- What the BIOS Is and What It Does
- When a BIOS Update Is Necessary
- How BIOS Updates Are Performed
- Where BIOS Updates Come From
- Precautions to Take Before Updating a BIOS
- How to Recover from a Failed BIOS Update Procedure
- Plug-and-Play BIOS
- Other BIOS Troubleshooting Tips
- Soft BIOS CPU Speed and Multiplier Settings
- Determining Which BIOS You Have
- Determining the Motherboard Manufacturer for BIOS Upgrades
- Accessing the BIOS Setup Programs
- How the BIOS Reports Errors
- Microid Research Beep Codes
- Other BIOS and Motherboard Manufacturers' Beep and POST Codes
- Reading BIOS Error Codes
- BIOS Configuration Worksheet
BIOS Configuration Worksheet
BIOS configuration options vary a great deal, and incorrect settings can cause a system to fail, lose data, or not work correctly with PnP-compatible operating systems, such as Windows 9x/2000/Me/XP. The following worksheet can be used to record the most critical BIOS configuration information. Use it when you are unable to print out the actual configuration screens.
System ID_____________________Brand & Model # ____________ Date Recorded_________________Operating System____________ Hard Disk Partitions____________________________________________ Notes_________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ |
||
Standard CMOS/BIOS Configuration |
|
|
(Configuration Option) |
(Settingcircle or write down setting used) |
|
Drive A |
1.44MB 2.88MB Other__________ None |
|
Drive B |
1.44MB |
|
|
2.88MB |
|
|
Other__________ |
|
|
None |
|
1st IDE Drive |
Drive type: |
|
|
Hard disk |
|
|
CD-ROM |
|
|
Other (specify) |
|
|
_____________ |
|
|
Hard disk geometry |
|
|
Cyl:_________ |
|
|
Sectors/track: ____ |
|
|
Heads: ________ |
|
|
LBA Y/N: |
|
2nd IDE Drive |
Drive type: |
|
|
Hard disk |
|
|
CD-ROM |
|
|
Other (specify) |
|
|
_____________ |
|
|
Hard disk geometry |
|
|
Cyl:_________ |
|
|
Sectors/track: ____ |
|
|
Heads: ________ |
|
|
LBA Y/N: |
|
3rd IDE Drive |
Drive type: |
|
|
Hard disk |
|
|
CD-ROM |
|
|
Other (specify) |
|
|
_____________ |
|
|
Hard disk geometry |
|
|
Cyl:_________ |
|
|
Sectors/track: ____ |
|
|
Heads: ________ |
|
|
LBA Y/N: |
|
4th IDE Drive |
Drive type: |
|
|
Hard disk |
|
|
CD-ROM |
|
|
Other (specify) |
|
|
_____________ |
|
|
Hard disk geometry |
|
|
Cyl:_________ |
|
|
Sectors/track: ____ |
|
|
Heads: ________ |
|
|
LBA Y/N: |
|
Other BIOS Configuration Screens |
|
|
Boot Sequence |
1st drive: _____ |
|
|
2nd drive:______ |
|
|
3rd drive:______ |
|
|
4th drive:______ |
|
Antivirus or Write-Protect |
Enable/Disable Boot Sector |
|
PS/2 Mouse |
Enable/Disable |
|
Password |
Power on |
|
|
Password: ________ |
|
|
Setup |
|
|
Password: ________ |
|
External Memory Cache |
Enable/Disable (Level 2) |
|
Internal Memory Cache |
Enable/Disable (Level 1) |
|
Shadow RAM/ROM Shadowing |
Specify range(s) in use: |
|
|
_____________ |
|
|
_____________ |
|
|
_____________ |
|
|
_____________ |
|
USB Ports |
Enable/Disable |
|
USB Legacy Support |
Enable/Disable (Keyboard and Mouse) |
|
Memory Timing Configuration |
Auto/Manual |
|
|
-If manual, specify changes from system default here: |
|
|
_______________ |
|
|
_______________ |
|
|
_______________ |
|
|
_______________ |
|
|
_______________ |
|
Power Management |
Enable/Disable |
|
|
-If enabled, specify changes from system default here: |
|
|
_______________ |
|
|
_______________ |
|
|
_______________ |
|
|
_______________ |
|
|
_______________ |
|
Plug and Play (PnP) |
Enable/Disable |
|
|
-If enabled, specify changes from system default here: |
|
|
_______________ |
|
|
_______________ |
|
|
_______________ |
|
|
_______________ |
|
|
_______________ |
|
LPT Port |
Mode selected: |
|
|
Standard EPP ECP Bi-Di |
|
|
Disabled |
|
|
EPP version # _______ |
|
|
IRQ: 7 5 _______ |
|
|
DMA for ECP mode: _____ |
|
|
I/O Port address: |
|
|
378H |
|
|
278H |
|
|
3BCH |
|
|
Disabled |
|
Serial (COM) Port 1 |
I/O port address: |
|
|
3FH (COM1) |
|
|
2FH (COM2) |
|
|
3EH (COM3) |
|
|
2EH (COM4) |
|
|
Disabled |
|
|
Notes: ___________________ |
|
Serial (COM) Port 2 |
I/O port address: |
|
|
3FH (COM1) |
|
|
2FH (COM2) |
|
|
3EH (COM3) |
|
|
2EH (COM4) |
|
|
Disabled |
|
|
Notes: ___________________ |
|
IDE Hard Disk Interface #1 |
Interface: |
|
|
Enable/Disable |
|
|
32-bit mode: Enable/Disable |
|
|
PIO mode: 0 1 2 3 4 |
|
|
UDMA mode: 33MHz 66MHz 100MHz |
|
|
Block mode: Enable/Disable |
|
|
# of blocks: ____________ |
|
IDE Hard Disk Interface #2 |
Interface: |
|
|
Enable/Disable |
|
|
32-bit mode: Enable/Disable |
|
|
PIO mode: 0 1 2 3 4 |
|
|
UDMA mode: 33MHz 66MHz 100MHz |
|
|
Block mode: Enable/Disable |
|
# of blocks: ____________ |
|