A mild rant (this applies mostly to techs but users also)

[BlueJazz]

One of the most aggravating things about servicing computers is the Start-Up screen.

I mean...yeah..we know that safe mode is usually F8 and bios is Delete but not always.
On some new boards the Bios is either F1, F2, F4, F11,F12 and recovery is anything from F1 to F12.

My grip is ..Do they HAVE to put the damn things up on the screen for .71 seconds?
Christ..I'm trying to see what the boot menu is and poof!..it's gone...start over again..Poof..Gone.
(is it on lower left or top right or what) ??

Computers usually take a minute to boot..Adding 3-5 seconds to the menu would, at least give you SOME time to see the
%$^%# thing....and wouldn't add much time, at all, to the boot sequence. (True some boards let you set the time but usualy not)

Ok...Rant over. :)

[canetoad]

1. Right on BlueJazz

Incredibly frustrating doing continual reboots with a pencil in hand to write down the boot keys.

This may be of some help; try pressing the Pause/Break key as the machine boots to freeze the screen. This works for me although it took a bit of practice to get the timing right. With the bios splash screen on my main machine coming up for literally a poofteenth of a second, I need to be tapping the Pause key as soon as I hit the power on button, or it's a lost cause this time round and another reboot required.

To go again, hit esc or any key.

[Duer 157099]

2. +1 just for use of "poofteenth" n/t

[struggle4progress]

3. I've got some machines with mobos that have multiple setup screens:

you can do MOST set-up stuff in the primary BIOS -- but for the REST there's a secondary whatever-you-call-it.

The secondary whatever-you-call-it has the following lovely undocumented "feature" -- it really likes PS-2 keyboards a whole lot better than USB keyboards. The primary BIOS plays well with any keyboard I'm using, but an attempt to get into secondary whatever-you-call-it has only about a 10% chance of success with a USB keyboard. So I used to reboot 3 or 4 times to watch "If ya wanna do this press that" flash by on the screen before I'd remember oh yeah this sucka needs a PS-2 and go dig up a PS-2 so I wouldn't have to reboot and reboot and reboot to get into secondary whatever-you-call-it

Now when I build myself a machine, I stick a note on the outside telling me how to do common stuff

[pokerfan]

4. I hate my BIOS

It pauses for six seconds in case I wish to enter setup, then another six seconds in case I wish to configure RAID. :banghead: Can't complain too much though as it boots in 46 seconds (Ubuntu).

[BlueJazz]

5. I can boot in about 30 seconds with windows 7 ultimate and it only took...

...a $4500. ..Dual-Quad core, 16 Gig memory, 10,000 rpm hard drive. :rofl:
I'm such a Sucker.. :)