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Having trouble installing a piece of hardware? Want to know if that peripheral is compatible with Linux?

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Old 01-16-2006, 10:37 AM   #1
Geocritter
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Registered: Jun 2005
Location: Richmond, Virginia
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bios settings for deskpro ep/sb


Hi all,

Has anyone got any experience with the bios settings for an older (ca. 1999-ish) compaq deskpro ep/sb? It was a PIII-450, although I've upgraded the processor. The bios is kind of sad in terms of options, and there is no documentation that I can find regarding settings.

I'm trying to get mine set properly for linux or *bsd. I can't find any settings for PNP-OS or non-PNP-OS, or ACPI related stuff (although ACPI may be a combination of "turn this on and this one off" or something like that.

If anyone is familiar with that computers bios, and knows what needs to be set for what, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance,
Dan
 
Old 01-17-2006, 05:51 AM   #2
aus9
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well the easy advice is to get a live cd such as kanotix or knoppix and let it run....
then read /var/log/dmesg or messages or syslog.....apart from reading the bootup message if you are quick enough, heh heh

generally speaking....bios is set to PnP to OFF
and your distro kernel should support acpi

however if you read this http://computing.net/linux/wwwboard/forum/6592.html you may agree with me that this is one of the computers who thinks everyone are idiots so reserves some space on your harddrive for its own tools....if you run the F10 setup utility you cause it to overwrite your mbr and it was probably written with a MS bootloader, boo hoo.

if I am right....no need to fret...you install linux and wipe all that free space....you will know there is a sneaky hidden partition when you use the live cd and run qtparted in root mode
 
Old 01-17-2006, 08:04 AM   #3
Geocritter
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Unhappy Thanks, but all of the BIOS is in rom on this model.

Hi, thanks for the input. My model is the DPEP-P450, and all of the BIOS is indeed on the ROM chip, so F10 doesn't care whether there is a HD or not.

Basically, there are no settings on the 99.08.22 bios related to whether or not a PnP OS is installed. There are power settings, but nothing related to ACPI exactly, unless I just turn all power management off in the BIOS and let the software control it.

It's a pretty crappy bios, as far as lack of options is concerned. I'm just trying to get the bios to the best for linux or bsd that it can be. I can't even find a manual for the stupid thing that explains what some of the options mean. Compaq obviously doesn't keep manuals for discontinued products. Grrr...
 
Old 01-18-2006, 05:25 AM   #4
aus9
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Registered: Oct 2003
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try this link and either sweet talk join the group or see if an email response from person who uses the old pc.....but just install it linux first .....I installed on a celeron 433 mobo and did not have acpi.....but that did not stop me
http://groups.google.com.au/group/lu...fa6f0d68cbfda2
 
  


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