Specifications

Chapter 3

BIOS Configuration

This chapter details the various menus and sub-menus you use to configure the system.

The EPC-8A uses the PhoenixBIOS program to configure and select various system

options. While the chapter is written as though you are encountering each field in

sequence and for the first time, your system may be pre-configured and require very

little intervention.

Some error messages might occur during the execution of the BIOS initialization

sequence. If errors occur during the power-on self-test (POST), the BIOS displays the

error on the appropriate line of the screen display and, depending on how your system is

configured, either pauses or attempts to continue. Refer to Appendix J, Error Messages

and Diagnosis.

BIOS Setup Screens

The EPC-8A’s BIOS contains a setup function to display and alter the system

configuration. This information is maintained in the EPC-8A’s nonvolatile CMOS RAM

and is used by the BIOS to initialize the EPC-8A hardware.

The BIOS Setup can only be entered during the system reset process, following a

power-up, front panel reset, or equivalent. Press the F2 key when prompted to enter Setup.

You can always press the F2 key to enter the BIOS setup screens, even if the

prompt is suppressed. You can suppress the F2 key prompt in the BIOS setup.

Press the up and down cursor (arrow) keys to move from field to field. Press the right and

left arrows to move from menu to menu, as noted in the menu bar at the bottom of the

screen. If you use the arrow keys to leave a menu and then return, your active field is

always at the beginning of the menu. If you select a sub-menu and then return to the main

menu, you return to that sub-menu heading.

Fields with a triangle to the left are actually sub-menu headings; press Enter when the

cursor rests on one of these headings to reach that sub-menu. For most fields, position the

cursor at the field and from the numeric keypad, press the + and – keys to rotate through

the available choices. Certain numeric fields can also be entered via the keyboard. Once

the entry has been changed to appear as desired, use the up and down arrow to move to the

next field.