F i r s t s t e p s
1/4 LS/VS660 OWNER’S HANDBOOK
If nothing happens when the P
OWER
button is pressed, check that
the system unit and monitor power cords are securely connected
and that the AC power supply is switched on. See also the chapter
on ‘Troubleshooting’.
Power-on self-test
Whenever the computer is turned on, the ‘power-on self test’
(POST) routine checks the actual set-up of the computer against
that recorded in its internal configuration memory.
The boot sequence
Provided that POST succeeds without any serious errors, the
computer looks for its operating system to start it going, that is, it
attempts to boot. By default, the computer will first look for a
floppy system disk, then for a bootable hard disk partition or area.
System disk
A floppy disk bearing at least the rudiments of an operating system. If
the computer detects a disk in the floppy drive, it tries to boot from it.
If it is a non-system disk, the computer will ask you to replace it.
Bootable hard disk
Most computers with a hard disk containing pre-installed software
arrive set up with a suitable ‘boot partition’. The operating system is
usually already in place or pre-installed on this, the
C:
drive. The C:
drive is usually made ‘active’, i.e. the bootable hard disk.
COMPACT