Chapter 4 Common Configuration Questions
NI PXI-8184/8185 User Manual 4-2 ni.com
Boot Options
What devices can I boot from?
The NI PXI-8184/8185 can boot from the following devices:
• The internal IDE hard drive
• An external SCSI hard drive or CD-ROM if an SCSI adapter, such as
the PXI-8214, is used
• An external USB mass storage device such as a USB hard drive or
CD-ROM
• An external USB floppy drive
Note There are some limitations when booting from a USB device. Windows XP
can be installed from a USB CD-ROM, but earlier versions of Windows cannot.
TheN I PXI-8184/8185 BIOS configures the USB devices so that they will work
in a DOS environment.
How do I configure the controller to boot from these devices?
There are two methods:
• Enter Setup and select the Boot menu. You will see a list of all bootable
devices, ordered by device type. You can set the boot order pressing
<+> and <–>. Set the order by device type and set the order for the
devices listed within the device type.
• To boot from a different device without permanently changing the boot
order, press <Esc> during POST. After the BIOS completes the POST
and just before the controller boots the OS, the Boot menu is displayed.
You can select the device type you want to boot from.
Note Two devices cannot share the same IDE channel, and doing so may damage the
hardware. If you configure the PC Card ATA drive for the primary channel, you must
physically remove the internal IDE drive.