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Setup Program: Dell Inspiron 7500
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Setup Program: Dell™ Inspiron™
7500
Using the Setup
Program
Your computer retains system configuration
information in the nonvolatile random-access memory (NVRAM) maintained by your
computer�s reserve battery. Each time you turn on your computer, the system
compares the installed hardware with the system configuration information stored
in NVRAM. If the system detects a discrepancy, it generates an error message
that identifies the incorrect configuration setting.
You can use the Setup program to
perform the following tasks:
- Change your system configuration
information after you add, change, or remove hardware connected to or installed
inside your computer
- Verify information about your
computer�s current configuration, such as the amount of system memory
- Set or change user-selectable
features�for example, power management or security features
 |
NOTE: Many of
the options that are configured in the Setup program are overridden by the
settings in the Microsoft® Windows® control panels, such as the
Power Management control panel. When your computer is running the Windows
98 operating system, it will use the settings that are selected in the Windows
control panels rather than those set in the Setup program. |
Accessing
the Setup Program
NOTICE: To avoid data loss, exit
any application programs before rebooting the computer to enter the Setup program.
To access the Setup program, turn
on the computer and press <F2> as soon as you see the Dell logo screen
and before the Windows logo screen appears. The computer reboots automatically
when you exit the Setup program.
The Main menu of the Setup
program shows how the computer is configured. In addition to the Main
menu (see Figure 1), you can also access the System Devices menu, Security
menu, Power menu, Boot menu, and Exit menu.
| |
NOTE: When
you press <F9>, the computer resets the default values for each
option in that menu. When you press <F10>, the computer saves
the current settings and exits the Setup program. |
Main Menu
See Figure 1 and Table 1 for an explanation
of the options and settings on the Main menu.
Figure 1. PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility
Main Menu
Table 1: PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility
Main Menu
| Option |
Function |
|
System Time
|
Resets
the time on the computer�s internal clock. |
| System
Date |
Resets
the date on the computer�s internal calendar. |
|
Floppy Drive
|
Identifies the type of diskette
drive being used by the computer. This option has no user-selectable settings.
|
| Hard
Disk |
Displays the capacity of the
computer's internal hard-disk drive. This option does not have any user-selectable
settings.
NOTE: The optional second
or third hard-disk drives do not appear in this category, even if installed.
|
| Quiet
Boot |
When
set to Enabled (default), prevents the diagnostic POST messages and
summary screen from appearing at system start-up. When set to Disabled,
allows POST messages and the summary screen to appear at system start-up.
If Quiet Boot is enabled, you cannot choose a boot device as the
system initializes. |
| Video
Display Device |
Allows you to specify whether
video is visible only on the computer�s integrated display (LCD Mode),
only on an external monitor or projector (CRT Mode), or on both
the display and an external device simultaneously (Simul Mode,
the default).
When you are using the Windows
98 operating system (rather than the Setup program), press <Fn><F8>
to change the video display device.
|
| Television
Port |
When
set to Enabled (default), allows the computer to display the screen
image on a TV (if one is attached to the TV-out connector) and disables
the LCD and CRT. When set to Disabled, allows the screen image to
appear on the device specified in the Video Display Device option. |
| Television
Type |
Allows you to set the the TV-out
signal to NTSC (default) or PAL.
Consult your television documentation
for information on which setting you should use.
|
| System
Memory |
Displays
the base amount of DRAM installed in the computer. Each computer has 640
KB of base memory. This option has no user-selectable settings. |
| Extended
Memory |
Displays
the total amount of memory above 1 MB. Each computer comes standard with
at least 32 MB of memory installed. If you install or remove memory, the
amount of extended memory displayed changes. This option has no user-selectable
settings. |
| NOTE: For
the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the
Glossary in the system Help. |
See Figure 2 and Table 2 for an explanation
of the options and settings on the System Devices menu.
Figure 2. PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility
System Devices Menu
Table 2. PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility
System Devices Menu
| Option |
Function |
|
IDE Controller
|
Configures
the integrated local-bus IDE adapter. Options are Both (default),
Disabled, or Primary. If Both is selected, you can
access both the hard-disk drive and the media bay device(s). If Primary
is selected, only the hard-disk drive and megabit device is accessible.
When Disabled, the media bay device(s) and hard-disk drive are disabled. |
| FAD
Controller |
Enables
the diskette-drive controller. If this option is set to Disabled,
the diskette drive is unavailable. This option defaults to Disabled
when an LS-120 drive is installed. |
|
Internal Touchpad
|
When set to Enabled
(default), allows the touch pad to continue working when an external mouse
or other pointing device is connected. Auto Disabled disables the
touch pad when an external pointing device is connected.
|
| Serial
Port |
Lets you map the address of
the serial port to avoid address conflicts with other devices or disable
the port for security. When set to Auto, allows the operating system
or the BIOS to configure the port automatically. When set to Customized
(default), sets the Base I/O address/IRQ to 3F8 IRQ4. If
there is a conflict between two or more addresses, an asterisk appears
next to the port type. Off disables the serial port to conserve power.
|
| Infrared
Port |
Lets
you map the address of the infrared port to avoid address conflicts with
other devices. The default is Off. Dell recommends that you retain
the default unless you are using an infrared device with the computer. When
this option is set to Customized, the Mode is SIR and
the Base I/O address/IRQ is 2F8 IRQ3. If you change the infrared
port address, be careful not to create a conflict with the addresses of
the serial port or the parallel port. If there is a conflict between two
or more addresses, an asterisk appears next to the port type. |
| Parallel
Port |
Controls
whether the computer�s parallel port acts as an AT-compatible (unidirectional),
PS/2-compatible (bidirectional), EPP-compatible, or ECP-compatible. When
this option is set to Customized (default), the Mode is ECP,
the Base I/O address is 378, the Interrupt is IRQ 7,
and the DMA channel is DMA3. The Auto setting
allows the operating system or the BIOS to configure the port automatically.
When the option is set to Off, the port is disabled and you can use
its assigned LPT resources for another device. If you change the parallel
port address and/or DMA channel, be careful not to create a conflict with
the address or DMA channel of the infrared port. |
| Modem |
Appears
in the Setup program only if the computer has an internal modem. This option
has no user-selectable settings. |
| NOTE: For
the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the
Glossary in the system Help. |
See Figure 3 and Table 3 for an explanation
of the options and settings for the Security menu.
Figure 3. PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility
Security Menu
Table 3. PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility
Security Menu
| Option |
Function |
|
System Password
|
If
no system password has been set, the setting for System Password
is Clear. Otherwise, the setting displayed is Set. |
| Set
System Password |
Press
<Enter> to set up a new system password, and then follow the
instructions on your screen. This password restricts access to the Setup
program settings. |
|
Password on
Boot
|
When this option is enabled,
you must enter a password before the computer loads the operating system
into memory. Settings for this option are Disabled (default) and
Enabled. To enable this option, the System Password option
must be set.
|
| NOTE: For
the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the
Glossary in the system Help. |
See Figure 4 and Table 4 for an explanation
of the options and settings for the Power menu.
| |
NOTE: The
power management settings of the Windows 98 operating system take precedence
over the settings described here. For more information, see �Using Microsoft
Windows 98 to Conserve Battery Power� in the system Help. |
Figure 4. PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility
Power Menu
Table 4. PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility
Power Menu
| Option |
Function |
| Power
Management Mode |
Disabled
(default) turns off power management. Customized allows you to control
each power management setting. Max. Power Savings conserves the maximum
amount of system power, and Max. Performance conserves power but
allows the greatest system performance. |
| Standby
Time-out |
Lets you determine how long
the computer remains idle (no I/O activity) before activating standby
mode to conserve battery power. Settings for this option are Disabled
(default), 1 Minute, 2 Minutes, 4 Minutes, 6 Minutes,
8 Minutes, 12 Minutes, and 16 Minutes. To increase
battery operating time, set this option to a lower number of minutes.
Press any key on the integrated keyboard to resume normal computer operation.
NOTE: Set this option to
Disabled if it causes compatibility problems with your software.
|
| Suspend
Time-out |
Lets you determine how long
the computer remains idle (no I/O activity) before activating save-to-disk
suspend mode. Settings for this option are Disabled, 5 Minutes, 10
Minutes, 15 Minutes, 20 Minutes, 30 Minutes, 40 Minutes, and 60
Minutes. To increase battery operating time, set this option to a
lower number of minutes.
NOTE: Set this option to
Disabled if it causes compatibility problems with your software.
|
| Suspend
Mode |
When set to Save to RAM
(default), the computer conserves battery power by entering standby mode
by stopping almost all computer activity, but leaves the computer ready
to resume operations in seconds. Resume normal computer activity by pressing
the power button (the computer may take several seconds to return to normal
operation).
When set to Save to Disk,
the computer copies all system data to a reserved area on the hard-disk
drive and then turns off all power to the computer. When the computer
resumes normal operation, the same programs will be running and the same
files will be open that were loaded before you activated this mode. Use
save-to-disk suspend mode to conserve battery power or to preserve system
data by quickly saving it to the hard-disk drive if you are about to run
out of battery power.
|
| Resume
on Modem Ring |
Setting
this option to Enabled tells the computer to resume normal operation
when an incoming call is detected by a modem and the computer is in standby
mode. The default is Disabled. To use this option, Suspend Mode
must be set to Save to RAM. |
| Resume
on Time of Day |
When
the Resume On Time of Day option is set to Enabled, a computer
in standby mode resumes normal operation at the time specified in the Resume
Time field. The default is Disabled. To use this option, Suspend
Mode must be set to Save to RAM. |
| Resume
Time |
Lets
you specify a time when the computer resumes from standby mode to normal
operation. To use this option, Suspend Mode must be set to Save
to RAM. |
| NOTE: For
the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the
Glossary in the system Help. |
See Figure 5 and Table 5 for an explanation
of the options and settings for the Boot menu. To select the boot device,
press the up- or down-arrow key; then press to move the device up the list
,or press to move the device down the list.
Figure 5. PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility
Boot Menu
Table 5. PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility
Boot Menu
| Option |
Function |
|
Floppy/Super Disk
|
The
computer attempts to boot first from a bootable diskette or SuperDisk. If
it does not detect one of these removable media disks, the computer tries
to boot from the hard-disk drive. If a disk is in its drive, but the disk
does not have the required boot files, an error message appears. |
| Internal
Hard Drive |
The
computer boots only from the hard-disk drive. If it fails to boot from the
hard-disk drive, the computer does not attempt to boot from the diskette
drive. |
| CD-ROM/DVD |
Causes
the computer to attempt to boot first from a bootable CD. If it does not
detect a bootable CD in the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, the computer tries
to boot from the hard-disk drive. If a CD is in the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive,
but the CD does not have the required boot files, an error message appears. |
| NOTE: For
the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the
Glossary in the system Help. |
To exit the Setup program from the
Exit menu, press the up- or down-arrow key to highlight a menu option,
and then press <Enter>. See Figure 6 and Table 6 for an explanation
of the options and setting for the Exit menu.
Figure 6. PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility
Exit Menu
Table 6. PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility
Exit Menu
| Option |
Function |
| Exit
Saving Changes |
Saves
any changes you have made and exits the Setup program |
| Exit
Discarding Changes |
Discards
any changes you have made and exits the Setup program. |
| Load
Setup Defaults |
Discards
any changes you have made and reverts all options to their original default
settings, but does not exit the Setup program. |
| Load
Last Saved Values |
Discards
the settings you have made and restores the settings you previously saved.
Press <Enter> when prompted to continue. |
| Save
Changes |
Saves
settings without exiting the Setup program. Press <Enter>
when prompted to continue, and then return to other menus to make changes. |
| NOTE: For
the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the
Glossary in the system Help. |
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