Gigabyte GA-8I915MD-GV: Chapter 4 Appendix

English

Chapter 4 Appendix

4-1 Unique Software Utilities

(Not all model support these Unique Software Utilities, please check your MB features.)

U-PLUS D.P.S. (Universal Plus Dual Power System)

The U-Plus Dual Power System (U-Plus DPS) is a revolutionary eight-phase power circuit built

for ultimate system protection. Designed to withstand varying current levels and changes, the

U-Plus D.P.S. provides an immensely durable and stable power circuit to the CPU for solid

system stability. These characteristics make it the ideal companion with the latest LGA775

®

®

®

Intel

Pentium

4 Processor as well as future Intel

processors. As well, 4 blue LED's are

mounted on the U-Plus D.P.S. for intelligent indication of system loading.

M.I.T. (Motherboard Intelligent Tweaker)

Motherboard Intelligent Tweaker (M.I.T.) allows user to access and change BIOS feature

settings with relative speed and ease. Through GIGABYTE M.I.T. feature the user is no longer

required to switch into different modes within BIOS setup in order to change system settings

such as the CPU system bus, memory timings or to enabled Gigabyte's unique

C.I.A. 2 and M.I.B. 2 features. M.I.T.'s integration of all platform performance settings into a

single mode now gives any user the ability to control and enhance their computer system to

the desired level.

C.I.A.2 (CPU Intelligent Accelerator 2)

GIGABYTE CPU Intelligent Accelerator 2(C.I.A. 2) is designed to automatically adjust CPU

computing power to maximize system performance. When enabled, the program detects the

current CPU loading and automatically accelerates the CPU computing performance to allow

for a faster and smoother execution of programs. When the function is disabled, the CPU is

returned to its initial status.

M.I.B.2 (Memory Intelligent Booster 2)

Built on the original M.I.B., the new Memory Intelligent Booster 2 (M.I.B. 2) is designed espe-

cially to maximize memory performance and boost memory bandwidth up to 10%. With added

branded memory module information, users are able to optimize memory

performance by selecting from a recommended memory module list.

S.O.S. (System Overclock Saver)

System Overclock Saver (S.O.S.) is a unique feature that eliminates system boot-up errors

resulting from system over-enhancement by the user. With GIGABYTE's proprietary

S.O.S. feature, users no longer need to open up the PC chassis and short-circuit the "Clear

CMOS" pins or the battery on the motherboard to reset the system back to factory default

settings. Instead, S.O.S. automatically resets the overclocked system settings back to their

factory defaults to provide a more user-friendly and reliable platform for users.

Download Center

Download Center allows users to quickly download and update their BIOS as well as the latest

drivers for their system. Download Center automatically runs a system check of the user PC

and provides the user with the current system information as well as displaying a detailed list

of all new drivers with the option for download.

C.O.M. (Corporate Online Management)

A web-based system management tool that allows system hardware information such as CPU,

memory, graphics card, etc. to be monitored and controlled via the Internet, C.O.M. allows

corporate MIS engineers to easily maintain corporate computers such as providing the most

up-to-date drivers and BIOS.(Do not use C.O.M. and @BIOS at the same time.)

Appendix- 53 -

4-1-1 EasyTune 5 Introduction

EasyTune 5 presents the most convenient Windows based system performance enhancement and

manageability utility. Featuring several powerful yet easy to use tools such as 1) Overclocking for

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enhancing system performance, 2) C.I.A. and M.I.B. for special enhancement for CPU and Memory,

3) Smart-Fan control for managing fan speed control of both CPU cooling fan and North-Bridge Chipset

(Note)

cooling fan, 4) PC health for monitoring system status.

User Interface Overview

Button / Display Description

1. Overclocking Enters the Overclocking setting page

2. C.I.A./C.I.A.2 and M.I.B./M.I.B.2 Enters the C.I.A./2 and M.I.B./2 setting page

3. Smart-Fan Enters the Smart-Fan setting page

4. PC Health Enters the PC Health setting page

5. GO Confirmation and Execution button

6. "Easy Mode" & "Advance Mode" Toggles between Easy and Advance Mode

7. Display screen Display panel of CPU frequency

8. Function display LEDs Shows the current functions status

9. GIGABYTE Logo Log on to GIGABYTE website

TM

10. Help button Display EasyTune

5 Help file

TM

11. Exit or Minimize button Quit or Minimize EasyTune

5 software

(Note) EasyTune 5 functions may vary depending on different motherboards.

GA-8I915MD-G/GA-8I915MD-GV Motherboard - 54 -

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4-1-2 Xpress Recovery2 Introduction

Xpress Recovery2 is designed to provide quick backup and restora-

tion of hard disk data. Supporting Microsoft operating systems including

Windows XP/2000/NT/98/Me and DOS, and file systems including

FAT16, FAT32, and NTFS, Xpress Recovery2 is able to back up data

on hard disks on PATA and SATA IDE controllers. After Xpress Recovery2 is executed from CD-ROM

for the first time, it will stay permanent in your hard disk. If you wish to run Xpress Recovery2 later, you

can simply press F9 during system bootup to enter Xpress Recovery2 without the CD-ROM.

System requirements:

1. Intel x86 platforms

2. At least 64M bytes of system memory

3. VESA-supported VGA cards

How to use the Xpress Recovery2

Initial access by booting from CD-ROM and subsequent access by pressing the F9 key:

Steps: After entering BIOS Setup, go to Advanced BIOS Feature and set to boot from CD-ROM. Save

the settings and exit the BIOS Setup. Insert the provided driver CD into your CD-ROM drive. Upon

system restart, the message which says "Boot from CD/DVD:" will appear in the bottom left corner

of the screen. Press any key to enter Xpress Recovery2.

After the steps above are completed, subsequent access to Xpress Recovery2 can be made

by simply pressing the <F9> key during system power-on.

.

.

Boot from CD/DVD:

Boot from CD/DVD:

Press any key to startup XpressRecovery2.....

Award Modular BIOS v6.00PG, An Energy Star Ally

Copyright (C) 1984-2005, Award Software, Inc.

Intel 915 BIOS for 8I915MD-G F4

.

.

.

.

<DEL>:BIOS Setup/Q-Flash, <F9>: Xpress Recovery2, <F12>For Boot Menu

<F9> Xpress Recovery2

11/07/2005-I915-6A79HG0GC-00

1. If you have already entered Xpress Recovery2 by booting from the CD-ROM, you can

enter Xpress Recovery2 by pressing the <F9> key in the future.

2. System storage capacity and the reading/writing speed of the hard disk will affect

the data backup speed.

3. It is recommended that Xpress Recovery2 be immediately installed once you com-

plete installations of OS and all required drivers as well as software.

Appendix- 55 -

The Main Screen of Xpress Recovery2

1. RESTORE:

Restore the backed-up data to your hard disk.

(This button will not appear if there is no backup

file.)

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2. BACKUP:

Back up data from hard disk.

3. REMOVE:

Remove previously-created backup files

to release disk space.

(This button will not appear if there is no backup

file.)

4. REBOOT:

Exit the main screen and restart the system.

Limitations:

1. Not compatible to Xpress Recovery.

2. For the use of Xpress Recovery2, a primary partition must be reserved.

3. Xpress Recovery2 will store the backup file at the end of the hard disk, so free space available

on the hard disk for the backup file must be allocated in advance. (A minimum 4GB is recom-

mended but the actual space is dependent on the size of the data to be backed up)

4. Capable of backing up hard disks installed with Windows operating systems including DOS and

Windows XP/2000/NT/9x/Me.

5. USB hard disks are currently not supported.

6. Does not support RAID/AHCI (class code 0104/0106) hard disks.

7. Capable of backing up and restoring only the first physical hard disk.

Hard disks detection sequence is as follows:

a. PATA IDE primary channel

b. PATA IDE secondary channel

c. SATA IDE channel 1

d. SATA IDE channel 2

e. SATA IDE channel 3

f. SATA IDE channel 4

Precautions:

1. When using hard disks with more than 128G under Windows 2000, be sure to execute the

EnableBigLba.exe program from the driver CD before data backup.

2. It is normal that data backup takes longer time than data restoration.

3. Xpress Recovery2 is compliant with the GPL regulations.

4. On a few motherboards based on Nvidia chipsets, BIOS update is required for Xpress Recovery2

to correctly identify RAID and SATA IDE mode. Please contact your motherboard manufacturer.

5. Xpress Recovery2 supports only PATA hard disks and not SATA hard disks on the following

motherboards (As this is a BIOS-related issue, it can be solved by BIOS update)

GA-K8NXP-9

GA-8N-SLI Royal

GA-K8N Ultra-9

GA-8N-SLI Pro

GA-K8NF-9 (PCB Ver. 1.0)

GA-8N-SLI

GA-K8NE (PCB Ver. 1.0)

GA-K8NMF-9

GA-8I915MD-G/GA-8I915MD-GV Motherboard - 56 -

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4-1-3 Flash BIOS Method Introduction

TM

Method 1 : Q-Flash

Utility

TM

Q-Flash

is a BIOS flash utility embedded in Flash ROM. With this utility,

users only have to stay in the BIOS menu when they want to update

TM

BIOS. Q-Flash

allows users to flash BIOS without any utility in DOS or

TM

Windows. Using Q-Flash

indicating no more fooling around with any complicated instructions and

operating system since it is in the BIOS menu.

Please note that because updating BIOS has potential risk, please do it with caution!! We are

sorry that Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd is not responsible for damages of system because of

incorrect manipulation of updating BIOS to avoid any claims from end-users.

Before You Begin:

TM

Before you start updating BIOS with the Q-Flash

utility, please follow the steps below first.

1. Download the latest BIOS for your motherboard from Gigabyte's website.

2. Extract the BIOS file downloaded and save the BIOS file (the one with model name.Fxx. For example,

8KNXPU.Fba) to a floppy disk.

3. Reboot your PC and press Del to enter BIOS menu.

The BIOS upgrading guides below are separated into two parts.

If your motherboard has dual-BIOS, please refer to Part One.

If your motherboard has single-BIOS, please refer to Part Two.

Part One:

TM

Updating BIOS with Q-Flash

Utility on Dual BIOS Motherboards.

Some of Gigabyte motherboards are equipped with dual BIOS. In the BIOS menu of the motherboards

supporting Q-Flash and Dual BIOS, the Q-Flash utility and Dual BIOS utility are combined in the same

screen. This section only deals with how to use Q-Flash utility.

In the following sections, we take GA-8KNXP Ultra as the example to guide you how to flash BIOS

from an older version to the latest version. For example, from Fa3 to Fba.

Award Modular BIOS v6.00PG, An Energy Star Ally

Copyright (C) 1984-2003, Award Software, Inc.

Intel i875P AGPset BIOS for 8KNXP Ultra Fa3

The BIOS file is Fa3

Check System Health OK , VCore = 1.5250

Main Processor : Intel Pentium(R) 4 1.6GHz (133x12)

before updating

<CPUID : 0F27 Patch ID : 0027>

Memory Testing : 131072K OK

Memory Frequency 266 MHz in Single Channel

Primary Master : FUJITSU MPE3170AT ED-03-08

Primary Slave : None

Secondary Master : CREATIVEDVD-RM DVD1242E BC101

Secondary Slave : None

Press DEL to enter SETUP / Dual BIOS / Q-Flash / F9 For

Xpress Recovery

08/07/2003-i875P-6A79BG03C-00

Appendix- 57 -

TM

Method 2 : @BIOS

Utility

If you do not have a DOS startup disk, we recommend that you use the

new @BIOS utility. @BIOS allows users to update their BIOS under

Windows. Just select the desired @BIOS server to download the latest

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version of BIOS.

Fig 1. Installing the @BIOS utility Fig 2. Installation complete and run @BIOS

Click Start/ Programs/ GIGABYTE/@BIOS

Select @BIOS item,

and click Install.

Fig 3. The @BIOS utility Fig 4. Select the desired @BIOS server

Click "" Click "Update New BIOS"

1. Methods and steps:

I. Update BIOS through Internet

a. Click "Internet Update" icon

b. Click "Update New BIOS" icon

TM

c. Select @BIOS

sever

d. Select the exact model name on your motherboard

e. System will automatically download and update the BIOS.

II. Update BIOS NOT through Internet:

a. Do not click "Internet Update" icon

b. Click "Update New BIOS"

c. Please select "All Files" in dialog box while opening the old file.

d. Please search for BIOS unzip file, downloading from internet or any other methods (such as:

8I915MDG.E2).

e. Complete update process following the instruction.

GA-8I915MD-G/GA-8I915MD-GV Motherboard - 64 -

III. Save BIOS

English

In the very beginning, there is "Save Current BIOS" icon shown in dialog box. It means to save the

current BIOS version.

IV. Check out supported motherboard and Flash ROM:

In the very beginning, there is "About this program" icon shown in dialog box. It can help you check out

which kind of motherboard and which brand of Flash ROM are supported.

2. Note:

I. In method I, if it shows two or more motherboard's model names to be selected, please make

sure your motherboard's model name again. Selecting wrong model name will cause the

system unbooted.

II. In method II, be sure that motherboard's model name in BIOS unzip file are the same as your

motherboard's. Otherwise, your system won't boot.

TM

III. In method I, if the BIOS file you need cannot be found in @BIOS

server, please go onto

Gigabyte's web site for downloading and updating it according to method II.

IV. Please note that any interruption during updating will cause system unbooted.

V. Do not use @BIOS and C.O.M. (Corporate Online Management) at the same time.

Appendix- 65 -

4-1-4 2 / 4 / 6 Channel Audio Function Introduction

2 Channel Audio Setup

We recommend that you use speakers with amplifier to get the best sound effect if the stereo output is

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applied.

STEP 1:

Connect the stereo speakers or earphone to

"Line Out."

Line Out

STEP 2:

After installing the audio driver, you'll find a Sound

Effect icon on the lower right hand taskbar.

Click the icon to select the function.

STEP 3:

On the AC97 Audio Configuration menu, click the

Speaker Configuration tab and select the

2-channel mode for stereo speaker output

check box.

GA-8I915MD-G/GA-8I915MD-GV Motherboard - 66 -

4 Channel Analog Audio Output Mode

English

STEP 1:

Connect the front channels to "Line Out,"

the rear channels to "Line In."

Line Out

Line In

STEP 2:

After installing the audio driver, you'll find a Sound

Effect icon on the lower right hand taskbar.

Click the icon to select the function.

STEP 3:

On the AC97 Audio Configuration menu, click the

Speaker Configuration tab and select the 4-chan-

nel mode for 4 speaker output check box.

Clear the Only SURROUND-KIT check box and

press OK.

When the Environment setting is None, the

sound would be performed as stereo mode

(2-channel output). Please select other settings (ex:

Living Room) for 4-channel output.

Appendix- 67 -

Basic 6 Channel Analog Audio Output Mode

Use the back audio panel to connect the audio

output without any additional module.

English

STEP 1:

Connect the front channels to "Line Out",the rear

channels to "Line In", and the Center/Subwoofer

Line In

channels to "MIC In".

MIC In

Line Out

STEP 2:

After installing the audio driver, you'll find a Sound

Effect icon on the lower right hand taskbar.

Click the icon to select the function.

STEP 3:

On the AC97 Audio Configuration menu, click the

Speaker Configuration tab and select the 6-chan-

nel mode for 5.1 speaker output check box.

Clear the Only SURROUND-KIT check box and

press OK.

Basic 6 Channel Analog Audio Output Mode Notes:

When the Environment setting is None, the

sound would be performed as stereo mode

(2-channel output). Please select the other settings

for 6 channels output.

GA-8I915MD-G/GA-8I915MD-GV Motherboard - 68 -

Advanced 6 Channel Analog Audio Output Mode (using Audio Combo Kit,Optional Device):

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(Audio Combo Kit provides SPDIF output port : optical & coaxial and SURROUND-KIT : Rear R/L &

CEN /Subwoofer)

SURROUND-KIT access analog output to rear

channels and Center/Subwoofer channels. It is the

best solution if you need 6 channel output, Line In

and MIC at the same time. "SURROUND-KIT" is

included in the GIGABYTE unique "Audio Combo

Kit" as picture.

STEP 1:

Secure the metal bracket of the “Surround Kit” to

the chassis back panel with a screw.

STEP 2:

Connect the "SURROUND-KIT" cable to the

SUR_CEN connector on the M/B.

Appendix- 69 -

STEP 3:

Connect the front channels to back audio panel's

"Line Out", the rear channels to SURROUND-KIT's

REAR R/L, and the Center/Subwoofer channels to

English

SURROUND-KIT's SUB CENTER.

STEP 4:

After installing the audio driver, you’ll find a Sound

Effect icon on the lower right hand taskbar.

Click the icon to select the function.

STEP 5:

On the AC97 Audio Configuration menu, click the

Speaker Configuration tab and select the 6-chan-

nel mode for 5.1 speaker output check box.

Select the Only SURROUND-KIT check box and

press OK.

Basic & Advanced 6 Channel Analog Audio Output Mode Notes:

When the Environment setting is None, the

sound would be performed as stereo mode

(2-channel output). Please select the other settings

for 6 channels output.

GA-8I915MD-G/GA-8I915MD-GV Motherboard - 70 -

SPDIF Output Device (Optional Device)

English

A "SPDIF output" device is an optional device. The

SPDIF_IO cable with rear bracket could link to the

"SPDIF_IO" connector (As picture.) For the further

linkage to decoder, rear bracket provides coaxial

cable and Fiber connecting port.

STEP 1:

Secure the metal bracket of the SPDIF Output

device to the chassis back panel with a screw.

STEP 2:

Connect the SPDIF device cable to the SPDIF_IO

connector on the motherboard.

STEP 3:

Connect SPDIF to the SPDIF decoder.

Appendix- 71 -

4-2 Troubleshooting

Below is a collection of general asked questions. To check general asked questions based on a specific

motherboard model, please log on to www.gigabyte.com.tw

English

Question 1: I cannot see some options that were included in previous BIOS after updating BIOS. Why?

Answer: Some advanced options are hidden in new BIOS version. Please press Ctrl and F1 keys after

entering BIOS menu and you will be able to see these options.

Questions 2: Why is the light of my keyboard/optical mouse still on after computer shuts down?

Answer: In some boards, a small amount of electricity is kept on standby after computer shuts down

and that's why the light is still on.

Question 3: How do I clear CMOS?

Answer: If your board has a Clear CMOS jumper, please refer to the Clear CMOS steps in the manual.

If your board doesn't have such jumper, you can take off the on-board battery to leak voltage to clear

CMOS. Please refer to the steps below:

Steps:

1. Turn off power.

2. Disconnect the power cord from MB.

3. Take out the battery gently and put it aside for about 10 minutes (Or you can use a metal object

to connect the positive and negative pins in the battery holder to makethem short for one

minute).

4. Re-insert the battery to the battery holder.

5. Connect power cord to MB again and turn on power.

6. Press Del to enter BIOS and load Fail-Safe Defaults(or load Optimized Defaults).

7. Save changes and reboot the system.

Question 4: Why do I still get a weak sound after turning up the speaker to the maximum volume?

Answer: Please make sure the speaker you are using is equipped with an internal amplifier. If not,

please change another speaker with power/amplifier and try again later.

Question 5: Sometimes I hear different continuous beeps from computer after system boots up. What do

these beeps usually stand for?

Answer: The beep codes below may help you identify the possible computer problems. However,

they are only for reference purposes. The situations might differ from case to case.

 AMI BIOS Beep Codes

 AWARD BIOS Beep Codes

*

Computer gives 1 short beep when system boots successfully.

1 short: System boots successfully

*Except for beep code 8, these codes are always fatal.

2 short: CMOS setting error

1 beep Refresh failure

1 long 1 short: DRAM or M/B error

2 beeps Parity error

1 long 2 short: Monitor or display card

3 beeps Base 64K memory failure

error

4 beeps Timer not operational

1 long 3 short: Keyboard error

5 beeps Processor error

1 long 9 short: BIOS ROM error

6 beeps 8042 - gate A20 failure

7 beeps Processor exception interrupt error

Continuous long beeps: DRAM error

8 beeps Display memory read/write failure

Continuous short beeps: Power error

9 beeps ROM checksum error

10 beeps CMOS shutdown register read/write error

11 beeps Cache memory bad

GA-8I915MD-G/GA-8I915MD-GV Motherboard - 72 -

English

Appendix- 73 -

 China

 

 

 

 Russia

 

NINGBO G.B.T. TECH. TRADING CO., LTD.

Moscow Representative Office Of GIGA-BYTE Technology Co.,

Tech. Support :

Ltd.

http://tw.giga-byte.com/TechSupport/ServiceCenter.htm

Tech. Support :

English

Non-Tech. Support(Sales/Marketing) :

http://tw.giga-byte.com/TechSupport/ServiceCenter.htm

http://ggts.gigabyte.com.tw/nontech.asp

Non-Tech. Support(Sales/Marketing) :

WEB address : http://www.gigabyte.com.cn

http://ggts.gigabyte.com.tw/nontech.asp

Shanghai

WEB address : http://www.gigabyte.ru

TEL: +86-021-63410999

 

 

 Poland

FAX: +86-021-63410100

Office of GIGA-BYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd. in POLAND

Beijing

Tech. Support :

TEL: +86-10-62102838

http://tw.giga-byte.com/TechSupport/ServiceCenter.htm

FAX: +86-10-62102848

Non-Tech. Support(Sales/Marketing) :

Wuhan

http://ggts.gigabyte.com.tw/nontech.asp

TEL: +86-27-87851061

WEB address : http://www.gigabyte.pl

FAX: +86-27-87851330

 

 Serbia & Montenegro

 

GuangZhou

Representative Office Of GIGA-BYTE Technology Co., Ltd. in

TEL: +86-20-87586074

SERBIA & MONTENEGRO

FAX: +86-20-85517843

Tech. Support :

Chengdu

http://tw.giga-byte.com/TechSupport/ServiceCenter.htm

TEL: +86-28-85236930

Non-Tech. Support(Sales/Marketing) :

FAX: +86-28-85256822

http://ggts.gigabyte.com.tw/nontech.asp

Xian

WEB address: http://www.gigabyte.co.yu

TEL: +86-29-85531943

 Czech Republic

 

 

FAX: +86-29-85539821

Representative Office Of GIGA-BYTE Technology Co., Ltd. in

Shenyang

CZECH REPUBLIC

TEL: +86-24-23960918

Tech. Support :

FAX: +86-24-23960918-809

http://tw.giga-byte.com/TechSupport/ServiceCenter.htm

 Australia

 

 

Non-Tech. Support(Sales/Marketing) :

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY PTY. LTD.

http://ggts.gigabyte.com.tw/nontech.asp

Tech. Support :

WEB address: http://www.gigabyte.cz

http://tw.giga-byte.com/TechSupport/ServiceCenter.htm

 

 

 Romania

Non-Tech. Support(Sales/Marketing) :

Representative Office Of GIGA-BYTE Technology Co., Ltd. in

http://ggts.gigabyte.com.tw/nontech.asp

Romania

WEB address : http://www.giga-byte.com.au

Tech. Support :

 France

 

 

http://tw.giga-byte.com/TechSupport/ServiceCenter.htm

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY FRANCE S.A.R.L.

Non-Tech. Support(Sales/Marketing) :

Tech. Support :

http://ggts.gigabyte.com.tw/nontech.asp

http://tw.giga-byte.com/TechSupport/ServiceCenter.htm

WEB address: http://www.gigabyte.com.ro

Non-Tech. Support(Sales/Marketing) :

http://ggts.gigabyte.com.tw/nontech.asp

WEB address : http://www.gigabyte.fr

GA-8I915MD-G/GA-8I915MD-GV Motherboard - 80 -