My Unattainable Bios
UltimaGecko
hates endnotes Join Date: 2003-05-14 Member: 16320Members
hates endnotes Join Date: 2003-05-14 Member: 16320Members
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">...and why HP is terrible</div> I want to access my BIOS. Please don't question why, I just want to have all parts of my computer attainable to me. Now, I'd like to get some help or suggestions, since I can't access my BIOS.
My computer is built by Hewlett-Packard (...Compaq). Cease the "HPs suck, that's your problem" stuff, because I know they suck, but I'm to poor to afford anything else at the moment, and for $550 this is an excellent computer. Speaking of the computer:
AMD Athalon 2400+ (at ~2.0ghz)
256 MBs of RAM (which I think is DDR SDRAM PC2100 at 133mhz...that's one reason I need my BIOS)
80GB HDD partitioned to C: and D: (D: being HPs stupid recovery partition that wastes 2.65 Gigs of space)
128MB ATI Radeon 9200 (4x AGP) ...which I just noticed now, AIDA says my computer supports only 1,2 and 4x AGP up to 64MB...but it's supposed to support 8x.
Integrated Realtek AC97 Audio
WindowsXP Home Edition (and the afforementioned recovery partition)
...and then a monitor, DVD-ROM drive, speakers, mouse and keyboard stuff.
On to the actual relevant things:
My Motherboard (according to AIDA...couldn't find it in device manager) is FIC AM35.
My BIOS (also according to AIDA) is Phoenix-Award BIOS v6.00PG
(any other relevant information you might need I can probably get through AIDA too)
I've gone to the HP website, and the FIC website in hopes of finding information on the BIOS...but they have nothing. There's stuff on flash BIOS and stuff, but I don't want to change it, I just want to access it.
On start-up, my computer doesn't have the information I'm used to (such as on the other Windows98 machine at home). It goes to a Operating System selection screen that's there for about 3 or 4 seconds before automatically starting WindowsXP. I know this is a windows based screen, and my BIOS shouldn't have any OS based stuff.
I know it's Windows based because at the bottom of the screen it says "For Advanced and Troubleshooting options for Windows press F8." Which, coincidentlly, when trying EVERY single key on my keyboard, I found F5 also accesses it.
The two options it does give me on this screen are "Start Windows XP Home Edition" and "Start Windows Recovery Console." Neither of which is my BIOS (...obviously). Through F8 (or F5) it gives me just what it said, advanced and troubleshooting options. Start Windows in Safe Mode, Start Windows Normally...and about 9 other options that include nothing related to my BIOS. There's nothing else, I can either start Windows normally, or start it with useless options(at the moment...since my computer runs most everything okay right now; it needs no troubleshooting).
Can anyone help me get to my BIOS?
/cry
My computer is built by Hewlett-Packard (...Compaq). Cease the "HPs suck, that's your problem" stuff, because I know they suck, but I'm to poor to afford anything else at the moment, and for $550 this is an excellent computer. Speaking of the computer:
AMD Athalon 2400+ (at ~2.0ghz)
256 MBs of RAM (which I think is DDR SDRAM PC2100 at 133mhz...that's one reason I need my BIOS)
80GB HDD partitioned to C: and D: (D: being HPs stupid recovery partition that wastes 2.65 Gigs of space)
128MB ATI Radeon 9200 (4x AGP) ...which I just noticed now, AIDA says my computer supports only 1,2 and 4x AGP up to 64MB...but it's supposed to support 8x.
Integrated Realtek AC97 Audio
WindowsXP Home Edition (and the afforementioned recovery partition)
...and then a monitor, DVD-ROM drive, speakers, mouse and keyboard stuff.
On to the actual relevant things:
My Motherboard (according to AIDA...couldn't find it in device manager) is FIC AM35.
My BIOS (also according to AIDA) is Phoenix-Award BIOS v6.00PG
(any other relevant information you might need I can probably get through AIDA too)
I've gone to the HP website, and the FIC website in hopes of finding information on the BIOS...but they have nothing. There's stuff on flash BIOS and stuff, but I don't want to change it, I just want to access it.
On start-up, my computer doesn't have the information I'm used to (such as on the other Windows98 machine at home). It goes to a Operating System selection screen that's there for about 3 or 4 seconds before automatically starting WindowsXP. I know this is a windows based screen, and my BIOS shouldn't have any OS based stuff.
I know it's Windows based because at the bottom of the screen it says "For Advanced and Troubleshooting options for Windows press F8." Which, coincidentlly, when trying EVERY single key on my keyboard, I found F5 also accesses it.
The two options it does give me on this screen are "Start Windows XP Home Edition" and "Start Windows Recovery Console." Neither of which is my BIOS (...obviously). Through F8 (or F5) it gives me just what it said, advanced and troubleshooting options. Start Windows in Safe Mode, Start Windows Normally...and about 9 other options that include nothing related to my BIOS. There's nothing else, I can either start Windows normally, or start it with useless options(at the moment...since my computer runs most everything okay right now; it needs no troubleshooting).
Can anyone help me get to my BIOS?
/cry
Comments
major system manufacturers dont cater to those of us who know what a bios is.
80GB HDD partitioned to C: and D: (D: being HPs stupid recovery partition that wastes 2.65 Gigs of space)
end quote...
Just wanted to say that this comment made me quite angry as i am living quite well with a hard drive of 18GBs... that 2.65 is around 1/8 of my entire HD so don't be cryin.
80GB HDD partitioned to C: and D: (D: being HPs stupid recovery partition that wastes 2.65 Gigs of space)
end quote...
Just wanted to say that this comment made me quite angry as i am living quite well with a hard drive of 18GBs... that 2.65 is around 1/8 of my entire HD so don't be cryin.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
...I paid for an 80 gigabyte drive (granted they end up proportionally less than that for some reason); I expect to get what I pay for...in this case, I could use that 1/40th of hard drive space. That's a game or two, or movies.
There was a 17.4GB hard drive on my old computer...that's not enough space <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> .
Thanks for helping me get to my BIOS (confused! and Zel). Strangely, HP doesn't have a start up graphic on this computer...it's just a big black screen at first. I pressed Del, Tab and F1; not sure which one it is specifically, but it works.
On my BIOS I noticed it says it's Graphics Device on Boot is PCI (integrated 32MB shared video memory). However, my display preferences, and other things, say I'm running my Radeon 9200 (with Omega drivers). Does it mean it boots with shared memory and then accesses my graphics card? or is it always using shared memory and the display properties just detect and use it? Looks slightly different than I'm used to (...my other computer was from before AGP was popular).
And on a sidenote, that $550 looks like it was a good investment. I built a similar machine two and a half years ago for about twice as much.
Don't worry Gecko, HP still sucks for other reasons. When it comes to desktops, it's better to build one yourself or have a buddy do it. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Two years ago, eh? Somehow I think you're missing something about how computer pricing works. You can't even compare prices 6 months apart, let alone 2 years. The industry changes too fast.