Australian PC World - Olivetti hot keys to access CMOS setup

Olivetti hot keys to access CMOS setup

Tip
In the May issue of Australian PC World (CMOS settings that can't be set, p151), an enquirer asks about hot keys to access the CMOS setup on Olivetti M250E and M290S computers.
The good news is that the M290S setup can be accessed by using <Ctrl>-<Alt>-<Shift>-<Delete>. (Obviously the <Shift> key must be depressed before <Delete> or you will reboot.)
Now the bad news:
1) The M250E's built-in setup only comes up if there is an error. There was no key combination which started it. Olivetti may still be able to provide a copy of the client disk with a setup program which will access setup for these machines, but I would expect to have to pay for it.
2) Neither of these machines has a user-definable drive type. Disk Manager software will be needed. This was common practice among name brands at the time, to control the range of hard disks they had to support.
On the M250E, I would also recommend checking the CMOS backup battery. These were the NiCad type, soldered on to the board. Unfortunately, after 2--3 years they started to weep, frequently corroding tracks on the board beyond recovery. Again this problem is common to all computers using these on-board batteries, including many clone boards. It may also apply to the M290S.
If this has occurred, the best advice I can give is to consign it to the wheelie bin.
- Philip Crawford

Category: Hardware
Issue: Jul 1997
Pages: 164-165