Thanks for your reply. It is actually a remote server and i can't ask people there to press F1 everytime i restart it. I will try to check which hardware config has changed.

Thanks again.

Check in the bios that only the sata ports being used are enabled. if you have a sas card fitted no sata ports should be active.

Clear the event log

Interesting you should suggest this.  I haven't found ANYWHERE in the BIOS that allows access to said Event Log, although I've found reference made to this elusive creature.

I'm currently on a PE T410.  Trying to install a fresh copy of Server 2K3 Std x64.  Every time I get to the "Press any key to boot from CD..." portion, I press a key, and the system reboots.  I realize that there's probably something in the System Event Log because the orange NMI light is blinking.

If anyone can direct me to the System Event Log in the BIOS and/or suggest a solution to my reboot problem, I'm all ears.

Sorry for the thread hijack.

Best, Jackattak

I wasted some time on this because I missed this option in the security settings.  Scroll all the way down in [System Security] settings in bios.  Change the [Intrusion detection] setting in bios from 'Detected' to 'Enabled'.  Clearing the event log does not clear the alert. 

Me too, thanks for the pointer.

All the best,

Nigel

"Check in the bios that only the sata ports being used are enabled. if you have a sas card fitted no sata ports should be active."

it was the solution for me!

I'm not exactly sure what your issue is.

Are you getting an unidentified F1/F2 prompt? or are you getting an intrusion detection message?

There are no Sata drives not found.

If you mean to say that there are no SATA drives present in your system, then go to BIOS and turn OFF all of your SATA ports.

Are there other messages that display on your screen during POST?  Fans, drives, etc.?

I have taken over support for a Dell T100 and I am having this problem.

There are no Sata drives not found.  In the Security Setting section there is no Intrusion alarm option to change.  Some blogs have refereed to a PC-Health Section.  No such thing in my BIOS.

I have no tried to reset the log errors.

There is a new BIOS upgrade available.  It is possible the Intrusion alarm is in the new BIOS.  It says nothing in the feature list.

I have also seen some suggestion to remove the intrusion alarm wire connector from the mother board.  

Any other ideas?  I really don't want to spent $295 to Dell for support on something that they don't have an answer.

Thanks.

Doug

You might be able to remove the intrusion detector, but because it is a security device, the message won't go away.  You might try holding the switch down manually.  I don't have a T100 to look at, but some of them have a piece of plastic/metal attached to the cover that pushes the switch in to an acceptable depth - if that piece gets damaged or falls off, it may not be engaging the switch properly.  It may take two reboots to remove the message, as it indicates that it was "previously" removed, so it is logical it will remain for at least one boot after it is triggered.

Although the exact location of the Intrusion Detector reset in the BIOS is not documented, its pretty clear from the manual that it should exist.  It is possible that it was actually removed in a later BIOS revision, relying instead on some other process to clear the message (like the event log).  What version of BIOS are you running?

The NVRAM should be cleared using the jumpers on the motherboard ... power off, move to the CLR position, boot to BIOS screen, power off, replace jumper, boot normally.

Thank you for all of these options.  It give me hope.

The only Sata port is the DVD.  It is recognized.  The other three are OFF and no drives are plugged in.  We have a Perc SAS 6 for the drives.

I double checked the cover and it seems to be OK.  I will give it a closer look.

There seems to be no reference to the intrusion/cover in the BIOS.  I will go over every entry in detail.

I will clear the event log.  I will try to clean the NVRAM.

Can the intrusion detector simply be removed? 

Thanks.

Generally, if you get F1/F2 with no other hints/explanation as to the cause, it is a SATA port turned on in the BIOS that has no device connected to it, so make sure that ALL SATA ports are disabled/turned off in the BIOS.

The intrusion alert is enough to trigger the F1/F2, and if you are seeing that message, it is likely why you are getting it.  Make sure that the case cover is ON and SECURED.  If it is on, but not "snapped" shut, it may trigger the alert. 

The problem with posting on an existing thread is that not all the posters above have the same system, so they won't all have the same functionality or the same fix.

According to the T100's original documentation, it should have an option in the BIOS to reset the previous chassis intrusion detection.  There is no documentation of a setting to disable intrusion detection (this setting is more common on business desktops than on servers) on the T100.  It is more than possible that a BIOS update will add such a setting - undocumented changes in firmware updates happen all the time - but I'm not sure I'd count on that.  The manual should reflect "original" functionality and specifications, as their documentation is rarely updated throughout a system's lifetime.

Another thing you might try, is to clear the hardware/event log ... you should have the option to clear it from the BIOS option itself.

One more thing to try is clearing the NVRAM.  The resets BIOS values to default and may clear the message.

It may also simply be a damaged/faulty intrusion switch.

Wow that was fast.  Thanks.

At the end of the BIOS messages we get "Alert Cover was previously removed".  Click F1 to continue, F2 to go to setup.

F1 will boot up,  F2 gets us to the BIOS.

I was referring to the other answers.  There are no Sata drive and we are not getting any messages related.  The only error seems to be the intrusion alert.

I have looked for the Intrusion BIOS setting under Security Section but there is none.  I have looked at every section of the BIOS for anything related.  Nothing. 

We are remote to the server and can't have a boot require user action. 

Thanks.

Doug