Boot SequenceThis feature allows you to change the boot sequence for the bootable devices installed on your computer.Option Settingsl Diskette Drive — The computer attempts to boot from the floppy drive. If the floppy disk in the drive is not bootable, if no floppy disk is in the drive, or ifthere is no floppy drive installed in the computer, the computer attempts to boot from the next bootable device in the boot sequence.l Hard Drive — The computer attempts to boot from the primary hard drive. If no operating system is on the drive, the computer attempts to boot fromthe next bootable device in the boot sequence.l CD Drive — The computer attempts to boot from the CD drive. If no CD is in the drive, or if the CD has no operating system, the computer attempts toboot from the next bootable device in the boot sequence.l USB Flash Device — Insert the memory device into a USB port and restart the computer. When F12 = Boot Menu appears in the upper-right corner ofthe screen, press . The BIOS detects the device and adds the USB flash option to the boot menu.Changing Boot Sequence for the Current BootYou can use this feature, for example, to tell the computer to boot from the CD drive so that you can run the Dell Diagnostics on the Dell ResourceCD, but youwant the computer to boot from the hard drive when the diagnostic tests are complete. You can also use this feature to restart your computer to a USB devicesuch as a floppy drive, memory key, or CD-RW drive.1. If you are booting to a USB device, connect the USB device to a USB connector (see Back View).2. Turn on (or restart) your computer.3. When the DELL logo appears, press immediately.If you wait too long and the operating system logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Microsoft Windows desktop, then shut down yourcomputer and try again.4. At the Boot Device Menu, use the up- and down-arrow keys or press the appropriate number on the keyboard to highlight the device that is to be usedfor the current boot only, and then press .For example, if you are booting to a USB memory key, highlight USB Flash Device and press .Changing Boot Sequence for Future Boots1. Enter system setup (see Entering System Setup).2. Use the arrow keys to highlight the Boot Sequence menu option and press to access the menu.3. Press the up- and down-arrow keys to move through the list of devices.4. Press the spacebar to enable or disable a device (enabled devices have a checkmark).5. Press plus (+) or minus (–) to move a selected device up or down the list.Clearing Forgotten PasswordsNOTE: To boot to a USB device, the device must be bootable. To make sure that your device is bootable, check the device documentation.NOTE: An error message is generated only after the computer attempts to boot from every device in the boot sequence and no operating system isfound.NOTE: If you are booting to a USB floppy drive, you must first set the floppy drive to OFF in system setup (see System Setup).NOTE: Keyboard failure may result when a key on the keyboard is held down for extended periods of time. To avoid possible keyboard failure,press and release in even intervals until the Boot Device Menu appears.NOTE: To boot to a USB device, the device must be bootable. To make sure that your device is bootable, check the device documentation.NOTE: Write down your current boot sequence in case you want to restore it.
