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Geoff Buckley

67 Posts

29454

August 29th, 2005 18:00

Default settings for 3000

How do I set the BIOS of my Dimension 3000 to its default setting.  That option doesn't appear anywhere.
Geoff in London U.K.

Dimension 3000 1024 Mb RAM
WIN XP Home Edition
IE6
Outlook Express 6
ADSL connection (2 Mb/s)

ravik521

1.6K Posts

August 30th, 2005 01:00

somewhere in every BIOS it has a default setting feature. look harder

ronss

1 Rookie

 • 

2.1K Posts

August 30th, 2005 05:00

start your computer-
 
press f2 during the booting and enter into the setup program
 
i believe your default settings are found in the maintanence section, and is listed as-cmos defaults-

Message Edited by ronss on 08-30-2005 01:38 AM

Majestic

9.4K Posts

August 30th, 2005 13:00

Geoff, if all other suggestions don't work then just clear the NVRAM using the procedure I've listed below.  During the clearing of the NVRAM all the BIOS settings will be defaulted back to the way they were when the system came from the factory.  Clearing the NVRAM is safe to do and won't harm the system.  Just do this....

  • Reboot system and enter the BIOS Setup by pressing F2. 
  • Turn on Caps Lock, Scroll Lock and  Num Lock.
  • Press ALT+ E then ALT+ F then ALT+ B

Geoff Buckley

67 Posts

August 30th, 2005 14:00

Thanks, Majestic.  In fact, Dell Tech. support talked me through a similar fix last night as my readings in the BIOS setup screen had gone crazy and I had been experiencing serious crashes.  The technical helpdesk told me to do just as you suggest, except that I pressed the keys three times, except for the B at the end, which was the re-boot.  I have had many crashes since buying the computer in March and I suspect that the BIOS has never really been properly set to default for some reason.  I still can't see a simple way to re-set the BIOS to default despite people above telling me there is one! 

Geoff in London U.K.

Dimension 3000 1024 Mb RAM
WIN XP Home Edition
IE6
Outlook Express 6
ADSL connection (2 Mb/s)

 

Majestic

9.4K Posts

August 30th, 2005 20:00

"I have had many crashes since buying the computer in March....."
 
If you haven't done so already you might run the system through the Dell Diagnostics when you get a chance.  Possibly your problems are hardware related and the diagnostic tests may help pin point the problem. 
 
  "......I suspect that the BIOS has never really been properly set to default for some reason."
 
By clearing the NVRAM the settings are definitely defaulted now.  Hopefully that takes care of your problem.   
 
"I still can't see a simple way to re-set the BIOS to default despite people above telling me there is one!"
 
Dell does have a Knowledge Base article on restoring the system defaults, but unfortunately it is in need of updating and your model isn't listed.    The perfect solution would be for Dell to include a little more BIOS information in the User Guides that they create for each model.   Defaulting the BIOS as well as clearing the NVRAM/CMOS would be helpful topics to include with each guide.   As it stands now some models include this information in their User Guide and some do not.

Geoff Buckley

67 Posts

August 31st, 2005 06:00

  Majestic - kindly just remind me how to run Dell Diagnostics.  A computer 'techie' friend of mind tells me that re-setting the BIOS should be one of the first trouble-shooting steps taken in cases of serious repeated crashes with Blue Screen messages but many computer manufacturers don't encourage users  to do this in case they make matters worse.  But their technical help desks are told to talk users through it as almost the first thing they do.  Apparently a 'no hard disk available' or 'primary drive not recognised' type of message at bootup can almost always be solved by a BIOS re-set, as can many blue screen issues.

Geoff in London U.K.

Dimension 3000 1024 Mb RAM
WIN XP Home Edition
IE6
Outlook Express 6
ADSL connection (2 Mb/s)

Majestic

9.4K Posts

August 31st, 2005 11:00

Yes, clearing the NVRAM/CMOS is the first step in resolving F1 - F2 boot up scenarios where the system fails to detect a drive.   If this happens occasionally it's not a problem.  If the system is having drive detection problems on a frequent basis then it could be an indication of a hardware problem such as a failing hard drive.
 
Your system should have the Dell Diagnostics on a utility partition of the hard drive.  At boot up press the F12 key to enter the Boot Menu.  One of the options on that Boot Menu should be the Dell Diagnostics or accessing the Dell Utility Partition.  From there you can run the diagnostic program. 

Geoff Buckley

67 Posts

August 31st, 2005 15:00

I'm certainly learning a lot on this forum, thanks for the info!  By the way, why are you still on McAfee version 4?  I'm up to 10 (as of last week) and it works fine.

Geoff in London U.K.

Dimension 3000 1024 Mb RAM
WIN XP Home Edition
IE6
Outlook Express 6
ADSL connection (2 Mb/s)

Majestic

9.4K Posts

August 31st, 2005 15:00

I glad to hear you are finding the forums educational.  There is a lot of information to be had if a person has the time to review all the forums Dell has available.
 
Regarding McAfees.... I still Windows 98SE as my primary operating system so I can get by using version 4.03.  It's still supported by the company through weekly DAT updates so there is no need to upgrade for now. 

Geoff Buckley

67 Posts

September 1st, 2005 16:00

Help, Majestic.  My BIOS is definitely resetting itself as I'm getting the 'no hard disk fitted' message on a black screen at bootup.  When I reset the BIOS it goes through a 'Primary IDE configuration' process before loading XP.  If I go into the BIOS after the first error message, the hard disk does not show - 'not fitted'.  How can the BIOS keep getting corrupted?  I'm using my wife's computer to send this message, by the way.

Geoff in London U.K.

Dimension 3000 1024 Mb RAM
WIN XP Home Edition
IE6
Outlook Express 6
ADSL connection (2 Mb/s)

 

Majestic

9.4K Posts

September 2nd, 2005 12:00

Did you run the diagnostics on the hard drive?  A recurring problem with the hard drive(s) not being detected is a good indication of a possible hardware failure.   

Geoff Buckley

67 Posts

September 2nd, 2005 14:00

After an hour on the telephone to Dell, they have diagnosed a HD failure and will collect the machine on Monday.  Thanks for all the help, though - very informative.  Have a good weekend.Geoff in London U.K.

Dimension 3000 1024 Mb RAM
WIN XP Home Edition
IE6
Outlook Express 6
ADSL connection (2 Mb/s)

 

Majestic

9.4K Posts

September 3rd, 2005 13:00

Glad to hear that Dell is going to fix the problem.  By chance was there a "Maxtor" hard drive installed in your machine?  There have been a lot of complaints in the forums here about that brand of hard drive and I was just wondering.  Thanks for posting back with a update and have a good weekend too.

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