Asus P5A-B - Manual (Page 60)

ASUS P5A-B User’s Manual 60
Desktop Management Interface (DMI)
Introducing the ASUS DMI Configuration Utility
This motherboard supports DMI within the BIOS level and provides a DMI Con-
figuration Utility to maintain the Management Information Format Database (MIFD).
DMI is able to auto-detect and record information pertinent to a computer’s system
such as the CPU type, CPU speed, internal/external frequencies, and memory size.
The onboard BIOS will detect as much system information as possible and store
those collected information in a 4KB block in the motherboard’s Flash EEPROM
and allow the DMI to retrieve data from this database. Unlike other BIOS software,
the BIOS on this motherboard uses the same technology implemented for Plug and
Play to allow dynamic real-time updating of DMI information versus creating a new
BIOS image file and requiring the user to update the whole BIOS. This DMI Con-
figuration Utility also allows the system integrator or end user to add additional
information into the MIFD such as serial numbers, housing configurations, and ven-
dor information. Those information not detected by the motherboard BIOS and has
to be manually entered through the DMI Configuration Utility and updated into the
MIFD. This DMI Configuration Utility provides the same reliability as PnP updat-
ing and will prevent the refreshing failures associated with updating the entire BIOS.
Starting the ASUS DMI Configuration Utility
The DMI Configuration Utility (DMICFG.EXE) must be used in real mode in order
for the program to run, and the base memory must be at least 180K. Memory man-
agers like HIMEM.SYS (required by windows) must not be installed. You can boot
up from a system diskette without AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files, “REM”
HIMEM.SYS in the CONFIG.SYS, or press + during bootup to bypass
your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files.
1. In Windows, copy DMICFG.EXE to your hard disk drive.
2. Restart your computer and press + during bootup to enter DOS.
3. Select Safe mode command prompt only.
4. Go to the directory containing DMICFG.EXE.
5. Type DMICFG and press to run.
V
. SOFTW
ARE
DMI Introduction
V. SUPPORT SOFTWARE