HP/Compaq BIOS Question 2

[evolveit]

Does anyone know how to set the BIOS settings from a command line or external program. We need to image several hundred PC's and would like to change these settings during the imaging.

 

[tellco]

The only way I know of doing this is by using "KVM over IP". Try searching on this term and see what you come up with. Hope this helps.

 

[triangman]

hp did have a utility called top tools which allows remote flashing etc try the support section at hp.com

 

[evolveit]

Sorry guys, I may not have explained myself very well. We have all the PC's at the clients ready to deploy and are in the imaging stage. We are trying to simplify the imaging process whilst ghosting these PC's. We do not need to do it remotely.

Top tools for your information was discontinued on 31/12/02. I am pretty sure top tools and KVM over IP would not be suitable solutions.

Any other ideas?

 

[bcastner]

What OS?

If you are doing a Ghost of an XP or Win2k Sysprep image, it will not require you to mess with any BIOS settings for a recently manufactured box.

In the main, if the box is ACPI compliant with updated firmware on the BIOS, both XP and Win2k essentially need to know the BIOS ACPI capability, but the CMOS settings as default settings are fine. It will essentially ignore anything other than a deliberate setting that is non-Standard.

For any white boxes you are buying for a roll-out, ignore the BIOS (technicly, the CMOS) settings. XP and Win2k during their mini-Prep phase will handle anything other than a deliberate strange setting for current BIOS releases.

 

[bcastner]

Last point, for new (last two years) Compaq or HP boxes, you can Sysprep and Ghost without concern about the BIOS settings.

 

[evolveit]

O/S is not applicable. We need to make up to 5 changes in the BIOS settings for each PC. We have no choice to do this. The process we want is...

1. Use a bootable CD, USB Drive etc
2. Boot up, automatically change BIOS settings,
3. Automatically image drive
4. Reboot automatically

Options 1, 3 & 4 are no problems. Option 2 is the problem.