How to enter cmos in compaq computer(NEWBIE)

[WinstonP69]

I am trying to install SuSE 8.1
on a compaq prolinea 5133. It has no o/s on it.Ineed to know how to get into cmos so I can get it to boot from the c/d.I have tried F1 through F10,ctrl-alt -q, and delete. Getting really frustrated any help you could give would be appreciated.

[chucksaysword2]

A quick search on compaq's support site turned up this:

ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/supportinformation/techpubs/maintenance_guides/141780-004_rev4_us.pdf

It may or may not be what you are looking for. I didn't read all of it as it is quite long (158 pages).

You could try rebooting your machine and watching for a line (probably near the bottom) like this:

Press [DELETE] to enter set-up.

[WinstonP69]

CHUCKSAYSWORD2, Thank you for getting back so fast. I'll take a look at that and see if it helps. When the computer boots up, no mention of setup is ever shown. Thank you again for your help!

[chucksaysword2]

Hey no problem, I'm always willing to help someone out (well most people;) ). Have fun with Linux!

[WinstonP69]

CHUCKSAYSWORD I have never messed with Linux before, is SuSE a good one to try out?

[chucksaysword2]

I started to fool around in Linux about one year ago. My distribution: SuSe 7.3 Pro. I bought it becuase I'd heard some good reviews and knew it came with a lot of documentation. I thought that overall it was a good distribution for newbies in that almost everything was auto-setup and there were programs to configure everything. As I learned more about Linux I came to see that SuSe was merely an OK distribution. It's kind of bloated (my SuSe came with 7 CD's but Slackware only has 1!). However, since I'm assuming you already bought a copy of SuSe I suggest you install it, fool around with it for a few months, and then reasses your situation. Maybe you'll like it more than me!

[WinstonP69]

I tried installing a downloaded version of Debian, I got it to load with a Windows 98floppy with c/ds support. As i was loading it on my computer, it came up with a corrupt file. After i got done stomping and jumping up and down, I decided that maybe I should try a boxed version of something. So i bought that yesterday. Tried to install it the same way, but no matter what I tried nothing worked. More jumping up and down. Then I tried to get into the bios and couldn't, so I got frustrated and quit until I could find something out. What are the differences between SuSE and Slackware?

[camaro71633]

I have the exact same computer as you with debian on it and it dose not suport booting from cd. as for the bios you have to use a setup diskett to access it. i can get you link if you need it. i have no idea why compaqs cant have a normal bios utility :rolleyes: ohwell.

[chucksaysword2]

Slackware is a more hard-core power user distribution. Not recommended for newbies. I myself don't even run it (yet). Since your machine can't boot from CDs, tell the BIOS to boot from a floppy first (if it isn't already doing so), insert the SuSe start diskette into the floppy drive and reset your computer. Voila! (Hopefully)

[realtek]

Hello,

The Compaq product that you are experiencing problems with does not have a Rom based setup. This machine will support a partition based setup.

In order for you to access the BIOS you will need to run the system configuration utility that can be found at http://www.compaq.com/support/files

The newer compaq machines have a Rom based setup which is not stored on the hard drive like the partition based is.


Good luck!

[WinstonP69]

camaro71633 I would be interested in that link if you wouldn't mind.
Thanks for you help!

[WinstonP69]

Realtek

thank you for the info. I'll try it and see what i can find. Thanks again for the help!