MSI 865pe Neo2 V Manual

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Troubleshooting
Q: Should I update my BIOS, once a new BIOS is released?
A: A new BIOS is usually released due to the following reasons:
1. New function is supported
2. New BIOS source code
3. Bugs are found
4. Customer-specific request
When we release a new BIOS, theres usually a release note attached which
lists the reason for the release. Refer to this release note and decide for
yourself if upgrading to the new BIOS will be worth it. A word of advice,
though, do not upgrade to the new BIOS, unless you really have to.
Q: How do I update the BIOS?
A: Please refer to http://www.msi.com.tw/support/bios/note.htm for details.
Q: How do I identify the BIOS version?
A: Upon boot-up, the 1st line appearing after the memory count is the BIOS
version. It is usually in the format:
1. For older model number:
AG76 091096 where:
1st digit refers to BIOS maker as A = AMI(R) W = AWARD(R) P = PHOENIX
(R).
2nd digit refers to the internal chipset code.
3rd digit refers to the processor class as 5 = 486, 7 = 586, 8 = 686.
4th digit is incremental.
091096 refers to the date this BIOS is released.
2. For newer model number:
W5139MS V1.0 091096 where:
1st digit refers to BIOS maker as A = AMI(R) W = AWARD(R) P = PHOENIX
(R).
2nd - 5th digit refers to the model number. 
						

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MS-6728 ATX Mainboard
6th - 7th digit refers to the customer as MS = all standard customers.
V1.0 refers to the BIOS version.
091096 refers to the date this BIOS is released.
Q: After flashing the bios and rebooting the system, the screen went blank.
A: For AMI BIOS
Rename the desired AMI BIOS file to AMIBOOT.ROM and save it on a
floppy disk. e.g. Rename A569MS23.ROM to AMIBOOT.ROM
Insert this floppy disk in the floppy drive. Turn On the system and press
and hold Ctrl-Home to force update. It will read the AMIBOOT.ROM file
and recover the BIOS from the A drive.
When 4 beeps are heard you may remove the floppy disk and restart the
computer.
For Award BIOS
Make a bootable floopy disk
Copy the Award flash utility & BIOS file to the said floppy disk
Create an autoexec.bat with awdfl535 biosfilename in the content e.g.
awdfl535 a619mj21.bin
Boot up system with the said floppy (it will take less than 2 minutes before
screen comes out)
Re-flash the BIOS & reboot. 
						

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Glossary
Glossary
Glossary
ACPI (Advanced Configuration & Power Interface)
This power management specification enables the OS (operating system) to control the
amount of power given to each device attached to the computer.  Windows 98/98SE,
Windows 2000 and Windows ME can fully support ACPI to allow users managing the
system power flexibly.
AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)
A new, high-speed graphics interface that based on PCI construction and designed
especially for the throughput demands of 3-D graphics.  AGP provides a direct channel
(32-bit wide bus) between the display controller and main memory for high graphics
quality and performance.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth refers to a worldwide standard for the wireless exchange of data between two
devices.  Bluetooth requires that a low-cost transceiver chip be included in each device.
The tranceiver transmits and receives in a previously unused frequency band of 2.45
GHz that is available globally (with some variation of bandwidth in different countries).
In addition to data, up to three voice channels are available. Each device has a unique 48-
bit address from the IEEE 802 standard. Connections can be point-to-point or
multipoint. The maximum range is 10 meters. Data can be exchanged at a rate of 1
megabit per second (up to 2 Mbps in the second generation of the technology).
BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)
On PCs, an essential software that contains all the control code of input/output inter-
face (such as keyboard, disk drives, etc.).  It executes hardware test on booting the
system, starts the OS, and provides an interface between the OS and the components.
The BIOS is stored in a ROM chip.
Bus
A set of hardware lines within the computer system, through which the data is trans-
ferred among different components.  In a PC, the term bus usually refers to a local bus
that connects the internal components to the CPU and main memory.
Cache
A special memory subsystem that is used to speed up the data transfer.  It stores the 
						

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MS-6728 ATX Mainboard
Dynamic RAM (DRAM) Memory Technologies
        Type
FPM (60,70ns)
EDO (50,60,70ns)
SDRAM (66MHz)
SDRAM (100MHz)
SDRAM (133MHz)
RDRAM (Direct Rambus)
DDR SDRAM (100MHz)
DDR SDRAM (133MHz)First Used
   1990
   1994
   1996
   1998
   1999
   1999
   2000
   2000Clock Rate
  25MHz
  40MHz
  66MHz
 100MHz
 133MHz
 400MHz
 100MHz
 133MHzBus* Width
    64 bits
    64 bits
    64 bits
    64 bits
    64 bits
    16 bits
    64 bits
    64 bitsBandwidth
 200 MBps
 320 MBps
 528 MBps
 800 MBps
 1.1 GBps
 1.6 GBps
 1.6 GBps
 2.1 GBpsVolts
  5v
  5v
 3.3v
 3.3v
 3.3v
 2.5v
 3.3v
 3.3v Peak
* Memory channel width (64 bits started with 75MHz Pentium)
Source: Computer Desktop Encyclopedia
contents of frequently accessed RAM locations and the addresses where these data
items are stored.
Chipset
A collection of integrated chips designed to perform one or more related functions.  For
example, a modem chipset contains all the primary circuits for transmitting and receiv-
ing data;  a PC chipset provides the electronic interfaces between all subsystems.
Clock Cycle
Clock cycle (or tick) is the smallest unit of time recognized by a device. For personal
computers, clock cycles generally refer to the main system clock, which runs at 66
MHz. This means that there are 66 million clock cycles per second. Since modern
CPUs run much faster (up to 533 MHz), the CPU can execute several instructions in a
single clock tick.
CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor)
CMOS is a widely used type of semiconductor, which features high speed and low
power consumption.  PCs usually contain a small amount of battery-powered CMOS
memory to retain the date, time, and system setup parameters.
DRAM (Dynamic RAM)
A most common type of computer memory.  It usually uses one transistor and a
capacitor to represent a bit.  As the development of technology, the memory type and
specification used in computer becomes variety, such as SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, and
RDRAM.  For further instruction, please see the table below: 
						

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Glossary
ECC Memory (Error Correcting Code Memory)
A type of memory that contains special circuitry for testing the accuracy of data and
correcting the errors on the fly.
EEPROM
Acronym for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory. An EEPROM
is a special type of PROM that can be erased by exposing it to an electrical charge. Like
other types of PROM, EEPROM retains its contents even when the power is turned
off. Also like other types of ROM, EEPROM is not as fast as RAM.  EEPROM is
similar to flash memory (sometimes called flash EEPROM). The principal difference is
that EEPROM requires data to be written or erased one byte at a time whereas flash
memory allows data to be written or erased in blocks. This makes flash memory faster.
EIDE
Short for Enhanced IDE, a newer version of the IDE mass storage device interface
standard developed by Western Digital Corporation. It supports data rates of between
4 and 16.6 MBps, about three to four times faster than the old IDE standard. In
addition, it can support mass storage devices of up to 8.4 gigabytes, whereas the old
standard was limited to 528 MB. Because of its lower cost, enhanced EIDE has
replaced SCSI in many areas. There are four EIDE modes defined. The most common
is Mode 4, which supports transfer rates of 16.6 MBps. There is also a new mode,
called ATA-3 or Ultra ATA, that supports transfer rates of 33 MBps.
EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture)
EISA is a standard bus (computer interconnection) architecture that extends the ISA
standard to a 32-bit interface. It was developed in part as an open alternative to the
proprietary Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) that IBM introduced in its PS/2
computers.  EISA data transfer can reach a peak of 33 megabytes per second.
ESCD (Extended System Configuration Data)
It is a format for storing information about Plug-and-Play (PnP) devices in the BIOS.
Windows and the BIOS access the ESCD area each time you re-boot your computer
External Cache
Short for Level 2 cache, cache memory that is external to the microprocessor. In
general, L2 cache memory, also called the secondary cache, resides on a separate chip
from the microprocessor chip. Although, more and more microprocessors are including
L2 caches into their architectures. 
						

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MS-6728 ATX Mainboard
IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics)
A type of disk-drive interface widely used to connect hard disks, CD-ROMs and tape
drives to a PC, in which the controller electronics is integrated into the drive itself,
eliminating the need for a separate adapter card.  The IDE interface is known as the
ATA (AT Attachment) specification.
IEEE 1394
A new, high speed external bus standard, also known as FireWire or iLink, which
supports data transfer rates of up to 400 Mbps for connecting up to 63 external
devices.
Internal Cache
Short for Level 1 cache, a memory cache built into the microprocessor. The L1 cache is
also called the primary cache.
IrDA (Infrared Data Association)
A group of device vendors, including computer, component and telecommunications,
who have developed a standard for transmitting data via infrared light waves.  This
enables you to transfer data from one device to another without any cables.
IRQ (Interrupt Request Line)
IRQs are hardware lines over which devices can send interrupt signals to the
microprocessor. When you add a new device to a PC, you sometimes need to set its
IRQ number by setting a DIP switch. This specifies which interrupt line the device
may use. IRQ conflicts used to be a common problem when adding expansion boards,
but the Plug-and-Play specification has removed this headache in most cases.
ISA (Industry Standard Architecture)
ISA is a standard bus (computer interconnection) architecture that is associated with
the IBM AT motherboard. It allows 16 bits at a time to flow between the motherboard
circuitry and an expansion slot card and its associated device(s).  Also see EISA and
MCA.
LAN (Local Area Network)
A computer network that covers a relatively smaller area, such as in a building or an
enterprise.  It is made up of servers, workstations, shared resources, a network operat-
ing system and a communications link.  These individual PCs and devices on a LAN are
known as “nodes”, and are connected by cables to access data and devices anywhere on
the LAN, so that many users can share expensive devices and data. 
						

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Glossary
LBA (Logical Block Addressing)
Logical block addressing is a technique that allows a computer to address a hard disk
larger than 528 megabytes. A logical block address is a 28-bit value that maps to a
specific cylinder-head-sector address on the disk. 28 bits allows sufficient variation to
specify addresses on a hard disk up to 8.4 gigabytes in data storage capacity. Logical
block addressing is one of the defining features of Enhanced IDE (EIDE), a hard disk
interface to the computer bus or data paths.
LED (Light Emitting Diode)
A semiconductor device that converts electrical energy into light.  Since it lights up
(usually red) when electricity is passed through it, it is usually used for the activity
lights on computer’s component, such as disk drivers.
LPT (Line Printer Terminal)
Logical device name for a line printer; a name reserved by the MS-DOS  for up to three
parallel printer ports: LPT1, LPT2, and LPT3.  It is frequently used by the OS to
identify a printer.
Overclocking
Overclocking is resetting your computer so that the microprocessor runs faster than the
manufacturer-specified speed (for example, setting an Intel 166 MHz (megahertz)
microprocessor to run at 200 Mhz).
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect)
A local bus standard developed by Intel that first appeared on PCs in late 1993.  PCI
provides “plug and play” capability and allows IRQs to be shared.  The PCI controller
can exchange data with the systems CPU either 32 bits or 64 bits at a time.
PnP (Plug and Play)
A set of specifications that allows a PC to configure itself automatically to work with
peripherals.  The user can plug in a peripheral device and play it without configur-
ing the system manually.  To implement this useful feature, both the BIOS that sup-
ports PnP and a PnP expansion card are required.
POST (Power On Self Test)
During booting up your system, the BIOS executes a series of diagnostic tests, include
checking  the RAM, the keyboard, the disk drives, etc., to see if they are properly
connected and operating. 
						

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MS-6728 ATX Mainboard
PS/2 Port
A type of port developed by IBM for connecting a mouse or keyboard to a PC.  The
PS/2 port supports a mini DIN plug containing just 6 pins.  Most modern PCs equipped
with PS/2 ports so that the special port can be used by another device, such as a
modem.
RAID
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks; originally Redundant Array of Inex-
pensive Disks) is a way of storing the same data in different places (thus, redundantly)
on multiple hard disks. By placing data on multiple disks, I/O operations can overlap in
a balanced way, improving performance. Since multiple disks increases the mean time
between failure (MTBF), storing data redundantly also increases fault-tolerance.
SCSI
Acronym for Small Computer System Interface. Pronounced scuzzy, SCSI is a par-
allel interface standard used by Apple Macintosh computers, PCs, and many UNIX
systems for attaching peripheral devices to computers.  SCSI interfaces provide for
faster data transmission rates (up to 80 megabytes per second) than standard serial and
parallel ports. In addition, you can attach many devices to a single SCSI port, so that
SCSI is really an I/O bus rather than simply an interface.
USB (Universal Serial Bus)
A hardware interface for low-speed peripherals such as the keyboard, mouse, joystick,
etc.  USB provides a maximum bandwidth of 12 Mbit/sec (Mbps) for connecting up to
127 peripheral devices to PC.  USB features hot swap capability and multiple data
streams, allows external devices to be plugged in and unplugged without turning the
system off.
Virus
A program or a piece of code that infects computer files by inserting in those files
copies of itself.  The virus code is buried within an existing program, and is activated
when that program is executed.  All the viruses are man-made, and often have damaging
side effects.
WLAN
Acronym for wireless local-area network. Also referred to as LAWN. A type of local-
area network that uses high-frequency radio waves rather than wires to communicate
between nodes.