G e t t i n g S t a r t e d

Turning on and booting the computer

Turning the power on

To turn on the computer, simply press the POWER button. The green indicator on the POWER button lights to show that the system unit is powered. Remember that the monitor has its own power button or switch; see the monitor’s User’s Guide for details.

Always make sure that the system unit is turned on before turning on any attached peripherals.

If the computer does not start when the POWER button is pressed, check that the system unit and monitor power cords are securely connected and that the AC power supply is switched on.

Power-on self-test

Whenever the computer is turned on, a power-on self-test (POST) routine test various hardware components and compares the actual configuration of the computer with that recorded in configuration (CMOS) memory. During this time, BIOS sign-on and POST messages are displayed.

The boot sequence

Provided that POST succeeds without discovering any serious errors or configuration discrepancies, the computer attempts to find an operating system; that is, it attempts to boot.

By default, the computer will look first for a system diskette, then for a bootable hard disk, but this sequence can be changed with the BIOS Setup utility.

System diskette

A system diskette is a diskette bearing at least the rudiments of an operating system. If the computer finds such a diskette in the diskette drive, it boots from it. If it finds a non-system diskette, the computer invites you to replace it. If necessary, your operating system manuals should tell you how to create a system diskette.

APRICOT 340 OWNER’S HANDBOOK 2/5