Asus TX97 User manual

R
TX97
Pentium Motherboard
USER'S MANUAL

2 ASUS TX97 User’s Manual
USER'S NOTICE
Product Name: ASUS TX97
Manual Revision: 1.22
Release Date: March 1997
No part of this product, including the product and software may be reproduced,
transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any lan-
guageinanyformbyanymeanswithouttheexpresswrittenpermissionofASUSTeK
COMPUTER INC. (hereinafter referred to as ASUS) except documentation kept
by the purchaser for backup purposes.
Specifications are subject to change without notice. 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. In no event shall ASUS be liable for any loss or profits, loss of
business, loss of use or data, interruption of business, or for indirect, special, inci-
dental, or consequential damages of any kind, even if ASUS has been advised of
the possibility of such damages arising from any defect or error in this manual or
product. ASUS may revise this manual from time to time without notice.
Products mentioned in this manual are mentioned for identification purposes only.
Product names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks
or copyrights of their respective companies.
• Intel, LanDesk, and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
• Symbios is a registered trademark of Symbios Logic Corporation.
• Windows and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
• Sound Blaster AWE32 and SB16 are trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd.
• Adobe and Acrobat are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
The product name and revision number are both printed on the board itself. Manual
revisions are released for each board design represented by the digit before and
after the period of the manual revision number. Manual updates are represented by
the third digit in the manual revision number. For previous or updated manuals,
BIOS, drivers, or product release information you may visit ASUS' home page at:
http://www.asus.com.tw/ or contact ASUS from the following page.
© Copyright 1997 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All rights reserved.

ASUS TX97 User’s Manual 3
ASUS CONTACT INFORMATION
ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
Marketing Info:
Address: 150 Li-Te Road, Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Technical Support:
Fax: [phone]
BBS: 886-2-896-4667
Email: [email protected]
WWW: http://www.asus.com.tw/
Gopher: gopher.asus.com.tw
FTP: ftp.asus.com.tw/pub/ASUS
ASUS COMPUTER INTERNATIONAL
Marketing Info:
Address: 721 Charcot Avenue, San Jose, CA 95131, USA
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Technical Support:
BBS: 1-408-474-0555
Email: [email protected]
ASUS COMPUTER GmbH
Marketing Info:
Address: Harkort Str. 25, 40880 Ratingen, BRD, Germany
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Technical Support:
BBS: 49-2102-448690
Email: [email protected]

4 ASUS TX97 User’s Manual
CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION........................................................................... 7
How this manual is organized.......................................................... 7
Item Checklist .................................................................................. 7
II. FEATURES .................................................................................... 8
Features of the ASUS TX97 Motherboard ...................................... 8
Introduction to ASUS TX97 Series of motherboards........... 9
Parts of the ASUS TX97 Motherboard ............................................ 11
III. INSTALLATION .......................................................................... 12
Map of the ASUS TX97 Motherboard............................................. 12
Installation Steps.............................................................................. 14
1. Jumpers ........................................................................................ 14
Jumper Settings .................................................................... 15
Compatible Cyrix CPU Identification .................................. 17
2. System Memory (DIMM) ........................................................... 19
DIMM Memory Installation Procedures: ............................. 20
3. Central Processing Unit (CPU)................................................... 21
4. Expansion Cards ......................................................................... 22
Expansion Card Installation Procedure: ............................... 22
Assigning IRQs for Expansion Cards................................... 22
Assigning DMA Channels for ISA Cards............................. 23
5. External Connectors.................................................................... 24
Power Connection Procedures ................................................... 31
IV. BIOS SOFTWARE ....................................................................... 32
Support Software ............................................................................. 32
Flash Memory Writer Utility ........................................................... 32
Main Menu ........................................................................... 32
Advanced Features Menu ..................................................... 33
Managing & Updating your Motherboard's BIOS ..................... 34
6. BIOS Setup ................................................................................. 35
Load Defaults ....................................................................... 36
Standard CMOS Setup ............................................................... 36
Details of Standard CMOS Setup:........................................ 37
BIOS Features Setup .................................................................. 40
Details of BIOS Features Setup............................................ 40
Chipset Features Setup ............................................................... 43
Details of Chipset Features Setup......................................... 43
Power Management Setup.......................................................... 46
Details of Power Management Setup ................................... 46
PNP and PCI Setup .................................................................... 48
Details of PNP and PCI Setup .............................................. 48
Load BIOS Defaults ................................................................... 50
Load Setup Defaults ................................................................... 50
Supervisor Password and User Password .................................. 51

ASUS TX97 User’s Manual 5
CONTENTS
IDE HDD Auto Detection .......................................................... 52
Save and Exit Setup ................................................................... 53
Exit Without Saving ................................................................... 53
V. SUPPORT SOFTWARE................................................................ 54
ASUS TX97 Series Support CD V1.20 ........................................... 54
LANDesk Client Manager (LDCM)................................................ 54
Desktop Management Interface (DMI)............................................ 56
Introducing the ASUS DMI Configuration Utility ............... 56
System Requirements ........................................................... 56
Using the ASUS DMI Configuration Utility ........................ 57
Notes:.................................................................................... 57
VI. ASUS PCI-SC200 SCSI Card...................................................... 59
SCSI BIOS and Drivers ................................................................... 59
The ASUS PCI-SC200 SCSI Interface Card ................................... 60
Setting Up the ASUS PCI-SC200 .............................................. 60
Setting the INTAssignment ....................................................... 61
Terminator Settings .................................................................... 61
SCSI ID Numbers ...................................................................... 62
VII. ASUS I-A16CAudio Card ......................................................... 63
ASUS I-A16C Audio Features ................................................... 63
Unpacking and Handling Precautions ........................................ 63
Layout and Connectors .............................................................. 64
Connectors ............................................................................ 64
CD-Audio Connector Pin Definitions ........................................ 64
The Following Sections are Available withASUS Audio Bundle Only
Audio Driver Installation.................................................................... 3
Manual Information ................................................................... 3
Installation CD ........................................................................... 3
Installation CD Contents ...................................................... 3
Win95 Audio Driver ............................................................................ 4
Configuration Manager .............................................................. 5
Creative PnP Configuration Manager (CTCM) ......................... 5
Win3.1x Audio Driver ......................................................................... 5
Audio Drivers............................................................................. 7
Environment Variables ............................................................... 11
SOUND Environment variable............................................. 11
BLASTER Environment Variable ........................................ 11
MIDI Environment Variable ................................................. 12
Maximum Recording Rates for the Audio Hardware........... 12

6 ASUS TX97 User’s Manual
FCC & DOC COMPLIANCE
FederalCommunications Commission Statement
This device complies with FCC Rules Part 15. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
• This device may not cause harmful interference, and
• This device must accept any interference received, including interference that
may cause undesired operation.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B
digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installa-
tion. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if
not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer's 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 interfer-
ence by one or more of the following measures:
• Re-orient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
WARNING: The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graph-
ics card is required to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or modifi-
cations to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance
could void the user's authority to operate this equipment.
CanadianDepartment of CommunicationsStatement
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions
from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian
Department of Communications.

ASUS TX97 User’s Manual 7
I. INTRODUCTION
I. INTRODUCTION
(Sections/Checklist)
How this manual is organized
This manual is divided into the following sections:
I. Introduction: Manual information and checklist
II. Features: Information and specifications concerning this product
III. Installation: Instructions on setting up the motherboard.
IV. BIOS Setup: BIOS software setup information.
V. Support Software: Installation of software drivers and utilities.
VI. ASUS PCI-SC200: Installation of an optional Fast-SCSI card.
VII. ASUS I-A16C: Installation of an optional 16-bit Audio card
VIII. Windows 95: Audio Software Manual (with ASUS I-A16C bundle)
IX. DOS/Win3.1x: Audio Software Manual (with ASUS I-A16C bundle)
Item Checklist
Please check that your package is complete. If you discover damaged or missing
items, please contact your retailer.
√The ASUS TX97 motherboard
√2 serial port ribbon cables attached to a mounting bracket
√1 parallel ribbon cable with mounting bracket
√1 IDE ribbon cable
√1 floppy ribbon cable
√ASUS TX97 Series Support CD:
• LANDesk Client Manager (LDCM) Software
• Flash Memory Writer utility to update the FLASH BIOS
• Desktop Management Interface (DMI) utility
• Audio drivers and utilities (included withASUS I-A16C CD bundle only)
• Readme files for descriptions and use of the files
• Technical Support Form
√This user's manual (Audio sections included with ASUS I-A16C CD bundle)
Optional PS/2 mouse, USB, and IR cable with mounting bracket set
Optional ASUS PCI-SC200 Fast-SCSI card
Optional ASUS I-A16C Audio Card
Optional ATX to AT Power ConnectorAdapter

8 ASUS TX97 User’s Manual
II. FEATURES
(Features)
II. FEATURES
Features of the ASUS TX97 Motherboard
TheASUS TX97 is carefully designed for the demanding PC user who wants many
intelligent features in a small package. This motherboard:
•Intel Chipset: Features Intel's 430TX PCIset with I/O subsystems.
•Multi-Processor/Multi-SpeedSupport: IntelPentium
®
75-200MHz(P55C-MMX
™
,
P54C/P54CS), Cyrix
®
P166+ (Rev 2.7 & later),AMD-K5
™
(PR75-133MHz).
•Easy Installation: Is equipped with BIOS that supports auto detection of hard
drives, PS/2 mouse, and Plug and Play devices to make setup of hard drives,
expansion cards, and other devices virtually automatic.
•ISA and PCI Expansion Slots: Provides three 16-bit ISA slots, three 32-bit
PCI slots, and one PCI/MediaBus/ISA shared slot which allows the use of either
a standard PCI card, an ASUS MediaBus card, or an ISA card.
•ASUS MediaBus: Features an expansion slot extension shared with PCI Slot 4
for an optional high-performance expansion card which includes two functions
in one easy-to-install card.
•Super Multi-I/O: Provides two high-speed UART compatible serial ports and
one parallel port with EPP and ECP capabilities. UART2 can also be directed
from COM2 to the Infrared Module for wireless connections. Two floppy drives
of either 5.25" or 3.5" (1.44MB or 2.88MB) are also supported without an exter-
nal card. Supports Japanese standard "Floppy 3 mode" (3.5" 1.2MB).
• Desktop Management Interface (DMI): Supports DMI through BIOS which
allows hardware to communicate within a standard protocol creating a higher
level of compatibility. (Requires DMI-enabled components.) (See section V)
•PCI Bus Master IDE Controller: Comes with an onboard Ultra DMA/33
Bus Master IDE controller with two connectors that supports four IDE devices
in two channels up to 33MB/sec IDE transfers and supports Enhanced IDE de-
vices. This controller supports PIO Modes 3 and 4 and Bus Master IDE DMA
Mode 2. BIOS now supports IDE CD-ROM or SCSI bootup.
•Level 2 Cache: 512KB Pipelined Burst SRAM onboard.
•Versatile Memory Support: Is equipped with three DIMM sockets to support
(8, 16, 32, 64, or 128MB) 168-pin SDRAM memory modules up to 256MB.
•OptionalPS/2Mouse,USB,IrDAConnector: Supportsanoptionalcableandbracket
set to mount the connectors to an unused expansion slot on the system chassis. A
second IrDA connector is available for a standard individual infrared cable set.
•ATX Power Supply: Supports an ATX power supply and the soft-off function
using an optional ATX to AT power adapter.
•SCSI BIOS: Has firmware to support optional ASUS SCSI controller cards.

ASUS TX97 User’s Manual 9
II. FEATURES
II. FEATURES
(TX97 Series)
Introduction to ASUS TX97 Series of motherboards
Performance:
• SDRAM Optimized Performance - ASUS TX97 series of motherboards sup-
port the new generation memory - Synchronous Dynamic Random Access
Memory (SDRAM) which increases the data transfer rate from 264MB/s max
using EDO memory to 528MB/s max.
• Double the IDE Transfer Speed - ASUS TX97 series of motherboards with
Intel 430TX PCIset improves IDE transfer rate using Bus Master UltraDMA/33
IDE which can handle data transfer up to 33MB/s. The best of all is that this
new technology is compatible with existing ATA-2 IDE specs so there is no
need to upgrade current hard drives or cables.
•ConcurrentPCI-Concurrent PCI allowsmultiplePCItransfersfromPCImaster
busses to memory to CPU.
• ACPI Ready - ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) is also
implemented on all ASUS 430TX series of motherboards. ACPI provide more
Energy Saving Features for the future operating systems (OS) supporting OS
Direct Power Management (OSPM) functionality. With these features imple-
mented in the OS, PCs can be ready around the clock everyday, yet satisfy all
the energy saving standards. To fully utilize the benefits of ACPI, an ACPI-
supported OS such as in the next release of Windows 95 must be used.
• PC ’97 Compliant - Both the BIOS and hardware levels ofASUS TX97 series
of motherboards meet PC ’97 compliancy. The new PC 97 requirements for
systems and components are based on the following high-level goals: Support
for Plug and Play compatibility and power management for configuring and
managing all system components, and 32-bit device drivers and installation pro-
cedures for both Windows 95 and Windows NT.
Intelligence:
• Fan Status Monitoring and Alarm - To prevent system overheat and system
damage, the CPU fan and system fans are monitored for RPM and failure. Each
fan can be set for its normal RPM range and alarm thresholds.
•Temperature Monitoring andAlert - To prevent system overheat and system
damage, there is a heat sensor under the CPU and on the motherboard itself to
monitor CPU and system temperature to make sure the system is operating at a
safe heat level to avoid any failures triggered by extremely high temperature.

10 ASUS TX97 User’s Manual
II. FEATURES
(TX97 Series)
II. FEATURES
•Voltage Monitoring andAlert - System voltage levels are monitored to ensure
stable current to critical motherboard components. Voltage specifications are
more critical for future processors, so monitoring is necessary to ensure proper
system configuration and management.
• SystemResourcesAlert -Today’s operating systems such as Windows 95, Win-
dows NT, and OS/2, require much more memory and hard drive space to present
enormous user interfaces and run large applications. The system resource moni-
tor will warn the user before the system resources are used up to prevent pos-
sible application crashes. Suggestions will give the user information on manag-
ing their limited resources more efficiently.
• Virus Write Protection - Normally, viruses can destroy data on storage media
such as hard drivers, floppy diskettes, and MO. Some new-generation viruses
will not only destroy data on storage media, but also clear BIOS data which is
usually unprotected. ASUS TX97 series of motherboards were designed to co-
operate with BIOS, chipset, and flash EPROM to disable write permission when
the system’s initialization stage is completed upon boot-up.
• CPU Slow Down - When CPU fans or system fans are malfunctioning, the
system will deactivate the CPU Clock line to decrease CPU utilization to the
speed upon detection of system overheat. This will prevent CPU damage from
system overheat. The CPU utilization will restore normal operations when tem-
perature falls below a safe level.
• Auto Fan Off - The system fans will power off automatically even in sleep
mode. This function reduces both energy consumption and system noise, and
is a important feature to implement silent PC systems.
• Dual Function Power Button (requiresATX power supply) -The system can
be in one of two states, one is Sleep mode and the other is the Soft-Off mode.
Pushing the power button for less than 4 seconds places the system into Sleep
mode. When the power button is pressed for more than 4 seconds, it enters the
Soft-Off mode.
• Remote Ring On (requiresATX powersupply) -This allows a computer to be
turned on remotely through a modem. With this benefit on-hand, any user can
access vital information from their computer from anywhere in the world!
• Message LED - Chassis LEDs now act as information providers. Through the
way a particular LED illuminates, the user can determine the stage the computer
is in. A simple glimpse provides useful information to the user.