Chapter 2 BIOS Setup
• BecauseBIOSashingispotentiallyrisky,ifyoudonotencounterproblemsusingthecurrentversionofBIOS,
itisrecommendedthatyounotashtheBIOS.ToashtheBIOS,doitwithcaution.InadequateBIOSashing
may result in system malfunction.
• Itisrecommendedthatyounotalterthedefaultsettings(unlessyouneedto)topreventsysteminstabilityorother
unexpected results. Inadequately altering the settings may result in system's failure to boot. If this occurs, try to
cleartheCMOSvaluesandresettheboardtodefaultvalues.(Refertothe"LoadOptimizedDefaults"sectionin
thischapterorintroductionsofthebattery/clearCMOSjumperinChapter1forhowtocleartheCMOSvalues.)
BIOS(Basic Inputand Output System)records hardware parameters of thesystem in theCMOS on the
motherboard.ItsmajorfunctionsincludeconductingthePower-OnSelf-Test(POST)duringsystemstartup,
saving system parameters and loading operating system, etc. BIOS includes a BIOS Setup program that allows
theusertomodifybasicsystemcongurationsettingsortoactivatecertainsystemfeatures.
When the power is turned off, the battery on the motherboard supplies the necessary power to the CMOS to
keepthecongurationvaluesintheCMOS.
ToaccesstheBIOSSetupprogram,pressthe<Delete>keyduringthePOSTwhenthepoweristurnedon.
To upgrade the BIOS, use either the GIGABYTE Q-Flash or @BIOS utility.
• Q-Flash allows the user to quickly and easily upgrade or back up BIOS without entering the operating system.
• @BIOS is a Windows-based utility that searches and downloads the latest version of BIOS from the Internet
and updates the BIOS.
2-1 Startup Screen
The following startup Logo screen will appear when the computer boots.
(SampleBIOSVersion:F1a)
Function Keys
• When the system is not stable as usual, select the Load Optimized Defaults item to set your system to its defaults.
• The BIOS Setup menus described in this chapter are for reference only and may differ by BIOS version.
OnthemainmenuoftheBIOSSetupprogram,pressarrowkeystomoveamongtheitemsandpress<Enter>
to accept or enter a sub-menu. Or you can use your mouse to select the item you want.
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