NOTE: Your operating system may automatically configure most of the options available in system setup, thus overriding options that you set through system setup. (An exception is the External Hot Key option, which you can disable or enable only through system setup.) For more information on configuring features for your operating system, access the Help and Support Center (see Windows Help and Support Center).
You can use system setup as follows:
To set or change user-selectable features—for example, your computer password
To verify information about the computer's current configuration, such as the amount of system memory
After you set up the computer, run system setup to familiarize yourself with your system configuration information and optional settings. You may want to write down the information for future reference.
The system setup screens display the current setup information and settings for your computer, such as:
System configuration
Boot order
Boot (start-up) configuration and docking-device configuration settings
Basic device-configuration settings
System security and hard-drive password settings
NOTICE: Unless you are an expert computer user or are directed to do so by Dell technical support, do not change the system setup settings. Certain changes might make your computer work incorrectly.
Viewing the System Setup Screens
Turn on (or restart) your computer.
When the DELL™ logo appears, press <F2> immediately. If you wait too long and the Windows logo
appears, continue to wait until you see the Windows desktop. Then shut down your computer and try
again.
System Setup Screens
In the system setup program, primary categories of settings are listed on the left. To view the types of settings in a category, highlight the category and press <Enter>. When you highlight a setting type, the right side of the screen displays the value for that setting type. You can change settings that appear as white type on the screen. Values that you cannot change (because they are determined by the computer) appear less bright.
System-setup key functions are listed across the bottom of the screen.
Commonly Used Options
Certain options require that you reboot the computer for new settings to take effect.
Changing the Boot Sequence
The boot sequence tells the computer where to look to find the software needed to start the operating system. You can control the boot sequence and enable/disable devices using the Boot Sequence page, which is located in the System category.
The Boot Sequence page displays a general list of the bootable devices that may be installed in your computer, including but not limited to the following:
Diskette Drive
Modular bay HDD
Internal HDD
CD/DVD/CD-RW drive
NOTE: You can only boot (start up) your computer from a CD, CD-RW, or DVD drive installed as a fixed drive. You cannot boot from one of these modules if it is installed in the module bay.
During the boot routine, the computer starts at the top of the list and scans each enabled device for the operating system start-up files. When the computer finds the files, it stops searching and starts the operating system.
To control the boot devices, select (highlight) a device by pressing the down-arrow or up-arrow key, and then enable or disable the device or change its order in the list.
To enable or disable a device, highlight the item and press the space bar. Enabled items appear as white and display a small triangle to the left; disabled items appear blue or dimmed without a triangle.
To reorder a device in the list, highlight the device and then press <u> or <d> (not case-sensitive) to move the highlighted device up or down.
Boot sequence changes take effect as soon as you save the changes and exit system setup.
Performing a One-Time Boot
You can set a one-time-only boot sequence without entering system setup. (You can also use this procedure to boot the Dell Diagnostics on the diagnostics utility partition on your hard drive.)
Shut down the computer through the Start menu.
If the computer is connected to a docking device (docked), undock it. See the documentation that
came with your docking device for instructions.
Connect the computer to an electrical outlet.
Turn on the computer. When the DELL logo appears, press <F12> immediately. If you wait too long
and the Windows logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Windows desktop. Then shut down
your computer and try again.
When the boot device list appears, highlight the device from which you want to boot and press
<Enter>.
The computer boots to the selected device.
The next time you reboot the computer, the previous boot sequence is restored.
