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Configuring an Award BIOS Configuring a Phoenix BIOS
You enter the Award BIOS Setup program by pressing Delete as soon as you turn on the computer, or by pressing Delete or Ctrl+Alt+Esc when you see a message similar to the following:
TO ENTER SETUP BEFORE BOOT PRESS CTRL-ALT-ESC OR DEL KEY
Once the Setup program has started, you can use the function keys, cursor arrow keys, Page Up/Page Down keys, and +/- keys to move through the program and choose options.
The Award BIOS provides an override feature that lets you override the stored BIOS settings with system defaults. Using the system defaults enables you to restore the original default settings in the event you make a BIOS setting change that causes problems or causes the system to hang. To invoke the override settings, press the Insert key as soon as the system begins to boot.
The specific menu items in the Award BIOS Setup program vary from one mother-board type to another because they are tailored to the motherboard, but most Award BIOSes share a generic set of Setup sections. These include the following:
Standard CMOS Setup. This page includes common system settings such as date and time, hard disk type, floppy disk type, and other basic hardware configuration settings.
BIOS Features Setup. This page contains BIOS-specific features such as type of virus warning, system boot sequence (A:C or C:A), Quick POST, and other general settings.
Password Setting. This page lets you specify a password for the system or for the BIOS Setup program itself.
Chipset Features Setup. This page enables you to set chipset-specific BIOS features. You should only change these if you fully understand the ramifications of the change or at the direction of a technical expert.
Power Management Setup. This entry only appears if your system supports Power Management, Green PC, standards. Its settings control power management features of your system.
PCI Configuration Setup. This entry only appears if your system contains a PCI bus. It enables you to control various aspects of the PCI bus, including how interrupts are assigned to the PCI slots.
Load BIOS Defaults. These settings have been configured by the system manufacturer, and should provide optimum performance for your system. Use this option if you think some of the current BIOS settings are causing problems with the system.
Load Setup Defaults. These settings apply to the chipset-specific features of the BIOS. Load these defaults if you think system performance is being negatively affected by some of the current chipset settings.
IDE HDD Auto Detection. This option enables the BIOS to automatically detect and configure the settings for your IDE hard disk.
HDD Low-Level Format. This option provides a low-level hard disk format utility if your system support it
Save & Exit Setup. This item lets you save setting changes to CMOS and exit setup.
Exit Without Save. This item lets you abandon all setting (not save them) changes and exit setup
The following list explains some of the advanced BIOS settings you might want to modify (not all settings are included):
Virus Warning. If you enable this setting, the BIOS monitors the boot sector and partition table for any attempted modification. If a program tries to modify either, the system halts and displays a message prompting you to accept whether or not the program can alter the boot sector or partition table. Because many disk diagnostic programs attempt to write to the boot sector or partition table, you should disable this BIOS setting before running the disk diagnostic software.
Quick Power On Self Test. Enable this setting to speed up the boot process. When this setting is enabled, the BIOS shortens and skips some hardware tests.
Boot Up System Speed. The default setting--high--places the CPU at its fastest speed. Generally, the only reason to use the slow speed is to run an old DOS program that won't run at the higher speed.
IDE HDD Block Mode. If enabled, the BIOS can read to and write from the hard disk using block mode, which transfers data in blocks, rather than in bytes. This means that more data can be transferred in one read/write operation, speeding up performance. Enable this setting only if your disk supports block transfers.
Memory Parity Check. When the system boots, the BIOS tests the system's memory for parity errors, which effectively tests the consistency of the memory. If this setting is enabled and a parity error is encountered, the system halts. Otherwise, the system continues to boot, giving you the choice of using the system even with questionable memory (possibly beneficial for troubleshooting).
Security Option. Use this setting to determine whether or not the system or the BIOS Setup program will be protected by passwords. Bear in mind, though, that if you forget the password, you won't be able to boot the system or access the Setup program. Your only recourse is to discharge the CMOS to clear out the settings. If you choose the System option, the password is required at boot and also when you enter the Setup program. Choosing the Setup option requires the password only when you enter Setup. Choose the Password Setting option from the main menu to specify the password. To disable the password, just press Enter at the Enter Password prompt without typing a password.
System BIOS Shadow. If this setting is enabled, the system BIOS code is copied to RAM for faster execution, speeding up the system.
Video BIOS Shadow. If this setting is enabled, the video BIOS code is copied to RAM, speeding up video performance.
annnn-annnn Shadow. The memory ranges included under this setting (such as in the form C8000-CFFFF) let you specify whether or not the ROM BIOS ranges specified will be copied into RAM for faster performance. If you have a SCSI host adapter at the address range C8000-CFFFF, for example, enabling shadowing for that range could increase disk performance.
In addition to these settings, your BIOS supports a wide range of chipset-specific settings. In general, you should use the default values because they have been optimized for your system by the manufacturer.
When you boot a system containing a Phoenix BIOS, you should see a message indicating that you can press F2 to enter the BIOS Setup program:
Press <F2> to enter Setup
After the Setup program is running, you can use the cursor keys, plus and minus keys, and other keys as
indicated at the bottom of the Setup screen to select menu items and options.
The Phoenix Setup program includes the following main menu items:
- Main. This item contains general system information such as the date and time, hard disk type, floppy disk type(s), and other common hardware settings.
- Advanced. This item enables you to set advanced chipset-specific settings.
- Security. You can use this item to set User and Supervisor passwords, as well as backup and virus protection settings.
- Power. You can use this item to set power management features.
- Exit. Use this option to exit the Setup program.
The following list describes some of the settings you might want to modify to optimize the way your system runs:
Plug and Play OS. You can set this to Auto, Yes, or No. If you set it to Yes, the operating system will configure PnP devices. If set to No, the BIOS configures PnP devices. Auto selects Yes if the OS is PnP-aware. Until Windows NT supports PnP, this only pertains to Windows 95 (which does support PnP). If you're having problems with Windows 95 correctly setting up devices, choose No and let the BIOS configure them.
Autotype Fixed Disk. This option enables the BIOS to automatically detect and configure the hard disk settings, which allows the BIOS to correctly identify the disk type in most cases. If the BIOS can't properly detect your disk's type, choose the correct type from the Type setting, or choose User to specify your own settings.
Multi-Sector Transfers. This setting specifies the number of sectors to be transferred in one block. The Standard selection is one sector per block. If Block PIO is enabled, the MAX n option specifies the maximum possible block size, but the maximum size doesn't necessarily mean the fastest transfer speed.
LBA Mode Control. This setting enables/disables Logical Block Addressing, which provides support for disks larger than 504M. The default is Disabled. If your disk requires LBA addressing, you should enable this setting.
32-Bit I/O. This setting enables/disables 32-bit communications between the CPU and IDE adapter. A 32-bit transfer speeds performance but requires a PCI or VL bus.
Transfer Mode. This setting specifies the mode used to transfer data between the disk and memory. The available options depend on the disk subsystem's capabilities. If the disk supports a PIO or DMA transfer method, choosing one of these options gives the best performance.
Cache System BIOS. Enable this setting to cache the area of RAM in which the system BIOS has been shadowed (copied). Caching can improve system performance.
Cache Video BIOS. Enable this setting to cache the area of RAM in which the video BIOS has been shadowed. This can improve video performance.
Cache. Indicates whether or not to cache the specified range of memory. Use these settings to cache secondary BIOS, such as from a SCSI disk adapter, to improve performance.
System Shadow. Enable this setting to copy the system BIOS from ROM into RAM to make the system perform better.
Video Shadow. Enable this setting to copy the video BIOS from ROM into RAM for better video performance.
Shadow Option ROMs. Enable shadowing of individual ranges with these settings if you have secondary BIOS in the system, such as for a SCSI hard disk adapter. Shadowing the ROM can make the device perform better.
Boot Sequence. Use this setting to specify the order in which the BIOS searches for a boot device. You can choose A: then C:, C: then A:, or C: only. Choosing C: only prevents the system from trying to boot from a floppy and can help avoid boot sector virus infections, which occur when booting from a virus-infected disk.
Setup Prompt. When this setting is enabled, the message Press <F2> for Setup appears during boot. Disable this setting if you don't want this message to appear (making it potentially more difficult for someone to access your BIOS Setup program in your absence).
Floppy Seek. Disable this setting if you don't want the BIOS to attempt to detect the floppy drives at boot. This doesn't affect the drives' abilities to function and speeds the boot process.
Summary Screen. Disable this setting if you don't want the hardware summary screen to appear during boot. Disabling it speeds up the boot process slightly.
Supervisor Password. Use this option to specify a password to be entered in order to access the BIOS Setup program. When you enter the supervisor password, you have unrestricted access to all Setup menus.
Set User Password. Use this option to specify a user password for accessing the BIOS Setup program. When you enter the user password, you have limited access to the Setup program (to change date, time, and so on).
Password On Boot. If enabled, the system prompts for a password at boot. You also must set the Supervisor password and enter that password at boot time to boot the system.
Diskette Access. You can set this to Supervisor or User. Setting it to Supervisor prevents a user from accessing the floppy drives, a good way to prevent introduction of viruses and unwanted software, and prevent theft of data or programs.
Fixed Disk Boot Sector. Set this to Write Protected if you want the system to warn you when the boot sector is about to be modified (a possible indication of a virus attack).
System Backup Reminder and Virus Check Reminder. You can set these to Disabled, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly. If not disabled, these settings cause the system to display a reminder to back up the system and run virus software.
American Megatrends Inc. not only develops and licenses its own BIOS, it also develops and sells a line of motherboards. AMI provides BIOS upgrades for its own motherboards, but does not provide end-user upgrades for other motherboards that use AMI BIOS. Instead, AMI points you to TTi Technologies and Microid Research for a BIOS upgrade.
When you boot a system containing an AMI BIOS, you should see the following message:
Hit <Del> to run Setup
Just press the Delete key to enter the Setup program.
More than likely, your system's BIOS supports a selection of hard disk configuration settings for each drive in the system. You'll probably see the following terms in the BIOS Setup screen relating to disk drives:
- Pri Master. The master drive on the primary chain. The system supports two IDE chains, each of which can support two devices.
- Pri Slave. The slave drive on the primary chain. Note that slave simply refers to the secondary drive and doesn't indicate that the drive is in any way physically or logically slaved to the master.
- Sec Master. The master drive on the secondary IDE chain.
- Sec Slave. The slave drive on the secondary chain.
The following list will help you decipher the options in the drive parameters:
LBA/Large Mode. LBA stands for Logical Block Addressing, and this mode enables support for IDE hard disks with capacities larger than 504M. LBA mode was introduced for IDE with the ATA-2 specification but has always been used for SCSI disks. Large Mode refers to Extended CHS (Cylinder Head Sector) translation, and provides the same support for high capacity drives as LBA. Large mode is for disks with more than 1,024 cylinders but which do not support LBA. See the caution immediately following this list.
Block Mode. Block mode enables the disk to read larger amounts of data at one time (called a block) rather than individual bytes. This setting should be on for drives that support block mode and off for those that do not.
32-Bit Mode. This setting enables 32-bit access to the drive through the BIOS, which speeds performance. Most IDE drives do support 32-bit access; however, the system also must contain a PCI or VL bus.
PIO Mode. There are various levels of PIO that support different cycle times and transfer rates (refer to Table 7.1). Choosing Auto enables the BIOS to automatically detect and configure the correct mode.
If your system is working fine and can read the disk, don't switch from one disk mode to another. Doing so could prevent the system from being able to read the disk.
The following settings are generally available on the Advanced Setup page:
Quick Boot. This option, if enabled, causes the POST to execute more quickly because it bypasses some of the tests.
Boot Up Sequence. This setting specifies the order in which the BIOS will search for a boot device. The default is C:, A:, CDROM, which means it looks on drive C for the operating system first, then drive A, then the CD-ROM drive.
Boot Up CPU Speed. Use this setting to specify whether the CPU starts up in high or low speed. The only reason to use low speed is to run a DOS program that won't run at fast speed.
Floppy Drive Seek. This setting determines whether or not the BIOS performs a seek test on the floppy disk drive(s) at boot. Disable it to speed up boot time (has no effect on the disks' abilities).
Password Check. This setting determines whether a password is required at boot to run the BIOS Setup program. Choosing Always causes a password to be requested each time the system is turned on. Choosing Setup causes the password to be requested only for running Setup.