Which function key?

[Robert Meek]

Which of the function keys will take you into the bios settings on most
computers? I know that F2 and F8 take you to the boot menu, and Ctrl + L
takes you to the Hard disk setup, but I can't remember how to get into the
boot menu! WinXP Pro Intel motherboard w/Pent 4

--
from Robert Meek dba "Tangentals Design"
Personal e-mail: (e-mail address removed)

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[Sharon F]

Which of the function keys will take you into the bios settings on most
computers? I know that F2 and F8 take you to the boot menu, and Ctrl + L
takes you to the Hard disk setup, but I can't remember how to get into the
boot menu! WinXP Pro Intel motherboard w/Pent 4

None of the keys that you mention do a darn thing on my system. I didn't
expect them to since they aren't mentioned in my system board's
documentation.

The answer really does vary from one system to the next. Boards with the
same BIOS vendor will use similar keys but even then not all keys are
supported on all systems using those boards. There can also be differences
where there are different applications of same vendor BIOS (mobile system
vs desktop, for example).

As for your question, it's confusing. F8 pressed at a particular moment
during startup takes you to the advanced start menu for Windows. You
mention this at the beginning of your post but later ask how to get into
the boot menu. The answer is still F8 unless you meant something different.

 

[afs_solutions]

Robert,

Hit the DEL key during system boot-up and before the o/s loads and that
should (in many cases) get you into the Mainboards BIOS.

I presume that was what you were asking, correct?

Paul

 

[T. Waters]

Robert,

Hit the DEL key during system boot-up and before the o/s loads and
that should (in many cases) get you into the Mainboards BIOS.

I presume that was what you were asking, correct?

Paul

And should your mothboard be different, see this article:
Access / Enter Motherboard BIOS
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm

 

[Star Fleet Admiral Q]

Let's put it this way, I have 2 workstation, a desktop and a laptop, all
made by the same manufacturer, just they are all a few years apart, with
different BIOs manufacturers and motherboards. Guess what, all 4 have a
different key-combo to get into the BIOS. My work laptop, well it too have
a 5th way to get into the BIOS.
So to answer your question, you'd need to tally each make, model, BIOS,
manufacturer, PC, laptop etc through out the world, and look at the grand
total to know. And then some company comes along a orders 10,000 of the
second place key-combo, which makes it first now.
Bottom line, if you need to know, find the manufacturer's or
motherboard/BIOs documentation for the particular
PC/laptop/workstation/server you are working on.

--

Star Fleet Admiral Q @ your Service!

http://www.google.com
Google is your "Friend"

 

[Robert Meek]

Yes. The menu offerings go by too fast to see them! F8 takes me to the
boot menu, and Ctrl + L to the HD setup, and I thought it was F2 for the
bios but it's not! I'll just have to try every key I guess!

--
from Robert Meek dba "Tangentals Design"
Personal e-mail: (e-mail address removed)

-------------------------------------------------
visit us on the World Wide Web and pick up
your free copy of "The Keep" at:

http://www.TangentalsDesign.com

E-mail us at one of the following:

(e-mail address removed)
(e-mail address removed)
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Sharon F]

Yes. The menu offerings go by too fast to see them! F8 takes me to the
boot menu, and Ctrl + L to the HD setup, and I thought it was F2 for the
bios but it's not! I'll just have to try every key I guess!

Suggestions: Try the Pause key during boot. If the system responds and
stops, press any key (or Pause) again to continue. If the BIOS is
configured to stop on keyboard error, pressing a key continuously should
cause a stop at a screen offering "continue" or "enter setup."

Also, if you don't have a physical hard copy of the system manual or a copy
on disk, most manufacturer's offer them for downloading at their sites. The
manual should have a list of all special key combinations and a description
of their purposes.

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

Here is listing of some of the key combinations used to enter the BIOS setup
on start-up. You must do this during the first few seconds after you turn on
power. If you see the windows start-up, it's too late.

Dell >=Ctrl-Alt-Enter

Dell=Reset(Twice)

PS/2=Ctrl-Alt-?

PS/2=Ins

Toshiba >=Esc

Toshiba=F1

NEC=F2

Compaq >=Ctrl-Alt-Esc

Phoenix Bios=Ctrl-Alt-S

Phoenix Bios=Ctrl-Alt-Ins

AMI Bios and Award Bios and others=Del (most common)

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Yes. The menu offerings go by too fast to see them! F8
takes me
to the boot menu, and Ctrl + L to the HD setup, and I thought
it was
F2 for the bios but it's not! I'll just have to try every key
I
guess!

One common way is to press the Del key when you first power on,
but that's not necessarily right for your computer. Watch the
screen carefully when you first boot; there's often a message
there telling you what to do. If not, check your system
documentation or check with your vendor.



Also look here:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm

 

[Robert Meek]

Thanx to all of you. It turned out to be the Esc key!

--
from Robert Meek dba "Tangentals Design"
Personal e-mail: (e-mail address removed)

-------------------------------------------------
visit us on the World Wide Web and pick up
your free copy of "The Keep" at:

http://www.TangentalsDesign.com

E-mail us at one of the following:

(e-mail address removed)
(e-mail address removed)
(e-mail address removed)
-------------------------------------------------

Here is listing of some of the key combinations used to enter the BIOS
setup on start-up. You must do this during the first few seconds after you
turn on power. If you see the windows start-up, it's too late.

Dell >=Ctrl-Alt-Enter

Dell=Reset(Twice)

PS/2=Ctrl-Alt-?

PS/2=Ins

Toshiba >=Esc

Toshiba=F1

NEC=F2

Compaq >=Ctrl-Alt-Esc

Phoenix Bios=Ctrl-Alt-S

Phoenix Bios=Ctrl-Alt-Ins

AMI Bios and Award Bios and others=Del (most common)


--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/User