Clearing CMOS

Clearing CMOS will reset your Bios to the default.  The CMOS RAM on your mainboard is powered by the battery to the left of PCI slots 5 & 6.  I know of two ways to clear CMOS.  One is quick and one takes a bit longer.  CMOS is controlled by JBAT1.

JBAT1

JBAT1 has two settings:

Pins 1-2: Keep Data
Pins 2-3: Clear Data

Quick reset:

1. Turn off your PC.
2. Unplug the power cord; remove case cover.
3. Touch the power supply (to clear body static)
4. Remove jumper from JBAT1 (Pins 1-2)
5. Place jumper on JBAT1 Pins 2-3.
6. Wait 30 seconds
7. Place jumper back on JBAT1 Pins 1-2.
8. Replace case cover and power cord.
9. Boot and reset Bios settings as appropriate.  

Longer reset: 

1. Turn off your PC.
2. Unplug the power cord; remove case cover.
3. Touch the power supply (to clear body static)
4. Remove CMOS battery from mainboard.
5. Cycle power supply (on/off)
6. Remove jumper from JBAT1 (Pins 1-2)
7. Place jumper on JBAT1 Pins 2-3.
8. Wait at least 10 minutes.
9. Place jumper back on JBAT1 Pins 1-2.
10. Replace CMOS battery on mainboard.
11. Replace case cover and power cord.
12. Boot and reset Bios settings as appropriate. 

Go here for the latest Bios file:  MSI KT4V driver support. 

The hard drive my OS is on is configured to NTFS (not FAT32)....so I flash my bios via my CD-rom.  You MUST have a CD-RW.  Here's how I flashed to v1.8:

1.  Download file from site above.
2.  Unzip file into folder of choice.
3.  Copy the Bios file (a6712vms.180) and the flash program file (amifl827.exe) onto a CD-R.
4.  Restart your PC using a Windows Boot Disk which provides CD drive support.

5.  Once in DOS mode locate the two files on your CD-rom and at the DOS prompt type:

E:/amifl827.exe a6712vms.180

6.  Hit enter.
7.  Follow programs prompts; exit when complete.
8.  Reboot and watch the top of your screen to see if the flash took.
9.  Enter Bios and reset settings as necessary. 

Does it work?  Yes.  Did I have any problems?  No.

If you don't have a CD-RW and would like a CD-R with these two files on it you can email here.  

Flash your Bios at your own risk!

Along the same lines, Microsoft addresses DMA Mode for ATA/ATAPI Devices in Windows XP here.

I guess I've been lucky.  I've never experienced CRC errors on my PC....and I do alot of CD-R burning too.

Here are some overclocking resources found on the net:

• PC Overclocking Guide from Speedguide.net
• Overclockers Australia
• Overclockers.com

Oh yeah.  The joy of building your own PC and then the disappointment of seeing that it doesn't work properly.

First and foremost you MUST do a clean install of your Operating System.  You CANNOT just plug
in your old harddrive (HDD) from another system/mainboard and expect it to boot and work properly....

As far as Operating Systems (OS) go....for the casual PC user WIN XP is best, then WIN ME, then WIN 98SE.  You folks who use another OS sure don't need my help :)

Make a list of your PC devices (this will come in handy for troubleshooting).

OS:
Case:
Fan1:
Fan2:
Fan3:
Fan4:
Fan5:
Fan6:
CPU: 
DDR1:
DDR2:
DDR3:
FDD1:
IDE-1Master:
IDE-1Slave:
IDE-2 Master:
IDE-2 Slave:
AGP:
PCI-1:
PCI-2:
PCI-3:
PCI-4:
PCI-5:
PCI-6:
CNR:

Go here for more info.

Go here for the latest Bios file:  MSI KT4V driver support. 

For a MS-6712 KT4V follow this example:

Copy the BIOS update file (a6712vms.180) onto a diskette.

Rename the "a6712vms.180" file to "AMIBOOT.ROM" reboot then press and hold Ctrl-Home to force update.

The AMI boot-block BIOS will look for the AMIBOOT.ROM file.  The floppy doesn't need to be bootable.  You will see the PC read the floppy, after about 4 minutes you will hear 4 beeps, this means the transfer is done.  Now remove the diskette from the PC and restart the PC normally.

If this method fails you will need to replace your Bios chip.  Go here:

Badflash.com
 

Troubleshooting BIOS Beep Codes - AMI BIOS
 

 Check the label on your power supply.  It looks like this:

Based upon my minimum requirements posted above, you can see that my +3.3V is average, +5V is above specs, and +12V is a bit below specs....it all comes down to how many Amps you have left over.

If you want to positively know if your power supply is adequate you have to add up the numbers of all devices your PSU is plugged into.....and hope they do not exceed your power supply limits....  For example....a typical Lite-On 32x CD-rom drive requires 5V-1.0A. and 12V-1.2A.  Using my  power supply above it would leave me with:  5V-34A and 12V-10.8A. 

The KT4V-L Mainboard itself draws quite a bit of power from the PSU.  The fan connectors, CPU socket, AGP, PCI and DDR slots, etc.  I have yet to figure out how many Amps each draws....

• Lower your room temperature.  If your room is hotter than 80f it WILL affect your PC.
• Add fans for greater air flow.  Suck it in and blow it out.
• Tidy up your cables.  The air inside your case will not move if it is blocked by cables.
• Bios V1.8.  Enable "CPU Halt Command Detection".  This just cycles the CPU on and off thereby reducing CPU heat by less usage.  
• Bios V1.9.  MSI tweaked the CPU temp detection.  This bios upgrade should lower your temps at least 4c.