Acer Altos 500 Series User manual

Altos 500 Series
User’s Guide

Altos 500 Series User’s Guideii
Document EDITION PART NUMBER DATE
History First Edition 49.AB790.001 September 1999
Copyright
Notice Copyright ©1999 by Acer America Corporation. 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 Acer America Corporation.
Printed in U.S.A
Trademarks Acer and the Acer logo are registered trademarks of Acer Incorporated.
Altos is a trademark of Acer America Corporation and Acer Inc..
Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
Pentium III is a trademark of Intel Corporation.
Other brand and product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Disclaimer Acer and its suppliers make no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to the
contents hereof and specifically disclaim any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
Further, Acer 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 revisions or changes. Acer reserves the right
to make changes to the products described in this manual at any time and without notice.

iii
Warranty/Limitation of Liability
Any software described in this manual is licensed “as is” and Acer and its suppliers disclaim any and
all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to any warranty of non-infringement of
third party rights, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Acer does not warrant that the
operation of the software will be uninterrupted or error free. Should the programs prove defective, the
buyer (and not Acer, its distributor, or its dealer) assumes the entire cost of all necessary service,
repair, and any incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect in the software. Please
see the Acer Limited Product Warranty for details of Acer’s limited warranty on hardware products.
IN NO EVENT SHALL ACER BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES,
INCLUDING LOSS OF PROFITS OR DATA, EVEN IF ACER HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
Software License
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accompanies your computer system only on a single computer. You may not (a) make copies of the
software except for making one (1) backup copy of the software which will also be subject to this
license, (b) reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, translate or create derivative works based upon
the software, (c) export or re-export the software to any person or destination which is not authorized
to receive them under the export control laws and regulations of the United States, (d) remove or alter
in any way the copyright notices, or other proprietary legends that were on the software as delivered
to you or (e) sublicense or otherwise make the software available to third parties. The software is the
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the software (including any modifications or copies made by or for you) or any related intellectual
property rights. Additional restrictions may apply to certain software titles. Please refer to any
software licenses that accompany such software for details.
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The Acer Group has been implementing a policy to respect and protect legitimate intellectual property
rights. Acer firmly believes that only when each and every one of us abides by such policy, can this
industry provide quality service to the general public.
Acer has become a member of the Technology Committee of the Pacific Basin Economic Council which
is encouraging the protection and enforcement of legitimate intellectual property rights worldwide.
Moreover, in order to ensure quality service to all of our customers, Acer includes an operating system
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Acer commits itself and urges all of its customers to join the fight against intellectual property piracy
wherever it may occur. Acer will pursue the enforcement of intellectual property rights and will strive
to fight against piracy.

Altos 500 Series User’s Guideiv
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
1. Read these instructions carefully. Save them 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 the outlet. Do not defeat the purpose
of the grounding-type plug.
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.

v
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
14. Use only the proper type of power supply cord (provided in your
keyboard/manual accessories box) for this unit. It should be a detachable
type: UL listed/CSA certified, type SVT/SJT, rated 10A 125V minimum.
Maximum length is 15 feet (4.6 meters).
15. Replace the 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 service technician.
The battery could explode if not handled
properly. Do not recharge the battery,
disassemble it, or dispose of it in a fire. Keep
the battery away from children, and dispose of
any used battery promptly.

Altos 500 Series User’s Guidevi
FCC Class B Radio Frequency
Interference Statement
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.

vii
About this Manual
Manual Structure
This user’s guide consists of four chapters and an index.
Chapter 1 System Board
Describes the system board and all its major components. It contains the system
board layout, jumper settings, cache and memory configurations, and information
on other internal devices.
Chapter 2 BIOS Utility
Gives information about the system BIOS and tells how to configure the system by
changing the settings of the BIOS parameters.
Chapter 3 SCSISelect Configuration Utility
This chapter describes the SCSISelect Configuration Utility, which allows you to
change SCSI controller settings without opening the computer or changing
jumpers.
Chapter 4 System Housing
Describes the system housing and tells how to install basic system components into
the housing. This chapter gives brief instructions accompanied by illustrations
showing how to perform the described procedure.

Altos 500 Series User’s Guideviii
Conventions
The following conventions are used in this manual:
Text entered by user Represents text input by the user.
, , , 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 danger that
might result from doing or not
doing specific actions.
CAUTION
Gives precautionary measures to
avoid possible hardware or
software problems.
IMPORTANT
Reminds you to take specific
actions relevant to the
accomplishment of procedures.

ix
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 System Board
1.1 Features............................................................................................................1-1
1.2 Major Components.........................................................................................1-2
1.2.1 System Board Layout..........................................................................1-3
1.3 Jumpers and Connectors ...............................................................................1-4
1.3.1 Jumper and Connector Locations......................................................1-4
1.3.2 Jumper Settings ...................................................................................1-5
1.3.3 Connector Functions...........................................................................1-5
1.4 Front Panel Connectors..................................................................................1-7
1.5 Installing Components...................................................................................1-8
1.5.1 ESD Precautions..................................................................................1-9
1.5.2 Pre-installation Instructions...............................................................1-9
1.5.3 Post-installation Instructions...........................................................1-10
1.6 Installing and Removing a Heatsink..........................................................1-11
1.7 Installing a Pentium III Processor...............................................................1-13
1.8 Removing a Pentium III Processor.............................................................1-15
1.9 Memory Upgrade.........................................................................................1-16
1.9.1 Memory Configurations...................................................................1-16
1.9.2 Installing a DIMM.............................................................................1-17
1.9.3 Removing a DIMM ...........................................................................1-18
1.9.4 Reconfiguring the System................................................................1-19
1.10 Server Management Features .....................................................................1-20
1.10.1 Advanced Server Manager (ASM Pro) ..........................................1-20
1.11 Error Messages..............................................................................................1-20
1.11.1 Software Error Messages..................................................................1-21
1.11.2 System Error Messages.....................................................................1-21
1.11.3 Correcting Error Conditions............................................................1-24

Altos 500 Series User’s Guidex
Chapter 2 BIOS Utility
2.1 Entering Setup.................................................................................................2-1
2.2 System Information........................................................................................2-4
2.2.1 Processor...............................................................................................2-5
2.2.2 Processor Speed...................................................................................2-5
2.2.3 Internal Cache Size..............................................................................2-5
2.2.4 External Cache.....................................................................................2-5
2.2.5 Floppy Drive A....................................................................................2-6
2.2.6 Floppy Drive B.....................................................................................2-6
2.2.7 IDE Primary Channel Master............................................................2-6
2.2.8 IDE Primary Channel Slave...............................................................2-6
2.2.9 IDE Secondary Channel Master........................................................2-6
2.2.10 IDE Secondary Channel Slave...........................................................2-6
2.2.11 Total Memory......................................................................................2-7
2.2.12 Serial Port 1..........................................................................................2-7
2.2.13 Serial Port 2..........................................................................................2-7
2.2.14 Parallel Port..........................................................................................2-7
2.2.15 PS/2 Mouse..........................................................................................2-7
2.3 Product Information.......................................................................................2-8
2.3.1 Product Name......................................................................................2-8
2.3.2 System S/N..........................................................................................2-8
2.3.3 Main Board ID.....................................................................................2-8
2.3.4 Main Board S/N..................................................................................2-9
2.3.5 System BIOS Version..........................................................................2-9
2.3.6 DMI BIOS Version...............................................................................2-9
2.4 Disk Drives....................................................................................................2-10
2.4.1 Floppy Drives....................................................................................2-10
2.4.2 LS-120 Drive Compatible As...........................................................2-11
2.4.3 IDE Drives..........................................................................................2-12
2.5 Onboard Peripherals....................................................................................2-16

xi
2.5.1 Serial Ports 1 and 2............................................................................2-16
2.5.2 Parallel Port........................................................................................2-17
2.5.3 Onboard Device Settings..................................................................2-19
2.6 Power Management .....................................................................................2-21
2.6.1 Power Management Mode...............................................................2-21
2.6.2 Power Switch < 4 sec. .......................................................................2-22
2.6.3 System Wake-up Event ....................................................................2-22
2.7 Boot Options..................................................................................................2-23
2.7.1 Boot Sequence....................................................................................2-24
2.7.2 First Hard Disk Drive.......................................................................2-24
2.7.3 Fast Boot.............................................................................................2-24
2.7.4 Silent Boot ..........................................................................................2-24
2.7.5 Num Lock After Boot .......................................................................2-25
2.7.6 Memory Test......................................................................................2-25
2.7.7 Configuration Table..........................................................................2-25
2.8 Date and Time...............................................................................................2-26
2.8.1 Date.....................................................................................................2-26
2.8.2 Time ....................................................................................................2-27
2.9 Advanced Options........................................................................................2-28
2.9.1 Memory/Cache Options..................................................................2-29
2.9.2 PnP/PCI Options ..............................................................................2-31
2.9.3 CPU Frequency..................................................................................2-34
2.10 System Security.............................................................................................2-35
2.10.1 Setup Password.................................................................................2-35
2.10.2 Power-on Password..........................................................................2-39
2.10.3 Disk Drive Control............................................................................2-40
2.11 Load Default Settings...................................................................................2-41
2.12 Abort Settings Change.................................................................................2-41
2.13 Exit Setup.......................................................................................................2-42

Altos 500 Series User’s Guidexii
Chapter 3 SCSISelect Configuration Utility
3.1 SCSISelect configuration Utility....................................................................3-1
3.1.1 Overview..............................................................................................3-1
3.1.2 Default Values.....................................................................................3-1
3.1.3 When to Use the SCSISelect Utility ...................................................3-3
3.1.4 Running the SCSISelect Utility...........................................................3-3
3.2 SCSISelect Utility Options..............................................................................3-4
3.2.1 Configure/View Host Adapter Settings Menu...............................3-5
3.2.2 SCSI Disk Utilities.............................................................................3-19
3.3 Configuring Multiple SCSI Controllers.....................................................3-21
3.4 SCSI Troubleshooting Checklist .................................................................3-22
3.5 BIOS Startup Messages................................................................................3-23
Chapter 4 System Housing
4.1 Features............................................................................................................4-2
4.1.1 Front Panel...........................................................................................4-2
4.1.2 Rear Panel.............................................................................................4-3
4.2 Internal Structure............................................................................................4-4
4.3 Opening the Housing Panels.........................................................................4-5
4.3.1 Front Panel...........................................................................................4-5
4.3.2 Left Panel..............................................................................................4-6
4.4 Installing Drives..............................................................................................4-7
4.4.1 3.5-inch Drive.......................................................................................4-7
4.4.2 5.25-inch Drives...................................................................................4-9
4.5 Installing an Expansion Board....................................................................4-11
INDEX

xiii
List of Figures
1-1 System Board Layout.....................................................................................1-3
1-2 Jumper and Connector Locations.................................................................1-4
1-3 Front-Panel Connectors .................................................................................1-7
1-4 Installing a Pentium III Processor...............................................................1-13
1-5 Unlocking the Module Latches...................................................................1-15
1-6 Installing a DIMM ........................................................................................1-17
1-7 Removing a DIMM.......................................................................................1-18
3-1 Options Menu Screen.....................................................................................3-4
3-2 Configure/View Host Adapter Settings Screen (1 of 2)............................3-5
3-3 Configure/View Host Adapter Settings Screen (2 of 2)............................3-6
3-4 Host Adapter SCSI ID Selection Screen for AHA-3950U2B.....................3-7
3-5 SCSI Parity Checking Selection.....................................................................3-8
3-6 Host Adapter SCSI Termination Selection for AHA-3950U2B.................3-9
3-7 Boot Device Options Screen........................................................................3-10
3-8 SCSI Device Configuration Screen for AHA-3950U2B............................3-11
3-9 Advanced Configuration Options Screen.................................................3-16
3-10 SCSI Disk Utilities Screen for AHA-3950U2B...........................................3-19
List of Tables
1-1 Jumper Settings...............................................................................................1-5
1-2 Connector Functions ......................................................................................1-5
1-3 Memory Configurations..............................................................................1-16
1-4 System Error Messages................................................................................1-22
2-1 Parallel Port Operation Mode Settings......................................................2-18
2-2 Drive Control Settings..................................................................................2-40
3-1 Default Settings for SCSI Controller and All Devices................................3-2

Altos 500 Series User’s Guidexiv

Chapter 1 - System Board 1-1
Chapter 1 System Board
1.1 Features
This high-performance system board supports the Intel Pentium III procesor
running at 500 and 550 MHz. Integrated with the Intel 440BX system controller,
which consists of the PCI controller and the PCI/ISA IDE accelerator (PIIX4), the
Altos 500 combines the new generation of Pentium III power with unmatched
graphics performance.
The system controller host bus interface supports a Pentium III processor with 66
or 100 MHz external front side bus frequency. It also provides support for ECC
synchronous Registered DRAM (SDRAM) 168 pin DIMMs.
The PIIX4 is a multifunction PCI device controller implementing system functions
including PCI IDE and universal serial bus (USB) host/hub. It also supports Ultra
DMA/33 synchronous DMA-compatible devices.
The system board utilizes both ISA and PCI local bus architectures. Two ISA, five
PCI bus slots (including one PCI/ISA shared slot), and one AGP slot reside on the
system board.
Three memory banks composed of 168-pin dual inline memory module (DIMM)
sockets support a maximum system memory of 768 MB using 256-MB DIMMs.
The system board provides additional support for the USB (Universal Serial Bus)
interface, and other standard features such as two UART NS16C550 serial ports,
one enhanced parallel port with an Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP)/Extended
Capabilities Port (ECP) feature, a diskette drive interface, and two embedded hard
disk interfaces.

Altos 500 Series User’s Guide
1-2
1.2 Major Components
The system board has the following major components:
•A single edge contact (SEC) processor connector that supports Pentium III
processors running from 450 to 550 MHz
•Three DIMM sockets that accept 128 and 256-MB ECC Registered SDRAM
DIMMs
•Two ISA, five PCI slots
•256-KB Flash ROM for system BIOS
•Enhanced IDE hard disk and diskette drive interface
•System controller chipset
•External ports:
•Two USB connectors
•One SPP/ECP/EPP high speed parallel port
•PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports
•Two high speed serial ports

Chapter 1 - System Board 1-3
1.2.1 System Board Layout
1 PS/2 keyboard port
2 PS/2 mouse port
3 USB connectors
4 Serial port 1
5 Parallel port
6 Serial port 2
7 BIOS
8ISAslots
9PCIslots
10 AGP slot
11 Battery
12 Intel 82371EB
13 Primary IDE connector
14 Secondary IDE connector
15 FDD connector
16 Intel 440BX
17 DIMM sockets
18 Voltage regulators
19 Processor slot
20 Power connector
Figure 1-1 System Board Layout
1
2
3456
78910 11 12
13
14
16
17
18
19
20
15

Altos 500 Series User’s Guide
1-4
1.3 Jumpers and Connectors
1.3.1 Jumper and Connector Locations
Figure 1-2 shows the jumper and connector locations on the system board.
Figure 1-2 Jumper and Connector Locations
In this figure, the blackened pin of a jumper or
connector represents pin 1.

Chapter 1 - System Board 1-5
1.3.2 Jumper Settings
Table 1-1 Jumper Settings
Jumper Setting Function
Password Security
JP3 1-2
2-3* Check password Bypass password
BIOS Logo
JP4 1-2*
2-3 Acer None
1.3.3 Connector Functions
Table 1-2 lists the different connectors on the system board and their respective
functions.
Table 1-2 Connector Functions
Connector Function
CN1 Suspend 5V
CN2 CPU thermal sensor connector
CN3 CPU fan connector
CN5 Power connector
CN6 Floppy disk connector
CN7 USB connectors
CN8 COM1 (lower left), COM2 (lower right), and
Parallel port (above)

Altos 500 Series User’s Guide
1-6
Table 1-2 Connector Functions (continued)
connector Function
CN9 Upper: PS/2 mouse connector
Lower: PS/2 keyboard connector
CN10 Enhanced IDE 2 connector
CN11 Enhanced IDE 1 connector
CN12 Hard disk LED connector
CN13 SCSI disk LED connector
CN15 Reserved
CN16 Power switch
CN19 Housing fan connector
CN20 Reserved
CN21 Reserved
CN22 Turbo LED connector
JP1 Power LED connector
JP2 System reset connector
JP5 Housing intrusion switch connector