Tips, Tricks and Troubleshooting

Tweaking and Reference

2006-01-25T08:40:00.000-08:00

For those who may be interested in finding out more about "Bios Tweaks", I have these links for help.
http://www.ping.be/bios/
http://www.sysopt.com/bios.html
http://www.chaintech.dk/QUESTION/biosq.HTM#What

Entering BIOS in Compaq Prolinea 575

2006-01-23T07:14:00.000-08:00

When the computer starts to boot up, there is a point where a small white box blinks in the upper right hand corner. Hit F10 when you see the box.

BIOS Beep Codes

2006-01-22T06:50:00.000-08:00

If a PC repeatedly beeps, that is a sign of the BIOS. There is a hardware problem you can even figure out by the "sort" of beeping.
The BIOS performs a power-on self-test (POST) when the system is turned on. This test is used to ensure that the system is functioning properly and to gather information about what the system contains. When a problem is identified with the system during the POST, the BIOS will normally produce an error message. However, in some cases the problem is detected so early in the test that the BIOS cannot even access the video card to print the message! In this case the BIOS will produce a beeping pattern on the speaker to tell you what the problem is.

The exact meaning of the beep codes depends on the type and version of BIOS that you have. The three most popular types of BIOS are those made by Award, American Megatrends (AMI) and Phoenix. The beep codes for these BIOS products are described in this part of the troubleshooter. If you are using a PC made by a company that writes its own BIOS, you will have to consult your owner's manual or the company's web site or other technical information for assistance.

Warning: The normal procedure is for a motherboard or computer manufacturer to purchase the BIOS code from one of these companies and then modify it as they see fit to match what they are doing with their hardware. So it is possible that the codes may be slightly different for your PC than what I have here, which is for the generic products. In general, the beep codes are usually identical or very close to what I have here, but the tests performed by the BIOS can easily be different or be executed in a different order.

Note: A single beep during the boot process, usually right before the BIOS startup screen is displayed, is normal and does not indicate a failure as long as the boot continues on.

Beep codes can be in several different patterns, depending on the BIOS that you are using. Some BIOSes use very simple beep codes in a pattern of varying numbers of short beeps, while others may mix short and long beeps. The Phoenix BIOS is famous for its complicated beep patterns that are actually in up to four groups--one or more beeps and then a pause, followed by as many as three more patterns.

Warning: Despite what the BIOS companies say, these codes are not always that consistent. I have seen systems that when booted without a video card give just a single beep and not the code that they are supposed to give when the video card is missing.
For more information:
Click Here

All but keyboard

2006-01-22T06:48:00.000-08:00

Any reason for some bios motherboards to have as default stopping at errors "ALL BUT KEYBOARD"?
Actually, there is a purpose for this. It is not uncommon for someone to want a server or workstation set up to be able to boot without a keyboard. In most cases it's a server that you do not want to dedicate a monitor, keyboard, and mouse to. You boot it without these and all works fine. However, if the BIOS is set to stop on the error of no keyboard, there is no way to completely boot the machine without having one attached.
- Kyle Elmblade

Category-General

2006-01-22T06:46:00.000-08:00

Category-CD/Hard Disk

2006-01-22T06:43:00.000-08:00

Category-Devices

2006-01-22T06:41:00.000-08:00

Category-Networks

2006-01-22T06:39:00.001-08:00

Category-Motherboard

2006-01-22T06:39:00.000-08:00

Category-CPU

2006-01-22T06:38:00.000-08:00

Category-BIOS

2006-01-22T06:06:00.000-08:00

All But Keyboard
BIOS Beep Codes
Entering BIOS in Compaq-Prolinea-575
Tweaking and Reference