Unable To Enter Setup

Well, the older systems you need to hit delete to enter setup and now the ones built for say the last 4 years you hit F2 to enter setup. No need to use the Fn key. You can in bios select to not show the Dell Logo if I am not mistaken so that may be why you don't see it.

FN + F1 was used on the older BIOS versions on the CP. The F2 Prompt and the Splash screen with Action Bar was produced by BIOS Flash in later versions. If Fn+F1 does not work, try Fn+F3 to enter the Battery screen and then Alt + P to move around. As a last resort, pull one of your memory modules and you should get a prompt to hit F2 to enter setup. After you change your boot order, update your BIOS to A16 and you will get the Dell Splash Screen

I tried hitting "Delete" and was still unable to enter setup.....it was as though I did nothing except turn the system on. I also tried F2 again.....no success. I tried leduke30's suggestion on using Fn+F3 and that too failed. There is only one memory stick in the computer; I pulled it out, turned the computer on, and all it did was beep. I replaced the memory module, turned the system on, and no prompt to enter setup appeared....does this mean I have to get a second memory stick, install it, then remove one of the two in order for the prompt to appear?

 

The CD-rom drive works fine.....I just can't get the the computer to boot from that drive. Any other ideas?? The computer had Windows 95 on it, which might give some idea as to how old the thing is. The info from the bottom of the laptop is as follows, in case it helps:

 

Dell Latitude CP M233ST

Model #PPL

ASSY PN: 1421C

IC Class: B ICES-3

DP/N 0001421C-12800-88G-2300

Dell LBL P/N: 7323C

Z7ZT1

 

Thanks for your efforts!

If you can get the floppy drive to boot with a DOS boot disk, I would download the Floppy version of the Latitude CP BIOS version A16 to your desktop on any computer, open the file and make the flash floppy, then put it in the drive on the laptop and update the machine. It is not necessary to enter BIOS to do this and the update may cure your problem. Some of the early versions of the CP BIOS were very "buggy".

Well you shouldn't need 2 memory sticks installed to get to bios setup. I am going to post the manual and specifications for what I believe is your laptop that may help you. But one thing to check, if num-locks are on then your keystroked to get into bios won't work so make sure they are off. Here are some links and information for you:'

System-Functions Key Combinations NOTE: To use key combinations on an external keyboard, enable the External Hot Key option in the System Setup program and use instead of . Restarts (reboots) the computer in MS-DOS mode. In Windows 95 and Windows NT, click the Start Button and select Shut Down.

Opens the System Setup program.

Opens the battery status screen (Page 3) of the System Setup program.

 

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/pmojav/

 

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

leduke: The floppy disk drive is interchangeable with the CD-rom drive...will the computer be able to start reading from the floppy drive when powered on without having to change the boot sequence? Also, I've seen multiple Windows platforms for boot disks (bootdisk.com).....which version needs to be on the floppy? I'm guessing '95, since that seems to be the original operating system.

 

jbram: NumLock was not enabled, but I will follow through with your remaining suggestions and post the results.

 

Thanks so much for the help.....I've always thought of myself as fairly advanced, computer-wise; at least I've never come across anything I couldn't fix, but this is making me feel dumb as dirt!

The Floppy BIOS Update of the largest size(about 1mb) has the boot files already included and is the easiest to use. If you can not get a boot from the floppy and since you can not acess the boot order, pull the HDD out; you do not need it for a DOS boot and it may be ahead of the Floppy in your presently inaccessible boot order. Where Boot Disks are concerned, they are all really DOS boot disks, and the W95/W98/W-Me designator just means it is the version supplied with a particular operating system. I use a W98 BD exclusively when I use a boot disk as it has the CDROM drivers on it, whereas the w95 version may not, and the W-ME is too limited.

 There is one other way to force a Floppy DOS boot, but it entails removing the keyboard and unplugging the CMOS Battery white 2 wire plug from the board near the keyboard and touchpad connectors and then reconnecting that battery after a few minutes. That resets the default boot order which is floppy first and HDD second

Looks like our posts crossed.....please check my latest.....

It will not boot from the floppy unless you have a bootable diskette in it at power on. If you are doing that already with your present configuration, you either have a bad diskette or an unseated or bad floppy drive. I sent you a private message

Yaaayyy! I was able to enter Setup, regardless of whether I used the boot disk or the installation CD.

 

However, I am unable to change any of the current configurations. The info displayed is as follows: