Changing BIOS settings

Disabling the SATA RAID controller and putting it in IDE mode

If you find that you are unable to boot from the PC restore disk because it goes into a blue screen or some other error (other than Winbom as explained in the FAQ), it could be because your BIOS is set to talk to the SATA controller in a mode not compatible with the drivers on the PC restore CD.  If so, you may be able to get around the problem by setting the SATA controller to emulate IDE mode.   Each manufacturer has a different technique for modifying the BIOS.  Here are a few of the more common key sequences that need to be pressed during power on:

Manufacturer
BIOS access method
Acer<Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Esc>
ALR PC<F2>
or <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Esc>
AMI BIOS <Del> or <F1> or <F2>
AWARD BIOS <Del>
or <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Esc>
Compaq <F10> (must be pressed when there is a blinking cursor displayed at top right of screen. Pressing <F10> once per second at this point will gain access.)
Dell <F1> or <Del> (some)
Press the reset button twice (some)
<Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Enter> (some)
DTK BIOS <Esc>
Gateway 2000 <F1>
Hewlett Packard <F1>
IBM Hold down both mouse buttons during bootup (some older models)
<F1> (Aptiva)
<Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Del> and then <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Ins> (PS/2)
<Ins> (PS/2 with ‘reference partition’)
<Ctrl> + <Ins> (some PS/2) when pointer appears at top right of screen
Leading Edge <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <A> (Fortiva 5000
NEC <F2>
Olivetti PC Pro <Shift> + <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <NumPad Del>
Packard Bell <F1> or <F2>
PHOENIX BIOS <F1> or <F2> or <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Esc> (some)
<Ctrl> + <Alt> + <S> (some)
<Ctrl> + <S> (some)
<Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Ins> (some)
Sony <F3> while starting the PC, then <F2> or <F1>
Tandon
Toshiba Laptops
<Ctrl> + <Shift> + <Esc>
Use included Utility (some)
Press <Esc> during boot (some)
Your Other assorted PCs <Ctrl> + <Esc> or <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <+>
Zenith <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Ins>

 

Once you're in the BIOS edit mode, you'll need to go to Advanced settings.  Here is an example on how to change this value on a Phoenix BIOS:

 

Hit 'Enter' to set

In the above example, you should change it with the up/down arrow key so that the block is in IDE instead of RAID.  Then hit Enter.  Make sure to press F10 when you're done to save the settings.

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