HELP! Can't get into BIOS!

This is an old Compaq Armada 1750. F10 is supposed to get me into the BIOS and it doesn't. I've tried EVERYTHING! Esc, Del, F1 thru F12, Ctrl+ESC and just about anything else I could think of. The manual for the laptop says it should be F10. I also read in a different forum that if the utility partition on the HD has been erased, that you can't get into BIOS anymore; and this partition was erased (not by me). I need to boot from the CD and the boot order is set to floppy first, HD second. WinXP is on the HD and it's really corrupt but it does boot and run. So- what I need is a program that I put on a floppy and boot to, or a Windows based program that will allow me to change BIOS settings, if such a program even exists. I even removed the CMOS battery for about 60 seconds and that didn't do a damn thing either. Any ideas or suggestions will be GREATLY appreciated! Thanx!

hd2k

BTW- I need to run a repair install of XP so I need to boot to the CD...

 

Problem solved. Booted to Win98 boot floppy, ran FDISK to delete HD partition. Doing this "forced" the PC to look past the HD for a boot device, and finally booted to the CD. But the data was lost in the process :cry Oh well, it was only like 6 songs and a few pictures.... not a huge deal... The program I was looking for in the first post would still be a very handy app to have if anyone knows of something.....

 

Dave,

Do you get a Compaq screen before XP starts. If you do, F10 should be the key to enter BIOS (you repeatedly tap it when you see a cursor in the upper right of the screen). http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c01120750/c01120750.pdf see chapter 13 Security Features.

I'm guessing you already knew that. If your not getting a Compaq screen, as a LAST resort you could try flashing the BIOS with the last available update from Hp.com; there are several available for that model and of course you would need to know the EXACT BIOS version necessary. I'm just putting that out there as a suggestion, I'M NOT recommending it. Laptop BIOS security features can be very tricky. I believe compaq backs up current bios version to the diskette if you need an undo.

 

Sorry, I was too late trying to delete my post.

I think everyone should IGNORE my advice as it might not solve the problem of entering BIOS and has the potential of doing a lot of damage.

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Dave, I'm glad your problem is fixed.

Moderator, please feel free to delete my post.