Introduction; The Bios Setup Program; Entering The Setup Program - Matrox 4Sight-II Installation And Hardware Reference

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104 Appendix B: BIOS reference

Introduction

BIOS stands for Basic Input/Output System. It acts as an interface between the

operating system and the hardware. When the computer is turned on, it is the

BIOS that is responsible for booting up the machine, and loading the operating

system that is used to run applications. The computer BIOS image is written on

a 256 Kbyte Flash memory chip, installed on Matrox 4Sight-II.

You can change computer BIOS settings by running a utility program called Setup,

which can be accessed soon after turning on your unit

The Matrox G450 graphics controller also has a BIOS, which is responsible for

providing all the routines and functions that allows the operating system to

communicate with the graphics controller. The VGA BIOS image is stored in the

graphics chip's CMOS memory. Note however, that it is not possible to modify

any configuration settings of the VGA BIOS.

This appendix shows you how to access and change the settings of the BIOS Setup

program. It also shows you how to update both your computer and VGA BIOSes

with more recent versions. Finally, this appendix explains the different messages

and flash codes communicated to the user by the BIOS during the course of your

unit's operation.

The BIOS Setup program allows you to modify certain hardware settings. The

default settings are suitable in most cases, but under some circumstances, you

might need to change them.

To enter the Setup program, turn on Matrox 4Sight-II and press F2 during POST.

You only have a few moments to press F2 before the boot-up process continues.

1. It should be noted that most of the settings of the Setup program have been optimally

configured to the specifications of Matrox 4Sight-II. However, you might need to

change certain settings if you make additions to your unit.

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