Ok, we usually say BIOS when referring to BIOS' CMOS- The BIOS ROM is the barebones "operating system" which allows access to the computer's hardware. We have access to the "eeprom", vg. stored user preferences, and there is a lot of data to play with, so we have to be careful until we know what is the purpose of each programmable feature (especially memory timing and IRQ management) But it will take few minutes learn how to change the booting order and why, enable or disable a bunch of features, including video, audio, lan interface, usb, assorted ports, etc etc. After all we can set the drives detection to AUTO and in the worst case restore the original values by just inserting a jumper for a while. Nobody is talking of flashing the BIOS to disable the num lock.. that would be funny to say the least..
Well, Harold, glad I was able to help a little bit from my painfully limited knowledge, wish you the best of luck, and suggest you put aside those outdated HP restore CDs ... you' d better have handy a copy of your operating system and your favourite programmes and most needed data .. Just in case.. HDDs are still far from being crash-proof.. have fun Jorge
At 09:35 p.m. 18/02/2004 -0500, you wrote:
Sorry, something I overlooked. Wally does explain how to get into the CMOS. He writes:
It is the CMOS that you can enter and program. When the computer boots from BIOS, it looks to the CMOS for instructions to set up the computer depending on what the data is in the CMOS. It contains information on your hard drive, floppy drive etc. It also has instructions about which drive to go to first when booting. Most are set to go to the floppy drive first, then the hard drive. You should be able to set the num lock position at startup, mine does. To get into the CMOS, the first screen will say something like "to enter setup press delete now". or "press control" or "control/escape". Just set what the screen says. You have to do it before the screen clears. If you want to hold the screen so you can read it just hit the pause key. Hit the space bar to continue when you are done reading.
Harold
Jorge Camboni, GY Electronics, Richardson, TX ============= PCWorks Mailing List =================
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