Shoutbox

quote:

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Originally posted by monster.rat
Also, i might not have been clear in my other post.

There is a specific time when you have to press the F8 key, so you need to tap it continuously, maybe once every second.

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1) The <F8> has absolutely nothing todo with this...
2) Pressing <F8> or any key, each second is way too slow...

F8 is for the Windows/DOS bootup menu, so this has nothing todo with the BIOS of your computer....


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SikStyles, the key you need to press to enter the BIOS of your PC, depends on the computer brand and often also on the BIOS brand. Common keys to access the BIOS are <DELETE>, <F1>, <F2> or <F10>. When you start up your computer there is almost always a message displayed telling you what key(s) you need to press to enter the BIOS, so pay attention when you boot up your computer.

And if possible turn on your monitor before you turn on your PC. This is because many monitors have a slow response time to "power up" and give only a visible picture by the time your computer has already displayed all the POST (power-on self test) messages and starts booting up Windows...

So, the POST runs very quickly, and you will often not even notice that it is happening, unless it finds a problem. You may have encountered a PC that, when turned on, made beeping sounds and then stopped without booting up... well, that is the POST telling you something is wrong with the machine. The speaker is used because this test happens so early on, that the video often isn't even activated yet. These beep patterns can be used to diagnose many hardware problems with your PC. The exact patterns depend on the maker (and sometimes also the version) of the BIOS though.

When the PC starts up, and you did turn on the monitor before you turned on the PC so it is ready to display anything right away, you will see some BIOS information already (normally after the video adapter displays its information). This information often includes:

• The BIOS manufacturer and version number.
  
• The BIOS date
  
• The setup program key: the key(s) to press to enter the BIOS setup program.
  
• The system logo: the logo of the BIOS company, PC maker or motherboard manufacturer.
  
• The "Energy Star" logo
  
• The BIOS serial number

All this is only shown for a maximum of a few seconds, so be quick to catch it*.

After all this the PC starts to load its normal boot sequence, and usually this means Windows, and it is only here that the (wrong) suggestion of monster.rat comes into play. <F8> is to trigger the boot menu of DOS/Windows. So you see, what you want, entering the BIOS, must happen long before all this...

*You can actually pause this screen if you press the <PAUSE> button on your keyboard, but you need to be very quick. Before you know it the BIOS/POST information screen flashes away...

Another trick is to force a keyboard error so it stays put on the BIOS/POST  information screen. You do this by pressing any button on your keyboard and holding it down as soon as you power up your computer. Don't worry about the manny beep sounds though . If this doesn't work, then simply unplug your keyboard before you power on your PC. The PC will boot up, but the POST/BIOS will signal a keyboard error and waits until it is fixed; this gives you the time to read the important "BIOS Setup Program Key" (the key or keys to press to enter the BIOS setup program).

When you know the key, turn of the PC, plug the keyboard back in, and turn the PC back on. Then as soon as you pressed the power button, begin pressing the special key very fast to make sure you press it in time



An example of the BIOS/POST messages, and notice the line on the bottom saying "Press DEL to enter SETUP". This screen is the first thing your computer displays. It is well possible you'll never see this screen (or only a flash of it) because your monitor wasn't ready yet to display anything...

no this isn't a screen from my pc