Chapter 3 Configuring the Notebook This chapter provides an overview of the System Configuration Utility program, which allows you to adjust the basic notebook settings to your needs
System Configuration Utility The System Configuration Utility lets you use the firmware installed on the notebook to configure your system according to the kind of hardware that you install. Using setup, you can set timing parameters for the memory and processor, define drive specifications, control power management, and so on. Using the System Configuration Utility You can only display the setup utility by pressing the [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [s] key combination shortly after the system is turned on.
other values are set to a default value and can be changed through the menu bar at the top of the screen. The third section, at the bottom of the screen, displays hints and help messages relevant to the topic highlighted at the moment. Press the [Alt] key to activate menus. Use the cursor arrow keys to move the highlight through the header list of setup windows. When the option you need is highlighted, [Enter] key to select an option.
Startup This option displays basic information about your system and hardware. Date and Time When you select this option, a dialog box will pop up allowing you to customize the date and time to be used by the system clock. Fast Boot You can either enable or disable this option. If enabled you allow the system to boot fast without first testing all functions.
Enter new Power-On Password This field allows you to enter a new password to be used every time the system starts. The password can be up to eight characters long, consisting of both letters and numbers. Verify new Power-On Password After you have entered a new password, you’ll need to retype it in this field to confirm it. Enable Password to Power-On After you have set a password in the previous fields, you can either enable or disable it.
Memory Cache Systems When you select this option, a dialog box will pop up allowing you to customize the system’s use of Cache memory. L1 Cache/L2 Cache These boxes allow you to enable (Write Back) or disable Level 1 and/or Level 2 Cache. BIOS Shadow This field allows you to enable or disable BIOS shadow memory caching. Video Shadow This field allows you to enable or disable Video shadow memory caching. Disks Internal FDC You can either enable or disable this option.
Diskette Drives When you select this option, a dialog box will pop up allowing you to set the types of diskette drives used with your system. You can set the diskette drive type to None, 1.44 MB, or 2.88 MB. The internal diskette drive is by default referred to as Drive A. Internal HDC You can either enable or disable this option. Set this option to enable in order to use the internal hard disk drive.
Components Use the components item on the menu bar to configure some of the peripheral devices found in your notebook. COM Ports When you select this option, a dialog box will pop up allowing you to enable/disable and to modify the settings of the different serial (COM) ports. COM A I/O Settings This option box allows you to enable or disable (None) serial port COM A. If you decide to enable this serial port you should allocate a serial and interrupt address to it.
Port Address This option box allows you to enable/disable (None) the parallel port in the back of the notebook. If you decide to enable the parallel port you should allocate an LPT and interrupt address to it. If you disable the parallel port, all other boxes on this page will be grayed out. Port Definition This option box allows you to set a port mode for parallel communications. Interrupt Setting This option box allows you to change the IRQ address for the parallel port.
Power Use the power item on the menu bar to define the progressive power reduction of your computer when it is not being used. Enable Power Saving You can either enable or disable this option, which acts like a master switch for all the other power down functions on this menu. If you disable this field, none of the other system power downs in the setup program will function and will thus be grayed out.
set the power saving function of your system to a preset level that allows maximum power saving. If you take your notebook on the road, it is recommended you use this aggressive level of power saving to ensure the longest possible battery life. Customize When you select this item, a dialog box will pop up allowing you to manually customize some power down timeouts. Video Timeout Since the screen of your notebook consumes a lot of power, this field allows you to set a separate timeout value for the screen.
the system to/from the Suspend Type set below. If the field is set to Power On/Off, pressing the power button will actually power up/down the system. Lid Switch Function This field is used to set the activity linked to pressing the lid switch, as in closing the notebook screen cover. If the field is set to Suspend/Resume, closing/opening the screen cover will suspend/resume the system to/from the Suspend Type set below.
Alarm Resume You can either enable or disable this option. If this field is enabled, the system will wake up from suspend mode at the date and time set below. If the field is set to disabled, the date and time set in the fields below will have no effect. Resume Day/Resume Hour/Resume Minute These fields allow you to set a specific date and time for the system to wake up from suspend mode.
Exit When you have made changes to the setup utility, either press the [Esc] key, or highlight the Exit option on the menu bar. Save and Exit When you select this item, a dialog box will pop up asking you to confirm your choice to save the changes you just made and restart the computer. This dialog box will also appear if you press the [Esc] key in the main screen area of the system configuration utility.
Version Info When you select this option, a dialog box will pop up informing you about the version of the System Configuration Utility you are using.
