Using the System Setup Program:
Dell™ Precision™ WorkStation 410 Desktop Systems
Each time you turn on your computer system or press the reset button, the
system compares the hardware installed in the system to the hardware listed
in the system configuration information stored in nonvolatile random-access
memory (NVRAM) on the system board. If the system detects a discrepancy, 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 time or date on
your system
-
To enable or disable all integrated devices in your system
You can view the current settings at any time. When you change a setting, in
many cases you must reboot the system before the change takes
effect.
After you set up your system, run the System Setup program to familiarize
yourself with your system configuration information and optional settings.
For future reference, Dell recommends that you print the System Setup
screens (by pressing the <Print Scrn> key) if you have a local printer
installed, or write down the information if you do not have a
printer.
Before you use the System Setup program, you need to know the kind of
diskette drive(s) and hard-disk drive(s) installed in your computer. If you
are unsure of any of this information, see the manufacturing test report
that was shipped with your system. You can access the manufacturing test
report from the Dell Accessories program folder.
To enter the System Setup program, press the System Setup key combination
during the system's power-on self test (POST), as follows:
-
Restart your system.
- During the boot routine, the message
F2 = Setup appears on the screen. When the message appears,
immediately press the <F2> key.
 |
NOTE:
An alternate way to enter the
System Setup program is to press the
<Ctrl><Alt><Enter> keys instead of the <F2>
key. |
The message Entering Setup
appears and is soon replaced by Page 1 of the System Setup screens.
If you wait too long to press the <F2> key, the
F2 = Setup
message disappears and your operating system begins to load into memory. If
this situation occurs, let the system complete the load operation; then shut
it down and try again.
|
|
NOTE:
To ensure an orderly system
shutdown, consult the documentation that
accompanied your operating system. |
You can also enter the System Setup program by responding to certain error
messages. See
"Responding to Error Messages"
at the end of this chapter.
The two System Setup screens, Page 1 and Page 2, display the current setup
and configuration information and optional settings for your system.
(Typical examples are illustrated in
Figure 3-1.)
Information on the two System Setup screens is organized in five boxed
areas:
-
Title box
The box at the top of both screens lists the page number (Page 1 or Page 2)
and the revision number of the basic input/output system (BIOS).
-
Configuration options
The box on the left half of both screens lists the options that define the
installed hardware in your computer.
Fields beside the options contain settings or values. You can change those
that appear bright on the screen. Settings or values that you cannot change
because they are determined by the system appear less bright.
Some options have multiple fields, which may show settings or values as
bright or less bright depending upon what settings or values you entered in
other fields.
-
Help
The box on the upper-right half of both screens displays help information for
the option with a currently highlighted field.
-
System data
The box in the lower-right corner of both screens displays information about
your system.
-
Key functions
The line of boxes across the bottom of both screens lists keys and their
functions within the System Setup program.
Table 3-1 lists the keys you use to view or change information on the System
Setup screens and to exit the program.
Table 3-1. System-Setup Navigation Keys
| Keys |
Action |
 |
Moves to the next field. |
 |
Moves to the previous field. |
 |
Cycles through the settings in a field. In many fields, you can
also type the appropriate value. |
 |
Scrolls through help information. |
 |
Switches between Pages 1 and 2. |
 |
Exits the System Setup program without rebooting the
system and returns the system to its previous state-the
boot routine or operating system prompt.
For most of the options, any changes you make are recorded but do not take
effect until the next time you boot the system; for a few (as noted in the
help area), the changes take effect immediately. |
 |
Exits the System Setup program and reboots the system, implementing any
changes you have made. |
 |
Restores the default value for the currently selected option. |
Figure 3-1. System Setup Screens
The following subsections explain in detail each of the options on the System
Setup screens.
Time resets the time on the computer's internal clock.
Time is kept in a 24-hour format (hours:minutes:seconds). To change the time,
press the right-arrow key to increase the number in the highlighted field or
press the left-arrow key to decrease the number. If you prefer, you can type
numbers in each of the appropriate fields.
Date resets the date on the computer's internal calendar.
Your system automatically displays the day of the week corresponding to the
settings in the three fields that follow (month, day-of-month, and
year).
To change the date, press the right-arrow key to increase the number in the
highlighted field or press the left-arrow key to decrease the number. If you
prefer, you can type numbers in the month and
day-of-month fields.
Diskette Drive A and Diskette Drive B identify the type(s) of diskette drive(s)
installed in your computer. The standard configuration for this system is
one 3.5-inch slimline diskette drive installed at the top of the drive cage.
This drive is designated Diskette Drive A and is normally the only diskette
drive in the computer.
If you install a second diskette drive, it is normally designated as Diskette
Drive B.
The relative positions of the two drive options always match the physical
locations of the drives in your computer-the drive listed on top is the top
drive in your computer.
The settings are:
-
5.25 Inch, 360 KB
-
5.25 Inch, 1.2 MB
-
3.5 Inch, 720 KB
-
3.5 Inch, 1.44 MB
-
Not Installed
Primary identifies drives attached to the primary enhanced integrated drive
electronics (EIDE) interface connector (labeled "IDE1") on the
system board; Secondary identifies drives connected to the secondary EIDE
interface connector (labeled "IDE2").
For both the Primary and the Secondary drive sections, the Drive 0 and Drive
1 options identify the type of EIDE hard-disk drives installed in the
computer. For each drive, seven parameters can be chosen as a group by
drive-type number, entered individually from the keyboard or set automatically. A
drive-type number specifies the parameters of a hard-disk drive based on a
table recorded in the system's BIOS.
To choose a setting, type characters from the keyboard or use the left- or
right-arrow key to cycle through the choices.
The settings are:
-
Auto
-
None
-
Usr1 or Usr2
-
A specific drive-type number
|
|
NOTES:
The Primary and Secondary
drive sections identify only
EIDE drives. If a drive other than an EIDE drive (that is, a SCSI drive) is
installed, the corresponding setting in the Primary and Secondary drive
sections should be None.
Operating systems that bypass the system BIOS may not obtain optimum
hard-disk drive performance. |
For EIDE CD-ROM and EIDE tape drives that use the built-in EIDE controller,
it is recommended that you use the secondary EIDE interface connector if a
hard-disk drive is attached to the primary EIDE interface
connector.
For all EIDE devices, set the appropriate Drive option to Auto.
For EIDE hard-disk drives, the system provides an automatic drive-type detect
feature.
To use this feature for Drive 0, highlight the Drive 0 option and type a
(for automatic). To use it for Drive 1, type a at the Drive 1 option. In each
case, the setting changes to Auto. After you reboot the system, the System
Setup program automatically sets the correct drive parameters for each
drive.
Before installing a new EIDE hard-disk drive, also check the documentation
that came with the drive to verify that all jumper settings on the drive are
appropriate for your configuration.
|
|
NOTE:
If you are using a hard-disk
drive that was shipped by Dell, use the
Auto setting. |
If the system generates a drive error message the first time you boot your
system after installing an EIDE drive, it may mean that your particular
drive does not work with the automatic drive-type detect feature. If you
suspect that your problem is related to drive type, try entering your
drive-type information in one of the following ways:
-
If you know the drive-type number, you can type it.
-
If you don't know the drive-type number, you can enter your own parameters.
See the next two subsections for instructions.
Use the drive-type number you found in the documentation that came with the
drive or, if the drive was installed by Dell when you purchased your system,
on the manufacturing test report that was shipped with your system.
To set the drive-type number in the System Setup program, highlight the
appropriate drive option (Drive 0 or Drive 1) and type the correct
drive-type number. If you prefer, you can press the right- or left-arrow key
to increase or decrease, respectively, the drive-type number until the
correct one is displayed.
The Drive 0 and Drive 1
options display the following seven parameters for each drive type:
-
Type is the drive-type number for the selected hard-disk drive.
-
Cyls is the number of logical cylinders.
-
Hds indicates the number of logical heads in the drive.
-
Pre (precompensation cylinder) is the cylinder number at which the
electrical current for the drive head changes to compensate for differences
in data density across the disk surface (this parameter has no effect for
EIDE drives).
-
LZ is the cylinder number that is used as the drive's landing zone for the
heads when the drive is not in use.
-
Sec is the number of logical sectors per track.
-
Size (automatically calculated by the system) indicates the number of
millions of bytes of storage provided by the drive.
If none of the supported drive types match the parameters of your new drive,
you can enter your own parameters. To do so, highlight the appropriate drive
option (Drive 0 or Drive 1) and type u to display Usr1. You can then use the
right- or left-arrow key to switch between the Usr1 and Usr2 settings. Then
press the <Tab> key to highlight each of the parameter fields in
succession, and enter the appropriate number for each field. You can have
only two user-defined drive types.
|
|
NOTE:
The Usr1 and Usr2 drive types
can be used for both the Primary and
Secondary Drive 0 and Drive 1 options. However, if you select the Usr1 or
Usr2 drive type, you may not obtain optimum hard-disk drive performance.
Also, the Usr1 and Usr2 drive types cannot be used for hard-disk drives
greater than 528 megabytes (MB) in capacity. |
Reserved Memory allows you to designate a region of system board memory that
can be supplied by an expansion card. You should not enable the reserved
memory feature unless you are using an expansion card that requires special
addressing.
For example, you may have a memory expansion card that needs to be addressed
starting at 15 MB. Selecting 15M - 16M for Reserved Memory specifies that
only part of the base memory comes from the dual in-line memory modules
(DIMMs) on the system board, whereas the base memory from 15 MB to 16 MB
comes from the memory expansion card.
Reserved Memory has the following settings:
-
None (the default)
-
15M - 16M
-
512K - 640K
CPU Speed indicates the processor speed at which your system boots.
Press the left- or right-arrow key to toggle CPU Speed between the
processor's rated speed (the default) and a lower compatibility speed, which
lets you accommodate speed-sensitive application programs.
Num Lock determines whether your system boots with the Num Lock mode
activated on 101- or 102-key keyboards.
When Num Lock mode is activated, the rightmost bank of keys on your keyboard
provides the mathematical and numeric functions shown at the tops of the
keys. When Num Lock mode is turned off, each key provides the cursor-control
function (if any) indicated at the bottom of the key.
ACPI controls the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface. If the
operating system supports ACPI and ACPI is toggled On, pressing the power
button momentarily places the system in a power-saving mode. You can turn
the system completely off by pressing and holding the power button for more
than 4 seconds. When ACPI is activated (On), IRQ 9 is not available for use
by expansion cards.
When ACPI is toggled Off, pressing the power button turns the system
completely off. When ACPI is not activated (Off), IRQ 9 is available for use
by expansion cards.
|
|
NOTE:
If your operating system does
not support ACPI, the computer will not
go into power-saving mode when you press the power button, even if ACPI is
toggled to On in the System Setup program. |
Chassis Intrusion displays the status of the system's chassis intrusion
detector.
If the chassis is opened, the setting changes from Not Detected to Detected
and the following message is displayed during the boot routine at system
start-up:
Alert! Cover was previously removed.
To clear this field and allow future intrusions to be detected, make sure the
chassis cover is closed, and then enter the System Setup program during the
system's POST, as described earlier in this chapter. At Chassis Intrusion,
use the left- or right-arrow key to choose Reset. This action changes the
setting to its default, Not Detected.
|
|
NOTE:
If a setup password has been
assigned by someone else, contact your
network administrator for information on resetting the chassis intrusion
detector. |
Thermal Power-off, when enabled, sets a timer to shut down the system
approximately 3 minutes after the system BIOS detects an overtemperature
condition for a processor or hard-disk drive. This feature provides a
safeguard in the event that another shutdown utility, such as the Dell
AutoShutdown service, is not installed or fails to shut the system down
after an overtemperature condition.
 |
CAUTION:
Disabling Thermal Power-off can
result in overheating and damage to
the system. |
Video DAC Snoop lets you correct video problems that may occur when certain
video expansion cards are used. The default setting, Off, improves system
compatibility, but may prevent some video expansion cards from working
properly.
If you are using a video expansion card and problems such as incorrect colors
or blank windows occur, set Video DAC Snoop to On.
Keyboard Errors enables or disables reporting of keyboard errors during the
POST, which is a series of tests that the system performs on the hardware
each time you turn on the system or press the reset button.
This option is useful when applied to self-starting servers or host systems
that do not have a permanently attached keyboard. In these situations,
selecting Do Not Report suppresses all error messages relating to the
keyboard or to the keyboard controller during POST. This setting does not
affect the operation of the keyboard itself, if a keyboard is attached to
the computer.
System Password displays the current status of your system's password
security feature and allows you to assign and verify a new password. No one
can assign a new password unless the current status is Not Enabled, which is
displayed in bright characters.
The settings for System Password are:
-
Not Enabled (the default)
-
Enabled (appears after password has been assigned)
-
Disabled By Jumper (appears only after the jumper plug has been removed from
the PSWD jumper on the system board)
To assign and enable a password, press the left- or right- arrow key, type
the password, and press <Enter>. Then retype the password and press
<Enter>. If the system beeps when you press a key, the key is illegal
for password use. Press the <Esc> key to abort the password entry
procedure.
To disable the system password, enter the password during system start-up but
do not press <Enter> to continue the system start-up sequence. Instead,
simultaneously press the <Ctrl> and <Enter> keys after typing
the password.
To change the system password, disable the password (as described above), and
then enter the System Setup program and assign a new password.
Password Status provides an extra measure of system security by letting you
set the system password to Locked.
When Password Status is set to Unlocked, any user who already knows the
system password can disable the password at system start-up by using
<Ctrl><Enter>-thus (inadvertently or not) leaving
the system without password protection.
When Password Status is set to
Locked and a user tries to disable the password at system start-up, the
following message is displayed:
Password locked, not disabled
To provide maximum security for your system, operate the system with System
Password Enabled, Setup Password Enabled, and Password Status Locked. Then,
if you want to let selected individuals use your system, give them the
system password but not the setup password. In this way, even those who know
the system password cannot disable it at system start-up and will not be
able to unlock it in the System Setup program to change or disable it.
In situations where the network administrator does not want to use a system
password, Password Status can be used to guard against a user assigning a
password. With Password Status Locked and Setup Password Enabled, a user who
does not know the setup password cannot enter the System Setup program to
unlock the system password and assign one.
Boot Sequence can be set to Diskette First (the default), Hard Disk Only,
CD-ROM First, or Device List.
The term boot refers to the system's start-up procedure. When turned on, the
system "bootstraps" itself into an operational state by loading
into memory a small program, which in turn loads the necessary operating
system. Boot Sequence tells the system where to look for the files that it
needs to load.
Selecting Diskette First causes the system to try booting from drive A first.
If the system finds a diskette that is not bootable in the drive or finds a
problem with the drive itself, it displays an error message. If it does not
find a diskette in the drive, the system tries to boot from the hard-disk
drive (drive 0), then from the CD-ROM, and finally from the Plug and Play
network adapters in the order found.
Selecting Hard Disk Only causes the system to attempt to boot first from the
hard-disk drive and then from the Plug and Play network adapters in the
order found. The system will not attempt to boot from drive A or the CD-ROM
drive.
Selecting CD-ROM First causes the system to try booting from the CD-ROM drive
first. If the system finds a CD that is not bootable in the drive or finds a
problem with the drive itself, it displays an error message. If it does not
find a CD in the drive, the system tries to boot from drive A, then from
drive C, and finally from the Plug and Play network adapters in the order
found.
Device List provides access to the Device List screen (see Figure 3-2), where
you can choose from a list of available boot devices and specify the order
in which your computer attempts to boot from these devices. To view the
Device List screen, press <Ctrl> and the right-arrow key.
|
CAUTION:
Only a technically knowledgeable
person should change the settings
in the Device List screen. |
The Device List screen provides three options for listing and prioritizing
the available boot devices on your system:
-
Boot Device Priority
-
Exclude From Boot Device Priority
-
Device Controller Priority
Boot Device Priority lists all bootable devices (hard-disk drives, CD-ROM
drives, and so on) that are controlled by the system BIOS and any Plug and
Play network adapters installed in the system.
Exclude From Boot Device Priority allows you to remove from Boot Device
Priority any boot devices that you want the system to ignore during system
start-up.
Device Controller Priority lists the system BIOS controller; integrated SCSI
controllers; any non-Plug and Play devices, such as network adapter cards;
and any secondary controller cards, such as a small computer system
interface (SCSI) adapter, installed in the system.
|
|
NOTE:
Non-Plug and Play devices
appear in the list as Adapters without ID support. |
When determining the order of devices to boot from, the system first
considers the order of the devices listed under Device Controller Priority
and then considers the order of devices under Boot Device Priority.
Figure 3-2. Sample Device List Screen
To specify your priority preferences, order the devices under these options
so that the highest-priority controller is at the top of Device Controller
Priority and the highest-priority device is at the top of Boot Device
Priority. Order the remainder of the devices in Boot Device Priority
according to your preferences. Move any devices that you want the system to
ignore during start-up into Exclude From Boot Device Priority.
|
|
NOTE:
The system defines drive C in
Boot Device Priority as the first
hard-disk drive attached to the highest-priority device controller.
Therefore, if you have a SCSI adapter installed in your system and you want
the SCSI drive 0 to be drive C, you must move the SCSI adapter item to the
top of Device Controller Priority. |
To change the order of the devices, press <Ctrl> and the up- or
down-arrow key. If you want to revert to the original Boot Device Priority
settings, press <Ctrl><Del>.
|
|
NOTE:
If you exit the Device List
screen by pressing <Esc> or <Alt><b>
without making any changes, Boot Sequence is set to Device List. |
Setup Password lets you restrict access to your computer's System Setup
program in the same way that you restrict access to your system with the
system password feature. The settings are:
-
Not Enabled (the default)
-
Enabled
-
Disabled by Jumper
Auto Power On allows you to turn on your computer system automatically. You
can set Auto Power On to turn on the system either every day or every Monday
through Friday at a preset time.
|
|
NOTE:
This feature will not work if
you turn off your system using a power
strip or surge protector. |
Select Everyday or Mon-Fri, and then use the down-arrow key to highlight
first the hours field and then the minutes field. Time is kept in a
24-hour format (hours:minutes). To change the start-up time, press the
right-arrow key to increase the number in the highlighted field or
press the left-arrow key to decrease the number. If you prefer, you can type
numbers in both fields.
The default for Auto Power On is Disabled.
For certain types of monitors and most EIDE hard-disk drives, you can reduce
system power consumption by enabling the power management feature. With
Power Management enabled, these monitors and drives automatically switch
into low-power mode during periods of system inactivity.
Power Management can be implemented at three levels-Maximum, Regular, and
Minimum. (The different levels apply to the monitor only; hard-disk drive
operation is the same for all three.) The feature can also be set to
Disabled.
If you have a Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA®)
Display Power Management Signaling (DPMS)-compliant monitor, enabling Power
Management reduces monitor power consumption during periods of keyboard and
mouse inactivity.
|
CAUTION:
Check your monitor documentation
to make sure you have a
DPMS-compliant monitor before you enable this feature. Otherwise, you risk
damaging the monitor. |
|
|
NOTES:
Some 3D graphics cards do not
support DPMS. Refer to the documentation
for your particular 3D graphics card for information.
The power management feature monitors activity of a mouse connected to the
Personal System/2 (PS/2)-compatible mouse port. |
By setting Power Management to Maximum, Regular, or Minimum, you can set
predefined time-out periods (see Table 3-2) for the two successive monitor
shutdown stages, standby and off.
|
|
NOTE:
Each monitor manufacturer
defines the details of the shutdown stages
for its own monitors. But in all cases, power consumption decreases with
each stage from "on" (full power) to "standby" (reduced
power; the display image usually disappears) to "off" (where power
consumption is minimal). To define these stages for your monitor, see
the documentation that came with the monitor. |
For most DPMS-compliant monitors, any subsequent activity-including moving
the mouse-returns full power to the monitor.
Check your monitor documentation for information on how your monitor is
designed to operate.
Table 3-2. Power Time-Out Periods
Power
Management
Setting |
EIDE Drive
Spindown
Time-Outs |
Monitor
Standby
Time-Outs |
Monitor
Off
Time-Outs |
|
Disabled |
Never |
Never |
Never |
|
Maximum |
20 minutes |
10 minutes |
1 hour |
|
Regular |
20 minutes |
20 minutes |
1 hour |
|
Minimum |
20 minutes |
1 hour |
Never |
For most systems, enabling Power Management at any level causes EIDE
hard-disk drives to switch to low-power mode after about 20 minutes of
system inactivity.
|
|
NOTE:
Not all EIDE hard-disk drives
support this feature. Enabling this
feature for drives that do not support it may cause the EIDE drive to become
inoperable until the computer is restarted and Power Management is
disabled. |
In low-power mode, the disks inside the drive stop spinning. They remain idle
until the next drive access, which causes them to start spinning again.
(Because the disks take a few seconds to regain full speed, you may notice a
slight delay when you next access the hard-disk drive.)
When Power Management is Disabled (the default), the disks spin constantly as
long as the system is turned on.
Wakeup On LAN determines whether the Wakeup On LAN feature is set. The
settings for Wakeup On LAN are:
-
Off
-
On (Add-in NIC)
-
On (Integrated NIC)
If On (Add-in NIC) or On (Integrated NIC) is set, the system can be started
up by a special local area network (LAN) signal from a server management
console. Wakeup On LAN capability also allows remote computer setup, BIOS
upgrades, software downloading and installation, file updates, and asset
tracking after hours and on weekends when LAN traffic is typically at a
minimum.
|
|
NOTE:
The Wakeup On LAN feature
functions even when the computer is turned
off; however, the computer must be plugged into a working electrical outlet
at all times and must be shut down in the normal method expected by the
operating system. Thus, if you disconnect the system power cable from its
electrical outlet, if a power failure occurs, or if you shut down the system
abnormally, the Wakeup On LAN feature will not work. |
Sound determines whether the integrated audio controller is On (the default)
or Off. When Sound is set to Off, no sounds are emitted from any attached
external speakers or from the on-board speaker, except for beep codes. Set
Sound to Off if you want to use a sound expansion card instead of the
integrated audio controller or if you need the resources used by the
controller.
The following user-selectable settings for the NIC option determine the state
of the integrated NIC:
-
On (PXE Off) - NIC is enabled but not set to boot the system remotely from
the Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) on a network server.
-
On - NIC is enabled and PXE is set to allow the system administrator to
update the system remotely.
-
Off - NIC is disabled.
Mouse enables or disables the system's built-in PS/2-compatible mouse port.
Disabling the mouse allows an expansion card to use interrupt request (IRQ)
12.
Serial Port 1 and Serial Port 2 configure the system's built-in serial ports.
These options can be set to Auto (the default) to automatically configure a
port, to a particular designation (COM1 or COM3 for Serial Port 1 and COM2
or COM4 for Serial Port 2), or to Off to disable the port.
If you set a serial port to Auto and add an expansion card containing a port
configured to the same designation, the system automatically remaps the
built-in port to the next available port designation that shares the same
IRQ setting:
-
COM1 (input/output [I/O] address 3F8h), which shares IRQ4 with COM3, is
remapped to COM3 (I/O address 3E8h).
-
Likewise, COM2 (I/O address 2F8h), which shares IRQ3 with COM4, is remapped
to COM4 (I/O address 2E8h).
(Note that when two COM ports share an IRQ setting, you can use either port
as necessary, but you may not be able to use them both at the same time.)
If the second port (COM3 or COM4) is also in use, the built-in port is
turned off.
For more information about built-in ports, port designations, IRQs, and the
remapping of ports, see
"I/O Ports and Connectors".
Parallel Port configures the system's built-in parallel port. Parallel Port
can be set to 378h, to alternate addresses 278h
or 3BCh, or to Off to disable the port.
The default is 378h; you should leave it at that setting unless an expansion
card needs to use that address.
Parallel Mode controls whether the system's built-in parallel port acts as an
AT-compatible (unidirectional) or PS/2-compatible (bidirectional) port.
Your system also supports Extended Capabilities Port (ECP) mode, which can be
used by the Windows 95 operating system. Windows 95 uses ECP protocol
automatically if it detects an ECP-capable device.
Set Parallel Mode according to the type of peripheral device connected to the
parallel port. To determine the correct mode to use, see the documentation
that came with the device.
IDE Hard Disk enables or disables the system's built-in EIDE hard-disk drive
interface.
With Auto (the default) selected, the system turns off the built-in EIDE
interface as necessary to accommodate a controller card installed in an
expansion slot.
As part of the boot routine, the system first checks for a primary hard-disk
drive controller card installed in an expansion slot. If no card is found,
the built-in EIDE interface is enabled and the controller on the master EIDE
drive is designated as the primary controller, using IRQ14. If any EIDE
drives are attached to the secondary EIDE channel, IRQ15 is also used.
If a primary controller is detected on the expansion bus, the built-in EIDE
interface is disabled.
Selecting Off disables the built-in EIDE interface.
Diskette controls the operation of the system's built-in diskette drive
controller.
With Auto (the default) selected, the system turns off the built-in diskette
drive controller as necessary to accommodate a controller card installed in
an expansion slot.
With Write-Protect selected, nothing can be written to diskette drives and
tape drives using the system's built-in diskette drive controller. (The
system can still read from the drives.) When Write-Protect is selected, the
Auto setting is also in effect (the system turns off the built-in diskette
drive controller as necessary).
Selecting Off turns off the built-in diskette drive controller; this setting
is used primarily for troubleshooting purposes.
Speaker determines whether system sounds (other than beep codes) are emitted
by the on-board speaker. A change takes effect immediately (rebooting the
system is not required).
However, even with Speaker set to Off, sounds from the integrated audio
controller will be emitted by the on-board speaker. To disable the on-board
speaker completely, follow these steps:
-
Start the Windows 95 or Windows NT operating system.
-
Double-click the speaker icon in the right corner of the task bar.
-
From the Master Out panel, select Advanced Controls from the Options menu.
-
Click the Advanced button under the Master Out column.
-
Click the PC Speaker Mute check box.
SCSI controls the system's built-in SCSI controllers. The settings for SCSI
are:
-
Off (the default)
-
Secondary Only
-
Primary Only
-
Primary and Secondary
Refer to
"Using the Integrated SCSI Controllers," and
"Installing Drives,"
for information about configuring and installing SCSI devices.
The following fields, which are not selectable, display information about the
system:
|
CAUTION:
The password features provide a
basic level of security for the data
on your system. However, they are not foolproof. If your data requires more
security, it is your responsibility to obtain and use additional forms of
protection, such as data encryption programs. |
Your Dell system is shipped to you without the system password feature
enabled. If system security is a concern, you should operate your system
only with system password protection.
You can assign a system password, as described in the next subsection,
"Assigning a System Password," whenever you use the System Setup program.
After a system password is assigned, only those who know the password have
full use of the system.
When System Password is set to Enabled, the computer system prompts you for
the system password just after the system boots.
To change an existing system password, you must either know the password or
have access to the inside of the computer (see
"Deleting or Changing an Existing System Password"
found later in this section).
If you assign and later forget a system password, you need your computer key
to get inside the chassis, where you can change a jumper setting to disable
the system password feature (see
"Disabling a Forgotten Password"
found later in this chapter). Note that you erase the setup password at the
same time.
|
CAUTION:
If you leave your system running
and unattended without having a
system password assigned or if you leave your computer unlocked so that
someone can disable the password by changing a jumper setting, anyone can
access the data stored on your hard-disk drive. |
Before you can assign a system password, you must enter the System Setup
program and check the System Password status.
With a system password assigned, the status shown in System Password is
Enabled. With the system password feature disabled by a jumper setting on
the system board, the status shown is Disabled By Jumper. You cannot change
or enter a new system password if either of these settings is displayed.
With no system password assigned and with the password jumper on the system
board in the enabled position (its default), the status shown for System
Password is Not Enabled. Only when System Password is set to Not Enabled can
you assign a system password, using the following procedure:
-
Verify that Password Status is set to Unlocked.
For instructions on changing the setting for Password Status, see
"Password Status"
found earlier in this chapter.
-
Press the left- or right-arrow key.
The heading changes to Enter Password, followed by an empty seven-character
field in square brackets.
-
Type the new system password.
You can use up to seven characters in the password.
As you press each character key (or the <Spacebar> for a blank space),
a placeholder appears in the field.
The password assignment operation recognizes keys by their location on the
keyboard, without distinguishing between lowercase and uppercase characters.
For example, if you have an M in your password, the system recognizes either
M or m as correct.
Certain key combinations are not valid. If you enter one of these
combinations, the speaker emits a beep.
To erase a character when entering your password, press the <Backspace>
key or the left-arrow key.
|
|
NOTE:
To escape from the field
without assigning a system password, press the
<Tab> key or the <Shift><Tab> key combination to move the
highlight to another field or press the <Esc> key at any time prior to
completing step 5. |
-
Press <Enter>.
If the new system password is less than seven characters, the whole field
fills with placeholders. Then the heading changes to Verify Password,
followed by another empty seven-character field in square brackets.
-
To confirm your password, type it a second time and press <Enter>.
The password setting changes to Enabled. Your system password is now set; you
can exit the System Setup program and begin using your system. Note, however,
that password protection does not take effect until you reboot the system by
pressing the reset button or by turning the system off and then on again.
Whenever you turn on your system, press the reset button, or reboot the
system by pressing the <Ctrl><Alt><Del> key combination,
the following prompt appears on the screen when Password Status is set to
Unlocked:
Type in the password and...
- press <ENTER> to leave password security enabled.
- press <CTRL><ENTER> to disable password security.
Enter password:
If Password Status is set to Locked, the following prompt appears:
Type the password and press <Enter>.
After you type the correct system password and press <Enter>, your
system boots and you can use the keyboard to operate your system as usual.
|
|
NOTE:
If you have assigned a setup
password (see
"Using the Setup Password Feature"
found later in this chapter), the system accepts your
setup password as an alternate system password. |
If a wrong or incomplete system password is entered, the following message
appears on the screen:
** Incorrect password. **
Enter password:
If an incorrect or incomplete system password is entered again, the same
message appears on the screen.
The third and subsequent times an incorrect or incomplete system password is
entered, the system displays the following message:
** Incorrect password. **
Number of unsuccessful password
attempts: 3
System halted! Must power down.
The number of unsuccessful attempts made to enter the correct system password
can alert you that an unauthorized person has attempted to use your system.
Even after your system is turned off and on, the previous message is
displayed each time an incorrect or incomplete system password is entered.
|
|
NOTE:
You can use Password Status
in conjunction with System Password and
Setup Password to further protect your system from unauthorized changes. For
more information, see
"Password Status"
found earlier in this chapter. |
To delete or change an existing system password, perform the following steps:
-
Enter the System Setup program and verify that Password Status is set to
Unlocked.
Enter the System Setup program by pressing the <Ctrl><Alt><Enter>
key combination. Press the <Alt><p> key combination to
move to Page 2 of the System Setup screens. For instructions on changing the
setting for Password Status, see
"Password Status"
found earlier in this chapter.
-
Reboot your system to force it to prompt you for a system password.
-
When prompted, type the system password.
-
Press the <Ctrl><Enter> key combination to disable the existing
system password, instead of pressing <Enter> to continue with the
normal operation of your system.
-
Reboot the system and enter the System Setup program as described in
"Entering the System Setup Program"
found earlier in this chapter.
-
Confirm that Not Enabled is displayed for System Password in the System Setup
program.
If Not Enabled appears, the system password has been deleted. If you want to
assign a new password, go to step 7.
If Not Enabled is not displayed, press the <Alt><b> key
combination to reboot the system, and then repeat steps 3 through 6.
-
To assign a new password, follow the procedure in
"Assigning a System Password"
found earlier in this section.
Your Dell system is shipped to you without the setup password feature enabled.
If system security is a concern, you should operate your system with setup
password protection.
You can assign a setup password, as described in the next subsection,
"Assigning a Setup Password," whenever you use the System Setup program.
After a setup password is assigned, only those who know the password have
full use of the System Setup program.
To change an existing setup password, you must know the setup password (see
"Deleting or Changing an Existing Setup Password"
found later in
this section). If you assign and later forget a setup password, you need
your computer key to get inside the chassis, where you can change a jumper
setting to disable the password feature (see
"Disabling a Forgotten Password"
found later in this chapter). Note that you erase the system
password at the same time.
A setup password can be assigned (or changed) only when Setup Password is set
to Not Enabled. To assign a setup password, highlight Setup Password and
press the left- or right-arrow key. The system prompts you to enter and
verify the password. If a character is illegal for password use, the system
emits a beep.
|
|
NOTES:
The setup password can be the
same as the system password.
If the two passwords are different, the setup password can be used as an
alternate system password. However, the system password cannot be used in
place of the setup password. |
After you verify the password, the Setup Password setting changes to Enabled.
The next time you enter the System Setup program, the system prompts you for
the setup password.
A change to Setup Password becomes effective immediately (rebooting the
system is not required).
If Setup Password is set to Enabled, you must enter the correct setup
password before you can modify the majority of the System Setup options.
When you start the System Setup program, Page 2 of the System Setup screens
appears with Setup Password highlighted, prompting you to type the password.
If you do not enter the correct password in three tries, the system lets you
view, but not modify, the System Setup screens-with the following
exceptions:
-
You can still modify Date, Time, CPU Speed, Num Lock, and Speaker.
-
If System Password is not enabled and is not locked via Password Status, you
can assign a system password (however, you cannot disable or change an
existing system password).
|
|
NOTE:
You can use Password Status
in conjunction with Setup Password to
protect System Password from unauthorized changes. For more information, see
"Password Status"
found earlier in this chapter. |
To delete or change an existing setup password, perform the following steps:
-
Enter the System Setup program.
-
Highlight Setup Password, and press the left- or right-arrow key to delete
the existing setup password.
The setting changes to Not Enabled.
-
If you want to assign a new setup password, follow the procedure in
"Assigning a Setup Password"
found earlier in this section.
If you forget your system or setup password, you cannot operate your system
or change settings in the System Setup program, respectively, until you open
the computer, change the password jumper setting to disable the passwords,
and erase the existing passwords.
To disable a forgotten password, perform the following steps:
-
Remove the computer cover according to the instructions in
"Removing the Computer Cover".
|
CAUTION:
See "Protecting Against
Electrostatic Discharge" in the
safety instructions at the front of this guide. |
-
Refer to
"Jumpers"
for jumper information and to
Figure B-1
for the location of the password jumper (labeled "PSWD")
on the system board.
-
Remove the jumper plug from the PSWD jumper (the disable setting).
-
Replace the computer cover.
-
Reconnect your computer to its power source, and turn it on.
Booting your system with the PSWD jumper plug removed erases the existing
password(s).
|
|
NOTE:
Before you assign a new
system and/or setup password, you must replace
the PSWD jumper plug. |
-
Repeat step 1.
-
Replace the PSWD jumper plug (the enable setting).
-
Replace the computer cover, and then reconnect the computer and peripherals
to their power sources and turn them on.
Booting with the PSWD jumper installed reenables the password features. When
you enter the System Setup program, both password fields appear as Not
Enabled, meaning that password protection is no longer available because no
passwords have been assigned.
-
Assign a new system and/or setup password.
To assign a new system password, see
"Assigning a System Password"
found earlier in this chapter. To assign a new setup password, see
"Assigning a Setup Password"
found earlier in this chapter.
-
Reset the chassis intrusion detector.
See "Chassis Intrusion"
found earlier in this chapter.
If an error message appears on your monitor screen while the system is
booting, make a note of the message. Then, before entering the System Setup
program, refer to your Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide for an
explanation of the message and suggestions for correcting any errors.
(However, it is normal to receive an error message the first time you boot
the system after a memory upgrade. In that case, you do not need to refer to
the Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide-follow the instructions in
"Performing a Memory Upgrade" of this guide.)
If you are given an option of pressing either <F1> to continue or
<F2> to run the System Setup program, press the <F2> key.
