How to access and edit the BIOS

[JD]

I've been advised in this ng to check my BIOS to be sure that the boot
sequence begins with CD, and to remove the Floppy Drive (A) that suddenly
appeared in My Computer (and in the Send To menu) after the system clock was
reset to January, 2002.
I've searched the Internet in vain to learn how to do this, but to no avail.
I am not exactly a "newbie," but I am intimidated by the thought of making a
mistake here. I don't even know how to access the BIOS or what to do when I
get there.
Is it like going to Safe Mode--press F2 during startup? What then?

 

[Adrian C]

I've been advised in this ng to check my BIOS to be sure that the boot
sequence begins with CD, and to remove the Floppy Drive (A) that suddenly
appeared in My Computer (and in the Send To menu) after the system clock was
reset to January, 2002.
I've searched the Internet in vain to learn how to do this, but to no avail.
I am not exactly a "newbie," but I am intimidated by the thought of making a
mistake here. I don't even know how to access the BIOS or what to do when I
get there.
Is it like going to Safe Mode--press F2 during startup? What then?

Fiddle. You'll find it.

Or, find the manual for your computer. Either the motherboard manual, or
if something like a Dell, the relevant part of their documentation which
all should be online.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I've been advised in this ng to check my BIOS to be sure that the boot
sequence begins with CD, and to remove the Floppy Drive (A) that suddenly
appeared in My Computer (and in the Send To menu) after the system clock was
reset to January, 2002.
I've searched the Internet in vain to learn how to do this, but to no avail.
I am not exactly a "newbie," but I am intimidated by the thought of making a
mistake here. I don't even know how to access the BIOS or what to do when I
get there.
Is it like going to Safe Mode--press F2 during startup? What then?

There is no universal, one-size-fits-all procedure. Every brand
motherboard is different. You need to consult the motherboard's manual
(or motherboard manufacturer's support web site) and follow the
instructions provided very, very carefully.

In the extremely unlikely event that your PC's manual or the
motherboard manufacturer's web site doesn't contain the needed
information, try one or more of the following:

Wim's BIOS Page
http://www.wimsbios.com/

Accessing Motherboard BIOS
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[JD]

Thanks Bruce and Adrian for your tips and links. I will proceed with
caution.

 

[Paul]

I've been advised in this ng to check my BIOS to be sure that the boot
sequence begins with CD, and to remove the Floppy Drive (A) that suddenly
appeared in My Computer (and in the Send To menu) after the system clock was
reset to January, 2002.
I've searched the Internet in vain to learn how to do this, but to no avail.
I am not exactly a "newbie," but I am intimidated by the thought of making a
mistake here. I don't even know how to access the BIOS or what to do when I
get there.
Is it like going to Safe Mode--press F2 during startup? What then?

What is the make and model number of the computer ?

Some computers start up, displaying text on the screen during
the POST sequence. After the power on self test is complete,
the computer goes on to boot the OS. The initial text screen,
may have some function keys listed at the bottom of the screen,
as to what they do. I have some computers here, that use the
<del> key, and one computer that uses F2, to enter the BIOS.

On computers with a "full screen logo", they display a colored
image over top of the screen, hiding the text underneath. I
presume this appeals to the "artsy" side of the computer
manufacturer. But if that "full screen logo" hides such useful
information, as to how to get into the BIOS, then you're going
to need to find a manual or documentation, to discover the key
to use.

One of the first things I do, is disable the "full screen
logo" once I get into the BIOS, because as far as I'm concerned,
a computer should be as verbose as possible, when doing things.
You can learn a lot from the text on the screen, especially if
the computer is failing for some reason. If it has that
crappy color image on the screen, you won't have a clue what is
going on.

Paul

 

[JD]

The computer is a Gateway and the motherboard is a Midway 4000820.

 

[Paul]

The computer is a Gateway and the motherboard is a Midway 4000820.

Try pressing F2. If that doesn't work, please tell me the Gateway
computer model number.

This is a manual for a D865 family motherboard from Intel, which
could be where the Midway came from. On page 57, it says to
"press F2" at startup, to enter the BIOS.

http://downloadmirror.intel.com/15206/eng/D865GBF_D865GLC_ProductGuide02_English.pdf

On page 84 of that document, there are options like "Load Optimal Defaults".
That is probably the factory settings. The "Load Custom Defaults" is
tapping into a previously saved "Save Custom Defaults" result. So
it looks like that particular BIOS is able to remember a previous
complete group of settings. Since you've never been into the
BIOS before, it is hard to say what might be stored in the
Custom settings.

If you're still feeling unsure, use a digital camera to take
pictures of each BIOS screen. That way, you'll have a record of
the setup of the machine. Some menus have submenus, so it may take
you a few minutes to make a complete set of pictures. Store
the BIOS settings pictures on *another* computer, such that
if the current computer fails to boot, you can use the pictures
stored on the other computer, as your reference to restore the
settings.

Of course, Gateway may have fitted their own BIOS into the machine.
I don't know for a fact, that an Intel BIOS would be present. It
is just a guess on my part. That is why it is better to start
with a Gateway computer part number, and see what can be found
based on that.

Paul

 

[JD]

I think the F2 will work, though I haven't tried it yet. The Gateway model
number is PRB 500XL Retail PC. I went to the Gateway site and had no luck
finding any info on that model number.
I, too, suspect that the "Load Optimal Defaults" would be the factory
settings, and that that is what was loaded when the system clock was
returned to January 1, 2002. I don't yet know if this system includes a
"Save Custom Defaults" option.
I like the idea of unhiding the action during boot (which you mentioned in
your previous post). But does that mean that a "guest user" who turns on the
computer would have access to the Safe Mode or BIOS screens?

 

[Paul]

I think the F2 will work, though I haven't tried it yet. The Gateway model
number is PRB 500XL Retail PC. I went to the Gateway site and had no luck
finding any info on that model number.
I, too, suspect that the "Load Optimal Defaults" would be the factory
settings, and that that is what was loaded when the system clock was
returned to January 1, 2002. I don't yet know if this system includes a
"Save Custom Defaults" option.
I like the idea of unhiding the action during boot (which you mentioned in
your previous post). But does that mean that a "guest user" who turns on the
computer would have access to the Safe Mode or BIOS screens?

The BIOS usually includes features such as "Supervisor" or "User" passwords.
On a desktop computer, those strings are stored in the Southbridge CMOS
RAM. To remove the passwords, you could use the "Clear CMOS" jumper,
with the power off. Or, with the power off, you can pull the CMOS
battery, and then the passwords would be erased as well. The purpose of
a BIOS password, is to either protect the settings on the computer, or
prevent the computer from booting.

On certain laptops, the BIOS password implementation is much more dangerous.
Some laptops store the BIOS password in a serial EEPROM, not in volatile
CMOS RAM (volatile when you pull the battery). To get the password reset
on one of those, requires sending it to the manufacturer. Either that, or
some nice European chaps will sell you a kit, to reset it yourself. In such
cases, it pays to read the product documentation carefully, to see what would
happen if you forgot the password.

So on your average desktop computer, it isn't much security at all. In
other cases, the password could be "overly secure", meaning you could
be inconvenienced some day, by your attempts to secure the machine.

If the password were to be stored inside the BIOS EEPROM chip, a trip to
badflash.com and the usage of a replacement chip, could remove
the protection for you.

*******

OK. Back to the 500xl. This is about all I could find. It would seem
there were two 500xl models. And the Midway 4000820 uses an 865 chipset,
which seems different than the info I can find for this one. (Some docs
reference 845, others 865, and those are different generations.) Gateway
doesn't seem to acknowledge this model now. I tried archive.org but
can't make any progress there either. So no luck getting a manual.

http://web.archive.org/web/20021003004613/http://gateway.com/home/prod/hm_500xl_proddetail.shtml

Looks like it is "motherboard roulette" time...

Good luck,
Paul

 

[JD]

Your help is greatly appreciated. One of my wife's former students, it turns
out, is a computer professional and has offered to come over tomorrow and
replace the battery and make appropriate corrections in the BIOS. He
understood the situation immediately, so I feel confident in his expertise.