User manual ASUS P4S800-MX

[. . . ] P4S800-MX User Guide Motherboard E1447 Checklist Revised Edition V2 October 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. [. . . ] Doing so may cause system boot failure! User recovery requested. Rebooting. ASUS P4S800-MX motherboard user guide 2-3 2. 1. 3 Using the AFLASH utility AFLASH is a Flash Memory Writer utility that allows you to update the BIOS using a bootable floppy disk, or copy the original motherboard BIOS. This utility only works in DOS mode. Copying the original motherboard BIOS To copy the original motherboard BIOS file: 1. Copy the AFLASH utility from the support CD to the boot disk you created. AFLASH does not work in the DOS prompt within Windows®, and does not work with certain memory drivers that may be loaded when you boot from the hard drive. It is recommended that you reboot using a floppy disk. 2. Reboot the computer from the floppy disk. BIOS setup must specify "Floppy" as the first item in the boot sequence. 3. In DOS prompt, type AFLASH, then press <Enter> to run AFLASH. Save Current BIOS to File, then press <Enter>. The Save Current BIOS To File screen appears. 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. 5. Type a filename and the path, for example, A:\XXX-XX. XXX, then press <Enter>. 2-4 Chapter 2: BIOS information Updating the BIOS Update the BIOS only if you have problems with the motherboard and you are sure that the new BIOS revision will solve your problems. Careless updating may result to more problems with the motherboard! To update the BIOS: 1. Download an updated BIOS file from the ASUS website (www. asus. com) and save the file to the bootable floppy disk you earlier . Reboot the computer from the floppy disk. In DOS prompt, type AFLASH, then press <Enter> to run AFLASH. Update BIOS including Boot Block and ESCD, then press <Enter>. The Update BIOS Including Boot Block and ESCD screen appears. Type the filename of your new BIOS and the path, for example, A:\P4S800MX. BIN, then press <Enter>. To cancel this operation, press <Enter>. When prompted, press Y to start the update. 7. The boot block is automatically updated only when necessary. This minimizes the possibility of boot problems in case of update failures. When updating is done, the message "Flashed Successfully" appears. ASUS P4S800-MX motherboard user guide 2-5 8. [. . . ] Select one of the options from this menu or <F10> from the legend bar to exit. Exit & Save Changes Once you are finished making your selections, choose this option from the Exit menu to ensure the values you selected are saved to the CMOS RAM. The CMOS RAM is sustained by an onboard backup battery and stays on even when the PC is turned off. When you select this option, a confirmation window appears. Select [Yes] to save changes and exit. If you attempt to exit the Setup program without saving your changes, the program prompts you with a message asking if you want to save your changes before exiting. [. . . ]