Trouble entering BIOS setup

Hi,

I'm lucky someone gave me a IBM Personal Computer 300PL for NOPE! So I
checked out the specs and I'm impressed

The problem I have with this one, is that I'm not able to enter the
BIOS setup. During the bootstrap, I see a splash with the cool "Big
Blue" logo and a message like "Press F1 to enter Setup".

Well I've pressed F1 xxxx times, changed keyboards, but still I'm not
able to enter the BIOS setup.

The machine boots via PXE and this is not what I want, I'm strictly a
amateur hobbyist "geek" and indeed I'm pretty exited by figuring out
how this works, just for fun. But finally I want to be able to boot,
from a floppy, CD-ROM and HDD.

Anny ideas what causes this problem or any tricks to enter the BIOS?

Thanks in advance,

cheers.

Marti van Lin
Maastricht (NL)

Previously ml2mst <> wrote:
> Hi,

> I'm lucky someone gave me a IBM Personal Computer 300PL for NOPE! So I
> checked out the specs and I'm impressed

> The problem I have with this one, is that I'm not able to enter the
> BIOS setup. During the bootstrap, I see a splash with the cool "Big
> Blue" logo and a message like "Press F1 to enter Setup".

> Well I've pressed F1 xxxx times, changed keyboards, but still I'm not
> able to enter the BIOS setup.

> The machine boots via PXE and this is not what I want, I'm strictly a
> amateur hobbyist "geek" and indeed I'm pretty exited by figuring out
> how this works, just for fun. But finally I want to be able to boot,
> from a floppy, CD-ROM and HDD.

> Anny ideas what causes this problem or any tricks to enter the BIOS?

> Thanks in advance,

> cheers.

> Marti van Lin
> Maastricht (NL)

Just a guess, but on my ThinkPad it is F2.

Arno

On 31 jan, 23:25, Arno Wagner <m...@privacy.net> wrote:

>
> Just a guess, but on my ThinkPad it is F2.
>
Thanks for the tip but I've tried all "common" keys like F1, F2,
Delete, Esc, F11 and combinations with Ctrl and Alt

> Arno
Marti

On 31 Jan 2007 13:23:59 -0800, "ml2mst" <> wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I'm lucky someone gave me a IBM Personal Computer 300PL for NOPE! So I
>checked out the specs and I'm impressed
>
>The problem I have with this one, is that I'm not able to enter the
>BIOS setup. During the bootstrap, I see a splash with the cool "Big
>Blue" logo and a message like "Press F1 to enter Setup".
>
>Well I've pressed F1 xxxx times, changed keyboards, but still I'm not
>able to enter the BIOS setup.
>
>The machine boots via PXE and this is not what I want, I'm strictly a
>amateur hobbyist "geek" and indeed I'm pretty exited by figuring out
>how this works, just for fun. But finally I want to be able to boot,
>from a floppy, CD-ROM and HDD.
>
>Anny ideas what causes this problem or any tricks to enter the BIOS?
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>cheers.
>
>Marti van Lin
>Maastricht (NL)


Have you tried it simply holding a key down the whole time it is
coming up. IBM's will throw a 301 and enter setup as a default at that
point if the keyboard is working at all.
Plan B would be to jumper the CMOS reset and start over.

Previously ml2mst <> wrote:
> On 31 jan, 23:25, Arno Wagner <m...@privacy.net> wrote:

>>
>> Just a guess, but on my ThinkPad it is F2.
>>
> Thanks for the tip but I've tried all "common" keys like F1, F2,
> Delete, Esc, F11 and combinations with Ctrl and Alt

Hmm. Maybe this thing has the setup disabled somehow?

Arno

"ml2mst" <> wrote in message
news: ups.com...

> I'm lucky someone gave me a IBM Personal Computer 300PL for NOPE! So I
> checked out the specs and I'm impressed
>
> The problem I have with this one, is that I'm not able to enter the
> BIOS setup. During the bootstrap, I see a splash with the cool "Big
> Blue" logo and a message like "Press F1 to enter Setup".

On the earliest IBM PCs, it was the DELete key
that you had to press (during reboot, not afterwards.)

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for your advice, and I was finally able to solve the problem by
trial and error.

I installed a corrupt DIMM and this dropped me (finally, at last) into
the BIOS setup, so I was able to change the boot sequence.

Now I am able to enter the BIOS setup, simply by pressing the F1 key
(as the boot message actually prints). I still don't have a clue, why
this did not worked in first place, but who cares, since the problem
is solved. Yeeeha

I am actually writing this message on the IBM PC 300 PL right now!

I really had a lot of fun figuring out how PXE works, but with
OpenSUSE as a "server", this is pretty simple

Simonix (named after my niece who was the previous owner of this slick
box) is currently running Micro$haft's Windoze ME. But I added enough
resources, to run a slick Linux distro.

So if someone is having a problem entering the BIOS setup, the
solution is simply, to change or add hardware, this will force the
BIOS setup to fire up.

Anyway, I'm having a lot of fun and I am proud. finally having a
*real* IBM box.

Right on Soul brothers and Soul sisters: IBM, Love, Peace and Linux...
Yeah!

With kind regards,

Marti van Lin
Maastricht (NL)
http://ml2mst.topcities.com

Marti van Lin "ml2mst" <> wrote in message
news: oups.com...

> So if someone is having a problem entering the BIOS setup, the
> solution is simply, to change or add hardware, this will force the
> BIOS setup to fire up.

The common method is to replace the CMOS battery
thus wiping earlier BIOS settings.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)