I can't get access to the Bios setup

[joshuu]

I want to go to the bios setup to make some settings changes so that I can run windows startup disk as it not being recognised as of now.
The problem is that I cant get to the setup no matter how hard i try to do it .I tried pressing either esc, del, ctrl-esc,ctrl-alt-esc with no success and the system don't show that message 'strike a key to enter the setup'.I cant load the os as the system doesnt recognise the harddisk;'invalid system disk' it says.

[Catweazle]

What make and model of PC do you have?

This is a hardware issue, by the way, so I'll move the topic there for you.

You might get some ideas from this article of mine.

[Puckdropper]

Have you tried F1 or F2?

Sometimes if you hold down a key at boot, it forces an error and allows you to get in to setup from there.

[joshuu]

the model is compaq deskpro(deskpro 2000 m5) pentium II inside
I have tried F1 and F2 too with no success
nway thanx for moving this topic here for me.

[Catweazle]

Read the article I linked earlier. It contains the necessary information for accessing BIOS setup on Compaq systems.

[joshuu]

yap, that article did me good.Pressing F10 works right. thanx

[joshuu]

sorry,the computer that i had used to check if F10 will work is not the one that isn't loading the os.I just got to the machine that i want to get into the bios and after presing F10 just as the time as i had pressed on the earlier machine ,the sreen goes black and nothing happenns untill i switch the whole thing.any suggestions?

[Catweazle]

Compaqs can be touchy creatures when you try to access BIOS setup, as you need to get the timing right to 'get in'.

Press <F10> repeatedly at about 1 second intervals following the pressing of the power button to turn it on. If it doesn't work, reboot it and try again. First time I tried it with a Compaq I got in first go. It was a 'fluke', because the next few times I tried it I had all sorts of trouble until I got the 'feel' of the thing ;)

[Puckdropper]

What model is it? Some compaqs require "reference disks" (or was the the PS/2 name?) to get in to BIOS setup, or they have to have a diagnostic partition to get in to setup.

Poor design, really. BIOS and its setup should be stored in the CMOS chip. It should NOT handle more than the BASICs (Basic Input Output System is what BIOS stands for.)

[cherylholmes]

I want to go to the bios setup to make some settings changes so that I can run windows startup disk as it not being recognised as of now.
The problem is that I cant get to the setup no matter how hard i try to do it .I tried pressing either esc, del, ctrl-esc,ctrl-alt-esc with no success and the system don't show that message 'strike a key to enter the setup'.I cant load the os as the system doesnt recognise the harddisk;'invalid system disk' it says.

With my computer, I have to hit "f2" immediately as it is starting up...cheryl

[Chunkmcgee]

I want to go to the bios setup to make some settings changes so that I can run windows startup disk as it not being recognised as of now.
The problem is that I cant get to the setup no matter how hard i try to do it .I tried pressing either esc, del, ctrl-esc,ctrl-alt-esc with no success and the system don't show that message 'strike a key to enter the setup'.I cant load the os as the system doesnt recognise the harddisk;'invalid system disk' it says.

Have you tried the function keys at startup. Usually F2 or F8, sometimes F1 or F4.

[Catweazle]

If people care to read the article I linked earlier in this topic, you'll find that it includes all the keypresses for just about any machine you could encounter, and they are organised in accordance with the systems they relate to.

[Edson]

Go to HP home page (they bought Compaq) and search for SP8126.EXE . It will create 3 dsk's . The setup.exe is on the 2nd. dsk.

Good luck
Edson

[NOELNCUBE]

Remove Battery 4 Ten Minutes And Replace It Or Buy A New One .

[nubie]

With my computer, I have to hit "f2" immediately as it is starting up...cheryl

ok my problem gave me a black and white diagram of a floppy disk and told me to insert system disk and hit f1. in reality the problem was the new UBS keyboard that i put in when i replaced it it was find.

[LESSAN]

i know how to get into bios and play in there, but i have a hp computer whereby you usually press f10 and you are in. but this one just freezes on the hp logo and writes 'Entering setup...' or if i press f9 to try and boot from cd it just freezes at 'boot menu...' please help

[abdulrahim66612]

dude it may surely be of anykind of hardware problem let me analyse what the fault is

if u send me the motherboard model and of which company i will try to find solution for the problem

[Yandry]

I update the bios of my motherboard aopen MX4GE and I can´t enter to my pc

[cth12]

VA is not enable how to enter wIndows?

[rcaastro]

ACCESS TO BIOS. I've read the article and posts on BIOS and unfortunately none of them seem to work. I have a DELL 8300 running XP-Pro, SP3. I replaced the CMOS battery this morning and have not been able to access the BIOS screen since then. In fact none of the F keys work. They do work on applications, however, so I believe that the keyboard is ok.
Anyone have any ideas for me?

[Rik_]

Are you using a USB keyboard? If so, try a PS2 keyboard (if your computer has PS2 ports).

[rcaastro]

Ta Da!—almost, but not quite.

It appeared to have been as simple as plugging in a PS/2 keyboard and then hitting the F2 key. Apparently there is a default setting that the BIOS resets to when the CMOS battery is replaced. I thought that setting effectively locked out my USB keyboard since I found the USB Emulator and USB Controller options toggled to OFF; they were ON before I replaced the CMOS battery—and when my USB keyboard had given me access to the BIOS settings page.

So, I toggled them back to ON, rebooted with the PS/2 keyboard and now have access to the BIOS settings. However, when I tried to replace the PS/2 keyboard with the USB keyboard that I had been using before the CMOS change, and had given me access to the BIOS settings, it continues to longer be able to access the BIOS.

Otherwise, I believe this issue is almost closed. I have access to the BIOS and probably should be happy since it also frees up a USB port, but I would really like to know how to make the USB keyboard a part of the system again. What settings should I be using?

Again, thanks for all f the helpful suggestions.

[Rik_]

If your bios has a USB legacy support option, make sure it's set to on!

[rcaastro]

Who knew there was a difference in USB ports and that apparently all USB ports aren’t created equally?

This is finally over and the problem is solved. I moved the USB plug into several ports and finally after the third repositioning and rebooting, it works. I now have access to the BIOS page with my USB keyboard in place.

I want to thank the responders from PCHELPFORUM, DANIWEB, the DELL Community and Microsoft Answers for help with this problem.

Best to all.

[Brotha Jay]

Hope you're not using a bluetooth keyboard. just sayin'

Oops: thread solved. Sorry.