Acer M3A User manual

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User’s Guide

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Copyright 1996 by this company. All rights reserved. No part of
this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in
a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer
language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of this company.

This company makes no representations or warranties, either
expressed or implied, with respect to the contents hereof and
specifically disclaims any warranties, merchantability or fitness for
any particular purpose. Any software described in this manual is sold
or licensed "as is". Should the programs prove defective following
their purchase, the buyer (and not this company, its distributor, or its
dealer) assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, and
any incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect in
the software. Further, this company reserves the right to revise this
publication and to make changes from time to time in the contents
hereof without obligation to notify any person of such revision or
changes.
Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks, and P54C is a trademark of Intel Corporation.
IBM is a registered trademark and PS/2 is a trademark of International Business Machines
Corporation.
MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Other brand and product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their
respective holders.

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
1. Read these instructions carefully. Save these instructions for
future reference.
2. Follow all warnings and instructions marked on the product.
3. Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning. Do not
use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for
cleaning.
4. Do not use this product near water.
5. Do not place this product on an unstable cart, stand, or table.
The product may fall, causing serious damage to the product.
6. Slots and openings in the cabinet and the back or bottom are
provided for ventilation; to ensure reliable operation of the
product and to protect it from overheating, these openings must
not be blocked or covered. The openings should never be
blocked by placing the product on a bed, sofa, rug, or other
similar surface. This product should never be placed near or
over a radiator or heat register, or in a built-in installation unless
proper ventilation is provided.
7. This product should be operated from the type of power indicated
on the marking label. If you are not sure of the type of power
available, consult your dealer or local power company.
8. This product is equipped with a 3-wire grounding-type plug, a
plug having a third (grounding) pin. This plug will only fit into a
grounding-type power outlet. This is a safety feature. If you are
unable to insert the plug into the outlet, contact your electrician
to replace your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the purpose of the
grounding-type plug.

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9. Do not allow anything to rest on the power cord. Do not locate
this product where persons will walk on the cord.
10. If an extension cord is used with this product, make sure that the
total ampere rating of the equipment plugged into the extension
cord does not exceed the extension cord ampere rating. Also,
make sure that the total rating of all products plugged into the
wall outlet does not exceed 15 amperes.
11. Never push objects of any kind into this product through cabinet
slots as they may touch dangerous voltage points or short out
parts that could result in a fire or electric shock. Never spill
liquid of any kind on the product.
12. Do not attempt to service this product yourself, as opening or
removing covers may expose you to dangerous voltage points or
other risks. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.
13. Unplug this product from the wall outlet and refer servicing to
qualified service personnel under the following conditions:
a. When the power cord or plug is damaged or frayed
b. If liquid has been spilled into the product
c. If the product has been exposed to rain or water
d. If the product does not operate normally when the operating
instructions are followed. Adjust only those controls that are
covered by the operating instructions since improper
adjustment of other controls may result in damage and will
often require extensive work by a qualified technician to
restore the product to normal condition.
e. If the product has been dropped or the cabinet has been
damaged
f. If the product exhibits a distinct change in performance,
indicating a need for service

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14. Replace battery with the same type as the product's battery we
recommend. Use of another battery may present a risk of fire or
explosion. Refer battery replacement to a qualified serviceman.
15. Warning! Battery may explode if not handled properly. Do not
recharge, disassemble or dispose of in fire. Keep away from
children and dispose of used battery promptly.
16. Use only the proper type of power supply cord set (provided in
your keyboard/manual accessories box) for this unit. It should be
a detachable type: UL listed/CSA certified, type SVT/SJT, rated
6A 125V minimum, VDE approved or its equivalent. Maximum
length is 15 feet (4.6 meters).

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 
Note:
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits
for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. These
limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates,
uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and
used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. However, there is no
guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If
this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television
reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and
on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or
more of the following measures:
1. Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
2. Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
3. Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from
that to which the receiver is connected.
4. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician
for help.
Notice 1:
The changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate
the equipment.
Notice 2:
Shielded interface cables, if any, must be used in order to comply
with the emission limits.

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Purpose
This user’s guide gives you all the information you need to operate
the system properly.
Manual Structure
This user’s guide consists of two chapters as follows:
Chapter 1 System Board
This chapter describes the system board and all its major
components. It contains the system board layout, jumper
settings, cache and memory configurations, and other internal
devices.
Chapter 2 BIOS Utility
This chapter explains the system BIOS and tells how to
configure the system by setting the BIOS parameters.

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Conventions
The following conventions are used in this manual:
Text entered by user Represents text input by the user.
Screen messages Denotes actual messages that
appear onscreen.
, , , etc. Represent the actual keys that you
have to press on the keyboard.
NOTE
Gives bits and pieces of additional
information related to the current
topic.
WARNING
Alerts you to any damage that
might result from doing or not
doing specific actions.
CAUTION
Suggests precautionary measures
to avoid potential hardware or
software problems.
IMPORTANT
Reminds you to take specific
action relevant to the
accomplishment of the procedure
at hand.
TIP
Tells how to accomplish a
procedure with minimum steps
through little shortcuts.

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Chapter 1 System Board
1.1 System Board Layout...............................................1-2
1.2 ESD Precautions......................................................1-4
1.3 Pre-installation Instructions......................................1-4
1.4 Installing a CPU.......................................................1-5
1.5 Upgrading the CPU..................................................1-6
1.6 Jumpers and Connectors .........................................1-7
1.6.1 Jumper and Connector Locations ..............1-7
1.6.2 Jumper Settings........................................1-8
1.6.3 Connector Functions..................................1-9
1.6.4 USB Interface (optional)..........................1-10
1.7 Installing Memory...................................................1-11
1.7.1 Installing a SIMM.....................................1-13
1.7.2 Removing a SIMM...................................1-14
1.7.3 Reconfiguring the System........................1-14
1.8 SCSI/ASM Card (optional) .....................................1-15
1.8.1 Features and Layout................................1-15
1.8.2 Jumper Settings......................................1-16
1.8.3 Installing the SCSI/ASM Card..................1-16
1.9 Post-installation Instructions...................................1-18
1.10 Error Messages......................................................1-18
1.10.1 Software Error Messages.........................1-18
1.10.2 System Error Messages...........................1-19
1.10.3 Correcting Error Conditions .....................1-21

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Chapter 2 BIOS Utility
2.1 Entering Setup.........................................................2-2
2.2 Basic System Configuration.....................................2-3
2.2.1 Date and Time ..........................................2-5
2.2.2 Diskette Drives..........................................2-6
2.2.3 IDE Drives.................................................2-6
2.2.4 System Memory......................................2-13
2.2.5 Math Coprocessor...................................2-13
2.2.6 Video Display..........................................2-13
2.2.7 Communication Settings .........................2-14
2.2.8 Enhanced IDE Features ..........................2-14
2.2.9 Large Memory Support Mode..................2-15
2.2.10 Num Lock After Boot...............................2-15
2.2.11 Memory Test...........................................2-16
2.2.12 Auto-configuration Mode .........................2-16
2.2.13 Fast Boot Mode.......................................2-16
2.3 Advanced System Configuration............................2-17
2.3.1 Shadow RAM ..........................................2-18
2.3.2 Internal Cache (CPU Cache)...................2-18
2.3.3 External Cache........................................2-18
2.3.4 E0000h - FFFFFh (System BIOS)...........2-18
2.3.5 C0000h - C7FFFh (Video BIOS)..............2-19
2.3.6 Memory at 15MB-16MB...........................2-19
2.3.7 ECC/Parity Mode Selection.....................2-19
2.4 PCI System Configuration......................................2-20
2.4.1 PCI IRQ Setting ......................................2-21
2.4.2 VGA Palette Snoop.................................2-22

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2.4.3 SCSI & ASM Adapter ..............................2-22
2.5 Power Saving Configuration...................................2-23
2.5.1 Power Management Mode.......................2-23
2.5.2 System Wakeup Events..........................2-24
2.6 System Security Setup...........................................2-25
2.6.1 Disk Drive Control ...................................2-26
2.6.2 Onboard Communication Ports................2-28
2.6.3 Onboard PS/2 Mouse (IRQ 12)................2-30
2.6.4 Setup Password.......................................2-31
2.6.5 Power On Password................................2-32
2.7 Load Setup Default Settings...................................2-34
2.8 Leaving Setup........................................................2-35
List of Figures
1-1 System Board Layout...............................................1-3
1-2 Installing a CPU.......................................................1-5
1-3 Jumper and Connector Locations.............................1-7
1-4 Installing a USB Bracket Connector........................1-10
1-5 Installing a SIMM ...................................................1-13
1-6 Removing a SIMM .................................................1-14
1-7 SCSI/ASM Card Layout..........................................1-15
1-8 Installing the SCSI/ASM Card ................................1-17

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List of Tables
1-1 Jumper Settings.......................................................1-8
1-2 Connector Functions................................................1-9
1-3 Memory Configurations..........................................1-11
1-4 SCSI/ASM Card Jumper Settings...........................1-16
1-5 System Error Messages.........................................1-19
2-1 Hard Disk Types.......................................................2-9
2-2 Drive Control Settings............................................2-26
2-3 Serial Port 1 Settings.............................................2-28
2-4 Serial Port 2 Settings.............................................2-28
2-5 Parallel Port Settings .............................................2-29
2-6 Parallel Port Operation Mode Settings ...................2-30