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About the Setup Utility
This chapter explains how to use and modify the BIOS setup utility that is
stored on the mainboard. The setup utility stores information about the
mainboard components, and the configuration of other devices that are
connected to it. The system uses this information to test and initialize
components when it is started up, and to make sure everything runs
properly when the system is operating.
The setup utility is installed with a set of default values. The default
values are designed to ensure that the system will operate adequately.
You will probably have to make changes to the setup utility whenever
you add new components to your system such as new disk drives. You
may be able to generate increased performance by changing some of
the timing values in the setup, but this can be limited by the kind of
hardware you are using, for example the rating of your memory chips. In
certain circumstances, the system may generate an error message
which asks you to make changes to the setup utility. This happens when
the system finds an error during the POST (power on self test) that it
carries out at start up.
Starting the Setup Utility
You can only start the setup utility shortly after the computer has been
turned on. A prompt appears on the computer display which says “
Press
DEL to run Setup
”. When you see this prompt, press the
Delete
key, and
the system will start the setup utility and display the main menu of the
utility.
Using the Setup Utility
When you press the
Delete
key to start setup, the main menu of the
utility appears.
The main menu of the setup utility shows a list of the options that are
available in the utility. A highlight shows which option is currently
selected. You can use the cursor arrow keys to move the highlight to
other options. When an option is highlighted, you can execute the option
by pressing the
Enter
key.
