- 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
Other BIOS Troubleshooting Tips
Use Table 3.6 to help solve some other typical system problems through BIOS configuration settings.
Table 3.6 Troubleshooting Common BIOS-Related System Problems
Problem |
Solution |
Notes |
Can't access system because password(s) for startup or setup access aren't known. |
Passwords are stored in CMOS nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM) and are configured through BIOS. |
Remove battery on motherboard and wait for all CMOS settings to be lost, or use MB jumper called clear CMOS; before clearing CMOS, view bootup configuration information and note hard drive and other configuration information because all setup information must be reentered after CMOS is cleared. |
System wastes time detecting hard drives at every bootup. |
Disable automatic drive detection in BIOS lock in settings for drives by using Detect Drives option in BIOS. |
Use automatic drive detection if you are frequently changing drives. |
System drops network or modem connection when system is idle. |
Power management not set correctly for IRQs in use by modem or network card. |
Determine which IRQs are used by devices, and adjust power management for those devices; disable power management in BIOS. |
Parallel or serial port conflicts. |
Change configuration in BIOS. |
See Chapter 6, "Serial and Parallel Ports and Devices," and Chapter 7, "USB and IEEE-1394 Ports and Devices," for details. |
For more about troubleshooting and adjusting BIOS configuration settings, see Chapter 5 of Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 13th Edition, published by Que.