bus. The settings are in units equal to PCI clocks. The settings are 32, 64, 96, 128, 160, 192, 224, or 248. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are 64.
PCI VGA Palette Snoop This option must be set to Enabled if any ISA adapter card installed in the computer requires VGA palette snooping. The settings are Disabled or Enabled. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Disabled.
PCI IDE Bus Master Set this option to Enabled to specify that the IDE controller on the PCI local bus has bus mastering capability. The settings are Disabled or Enabled. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Disabled.
Offboard PCI IDE Card This option specifies if an offboard PCI IDE controller adapter card is used in the computer. You must also specify the PCI expansion slot on the motherboard where the offboard PCI IDE controller card is installed. If an offboard PCI IDE controller is used, the onboard IDE controller on the motherboard is automatically disabled. The settings are Disabled, Auto, Slot1, Slot2, Slot3, or Slot4.
If Auto is selected, AMIBIOS automatically determines the correct setting for this option. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Auto.
In the AMIBIOS for the Intel Triton chipset, this option forces IRQ 14 and 15 to a PCI slot on the PCI local bus. This is necessary to support non-compliant PCI IDE adapter cards.
Offboard PCI IDE Primary IRQ This option specifies the PCI interrupt used by the primary IDE channel on the offboard PCI IDE controller. The settings are Disabled, INTA, INTB, INTC, or INTD. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Disabled.
Offboard PCI IDE Secondary IRQ This option specifies the PCI interrupt used by the secondary IDE channel on the offboard PCI IDE controller. The settings are Disabled, INTA, INTB, INTC, or INTD. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Disabled.
IRQ3
IRQ4
IRQ5
IRQ7
IRQ9
IRQ10
IRQ11
IRQ12
IRQ14
IRQ15
These options specify the bus that the named interrupt request lines (IRQs) are used on. These options allow you to specify IRQs for use by legacy ISA adapter cards.
These options determine if AMIBIOS should remove an IRQ from the pool of available IRQs passed to BIOS configurable devices. The available IRQ pool is determined by reading the ESCD NVRAM. If more IRQs must be removed from the pool, the end user can use these PCI/PnP Setup options to remove the IRQ by assigning the option to the ISA/EISA setting. Onboard I/O is configurable by AMIBIOS. The IRQs used by onboard I/O are configured as PCI/PnP.
The settings are PCI/PnP or ISA/EISA. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are PCI/PnP.
Reserved Memory Size This option specifies the size of the memory area reserved for legacy ISA adapter cards.
The settings are Disabled, 16K, 32K, or 64K. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Disabled.
Reserved Memory Address This option specifies the beginning address (in hex) of the reserved memory area. The specified ROM memory area is reserved for use by legacy ISA adapter cards.
The settings are C0000, C4000, C8000, CC000, D0000, D4000, D8000, or DC000. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are C0000.
DMA Channels This option can be used to reserve a DMA channel for use by legacy ISA adapter cards. The settings are Disabled, DMA Ch1, DMA Ch 3, DMA Ch 5, DMA Ch 6, or DMA Ch 7. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Disabled.
Peripheral Setup
Peripheral Setup options are displayed by choosing the Peripheral Setup icon from the WINBIOS Setup main menu. All Peripheral Setup options are described in this section.
Onboard FDC This option enables the floppy drive controller on the motherboard. The settings are Enabled or Disabled. The Optimal default setting is Enabled. The Fail-Safe default setting is Disabled.
Onboard Serial Port1 This option enables serial port 1 on the motherboard and specifies the base I/O port address for serial port 1.
The settings are 3F8h, 3E8h, or Disabled. The Optimal default setting is 3F8h. The Fail-Safe default setting is Disabled.
Onboard Serial Port2 This option enables serial port 2 on the motherboard and specifies the base I/O port address for serial port 2.
The settings are 2F8h, 2E8h, or Disabled. The Optimal default setting is 3F8h. The Fail-Safe default setting is Disabled.
Onboard Parallel Port This option enables the parallel port on the motherboard and specifies the parallel port base I/O port address. The settings are 378h, 278h, or Disabled.
The Optimal default setting is 378h. The Fail-Safe default setting is Disabled.
Parallel Port Mode This option specifies the parallel port mode. ECP and EPP are both bidirectional data transfer schemes that adhere to the IEEE P1284 specifications. The settings are:
| Setting | Description |
| Normal | The normal parallel port mode is used. This is the default setting. |
| Bi-Dir | Use this setting to support bidirectional transfers on the parallel port. |
| EPP | The parallel port can be used with devices that adhere to the Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) specification. EPP uses the existing parallel port signals to provide asymmetric bidirectional data transfer driven by the host device. |
| ECP | The parallel port can be used with devices that adhere to the Extended Capabilities Port (ECP) specification. ECP uses the DMA protocol to achieve transfer rates of approximately 2.5 Mbs. ECP provides symmetric bidirectional communications. |
Parallel Port DMAThis option is only available if the setting for the Parallel Port Mode option is ECP.
The settings are Disabled, DMA CH (channel) 0, DMA CH 1, or DMA CH 3. The default setting is Disabled.
Onboard Triton IDE This option specifies the onboard IDE controller channels that will be used. The settings are Primary, Secondary, Both, or Disabled. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Primary.
Security
Three icons appear in this part of the WINBIOS Setup screen:
-
Supervisor (Password ),
-
User (Password ), and
-
Anti-Virus (see page 101).
Two Levels of Passwords Both the Supervisor and the User icons configure password support. If you use both, the Supervisor password must be set first.
The system can be configured so that all users must enter a password every time the system boots or when WINBIOS Setup is executed, using either or both the Supervisor password or User password.
AMIBIOS Password Support
The Supervisor and User icons activate two different levels of password security.
If WINBIOS Setup has an optional password feature. The system can be configured so that all users must enter a password every time the system boots or when WINBIOS Setup is executed.
Setting a Password
The password check option is enabled in Advanced Setup (see page Error! Bookmark not defined. by choosing either Always (the password prompt appears every time the system is powered on) or Setup (the password prompt appears only when WINBIOS is run). The password is encrypted and stored in NVRAM.
As shown on the above screen, you are prompted for a 1 – 6 character password. You can either type the password on the keyboard or select each letter of the password, one at a time, using the mouse. The password does not appear on the screen when typed. Make sure you write it down. If you forget it, you must drain NVRAM and reconfigure.
If You Do Not Want to Use a PasswordPress when the password prompt appears.
Changing a Password
Select the Supervisor or User icon from the Security section of the WINBIOS Setup main menu. Enter the password and press . The screen does not display the characters entered. After the new password is entered, retype the new password as prompted and press .
If the password confirmation is incorrect, an error message appears. If the new password is entered without error, press . The password is stored in NVRAM after WINBIOS completes. The next time the system boots, a password prompt appears if the password function is present and enabled.
Remember the Password Keep a record of the new password when the password is changed. If you forget the password, you must erase the system configuration information in NVRAM (Non-Volatile Random Access Memory). See page Error! Bookmark not defined. for information about erasing system configuration information.
Anti-Virus
When this icon is selected from the Security section of the WINBIOS Setup main menu, AMIBIOS issues a warning when any program (or virus) issues a Disk Format command or attempts to write to the boot sector of the hard disk drive. The settings are Enabled or Disabled. If enabled, the following appears when a write is attempted to the boot sector. You may have to type N several times to prevent the boot sector write. Boot Sector Write!!!Possible VIRUS: Continue (Y/N)? _
The following appears after any attempt to format any cylinder, head, or sector of any hard disk drive via the BIOS INT 13 Hard Disk Drive Service: Format!!!Possible VIRUS: Continue (Y/N)? _
Utility
The following icons appear in this section of the WINBIOS Setup main screen:
Color Set Color Set Color Set sets the Setup screen colors.
Language If this feature is enabled, you can select WINBIOS Setup messages in different languages.
BIOS Defaults
The icons in this section permit you to select a group of settings for all WINBIOS Setup options. Not only can you use these icons to quickly set system configuration parameters, you can choose a group of settings that have a better chance of working when the system is having configuration-related problems.
Original Choose the Original icon to return to the system configuration values present in WINBIOS Setup when you first began this WINBIOS Setup session.
Optimal You can load the optimal default settings for the WINBIOS by selecting the Optimal icon. The Optimal default settings are best-case values that should optimize system performance. If NVRAM is corrupted, the Optimal settings are loaded automatically.
Fail-Safe BIOS Setup Settings You can load the Fail-Safe WINBIOS Setup option settings by selecting the Fail-Safe icon from the Default section of the WINBIOS Setup main menu.
The Fail-Safe settings provide far from optimal system performance, but are the most stable settings. Use this option as a diagnostic aid if the system is behaving erratically.
All specifications subject to change without prior notice.
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