Core Bios Features; 1Multi Boot; Quiet Boot; Boot Block - Compal Notebook User Manual

4.4 Core BIOS Features

4.4.1Multi Boot

The notebook can support Multi-Boot for selecting the boot sequence of Hard Drive,
Removable Devices, CD-ROM/DVD Drive and Network in Setup.

4.4.2 Quiet Boot

Quiet Boot replaces the customary technical messages during POST with a more
visually pleasing and comfortable display (OEM screen). During POST, right after
the initialization of VGA, The notebook displays an illustration called the OEM screen
during system boot instead of the traditional POST screen that displays the normal
diagnostic messages.
The OEM screen stays up until just before the operating system loads unless:
Pressing <Esc> to switch to the POST screen and the boot process will
continue until the end of POST.
Pressing <F2> to enter Setup.
Pressing <F12> to enter Boot Menu.
Whenever POST detects a non-terminal error, it switches to the POST screen
near the end of POST, just prior to prompting for a password.
If the BIOS or an option ROM request keyboard input, the system switches over
to the POST screen with prompts for entering the information. POST continues
from there with the regular POST screen.

4.4. 3 Boot Block

The Flash ROM used in many systems today offer the customer the advantage of
electronically reprogramming the BIOS without physically replacing the BIOS ROM.
This advantage, however, does create a possible hazard: power failures or
fluctuations that occur during updating the Flash ROM can damage the BIOS code,
making the system unbootable. To prevent this possible hazard, many Flash ROM
include a special non-volatile region that can never be erased. This region, called the
boot block, contains a fail-safe recovery routine. If the boot block finds corrupted
BIOS, it prompts the end user to insert a diskette, from which it loads several files
that replace the corrupted BIOS on the Flash ROM with an uncorrupted one.