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Will F1 to boot Windows be a problem?
BoCat:
Thanks, Samson. No, there are no other messages with the F1/F2 prompt. Just for info., this machine never came with anything but a CD-ROM and Floppy drive. The Floppy drive was removed (or never had it installed) long before I got the unit, and the CD doesn't work. Dell never upgraded to a DVD-RW for it.. Fortunately I had an old portable DVD-RW and it worked just fine installing Windows. Thanks for the info on the BIOS edition. Apparently I chose the wrong one when upgrading. I'll remember to read better and tend to the BIOS post-paste. So, I take it that short of being a fully vetted programmer myself I'm stuck with baby-sitting F1?
Samson:
Check that the floppy drive is disabled in the BIOS, if not already. This can cause a seek error if not present.
How about the time/ date settings in the BIOS and Windows, if incorrect or resetting it could mean a failing CMOS battery.
The later BIOS I linked to shows no fixes, sadly.
BoCat:
More for Samson:
The CMOS is dead-on correct for date and time. I did change the battery, although it tested good, when I was cleaning the garbage out of the frame before I installed the new memory cards.
Under Drives: The Diskette WAS on. I changed it to the choice "All Floppy Drives are disabled".
SATA-0 is the H.D.
SATA-1 is the CD-ROM. The CD doesn't work. I actually have two of these 745's (using one for parts), and neither CD-ROM was in operable condition. With the portable DVD-RW installed I don't need a CD. Turn it off?
SATA Operation: Two choices. "Normal" & "Legacy". Normal is configuration for "Native" mode: Best performance and flexibility. "Legacy": For compatibility with older systems that do not support native resources. Parameter is set to "Normal"
SMART Error Reporting is "Off".
And now, two uneducated questions: Could this have anything to do with POST behavior?
Also, there is a 160GB H.D. upgrade for this machine. Since I am not a Gamer or doing programs that require tons of resources I didn't think doubling the size of the H.D. would be beneficial. The bigger H.D. isn't very expensive ($55) - Would upgrading the H.D. get me anything other than a bigger gun?
Samson:
--- Quote from: BoCat on July 19, 2015, 08:40:57 am ---The CMOS is dead-on correct for date and time. I did change the battery, although it tested good, when I was cleaning the garbage out of the frame before I installed the new memory cards.
--- End quote ---
Smart move, they are cheap enough.
--- Quote from: BoCat on July 19, 2015, 08:40:57 am ---Under Drives: The Diskette WAS on. I changed it to the choice "All Floppy Drives are disabled".
--- End quote ---
I had hoped that would have fixed it :sad:
--- Quote from: BoCat on July 19, 2015, 08:40:57 am ---
SATA-0 is the H.D.
SATA-1 is the CD-ROM. The CD doesn't work. I actually have two of these 745's (using one for parts), and neither CD-ROM was in operable condition. With the portable DVD-RW installed I don't need a CD. Turn it off?
--- End quote ---
Yes, disable SATA-1 if the CD drive is dead/ unused.
--- Quote from: BoCat on July 19, 2015, 08:40:57 am ---SATA Operation: Two choices. "Normal" & "Legacy". Normal is configuration for "Native" mode: Best performance and flexibility. "Legacy": For compatibility with older systems that do not support native resources. Parameter is set to "Normal"
--- End quote ---
That is right.
--- Quote from: BoCat on July 19, 2015, 08:40:57 am ---Also, there is a 160GB H.D. upgrade for this machine. Since I am not a Gamer or doing programs that require tons of resources I didn't think doubling the size of the H.D. would be beneficial. The bigger H.D. isn't very expensive ($55) - Would upgrading the H.D. get me anything other than a bigger gun?
--- End quote ---
It should n't make any difference to the boot. You may get a bigger HDD that is a bit faster or has a larger cache, but you'd probably see no realworld change, only in benchmark tests.
Perhaps you could try running the DELL diagnostic utility, it may flag something up.
http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/Drivers/DriversDetails?driverId=9YCND&fileId=2731103974&osCode=WW1&productCode=optiplex-745&languageCode=EN&categoryId=DI
A quick after thought, is the external DVD USB? Is it always plugged in? If yes, try unplugging it.
BoCat:
Samson, IT DID WORK!
Exiting Setup I now boot right to Windows. It always helps when there are no Operator Problems....After going to Windows I completely forgot ( :rolleyes:) to shut down and start up again to see if turning off the Floppy fixed it. Yep, sure did.
You get a really big ATTA-BOY! and several OUTSTANDING'S! Very much appreciated.
One of the first things I did after installing Windows was to hook-up with the Dell site and do all the diagnostics I could find as well as have them check for any and all necessary updates. Need to go back and get after that BIOS update.
Now that I don't have to baby-sit this thing through Startup or Restart I'll run the SimpleTweaking after I get the BIOS.
Once again, Thank You so much. :smiley:
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