Getting into the BIOS on Boot-up with an MS Office Keyboard

[OVERTALK]

Thought that it might have been possible by punching the F-Lock key (top left of MS Office keyboard) just after it beeps on boot - and then hitting <<Delete>>. In fact that was how (I think) that I used to do it (i.e. enter the BIOS table) - but damned if I can get in there now.

Don't tell me I have to go out and buy another keyboard just to enter the BIOS!! PUHLEEZ!

[ORAC]

On the vast majority of motherboards it just requires you to hit the Delete key when the screen tells you during boot. There is absolutely nothing on a MS or any other keyboard which should prevent you - unless it's a USB keyboard and you haven't got native USB selected in the BIOS. In which case use the adaptor supplied to convert it to PS2.

[Front_Seat_Dreamer]

OVERTALK

There should be no difference between the keyboards (unless as ORAC suggests it is a USB version)

However I have found in the past that it is not always the delete key that provides access to the BIOS.

Have you tried:

F1
F2
F10
SPACE
DEL

I have been octopus like hitting just about every key trying to gain access.

Apart from those borrow a keyboard and try your usual.

Good luck.

[OVERTALK]

I think all MS Office keyboards are USB and that is the problem. I seem to recall that if you got the timing right you "used to" be able to hit the F Lock (change function) on boot and then the delete key and get into the BIOS, fiddle with CMOS settings in that manner.

However many months and many MS Updates later, that functionality now seems to have disappeared and you either need the PS2 adapter (mine being lost of course - think it was a little bright green or purple plastic gadget) or an old style keyboard will do it (wife chucked that out too).

It's just another MS irritation and not insoluble by any means. My Intel PIV machine is just so slow to boot into (and out of) Win XP Pro that each attempt wastes 5 minutes. When you're busy, that is a bummer.

Think I'm about to use a program my son wrote to allow me to boot off a one GIG USB flashRom device. That should speed things up a bit. I need to get something back from his university honours degree in Engineering Science IT. Usually he just looks at me as if I'm the geek and departs laughing, saying "keep at it, you'll figure it out." I usually do - but it's such a time-waster.

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

OVERTALK,

It's just another MS irritation and not insoluble by any means. My Intel PIV machine is just so slow to boot into (and out of) Win XP Pro that each attempt wastes 5 minutes. When you're busy, that is a bummer.

For testing purposes, pull the ribbon from your CD-ROM Drives and see if that speeds up your boot time to under a minute.

Let us know what happens and then we will take it from there.

Take Care,

Richard

P.S. As for the keyboard, you need to have your Primary VGA set to PCI in the BIOS so that the PCI bus will be energized before the boot process. That way you will have USB Functionality. (I know, no help with your current problem though.)

[Nudlaug]

Your problem is that you are using the Office Keyboard via USB and the BIOS has the option to detect USB keyboards disabled!

I had the same problem. You need to tell the BIOS to enable the USB keyboard at booting. For that you have to get into the BIOS which is impossible at the moment since you have a USB keyboard, so the cat bites itself in the own tail! I would suggest to get the adapter plug for the USB keyboard and use it on the PS2 port, get into the BIOS and enable USB keyboard (and mouse) support! OR get an older PS2 keyboard and do the same.

Should do the trick

Brgds