prosignia 740 bios
 

Hi,
Can anyone tell me how do I get into the bios of a prosignia 740 to get
the thing to boot off of a cd.
I'm trying to install CentOS 4.2 but I cannot get into the bios to make
it boot off the cd, when it gets through the POST I can access a system
configuration program which has a setting that supposedly makes it boot
the cd before the hard drive, but even if I activate that settting it
still insists on booting into the install of windows 2000 thats ont he
hard drive.

prosignia 740 bios
 

Are you intending to replace Win 2000 completely, or run a dual boot
environment? If the former, run a DOS FDISK and remove the Win 2000 partitions.

Generally, you can get into the older Compaq BIOS setup screens via the F10 key
during POST. There is also the ham fisted approach of depressing lots of keys
at once to provoke a BIOS 301 keyboard error, resulting in a prompt to either
continue (usually F1) or enter the BIOS to correct the error... Ben Myers


On 7 Feb 2006 13:15:28 -0800, "arclight" wrote:

Hi,
Can anyone tell me how do I get into the bios of a prosignia 740 to get
the thing to boot off of a cd.
I'm trying to install CentOS 4.2 but I cannot get into the bios to make
it boot off the cd, when it gets through the POST I can access a system
configuration program which has a setting that supposedly makes it boot
the cd before the hard drive, but even if I activate that settting it
still insists on booting into the install of windows 2000 thats ont he
hard drive.

prosignia 740 bios
 

Ben Myers wrote:

Are you intending to replace Win 2000 completely, or run a dual boot
environment? If the former, run a DOS FDISK and remove the Win 2000 partitions.

I want to replace 2000 completely. I can't run fdisk, because I can't
get it to boot off a floppy, no matter what I do it always boots
straight into 2000. and I can't do it through windows because no one
knows the admin password.

Generally, you can get into the older Compaq BIOS setup screens via the F10 key
during POST.

I'd read that f10 should get into the bios on older compaq computers
but that doesn't do anything at all during the post, I can however get
into a systems configuration utility immediatly after post, and just
before it boots into windows. but nothing I do with that will let me
get the thing to do anything but boot into 2000.

There is also the ham fisted approach of depressing lots of keys
at once to provoke a BIOS 301 keyboard error, resulting in a prompt to either
continue (usually F1) or enter the BIOS to correct the error... Ben Myers

this just lets me go into a system configuration program loaded of a
hard drive partition, but this app doesn't let me make any difference
to the boot order.

On 7 Feb 2006 13:15:28 -0800, "arclight" wrote:

Hi,
Can anyone tell me how do I get into the bios of a prosignia 740 to get
the thing to boot off of a cd.
I'm trying to install CentOS 4.2 but I cannot get into the bios to make
it boot off the cd, when it gets through the POST I can access a system
configuration program which has a setting that supposedly makes it boot
the cd before the hard drive, but even if I activate that settting it
still insists on booting into the install of windows 2000 thats ont he
hard drive.

prosignia 740 bios
 

Two possibilities, one a cinch, the other offering a chance of success:

1. Remove the drive and FDISK it on another computer.
2. Remove the system battery and unplug the computer from wall current, leaving
it for an hour or so.

It's been a long time since I touched one of these Prosignia beasts. It might
be one that relies on the system configuration software on a hidden partition,
rather than via the BIOS. If so, make doubly sure that you do not remove the
parition with the system configuration software on it... Ben Myers

On 8 Feb 2006 09:06:22 -0800, "arclight" wrote:


Ben Myers wrote:

Are you intending to replace Win 2000 completely, or run a dual boot
environment? If the former, run a DOS FDISK and remove the Win 2000 partitions.

I want to replace 2000 completely. I can't run fdisk, because I can't
get it to boot off a floppy, no matter what I do it always boots
straight into 2000. and I can't do it through windows because no one
knows the admin password.

Generally, you can get into the older Compaq BIOS setup screens via the F10 key
during POST.

I'd read that f10 should get into the bios on older compaq computers
but that doesn't do anything at all during the post, I can however get
into a systems configuration utility immediatly after post, and just
before it boots into windows. but nothing I do with that will let me
get the thing to do anything but boot into 2000.

There is also the ham fisted approach of depressing lots of keys
at once to provoke a BIOS 301 keyboard error, resulting in a prompt to either
continue (usually F1) or enter the BIOS to correct the error... Ben Myers

this just lets me go into a system configuration program loaded of a
hard drive partition, but this app doesn't let me make any difference
to the boot order.

SNIP

prosignia 740 bios
 

Ben Myers wrote:
Two possibilities, one a cinch, the other offering a chance of success:

1. Remove the drive and FDISK it on another computer.

unfortunatly I can't do this, because I don't have access to any other
computers with a scsi interface.

2. Remove the system battery and unplug the computer from wall current, leaving
it for an hour or so.

I can't get the battery out it seems to be soldered in place.

It's been a long time since I touched one of these Prosignia beasts. It might
be one that relies on the system configuration software on a hidden partition,
rather than via the BIOS. If so, make doubly sure that you do not remove the
parition with the system configuration software on it... Ben Myers

On 8 Feb 2006 09:06:22 -0800, "arclight" wrote:


Ben Myers wrote:

Are you intending to replace Win 2000 completely, or run a dual boot
environment? If the former, run a DOS FDISK and remove the Win 2000 partitions.

I want to replace 2000 completely. I can't run fdisk, because I can't
get it to boot off a floppy, no matter what I do it always boots
straight into 2000. and I can't do it through windows because no one
knows the admin password.

Generally, you can get into the older Compaq BIOS setup screens via the F10 key
during POST.

I'd read that f10 should get into the bios on older compaq computers
but that doesn't do anything at all during the post, I can however get
into a systems configuration utility immediatly after post, and just
before it boots into windows. but nothing I do with that will let me
get the thing to do anything but boot into 2000.

There is also the ham fisted approach of depressing lots of keys
at once to provoke a BIOS 301 keyboard error, resulting in a prompt to either
continue (usually F1) or enter the BIOS to correct the error... Ben Myers

this just lets me go into a system configuration program loaded of a
hard drive partition, but this app doesn't let me make any difference
to the boot order.

SNIP

prosignia 740 bios
 

Aha! SCSI and a soldered battery. Yuck! I'm not sure what to suggest now...
Ben Myers

On 8 Feb 2006 10:28:43 -0800, "arclight" wrote:


Ben Myers wrote:
Two possibilities, one a cinch, the other offering a chance of success:

1. Remove the drive and FDISK it on another computer.

unfortunatly I can't do this, because I don't have access to any other
computers with a scsi interface.

2. Remove the system battery and unplug the computer from wall current, leaving
it for an hour or so.

I can't get the battery out it seems to be soldered in place.

It's been a long time since I touched one of these Prosignia beasts. It might
be one that relies on the system configuration software on a hidden partition,
rather than via the BIOS. If so, make doubly sure that you do not remove the
parition with the system configuration software on it... Ben Myers

On 8 Feb 2006 09:06:22 -0800, "arclight" wrote:


Ben Myers wrote:

Are you intending to replace Win 2000 completely, or run a dual boot
environment? If the former, run a DOS FDISK and remove the Win 2000 partitions.

I want to replace 2000 completely. I can't run fdisk, because I can't
get it to boot off a floppy, no matter what I do it always boots
straight into 2000. and I can't do it through windows because no one
knows the admin password.

Generally, you can get into the older Compaq BIOS setup screens via the F10 key
during POST.

I'd read that f10 should get into the bios on older compaq computers
but that doesn't do anything at all during the post, I can however get
into a systems configuration utility immediatly after post, and just
before it boots into windows. but nothing I do with that will let me
get the thing to do anything but boot into 2000.

There is also the ham fisted approach of depressing lots of keys
at once to provoke a BIOS 301 keyboard error, resulting in a prompt to either
continue (usually F1) or enter the BIOS to correct the error... Ben Myers

this just lets me go into a system configuration program loaded of a
hard drive partition, but this app doesn't let me make any difference
to the boot order.

SNIP

prosignia 740 bios
 

Ben Myers wrote:
Aha! SCSI and a soldered battery. Yuck! I'm not sure what to suggest now...

well thanks anyway for your help, I'll see if I can find anyone who has
a computer with a SCSI controller, and get them to format it for me.

Ben Myers

On 8 Feb 2006 10:28:43 -0800, "arclight" wrote:


Ben Myers wrote:
Two possibilities, one a cinch, the other offering a chance of success:

1. Remove the drive and FDISK it on another computer.

unfortunatly I can't do this, because I don't have access to any other
computers with a scsi interface.

2. Remove the system battery and unplug the computer from wall current, leaving
it for an hour or so.

I can't get the battery out it seems to be soldered in place.

It's been a long time since I touched one of these Prosignia beasts. It might
be one that relies on the system configuration software on a hidden partition,
rather than via the BIOS. If so, make doubly sure that you do not remove the
parition with the system configuration software on it... Ben Myers

On 8 Feb 2006 09:06:22 -0800, "arclight" wrote:


Ben Myers wrote:

Are you intending to replace Win 2000 completely, or run a dual boot
environment? If the former, run a DOS FDISK and remove the Win 2000 partitions.

I want to replace 2000 completely. I can't run fdisk, because I can't
get it to boot off a floppy, no matter what I do it always boots
straight into 2000. and I can't do it through windows because no one
knows the admin password.

Generally, you can get into the older Compaq BIOS setup screens via the F10 key
during POST.

I'd read that f10 should get into the bios on older compaq computers
but that doesn't do anything at all during the post, I can however get
into a systems configuration utility immediatly after post, and just
before it boots into windows. but nothing I do with that will let me
get the thing to do anything but boot into 2000.

There is also the ham fisted approach of depressing lots of keys
at once to provoke a BIOS 301 keyboard error, resulting in a prompt to either
continue (usually F1) or enter the BIOS to correct the error... Ben Myers

this just lets me go into a system configuration program loaded of a
hard drive partition, but this app doesn't let me make any difference
to the boot order.

SNIP