BIOS Manufacturing mode?

I found this String in a Dell BIOS:

**** MANUFACTURING MODE: LEVEL [ ] ****
Press Fn-X to return the system to normal running mode.

Anyone knows how to enter to this "Manufacturing Mode"??

You cant, its a factory setting thats set when the systemboard is returned
to the factory as being faulty, they make the repair and send out the board
again the engineer then installs it and Fn x's it to return it to operating
mode
<> wrote in message
news: ups.com...
>I found this String in a Dell BIOS:
>
> **** MANUFACTURING MODE: LEVEL [ ] ****
> Press Fn-X to return the system to normal running mode.
>
> Anyone knows how to enter to this "Manufacturing Mode"??
>

Do u know what can be done in this mode?

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 09:15:52 +0100, "Fixer" <>
wrote:

>You cant, its a factory setting thats set when the systemboard is returned
>to the factory as being faulty, they make the repair and send out the board
>again the engineer then installs it and Fn x's it to return it to operating
>mode

Although some engineeres forget this step and a very loud ticking
sound eminates every time a key on the keyboard is pressed.

Some Dell CSR's send us out with a motherboard for these calls....very
nice calls, since they only take 5 minutes to fix, no parts used

Dell probably has very expensive diagnostic equipment that allows them
to examine the various motherboard components in manufacturing mode.

Dan

Any ex-Dell CSR there that can tell us what they can do in this mode?
;-)...
Honestly I was thinking that maybe the bios send debug info through the
serial port or smth like that .. I really dont think they need any
sofisticated equipment...

<> wrote in message
news: oups.com...
> Any ex-Dell CSR there that can tell us what they can do in this mode?
> ;-)...
> Honestly I was thinking that maybe the bios send debug info through the
> serial port or smth like that .. I really dont think they need any
> sofisticated equipment...
>

http://support.dell.com/support/topi...en&~mode=popup

On the older systems (on the user end), it was for clearing the NVRAM (BIOS
hardware configuration). It could be accessed by moving a mb jumper.

Judging from a Latitude mb I had replaced onsite recently, it would appear
that MM might allow a baseline HW configuration to be set in NVRAM before
the onsite tech uses the included MB CD to set the system service tag or
asset tag - but that's purely speculation on my part.


Stew

"Dan" <> wrote in message
news:...

> Dell probably has very expensive diagnostic equipment that allows them
> to examine the various motherboard components in manufacturing mode.
>
> Dan
>

The motherboard on my Dimension 4100 failed a couple of years ago and,
making conversation, I asked the technician who was replacing the board how
Dell could set about finding out what was wrong with it, given that it was
completely dead.

He mentioned something about switching the BIOS to manufacturing mode and
hooking the board up to some diagnostic equipment to identify the failure.