Asus M3A78-EM - Manual (Page 64)

2-12 Chapter 2: BIOS setup
2.2 BIOS setup program
This motherboard supports a programmable Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) chip
that you can update using the provided utility described in section “2.1 Managing
and updating your BIOS.”
Use the BIOS Setup program when you are installing a motherboard, reconfiguring
your system, or prompted to “Run Setup”. This section explains how to configure
your system using this utility.
Even if you are not prompted to use the Setup program, you can change the
configuration of your computer in the future. For example, you can enable the
security password feature or change the power management settings. This
requires you to reconfigure your system using the BIOS Setup program so that the
computer can recognize these changes and record them in the CMOS RAM of the
SPI chip.
The SPI chip on the motherboard stores the Setup utility. When you start up the
computer, the system provides you with the opportunity to run this program. Press
during the Power-On Self-Test (POST) to enter the Setup utility; otherwise,
POST continues with its test routines.
If you wish to enter Setup after POST, reboot the system by doing any of the
following procedures:
• Restart using the OS standard shut-down procedure.
• Press ++ simultaneously.
• Press the reset button on the system chassis.
• Press the power button to turn the system off then back on.
• The default BIOS settings for this motherboard apply for most conditions
to ensure optimum performance. If the system becomes unstable after
changing any BIOS settings, load the default settings to ensure system
compatibility and stability. Select the Load.Default.Settings item under the
Exit Menu. See section “2.8 Exit Menu.”
• The BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference purposes
only, and may not exactly match what you see on your screen.
• Visit the ASUS website at www.asus.com to download the latest BIOS file
for this motherboard.
Using the power.button,.reset.button, or the ++.keys to
force reset from a running operating system can cause damage to your data
or system. We recommend to always shut-down the system properly from the
operating system.
The Setup program is designed to make it as easy to use as possible. Being a
menu-driven program, it lets you scroll through the various sub-menus and make
your selections from the available options using the navigation keys.