Tyan Computer GX21, B5102 manual OS Select For DRAM 64MB, Non-OS2 / OS2, HDD S.M.A.R.T. Capability

OS Select For DRAM > 64MB

This BIOS feature determines how systems with more than 64MB of memory are managed. A wrong setting can cause problems like erroneous memory detection.

If you are using an older version of the IBM OS/2 operating system, you should select OS/2.

If you are using the IBM OS/2 Warp v3.0 or higher operating system, you should select Non-OS/2.

If you are using an older version of the IBM OS/2 operating system but have already installed all the relevant IBM Fix- Paks, you should select Non-OS/2.

Users of non-OS/2 operating systems (like Microsoft Win- dows XP) should select the Non-OS2 option. The choices are:

Non-OS2 / OS2

HDD S.M.A.R.T. Capability

This BIOS feature controls support for the hard disk's S.M.A.R.T. (Self Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technol- ogy) capability.

S.M.A.R.T. is supported by all current hard disks and it allows the early prediction and warning of impending hard disk disasters. You should enable it if you want to use S.M.A.R.T.- aware utilities to monitor the hard disk's condition. Enabling it also allows the monitoring of the hard disk's condition over a network.

While S.M.A.R.T. looks like a really great safety feature, it isn't really that useful or even necessary for most users. For S.M.A.R.T. to work, it is not just a matter of enabling it in the BIOS. You must also keep a S.M.A.R.T.-aware hardware monitoring utility running in the background all the time.

This is okay if the hard disk you are using has a spotty repu- tation and you need advanced warning of any impending fail- ure. However, hard disks these days are mostly reliable enough to make S.M.A.R.T. redundant. Unless you are run- ning mission-critical applications, it is very unlikely that S.M.A.R.T. will be of any use at all.

S.M.A.R.T. is still useful in providing some protection against data loss by continuously monitoring hard disks for signs of

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