Dell Latitude XPi Reference Guide - Page 30

may ask you for this version number if you call Dell for technical assistance. NOTE: Dell may periodically offer revisions of the BIOS that add features or solve specific problems. Because the BIOS for your computer is stored on a reprogrammable flash-memory chip, you can use the Flash BIOS Update program to update your computer's BIOS entirely through software. Boot Sequence BOOT SEQUENCE determines which disk device your computer uses to find the software needed to start the operating system. The term boot refers to the computer's start-up procedure. When you turn on the computer, it "bootstraps" itself into an operational state by loading into memory a small program, which in turn loads the necessary operating system. BOOT SEQUENCE tells the computer where to find the files that it needs to load. Settings for this option are: • DISKETTE FIRST (the default) causes your computer to first attempt to boot from a bootable diskette. If the computer detects no diskette in the diskette drive, it tries to boot from the hard-disk drive. If the computer encounters a diskette without the required boot files or detects a problem with the diskette drive, it displays an error message. • HARD DISK ONLY causes your computer to boot only from the hard-disk drive. If it fails to boot from the hard-disk drive for any reason, your computer does not attempt to boot from the diskette drive. For a change in the BOOT SEQUENCE option to take effect, you must reboot your computer. Boot Speed BOOT SPEED allows you to choose between the computer's processing speed (the default) and COMPATIBLE, a slower compatibility speed. The compatibility speed varies, depending on the configuration of your system. When you change the setting in the BOOT SPEED option, the System Setup program stores and continues to display the new setting even if you do not reboot your computer when you exit the System Setup program. If you start the System Setup program again during your current work session, the processing speed displayed for the BOOT SPEED option may not match the actual speed at which your computer is running. For a change in the BOOT SPEED option to take effect, you must reboot your computer. Brightness BRIGHTNESS allows you to specify the brightness of the display when the computer is operating on battery power. Settings for this option are HIGH, MEDIUM, and LOW (the default). NOTE: When your computer is operating on AC power, this option is set to HIGH and cannot be changed. A change to the BRIGHTNESS option becomes effective immediately (rebooting is not required). Date DATE resets the date on the computer's internal calendar. Your computer automatically displays the day of the week corresponding to the settings in the three fields that follow (month, day-of-the-month, and year). A change to the DATE option becomes effective immediately (rebooting is not required). However, you must reboot to make the change apparent to the operating system. To change the date, press the right-arrow key to increase the number in the highlighted field, or press the leftarrow key to decrease the number. If you prefer, you can type in numbers in the month and day-of-the-month fields. Disk Time-Out DISK TIME-OUT lets you determine how long your harddisk drive remains idle before the drive motor turns off to conserve battery power. 2-6 Dell Latitude XPi CD Reference and Troubleshooting Guide