Mini Tower System Reference and Installation Guide

2-6 Dell OptiPlex GXa Mini Tower Systems Reference and Installation Guide
The Reserved Memory category has the following
options:
•
None (the default option)
•
512K - 640K
•
15M - 16M
CPU Speed
CPU Speed indicates the processor speed at which your
system boots.
Press the left- or right-arrow key to toggle the CPU
Speed
category between the resident microprocessor’s
rated speed (the default) and a lower compatibility speed,
which lets you accommodate speed-sensitive application
programs. A change to this category takes effect
immediately (rebooting the system is not required).
You can also toggle between the rated processor speed and
the compatibility speed while the system is running in real
mode by pressing <Ctrl><Alt><\>. (For keyboards that do
not use American English, press <Ctrl><Alt><#>.)
Num Lock
Num Lock determines whether your system boots with
the Num Lock mode activated on 101- or 102-key
keyboards (it does not apply to 84-key keyboards).
When Num Lock mode is activated, the rightmost bank
of keys on your keyboard provides the mathematical
and numeric functions shown at the tops of the keys.
When Num Lock mode is turned off, these keys pro-
vide cursor-control functions according to the label on
the bottom of each key.
Keyboard Errors
Keyboard Errors enables or disables reporting of
keyboard errors during the power-on self-test (POST),
which is a series of tests that the system performs on the
hardware each time you turn on the system or press the
reset button.
This category is useful when applied to self-starting
servers or host systems that have no permanently attached
keyboard. In these situations, selecting
Do Not Report
suppresses all error messages relating to the keyboard
or to the keyboard controller during POST. This
option does not affect the operation of the keyboard
itself if a keyboard is attached to the computer.
System Password
System Password displays the current status of your
system’s password security feature and allows you to
assign and verify a new password. No one can assign a
new password unless the current status is Not Enabled,
which is displayed in bright characters.
The options for the System Password category are:
•
Not Enabled (the default option)
•
Enabled
•
Disabled by Jumper
NOTE: Read “Using the System Password Feature”
found later in this chapter for instructions on assigning a
system password and using or changing an existing
system password. See “Disabling a Forgotten Password”
found later in this chapter for instructions on disabling a
forgotten system password.
Password Status
When Setup Password is set to Enabled, Password Status
allows you to prevent the system password from being
changed or disabled at system start-up.
To lock the system password, you must first assign a
setup password in the Setup Password category and then
change the Password Status category to Locked. In this
state, the system password cannot be changed through the
System
Password category and cannot be disabled at sys-
tem start-up by pressing <Ctrl><Enter>.
To unlock the system password, you must enter the setup
password in the Setup Password category and then
change the Password Status category to Unlocked. In this
state, the system password can be disabled at system
start-up by pressing <Ctrl><Enter> and then changed
through the System Password category.
Boot Sequence
Boot Sequence can be set to Diskette First (the default
option), Hard Disk Only, CD-ROM First, or Device List.
The term
boot
refers to the system’s start-up
procedure. When turned on, the system “bootstraps”
itself into an operational state by loading into memory
a small program, which in turn loads the necessary
operating system. Boot Sequence
tells the system
where to look for the files that it needs to load.