Boot Sequence
This feature allows you to change the boot sequence for the bootable devices installed on your computer.
Option Settings
l
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 attempts to boot from the next bootable device in the boot sequence.
l
Hard Drive
—
The computer attempts to boot from the primary hard drive. If no operating system is on the drive, the computer attempts to boot from
the next bootable device in the boot sequence.
l
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 attempts to
boot from the next bootable device in the boot sequence.
l
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.
Changing Boot Sequence for the Current Boot
You can use this feature, for example, to tell the computer to boot from the CD drive so that you can run the Dell Diagnostics on the
Dell ResourceCD
, but you
want the computer to boot from the hard drive when the diagnostic tests are complete. You can also use this feature to restart your computer to a USB device
such as a floppy drive, memory key, or CD-RW drive.
1.
If you are booting to a USB device, connect the USB device to a USB connector (see
Back View
).
2.
Turn on (or restart) your computer.
3.
When the DELL logo appears, press <F12> 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.
4.
At the
Boot Device Menu
, use the up- and down-arrow keys or press the appropriate number on the keyboard to highlight the device that is to be used
for the current boot only, and then press <Enter>.
For example, if you are booting to a USB memory key, highlight
USB Flash Device
and press <Enter>.
Changing Boot Sequence for Future Boots
1.
Enter system setup (see
Entering System Setup
).
2.
Use the arrow keys to highlight the
Boot Sequence
menu option and press <Enter> to access the menu.
3.
Press the up- and down-arrow keys to move through the list of devices.
4.
Press the spacebar to enable or disable a device (enabled devices have a checkmark).
5.
Press plus (+) or minus (
–
) to move a selected device up or down the list.
Clearing Forgotten Passwords
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.
NOTE:
If you are booting to a USB floppy drive, you must first set the floppy drive to
OFF
in system setup (see
System Setup
).
NOTE:
Keyboard failure may result when a key on the keyboard is held down for extended periods of time. To avoid possible keyboard failure,
press and release <F12> in even intervals until the
Boot Device Menu
appears.
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:
Write down your current boot sequence in case you want to restore it.
