BIOS access on RM Expert 3030

[gavcradd]

Please forgive what may be a stupid question, I am a Computer Science teacher, not a technician :-)

 

I have a number of RM Expert 3030s that I am trying to rebuild using PXE boot. However, to do so I need to get into the BIOS to change the boot order.

 

When I turn the machine on, it displays the "F2 for BIOS" message but mashing the F2 button does nothing. In fact, it seems as though the keyboard (USB) itself is not initialised at this point (num lock / caps lock keys don't work). By the time Windows 7 boots, the keyboard is working fine however to enter log on details. I've tried a different keyboard and the same issue is affecting 10+ machines in one room, so I doubt it's a hardware malfunction.

 

Any ideas?

[imullings]

Try using an old ps2 keyboard and not a usb

Some old RM kit still needs ps2 to get to bios functions

[southhamster]

We have the same problem. Some USB keyboards seem to work ok so we keep one that does to plug in the front USB port when we need to access pxe or BIOS. On the positive side it does stop the kids getting into the BIOS setup!

[dgsmith]

The 3030 uses the Intel DQ35JO motherboard and we still have plenty of these in use. You will already know you have to use a USB keyboard, or a keyboard that communicates via the USB interface/jumper seeing as the board doesn't include any form of PS/2 port.

I can't say we have encounted this issue that many times before, but I tend to find the much more basic/cheaper USB keyboards to be more likely to work at the POST stage than our more fancy ones with all the bells and whistles. Have you any USB keyboards that are very, very basic, perhaps even the generic/simple RM branded ones?

[MrEprise]

I have one of these MBs that I pulled out of an broken Viglen PC case and shoved into a not so broken one. Anyhow, while mine says 'F2 for BIOS' I've also found this doesn't work but the Delete key does, so that may be worth trying.