Tomcat i7230A S5160 

                                                                  Chapter 3: BIOS Setup 

Chapter 3: BIOS Setup 

3.1 About the BIOS 

The BIOS is the basic input/output system, the firmware on the motherboard that enables your 

hardware to interface with your software. This chapter describes different settings for the BIOS 

that can be used to configure your system. 

The BIOS section of this manual is subject to change without notice and is provided for 

reference purposes only. The settings and configurations of the BIOS are current at the time of 

print, and therefore may not match exactly what is displayed on screen. 

This section describes the BIOS setup program. The setup program lets you modify basic 

configuration settings. The settings are then stored in a dedicated, battery backed memory 

(called NVRAM) that retains the information when the power is turned off. 

This motherboard's BIOS is a customized version of the industry standard BIOS for IBM PC 

AT compatible personal computers. The BIOS provides critical, low level support for the 

system's central processing unit (CPU), memory, and I/O subsystems. 

This BIOS has been customized by adding important features such as virus and password 

protection, power management, and chipset  tuning  features that control the system. This 

section will guide you through the process of configuring the BIOS for your system setup. 

Starting Setup 

The BIOS is immediately activated when you turn on the computer. The BIOS reads system 

configuration in CMOS RAM and begins the process of checking out the system and 

configuring it through the Power On Self Test (POST). 

When these preliminary tests are completed, the BIOS searches for an operating system on 

one of the system's data storage devices (hard drive, CD ROM, etc).  If one is found, the BIOS 

will launch that operating system and hand control over to it.  You can enter the BIOS setup by 

pressing the [Delete] key when the machine boots up and begins to show the memory count. 

Setup Basics 

The table below shows how to use the setup program with the keyboard. 

Key 

Function 

Tab 

Moves from one selection to the next 

Left/Right Arrow Keys 

Changes from one menu to the next 

Up/Down Arrow Keys 

Moves between selections 

Enter 

Opens highlighted section 

PgUp/PgDn Keys 

Changes settings. 

Getting Help 

Pressing [F1] displays a small help window that describes the appropriate keys to use and the 

possible selections for the highlighted item. To exit the Help Window, press [ESC] or the [F1] 

key again. 

In Case of Problems 

If you discover that you have trouble booting the computer after making and saving the 

changes with the BIOS setup program, restart the computer by holding the power button down 

until the computer shuts off (usually within 4 seconds); resetting by pressing CTRL ALT DEL; 

or clearing the CMOS. 

The best advice is to only alter settings that you thoroughly understand. In particular, do not 

change settings in the Chipset section unless you are sure of the outcome. TYAN or your 

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