MATSONIC MS7177C User manual

i
Important Information
Copyright
This publication, including all photographs, illustrations and
software, is protected under international copyright laws, with all
rights reserved. Neither this manual, nor any of the material
contained herein, may be reproduced without the express writ-
ten consent of the manufacturer.
Version 1.0
Disclaimer
The information in this document is subject to change without
notice. The manufacturer makes no representations or warranti-
es with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims
any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any par-
ticular purpose. Further, the manufacturer reserves the right to
revise this publication and to make changes from time to time in
the content hereof without obligation of the manufacturer to no-
tify any person of such revision or changes.

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Trademark Recognition
Microsoft, MS-DOS and Windows are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corp.
MMX, Pentium, Pentium-II, Pentium-III, Celeron are registered
trademarks of Intel Corporation.
Other product names used in this manual are the properties of
their respective owners and are acknowledged.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
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 installation. This
equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency en-
ergy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communica-
tions. 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 en-
couraged 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 onto an outlet on a circuit differ-
ent from that to which the receiver is connected.
!Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician
for help.
Shielded interconnect cables and a shielded AC power cable
must be employed with this equipment to ensure compliance
with the pertinent RF emission limits governing this device.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the sys-
tem’s manufacturer could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.

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Declaration of Conformity
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is
subject to the following conditions:
!This device may not cause harmful interference, and
!This device must accept any interference received, in-
cluding interference that may cause undesired operation.
Canadian Department of Communications
This class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Ca-
nadian Interference-causing Equipment Regulations.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B respecte toutes les exi-
gences du Réglement sur le matériel brouilieur du Canada.

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About the Manual
The manual consists of the following chapters:
Introduction
Use the Introduction Chapter to learn about the features of the
mainboard, and verify the checklist of items that are shipped
with the package.
Installation
Use the Installation Chapter to learn how to install the main-
board and get your system up and running.
Setup
Use the Setup Chapter to configure the mainboard for optimum
performance.
Software
Use the Software Chapter to learn how to install the software
drivers and support programs that are provided with this main-
board.

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Contents
Important Information i
Copyright i
Disclaimer i
Trademark Recognition ii
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ii
Declaration of Conformity iii
Canadian Department of Communications iii
About the Manual iv
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
Welcome 1
Checklist 2
Recommendations 3
Features 4
CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION 7
Quick Installation Table 7
Quick Jumper Setting Reference 8
Before You Begin 12
Static Electricity 12
Choosing a Case 12
How to Set Jumpers 13
Preparing the Mainboard 14
Mainboard Guide 14
I/O Ports Side View 16
Check the Jumper Settings 17
Installing the Mainboard in a Case 21
Connecting Internal Components 22
Installing Other Hardware 24
Installing the Processor 24
Install the Memory Modules 26
Installing a Hard Disk Drive and CD-ROM 28
Installing a Floppy Diskette Drive 31
Using the Expansion Slots 32
Add-in Card Options 35
Making External Connections 37
External Connector Color Coding 38
CHAPTER 3: SETUP 39
About the Setup Utility 39

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Entering the Setup Utility 40
BIOS Navigation Keys 41
Using BIOS 42
How to Flash a New BIOS 43
Standard CMOS Setup Option 44
Advanced CMOS Setup Option 47
Advanced Chipset Features Option 51
Integrated Peripherals Option 55
Power Management Setup Option 58
PNP/PCI Configuration Option 64
PCI Health Status Option 66
Frequency Control Option 67
Load Fail-Safe Defaults Option 68
Load Optimized Defaults Option 68
Set Supervisor and User Passwords Options 69
Save & Exit Setup Option 70
Exit Without Saving Option 70
CHAPTER 4: SOFTWARE 71
Folders for this Mainboard 71
Utility Folder Installation Notes 72
Mainboard (MS7177C) Installation Notes 74
APPENDIX: JUMPER SETTING REFERENCE 75
Quick Jumper Setting Reference 75

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Ch ha ap pt te er r 1 1: : I In nt tr ro od du uc ct ti io on n
Welcome
Congratulations on purchasing the MS7177C mainboard. The
MS7177C mainboard is an ATX mainboard that uses a 4-layer
printed circuit board and measures 304 mm x 220 mm. The
mainboard features a Socket 370 that accommodates PPGA
Celeron, FC-PGA Pentium III, and Cyrix III processors that sup-
port frontside bus (FSB) speeds up to 133 MHz.
The MS7177C uses the VIA family chipset and features the AC
97 audio codec. The mainboard delivers high-level performance
with a 4xAGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) slot and two PCI Bus
Master Ultra DMA (UDMA) ports that support up to four ATAPI (AT
Attachment Packet Interface) devices. The PCI IDE also supports
PIO Mode 3 and 4, UDMA33/66 IDE (UDMA100 is optional), and
an ATAPI CD-ROM.
Note: The MS7177C supports two VIA South Bridge chipsets—
the VIA VT82C686A and the VIA VT82C686B. The VIA
VT82C686A is standard and supports UDMA33/66. The VIA
VT82C686B is optional and supports UDMA100.
The mainboard accommodates PC 100 SDRAM (Synchronous
DRAM) up to 1.5 GB using three 3.3V unbuffered DIMM modules.
The MS7177C also has a full set of I/O ports, such as dual channel
IDE interfaces, a floppy controller, two FIFO serial port connectors,
an EPP/ECP-capable bi-directional parallel port connector, a dual
USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector, and PS/2 keyboard and
mouse connectors.
One AGP slot, five PCI local bus slots, and one audio modem riser
(AMR) slot provide expandability for add-on peripheral cards.

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This chapter contains the following information:
!Checklist comprises a list of the standard and optional
components that are shipped with this mainboard
!Recommendations lists some Do’s and Don’ts from the
manufacturer to help ensure reliability and performance
from this product
!Features highlights the functions and components that
make this one of the best value mainboards on the mar-
ket
Checklist
Compare the contents of your mainboard package with the stan-
dard checklist below. If any item is missing or appears damaged,
please contact the vendor of your mainboard package.
Standard Items
!One mainboard
!One diskette drive ribbon cable and bracket
!One IDE drive ribbon cable and bracket
!This user’s manual
!Software support CD-ROM disc

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Recommendations
This mainboard automatically determines the CPU clock fre-
quency and system bus frequency for the kind of processor that
you install. You may be able to change these automatic settings
by making changes to jumpers on the mainboard, or changing
the settings in the system Setup Utility. We strongly recommend
that you do not overclock the mainboard to run processors or
other components faster than their rated speed.
Warning: Overclocking components can adversely affect the reliabil-
ity of the system and introduce errors into your system. Overclocking
can permanently damage the mainboard by generating excess heat
in components that are run beyond the rated limits.
Components on this mainboard can be damaged by discharges
of static electricity. Handle the board carefully holding it by the
edges. Do not flex or stress the circuit board. Keep the board in
its static-proof packing until you are ready to install it. Follow the
static guidelines given at the beginning of Chapter 2.

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Features
The key features of this mainboard are the wide range of proc-
essors that can be installed, and the high level of integration.
Value-class Processors
Functioning as a platform for a value PC, the MS7177C features
a Socket 370 that accommodates PPGA Celeron, Pentium III,
and Cyrix III processors. The MS7177C supports 66/100/133
MHz FSB speeds.
VIA North Bridge Chipset
This board features the VIA VT82C694X NB (North Bridge)
chipset, enabling synchronous and asynchronous frequency op-
eration between the processor and the memory over a wide
frequency range. The NB chipset is optimized for Pentium III
processors at 66/100/133 MHz Front Side Bus (FSB) frequency
and supports 32-bit processor bus addressing.
The integrated DRAM controller supports up to four double-
sided DIMMs consisting of EDO, SDRAM, or VCM SDRAM. The
NB chipset provides SDRAM with a 64-bit data interface.
The AGP interface is AGP specification Rev 2.0 compliant, and
supports 2x/4x/4x 3.3/1.5V devices. The PCI bus interface com-
plies with PCI Rev. 2.2, and supports 3.3V and power supplies.
Five PCI bus masters are supported in addition to the host and
PCI-to-ISA I/O bridge.
VIA South Bridge Chipset
Note: The MS7177C supports two VIA South Bridge chipsets—
the VIA VT82C686A and the VIA VT82C686B. The VIA
VT82C686A is standard and supports UDMA33/66. The VIA
VT82C686B is optional and supports UDMA100.
The VIA VT82C686A SB (South Bridge) chipset comes in a 352-pin
BGA package. The PCI to ISA Bridge has an integrated ISA bus
controller with integrated DMA, timer, and interrupt controllers. The
VIA VT82C686A chipset supports UDMA33/66.