BIOS - Basic In/Out System. Many times you are given instructions that require you to change some setting in your BIOS. Many people find that they are unsure of the correct key command to enter BIOS on their computer. The following information will be helpful to you in locating your PCs specific key commands.
General BIOS key commands:To enter the BIOS during boot up try holding down one of the following keys from the beginning of boot up:
- Del key
- F1 key
- F10 key
If your computer continues to boot up normally, reboot, and try the next key command
To enter the BIOS from a DOS prompt...( ...NOT from inside windows)
- Alt Cntrl Esc
- Alt Cntrl Enter
- Cntrl Alt A
- Cntrl Alt S
Entering BIOS with Proprietary Key Commands.
The following is a list of proprietary key commands set up by individual manufacturers. Locate your manufacterer and hold down the appropriate key command during boot up.
- Acer - Ctrl+Alt+Esc
- Advent - Del
- Aptiva - Press F1
- Compaq - F10
- Compaq Presario - Press Alt+Ctrl+Esc at boot when you see the "Compaq" logo in big letters
- Dell - F1 or Del.
- Fortiva 5000 - Cntrl+Alt+A or Cntrl+Alt+S
- Gateway 2000 - F1, many also use F2
- Hewlett Packard - F1
- IBM - (Older Models) - In order to get into the configuration of the IBM setup screen (CMOS) screen you need to hold down both mouse buttons during boot-up.
- NEC - F2
- Packard Bell - F1 or F2
- Sharp Laptop 9020 - F2
- Sony - F3, then F2, or F1
- Tandon Computers - Hold down the Esc key after turning on power
- Toshiba Laptops - Toshiba Utility, on selected models you can hold the ESC key during boot which will then prompt you to press the