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System Setup Program: Dell Dimension XPS Txxx and Txxxr Systems Reference
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System Setup Program: Dell™ Dimension™ XPS Txxx
and Txxxr Systems Reference
Overview • Entering the System Setup Program • Main Screen • Advanced Screen
• Security Screen • Power
Screen • Boot Screen • Exit
Screen • Enabling the Processor
Serial Number • Clearing NVRAM
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 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 not enclosed in brackets 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 area lists keys and their functions for the currently
displayed screen.
The menu bar provides access to the following six screens:
- Main screen —
Provides settings for the basic system configuration
- Advanced screen
— Provides detailed settings for some system features
- Security screen
— Provides indications and settings for system password and setup password
- Power screen —
Provides settings for the system power-management features
- 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.
Enter the system setup program as follows:
- 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.
You can also enter the system setup program by responding to certain
error messages.
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. |
| Processor Speed |
Displays the internal speed of the microprocessor. |
| Processor Serial Number |
Displays the serial number of the microprocessor when
set to Enabled. Disabled (default) turns off the
feature. This option does not appear in the menu if the microprocessor does not support
the feature. |
| Cache RAM |
Indicates the amount of L2 cache memory
installed. NOTE: Depending on your system configuration,
the processor may be installed with 256 KB or 512 KB cache memory installed. |
| Service Tag |
Displays the system's service tag. |
| System Memory |
Displays the amount of system memory installed,
ranging from 64 to 768 MB, in the 3 DIMM sockets on the system board. |
| Memory Bank n |
Displays the size and type of memory in the DIMM
sockets. If ECC DIMMs are installed in all of the banks, an option appears that allows you
to enable or disable the ECC functionality. If the option is not present, then some or all
of the installed memory is non-ECC. |
| ECC Configuration |
Appears on the screen only if the system detects an
all-ECC memory configuration. Leave this option set to ECC (default) for
optimum performance. To disable ECC, select Non-ECC. |
| L2 Cache ECC Support |
When Auto (default) is selected, the
system first checks the type of installed DIMMs. Then if all of the DIMMs are detected as
ECC, error checking is automatically allowed to occur on data accessed from the L2 cache.
If one or more non-ECC DIMMs are detected, error checking is not performed. When Enabled,
this option allows error checking to occur on data accessed from the L2 cache without
checking the type of installed DIMMs. If set to Disabled, error checking is not
performed. NOTICE: Be sure that Auto
or Enabled is selected before running mathematical application programs.
Otherwise, error checking will not be performed on the cache data. |
| System Time |
Resets the time on the system's internal clock. |
| System Date |
Resets the time on the system's internal calendar. |
Table 2. Advanced
Screen Menu Options
| Option |
Function |
| Plug & Play O/S |
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 this option is set to No before running Dell
Diagnostics. Otherwise, some diagnostics may incorrectly fail. |
| Reset Configuration 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 the power-on state for Num Lock. The Auto
(default) option turns on Num Lock for 101-key keyboards only. The On
option turns Num Lock on; Off turns this feature off. |
| Peripheral Configuration |
Displays the Peripheral
Configuration submenu. |
| IDE Configuration |
Displays the IDE Configuration
submenu. |
| Diskette Options |
Displays the Diskette Options
submenu. |
| DMI Event Logging |
Displays the DMI Event Logging
submenu. |
| Video Configuration |
Displays the Video
Configuration submenu. |
| Resource Configuration |
Displays the Resource
Configuration submenu for allocating IRQs and memory ranges. |
Table 3. Peripheral Configuration Submenu Options
| Option |
Function |
| Serial port A |
Configures the serial port. Set this option to Auto
(default), Enabled, or Disabled. If set to Enabled,
you can set the following additional options:
| Base I/O Address |
Available I/O addresses are COM1, COM2,
COM3, and COM4. |
| Interrupt |
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, Bidirectional,
ECP, and EPP. Bidirectional is the
default setting. |
| NOTE: Refer to 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 378h (default), 278h, and 228h. |
|
| Audio |
NOTE: This option is available in integrated audio systems only. Determines if integrated audio controller is Enabled
(default) or Disabled. Set this option to Disabled if
you are using a sound card instead of the integrated audio controller or if the resources
used by the controller are needed. |
| Legacy USB Support |
Set to Disable (default) if legacy USB
support is not desired. Enable allows support for legacy USB. |
Table 4. 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, usually a CD-ROM or tape drive. 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. |
Table 5. Primary IDE Master Submenu Options
| Option |
Function |
| Type |
Specifies the type of hard-disk drive. If the drive
supports the auto-detect feature, set this option to Auto. For
no IDE
drive, set Type to None. |
| Maximum Capacity |
Displays the drive's maximum storage capacity. |
| Multi-Sector Transfers |
Determines the number of sectors per block during
multiple-sector transfers. If Type is set to User, set Multi-Sector
Transfers to 2 Sectors, 4 Sectors,
8 Sectors, or 16 Sectors or disable the feature. |
| LBA Mode Control |
Determines LBA mode control. Set to Enable
(default) unless directed to change it by a Dell technical support representative. |
| Transfer Mode |
Selects method of moving data to and from the EIDE
drive. Options include Standard and the PIO modes 1, 2, 3, and 4, which
can improve the performance of a hard-disk drive. (The higher the PIO number, the faster
the transfer; most newer drives support Fast PIO 4.) For
the optimum transfer mode, set Type to Auto. If Type
is set to Disabled, PIO is turned off. |
| Ultra DMA |
Sets the Ultra DMA mode for the drive. |
Table 6. Diskette Options Submenu Options
| Option |
Function |
| Diskette controller |
Configures diskette drive interface. Options are Auto,
Enabled (default), and Disabled. |
| Diskette A |
Identifies the boot diskette drive in the computer.
The default is 1.44/1.25 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. |
Table 7. DMI Event Logging Submenu Options
| Option |
Function |
| Event Log Capacity |
Displays information about the event log. |
| Event Log Validity |
Displays Invalid if an error was
detected in the event log. |
| View DMI event log |
Permits viewing of the DMI Event Log. Press
<Enter> to view the DMI Event Log. To return to the DMI Event
Logging submenu, click Continue in the Event
Log window. |
| Clear all DMI event logs |
Clears the DMI Event Log when the system restarts if
set to Yes. Retains the event log information if set to No
(default). |
| Event Logging |
Permits logging of DMI events. Set this option to No
if no record of DMI events is desired. |
| Mark DMI events as read |
Press <Enter>, and then select Yes
or No to mark DMI events as read. |
Table 8. Video Configuration Submenu Options
| Option |
Function |
| Palette Snooping |
Allows an ISA expansion card to check a PCI expansion
card for an updated graphics palette. If this option is set to Disabled,
the ISA expansion card may not be updated along with the PCI expansion card. |
| AGP Aperture Size |
Sets the aperture size for the AGP video controller to
64 MB (default) or 256 MB. |
| Default Primary Video Adapter |
Supports the Microsoft� 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. |
Table 9. Resource Configuration Submenu Options
| Option |
Function |
| xxxx-xxxx |
Reserves the specified UMB (for example C800 -
CBFF) for use by legacy ISA devices. Settings are Available
(default) and Reserved. |
| IRQ n |
Reserves the specified IRQ for use by legacy ISA
devices. Settings are Available (default) and Reserved. |
Table 10. Security Screen Options
| Option |
Function |
| User Password Is |
Indicates whether a user password has been assigned. |
| Setup Password Is |
Indicates whether a setup password has been assigned. |
| Set User Password |
Allows you to assign, change, or clear a user
password, which controls access to the computer at start-up. |
| Set Setup Password |
Allows you to assign, change, or clear a setup
password that provides access to both the computer and the system setup program. |
| User Setup Access |
Controls user access to the system setup
program. Full Access (default) allows full user access. Set this option to Limited
Access to allow user access only to System Date, System Time,
and Set User Password. Set this option to View Only to
allow only user viewing access. None prevents user access to the system setup
program. |
Table 11. Power Screen Options
| Option |
Function |
| Power Management |
Enables or disables Inactivity Timer
and Hard Drive options. |
| Inactivity Timer |
Determines the period of system inactivity (between 1
and 120 minutes) before certain system components enter a low-power mode. To disable power
management, leave this option set to Off (default). NOTE: Leave this option set to Off if the operating system
has power management controls. |
| Hard Drive |
When set to Enabled (default), Hard
Drive allows most EIDE hard-disk drives to automatically switch into
low-power mode after a specified period of system inactivity (called a time-out).
The time-out period is set with the Inactivity Timer
option. When Hard Drive is set to Disabled,
hard-disk drives do not switch into low-power mode. |
| VESA Video Power Down |
NOTES: This option is available only if the
installed video card supports this feature. If your
computer is running Windows 98, use the Display icon in the Control
Panel to save monitor power instead of using the VESA Video Power
Down option. If your computer is running Windows 2000, double-click the Display
icon in the Control Panel and then click the Power
button on the Screen Saver tab to save monitor power.
NOTICE: Before enabling this option, check the monitor
documentation to make sure that the monitor is DPMS-compliant; otherwise, there is a risk
of damaging the monitor.
This option selects a VESA� power management mode for the monitor
during periods of system inactivity. Settings for this option are Disabled,
Standby (default), Suspend, and Sleep. |
Table 12. Boot Screen Options
| Option |
Function |
| Boot-time Diagnostic Screen |
When set to Disabled (default), this
option allows only the blue Dell logo screen to appear during POST. If set to Enabled,
this option allows the POST diagnostics test results to be displayed on the screen during
POST. |
| QuickBoot Mode |
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.
- Stay 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.
|
| On LAN |
Determines how the system responds to a Wakeup On LAN
event. The selections are Power On (default) or Stay Off. |
| First Boot Device |
Determines which device the system tries to boot from
first. Use the up- or down-arrow key to to highlight a device, and press the plus (+) or
minus (-) key to move the item up or down the list. Settings for this option are as
follows:
- Removable Devices (default) – Normally diskette
drive A
- Hard Drive – Hard-disk drive connected to
primary EIDE channel
- ATAPI CD-ROM Drive – CD-ROM drive
- Network Boot – Drive on the
network server
|
| Second Boot Device |
Determines which device the system tries to boot from
if it cannot boot from the device selected for First Boot
Device. Settings for this option are the same as for First
Boot Device. |
| Third Boot Device |
Determines which device the system tries to boot from
if it cannot boot from the device selected for First Boot Device or Second
Boot Device. Settings for this option are the same as
for First Boot Device. |
| Fourth Boot Device |
Determines which device the system tries to boot from
if it cannot boot from the device selected for First Boot
Device, Second Boot Device
or Third Boot Device. Settings for this
option are the same as for First Boot Device. |
| Hard Drive |
Displays order of bootable hard-disk drives. See Hard Drive submenu. |
| Removable Devices |
Displays a list of removable devices. See Removable Devices submenu. |
Table 13. Hard Drive Submenu Options
| Option |
Function |
| device designation |
The computer system attempts to boot the operating
system from the first device listed. To select a new boot device, reorder the list: Use
the up- or down-arrow key to highlight a device, and press the plus (+) or minus (-) key
to move the item up or down the list. If no operating system is found on the boot device,
the system attempts to boot from each successive device until an operating system is
found. |
| Bootable Add-In Card |
Same as proceeding item. |
Table 14. Removable Devices Submenu Option
| Option |
Function |
| Legacy Floppy Drives |
The operating system assigns drive letters to
removable devices in the order listed on the Removable Devices
submenu. To change the drive designations, reorder the list: Use the up- or down-arrow key
to highlight a device, and press the plus (+) key or minus (-) key to move the item up or
down the list. |
Table 15. 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 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. |
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.
To enable the processor serial number feature, perform the following
steps.
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.
- When the Main screen appears, use the down-arrow key
to highlight the Processor Serial Number option.
- Press <Enter>, select Enabled from the menu,
and then press <Enter> again.
- 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.
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.
- Press the down-arrow key to highlight Reset Configuration
Data. Then press the plus (+) key to change the setting to Yes
(refer to Advanced Screen Menu Options table).
- Press <F10> to exit the program and restart the system.
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