Dell Dimension boot menu

timbim_2

I'm trying to repair an old Dell Dimension C521 with XP SP2. Problem is that the boot menu isn't working at all. If I press either F2 or F12 on boot, it pauses for a bit, and then shows a blue banner across the top of the screen, flashes up some text too quickly to see, and then proceeds to boot from Windows.

I'm trying to boot of SysRescCD to take a disk image and then reinstall XP from scratch, but without the ability to boot off CD that may be a bit of a problem. Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks,
Tim

Fellwalker

I've not come across F12 as a boot up option.
You could try F8 gets me into my windows menu, where i can choose at the bottom that the computer does not automatically restart on error. I can also do safe mode from here, or restore.
Then I can read the blue screen message, and see what it is all about.
F2 should get into your BIOS and if you cannot get at that there is something strange.
Sometimes I have found that i have to keep tapping the function key as the start up proceeds, becasue it seems to need to be pressed at just the right moment.
Good luck.

John_Gray

Why not do a 'semi-permanent' change to boot from CD first, then the hard disk if there's no CD in the drive, by getting into the BIOS and changing the order round?

The "get into Setup" = BIOS key is probably F2 or Del - I would press each alternately once a second when things start happening after power-up...

(Why there couldn't be a standard BIOS entry key for all PCs and laptops and manufacturers, I really don't know...)

LATER Here you are: Dell Dimension C521 Owner's Manual, p97 - use the F2 key

timbim_2

I've tried that, but as detailed, neither of them presents me with a menu, it just proceeds to windows boot. I'm thinking a bios reset may be in order.

John_Gray

timbim wrote: »

I've tried that, but as detailed, neither of them presents me with a menu, it just proceeds to windows boot. I'm thinking a bios reset may be in order.

You've actually tried pressing F2 once every second (or maybe twice a second) from power-up and you don't get into the BIOS? I'm not sure that flashing the BIOS to the latest version (apparently 1.1.11, 2007/09/04) is likely to do very much - usally if a BIOS doesn't work, the PC is dead!

I thought occurs to me - are there any PS/2 sockets at the back, on which you could use a PS/2 keyboard? Apparently not...

wakandem

press f2 once before the blue splash screen finishes. Also remove the password jumper on the motherboard. Also remove the battery and reset the bios which should set it in default where the recovery disk will work. Check that the recovery disk is ok! try booting off aniother start up cd of any type.

disconnect the hard drive.
The pc will should come up with a message that there is no operating system and give you the option to continue or go in to set up

timbim_2

CMOS reset jumper works a treat. I think a 2GB RAM upgrade over the 512MB already in there may well go down a treat.

fuzzball172

with older dells you sometimes have to install particular RAM modules.there was a period of tim ewhere dell's would only accept either dells proprietary parts or those of their partners (frequently kingston) and they were usually overpriced as you had no alternative.
Things have changed luckily on newer PCs

Lee

ps timbim, love your signature... funny

timbim_2

fuzzball172 wrote: »

ps timbim, love your signature... funny

Not actually mine, found it somewhere and it seemed funny at the time.