OT: BIOS editting?

AgentZero · #1 November 25th, 2004, 07:02 PM

Once again, I would like to prevail upon the vast depository of knowledge that is this forum, and ask if anyone can tell me how to edit BIOS settings. I've been having a few problems with the ol' machine speedwise, and I know there's a few BIOS settings I can tinker with to get a speed boost. Problem is, I can't actually figure out how to do it on my current machine. On the old one it was a simple matter of hitting F12 while the PC was booting, but this doesn't seem to work on the new machine. Neither do any of the other 'F' keys. Before you ask, I do have a pretty solid grasp of things like BIOS editting, it's just been a while since I've done it and manufacturers seem to have changed the way one actually accesses the BIOS editor.

Baron Munchausen · #2 November 25th, 2004, 08:05 PM

Every BIOS I have ever seen prints a message on the bootup screen telling you how to enter edit mode. Usually it's the DELETE key, but sometimes it's the ESCAPE key. You have to press the key within the few seconds that the message is showing after bootup, though.

Then you get dumped into a bunch of menus that can be navigated with arrow keys. Escape is usually the 'backup' key in this mode. Other keys like TAB and PgUp/PgDown will let you change various settings. You need to be very careful though. BIOS programs are very simple. There is little or no 'safety' checking. It is possible to set things wrong enough to completely screw up your PC.

When you've changed whatever you go to the exit menu and choose 'save and exit' and it reboots the machine with the new settings.

Atrocities · #3 November 25th, 2004, 08:12 PM

I once flashed my bios. It ended poorly. Good luck to you.

Suicide Junkie · #4 November 25th, 2004, 09:51 PM

The common keys have all been mentioned...
But on some I've noticed you have to be booting from a power-off state, rather than just a reset/restart.

iaen · #5 November 26th, 2004, 10:29 AM

And on some you need to change a jumper on the motherboard to access the BIOS, and reset the jumper to boot normally.
That one had me puzzled for a while. (An Intel mobo.)

If possible, consult the motherboard documentation.
Unfortunatly, many pre-assembled computers do not include it.

Some systems use windows software to change the BIOS settings.

geoschmo · #6 November 26th, 2004, 10:39 AM

I've seen a few pc's where a cold boot will flash the screen with the setup key on and off before the monitor has a chance to get warmed up and display anything. In that case you may need to do a restart instead of a cold boot.

In any case you should be able to look up the specs for your mothorboard on the internet and find out how to get into the setup screen.

Will · #7 November 26th, 2004, 06:25 PM

And I'm pretty sure there are some low-end consumer PCs (eMachine?) where it is impossible to edit the BIOS through any kind of interface during boot up. They are just a small box, cheap parts a few years off the current tech standard, and not worth tweaking/upgrading anything without just upgrading the whole box.

Probably best bet is go to manufacturer's site, and see if you can't get your hands on a manual.

AgentZero · #8 November 27th, 2004, 05:23 PM

Hmmm... Well, given that my PC is about 3000 kilometers away at them momement, I guess it'll have to wait until I get home...

Aiken · #9 November 28th, 2004, 08:14 AM

Yesterday I flashed BIOS with a self-made patch to enable big HDD support for my mobo (it's very old and there are no new updates from manufacturer for a long time). Man, that was exreme fun! I literally pissed off the it refused to pass POST. Fortunately, I managed to roll back and fix an error.