System Setup Options: Dell� XPS P75/P90/P100 Mini Tower
System Setup Options: XPS P75/P90/P100 Mini Tower
Screen 1 | Screen
2 | Time | Date | Diskette Drive A
and Diskette Drive B | Drive A
Location | IDE Drive | IDE Devices | Base
Memory | Board Memory | Extended Memory | Fast Video BIOS | Video Feature Card | PCI IRQ | CPU Speed
| Num Lock | Keyboard
Errors | System Password | Boot Sequence | Password Entry | Setup Password | PCI Memory Block | Reserved Memory | Serial Port 1 and Serial
Port 2 | Parallel Port | Parallel Mode | Hard
Disk | Diskette | System Data Categories
Time resets the time on the computer's internal clock.
Time is kept in a 24-hour format (Hours:Minutes:Seconds). To
change the time, press the right-arrow key to increase the number
in the highlighted field, or press the left-arrow key to decrease
the number.
Date resets the date on the computer's internal calendar.
The system automatically displays the day of the week
corresponding to the settings in the 3 fields that follow (Month,
Day-of-the-Month, and Year).
To change the date, press the right-arrow key to increase the
number in the highlighted field, or press the left-arrow key to
decrease the number.
Diskette Drive A and Diskette Drive B identify the type of
diskette drives installed in the accessible drive bays. The
category names (but not the settings) switch places whenever the
setting for Drive A Location is changed.The options are:
- 5.25 inch, 360 KB
- 5.25 inch, 1.2 MB
- 3.5 inch, 720 KB
- 3.5 inch, 1.44 MB
- 3.5 inch, 2.88 MB
- Not Installed
 |
NOTES: A diskette drive installed in
the 3.5-inch drive bracket is automatically recognized as
drive A. The topmost drive in the drive cage is
recognized as drive B. |
Drive A Location identifies which diskette drive—Top (the
default option, 3.5 inch drive bracket) or Bottom (the uppermost
drive in the drive cage)—is used as drive A, the boot drive.
When Drive A Location is changed, the Diskette Drive A and
Diskette Drive B category names switch places automatically to
reflect the new configuration.
If an external diskette drive controller is being used, Drive A
Location has no selectable options.
The Drive 0 and Drive 1 subcategories under IDE Drive refer to
the IDE hard-disk drives installed in the computer. The user can
set Drive 0 and Drive 1 to Auto to automatically identify the
type(s) of IDE drives installed; alternatively, can use one of
the USR settings to manually set the parameters for an IDE
hard-disk drive.
The Drive 2 and Drive 3 subcategories are reserved for future
use; they should remain set to Auto.
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NOTE: IDE hard-disk drives should be
installed in the internal drive bracket and connected to
the high-performance PCI IDE interface. The ISA IDE
interface is intended primarily for slower IDE devices,
such as IDE CD ROM drives and IDE tape drives. However, 2
incompatible IDE drives can connect to the PCI IDE
interface and the other to the ISA IDE interface. Verify
the boot drive (which should be the faster,
higher-performance drive) is connected to the faster PCI
IDE interface and is designated as Drive 0. |
Drive 0 and Drive 1 have the following options:
For most IDE drives, the system provides an automatic
drive-type detect feature.
During the POST, the BIOS identifies the manufacturer, capacity,
and model number of each installed IDE hard-disk drive and
displays that information on the screen. If a drive lacks the
necessary identification code, the POST message indicates only
that a drive is installed.
Using the Auto-Detect Feature
The first IDE drive connected to the primary IDE interface
connector (PCI IDE) should be the boot drive. For this drive,
highlight the Drive 0 category and type:
a
to set the Type parameter to Auto.
A second IDE drive, highlight the Drive 1 category and type:
a.
In each case, the category setting changes to Auto. After
rebooting the system, it automatically sets the correct
drive-type number and parameters for each drive.
Assigning the Drive Parameters Manually
If the IDE hard-disk drive does not support automatic
drive-type detection, use one of the USR settings (USR1 or USR2),
which allows the user to manually define up to two different sets
of parameters and assign them to installed drives. For example,
to define a set of parameters as the USR1 parameters and assign
them to a drive, do the following:
At the appropriate drive category, type:
u
to set the Type parameter to USR1. For each of the following
parameters, press the <Tab> key to highlight the field and
type in the appropriate number, using information from the
documentation that came with the drive:
- Cyls is the number of logical cylinders.
- Hds is the number of logical heads in the drive.
- Sec is the number of logical sectors per track.
The remaining parameters Pre, LZ, and Size (which indicates
the capacity of the drive in millions of bytes) are automatically
displayed and have no user-selectable options.
If the user has a second IDE hard-disk drive that does not
support automatic drive-type detection, assign the USR2
parameters in similar fashion (unless the drive parameters match
the USR1 parameters, in which case the user can assign the second
drive as USR1 also).
To set the parameters for USR2, type:
u
to set the Type parameter to USR1, and then use the right- or
left-arrow key to scroll over to USR2.
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NOTE: To use the same USR setting
for two drives, their parameters must match exactly. Any
alteration to the USR parameters for one drive will
automatically change the parameters for another drive
using the same USR setting. |
SCSI Devices
Because SCSI hard-disk drives do not use the built in IDE
interface, the IDE Drive category does not apply to SCSI devices.
Leave the settings at Auto.
Base Memory displays the amount of memory available to
MS-DOS� programs that do not use extended or expanded memory.
This category has no user-selectable options.
The default value for the Base Memory category is 640 KB, which
includes 1 KB reserved for system use.
Board Memory allows the user to specify how much of the
system's base memory is to be derived from SIMMs on the system
board (usually 640 KB).
The default setting should be changed only under special
circumstances. For example, the user may have a memory expansion
card that needs to be addressed starting at 80000h (512 KB). To
use the card, the user must specify that only part of the base
memory come from the SIMMs on the system board, with the
remainder of the 640 KB coming from the memory expansion card.
The Board Memory category has the following options:
- 640 KB (the default option)
- 512 KB
Extended Memory (which has no user-selectable options)
indicates the amount of system memory available as extended
memory.
The value given in the Extended Memory category is in
kilobytes rather than megabytes. To convert kilobytes to
megabytes, divide the kilobyte total by 1024.
Fast Video BIOS allows the user to shadow the video BIOS for
improved performance. Options are On (the default setting) and
Off.
When this category is set to On, the system boots and
immediately copies the video BIOS code into write-protected
memory locations in RAM. This process is known as shadowing.
Shadowing lets the system manipulate video display data more
quickly, improving video performance.
If the system uses a PCI video card, the user cannot change
from the default setting of On.
If the system uses an ISA video card, check the documentation
that accompanied the card to determine whether the user needs to
change the Fast Video BIOS category. If the card cannot operate
under shadowed memory speeds, set this category to Off.
|
NOTE: If the user installed an ISA
video card that can operate under shadowed memory speeds,
setting the Fast Video BIOS category to Off significantly
reduces video performance. |
Video Feature Card has two options: Not Installed (the
default) and Installed. Change the setting to Installed before
installing a video-feature expansion card, such as a multimedia
expansion card, that attaches to the feature connector on the PCI
video adapter card.
If the user changes the setting after installing a
video-feature expansion card, the monitor's display may not work.
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NOTE: If the user installed an ISA
video adapter card, the Video Feature Card category does
not appear on the system setup screens. |
To avoid conflicts between the PCI and ISA cards, the user can
use this category to select 1 of 3 IRQ lines for use by PCI
cards.
The options are as follows:
- IRQ10 (default)
- IRQ9
- IRQ11
- Off
The 3 IRQ settings are always available to ISA cards. If the
user has 1 or more PCI cards installed that need IRQ lines, the
user must set PCI IRQ to an IRQ not in use by an installed ISA
card.
CPU Speed specifies the processor speed at which the system
boots and runs.
Press the left- or right-arrow key to toggle the CPU Speed
category between the installed microprocessor's rated speed (the
default) and a lower compatibility speed, Compatible, which lets
the user accommodate speed-sensitive application programs.
The user can toggle between the rated processor speed and the
compatibility speed at any time while the system is running. To
change speeds in real mode, press and hold down the <Ctrl>,
<Alt>, and backslash (\) keys. (For keyboards that do not
use American English, press <Ctrl><ALT><#>).
Num Lock chooses whether the system boots with the Num Lock
mode activated on 101- or 102-key keyboards (it does not apply to
84-key keyboards).
Keyboard Errors enables or disables reporting of keyboard
errors during the POST.
This category is useful when applied to self-starting servers
or host systems that have no permanently attached keyboard.
The default setting is Report. Selecting Do Not Report
suppresses all POST error messages relating to the keyboard or
the keyboard controller. However, an attached keyboard will still
operate properly.
System Password displays the current status of the system's
password security feature and allows the user to assign and
verify a new system password when this category is set to Not
Enabled.
The current status options that can be displayed in the System
Password category are:
- Not Enabled (the default)
- Enabled
- Disabled By Jumper
A new system password cannot be assigned unless the current
status is Not Enabled, which is displayed in bright characters.
The Boot Sequence category can be set to Diskette First (the
default option), Hard Disk First, or Hard Disk Only.
Selecting Diskette First causes the system to try booting from
drive A first. If it finds a diskette that is not bootable in the
drive or finds a problem with the drive itself, the system
displays an error message. If it does not find a diskette in the
drive, the system then tries to boot from the hard-disk drive
(drive 0).
Selecting Hard Disk First causes the system to try booting
from the hard-disk drive (drive 0) first. If the system finds a
problem with the hard-disk drive, it displays an error message.
If there are no boot files on the hard-disk drive, the system
tries booting from diskette A.
Selecting Hard Disk Only causes the system to boot only from
the hard-disk drive, even if there is a bootable diskette in
drive A. The user might select the Hard Disk Only option to
prevent an unauthorized person from accessing the system by
booting from a diskette.
For extra system security, the Boot Sequence feature is
especially useful when used in combination with the Password
Entry category. For example, the user might select the Before
Boot option for the Password Entry category to prompt for a
password before the system boots.
Password Entry has two options: Before Boot (the default
option) and After Boot. With Before Boot, the system prompts the
user for a password before POST; with After Boot, the system
boots normally, but the keyboard is disabled until the user
enters the password.
The Setup Password category lets the user restrict access to
the computer's system setup program in the same way that the user
can restrict access to the system with the system password
feature. The options are:
- Not Enabled (the default option)
- Enabled
- Disabled By Jumper
PCI Memory Block allows the user to increase the amount of
memory allocated to PCI expansion cards.
The default values of the PCI Memory Block category satisfy
the memory requirements of most PCI expansion cards. Do not
change the default settings of the PCI Memory Block category
unless the user receives the following error message:
WARNING:
Insufficient PCI Memory Block.
Use Setup to Increase the PCI Memory Block Size.
To change the settings, press the <Tab> key to highlight
the Start field; then press the right- or left-arrow key to
select a memory address between C8000 and EC000. Next, press the
<Tab> key to highlight the Length field, and then press the
right- or left-arrow key to select one of the available block
lengths.
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NOTE: Increasing the amount of
memory allocated to PCI expansion cards reduces the
amount of memory available for ISA expansion cards. |
Reserved Memory supports the use of certain expansion cards by
reserving a range of memory addresses for use by those cards. If
installing an expansion card that needs to reside in the system
address space above 1 MB (such as a multiport serial card or
certain network cards), the user may need to change this category
from its default setting of 0 KB. Check the documentation for the
expansion card to determine its memory addressing requirements
before setting this category to a particular value.
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NOTE: Normally, the user should
leave this category set to its default of 0 KB, because
any other setting reduces the amount of available system
memory. Do not enable this category unless one of the
devices specifically requires it. |
To change the settings, press the <Tab> key to highlight
the Start field; then press the right- or left-arrow key to
select a memory address. Next, press the <Tab> key to
highlight the Length field, and then press the right- or
left-arrow key to select a block length.
Serial Port 1 and Serial Port 2 configure the system's
built-in serial ports. These categories can be set to Auto (the
default option) to automatically configure a port, to a
particular designation (COM1 or COM3 for Serial Port 1, COM2 or
COM4 for Serial Port 2), or to Off to disable a port.
If the user sets a serial port to Auto and then add an
expansion card containing a port configured to the same
designation, the system automatically remaps the built-in port to
the next available port designation that shares the same IRQ
setting. That is, COM1 is remapped to COM3; COM2 is remapped to
COM4. Note that when two COM ports share an IRQ setting, the user
can use either port, as necessary, but the user may not be able
to use them both at the same time. If the alternate port address
(COM3 or COM4) is also in use, the built-in port is turned off.
Parallel Port configures the system's built-in parallel port.
This category can be set to Auto to automatically configure the
port, or to Off to disable the port
Parallel Mode controls the mode used by the system's built-in
parallel port. The options are as follows:
Set this category according to the type of device connected to
the parallel port:
Select AT for a unidirectional device.
Select PS/2 for a bidirectional device.
See the documentation that came with the peripheral device to
determine the correct mode for the parallel port.
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NOTE: The system also provides
hardware support for Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) and
Extended Capabilities Port (ECP) modes. Options that use
ECP or EPP mode may come with special drivers that need
to be installed in order to use these modes. |
Hard Disk enables or disables the system's built-in PCI and
ISA IDE interfaces.
Selecting Auto allows the system to turn off the IDE interface
as necessary to accommodate a controller card installed in an
expansion slot. During the boot routine, the system checks for a
bootable hard-disk drive on the PCI bus. If one is found the
system disables built-in ISA IDE interface. If one is not found,
the system checks the ISA bus for a bootable drive.
Selecting Off disables both of the built-in IDE interfaces.
Diskette controls the operation of the system's built-in
diskette drive controller.
With Auto selected, the system turns off the built-in diskette
drive controller, as necessary, to accommodate a controller card
installed in an expansion slot.
Selecting Off turns off the built-in diskette drive controller.
This option is used primarily for troubleshooting purposes.
The following categories, which are not selectable, display
information about the system:
- Microprocessor displays the type of microprocessor
installed in the computer.
- External Cache displays the amount of external cache
memory.
- System Memory indicates the entire amount of installed
memory detected in the system, except for memory
on EMS expansion cards. After adding memory, check this
category to confirm that the new memory is
installed correctly and is recognized by the system. This
value is given in kilobytes rather than
megabytes.
- Service Tag displays the system's service tag number,
which Dell programmed into NVRAM during the
manufacturing process.
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