SUPER MICRO Computer P8SC8, P8SCI Introduction, System Bios, How To Change the Configuration Data

Chapter 4: BIOS

Chapter 4

BIOS

4-1 Introduction

This chapter describes the AwardBIOS for the P8SC8/P8SCi. The Award ROM BIOS is stored in a Flash chip and can be easily upgraded using a floppy disk-based program.

Note: Due to periodic changes to the BIOS, some settings may have been added or deleted and might not yet be recorded in this manual. Refer to the Manual Download area of our web site for any changes to the BIOS that are not reflected in this manual.

System BIOS

The BIOS is the Basic Input Output System used in all IBM® PC, XT™, AT®, and PS/2® compatible computers. The AwardBIOS Flash chip stores the system parameters, such as amount of memory, type of disk drives and video displays, etc. CMOS requires very little power. When the computer is turned off, a back-up battery provides power to the BIOS Flash chip, enabling it to retain the system parameters. Each time the computer is pow- ered-on, the computer is then configured with the values stored in the BIOS ROM by the system BIOS, which gains control when the computer is pow- ered on.

How To Change the Configuration Data

The CMOS information that determines the system parameters may be changed by entering the BIOS Setup utility. This Setup utility can be ac- cessed by pressing <Del> at the appropriate time during system boot.

Starting the Setup Utility

Normally, the only visible POST (Power On Self Test) routine is the memory test. As the memory is being tested, press the <Delete> key to enter the main menu of the BIOS Setup utility. From the main menu, you can access the other setup screens, such as the Chipset and Power menus. Section 4- 3 gives detailed descriptions of each parameter setting in the Setup utility.

4-1