To set user-selectable options such as date and time or system password
To read the current amount of memory or set the type of hard drive installed
Print the system setup screens (by pressing <Print Screen>) or record the information for future reference.
Before you use system setup, you must know the kind of drives installed in your computer. To confirm this information, see the Manufacturing Test Report that came with your computer, or find this information in the online Dell Accessories folder.
When Press<F2> to Enter Setup appears in the upper-right
corner of the screen, press <F2> immediately.
If you wait too long and the Microsoft® Windows® logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Windows desktop. Then shut down your computer and try again.
NOTE: To ensure an
orderly computer
shutdown, see the
documentation that came
with your operating
system.
System setup screens display current configuration information for your computer. Information on the screen is organized into four areas:
Title — The box at the top of all screens that lists the computer name.
Computer data — Two boxes below the title box that display your computer processor, L2 cache, service tag, and the version number of the BIOS.
Options — A scrollable box listing options that define the configuration of your computer, including installed hardware, power conservation, and security features.
Fields to the right of the option titles contain settings or values. The fields that you can change appear bright on the screen. The fields that you cannot change (because they are set by the computer) appear less bright. When <Enter> appears to the right of an option title, press <Enter> to access a popup menu of additional options.
Key functions — A line of boxes across the bottom of all screens that lists keys and their functions within system setup.
These options will change the boot sequence for the current boot only. Any subsequent boots will follow the order defined by the boot sequence field in system setup.
Normal — The computer attempts to boot from the sequence of devices specified in system setup.
Diskette Drive — The computer attempts to boot from the floppy drive. If the floppy disk in the drive is not bootable, or if no floppy disk is in the drive, the computer generates an error message.
Integrated NIC — The computer attempts to boot from the network server. This option requires proper network setup and server configurations.
Hard Disk Drive C: — The computer attempts to boot from the primary hard drive. If no operating system is on the drive, the computer generates an error message.
IDE CD-ROM Device — The computer attempts to boot from the installed optical drive. If no device is in the drive, or if the CD has no operating system, the computer generates an error message.
USB Flash Device — Insert the key into a USB port and restart the computer. When F12 = Boot Menu appears in the upper-right corner of the screen, press <F12>. The BIOS detects the key and adds the USB key option to the boot menu.
NOTE: To boot to a USB
Flash Device, the device
must be bootable. To
make sure your device is
bootable, check the device
documentation or website.
CPU ID — Manufacturer's identification code for the installed
microprocessor
CPU Information
Hyper-Threading — Enables or disables Hyper-Threading technology for operating systems that support this feature. The default setting is Enabled.
NOTE: Hyper-Threading is supported only on computers that have 3.06-GHz (or
higher) microprocessors installed.
CPU Speed — Processor speed at which the computer boots.
Press the left- or right-arrow key to toggle the CPU Speed option between the resident microprocessor's rated speed (the default) and a lower-compatibility speed. A change to this option takes effect immediately (no restart is necessary).
To toggle between the rated processor speed and the compatibility speed while the computer is running in real mode, press <Ctrl><Alt><\>. (For keyboards that do not use American English, press <Ctrl><Alt><#>.)
Bus Speed —Speed of the microprocessor's system
bus
Processor ID —Manufacturer's identification code(s) for the installed
microprocessor
Clock Speed — Core speed at which the microprocessor(s)
operates
Cache Size — Size of the microprocessor's L2
cache
Fastboot
On (default) — Your computer boots in 10 seconds or less, skipping certain configurations and tests.
Off — Your computer does not skip certain configurations and tests during the bootprocess.
HDD Priority
HDD (default)
USB Device
NOTE: To boot from a USB memory device, select the USB device and move it
to make it the first device.
Integrated Devices — Configures the following devices integrated with the system board:
Sound —Settings are On (default) or Off.
USB Controller —Settings are On or Off.
Network Interface Controller — Settings are On (default), Off, or Onw/ MBA. Settings for On w/ MBA are PXE, RPL, BootP, or NetWare as the active boot mode.
Mouse Port —Settings are On or Off.
Parallel Port —Settings are Mode, I/O Address, and DMA Channel.
Mode settings are PS/2, EPP, ECP, AT, or Off. Set the Mode option according to the type of device connected to the parallel connector. To determine the correct mode to use, see the documentation that came with the device.
I/O Address settings are 378h (default), 278h, or 3BCh. The settings are not available when Mode is set to Off.
NOTE: You cannot set the parallel connector to 3BCh if Mode is set to EPP.
DMA Channel appears only when Mode is set to ECP.Settings are DMA 1, DMA 3, or Off.
USB Emulation —Settings are On, Off, and No
Boot.
NOTE: No Boot disables booting from all USB devices.
Keyboard NumLock — Settings are On and Off (does not apply to 84-key keyboards).
