System Setup Program: Dell Dimension XPS B Series Systems Reference
System Setup Program: Dell™ Dimension™ XPS B Series
Systems Reference
Each time you turn on or restart your computer system, the system
compares the hardware installed in the system to the hardware listed in the configuration
information stored in nonvolatile random-access memory (NVRAM) on the system board. If the
system detects a discrepancy between the two, it generates error messages that identify
the incorrect configuration settings. The system then prompts you to enter the system
setup program to correct the setting.
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 system
- To set or change user-selectable options — for example, the user
password
Dell recommends that you print the system setup program screens (by
pressing <Print Screen>) or write down the information for future reference.
The system setup screens are organized as follows:
- At the top is a menu bar for accessing the main program screens.
- The box on the left side of each screen lists options that define the
installed hardware in the system. Fields beside the options contain
settings or values. You can change those that are enclosed in brackets. Values that are
grayed out contain status information reported by the system.
- The box on the right side of each screen displays help information
for the option with a currently highlighted field.
- The bottom right area lists keys and their functions for the
currently displayed screen.
The menu bar provides access to the following screens:
- Main screen —
Provides settings for the basic system configuration
- Security screen
— Provides indications and settings for system password and setup password
- Boot screen —
Provides information about which device boots the system
- Exit screen —
Provides selections for saving and loading the configurations and options
In addition to these screens, options identified by a right arrow
provide access to submenus.
- Turn on (or restart) your system.
- When the blue Dell logo appears, press <Del>.
If you wait too long and the operating system begins to load into memory, let the
system complete the load operation. Then shut down the system and try again.
Table 1. Main Screen Menu Options
| Option |
Function |
| BIOS Version |
Displays the version of the BIOS being used. |
| Processor Type |
Displays the type of microprocessor installed. NOTE: The 533- and 600-MHz processors have an "EB" code that
identifies them as having an external speed of 133 MHz. |
| Processor Speed |
Displays the internal speed of the microprocessor. |
| Cache RAM |
Displays the cache random access memory. |
| Service Tag |
Displays the service tag for the system. |
| Total Memory |
Displays the total system memory. |
| Memory Bank 0 |
Displays the memory in memory bank 0 (RIMM
PC600, RIMM PC700, RIMM PC800, or Not
Installed [empty]). |
| Memory Bank 1 |
Displays the memory in memory bank 1 (RIMM
PC600, RIMM PC700, RIMM PC800, or Not
Installed [empty]). |
| Processor Serial Number |
Displays the serial number of the microprocessor when
set to Enabled. Disabled (default) turns off this
feature. |
| Memory Configuration |
Selects ECC (default) or Non-ECC
memory operation. |
| Cache Bus ECC |
Determines if cache bus ECC is Enabled
(default) or Disabled. |
| System Time |
Resets the time on the system's internal clock. |
| System Date |
Resets the time on the system's internal calendar. |
| NOTE: The Glossary defines abbreviations and acronyms. |
Table 2. Advanced
Screen Menu Options
Table
3. Boot Configuration Submenu Options
| Option |
Function |
| Plug and Play OS |
Determines whether the system is configured to support Plug and
Play devices from the operating system or from the system BIOS. Leave this option set to No
so the BIOS handles all Plug and Play operation. NOTE: Be
sure that this option is set to No before running Dell Diagnostics.
Otherwise, some diagnostics may incorrectly fail. |
| Reset Config Data |
Permits resetting Plug and Play configuration data to default
values. Yes resets the data; No (default) retains the
current Plug and Play settings. If set to Yes, configuration data reverts
to default values the next time the system boots. This option automatically reverts back
to the No setting. |
| Numlock |
Selects power on state for Numlock. |
| NOTE: The Glossary defines abbreviations and acronyms. |
Table 4. Peripheral Configuration Submenu Options
| Option |
Function |
| Serial port A |
Configures the serial port. Set this option to Auto
(default), Enabled, or Disabled. Depending on the port
setting, you can set the following additional options:
| Base I/O Address |
If port is set to Enabled, available
I/O addresses are 3F8, 3E8, 2F8 and 2E8. |
|
| Interrupt |
If port is set to Enabled, available
interrupts are IRQ3 and IRQ4. |
|
| Parallel port |
Configures the parallel port. Set this option to Auto
(default), Enabled, or Disabled. Depending on the port
setting, you can set the following additional options:
| Mode |
If port is set to Auto or Enabled,
available modes are Output Only, Bi-directional
(default), ECP, and EPP.
|
| NOTE: See the device manufacturer's documentation
for information on which mode to use before changing this setting. |
|
| Base I/O Address |
If port is set to Enabled, available
I/O addresses are 378 (default), 278, and 228 |
|
| Interrupt |
If port is set to Enabled, available
interrupts are 7 and 5. |
|
| Legacy USB Support |
Set to Disabled if legacy
USB support is not desired. Auto (default) and Enabled allow
support for legacy USB. |
| IRQ5 |
Reserved (default) indicates the IRQ is reserved
for use by legacy systems. Available indicates that a specific IRQ is
available on the system. |
| NOTE: The Glossary defines abbreviations and acronyms. |
Table 5. IDE Configuration Submenu Options
| Option |
Function |
| IDE Controller |
Configures the integrated primary and secondary EIDE
controllers and detects the types of drives attached to them. If set to Primary,
Secondary, or Both, the designated controller(s) are
enabled, and the types of drives attached are displayed. If set to either Primary
or Secondary, the other controller is not enabled and the IRQ it normally
uses becomes available. If set to Disabled, the system cannot detect any
drives attached to the controllers and displays None for all four IDE
drive options. |
| Primary IDE Master |
Identifies the first drive attached to the primary
EIDE interface, usually the boot hard-disk drive. See "Primary IDE Master Submenu." |
| Primary IDE Slave |
Identifies the second drive attached to the primary
EIDE interface, usually a second hard-disk drive. The format of this submenu is the same
as the one described in "Primary IDE Master Submenu." |
| Secondary IDE Master |
Identifies the first drive attached to the secondary
EIDE interface, if there is one. The format of this submenu is the same as the one
described in "Primary
IDE Master Submenu." |
| Secondary IDE Slave |
Identifies the second drive attached to the secondary
EIDE interface, usually a CD-ROM or tape drive. The format of this submenu is the same as
the one described in "Primary
IDE Master Submenu." |
| NOTE: The Glossary
defines abbreviations and acronyms. |
Table 6. Primary IDE Master Submenu Options
| Option |
Function |
| Type |
Specifies the type of hard-disk drive. Settings for
this option are User, Auto, CD-ROM, ATAPI
Removable, Other ATAPI, IDE Removable, and None. |
| NOTE: The Glossary defines abbreviations and acronyms. |
Table 7. Diskette Configuration Submenu Options
| Option |
Function |
| Diskette controller |
Configures the diskette drive interface. Options are Enabled
(default) and Disabled. |
| Diskette A |
Selects the diskette type from Not Installed,
360 KB 5 1/4", 1.2 MB 5 1/4", 720 KB 3 1/2",
1.44/1.25 MB 3 1/2", or 2.88 MB 3 1/2". |
| Diskette Write Protect |
Protects a diskette from being written to when set to Enabled.
When this option is set to Disabled (default), the diskette is not
protected unless the write-protect tab is in place. |
| NOTE: The Glossary defines abbreviations and acronyms. |
Table 8. Event Log Configuration Submenu Options
| Option |
Function |
| Event Log |
Displays the space available for the event log. |
| Event Log Validity |
Displays the validity of the event log. |
| View Event Log |
Press <Enter> to view the event log. |
| Clear All Event Logs |
Clears all event logs when the system restarts if set
to Yes. Retains the event log information if set to No
(default). |
| Event Logging |
Enables or disables event logging. |
| ECC Event Logging |
Enables or disables ECC event logging. |
| Mark Events As Read |
Press <Enter>, and then select Yes
or No to mark DMI events as either read or unread. |
| NOTE: The Glossary
defines abbreviations and acronyms. |
Table 9. Video Configuration Submenu Option
| Option |
Function |
| AGP Aperture Size |
Sets the aperture size for the AGP controller to 64
MB (default) or 256 MB. |
| Primary Video Adapter |
Supports the Windows� 98 and Windows 2000
multiple-monitor feature. Select AGP (default) to specify the AGP video
card as the primary video adapter. Select PCI to specify a PCI video card
as the primary video adapter. |
| NOTE: The Glossary defines abbreviations and acronyms. |
Table 10. Security Screen Options
| Option |
Function |
| Supervisor Password Is |
Indicates whether a supervisor password has been
assigned. |
| User Password Is |
Indicates whether a user password has been assigned. |
| Set Supervisor Password |
Sets and confirms a supervisor password. |
| Set User Password |
Sets and confirms a user password. |
| NOTE: The Glossary defines abbreviations and acronyms. |
Table 11. Boot Screen Options
| Option |
Function |
| Quiet Boot |
Enabled (default) displays
the Dell logo. Disabled displays the normal POST messages. |
| Quick Boot |
When set to Enabled, this option
shortens POST by eliminating some tests. If set to Disabled (default),
all POST tests occur. |
| Restore on AC/ Power Loss |
Determines what state the system enters when AC power is
restored after a power loss. Settings are as follows:
- Last State (default) —
System returns to the state it was in when power was lost.
- Stays Off — System stays off when power is
restored; you must press the power button to restore power.
- Power On — System turns on when power is
restored.
|
| 1st Boot Device |
Determines which device the system tries to boot from
first. Use the up- or down-arrow key to highlight one of the following settings:
|
| 2nd Boot Device — 7th Boot Device |
Determines which device the system tries to boot from
if it cannot boot from the previous boot device in the list. Settings for this option are
the same as for 1st Boot Device. If you select Disabled
for any of these devices, no further boot devices appear on the list. NOTE: The system displays only the bootable devices that are installed.
Therefore, you may see less than seven settings in this option. |
| IDE Drive Configuration |
Determines the primary master IDE, primary slave IDE,
secondary master IDE, and secondary slave IDE drive boot order. |
| * Where SCSI is the
name of the installed SCSI device. |
| NOTE: The Glossary
defines abbreviations and acronyms. |
Table 12. Exit Screen Options
| Option |
Function |
| Exit Saving Changes |
Saves any changes you have made, exits the system
setup program, and restarts the system. |
| Exit Discarding Changes |
Discards any changes you have made, exits the system
setup program, and restarts the system. |
| Load Setup Defaults |
Discards any changes you have made and reverts all
options to their defaults, but does not exit the system setup program. |
| Load Custom Defaults |
Loads settings saved using Save Custom
Defaults option. Press <Enter>. Then press the spacebar to select Yes
or No at the confirmation pop-up menu, and press <Enter> again. |
| Save Custom Defaults |
Saves any changes you have made, but does not exit the
system setup program. |
| Discard Changes |
Discards any changes you have made and reverts all
options to their last saved settings, but does not exit the system setup program. |
| NOTE: The Glossary
defines abbreviations and acronyms. |
To clear NVRAM for all devices and restart the system, perform the
following steps:
- Enter the system setup
program.
- Press the right-arrow key to move to the Advanced
menu.
- Select the Boot Configuration submenu by pressing
<Enter>.
- Press the down-arrow key to highlight Reset Config Data. Then
change the setting to Yes (see Table 3).
- Press <F10> to exit the program and restart the system.
The Intel � Pentium� III
microprocessor includes a processor serial number feature designed to provide additional
user security and manageability benefits. By default, this feature is disabled on Dell
systems to protect your privacy. However, it can be enabled through the Processor
Serial Number option in the system setup program.
|
NOTICE: Do not change this setting by any means
other than the system setup program. Otherwise, your system may become unusable. |
- Enter the
system setup program as described at the beginning of this appendix.
When the Main
screen appears, use the down-arrow key to highlight the Processor Serial Number
option, and then press <Enter>.
Select Enabled
from the menu, and then press <Enter>.
Use the
right-arrow key to highlight Exit, and then press <Enter>.
When
prompted to confirm the changes you made, press <Enter>.
The system restarts with the processor serial number feature enabled.
 |
NOTE: The processor serial number feature remains enabled until
you disable it in the system setup program. |
To disable the processor serial number feature, repeat steps 1
through 5, selecting Disabled in step 3.
|
