Commonly Used Options - Dell Inspiron 600m Owner's Manual

The screens display such information as:
• System configuration
• Boot order
• Boot (start-up) configuration and docking-device configuration settings
• Basic device configuration settings
• Battery charge status
• System security and hard-drive password settings

Commonly Used Options

Certain options require that you reboot the computer for new settings to take effect.
Changing the Boot Sequence
The boot sequence, or boot order, tells the computer where to look to find the software needed to
start the operating system. You can control the boot sequence using the Boot Order page of the
system setup program. The Boot Order page displays a general list of the bootable devices that
may be installed in your computer, including but not limited to the following:
• Diskette Drive
• Modular bay HDD
• Internal HDD
• CD/DVD/CD-RW drive
During the boot routine, the computer starts at the top of the list and scans each enabled device
for the operating system start-up files. When the computer finds the files, it stops searching and
starts the operating system.
To control the boot devices, select (highlight) a device by pressing the up-arrow or down-arrow
key, and then enable or disable the device or change its order in the list.
• To enable or disable a device, highlight the item and press the spacebar. Enabled items appear
as white and display a small triangle to their left; disabled items appear blue or dimmed
without a triangle.
• To reorder a device in the list, highlight the device and then press <u> or <d>
(not case-sensitive) to move the highlighted device up or down.
Boot sequence changes take effect as soon as you save the changes and exit the system
setup program.
96
Appendix