How To Access the BIOS Setup Utility

   
Time Required: Accessing the BIOS setup utility for your computer usually takes less than 5 minutes

Here's How:

1.        Turn on your PC or restart it if it's already on.

2.        Watch for a "entering setup" message in the first few seconds after turning on your computer. This message varies greatly from computer to computer and also includes the key or keys you need to press to enter BIOS.

Here are some common ways you might see this BIOS access message:

·         Press [key] to enter setup

·         Setup: [key]

·         Enter BIOS by pressing [key]

·         Press [key] to enter BIOS setup

·         Press [key] to access BIOS

·         Press [key] to access system configuration

3.        Quickly press the key or keys instructed by the previous message to get into BIOS.

Note: You may need to press the BIOS access key several times to enter BIOS. Don't hold the key down or press it too many times or your system may error or lock up. If that happens, just restart and try again.

BIOS Setup Utility Access Keys for Popular Computer Systems

Acer - Aspire, Power, Veriton, Extensa, Ferrari, TravelMate, Altos

·         Press Del or F2 immediately after powering on.

·         The BIOS on the Acer Altos 600 server uses theCtrl+Alt+Esc key and the F1 key for advanced options.

·         Older Acer computers may use also use the F1 orCtrl+Alt+Esc keys to access BIOS.

Compaq - Presario, Prolinea, Deskpro, Systempro, Portable

·         Press F10 while the cursor in the top right corner of the screen is blinking.

·         Older Compaq computers may use the F1, F2, F10, or Del key to give access to BIOS.

Dell - XPS, Dimension, Inspiron, Latitude. OptiPlex, Precision, Vostro

·         Press F2 when the Dell logo appears. Press every few seconds until the messageEntering Setup appears.

·         Older Dell desktops and laptops may instead use Ctrl+Alt+Enter or Del to enter BIOS.

·         Older Dell laptops may use Fn+Esc or Fn+F1.

eMachines - eMonster, eTower, eOne, S-Series, T-Series

·         Press Tab or Del while the eMachine logo displays on screen.

·         Other eMachine computers may use F2 to enter BIOS.

Fujitsu - LifeBook, Esprimo, Amilo, Tablet, DeskPower

·         Press F2 once the Fujitsu logo appears.

Gateway - DX, FX, One, GM, GT, GX, Profile, Astro

·         Press the F1 key repeatedly after restarting the computer.

·         Some older Gateway computers use F2 to access the BIOS Setup utility.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) - Pavilion, TouchSmart, Vectra, OmniBook, Tablet

·         Press the F1 or F10 key after restarting the computer.

·         HP Tablet PCs may use F10 or F12.

·         Other HP computers may allow access to BIOS using the F2 or Esc keys.

IBM - PC, XT, AT

·         Press F1 immediately after powering on the computer.

·         Older IBM computers (including some laptops) may utilize the F2 key for BIOS entry.

Lenovo (formerly IBM) - ThinkPad, IdeaPad, 3000 Series, ThinkCentre, ThinkStation

·         Press F1 or F2 after powering on the computer.

·         Older Lenovo products allow access to BIOS using Ctrl+Alt+F3, Ctrl+Alt+Ins, orFn+F1.

Micron (MPC Computers) - ClientPro, TransPort

·         Press F1, F2 or Del immediately after powering on the PC.

NEC - PowerMate, Versa, W-Series

·         Press F2 to enter the BIOS Setup.

Packard Bell - 8900 Series, 9000 Series, Pulsar, Platinum, EasyNote, imedia, iextreme

·         Press F1, F2, or Del to enter BIOS.

Sharp - Notebook Laptops, Actius UltraLite

·         Press F2 after the computer starts.

·         Some very old Sharp PCs require a Setup Diagnostics Disk to access BIOS.

Shuttle - Glamor G-Series, D'vo, Prima P2-Series, Workstation, X Mini XPC, Surveillance

·         Press F2 or Del on startup.

Sony - VAIO, PCG-Series, VGN-Series

·         Press F1, F2 or F3 after turning on the computer.

Toshiba - Portégé, Satellite, Tecra, Equium

·         Press F1 or Esc after powering on to access BIOS.

·         Press F12 on a Toshiba Equium.

The following companies are either closed for business or no longer manufacture or support mainstream computers systems so verifying the following BIOS access information is nearly impossible. I have included what I could dig up for anyone who might be interested:

ARI / ALR / AST (Advantage) - Press the Ctrl+Alt+Esc or Ctrl+Alt+Del keys.

Cybermax - Press the Esc key.

Tandon - Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys.