Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

Bios Access for Dell

Can anyone clue me in on the keystroke to access the Bios on my new Dell Dimension? I have been close to ripping out my bloody hair on this one...can't find it in the documentation or in their "knowledge base". On most computers it is Ctrl, F1, or Esc on reboot. I've tried all those and still can't access the Bios.

Meanwhile I am past the 24 hour mark waiting on a reply from Dell. I am guessing my friends in the VisorCentral community can kick Dell's bullocks.

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Connecticut USA
Posts: 2682

Try Delete or perhaps F2

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 832

Me too, man

For what it's worth, on my desktop (Compaq w/98). I played whack-a-mole on the keys to no avail, reboot and cold start. My laptop (IBM w/NT) responds to F1, go figure.

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

Re: Me too, man

quote:

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Originally posted by dampeoples
I played whack-a-mole on the keys to no avail, reboot and cold start.

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Posts: 51

I have a Dell laptop which uses F2 to enter the bios. Try pushing it a bunch of times as soon as the computer starts rebooting. You may just be missing the short period to enter. Most of the desktops that I have used in the past used delete to enter. Try that one too.

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

And the winner is...

For the record...once I finally got through to Dell....the magic key to enter the Bios on a brandy new Dimension is "Delete".

Thanks for all the educated guesses!

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

Re: And the winner is...

quote:

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Originally posted by Keefer Lucas
For the record...once I finally got through to Dell....the magic key to enter the Bios on a brandy new Dimension is "Delete".

Thanks for all the educated guesses!

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Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 638

Some of the new computers boot up so fast that you can't see the boot screen where is says what key is used to enter the BIOS. Because most comptuer users never need to get into the BIOS, I think this is the way that this shoudl be.
Just as an aside. Some Compaq models do not allow the user to enter the BIOS. I worked on a boad one summer with MP3 computers, and this guy had a compaq, and it was finally determined that he needed a special boot disk to get into the BIOS. Stupid compaq's

BEN

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 708

Re: Re: And the winner is...

quote:

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Originally posted by Toby
It should've shown up on the screen whenever you do a cold-boot. Just make sure that you turn the monitor on before you turn on the computer.

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In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. JOHN 14:2

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Misplaced Canuck in Charleston SC
Posts: 257

Re: And the winner is...

quote:

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Originally posted by Keefer Lucas
For the record...once I finally got through to Dell....the magic key to enter the Bios on a brandy new Dimension is "Delete".

Thanks for all the educated guesses!

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

Re: Re: And the winner is...

quote:

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Originally posted by imabug


It's F2 on my Dimension 8100.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

Re: Re: Re: And the winner is...

quote:

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Originally posted by GSR13
When you BOOT a newer DELL PC, you never see the prompt to enter the BIOS setup. Usually, the first thing you see is the DELL Logo screen pop up.

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 708

My DELL is less than a year old and at no point during BOOT does it tell how to enter the BIOS. Mine is a Dimension 4100.

My Dad just bought a DELL that is about three weeks old and his is the same way. His is a Dimension 8200.

I have multiple friends and families who have DELL's and I have set each of them up, none of them tell how to enter the BIOS.

I understand they probably have FastBOOT turned on, as none of them even show the MemoryCount.

It would be nice if they added this information in the Manual, as some people want access to the BIOS.

Why would you not include instructions in the manual? It needs to be somewhere. Alot of times if a person needs to access the BIOS, the machine is down, they certainly cannot go online and find the information. Not to mention the fact that I could not find the documentation on DELL's site anyway.

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In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. JOHN 14:2

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

quote:

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Originally posted by GSR13
[...] I have multiple friends and families who have DELL's and I have set each of them up, none of them tell how to enter the BIOS.

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 708

Thanks for the Link Toby. I had no luck at all finding that.

As for the manual, I personally have not looked. I am still going on Keefer's word that it is not there. I would think it would be there, just have not gotten around to checking.

__________________
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. JOHN 14:2

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

quote:

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Originally posted by GSR13
Thanks for the Link Toby. I had no luck at all finding that.

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 216

My 3 year old Dell Dimension system shows only the Dell logo when booting. The documentation, however, does include which key to hit (I am at work and do not remember which it is but I have done it enough when installing hardware). As people have mentioned, I suspect that they did this to prevent people who shouldn't be messing with the BIOS from knowing that they can!

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

My Word...its not just a show on NPR

Nice link Toby. I sure as hell couldn't find it during my search through the Dell Knowledge base using search terms like "Bios" and "Bios Access". On all our Dimension machines (three altogether) the Dell logo boot screen takes up the full screen...no small text like on my Gateway.

While your being so helpful Toby can you tell me why the internal ATAPI Zip drive on my my Dell won't work? I plugged the idle IDE conector cable that runs from my motherboard to my CD-ROM into the internal Zip 100 I scavanged from an old machine. Now the system recognizes the Zip drive but not the CD-ROM. Any thoughts? A Bios setting or a jumper? Its definately a motherboard level issue; it wouldn't even recognize my CD-ROM when I booted with a system disk in the A: drive.

Thanks.

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 708

Re: My Word...its not just a show on NPR

quote:

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Originally posted by Keefer Lucas
Nice link Toby. I sure as hell couldn't find it during my search through the Dell Knowledge base using search terms like "Bios" and "Bios Access". On all our Dimension machines (three altogether) the Dell logo boot screen takes up the full screen...no small text like on my Gateway.

While your being so helpful Toby can you tell me why the internal ATAPI Zip drive on my my Dell won't work? I plugged the idle IDE conector cable that runs from my motherboard to my CD-ROM into the internal Zip 100 I scavanged from an old machine. Now the system recognizes the Zip drive but not the CD-ROM. Any thoughts? A Bios setting or a jumper? Its definately a motherboard level issue; it wouldn't even recognize my CD-ROM when I booted with a system disk in the A: drive.

Thanks.

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In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. JOHN 14:2

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

Many Tanks

Thanks GSR...I'll try that in the morning. It is set up bass akwards from that (as the CD is in the top bay and the Zip is beneath it. I can jigger the cable or reorient the drives I think.