To change the system configuration information after you add, change, or remove any hardware in your computer
To set or change a user-selectable option such as the user password
To read the current amount of memory or set the type of hard drive installed
Before you use the system setup program, it is recommended that you write down the system setup program screen information for future reference.
NOTICE: Unless you are an expert computer user, do not change the settings for this program. Certain changes can make your computer work incorrectly.
Entering the System Setup Program
Turn on (or restart) your computer.
When the blue DELL™ logo appears, press <F2> immediately.
If you wait too long and the operating system logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Microsoft® Windows® desktop. Then shut down your computer and try again.
System Setup Program Screens
The system setup program screen displays current or changeable configuration information for your computer. Information on the screen is divided into three areas: the options list, active options field, and key functions.
Options List — This field appears on the left side of the system setup program window. The field is a scrollable list containing features that define the configuration of your computer, including installed hardware, power conservation, and security features.
Scroll up and down the list by using the up- and down-arrow keys. As an option is highlighted, the Option Field displays more information about that option and the option's current and available settings.
Option Field — This field contains information about each option. In this field you can view your current settings and make changes to your settings.
Use the right- and left-arrow keys to highlight an option. Press <Enter> to make that selection active.
Key Functions — This field appears below the Option Field and lists keys and their functions within the active system setup program field.
System Setup Program Options
NOTE: Depending on your computer and installed devices, the items listed in this section may not appear, or they may not appear exactly as listed.
System
CPU Info
Identifies whether the computer's processor supports Hyper-Threading and lists the processor bus speed, processor ID, clock speed, and L2 cache.
Memory Info
Indicates amount of installed memory, memory speed, channel mode (dual or single), and type of memory installed.
PCI Info
Indicates the expansion card type by slot location.
Date/Time
Displays current date and time settings.
Boot Sequence
The computer attempts to boot from the sequence of devices specified in this list.
NOTE: If you insert a boot device and restart the computer, this option appears in the system setup menu. To boot from a USB memory device, select the USB device and move it so it becomes the first device in the list.
Drives
Diskette Drive
Identifies and defines the floppy drive attached to the DSKT connector on the system board as Off, USB, Internal, or Read Only.
SATA Drives 0 through 3
Identifies and defines the SATA drive settings. You can set the SATA drive to On, Off,or RAID On. The default setting is On.
PATA Drives 0 through 1
Identifies the drives attached to the ATA connectors on the system board, and lists the capacity for hard drives.
Smart Reporting
Determines whether hard-drive errors for internal drives are reported during system startup. Off does not report errors. On reports errors.
Onboard Devices
Integrated NIC
Enables or disables the integrated NIC controller. Off disables the controller. On enables the controller.
NOTE: PXE and RPL is required only if you are booting to an operating system on another system; not if you are booting to an operating system on a hard drive in this system.
Audio Controller
Enables or disables the onboard audio controller.
USB Controller
(Default On) Enables or disables the internal USB controller. Off disables the controller. On enables the controller. No Boot enables the controller but disables the ability to boot from a USB device.
1394 Controller
Enables or disables the IEEE 1394 controller.
Serial Port #1
Disables or selects the address for the serial port. Options consist of: Off, Auto (which selects the port automatically and disables it if both addresses are in use), COM1 and COM3.
PS/2 Mouse Port
Enables or disables the onboard PS/2-compatible mouse controller.
Front LED Color
This setting allows you to change the front-panel back lighting to the following colors: off, ruby, emerald, amber, sapphire, amethyst, topaz, and diamond.
Video
Primary Video
This setting specifies which video controller is primary when two video controllers are present on the computer.
Performance
Hyper-Threading
If your processor supports Hyper-Threading, this option appears in the Options List.
HDD Acoustic Mode
Bypass — Your computer does not test or change the current acoustics mode setting.
Quiet (default) — The hard drive operates at its most quiet setting.
Suggested — The hard drive operates at the level suggested by the drive manufacturer.
Performance —The hard drive operates at its maximum speed.
NOTE: Switching to performance mode may cause the drive to be noisier, but its performance is not affected.
NOTE: Changing the acoustics setting does not alter your hard drive image.
Processor Info
This section displays available processor options.
Multiple CPU Core
This setting specifies whether more than one core is enabled. The performance of some applications may improve with an additional core enabled. Defaults to On (second core enabled).
CPU Clock Speed
With this option, it is possible to increase the operating frequency of the processor to a frequency greater than that in the processor manufacturer's design specifications. Use of this option may invalidate your warranty.
NOTICE: Dell does not recommend using extended operating frequencies or over-clocking. If you choose to over-clock your processor, the life expectancy of your processor may be reduced. Dell does not guarantee that your computer will remain stable or operate at the extended operating speeds.
Security
This section displays available system security options.
Admin Password
This option provides restricted access to the computer's system setup program in the same way that access to the system can be restricted with the System Password option.
System Password
Displays the current status of the system's password security feature and allows a new system password to be assigned and verified.
Password Changes
This option locks the system password field with the setup password. When the field is locked, you can no longer disable password security by pressing <Ctrl><Enter> when the computer starts.
DEP (Execute Disable)
Opt-In (default) — DEP is enabled by default on computers with NX-capable processors. Only Windows system binaries are covered by DEP with this option. Applications may enable DEP protection through creating an application compatibility shim and installing that shim with the application.
Opt-Out — DEP is enabled for all processes. Users can manually create exceptions for specific applications in System Properties, or IT Pros and ISVs can use the Application Compatibility Toolkit to opt-out.
Always On — Full DEP coverage with no exceptions.
Always Off —No user-mode DEP coverage. Drivers and the Widows core kernel binaries are covered by DEP, but no other binaries are included in the set of covered applications.
Power Management
AC Recovery
Determines what happens when AC power is restored to the computer.
Auto Power On
Sets the computer to automatically turn on. Choices are every day or every Monday through Friday.
The default setting is Off.
This feature does not work if you turn off your computer using a power strip or surge protector.
Auto Power Time
Sets time to automatically turn on the computer.
Time is kept in a 24-hour format (hours:minutes). Change the start-up time by pressing the right- or left-arrow key to increase or decrease the numbers, or type numbers in both the date and time fields.
This feature does not work if you turn off your computer using a power strip or surge protector.
Suspend Mode
The options are S1, a suspend state where the computer is running in a low-power mode, and S3, a standby state where the power is reduced or turned off for most components, however, system memory remains active.
Maintenance
Load Defaults
This setting restores the computer's factory-installed default settings.
Event Log
Displays the system event log.
POST Behavior
Fastboot
When set to On (default), your computer starts more quickly because it skips certain configurations and tests.
Numlock Key
This option involves the rightmost bank of keys on your keyboard. When set to On (default), this option activates the numeric and mathematical features shown at the top of each key. When set to Off, this option activates the cursor-control functions labeled on the bottom of each key.
POST Hotkeys
This option allows you to specify the function keys to display on the screen when the computer starts.
Keyboard Errors
This option disables or enables keyboard error reporting when the computer starts.
Boot Sequence
This feature allows you to change the boot sequence for devices.
Option Settings
Diskette Drive — The computer attempts to boot from the floppy drive. If the floppy disk in the drive is not bootable, if no floppy disk is in the drive, or if there is no floppy drive installed in the computer, the computer generates an error message.
Hard Drive — The computer attempts to boot from the primary hard drive. If no operating system is on the drive, the computer generates an error message.
CD Drive — The computer attempts to boot from the CD drive. If no CD is in the drive, or if the CD has no operating system, the computer generates an error message.
USB Flash Device — Insert the memory device into a USB port and restart the computer. When F12 = Boot Menu appears in the upper-right corner of the screen, press <F12>. The BIOS detects the device and adds the USB flash option to the boot menu.
NOTE: To boot to a USB device, the device must be bootable. To make sure that your device is bootable, check the device documentation.
NOTE: An error message is generated only after the computer attempts to boot from every device in the boot sequence and no operating system is found.
Changing Boot Sequence for the Current Boot
You can use this feature, for example, to restart your computer to a USB device such as a floppy drive, memory key, or CD-RW drive.
NOTE: If you are booting to a USB floppy drive, you must first set the floppy drive to OFF in the system setup program.
If you are booting to a USB device, connect the USB device to a USB connector.
Turn on (or restart) your computer.
When F2 = Setup, F12 = Boot Menu appears in the upper-right corner of the screen,
press <F12>.
If you wait too long and the operating system logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Microsoft Windows desktop. Then shut down your computer and try again.
The Boot Device Menu appears, listing all available boot devices. Each device has a number next to it.
At the bottom of the menu, enter the number of the device that is to be used for the current
boot only.
For example, if you are booting to a USB memory key, highlight USB Flash Device and press <Enter>.
NOTE: To boot to a USB device, the device must be bootable. To make sure your device is bootable, check the device documentation.
