In the first sceen there will usually be several menus to choose from. The most important are the first two. The first menu is usally called "Standard CMOS setup" or "Standard BIOS configuration." Select this menu.
Here you should be able to set the time & date and setup the various drives. It is important to know where each drive is plugged into on the motherboard, and the capacity of each drive. Most of the newer BIOS chips support IDE automatic detection. Usually the auto-detect is activated by toggling down to the IDE drive on this screen and hitting
After setting up the various IDE drives, set the floppies(you probably only have one and it's probably a 3.5 inch- 1.44 MB drive). When done hit
In the Advanced CMOS Setup, you should be able to set the boot order. I recomend setting the primary boot the floppy drive. Floppy drives are pretty reliable and easy to replace. If your hard drive is damaged, or the operating system has a problem, you can boot to a floppy disk and figure out what the problem is. There will be other options on this screen, but unless you know what you're doing, just leave them at the default settings.
How to reset a BIOS password you have forgotten
If your BIOS has a password that you don't know, you will have to do the following.1. You will have to open the case
Unplug the computer and remove ALL and ANY cables especially the modem cable (telephone lines cary their own electricity). Put the computer in an open space so you can get at it from all sides. Lay it on a towel so it won't scratch the wood on your table or floor.
There will be anywhere from four to six screws on the back of the case where the data ports are. Unscrew them all and put them in a plastic bag together so you don't loose them or confuse them with other screws(happens all the time, really easily).
You may have to use some force to get the case off, don't be affraid to push it a little. Older cases are harder to get off. Wedge a flathead screw between the case and face(where the floppy drive is) of the computer and twist it until the the case retracts. Before you touch any parts inside your computer, touch your television or an electric radio. This will "ground" you, pulling off any static electricity. Static electricity from your body can destroy computer parts. You acumualte SE easily in cold months like these.
2. Locate the Motherboard, Mainboard or SystemBoard.
You may need a flashlight to see everything properly. The Motherboard will be a large flat, green curcuit board afixed to one side of the case. All of the devices(hard drive, floppy drive) will be connected to the Motherboard via flat, ribbon-like cables with a red stripe down one side. There will be (or should be) RAM(memory) chips "clipped" into the motherboard in an upright position.
The Motherboard will house the the Processor(CPU), Math chip(ALU) and the BIOS chip. The CPU and ALU will be large square chips raised slightly above the motherboard.
The BIOS chip will be a small, fat rectangular chip. If you're lucky it will say "BIOS" right on top.
3. Find the Jumpers and Dip Switches.
Hopefully, your motherboard will have Jumpers only, but may have jumpers and dip switches. Dip switches will be small rows that look like the light switches on a wall. They should have numbers bellow the switches: 1 through whatever number. Next the row of switches there should be a name like SW1 or SW2.
Jumpers are tiny rows "prongs" that look like forks. They very often come in threes but can be any number. There will be(or in some cases not) small plastic caps covering the jumper prongs. When two jumpers have a plastic cap over them they are connected and an electric circuit is "closed" meaning that electricity is flowing through. When the jumper is off, the connection is "open" meaning there is no electricity flowing. This flow(or lack of) of power is a signal to the motherboard to do something. The plastic cap can be removed with tweasers or your fingers if you have sharp fingernails. The jumpers should have numbers under each prong(1-2-3) and a name next to them like J1, J2, J4... or JP1, JP2, JP3...
If you are lucky, your motherboard will have a BIOS password reset Dip switch or Jumper. Resting the password will alow you enter BIOS and change the password or enter BIOS an alter the configurations. Not all motherboards have this switch.
3. Find the "Clear CMOS" or "Reset CMOS" Jumper.
There will be one jumper(or dip) called "CMOS" or "Clear CMOS." This switch will allow you to erase ALL the settings on the motherboard and set them to the original manufacturer's default settings. This switch has two values "Clear" and "Normal." In typical use the switch should always be set to "Normal." To reset the motherboard, you set the switch to "Clear" turn the PC on, let it boot-up, turn it off, put the switch back to "Normal" and turn the PC back on. Then re-enter BIOS and configure it.
I have looked a four different motherboard manuals. The placement of the CMOS jumper varies, but it is always a low number like JP2 or JP4. If your lucky it will be marked "CMOS" or "CLEAR CMOS." Look for one that has three prongs. If it has two, four or more it's probably not the CMOS reset.
All of the motherboards I have seen have pin 1 and 2 connected for normal use, 2 and 3 connected to clear the CMOS.
Try and download the manual for the motherboard from the Internet for the specifics, without it you may have to experiment for a while.
When you find the CMOS switch:
1. Set it to "reset" or "clear"
2. Turn the PC on, and let it boot.
3. Turn the PC off.
4. Put the switch back to "normal"
5. Boot up again and enter BIOS.
Tip: leave the case off until you have configured BIOS sucessfully, this will save time if you make a mistake.
