Introducing the BIOS

3-7

 

 

IDE HDD Auto-Detection:

Press the Enter key for the BIOS to auto detect all detailed parameters of the hard disk drivers (HDD). If auto detection is successful, the correct values will be shown in the remaining items of this menu.

Note

∗A new IDE HDD must be first formatted, otherwise it can’t do the read/write. The basic step in using a HDD is to run FDISK, and then FORMAT the drive. Most current HDDs have already been subjected to low-level format at the factory, so you can probably skip this operation.

Remember though, the primary IDE HDD must have its partition set to active within the FDISK procedure.

+If you are using an old HDD that is already formatted, auto detection can’t detect the correct parameters. You may need to do a low-level format or set the parameters manually, and then check if the HDD is working.

IDE Primary Master:

Three settings are available: Auto, Manual and None. If you choose Auto, the BIOS will automatically check what kind hard disk you are using. If you want to set the HDD parameters yourself, make sure you fully understand the meaning of the parameters, and be sure to refer to the manual provided by the HDD manufacture to get the settings right.

Access Mode:

Since old operating systems were only able to support HDDs with capacities no bigger than 528MB, any hard disk with more than 528MB was unusable. AWARD BIOS features a solution to this problem: you can, according to your operating system, choose four operating modes: CHS ) LBA ) LARGE )Auto.

The HDD auto detection option in the sub-menu will automatically detect the parameters of your hard disk and the mode supported.

!CHS (Normal mode):

Standard normal mode supports hard disks of up to 528MB or less. This mode directly uses positions indicated by Cylinders (CYLS), Heads, and Sectors to access data.

!LBA (Logical Block Addressing) mode:

The earlier LBA mode can support HDD capacities of up to 8.4GB, and this mode uses a different method to calculate the position of disk data to be accessed. It translates Cylinders (CYLS), Heads and Sectors into a logical address where data is located. The Cylinders, Heads, and Sectors displayed in this menu do not reflect the actual structure of the hard disk, they are just reference values used to calculate actual positions. Currently, all high capacity hard disks support this mode, that’s why we recommend you use this mode. Currently, the BIOS can support the INT 13h extension function, enabling the LBA mode to support hard disk drive capacities exceeding 8.4GB.

!Large Mode:

When the number of cylinders (CYLs) of the hard disk exceeds 1024 and DOS is not able to support it, or if your operating system does not support LBA mode, you should select this mode.

!Auto:

Just let the BIOS detect your HDD access mode and make the decisions.

User’s Manual