System Setup Options

Screen 1 Screen 2

Time
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. If preferable, the user can type in numbers in each of the appropriate fields.

Date
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. If preferable, the user can type in numbers in the MONTH and DAY-OF-THE-MONTH fields.

Diskette Drive A and Diskette Drive B
DISKETTE DRIVE A and DISKETTE DRIVE B identify the type of diskette drives installed in the accessible drive bays.
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
NOT INSTALLED

IDE Drives: Primary and Secondary
PRIMARY (subdivided into DRIVE 0 and DRIVE 1) identifies EIDE hard-disk drives attached to the primary EIDE interface connector (labeled "PRI IDE") on the system board.
SECONDARY (subdivided into DRIVE 0 and DRIVE 1) identifies EIDE devices connected to the secondary EIDE connector (labeled "SEC IDE") on the system board. It is recommended that you attach any EIDE CD ROM drives or EIDE tape drives to the secondary EIDE connector.
The options for both connectors are:
AUTO
USER
NONE
The user can set these subcategories to AUTO to automatically identify each type of EIDE drive installed; alternatively, the user can use one of the USER settings to manually set the parameters for an EIDE hard-disk drive.

NOTE: For devices such as EIDE CD ROM drives and EIDE tape drives using the computer's built-in controller, set the DRIVE category to AUTO.
EIDE Devices
For most EIDE hard-disk 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 EIDE 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
To use the auto-detect feature, highlight the appropriate subcategory and type

a

to set the TYPE parameter to AUTO. After the user reboots the system, the screen automatically displays the correct drive-type number and parameters for the EIDE drive.
Assigning the Drive Parameters Manually
If the EIDE hard-disk drive does not support automatic drive-type detection, use the USER option to manually define a set of drive parameters and assign them to the installed drive.
At the appropriate drive category, type

u

to set the TYPE parameter to USER. 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 SIZE parameter (which indicates the capacity of the drive in millions of bytes) is automatically detected and displayed by the system.

NOTE: The PRE and LZ fields are not used with this system.

SCSI Devices
Because SCSI hard-disk drives do not use the built-in interface, set the subcategories to NONE.

Base Memory
BASE MEMORY displays the maximum amount of memory available to MS-DOS programs that do not use extended or expanded memory. This category is not user-selectable.
The default value for the BASE MEMORY category is 640 KB. This range includes the following:
System work space (1.5 KB) used for system functions such as IRQ handling and BIOS record keeping
User memory (637.5 KB) available for MS-DOS programs
Dedicated functions (1 KB) for special system functions such as mouse operations

Extended Memory
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 total by 1024.

Reserved Memory
RESERVED MEMORY allows the user to designate a range of system memory addresses to be used to access memory on an expansion card. The user should not enable RESERVED MEMORY unless using an expansion card that requires special addressing.
Some expansion cards need to be addressed in base memory, whereas others must be addressed in expended memory.
The options are:
NONE (the default option)
512K - 640K
15M - 16M

Fast Video BIOS
FAST VIDEO BIOS allows you to shadow the built-in video BIOS for improved performance. The default setting is ON; OFF becomes an option only if an ISA video card is installed in the computer.
When the category is ON, the system boots and immediately copies the built-in video BIOS code into write-protected memory locations in RAM (shadowing).
The user can set the option to OFF if necessary to accommodate a slower video card.

CPU Speed
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 accommodates 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-\] keys. (For keyboards that do not use American English, press [CTRL-ALT-#].)

Num Lock
NUM LOCK determines 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
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
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 SWITCH
A new system password cannot be assigned unless the current status is NOT ENABLED, which is displayed in bright characters. See Using the System Password Feature.

Setup Password
The SETUP PASSWORD category allows the user to restrict access to the computer's system setup program in the same way that access to the system is restricted with the system password feature. The options are:
NOT ENABLED (the default option)
ENABLED
DISABLED BY SWITCH
See Assigning a Setup Password.

Boot Sequence
The BOOT SEQUENCE category can be set to DISKETTE FIRST (the default option) 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 ONLY causes the system to boot only from the hard-disk drive, even if there is a bootable diskette in drive A. Select the HARD DISK ONLY option to prevent an unauthorized person from accessing the system by booting from a diskette.

Power Management
POWER MANAGEMENT allows the user to reduce system power consumption for certain types of monitors and most EIDE hard-disk drives. With POWER MANAGEMENT enabled, these monitors and drives automatically switch into low-power mode during periods of system inactivity.
POWER MANAGEMENT can be implemented at 3 levelsoptions are MAXIMUM, REGULAR, and MINIMUM. The category can also be set to DISABLED (the default option).

NOTE: To save monitor power, the user must also enable VIDEO POWER DOWN.

The power time-out periods are as follows.

Power                                           
Management      EIDE Drive      Monitor         
Setting         Time-Outs       Time-Outs       
                                                

MAXIMUM         20 min          10 min          
                                                

REGULAR         20 min          20 min          
                                                

MINIMUM         20 min          60 min          
                                                

Saving Monitor Power
If a VESA� DPMS-compliant monitor is being used, enabling POWER MANAGEMENT reduces monitor power consumption during periods of keyboard and mouse inactivity. The user may also enable VIDEO POWER DOWN to save monitor power.

CAUTION: Verify that a DPMS-compliant monitor is being used before enabling this feature or damage to the monitor may result.

By setting the POWER MANAGEMENT category to MAXIMUM, REGULAR, or MINIMUM, the user can set a predefined time-out period after which the monitor will enter power-saving mode.
Before using the POWER MANAGEMENT category to set time-outs for the monitor, check the following:
For the monitor time-out feature to operate under MS-DOS, the user must first add a line to the config.sys file. For example, if the MS-DOS directory is named dos and is located on drive C, add the following device statement to the config.sys file:

device=c:\dos\power.exe


 

If the system includes Dell-installed Microsoft Windows, the system already is configured to use all POWER MANAGEMENT features while running Windows.
Saving EIDE Hard-Disk Drive Power
For EIDE hard-disk drives that support the spindown power management feature, enabling POWER MANAGEMENT at any level causes EIDE hard-disk drives to switch to low-power mode after about 20 minutes of system inactivity.

NOTE: Not all EIDE hard-disk drives support this feature.

In the low-power mode, the disks inside the drive stop spinning. They remain idle until the next drive access, which causes them to start spinning again.
When POWER MANAGEMENT is set to DISABLED, the disks spin constantly as long as the system is turned on.

Video Power Down
VIDEO POWER DOWN selects the amount of monitor power saved when the POWER MANAGEMENT category is enabled and the system has entered a time-out period. When the POWER MANAGEMENT category is DISABLED, this category is automatically set to DISABLED.
The higher the percentage of monitor power saved, the longer the monitor takes to return to full power when the time-out period ends. Refer to the following table for the approximate amount of monitor power saved for each of the 3 VIDEO POWER DOWN options (other than DISABLED).

NOTE: The higher the percentage of monitor power saved, the longer the monitor takes to return to full power.

Option       Power Saved      
                              

STANDBY      20%              
                              

SUSPEND      90%              
                              

SLEEP        95%              
                              

Serial Port 1 and Serial Port 2
SERIAL PORT 1 and SERIAL PORT 2 configure the computer'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 adds 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. When 2 COM ports share an IRQ setting, either port can be used, as necessary, but not 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
PARALLEL PORT configures the computer's built-in parallel port. This category can be set to 378H (IRQ7), 278H (IRQ5), 3BC8H (I/O address 3BCh and uses IRQ7) to automatically configure the port, or OFF to disable the port.

NOTE: The built-in parallel port is automatically disabled if the system detects an installed expansion card containing a parallel port configured to the same address as specified in this category.


Parallel Mode
PARALLEL MODE controls the mode used by the computer's built-in parallel port. Set this category according to the type of device connected to the parallel port:
AT (the default) for a unidirectional device
PS/2 for a bidirectional device
ECP for an ECP device (special drivers are required to use this mode)
See the documentation that came with the peripheral device to determine the correct mode for the parallel port.

Hard Disk
HARD DISK enables or disables the computer's built-in EIDE interfaces.
Selecting AUTO allows the system to turn off the EIDE 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 controller card installed in an expansion card. If no card is found, the built-in EIDE interface is enabled and the controller on the master EIDE drive is designated as the primary controller, using IRQ14.
If a primary controller is detected on the expansion bus, the built-in EIDE interface is disabled.
Selecting OFF disables both of the built-in EIDE interfaces.

Diskette
DISKETTE controls the operation of the computer'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.

Speaker
SPEAKER determines whether the on-board speaker is ON (the default) or OFF. A change to this category takes effect immediately; rebooting is not required.

System Data Categories
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.
VIDEO MEMORY displays the amount of video memory detected in the system (1024 KB or 2048 KB).
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 computer's service tag number, which Dell programmed into NVRAM during the manufacturing process.