Problem Windows XP does not install correctly or you do not have access to all of your system board features and ports from within XP. Solution The typical types of values, and their settings, for most Plug and Play BIOS to get and keep Windows and your PC working well together and have access to all of your system hardware devices.
PNP OS Installed -
Windows XP supports Plug and Play (PnP), so this option should be set to Yes. Some say that it is best to leave this option set to No regardless of whether your OS is PNP-capable or not. When it is set to No, the BIOS will attempt to resolve any resource conflicts. If it is set to Yes, even if a conflict is detected, the BIOS will ignore it. Setting it to Yes provides a bit of a safety net, and it will not affect the ability of the OS to perform PNP on its own.
Reset Configuration Data (Force Update ESCD) -
Extended System Configuration Data (ESCD) is a feature of the Plug and Play BIOS that stores the IRQ, DMA, I/O, and memory configurations of all the ISA, PCI, and AGP cards in the system (PnP or otherwise). Normally, you should leave the setting as Disabled unless you encounter serious problems with the installation of a new PCI card. Setting this to Yes can help bail you out. If you set it to Yes, the next time the PC boots, the BIOS will reconfigure the settings for all PNP cards. The BIOS will automatically reset this setting to Disabled next time you boot.
Resources Controlled By -
Normally, the BIOS controls the IRQ and DMA assignments of all of the boot and PNP devices in the system. When this option is set to Auto, this is what happens, and the ESCD is the mechanism for doing it. If you set this option to Manual, you will be able to manually assign all IRQ and DMA information, usually via a subscreen of the BIOS that will enable if you set this option to Manual. Manual settings can be used to resolve device resource conflicts.
PCI/VGA Palette Snoop -
This option is only useful if you use an MPEG card or an add-on card that makes use of the graphics card's Feature Connector. It corrects incorrect color reproduction by "snooping" into the graphics card's framebuffer memory and modifying (synchronizing) the information delivered from the graphics card's Feature Connector to the MPEG or add-on card.
Assign IRQ for VGA -
Many high-end graphics accelerator cards now require an IRQ to function properly. Disabling this feature with such cards will cause improper operation and/or poor performance.
Assign IRQ for USB -
This assigns an IRQ to the USB controller. It enables or disables IRQ allocation for the USB. If you are using an AGP-based video adapter this should be enabled. If you are not, you can disable this to free up an IRQ.
Discussion If the BIOS parameters or device information are incorrect, the operating system may not install or function properly. PC operating systems expect system BIOS to behave in specific ways and to provide specific information about system hardware, from the motherboard to attached peripherals. All current PC BIOS support Plug and Play, power management, and basic I/O device configuration. While no two BIOS are completely alike, BIOS must provide a core set of common, basic functions in order for PC hardware to behave like PC hardware. If you are having trouble installing or running Windows XP with your motherboard, resetting the BIOS to default or safe settings should give you a clean slate to work with. See Also For more information about BIOS issues, see http://www.buildeasypc.com/sw/bios_setup.htm, http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/BIOS.htm and http://www.pcguide.com/proc/setup/biossafe-c.html |
