Biostar P4M900-M7 FE User guide

P4M900-M7 FE/P4M890-M7 FE Setup Manual
FCC Information and Copyright
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits of a Class
B digital device, pursuant toPart15 of the FCC Rules.These limits are designed
to provide reasonable protec tion against harmful interference in a residential
installation. T his 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.There is no guarantee
that interfe re nce will not occur in a particula r ins tallation.
The ve ndor makes no representatio ns or wa rranties with respec t to the
contents here andspecially disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability
o r fi tn es s fo r a ny p u rp os e . F u rt he r t he ve nd o r res e rves t he ri g ht to rev is e t h is
publication and to make changes to the contents here without obligation to
notify any party beforehand.
D uplication of this publication, in part or in whole, is not allowed without first
obtaining the vendor’s approval in writing.
The content of this user’s manual is subject to be changed without notice and
we will not be res ponsible for any mis takes found in this user’s manual. All the
brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction.....................................................3
1.1 Before You Start................................................................... 3
1.2 Package Checklist................................................................ 3
1.3 MotherboardFeatures..........................................................4
1.4 Rear Panel Connectors..........................................................5
1.5 Motherboard Layout............................................................ 6
Chapter 2: Hardware Installation........................................7
2.1 Installing Central Processing Unit(CPU)................................ 7
2.2 Fan Headers......................................................................... 9
2.3 Installing System Memory.....................................................10
2.4 Connectors and Slots............................................................12
Chapter 3: Headers & Jumpers Setup.................................14
3.1 How to Setup Jumpers..........................................................14
3.2 Detail Settings.....................................................................14
Chapter 4: RAID Functions...............................................20
4.1 OperationSystem................................................................20
4.2 Raid Arrays.........................................................................20
4.3 How RAID Works.................................................................20
Chapter 5: Useful Help.....................................................22
5.1 Driver Installation Note .......................................................22
5.2 Award BIOS Beep Code........................................................23
5.3 Extra Information................................................................23
5.4 Troubleshooting...................................................................24
Appendencies: SPEC In Other Language.............................26
German................................................................................................26
France..................................................................................................28
Italian..................................................................................................30
Spanish................................................................................................32
Portuguese...........................................................................................34
Polish...................................................................................................36
Russian................................................................................................38
Arabic..................................................................................................40
Japanese..............................................................................................42

P4M900-M7 FE/P4M890-M7 FE
3
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 BEFORE YOU START
Tha nk you for choo sing our pro duct. Be fore you sta rt installing the
mo the rboa rd , plea se make su re you fo llo w the ins tru ctio ns be lo w:
Prepare a dry and stable working environment with
s uf fi cie nt ligh ting .
Always disconnect the computer from power outlet
be fo re ope ra tion.
Befo re you take the mo the rboa rd ou t f rom a n ti-s ta tic
bag, ground yourself properly by touching anysafely
grounded appliance, or use grounded wrist strap to
remove the static charge.
Avo id tou ch ing the compone nts o n mo the rboa rd o r the
rear side of the board unless necessary. Hold the board
on the edge, do not try to bend or flex the boa rd.
Do not lea ve any unfastene d sma ll parts inside the
case after installation. Loose parts will cause short
circuits which may damage the equipment.
Keep the computer from dangerous area, such as heat
source , humid air and wate r.
1.2 PACKAGE CHECKLIST
HDD Cable X 1
I ns talla tion Gu ide X 1
Fu lly Se tup Drive r C D X 1 (fu ll ve rs ion manua l files ins ide )
Rear I/O Panel for ATX Case X 1
FDD Cable X 1 (optional)
Se ria l ATA Cab le X 1 (op tiona l)
USB 2.0 Cable X1 (optional)
Se ria l ATA Po we r Cab le X 1 (o ptio nal)
Note: The package contents may differ by area or your motherboard version.

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4
1.3 MOTHERBOARD FEATURES
P4M900-M7 FE P4M890-M7 FE
CPU
LGA 77 5
Intel Core2Duo/ Pentium 4 / Pentium D /
Celeron D / Cel eron 4xx pr ocessor up to 3.8
GHz
*It is recommended to use
p
rocessors with
95W power c o nsumption.
Supports Hyper Thre ading
/
Ex ec ute Disable
Bit/ Enhanced Intel S peedStep®/ Intel
Extended Memory 64 technology
LGA 77 5
Intel Core2Duo/ Pentium 4 / Pentium D /
Celeron D / Cel eron 4xx pr ocessor up to 3.8
GHz
*It is recommended to use
p
rocessors with
95W power c o nsumption.
Supports Hyper Thre ading
/
Ex ec ute Disable
Bit/ Enhanced Intel S peedStep®/ Intel
Extended Memory 64 technology
FS B 533 / 80 0 / 1 06 6 MHz 533 / 80 0 / 1 06 6 MHz
Chipset VIA P4M900
VIA VT8237A
VIA P4M890
VIA VT8237A
Graphic Chrome9 HC 3D / 2D Grap hics
Max Shared Video Memory is 256 MB
Chrome9 HC 3D / 2D Grap hics
Max Shared Video Memory is 256 MB
Super I/O
ITE 871 2F
Provides the most commonly used legacy
Super I/O functionality.
Low Pin C ount Interf ace
Environment Control initiatives,
H/W Monitor
Fan Spee d Co ntroller
ITE's "S mart G uardia n" fu nc tion
ITE 871 2F
Provides the most commonly used legacy
Super I/O functionality.
Low Pin C ount Interf ace
Environment Control initiatives,
H/W Monitor
Fan Spee d Co ntroller
ITE's "S mart G uardia n" fu nc tion
Main
Memory
DIMM Slots x 2
Support s D DR 2 5 33 / 667
Eac h DIM M sup ports 2 56/ 51 2MB /1GB/ 2GB
DDR2
Max Memory Capicity 4GB
Single Channel Mode DDR2 memory
module
Registered DIMM and ECC DIMM is not
supported
DIMM Slots x 2
Support s D DR 2 5 33 / 667
Eac h DIM M sup ports 2 56/ 51 2MB /1GB/ 2GB
DDR2
Max Memory Capicity 4GB
Single Channel Mode DDR2 memory
module
Registered DIMM and ECC DIMM is not
supported
IDE
Integrated IDE Controller
Ultra DMA 33~133 B us Master Mode
supports PIO Mo de 0~4,
Integrated IDE Controller
Ultra DMA 33~133 B us Master Mode
supports PIO Mo de 0~4,
SATA
Integrated Seri al ATA Controller
Data transfer rates up to 1.5 Gb/s.
SATA Version 1.0 specification compliant.
Integrated Seri al ATA Controller
Data transfer rates up to 1.5 Gb/s.
SATA Version 1.0 specification compliant.
LAN PHY
Realtek RTL 8201CL PHY
10 / 100 Mb/s auto negotiation
Half / Full duplex capability
Realtek RTL 8201CL PHY
10 / 100 Mb/s auto negotiation
Half / Full duplex capability
Sound
Codec
ALC662
5.1 cha nnels a udio o ut
High- Defi nition Au dio s upport
ALC662
5.1 cha nnels a udio o ut
High- Defi nition Au dio s upport

P4M900-M7 FE/P4M890-M7 FE
5
P4M900-M7 FE P4M890-M7 FE
PCI Express x 16 slot x1 PCI Express x 16 slot x1
PCI Express x 1 slot x1 PCI Express x 1 slot x1Slots
PCI slot x2 PCI slot x2
Floppy connector x1 Floppy connector x1
Printer Port C onnector x1 Printer Port C onnector x1
IDE Co nnector x2 IDE Co nnector x2
SATA Connector x2 SATA Connector x2
Front Pa nel Co nnector x1 Front Pa nel Co nnector x1
Front Audi o Co nnector x1 Front Audi o Co nnector x1
CD-in Co nnector x1 CD-in Co nnector x1
CPU Fan hea der x1 CPU Fan hea der x1
System Fan hea der x1 System Fan hea der x1
Clear CMOS header x1 Clear CMOS header x1
USB connector x2 USB connector x2
Power Connector (24pin) x1 Power Connector (24pi n) x1
On Board
Connector
Power Connector (4pin) x1 Power Connector (4pin) x1
Back Panel
I/O
PS/2 Keyboard x1
PS/2 Mo use x1
Serial Port x1
VGA Port x1
LAN port x1
USB Port x4
Audio Jack x3
PS/2 Keyboard x1
PS/2 Mo use x1
Serial Port x1
VGA Port x1
LAN port x1
USB Port x4
Audio Jack x3
Board Size 190 mm (W) x 24 4 mm (L) 190 mm (W) x 24 4 mm (L)
Special
Feature RAID 0 / 1 support RAID 0 / 1 support
OS
Support
Windows 2000 / XP / VISTA
Biostar Reserves the ri
g
ht to add or remo ve
support for any OS with or without notice.
Windows 2000 / XP
Biostar Reserves the ri
g
ht to add or remove
support for any OS with or without notice.
1.4 REAR PANEL CONNECTORS
PS /2
Mouse
PS/ 2
Keyboard
USBX2USBX2
LA N
COM1 VGA
Li ne I n /
Surround
Lin e O ut
Mic In 1/
Bass/ Center
Since t he au dio c hip s up ports Hig h Definiti on A udio Specific atio n, t he func tion of eac h a udi o
jack c an be d efine d b y sof twar e. T he in pu t / out pu t fu ncti o n o f e ach au dio j ac k l isted ab o ve
r eprese nts t he def aul t s etti ng . Ho we ver , wh en c on necti ng e xter nal micr oph on e t o t he au di o
port, pleas e us e t he Lin e I n (blu e) an d Mic In ( Pink) a udio j ac k.

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1.5 MOTHERBOARD LAYOUT
Super
I/O
DIMM1 DIMM2
FDD1
PCI-EX1 _ 1
PCI-E X16
PCI1
PCI2
J P AN EL 1
JU SB 2
JUSB3
JATXPWR1
JCFAN1
JATXPWR2
JSATA1
JSATA2
Codec
JC DIN1
JSFAN1
BAT1
VIA
VT8237A
LGA775
CPU 1
P4M900
or
P4M890
JAUDI O F1
JKB MS1
JUSB1
JUSBLAN1
C
OM1
JCO
M1
JVGA1
IDE1
JCMOS1
LAN
IDE2
BIOS
JAUDIO1
JPRNT1
JUSBV2
JUSBV1
Not e: represents the 1■st pin.

P4M900-M7 FE/P4M890-M7 FE
7
CHAPTER 2: HARDWARE INSTALLATION
2.1 INSTALLING CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT (CPU)
Special Notice:
Remove Pin Cap before installation, and make good preservation
for future use. When the CPUis removed, cover the Pin Capon the
empty socket to ensure pin legs won’t be damaged.
Pin Cap
Step 1: Pull the socket locking lever out from the socket and then raise
the lever up to a 90-degree angle.

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8
Step 2: Look for the triangular cut edge on socket, and the golden dot on
CPU should point forwards this triangular cut edge.The CPU will
fit only in the correct orientation.
Step 2-1:
Step 2-2:
Step 3: Hold the CPU down firmly, and then lower the lever to locked
position to complete the installation.
Step 4:Put the CPU Fan and heatsink assembly on the CPU and buckle it
on the retention frame. Connect the CPU FAN power cable into
the JCFAN1.This completes the installation.

P4M900-M7 FE/P4M890-M7 FE
9
2.2 FAN HEADERS
These fan headers support cooling-fans built in the computer. The fan
cable and connector may be different according to the fan manufacturer.
Connect the fan cable to the connector while matching the black wire to
pin#1.
JCFAN1: CPUFan Header
Pin
Assignment
1 Ground
2 +12V
3 FAN RPM rate
sense
14
4 Smart Fan
Control
JSFAN1: System Fan Header
Pin
Assignment
1 Ground
2 +12V
13
3 FAN RPM rate
sense
Note:
The JSFAN1 sup por ts 3-pin head c on nect or and the JCFAN1 su ppor ts 4-pin he ad
conn ector . Wh en c on necti ng wi th wires on to c on nect ors, pl ease n ote th at t he r ed wire is
the posi ti ve a nd s ho uld be c on nect ed to pi n# 2, an d th e bl ac k wi re is Gr o un d a nd s hould
be c onn ect ed t o GND.

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10
2.3 INSTALLING SYSTEM MEMORY
A. Memory Modules
DIM M1 DIM M2
1. Unlock a DIMM slot by pressing the retaining clips outward. Align a
DIMM on the slot such that the notch on the DIMM matches the
break on the Slot.

P4M900-M7 FE/P4M890-M7 FE
11
2. Insert the DIMM vertically and firmly into the slot until the retaining
chip snap back in place and the DIMM is properly seated.
B. Memory Capacity
DIMM Socket
Location DDR2 Module To tal Mem o r y Size
DIMM1 256MB/512MB/1GB/2GB
DIMM2 256MB/512MB/1GB/2GB
Max is 4GB.

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2.4 CONNECTORS AND SLOTS
FDD1: Floppy DiskConnector
The motherboard prov ides a standard floppy disk connector that supports 360K,
720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88M floppy disk ty pes. This connector supports the
prov idedf loppy drive ribbon cable.
34
33
1
2
IDE1/IDE2: Hard Disk Connectors
The motherboard has a 32-bit Enhanced PCI IDE Controller that prov ides PIO
Mode 0~4, Bus Master, and Ultra DMA 33/66/100/133 f unctionality. It has two
HDD connectors: IDE1 (primary ) and IDE2 (secondary ).
The IDE connectors can connect a master and a slav e driv e, so you can
connect up to four hard disk drives. The f irst hard drive should always be
connected to IDE1.
IDE2IDE1
21
3940

P4M900-M7 FE/P4M890-M7 FE
13
PCI-EX16: PCI-Express x16 Slot
-PCI-Express 1.0a compliant.
-Maximum theoretical realized bandwidth of 4GB/s simultaneously per
direction, f or an aggregate of 8GB/s totally.
PCI-EX1_1: PCI-Express x1 Slot
-PCI-Express 1.0a compliant.
-Data transf er bandwidth up to 250MB/s per direction; 500MB/s in total.
-PCI-Express supports a raw bit-rate of 2.5Gb/s on the data pins.
-2X bandwidth ov er the traditional PCI architecture.
PCI-EX 16
PCI-EX 1_1
PCI1/PCI2: Peripheral Component Interconnect Slots
This motherboard is equipped with 2 standard PCI slots. PCI stands f or
Peripheral Component Interconnect, and it is a bus standard for expansion
cards. This PCI slot is designated as 32 bits.
PCI1
PCI2

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14
CHAPTER 3: HEADERS & JUMPERS SETUP
3.1 HOW TO SET UP JUMPERS
The illustration shows how to set up jumpers. When the jumper cap is
placed on pins, the jumper is “close”, if not, that means the jumper is
“open”.
Pin opened Pin closed Pin1-2 closed
3.2 DETAIL SETT INGS
JPANEL1: FrontPanel Header
This 16-pin connector includes Power-on, Reset, HDD LED, Power LED, and
speaker connection. It allows user to connect the PC case’s front panel switch
functions.
18
16
PWR_LED
On/ Off
RST
HL ED
SPK
++
+
9
-
-
Pin Assignment Function Pin Assignment Function
1 +5V 9 N/A
2 N/A 10 N/A N/A
3 N/A 11 N/A N/A
4 Speaker
Speaker
Connector
12 Power LE D (+)
5 HDD LED (+) 13 Power LED (+)
6 HDD LED (-)
Hard drive
LED 14 Power LED (-)
Power LED
7 Ground 15 Power button
8 Reset control Reset button 16 Ground Power-on button

P4M900-M7 FE/P4M890-M7 FE
15
ATX Power Source Connector: JATXPWR1
JATXPWR1 allows user to connect 24-pin power connector on the ATX power
supply.
1
12
13
24
Pin Assignment Pin Assignment
13 +3.3V 1 +3.3V
14 -12V 2 +3.3V
15 Ground 3 Ground
16 PS_ON 4 +5V
17 Ground 5 Ground
18 Ground 6 +5V
19 Ground 7 Ground
20 NC 8 PW_OK
21 +5V 9 StandbyVoltage+5V
22 +5V 10 +12V
23 +5V 11 +12V
24 Ground 12 +3.3V
JATXPWR2: ATX Power Source C onne ctor
By connecting this connector, it will provide +12V to CPU power circuit.
Pin Assignment
1 +12V
2 +12V
3 Ground
1
23
4
4 Ground
Note:
Befor e p ower o n t he s yst e m, pl eas e ma ke sur e th at b ot h J ATXP WR1 and JAT XP WR2
conn ector s ha ve b ee n pl ug g ed- i n.

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JUSB2/JUSB3:Headers for USB 2.0Ports atFront Panel
This header allows user to connect additional USB cable on the PC f ront panel,
and also can be connected with internal USB devices, like USB card reader.
Pin
Assignment
1 +5V (fused)
2 +5V (fused)
3 USB-
4 USB-
5 USB+
6 USB+
7 Ground
8 Ground
9 Key
19
210
JUSB2
JUSB3
10 NC
JSATA1/JSATA2: Serial ATA Connectors
The motherboard has a PCI to SATA Controller with 2 channels SATA interf ace,
it satisfies the SATA 1.0 spec and with transfer rate of 1.5Gb/s.
Pin Assignment
1 Ground
2 TX+
3 T X-
4 Ground
5 RX-
6 RX+
14 7
J SATA1
JSATA2
147
7 Ground
JAUDIOF1: Front Panel Audio Header
This header allows user to connect the front audio output cable with the PC f ront
panel. This header allows only HD audio front panel connector; AC’97 connector
is not acceptable.
Pin Assignment
1 Mic Left in
2 Ground
3 Mic Right in
4 GPIO
5 Right line in
6 Jack Sense
7 Front Sense
8 Key
9 Left line in
10 Jack Sense
19
210

P4M900-M7 FE/P4M890-M7 FE
17
JCDIN1: CD-ROM Audio-in Connector
This connector allows user to connect the audio source f rom the v ariaty dev ices,
like CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, PCI sound card, PCI TV turner card etc.
Pin
Assignment
1 Left Channel Input
2 Ground
3 Ground
14
4 Right Channel Input
JCMOS1:ClearCMOS Header
By placing the jumper on pin2-3, it allows user to restore the BIOS saf e setting
and the CMOS data, please carefully f ollow the procedures to avoid damaging
the motherboard.
13
Pin 1-2 Close:
Normal Operation (default).
13
13
Pin 2-3 Close:
Clear CMOS data.
※Clear CMOS Procedures:
1. Remov e AC power line.
2. Set the jumper to “Pin 2-3 close”.
3. Wait forf ive seconds.
4. Set the jumper to “Pin 1-2 close”.
5. Power on the AC.
6. Reset y our desired password or clear the CMOS data.

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18
JPRNT1: PrinterPortConnector
This header allows you to connector printer on the PC.
1
25
2
Pin Assignment Pin Assignment
1 -Strobe 14 Ground
2 -ALF 15 Data 6
3 Data 0 16 Ground
4 -Error 17 Data 7
5 Data 1 18 Ground
6 -Init 19 -ACK
7 Data 2 20 Ground
8 -Scltin 21 Busy
9 Data 3 22 Ground
10 Ground 23 PE
11 Data 4 24 Ground
12 Ground 25 SCLT
13 Data 5 26 Key

P4M900-M7 FE/P4M890-M7 FE
19
JUSBV1/JUSBV2: Powe r Source Headers for USB Ports
Pin1-2 Close:
JUSBV1: +5V for USB ports at JUSB1/JUSBLAN1.
JUSBV2: +5V for USB ports at f ront panel (JUSB2/JUSB3).
Pin2-3 Close:
JUSBV1: +5V STB for USB ports at JUSB1/JUSBLAN1.
JUSBV2: +5V STB for USB ports at f ront panel (JUSB2/JUSB3).
13
Pin 1-2 close
13
JUSBV1
13
JU SBV2
13
Pin 2-3 close

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20
CHAPTER 4: RAID FUNCTIONS
4.1 OPERATION SYSTEM
Supports Windows XP, Windows 2000 Professional, and Windows Vista.
4.2 RAID ARRAYS
RAID supports the following types of RAID arrays:
RAID0:RAID 0 defines a disk striping scheme that improves disk read and write times for
many applications.
RAID1:RAID 1 defines techniques for mirroring data.
4.3 HOW RAID WORKS
RAID 0:
The controller “stripes” data across multiple drives in a RAID 0 array system. It breaks
up a large file into smaller blocks and performs disk reads and writes across multiple
drives in parallel. The size of each block is determined by the stripe size parameter,
which you set during the creation ofthe RAID set based on the systemenvironment. This
technique reduces overall disk access time and offers high bandwidth.
Features and Benefits
 Drives: Minimum 2, and maximum is up to 6 or 8. Depending on the
platf orm.
 Uses: Intended for non-critical data requiring high data throughput, or any
env ironment that does not require f ault tolerance.
 Benefits: prov ides increased data throughput, especially f or large files. No
capacity loss penalty f or parity.
 Drawbacks: Does not deliver any fault tolerance. If any drive in the array
f ails, all data is lost.
 FaultTolerance:No.
Blo ck 1
Block 3
Block 5
Block 2
Block 4
Block 6