HP Notebook PCs - BIOS Setup

Information and Menu Options

Updating the BIOS
What is the BIOS Setup utility?
BIOS features differ among notebook models
Navigating through the BIOS
Accessing the BIOS Setup menu
Reloading the default settings
Example BIOS menu options
This document contains information on what the BIOS is, how to enter it,
and how to use it. Specific default BIOS settings are not addressed here,
as there are too many variations between computer models to include in a
short document. It is good practice to keep a record of your BIOS settings
for future reference. Default settings can be reloaded easily.
Updating the BIOS
If you are looking for information on updating the BIOS, go to the following
document: HP Notebook PCs - How to update your BIOS or ROM
What is the BIOS Setup utility?
Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) is a program that controls
communication between all the input and output devices on the system
(such as, disk drives, display, keyboard, mouse, and printer). The BIOS is
typically placed in a read only memory chip (ROM) on the computer's
motherboard.
The system BIOS on the computer has a built-in setup utility that lets
users control the special features of the computer. Configuration
information stored in the BIOS includes the type of peripherals installed,
the startup sequence of the computer, and the amount of system and
extended memory. When the system is turned off, a battery on the
motherboard maintains the BIOS Setup information.
CAUTION:
The information stored by the BIOS Setup utility is essential. It should not
be changed arbitrarily. Caution should be used when making changes in
the BIOS Setup utility. A mistake could cause the PC to not perform as
expected.
BIOS features differ among notebook models
The BIOS used in HP notebooks is customized for each model line. This is
because each model line has its own unique hardware configuration which
requires a set of BIOS features to match it. BIOS features have a direct
one-to-one correspondence to a notebook's hardware. In some cases,
when a model line undergoes a revision and includes updated hardware
components, the revised line may use a different version of the BIOS with
features not included in the earlier version.

For example, the HP ProBook 6555b has a fingerprint reader built into it,
whereas the HP Pavilion dm1z does not. As such, the BIOS for the HP
ProBook 6555b has settings for the fingerprint hardware, while the BIOS
for the HP Pavilion dm1z does not. Similarly, the HP Pavilion dm1z has
advanced audio speakers, so its BIOS has different sound-related settings
than the HP ProBook 6555b.
Even though BIOS features differ among notebook models, the core
functionality of the BIOS remains the same and the procedures described
in this document are conceptually valid for all HP notebook PCs if the
specifics are not.
Navigating through the BIOS
The following table explains how to navigate through the BIOS:
Key on keyboard

Description of function

F1 or F10

Enter Setup at the red Compaq logo or blue HP logo

F1

Setup Help

Esc

Exit Setup

Up or Down arrow key

Selects an item (Moves the cursor up or down)

Left or Right arrow key

Selects a different menu screen (Moves the cursor left or right)

+ or -

Changes the values of the selected item

Enter

Select submenu

F5

Load the Setup default values

F10

Save changes and Exit

NOTE:
Many HP notebooks have the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI).
If your notebook has UEFI, then the key stroke that launches your
notebook's BIOS may be different than described in this section. Consult
the documentation that came with your notebook for information on how
to launch BIOS.

Accessing the BIOS Setup menu

There are at least three different ways to access the BIOS setup menus
depending on the type of CPU, the BIOS, and when the notebook was
built. For most models, after you press the power button to turn On the
computer, a prompt displays to specify what key to press to enter BIOS or
Windows or diagnostic functions. For newer computers, it will be
the F10 key or the Esc key, however, on very old computers, you may be
prompted to press the Delete key to enter a Setup function. If you do not
press the suggested key at the proper time and the computer continues
though the boot process, you will need to shutdown the computer and try
the boot process again.

Pre-UEFI, before 2008 for most models.

With the computer turned Off, press the power button to turn On the
computer, and repeatedly press the F10 key. Normally, the Compaq
or HP splash screen will display a message to press F10 to enter
the BIOS just before the BIOS menu is displayed.

UEFI Enabled, 2008 to mid 2011 for most models.

If the computer has the UEFI pre-BIOS environment, when the
Compaq or HP splash screen displays, you are prompted to
press Escape to enter Start Up Menu. Then there is a prompt to
press F10 to enter the BIOS Setup.
Because of the different types of CPUs and BIOS configurations, it
may be possible to turn On the power and press F10 for the BIOS
without going through the UEFI Start Up Menu.

Shortened Startup without splash screen, mid-2011 or later

for most models.
To help computers start faster, on some models the Compaq or HP
splash screen is not displayed during the start up process. In this
case, after pressing the power button, repeatedly press the Esc key
to enter the Start Up Menu, and follow the prompt to press F10 to
enter the BIOS Setup.

Reloading the default settings

Complete the following steps to reload the factory installed BIOS Setup
settings:
1.

In the BIOS Setup utility, select the Exit tab.

2.

Select Load Setup Defaults.

3.

Select Save Changes and Exit (pressing F5 and the Enter key will
also load the Setup Defaults).

4.

Press Esc and then Enter to exit Setup.

Example BIOS menu options

In this example, the BIOS Setup screen has five different tabs. The tab
headings are as follows:
Main

Advanced

Power

Boot

Allocates resources for

hardware components

Configures advanced features

available through the chipset

Configures power
management features

Selects boot op
power supply c

BIOS Setup initially displays the Main menu screen. In each screen, there
are different options for modifying the system configuration. The menu
screens and their options are listed below.
Main menu
Below is a summary of what may be contained on the Main tab of the
BIOS Setup:
System Time
System Date
Language
Legacy Diskette A (floppy)
Primary Master (hard drive); selecting this brings up the hard drive
settings, such as cylinders, sectors, and capacity
Primary Slave
Secondary Master (CD-ROM); selecting this brings up the CD-ROM
settings
Secondary Slave
Installed Memory (RAM)
BIOS revision
Primary and secondary device submenu
Type

CHS Format

Cylinders

Heads

Sectors

Maximum Capacity

LBA Format

Total Sectors

Maximum Capacity

Multi-Sector Transfers

LBA Mode Control

32 Bit I/O

Transfer Mode

Ultra DMA Mode

Advanced menu
Below is a summary of what may be contained on the Advanced tab of the
BIOS Setup:
CPU type
CPU speed
Cache Ram
Plug and Play O/S
Reset Configuration Data (Clear the NVRAM)
PS/2 Mouse
Large Disk Access Mode
Local Bus IDE Adapter
PCI Configuration; selecting this brings up an additional Setup menu
to configure PCI devices
I/O Device Configuration; selecting this brings up the Peripheral
Configuration; for example, the serial port and parallel port IRQs
and modes

PCI Configuration submenu

PCI Device, Slot number 1

PCI Device, Slot number 2

PCI Device, Slot number 3

PCI/PNP ISA UMB Region Exclusion

PCI/PNP ISA IRQ Resource Exclusion

PCI Device, Slot #n submenu

Option ROM Scan

Enable Master

Latency Timer

PCI/PNP ISA UMB Region Exclusion submenu

C800 - CBFF

CC00 - CFFF

D000 - D3FF

D400 - D7FF

D800 - DBFF

DCFF - DFFF

PCI/PNP ISA IRQ Region Exclusion submenu

IRQ 3

IRQ 4

IRQ 5

IRQ 7

IRQ 9

IRQ 10

IRQ 11

Serial port A

Base I/O Address

Interrupt

Serial port B

Parallel port

Mode

Base I/O Address

Interrupt

Floppy disk controller

Base I/O address

Power menu
Below is a summary of what may be contained on the Power tab of the
BIOS Setup:
Power Savings
Auto Suspend Timeout
Hard Disk Timeout
IDE Primary Master (power saving setting)
IDE Primary Slave (power saving setting)
IDE Secondary Master (power saving setting)
IDE Secondary Slave (power saving setting)
IRQ assigned to modem
Power button behavior
Restore on AC/Power Loss
Boot menu
Below is a summary of what is contained on the Boot tab of the BIOS
Setup:
The order for the bottom process; for example: Removable devices,
CD ROM, and hard drive.
Boot-time Diagnostic screen
Exit menu
Below is a summary of what may be contained on the Exit tab of the BIOS
Setup:
Exit Saving Changes

 Exit Discarding Changes

Load Setup Defaults
Discard Changes
Save Changes