The BIOS can be used to set your notebook's system parameters. The system date, time, power settings and other functions are set in the BIOS. This information is stored on a non-volatile, battery-backed CMOS RAM. This simply means that the settings are saved even when the notebook itself is switched off.

To access the BIOS,when you see the message F2 to enter System Configuration Utility (or similar) press the appropriate keys. This message is not on screen for long, and should you miss it you will need to reboot your notebook.

This page is intended merely as a guide, should you do any severe damage to your computer whilst in the BIOS, we can accept no responsibility.
The following options are available in the BIOS.

Menu	Menu Items
Main	Date, Time
Advanced	Advanced Chipset Control, shared memory, TV Output, Parallel Port type and mode, COM ports.
Security	BIOS Password
Boot	Boot sequence
Exit	Save and Exit, Exit (no save), Default settings, Discard changes, Save (no exit)

To navigate your way around the BIOS, use the following keys.

Keys	Action
Arrow / Right Arrow	Moves from one menu to another
Up/Down arrows	Scroll up and down through the options of a menu. Also, when an option is selected, these keys scroll through the available settings.
Enter	Selects an option you wish to change.

Note: if an option is not listed in the following menus, then it should remain at the factory default setting.

Item	Setting/Option	Function
System Time	Hour/Minute/Second	Sets the time
System Date	Day/Month/Year	Sets the date

Item	Setting/Option	Function
Reset Configuration Data	Yes/No	'Yes' clears the Extended System Configuration Data
Boot Logo Screen	Enabled/Disabled	Display Logo Screen during boot.
Hyper threading Technology	Enabled/Disabled	Turns HyperThreading support on/off
Battery Low Beep Warning	Enabled/Disabled	Turns Battery Low Warning Beep on/off
Graphics Aperture	32Mb/64Mb/128Mb/256Mb	Sets the ammount of RAM used by the graphics card.

Warning - NEVER set the shared Memory to be the same size as the total memory of your notebook. (i.e. if you only have 64mb memory, do not set the shared memory to 64mb). If you do this, your notebook will not boot and you will have to add more physical RAM before you can access your notebook!

Item	Setting/Option	Function
Boot Device	Hard Disk C	Specify the system's first choice for the boot drive
	CD-ROM drive
	Diskette A
	Network Boot

Select a device using the 'Up' and 'Down' Keys. Use '-' and '+' to adjust the boot sequence.

The exit menu provides the user with options for leaving the BIOS, with or without saving any changes which have been made, as well as the options for restoring default settings or returning to previous settings.

Item	Function
Exit Saving Changes	Save the current settings and reboot the system
Exit Discarding Changes	Exit without saving any of the changes
Load Setup Defaults	Restore the default factory settings (the original ROM settings)
Discard Changes	Resets any changes you may have made in the BIOS back to what they were before you started.
Save Changes	Save changes which have been made, but don't leave the BIOS