Dell

BIOS
The BIOS provides the Power-On Self-Test (POST), the BIOS Setup program, the PCI and IDE
auto-configuration utilities, and the video BIOS. The BIOS is stored in the Firmware Hub.
The BIOS canbe updated by following the instructions in Chapter 3 on page 39.
PCI Auto Configuration
If you install a PCI add-in card in your computer, the PCI auto-configuration utility in the BIOSautomatically detects and configures the resources (IRQs, DMA channels, and I/O space) for that
add-in card. You do not need to run the BIOS Setup program after you install a PCI add-in card.
IDE AutoConfiguration
If you install an IDE device (such as a hard drive) in your computer, the IDE auto-configuration
utility in the BIOS automatically detects and configures the device for your computer. You donot
need to run the BIOS Setup program after installing an IDE device. You can override the autoconfiguration
options by specifying manual configuration in the BIOS Setup program.
To useATA-66/100 features, the following items are required:
An ATA-66/100 peripheral device
An ATA-66/100 compatible cable
ATA-66/100 operating system device drivers
Security Passwords
The BIOS includessecurity features that restrict whether the BIOS Setup program can be accessed
and who can boot the computer. A supervisor password and a user password can be set for the
Setup and for booting thecomputer, with the following restrictions:
The supervisor password gives unrestricted access to view and change all Setup options. If
only the supervisor password is set, pressing <Enter> atthe password prompt of Setup gives
the user restricted access to Setup.
If both the supervisor and user passwords are set, you must enter either the supervisor
password or the user password toaccess Setup. Setup options are then available for viewing
and changing depending on whether the supervisor or user password was entered.
Setting a user password restricts who can boot the...