DFI PT880-ALF User manual

Addendum
The PT880-ALF system board supports two IEEE 1394 ports. It is equipped
with an IEEE 1394 port at the rear I/O panel and a 10-pin connector at
location J8 for connecting an additional IEEE 1394 port.All other information in
this manual pertains to the PT880-ALF too. Please refer to this manual for
reference.
1/1 936-PT8806-300
79101418

PT880-AL
PT800-AL
Rev.A+
System Board
User’s Manual
79100349

Copyright
This publication contains information that is protected by copyright.
No part of it may be reproduced in any form or by any means or
used to make any transformation/adaptation without the prior
written permission from the copyright holders.
This publication is provided for informational purposes only. The
manufacturer makes no representations or warranties with respect to
the contents or use of this manual and specifically disclaims any
express or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any
particular purpose.The user will assume the entire risk of the use or
the results of the use of this document. Further, the manufacturer
reserves the right to revise this publication and make changes to its
contents at any time, without obligation to notify any person or
entity of such revisions or changes.
© 2004. All Rights Reserved.
Trademarks
Windows®98, Windows®98 SE, Windows®ME, Windows®2000,
Windows NT®4.0 and Windows®XP are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation. Intel®, Pentium®4 and Celeron are regis-
tered trademarks of Intel Corporation. VIA is a registered trade-
mark of VIA Technologies, Inc. Award is a registered trademark of
Award Software, Inc. Other trademarks and registered trademarks
of products appearing in this manual are the properties of their
respective holders.
Caution
To avoid damage to the system:
• Use the correct AC input voltage range.....
To reduce the risk of electric shock:
• Unplug the power cord before removing the system chassis
cover for installation or servicing. After installation or servicing,
cover the system chassis before plugging the power cord.

Battery:
• Danger of explosion if battery incorrectly replaced.
• Replace only with the same or equivalent type recommend by
the manufacturer.
• Dispose of used batteries according to the battery
manufacturer’s instructions.
FCC and DOC Statement on Class B
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 when the equipment is operated in a
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can ra-
diate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in ac-
cordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interfer-
ence 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:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.
• Connect the equipment into 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.
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.
2. Shielded interface cables must be used in order to comply with
the emission limits.

Notice
This user’s manual contains detailed information about the system
board. If, in some cases, some information doesn’t match those
shown in the multilingual manual, the multilingual manual should
always be regarded as the most updated version. The multilingual
manual is included in the system board package.
To view the user’s manual, insert the CD into a CD-ROM drive.The
autorun screen (Main Board Utility CD) will appear. Click “User’s
Manual”.
System Board
This user’s manual is for the PT880-AL and PT800-AL system
boards. The only difference between these boards is the PT880-
AL system board supports dual channel memory interface.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Introduction
1.1 Features and Specifications.................................................................................
1.2 Hyper-Threading Technology Functionality Requirements...
1.3 Package Checklist...........................................................................................................
Chapter 2 - Hardware Installation
2.1 System Board Layout ...........................................................................................
2.2 System Memory...........................................................................................................
2.3 CPU........................................................................................................................................
2.4 Jumper Settings.............................................................................................................
2.5 Rear Panel I/O Ports..............................................................................................
2.6 I/O Connectors...........................................................................................................
Chapter 3 - BIOS Setup
3.1 Award BIOS Setup Utility....................................................................................
3.2 VIA RAID BIOS Setting Utility........................................................................
3.3 Updating the BIOS.....................................................................................................
Chapter 4 - Supported Softwares
4.1 Desktop Management Interface.....................................................................
4.2 Drivers, Utilities and Software Applications.........................................
4.3 3D Audio Configuration........................................................................................
4.4 Installation Notes..........................................................................................................
7
14
14
46
87
88
15
16
19
24
26
37
90
93
103
104

Introduction
1
6
112
112
Appendix A - Enabling the Hyper-Threading
Technology
A.1 Enabling the Hyper-ThreadingTechnology...........................................
Appendix B - Using the Suspend to RAM
Function
B.1 Using the Suspend to RAM Function...................................................
Appendix C - System Error Messages
C.1 POST Beep....................................................................................................................
C.2 Error Messages...........................................................................................................
Appendix D - Troubleshooting
D.1 Troubleshooting Checklist.................................................................................
108
114
105

1
Introduction
7
1.1 Features and Specifications
1.1.1 Features
Chipset
• PT880-AL
- North bridge:VIA®PT880
Advanced high performance 128-bit DDR DRAM control-
ler
- South bridge:VIA® VT8237
• PT800-AL
- North bridge:VIA®PT800
- South bridge:VIA® VT8237
Processor
The system board is equipped with Socket 478 for installing one
of the following supported processors.
• Intel®Pentium®4 (Prescott and Northwood) processor up to
3.06GHz
- Intel Hyper-ThreadingTechnology
- FSB: 533MHz and 800MHz
• Intel®Celeron®processor
- 400MHz system data bus
System Memory
• Supports dual channel (128-bit wide) memory interface
(PT880-AL only)
• Three 184-pin DDR DIMM sockets
• Supports up to 3GB using PC1600 (DDR200), PC2100
(DDR266), PC2700 (DDR333) and PC3200 (DDR400)
unbuffered DDR SDRAM DIMM, 2.6V type
Chapter 1 - Introduction
DIMMs
2MBx64
4MBx64
8MBx64
Memory Size
16MB
32MB
64MB
DIMMs
16MBx64
32MBx64
64MBx64
Memory Size
128MB
256MB
512MB

Introduction
1
8
Expansion Slots
• 1 AGP slot
• 5 PCI slots
AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)
AGP is an interface designed to support high performance 3D
graphics cards. It utilizes a dedicated pipeline to access system
memory for texturing, z-buffering and alpha blending.The universal
AGP slot supports AGP 8x with up to 2133MB/sec. bandwidth and
AGP 4x with up to 1066MB/sec. bandwidth for 3D graphics
applications. AGP in this system board will deliver faster and better
graphics to your PC.
Onboard Audio Features
• AC’97 2.2 extension compliant codec
• Supports Microsoft®DirectSound/DirectSound 3D
• AC’97 supported with full duplex, independent sample rate
converter for audio recording and playback
• S/PDIF-in/out compressed digital output
• 6-channel audio output via software
S/PDIF
S/PDIF is a standard audio file transfer format that transfers digital
audio signals to a device without having to be converted first to
an analog format. This prevents the quality of the audio signal
from degrading whenever it is converted to analog. S/PDIF is usu-
ally found on digital audio equipment such as a DAT machine or
audio processing device. The S/PDIF connector on the system
board sends surround sound and 3D audio signal outputs to am-
plifiers and speakers and to digital recording devices like CD re-
corders.
6-channel Audio
The audio jacks at the rear panel will support 6-channel audio only
when the audio utility is configured to support this function.The mic-
in at the rear will be disabled. Use the front audio’s mic-in jack.

1
Introduction
9
Onboard LAN Features
• Phy fast ethernet controller
• Integrated IEEE 802.3, 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX compatible
PHY
• 32-bit PCI master interface
• Integrated power management functions
• Full duplex support at both 10 and 100 Mbps
• Supports IEEE 802.3u auto-negotiation
• Supports wire for management
Serial ATA (SATA) IDE Interface with RAID
Serial ATA is a storage interface that is compliant with SATA 1.0
specification. With speed of up to 1.5Gbps, it improves hard drive
performance even in data intensive environments such as audio/
video, consumer electronics and entry-level servers.
• Two SATA (Serial ATA) interfaces which are compliant with
SATA 1.0 specification (1.5Gbps interface)
• Supports RAID 0, RAID 1 and JBOD
IEEE 1394 Interface (optional)
• VIAVT6307 PCI 1394 integrated host controller
• Supports two 100/200/400 Mb/sec ports
IEEE 1394 is fully compliant with the 1394 OHCI (Open Host
Controller Interface) 1.1 specification. It supports up to 63 devices
that can run simultaneously on a system. 1394 is a fast external bus
standard that supports data transfer rates of up to 400Mbps. In
addition to its high speed, it also supports isochronous data transfer
which is ideal for video devices that need to transfer high levels of
data in real-time. 1394 supports both Plug-and-Play and hot
plugging.
PCI Bus Master IDE Controller
• Supports ATA/33, ATA/66, ATA/100 and ATA/133 hard drives
• UDMA Modes 3, 4, 5 and 6 Enhanced IDE (data transfer rate
up to 133MB/sec.)
• Bus mastering reduces CPU utilization during disk transfer
• Supports ATAPI CD-ROM, LS-120 and ZIP

Introduction
1
10
USB Ports
The system board supports USB 2.0 and USB 1.1. USB 1.1 sup-
ports 12Mb/second bandwidth while USB 2.0 supports 480Mb/
second bandwidth providing a marked improvement in device
transfer speeds between your computer and a wide range of si-
multaneously accessible external Plug and Play peripherals.
BIOS
• Award BIOS, Windows®98/2000/ME/XP Plug and Play
compatible
• Supports SCSI sequential boot-up
• Supports DMI 2.0 function
• 4Mbit flash memory
Desktop Management Interface (DMI)
The system board comes with a DMI 2.0 built into the BIOS.The
DMI utility in the BIOS automatically records various information
about your system configuration and stores these information in the
DMI pool, which is a part of the system board's Plug and Play
BIOS. DMI, along with the appropriately networked software, is
designed to make inventory, maintenance and troubleshooting of
computer systems easier. Refer to chapter 4 for instructions on
using the DMI utility.
Rear Panel I/O Ports (PC 99 color-coded connectors)
• One PS/2 mouse port
• One PS/2 keyboard port
• One DB-9 serial port
• One DB-25 parallel port
• 2 S/PDIF RCA jacks (S/PDIF-in and S/PDIF-out)
• Four USB 2.0/1.1 ports
• One RJ45 LAN port
• One IEEE 1394 port (optional)
• Three audio jacks: line-out, line-in and mic-in

1
Introduction
11
I/O Connectors
• Two connectors for 4 additional external USB 2.0/1.1 ports
• One connector for 1 external IEEE 1394 port (optional)
• One front audio connector for external line-out and mic-in
jacks
• One CD-in internal audio connector
• Two Serial ATA connectors
• Two IDE connectors
• One floppy connector
• Two ATX power supply connectors
• Two fan connectors
PCB
• 4 layers, ATX form factor
• 30.5cm (12") x 22cm (8.66")
1.1.2 Intelligence
Dual Function Power Button
Depending on the setting in the “Soft-Off By PWRBTN” field of
the Power Management Setup, this switch will allow the system
to enter the Soft-Off or Suspend mode.
Wake-On-Ring
This feature allows the system that is in the Suspend mode or
Soft Power Off mode to wake-up/power-on to respond to calls
coming from an external modem or respond to calls from a
modem PCI card that uses the PCI PME (Power Management
Event) signal to remotely wake up the PC.
Important:
If you are using a modem add-in card, the 5VSB power source
of your power supply must support ≥ 720mA.

Introduction
1
12
Wake-On-LAN
This feature allows the network to remotely wake up a Soft Power
Down (Soft-Off) PC. It is supported via the onboard LAN port or
via a PCI LAN card that uses the PCI PME (Power Management
Event) signal. However, if your system is in the Suspend mode, you
can power-on the system only through an IRQ or DMA interrupt.
Important:
The 5VSB power source of your power supply must support
≥ 720mA.
Wake-On-PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse
This function allows you to use the PS/2 keyboard or PS/2 mouse
to wake up the system from the S3 state.
Important:
The 5VSB power source of your power supply must support
≥ 720mA.
Wake-On-USB Keyboard/Mouse
This function allows you to use a USB keyboard or USB mouse
to wake up a system from the S3 (STR - Suspend To RAM) state.
Important:
• If you are using the Wake-On-USB Keyboard/Mouse
function for 2 USB ports, the 5VSB power source of your
power supply must support ≥ 1.5A.
• If you are using the Wake-On-USB Keyboard/Mouse func-
tion for 3 or more USB ports, the 5VSB power source of
your power supply must support ≥ 2A.
RTC Timer to Power-on the System
The RTC installed on the system board allows your system to
automatically power-on on the set date and time.

1
Introduction
13
ACPI
The system board is designed to meet the ACPI (Advanced Con-
figuration and Power Interface) specification. ACPI has energy saving
features that enables PCs to implement Power Management and
Plug-and-Play with operating systems that support OS Direct Power
Management. Currently, only Windows®®
®®
®98/2000/ME/XP supports
the ACPI function. ACPI when enabled in the Power Management
Setup will allow you to use the Suspend to RAM function.
With the Suspend to RAM function enabled, you can power-off the
system at once by pressing the power button or selecting “Standby”
when you shut down Windows®®
®®
®98/2000/ME/XP without having to
go through the sometimes tiresome process of closing files,
applications and operating system. This is because the system is
capable of storing all programs and data files during the entire
operating session into RAM (Random Access Memory) when it
powers-off.The operating session will resume exactly where you left
off the next time you power-on the system.
Important:
The 5VSB power source of your power supply must support
≥ 1A.
AC Power Failure Recovery
When power returns after an AC power failure, you may choose
to either power-on the system manually, let the system power-on
automatically or return to the state where you left off before power
failure occurs.
Virus Protection
Most viruses today destroy data stored in hard drives.The system
board is designed to protect the boot sector and partition table of
your hard disk drive.

Introduction
1
14
1.2 Hyper-Threading Technology Functionality
Requirements
Enabling the functionality of Hyper-Threading Technology for your
computer system requires ALL of the following platforms.
Components:
• CPU - an Intel®Pentium®4 Processor with HTTechnology
• Chipset - an Intel®chipset that supports HTTechnology
• BIOS - a BIOS that supports HTTechnology and has it enabled
• OS - an operating system that includes optimizations for HT
Technology
Please refer to Appendix A for information about enabling the
functionality of the Hyper-ThreadingTechnology. For more information
on Hyper-Threading Technology, go to: www.intel.com/info/
hyperthreading.
1.3 Package Checklist
The system board package contains the following items:
!The system board
!A user’s manual
!One Serial ATA data cable
!One IDE cable for ATA/33/66/100/133 IDE drives
!One 34-pin floppy disk drive cable
!One SATA RAID floppy diskette
!One I/O shield
!One “Mainboard Utility” CD
If any of these items are missing or damaged, please contact your
dealer or sales representative for assistance.

2
Hardware Installation
15
2.1 System Board Layout
Chapter 2 - Hardware Installation
PT880-AL/PT800-AL
KB/Mouse
S/PDIF-
in
S/PDIF-
out
COM
Parallel
1394_1, USB 1-2
LAN, USB 3-4
Line-out
Line-in
Mic-in
1
+12V power
Socket 478
VIA
PT880/800
LAN Phy
I/O
chip
BIOS
1
Front audio
1
CD-in
Audio
Codec
AGP
PCI 1
PCI 2
PCI 3
PCI 4
PCI 5
1
USB 7-8
1
USB 5-6
VIA
6307 1
1394_2
1
Clear CMOS
(JP1)
VIA
VT8237
1
FDD
1
CPU fan
DDR 1
DDR 2
DDR 3
1
ATX
power
1
Primary IDE
1
Secondary IDE
1
System fan
1
HD-LED
RESET
SPEAKER
PWR-LED
ATX-SW
1
1
SATA 2
SATA 1
Battery

2
16
Hardware Installation
2.2 System Memory
Warning:
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can damage your system board, proces-
sor, disk drives, add-in boards, and other components. Perform the
upgrade instruction procedures described at an ESD workstation only.
If such a station is not available, you can provide some ESD protection
by wearing an antistatic wrist strap and attaching it to a metal part
of the system chassis. If a wrist strap is unavailable, establish and
maintain contact with the system chassis throughout any procedures
requiring ESD protection.
The system board is equipped with three 184-pin DDR DIMM
sockets. DDR (Double Data Rate) is a type of SDRAM that dou-
bles the data rate through reading and writing at both the rising
and falling edge of each clock. This effectively doubles the speed
of operation therefore providing two times faster data transfer.
Refer to chapter 1 (System Memory section) for detailed specifi-
cation of the memory supported by the system board.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
DDR 1
DDR 2
DDR 3

2
Hardware Installation
17
PT800-AL supports single channel memory interface. Data will be
accessed in chunks of 64 bits from the memory channels.
PT880-AL supports dual channel memory interface. The three
DDR DIMM sockets are divided into 2 channels:
Channel A - DDR 1 and DDR 2
Channel B - DDR 3
Data will be accessed in chunks of 128 bits from the memory
channels. Dual channel provides better system performance be-
cause it doubles the data transfer rate.
DIMMs are on the same channel.
DIMMs in a channel can be identical or
completely different.
Not all slots need to be populated.
DIMMs of different memory configura-
tions are on different channels.
DIMMs of the same memory configu-
ration are on different channels.
Single Channel
Virtual Single Channel
Dual Channel

2
18
Hardware Installation
2.2.1 Installing the DIM Module
A DIM module simply snaps into a DIMM socket on the system
board. Pin 1 of the DIM module must correspond with Pin 1 of
the socket.
1. Pull the “tabs” which are at the ends of the socket to the
side.
2. Position the DIMM above the socket with the “notch” in the
module aligned with the “key” on the socket.
3. Seat the module vertically into the socket. Make sure it is
completely seated.The tabs will hold the DIMM in place.
Pin 1
Notch
Key
Tab Tab

2
Hardware Installation
19
2.3 CPU
2.3.1 Overview
The system board is equipped with a surface mount 478-pin CPU
socket. This socket is exclusively designed for installing an Intel
processor.
2.3.2 Installing the CPU
1. Locate Socket 478 on the system board.
2. Unlock the socket by pushing the lever sideways, away from the
socket, then lifting it up to a 90oangle. Make sure the socket is
lifted to at least this angle otherwise the CPU will not fit in
properly.
Lever