Dell 2100 User Manual

Also see for Inspiron 2100: Installation instructions Start here Setup and features information Service manual User guide

Contents

4-44 Dell PowerEdge 2100/180 and 2100/200 Systems User’s GuideMain Menu CategoriesTo access the Main menu (see Figure 4-1), use the arrowkeys to highlight Main. This section explains in detaileach of the System Setup categories in the Main menuand the Boot Sequence submenu.TimeTime resets the time on the computer’s internal clock.Time is kept in a 24-hour format (hours:minutes:seconds). To change the time, use the plus and minus keys. Ifyou prefer, you can type numbers in each of the appropriatefields.NOTE: If your system is connected to a network, the Timecategory may reflect the time maintained by the networkserver, depending upon how the network is configured. In thiscase, changing the Time category on your system has no effect.DateDate resets the date on the computer’s internal calendar.Your system automatically displays the day of the weekcorresponding to the settings in the three fields that fol-low (month, day-of-the-month, and year).To change the date, use the plus and minus keys to increaseand decrease the numbers. If you prefer, you can typenumbers in the day-of-the-month fields.NOTE: If your system is connected to a network, the Datecategory may reflect the date maintained by the networkserver, depending upon how the network is configured. In thiscase, changing the Date category on your system has noeffect.Diskette Drive A and Diskette Drive BDiskette Drive A and Diskette Drive B identify the typeof diskette drives installed in the drive cage.The options for both categories are:• 360 KB, 5.25 Inch• 1.2 MB, 5.25 Inch• 720 KB, 3.5 Inch• 1.44 MB, 3.5 Inch (default for diskette A)• Not Installed (default for diskette B)Fast Video BIOSFast Video BIOS offers the options of shadowing and/orcaching the video BIOS for improved performance.For the built-in video controller chip, the Fast VideoBIOS category offers the following options:• On and Cached (The Default)• On• OffIf you choose the On option, your system boots andimmediately copies the video BIOS code from the flashmemory chip into write-protected memory locations infaster random-access memory (RAM). This process isknown as shadowing. If you choose On and Cached (thedefault), your system boots and not only shadows thevideo BIOS code, but also allows it to be cached. Cach-ing saves time for the microprocessor(s) by holdingavailable the most recently accessed data and instructionsin an intermediate storage area of static RAM (SRAM),which is faster than system RAM. Shadowing and cach-ing let the system manipulate video display data morequickly and easily, improving video performance.Memory CacheMemory Cache can be set to Enabled (the default) or Disabled.Cache memory decreases the average memory cycle timeto boost system performance. You may want to set Cacheto Off to aid in troubleshooting software problems.Boot SequenceThe Boot Sequence category can be set to A: then C: (thedefault), C: then A:, or C: Only.The term boot refers to the system’s start-up procedure.When turned on, the system “bootstraps” itself into an opera-tional state by loading into memory a small program whichin turn loads the necessary operating system. Boot Sequencetells the system where to look for the files that it needs toload.Selecting A: then C: causes the system to try booting fromdrive A first. If it finds a diskette that is not bootable in thedrive or finds a problem with the drive itself, the system dis-plays an error message. If it does not find a diskette in thedrive, the system then tries to boot from the hard-disk drive(drive C).