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Jeff-F

6 Posts

101742

January 23rd, 2013 20:00

BIOS boot disk priority

I have a Dell XPS 410 running under Windows XP Media Center Edition.

I would like to configure BIOS so that I can set the order in which the computer, after being turned on, checks drives for files that will boot up the operating system.

What procedures, step by step and in detail, would I need to perform (from the very moment my computer is turned on) in order to modify the BIOS settings in this fashion (assuming that the computer we are dealing with is a Dell computer)?

Any and all help would be appreciated.

speedstep

11 Legend

 • 

47K Posts

January 23rd, 2013 21:00

F12  Pick from list or change Boot order F2 CMOS.

System Setup Program

Dell™ XPS™ 410 Service Manual

  Overview

  Entering System Setup

  System Setup Screens

  System Setup Options

  Boot Sequence <ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed from this post by Dell>

  Clearing Forgotten Passwords

  Clearing CMOS Settings

  Flashing the BIOS

Entering System Setup

  1. Turn on (or restart) your computer.

  2. When the blue DELL™ logo is displayed, watch for the F2 prompt to appear.

  3. Once the F2 prompt appears, press immediately.

NOTE: The F2 prompt indicates that the keyboard has initialized. If you press before you are prompted, the keystroke will be lost.

  1. 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 (see Turning Off Your Computer) and try again.

System Setup Screens

The system setup 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 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 with 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. By pressing or the left- and right-arrow keys, you can toggle between a primary topic (collapsed) and subtopics (expanded).

Option Field — This field contains information about each option. In this field you can view and make changes to your current settings.

Use the right- and left-arrow keys to highlight an option. Press 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 field.

Boot Sequence

This feature allows you to set the order in which the BIOS will search devices when trying to find an operating system.

NOTICE: If you modify any boot sequence settings, save the new settings to avoid losing the changes.

Option Settings

NOTE: The computer attempts to boot from all bootable devices, but if no bootable device is found, the computer generates an error message that states No boot device available. Press the key to retry the boot, or press the key to enter the setup utility.
  • Onboard or USB Floppy Drive — The computer attempts to boot from the floppy drive. If there is no floppy in the drive or there is no floppy drive installed, the computer attempts to boot from the next bootable device in the sequence.

NOTE: If there is a non-bootable floppy in the drive, the computer generates an error message. Follow the on-screen instructions to retry the boot.
  • Onboard SATA 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.

  • Onboard or USB CD-ROM 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.

  • USB 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 . The BIOS detects the device and adds the USB option to the boot menu.

NOTE: To boot to a USB device, the device must be bootable. To ensure that your device is bootable, check the device documentation.

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 system setup (see System Setup Options).

  1. If you are booting to a USB device, connect the USB device to a USB connector (see Front View of the Computer).

  2. Turn on (or restart) your computer.

  3. When F2 = Setup, F12 = Boot Menu appears in the upper-right corner of the screen, press .

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 (see Turning Off Your Computer) and try again.

The Boot Device Menu appears, listing all available boot devices. Each device has a number next to it.

  1. 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 Device and press .

NOTE: To boot to a USB device, the device must be bootable. To make sure your device is bootable, check the device documentation.

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, then press to access the menu.

NOTE: Write down your current boot sequence in case you want to restore it.

  1. Press the up- and down-arrow keys to move through the list of devices.

  2. Press the spacebar to enable or disable a device. Enabled devices have a number assigned to them; disabled devices have no number assigned.

  3. Press or to move a selected device up or down the list.

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