USB, IRQ 5 tips

[march]

I will be installing a CUSL2 with a p3 800/133, Micron 256MB 133RAM, sblive, SMC NIC, asus TNT2, ATA100 drive, DVD/cd and CDR during the holiday weekend (Canadian - Remembrance Day), and I'm trying to foresee any potential problems I may run into. It will be the first computer I've built from scratch.
1. Does this board come with onboard audio? If so, should I disable it? Where?
2. I know there will be different opinions about this, but should I upgrade the BIOS? To which version? Will I have to pull out the CMOS battery like everyone says?
3. Why do people suggest to disable USB? I really don't want to if I don't have to.
4. What are the DOS flash and Windows flash that I can dwnld from this site? Do I need them?
Thanks!!

 

[AndyHui]

Are you able to hold off your order? The CUSL2-C has just come out. It's based on the i815EP chipset, where the onboard i752 video controller has been replaced by a memory controller that now allows the board to handle a maximum of 1.5GB of RAM. It is also significantly cheaper than the CUSL2, of the order of approximately US$25. Not sure if this is available in Canada yet, but it is available in Asia and Australia.

If you are getting the CUSL2, then here are your answers.

No, normally the CUSL2 does not have onboard audio.

Yes, you should upgrade the BIOS to the latest version. Currently available are 1003 Final and Beta 1004.003. I suggest using 1003 Final for the moment.

I strongly recommend you use the DOS based AFLASH.EXE since flashing with this is almost always 100% successful. The Windows based flasher is known to have problems.

Remember to follow instructions before flashing:

ASUS's site says this:

Notice:
If you are going to upgrade BIOS from BIOS version 1001.A (and earlier) for CUSL2 or 1002.A
(and earlier) for CUSL2-M, please make sure the following item in the BIOS setup menu is set
at [PCI/AGP] before updating the BIOS.

Advanced -> PCI Configuration -> VGA BIOS Sequence

In case the system is unable to start up properly after performing BIOS upgrade, please
remove all the add-on VGA adapters from the system and start up the system with the onboard
AGP graphics controller or clear CMOS. The add-on VGA adapters then can be installed after loading the
setup default from the BIOS setup menu.

If you follow these instructions, you will not need to pull the BIOS battery or short the CLRTC jumper points.

As soon as you finish installing the OS, make sure you install the Chipset inf drivers.

ATA Drivers are optional....they make a large increase in performance, but if you are going to use IDE CDRWs, I suggest avoiding them for the time being.

You have an SBLive? Then you need to do the following, otherwise Win98 won't restart/shutdown properly:

Enable LPT Interrupt Sharing in the SB Emulation Device in the device manager.

Disable the DOS SB Emulation in the device manager (optional).

Set IRQ 5 Reserved to Yes in PCI/PNP Resource Exclusion list in the BIOS.

Disable Legacy USB in the BIOS.

It is not necessary to disable USB....although it's a good idea since you will be running low on IRQs. I strongly suggest you disable COM2 (2nd serial port) if you are not going to use it.

 

[ogn]

Andy,

where can i find more information on the cusl2-c?

thanks

 

[AndyHui]

ogn: none yet....unless you have actually seen it with your own eyes. There are no references to it on the ASUS site except for BIOS updates; Intel has no mention of the i815EP chipset either.

 

[march]

crap, I should have been keeping a better eye on these forums - I just read one of your older postings about the CUSL2-C. Three days ago, I ordered the CUSL2 from PCCanada for 219.99 CDN. I found a better price at dealsdirect, but I was getting a Viewsonic monitor from PCCanada anyways, so rather than save 5 bucks on the board but spend an extra 20 for shipping......
Andy, thanks a bunch for all your advice. I will stay away from the windows flash. I have downloaded 1003 final from cusl2.com, as well as aflash129 (DOS), winflash 3.27.02, and a few more. What are your thoughts on these:
Intel 815e 2.60.01 (Is this the chipset driver you mentioned I should get?
Intel Security driver 1.3.1 (ise_103_001)
Intel ATA 6.03 - I'm using CDR, not -RW, should I still stay away from this driver?

Also, what exactly is LEGACY usb? Is there a difference between disabling legacy usb and disabling usb? Maybe legacy means the expansion usb slots? I have a usb mouse, and was thinking about getting a digicam, so I'd like to keep at least 2 usb ports available.

FINALLY (and thanks again!!) the complete list of peripherals are: sblive value, SMC NIC, AGP TNT2, PCI slot fan(must be in the first slot under the video) Where should I put the NIC and the live or does it matter, and should I bring the OS up before installing(physically) the NIC and live?

 

[AndyHui]

Intel 815e 2.60.01 ....this is the Chipset driver as mentioned in my post.

Don't bother with the Intel Security driver. It's useless.

Whether or not you have a CDR or a CDRW, you may still have problems with the ATA driver. Most people get lots of buffer underruns when the driver is installed.

Legacy USB is USB support for older USB devices, that may not be exactly compliant with today's standards. It also provides support in DOS for keyboards and mice. Having Legacy USB on causes reboot problems with Win98, but Win2K is not affected. Unless you have a USB keyboard, I suggest you turn off Legacy USB. It has nothing to do with the expansion slots.

Put in all peripherals before you install the OS. It's best to enumerate all devices at once and let the OS sort out all the resources in one go, rather than have to juggle and reassign later. Remember to get the latest SBLive drivers.