The system setup program contains the standard settings for your computer.
NOTICE: Unless you are an expert computer user, do not change the settings for this program.
Certain changes might make your computer work incorrectly.
You can use the system setup program as follows:
To change the system configuration information after you add, change, or remove any hardware in your computer
To set or change user-selectable options—for example, the user password
Dell recommends that you write down the system setup program screen information for future reference.
Entering the System Setup Program
Viewing Settings
Turn on (or restart) your computer.
When the blue DELL™ logo appears, press <F2> immediately.
If you wait too long and the operating system logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Microsoft® Windows® desktop. Then shut down your computer and try again.
See the following figure for an example of the main program screen.
System Setup Screens
The system setup program screens display the current configuration information for your computer. Information on the screen is divided into five 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 light blue in color. 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.
Help — Press <F1> for information on the option that is selected (highlighted).
Option
Function
System Time
Displays the system time.
System Date
Displays the system date.
Drive Configuration
Displays drive configurations when <Enter> is pressed.
Boot Sequence
Displays boot sequence when <Enter> is pressed.
Memory Information
Displays amount of system memory when <Enter> is pressed.
CPU Information
Displays CPU information when <Enter> is pressed.
Integrated Devices (Legacy Select Options)
Displays integrated device options when <Enter> is pressed.
Power Management
Displays power management options when <Enter> is pressed.
System Security
Displays system security options when <Enter> is pressed.
Keyboard Numlock
Turns the Keyboard NumLock option on and off. The default is On.
Report Keyboard Errors
Displays keyboard errors when set to Report. The default is Report.
Auto Power On
Allows auto power-on. The default is Disabled.
Fast Boot
Turns the fast boot option on and off. The default is On.
OS Install Mode
Turns the OS Install Mode on and off. The default is Off. When set to On, memory is limited to 256 MB to allow the installation of older operating systems that have 2 GB memory limits.
IDE Hard Drive Acoustics Mode
Sets the performance speed of your hard drive. The default is
Bypass.
System Event Log
Displays the system event log when <Enter> is pressed.
Asset Tag
Displays asset tag information.
The following table shows Drive Configuration option information.
Diskette Drive A:
Sets the status of a floppy drive. The default is
3.5 inch, 1.44 MB.
SATA Primary Drive:
If no device is attached as SATA primary drive, then Off is displayed. If a device is attached, the type of drive is displayed. If <Enter> is pressed, device information is displayed and the drive type can be set as Auto (default) or Off.
IDE Primary Drive 0:
If no device is attached as primary drive 0, then Off is displayed. If a device is attached, the type of drive is displayed. If <Enter> is pressed, device information is displayed and the drive type can be set as Auto (default) or Off.
IDE Primary Drive 1:
If no device is attached as primary drive 1, then Off is displayed. If a device is attached, the type of drive is displayed. If <Enter> is pressed, device information is displayed and the drive type can be set as Auto or Off (default).
IDE Secondary Drive 0:
If no device is attached as secondary drive 0, then Off is displayed. If a device is attached, the type of drive is displayed. If <Enter> is pressed, device information is displayed and the drive type can be set as Auto (default) or Off.
IDE Secondary Drive 1:
If no device is attached as secondary drive 1, then Off is displayed. If a device is attached, the type of drive is displayed. If <Enter> is pressed, device information is displayed and the drive type can be set as Auto or Off (default).
IDE Drive UDMA:
Turns IDE Drive UDMA on and off. The default is
On.
The following table shows Memory Information option information.
Option
Function
Installed System Memory
Displays the amount of installed system memory.
System Memory Speed
Displays the speed of your system memory.
System Memory Channel Mode
Displays the mode of your system memory.
AGP Aperture
Displays the amount of aperture memory. The default is
128 MB.
The following table shows CPU Information option information.
Option
Function
Hyper-Threading
Enables Hyper-Threading. The default is
Disabled.
NOTE: This option is displayed only if the installed
microprocessor supports Hyper-Threading.
CPU Speed
Sets the CPU speed. The default is Normal.
Bus Speed
Displays the bus speed.
Processor 0 ID
Displays processor ID.
Clock Speed
Displays clock speed.
Cache Size
Displays cache size.
The following table shows Integrated Devices (Legacy Select Options) option information.
Option
Function
Sound
Turns the integrated sound off and on. The default is On.
Network Interface Controller
Turns the network interface controller off and on or on with PXE support. The default is On.
Mouse Port
Turns the mouse port off and on. The default is On.
USB Emulation
Turns USB emulation off and on. The default is On.
USB Controller
Turns the USB controller off and on. The default is On.
Parallel Port
Displays parallel port settings when <Enter> is pressed. The default mode is PS/2 and the I/O address default is 378h.
Primary Video Controller
Sets the primary video controller. The default is Auto.
Onboard Video Buffer
Sets the onboard video buffer size. The default is 1 MB.
The following table shows Power Management option information.
Option
Function
Suspend Mode
Displays the suspend state used by the computer. The default is S3.
AC Power Recovery
Enables AC power recovery to occur. The default is Off.
Low Power Mode
Minimizes power use when the computer is off. The default is Disabled.
The following table shows System Security option information.
Option
Function
Password Status
Locks and unlocks the password option. The default is Unlocked.
System Password
Enables and disables the system password. The default is Not Enabled.
Setup Password
Enables and disables the setup password. The default is Not Enabled.
POST Hotkeys
Selects key that are active during POST. The default is F2 and F12.
PXE BIS Default Policy
Specifies how the computer responds to boot integrity services authentication requests when no certificate has been installed. When set to Deny (the default), this request is rejected. The request is accepted when set to Accept.
Clearing Forgotten Passwords
CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions in
the Owner's Manual or Product Information Guide.
If you forget your user or setup password, you cannot operate your computer or change settings in the system setup program until you clear the forgotten password(s).
NOTICE: This process erases both the system and setup passwords.
