# HELP needed: ASUS P4S533-MX ACPI BIOS Revision 1006



## mopepom (May 16, 2007)

I am currently working to set up a dual-boot Windows XP, Linux/ Ubuntu 7.04 system.

Here is my complement of hardware/ software as visible to Belarc Advisor;
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Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 (build 2600)
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Hard Disk:
[Hard drive] (80.03 GB) -- drive 1, s/n xxx, rev 17.07W17, SMART Status: Healthy
[Hard drive] (80.03 GB) -- drive 0, s/n xxx, rev 05.01C05, SMART Status: Healthy
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RAM: 736 Megabytes Installed Memory
---
Local Drive Volumes
c: (NTFS on drive 0) 80.02 GB 24.23 GB free
d: NOT VISIBLE TO WINDOWS - reserved for Linux *************
h: (FAT32 on drive 2) 160.00 GB 118.97 GB free
---
Peripherals
Brother MFC-7150C
EPSON Stylus Photo R200 Series on USB001
HP LaserJet III on LPT1:
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Controllers
Standard floppy disk controller
Primary IDE Channel [Controller]
Secondary IDE Channel [Controller]
SiS PCI IDE Controller
Maxi_Vista_DriverA [Display adapter]
SiS 650_651_M650_M652_740 [Display adapter]
DELL 2007FP [Monitor] (20.2"vis, s/n C95366BH2HLL, November 2006)
SiS 7001 PCI to USB Open Host Controller (2x)
SiS PCI to USB Enhanced Host Controller
SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio
Standard Game Port
Communications
U.S. Robotics 56K Faxmodem USB
SiS 900-Based PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter
primary Auto IP Address: xxx
VMware Virtual Ethernet Adapter for VMnet1
IP Address: xxx
Physical Address: xxx
VMware Virtual Ethernet Adapter for VMnet8
IP Address: xxx
Physical Address: xxx
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In testing Linux, I installed Debian 31r5-i386 - netinst.iso on the reserved Linux drive (aka D:\)

The system now boots to

(a) floppy A:\
(b) CD-ROM
(c) Linux drive (aka D:\)
(d) Drive c:\ with MS Windows XP

The boot sequence permits the choice of these options in the order indicated.

Now I need to:

- get rid of the Debian 31r5-i386 - netinst.iso partition on the Linux drive;
- install Ubuntu 7.04 on the Linux drive, reserving the entire drive for Linux;

To do this, I suspect that I need to be able to modify and save the settings of the BIOS; in particular,the primary & secondary IDE drives.

Before I go any further, I would like to establish a safe procedure to edit my BIOS settings.

So far, i have been unable to locate clear and current instructions on maintaining the BIOS (Award Software, Inc. ASUS P4S533-MX ACPI BIOS Revision 6

Here is a copy of the info I was able to retrieve using a utility program.
Program: eSupport.com BIOS Detect v1.2 July 21, 2003
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BIOS Date: 06/11/03
BIOS Type: Award Modular BIOS v6.0
BIOS ID: 06/11/2003-SiS651/SIS962/IT8705F-P4S533MX
OEM Sign-On: ASUS P4S533-MX ACPI BIOS Revision 1006
Chipset: SiS 651 rev 2
Superio: ITE 8705/SiS 950 rev 2 found at port 2Eh
Superio: Winbond 877AF (use 87h) rev 0 found at port 3F0h
Superio: Winbond 877AF (use 86h) rev 0 found at port 3F0h
CPU Type: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4
CPU Speed: 2667 Mhz
CPU Max: 3200 Mhz
BIOS ROM In Socket: Yes
BIOS ROM Size: 256K
Memory Installed: 768 MB
Memory Maximum: 1024 MB
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Help would be appreciated.

Many thanks.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

when entering the bios have you found your boot order screen

when you modify the boot order you must save & exit for changes to stay in force


what is your status with the above info


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## mopepom (May 16, 2007)

1) I am successful in entering the Setup screen.
2) The boot sequence is:

(a) floppy A:\
(b) CD-ROM
(c) Linux drive (aka D:\)
(d) Drive c:\ with MS Windows XP

3) I can modify this sequence, as required.

4) I have saved the setup parameters, using F10.

I do need to understand the master/ slave relationships. Can you advise me where to get help on this?


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

the master and slave drive concept is really very simple.

two devices can be operated on any ide channel. The master gets preference over a slave


slaves are usually assinged to optical drives or data storage drives

a slave can boot though, if selected to boot ahead of a master drive in the boot order


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## mopepom (May 16, 2007)

Thank you Joe.

That helps.

Can I not use slaves, since I don't have an optical drive or data storage drive, from which I wan to boot?

If so, what settings do I give to the slaves?


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

*Now I need to:

- get rid of the Debian 31r5-i386 - netinst.iso partition on the Linux drive;
- install Ubuntu 7.04 on the Linux drive, reserving the entire drive for Linux;

To do this, I suspect that I need to be able to modify and save the settings of the BIOS; in particular,the primary & secondary IDE drives.

Before I go any further, I would like to establish a safe procedure to edit my BIOS settings.*


let me clarify a few things here

A) I assume you have two hard drives (one has linux on it; the other has windows >>>>> this is the prefered way to do it)

B) I would unplug the power cable from the windows hard drive until the wiping process is complete

C) I would wipe or zero fill the drive you want to remove your current linux from with a zero fill utility like killdisk or darik's boot n nuke (both free) both will write zeros to each sector of the drive to give you a factory fresh empty drive status

d) perform the install of your flavor of linux after wiping

e) set your boot order to your prefered OS

dont hesitate to ask more questions


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## mopepom (May 16, 2007)

A) I assume you have two hard drives (one has linux on it; the other has windows >>>>> this is the prefered way to do it)

Reply: Correct.

B) I would unplug the power cable from the windows hard drive until the wiping process is complete

Reply: I presume this will require me to take the cover off the tower and inspect the cabling. Any hints on what to look for?

C) I would wipe or zero fill the drive you want to remove your current linux from with a zero fill utility like killdisk or darik's boot n nuke (both free) both will write zeros to each sector of the drive to give you a factory fresh empty drive status

Reply: I will go find "killdisk" and darik's "boot n nuke" and read up on them.

d) perform the install of your flavor of linux after wiping

Reply: I presume I can do this by booting my "ubuntu-7.04-desktop-ii386.iso" CD and following the instructions?

e) set your boot order to your prefered OS

Reply: Understood.

Thanks for this, Joe. The fog is beginning to clear.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

you sound to me as if you have a clear understanding of the process ahead


before you begin the wipe / yes you must remove the side cover off the PC; then siply remove the power plug going to your windows boot drive; this will prevent the accidental erasing of your windows drive

yes the system should install and boot from the linux ISO disk


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## mopepom (May 16, 2007)

Joe:

So far so good.

I have zeroed out the Linux drive, hda, following the procedure to power-off the Windows drive and using Darik's "boot n nuke". This took 2 hours.

I am now sending this msg from Firefox 2.0.0.3, under ubuntu 7.04, desktop. I have not yet gone on to install ubuntu on hda.

I am having trouble setting up my BIOS boot sequence to boot from my Windows drive (hdb in Linux terms).

I have tried to use SystemrescueCD and Gparted-livecd, but I haven't figured out how to configure and format the Linux drive and how to set all necessary BIOS settings to permit dual-booting.

Since you have helped me get this far, can you show me the next step?

Many thanks.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

unfortunately you are now entering unfamilar waters for me  



we do however have an alternative computing section which has linux lovers there

I would start a new thread there and paste this link into your new thread for review

from there I am sure they can help you finish your journey

if not; then just holler and I will begin digging for info with you ??


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

http://www.techsupportforum.com/f64/


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## mopepom (May 16, 2007)

Thanks Joe:

I have acted on your advice and have initiated a thread in the Linux forum at:

http://www.techsupportforum.com/f64/ububtu-7-04-xp-dual-boot-bios-setup-157226.html#post906131

You may be able to add ideas or explanations, if and when others contribute their comments. Please feel free.

Regards

mopepom


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