AwardBIOS Setup Utility

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AwardBIOS

®

Setup Utility

System Parameters and Standard Settings

Modifications to the BIOS Setup settings should be performed by advanced users only. Setting items to incorrect values may cause your system to malfunction.

Introducing BIOS Setup...2

Main Menu...4

Standard CMOS Features ...5

Advanced BIOS Features Menu ...7

Advanced Chipset Features Menu ...10

Integrated Peripherals Menu...11

Power Management Menu ...17

PnP/PCI Configurations Menu ...19

PC Health Status Menu...20

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I

NTRODUCING

BIOS S

ETUP

Your computer comes with a hardware configuration program called BIOS Setup that allows you to view and set system parameters.

The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is a layer of software, called ‘firmware’, that translates instructions from software (such as the operating system) into instructions that the computer hardware can understand. The BIOS settings also identify installed devices and establish special features.

USE BIOS SETUPTO:

• set the current time and date,

• customise your hardware settings according to your needs, • secure your computer with a password.

ENTERING BIOS SETUP

You can access the BIOS program just after you turn on your computer. Just press the F2 key when the following prompt appears:

Press <F2> to enter Setup.

When you press F2 to enter BIOS Setup, the system interrupts the Power-On Self-Test (POST). If the system detects an error during POST, it prompts you with a double beep and a message: Press <F1> to resume. If you press F1, the system enters the BIOS Setup program. If you want to fix the error, carefully read the error message that appears above the prompt (taking notes if you want) and press F2.

BIOS SETUP SCREENS

After you press F2, the system displays the BIOS Setup interface. Use the left and right arrow keys to

LOOKINGAT SCREENS

BIOS setup screens have three areas:

• Menu items - the top of the screen. This area highlights which menu is active.

• Parameters - the left side of the screen. This area lists parameters and their current settings. • Available Options and Help - the right side of the screen. This area lists alternate settings and Help

text for each parameter.

Options that are greyed out are not available for the current selection. Settings displayed in blue are automatically detected by your computer.

USING KEYS

The following table lists the BIOS Setup keys and their functions:

SETUP MENUS

Note: if you receive this message repeatedly and the date displayed by your computer is inaccurate, then your CMOS battery may have lost charge. Contact your Technical Support Centre for advice.

Key Function

F1 Displays a general help screen.

Ï & Ð Moves the cursor between the displayed parameters.

Enter Selects a sub-menu (sub-menus are indicated with a X at the beginning of the line), a menu command (such as Exit Discarding Changes), or displays the options available for the currently selected parameter.

Tab For some parameter settings, moves the cursor between the subfields. For example, for System Time, Tab moves the cursor from hour to minute to second.

Esc Exits any pop-up window, and from any menu screen, prompts for the discarding of changes before exiting.

F10 Exits the BIOS setup utility.

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Advanced Chipset Settings - use this menu to configure the chipset.

Integrated Peripherals - use this menu to configure the onboard ports and controllers (USB, audio, etc.).

Power Management Setup - use this menu to enable or disable controllers or define suspend modes.

PnP/PCI Configurations - use this menu to access advanced PnP/PCI settings.

PC Health Status - use this menu to find and modify information about: your system’s physical state.

Security - use this menu to set user and administrator passwords, or the hard disk drive password. These menus are described in detail in the following pages.

Note: we continually strive to bring you the latest and proven features and technologies. As part of our drive to continually improve our products modifications may have been made to the BIOS menus, therefore some menus may differ from what is described in this guide. Visit our web site at www.nec-computers.com for updated information.

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Parameter Options Description

X Standard CMOS Features [Enter] Press Enter to configure basic parameters of your system. X Advanced BIOS Features [Enter] Press Enter to access advanced BIOS settings.

X Advanced Chipset Features [Enter] Press Enter to configure the chipset.

X Integrated Peripherals [Enter] Press Enter to configure the onboard ports and controllers (USB, audio, etc.). X Power Management Setup [Enter] Press Enter to enable or disable controllers or define suspend modes. X PnP/PCI Configurations [Enter] Press Enter to access advanced PnP/PCI settings.

X PC Health Status [Enter] Press Enter to find and modify information about: your system’s physical state. Load Default Settings [Enter] Press Enter to load default settings for all BIOS setup parameters.

X Security [Enter] Press Enter to set system passwords.

Save & Exit Setup [Enter] Press Enter to save data to CMOS and exit the BIOS Setup utility. Exit Without Saving [Enter] Press Enter to exit the BIOS setup utility without saving the data.

Table 2: Main Menu

M

AIN

M

ENU

Use the Main menu screen to access all submenus, to load default settings or to exit the BIOS setup.

M

AIN

M

ENU

Use the Main menu screen to access all submenus, to load default settings or to exit the BIOS setup.

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Date mm/dd/yyyy Sets your system's calendar month, day and year. These settings remain in memory even after you turn off system power.

To set the date use the Tab or Enter keys to move from field to field. Simply type the new number required.

Time hh/mm/ss Sets the time. Enter the current hour, minute and second in hr/min/sec, 24-hour format.

To set the time use the Tab or Enter keys to move from field to field. Simply type the new number required.

X SATA 1 X SATA 2 X SATA 3 X SATA 4

Example: Hard Disk reference

Press Enter to see information about the SATA device.

Drive A None 360 KB, 5¼" 1.2 MB, 5¼" 720 KB, 3½" 1.44MB, 3½" 2.88 MB, 3½"

When you press Enter, this option allows you to select the physical size and capacity of the system's floppy disk drive.

X Memory Information [Enter] Press Enter to see memory information.

BIOS Information Display only

Table 3: Standard CMOS Features

S

TANDARD

CMOS F

EATURES

Use the Main menu screen to view and/or modify system time, system date and drive parameters.

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IDE HDD Auto Detection [Enter] Press Enter to detect the HDD’s size, head... on this channel. Extended IDE Drive Auto

None

Auto: automatically detects a SATA hard disk drive. If automatic detection is successful, values for the drive specifications are automatically filled in.

Access Mode Auto

Large

Allows you to choose the disc access mode.

Table 4: SATA Ports Submenus

SATA PORTS SUB-MENUS

Use this sub-menu to modify drive parameters and related settings. Factory settings are shown in red.

Drive Parameters

The greyed-out items in the lower frame of the sub-menu are the drive parameters taken from the firmware of the drive selected. Depending on the type of device detected, all options shown in the beside table may not be displayed.

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-Parameter Options Description

X CPU Feature [Enter] View and modify CPU features. Hard Disk Boot Priority [Enter] Select hard disk boot device priority. Network Boot Priority [Enter] Select network boot device priority. Virus Warning Enabled

Disabled

Allows you to choose the virus warning feature for IDE hard disk boot sector protection. If this function is enabled and someone attempt to write data into this area, the BIOS will show a warning message on screen and alarm beep.

Quick Boot Enabled

Disabled

If enabled, allows the system to skip some tests while booting, in order to boot up quickly.

First Boot Device Removable Hard Disk CD/DVD Network Disabled

Select your boot device priority.

Second Boot Device Removable Hard Disk CD/DVD Network Disabled

Third Boot Device Removable Hard Disk CD/DVD Network Disabled

Boot Other Device Enabled Disabled

Select your boot device priority. Boot Up NumLock Status On

Off

This setting, when enabled, automatically turns on your NumLock key when the system is booted. This is a matter of personal taste.

Table 5: Advanced BIOS Features

A

DVANCED

BIOS F

EATURES

M

ENU

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APIC Mode Enabled Disabled

Used to enable or disable the Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller (APIC) for PC2001 compliance. Enabling APIC mode will expand available IRQs resources for the system.

Logo Full Screen Enabled Disabled

When enabled, display the full screen NEC logo during boot. When disabled, POST is displayed.

DMI Event Log Enabled Disabled

When enabled, POST error messages are stored to the DMI event log and the three following options are activated.

Clear all DMI Event Log No If you choose Yes, the DMI event log will be cleared at next POST occurrence, then this option will be automatically set to No.

View DMI Event Log [Enter] Press Enter to see all DMI event logs.

Mark DMI Events as Read [Enter] Press Enter to delete all DMI event logs. A pop-up will prompt you for confirmation.

Plug and Play OS Yes The BIOS will initialise any add-on cards if No is selected. Selecting Yes will mean that the operating system will be left to do this.

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CPU Information Display only

EIST Function Enabled Disabled

Allows you to enable or disable Intel® SpeedStep™ technology function. This feature may not be available depending on the CPU type.

PPM Mode Native Mode

SMM Mode

Native mode is for fully support ACPI OS (Windows XP, Windows Vista for example). SMM mode is for legacy OS (Windows 2000 for example). Limit CPUID MaxVal Disabled

Enabled

Enable this option to be able to install NT. C1E Function Auto

Disabled

Allows you to select the CPU C1E function. Execute Disable Bit Enabled

Disabled

Used to enable or disable the NX technology. NX Stands for “No Execute” and is a new technology to prevent some malicious viruses to enter on the computer.

When disabled, the XD feature flag is forced to always return to 0. Core Multi-Processing Enabled

Disabled

When disabled, one execution core of each CPU die is disabled.

Table 6: CPU Feature Submenu

CPU FEATURE SUB-MENU

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-Parameter Options Description System BIOS Cacheable Enabled

Disabled

This option allows you to shadow your system BIOS ROM. Shadowing increases performance by copying the BIOS code from ROM to much faster system RAM. Enabling this setting will allow the system to cache this RAM as well, further increasing performance.

Memory Hole at 15M-16M Disabled Enabled

This option allows you to reserve that 1 MB block of memory for ISA card’s use.

PEG/Onchip VGA Control Auto Onchip VGA PEG Port

It allows you to select whether to use the onboard graphics processor or the PCI Express card.

When set to Onchip VGA, the motherboard boots up using the onboard graphics processor, even when a PCI Express graphics card is installed. When set to PEG Port, the motherboard boots up using the PCI Express graphics card, if one is installed. Otherwise, it defaults to the onboard graphics processor.

When set to Auto, the BIOS checks to see if a PCI Express graphics card is installed. If it detects that a PCI Express graphics card is present, the motherboard boots up using that card. Otherwise, it defaults to the onboard graphics processor.

On-Chip Frame Buffer Size 8 MB 1 MB

This option allows you to control the amount of system memory that is allocated to the integrated graphics processor when the system boots up. DVMT Mode Select DVMT

FIXED

Dynamic Video Memory Technology

DVMT mode is memory that is dynamically allocated based on memory requests made by application and are released back to the system once the requesting application has been terminated.

Fixed mode is non-contiguous page locked memory allocated during driver initialization to provide a static amount of memory.

DVMT/FIXED Memory 128 MB 256 MB

Allows you to select the maximum amount of graphics memory to be shared with the system memory.

A

DVANCED

C

HIPSET

F

EATURES

M

ENU

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X OnChip IDE Device [Enter] This submenu allows you to setup the OnChip IDE devices. X Onboard Device [Enter] This submenu allows you to setup the onboard devices. X SuperIO Device [Enter] This submenu allows you to setup the IO devices. X USB Device Setting [Enter] This submenu allows you to setup the USB devices.

Table 8: Integrated Peripherals Menu

I

NTEGRATED

P

ERIPHERALS

M

ENU

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-Parameter Options Description On-Chip Serial ATA SATA only

Disabled Auto

Combined Mode Enhanced Mode

SATA Only: SATA is operating in legacy mode. Disabled: the SATA controller is disabled.

Auto: the SATA controller is automatically managed by the BIOS.

Combined Mode: PATA and SATA are combined, with a maximum of 2 IDE drives in each channel.

Enhanced Mode: both PATA and SATA are enabled, with a maximum of 6 IDE drives supported.

SATA Port Speed Settings Disabled Force GEN I Force Gen II

Only if Enhanced Mode is chosen.

This options allows to control the maximum access speed allowed for the connected SATA devices, with the Force GEN I setting used for SATA-150 type devices and Force GEN II used for SATA II type devices

PATA IDE Mode Primary Secondary

Only if Combined Mode is chosen.

This option determines whether the IDE devices are considered the primary or secondary ports on the system.

SATA Port P1, P3 is secondary P0, P2 is primary

Display only.

Table 9: OnChip IDE Device Submenu

ONCHIP IDE DEVICE SUB-MENU

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-Parameter Options Description Onboard Audio Controller Azalia

Disabled

Allows to enable the chosen audio controller. Onboard LAN Controller Enabled

Disabled

Allows you to enable or disable the LAN controller. Onboard LAN Boot ROM Primary

Secondary

Allows you to decide whether to invoke the boot ROM of the onboard LAN chip.

Table 10: Onboard Device Submenu

ONBOARDDEVICE SUB-MENU

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-Parameter Options Description Onboard FDC controller Enabled

Disabled

Allows you to enable or disable the floppy disc controller. Onboard Serial Port 1 3F8/IRQ4

2F8/IRQ3 3E8/IRQ4 2E8/IRQ3 Auto Disabled

Allows you to set the address and interrupt request for serial port 1 on the optional port replicator.

Onboard Serial Port 2 3F8/IRQ4 2F8/IRQ3 3E8/IRQ4 2E8/IRQ3 Auto Chassis Locking Disabled

Allows you to set the address and interrupt request for serial port 2 on the optional port replicator.

If Chassis locking is selected, Serial port 2 is disabled and management of the Magnetic Chassis Lock is possible.

Onboard Parallel Port Disabled 378/IRQ7 278/IRQ5 3BC/IRQ7

Allows you to set the address for the parallel port on the optional port replicator.

Parallel Port Mode ECP ECP+EPP SPP EPP

Allows you to set the mode for the parallel port on the optional port replicator.

ECP Mode Use DMA 3 1

Use this feature to select the DMA channel of your preference. Select the channel 1 if there's a DMA channel conflict with another device.

Table 11: SuperIO Device Submenu

SUPERIO DEVICE SUB-MENU

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Chassis Locking Unlock Chassis Locking refers to the Magnetic Chassis Lock which may be installed on your chassis (optional).

When set to Lock, the chassis cannot be opened. We recommend you set a Supervisor password on your system for additional security. For more information, refer to the Security Features topic.

Set the value to Unlock whenever you need to open your chassis. Only available if Serial Port2 Address is set to Chassis locking, hidden otherwise

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-Parameter Options Description USB 1.0 Controller Enabled

Disabled

Allows you to enable or disable the USB 1.0 controller support. USB 2.0 Controller Enabled

Disabled

Allows you to enable or disable the USB 2.0 controller support. USB Operation Mode Full/Low Speed

High speed

This option is active only is the USB 2.0 controller is enabled. It allows to choose USB device operation mode.

Full/Low speed: All USB devices operate on a full/low speed mode.

High Speed: If the USB device is a high speed device, it operates on high speed mode. If the USB device is a full/low speed device, it operates on a full/low speed mode.

USB Keyboard Function Enabled Disabled

Allows you to enable or disable the support of USB keyboards. USB Mouse Function Enabled

Disabled

Allows you to enable or disable the support of USB mouses. USB Storage Function Enabled

Disabled

Allows you to enable or disable the support of USB mass storage devices.

Table 12: USB Device Submenu

USB DEVICE SUB-MENU

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-Parameter Options Description ACPI Function Enabled

Disabled

Allows you to enable or disable the ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) function.

ACPI Suspend Type S3 (STR) S1 & S3 S1 (POS)

Sets the ACPI Standby State when system goes into ACPI Standby Mode.

S1 (POS): Power on Suspend. In the S1 state, a bit more power is consumed and the fans remain active.

S1 & S3: S1 or S3 depending on the operating system installed on the hard disk.

S3 (STR): Suspend to RAM. Provides the greatest amount of power savings. While in the S3 state, the PC is silent with the monitor and fans off. Run VGABIOS if S3 Resume Auto

Yes No

No: this setting prevents the video BIOS to be initialized when coming out of the S3 state.

Yes: this setting allows the video BIOS to be initialized when coming out of the S3 state.

Soft-Off by PWR-BTN Instant Off Delay 4 s

Set this parameter to Instant Off if you want your computer to turn off immediately when you press the power button.

Set this parameter to Delay 4 s if you want to hold the power button for 4 s for the computer to turn off.

PWRON After PWR Fail Off Former Sts On

This option allows you to select how the system will react following a loss of power. Former Sts means that the system will be restored to the state which it was in previous to the power loss. Off means that you will have to restart your system with the power on button and On means the system will reboot itself automatically.

Resume on PME# Enabled Disabled

This allows you to select whether or not your system will react to PCI Power Management Enabled wake up events.

PCI-E Wake on PME# Enabled Disabled

This allows you to select whether or not your system will react to PCI Express Power Management Enabled wake up events.

USB KBC Wake-Up from S3 Enabled Disabled

This option allows you select whether or not your system may be waked up from S3 sleep mode by an action on an USB device.

Table 13: Power Management Menu

P

OWER

M

ANAGEMENT

M

ENU

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Resume by Alarm Enabled Disabled

This allows you to select whether or not your system will react to Real Time Clock (RTC) wake up events.

Date (of Month) Alarm Number between 0 and 31. Enter here the day of the alarm (only if Resume on RTC Alarm is enabled, greyed otherwise).

Time (hh:mm:ss) Alarm hh:mm:ss Enter here the time of the alarm (only if Resume on RTC Alarm is enabled, greyed otherwise).

HPET Support Enabled Disabled

Allows you to enable or disable HPET (High Precision Event Timer) Support. HPET Mode 32-bit mode

64-bit mode

Allows you to choose HPET (High Precision Event Timer) Mode. Parameter Options Description

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Parameter Options Description Init Display First PCI Slot

Onboard

Allows you to select whether to use the onboard graphics chipset or the PCI graphics card as the primary graphics card.

Reset Configuration Data Disabled Enabled

Select Enabled to reset extended system configuration data (ESCD) when you exit setup if you have installed a new add-on and the system reconfiguration has caused such a serious conflict that the OS cannot boot.

Resources Controlled By Auto (ESCD) Manual

BIOS can automatically configure all the boot and Plug and Play compatible devices. If you choose Auto, you cannot select IRQ DMA and memory base address fields, since the BIOS automatically assigns them.

IRQ Resources [Enter] This option is active only if you choose a manual configuration.

Table 14: PnP/PCI Configurations Menu

P

N

P/PCI C

ONFIGURATIONS

M

ENU

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Parameter Options Description Fan Controller Enabled

Disabled

Allows you to enable or disable the fan controller. Shutdown Temperature Disabled

60°C/140°F 65°C/149°F 70°C/158°F

Allows you to define the shutdown temperature.

Vccp Value in V Display only.

-12V Value in V Display only.

+5V Value in V Display only.

+12V Value in V Display only.

+3.3V Value in V Display only.

+5V AUX Value in V Display only.

CPU Temperature Value in °C Display only. System Temperature Value in °C Display only. CPU Tctrl Value in °C Display only. CPU Fan Speed Value in RPM Display only.

Table 15: PC Health Status Menu

PC H

EALTH

S

TATUS

M

ENU

The parameters described here are the ones that can be modified. In this menu you will also find other information about your system, as display only.

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Set Supervisor Password [Enter] Establishes password protection when entering the BIOS setup.

If the Password Check option is set to Always, this password will also be requested when switching on the computer.

Set User Password [Enter] Establishes password protection when entering the BIOS setup but some menu items will be unavailable.

A supervisor password must be set before a user password can be used.

If the Password Check option is set to Always, this password will also be requested when switching on the computer.

Supervisor Password Status Example: Not installed

This field is read-only and automatically filled according to the changes made to the fields above.

User Password Status Example: Not installed

This field is read-only and automatically filled according to the changes made to the fields above.

Set HDD Password [Enter] The password of the hard disk can be set or cleared here. Power must be cycled for the disk to lock.

HDD Password Status Example: Not installed

This field is read-only and automatically filled according to the changes made to the field above.

Security Option Enabled Disabled

Allows you to select whether the password is required every time the system boots or only when you enter the setup.

Hotkey F8 Enabled Disabled

When enabled, pressing F8 during boot allows you to select boot device. Hotkey F11 Enabled

Disabled

When enabled, pressing F11 during boot allows you to launch the recovery process. Hotkey F12 Enabled

Disabled

When enabled, pressing F12 during boot allows you to select boot on network. Chassis Intrusion Disabled

Enabled

Allows you to enable or disable the chassis intrusion function.

Table 16: Security Menu

S

ECURITY

M

ENU

Use the Security Menu to establish system passwords. Factory settings are shown in red.

PASSWORD PROTECTION

Your computer supports a password for system security on several levels. Keep in mind that you must set the supervisor password before the BIOS Setup utility allows you to set a user password.

Note: when entering BIOS Setup using the user password, only a limited number of fields can be changed; the most sensitive items are read-only.

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Reset Chassis Intrusion Disabled Enabled

If this parameter is set to Disabled and there is an intrusion, the message telling of the intrusion will be visible at each boot after the intrusion.

If this parameter is set to Enabled and there is an intrusion, the message telling of the intrusion will be visible only at the first boot after the intrusion.

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E

STABLISHING

P

ASSWORDS

BIOS SETUPAND BOOTPASSWORDS

To establish password protection for entering the BIOS Setup utility or accessing the computer at start up, you must set the supervisor password before setting a user password.

• To enter a password simply select Set Supervisor Password, type the password of your choice, press Enter, re-enter the password to confirm, press Enter again, and when prompted, press Enter to continue. Click on Set User Password and repeat this procedure to set the user password.

HARD DISK DRIVE PASSWORD

Your computer allows you to establish password protection for the internal hard disk drive. This protection restricts access to the drive when installed in your computer but also when if the drive is removed from your computer is installed in another system.

The HDD password is written to the system BIOS and to the hard disk drive to ensure that the password protection travels with the drive when moved from system to system.

Establishing an Hard Disk Drive Password

1. In the BIOS Setup, select the Security menu. 2. Select Set HDD Password and press Enter. 3. Type the password of your choice and press Enter. 4. Type it again to confirm, and press Enter. 5. Press F10 to save changes and exit BIOS Setup.

Changing an Hard Disk Drive Password

1. In the BIOS Setup, select the Security menu.

2. Select Set HDD Password and press Enter.

3. Type the new password and press Enter.

4. Type it again to confirm, and press Enter. When the Password installed notice pops up, press OK to continue.

5. Press F10 to save changes and exit BIOS Setup.

Moving the Hard Disk Drive

When a password-protected hard disk drive is moved from its original system and installed in another system, error messages appear indicating that the drive is locked. If the system is equipped with the same hard disk drive password protection feature, a Security Setup window will pop up, requiring the user to enter the password to unlock the drive.

If you wish to move a hard disk drive from one system to another, make sure to clear the hard disk drive password before you do so.

Note: for more information on security features (hardware and operating system passwords), please refer to the "Care and security features" section of the Online Documentation. You will find information on how to setup Windows® and network passwords, as well as passwords to resume from Standby mode or from the screensaver.

Note: if the option Primary Master HDD User Password is greyed out, you cannot modify it: shut down your computer using the power button, then restart it and enter the BIOS Setup.

Note: if you do not wish to establish another password, press Enter without entering any value in theses fields.