Dell Latitude LM - Manual (Page 24)

2-2 Dell Latitude LM Reference and Troubleshooting Guide
• Manage power consumption when using a battery
The PowerPanel lets you adjust the com-
puter’s power management options to suit
your working environment. The Power-
Panel toolbar appears minimized on your
desktop when you turn on the computer. The Power-
Panel folder or group contains help files. For more
information about saving battery power, see the topic
titled “Conserving Battery Power” in the online Sys-
tem User’s Guide.
• Manage the suspend-to-disk file on the hard-disk
drive
The MS-DOS PHDISK utility in the c:\dell\util
directory lets you remove the suspend-to-disk file
from the hard-disk drive or create the file on a new
hard-disk drive. For more information, see the topic
titled “Suspend-to-Disk File” in the online System
User’s Guide.
S
etup Program
Your computer retains system configuration information
in nonvolatile random-access memory (NVRAM) main-
tained by your computer’s backup battery. Each time you
turn on your computer, the system compares the installed
hardware with the system configuration information
stored in NVRAM. If the system detects a discrepancy, it
generates an error message that identifies the incorrect
configuration setting. The system then prompts you to
enter the setup program to correct the setting.
You can use the Setup program as follows:
• To set or change user-selectable features—for exam-
ple, power management or security features
• To verify information about your computer’s current
configuration, such as the amount of system memory
• To change your system configuration information
after you add, change, or remove hardware con-
nected to or installed inside your computer
The first time you turn on your computer, run through the
Setup program to become familiar with its options and to
verify that their settings are correct. Record the option
settings for reference in case you need to reestablish
them.
Accessing the Setup Program
To access the Setup program, press < F2 > when prompted
during start-up. The computer reboots automatically
when you exit the Setup program.
The Main menu of the Setup program shows how the
computer is configured. From the Main menu (see Fig-
ure 2-1), you can access the Peripherals menu, Security
menu, Power menu, and Exit menu.
NOTE: When you press < F9 >, the computer displays the
default values for each option in that menu. When you
press <
F10 >, the computer restores the previous values
for each option in that menu.
Main Menu Options
The following subsections explain each option in the
Main menu of the Setup program. The same information
is also available in the topic titled “Main Menu” in the
online System User’s Guide.
CAUTION: The PHDISK utility erases all
data on the hard-disk drive. If you want to
retain the data, back up the hard-disk drive
before using the PHDISK utility.
CAUTION: To avoid data loss, exit any application
programs before rebooting the computer to enter
the Setup program.