# Late 20th Century PC's **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 1, 2003, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-20th-century-pcs/146023 "2003-01-01T07:53:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ookpik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c68b51/32.png) [@ookpik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ookpik)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-20th-century-pcs/146023/1 "2003-01-01T07:53:06Z")
Happy New Year to all of you! I wish you all the best in 2003! My question however has more to do with the past. I’m in the process of resurecting an IBM PS/Valuepoint 433DX/D and would like to install a CD drive in it. Problem is, I can’t seem to access the CMOS configuration upon bootup. Delete, F10 (and all the other function keys) don’t do anything other than produce a keyboard error. I seem to recall that these particular systems require a configuration diskette to be inserted in order to make any changes to the hardware setup. Is there any way around this? If not, is there any way of downloading the required files in order to put them on a diskette? Thanks, Steve ---
**Author:** ![ookpik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c68b51/32.png) [@ookpik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ookpik)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-20th-century-pcs/146023/2 "2003-01-01T08:36:00Z")
Okay, that’s more than a dozen views and not a single reply. I’m really starting to feel old now! I’m looking through old manuals right now, and It sems that the correct terminology should have been “Reference Disk” Come on folks…I can’t be the only one who has worked with these aged systems! Thanks again! Canadian Ookpik! ---
**Author:** ![Alien2022](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19adc/32.png) [@Alien2022](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alien2022)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-20th-century-pcs/146023/3 "2003-01-01T09:26:10Z")
Good god, CMOS?!?!?!? That thing is older than late 20th century… talk about old… That thing dates back to the early 90’s… Nowadays its BIOS, I personally wouldn’t know… I’d just try hitting random buttons as it boots up… Other than that, buy a new motherboard… ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-20th-century-pcs/146023/4 "2003-01-01T10:09:32Z")
[Try looking here.](http://www-1.ibm.com/support/dlsearch.wss?atrn=SWPlatform&atrn1=SWVersion&rs=0&sort=rk&dc=D400&atrv=%23%23&atrv1=%23%23&q=reference+disk+ps%2F2&tc=HW170&Submit.x=69&Submit.y=13) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-20th-century-pcs/146023/5 "2003-01-01T10:56:50Z")
BIOS didn’t replace CMOS. That’s like comparing Windows to a hard drive: the first is the list of instructions and the second is the hardware that stores it. BIOS: Basic Input/Output System (the list of crucial startup instructions that allows your computer components to talk to each other) CMOS: Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (the basic layout of transistors and such that can form computer memory, including storing the BIOS) ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-20th-century-pcs/146023/6 "2003-01-01T12:21:05Z")
Oh, and the 90s _most certainly_ is the late XXth C. ---
**Author:** ![TBone2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@TBone2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBone2)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-20th-century-pcs/146023/7 "2003-01-01T14:47:20Z")
[hijack]OK, while we’re sorta on the subject, I too have an (ahem) older PC, a Compaq Presario 9546 that I’ve updated for my SO to use for DOS programming, and I’m having the same problem. All the documentation I can find says to hit the F10 key during boot, specifically when either the flashing cursor moves from upper left to upper right or when the big red Compaq logo appears. Trouble is, neither thing happens. I even tried a trick suggested on Compaq’s website, unplugging the keyboard and booting without it, thereby forcing a keyboard error, upon which the system is supposed to stop and offer me the choice of F1 (ignore) or F10 (setup). But this puppy is too smart for such tomfoolery! It only gives me the F1 option. Any ideas?[/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-20th-century-pcs/146023/8 "2003-01-01T14:52:10Z")
Try CTRL-ALT-ESC. I think that worked on a few older PCs. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@MC\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_E)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-20th-century-pcs/146023/9 "2003-01-01T15:45:06Z")
I’ve seen CTRL-ALT-S on some older Compaq’s… MC$E In fact, if you have some time on your hands, try ctrl-alt-[each key] ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-20th-century-pcs/146023/10 "2003-01-01T16:00:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TBone2 \* > \*\*[hijack]OK, while we’re sorta on the subject, I too have an (ahem) older PC, a Compaq Presario 9546 that I’ve updated for my SO to use for DOS programming, and I’m having the same problem. All the documentation I can find says to hit the F10 key during boot, specifically when either the flashing cursor moves from upper left to upper right or when the big red Compaq logo appears. Trouble is, neither thing happens. I even tried a trick suggested on Compaq’s website, unplugging the keyboard and booting without it, thereby forcing a keyboard error, upon which the system is supposed to stop and offer me the choice of F1 (ignore) or F10 (setup). But this puppy is too smart for such tomfoolery! It only gives me the F1 option. > > Any ideas?[/hijack] \*\* Ummm… yeah. It looks like someone competely scrubbed the hard disk at some point and deleted the setup partition. [Compaq Service Advisory](http://support.croc.ru/Hardware/Eng/DD990226_SW02.asp) - this is for an NT scenario but the point about the F-10 BIOS fix is unversal across OS’s for this PC. > [@](#): > > If the F10 Setup utility starts, skip to Step 5. **If neither the F10 Setup message nor the flashing cursor displays, then the F10 Setup and Diagnostics Partition is not installed on the computer.** To work around this, perform the following steps: > a. Download SoftPaq SP9716 from the Compaq website at the following location: ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/softpaq/sp9501-10000/sp9716.exe > > NOTE: Instructions for using SoftPaq SP9716 are available on the Compaq website at the following location: ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/softpaq/sp9501-10000/sp9716.txt SoftPaq SP9716 may not be the latest available version. Search for the latest available version on the Compaq website at the following location: [http://www.compaq.com/support/files/desktops/us/index.html](http://www.compaq.com/support/files/desktops/us/index.html) > > b. Follow the instructions for SoftPaq SP9716 to create a bootable Compaq Personal Computer Diagnostics diskette. > > c. Shut down the computer by selecting Start \> Shut Down \> Shut down the Computer. > > d. When the ‘‘It is now safe to turn off your computer’’ message appears, turn off the computer and wait at least 5 seconds before continuing. > > e. Insert the bootable Compaq Personal Computer Diagnostics diskette (created in Step 4b above) in the diskette drive. > > f. Turn the computer back on, allowing the PC to boot from the diskette. > > g. Select the option to run PC Diagnostics from the diskette. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-20th-century-pcs/146023/11 "2003-01-01T18:14:28Z")
I’m afraid that certain older IBM PCs needed a special boot disk to access the BIOS. I recall my PS/2 50z was that way. On the other hand, this link [http://www-1.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=psg1JBAR-3D7K2M](http://www-1.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=psg1JBAR-3D7K2M) says F1. What’s the specific model number?