T480 how to see BIOS setup

[keithsketchley]

- I can’t figure out how to get into view of BIOS settings nor Safe Mode nor boot options in my new T480.
-
- (Traditionally there is a prompt to press F1, but this computer flashes Lenovo red box then goes straight to Windows login dialogue box.
- Same for F12 despite UG/HMM claims.)

[keithsketchley]

Need is to troubleshoot blank display.
I have connected an external display.
The display switching menu appears to not recognize existence of an internal display.
It's been suggested that problems with Windows 10's August update might turn the display off in BIOS setup.

[dr_st]

By default, Fast Startup is on in Windows 10, which prevents you from getting to BIOS if PC is switched on after being off. During restart it should work.

An OS update cannot affect display behavior in pre-boot environments, such as BIOS setup.

[keithsketchley]

Thankyou.

Aha! I figured the POJ out.

If command Restart instead of Shutdown can briefly see a prompt to press Enter to interrupt normal startup, below the red Lenovo box.

That gives the traditional BIOS Setup display.

(I have not played with normal cold boot enough to determine if that prompt flashes by, nor if pressing Enter at some time will give the BIOS setup display, the computer squawks when I’ve tried – traditionally timing is critical on when the user presses a key like F8.)

[keithsketchley]

There is an option for Boot Display as internal LCD display or external monitor, it was set to internal, yet my computer now only shows external monitor on boot.

I tried setting it to use external as boot display, in case that is backwards, that created a brick – no displays, but was able to restore by pressing Enter after hard shutdown and starting up again with power button. There’s something fundamentally wrong with Loonovo’s software and probably my internal display system.

Under Startup there is an option for Bootup, choice of Quick or Diagnostics. Diagnostics, the latter has the traditional prompt to press F1 for Setup and gives information on the BIOS and CPU and memory size and BIOS shadowing accomplished.

And – in some startups the current build of Windows is briefly visible at top of display. I have a version earlier than the August 11, 2020 one, I’ll make sure I get that in case it fixed display problems with earlier versions.

[keithsketchley]

Confusion factors on the T480 with Windows10Pro include:
- shutting down, the light in the power button does not go out until several seconds after the display goes blank. So you have to wait for light to go out (it flashes just before).
- Function key commands are accessed by pressing F1 and the key you want, commands like audio, display brightness, display switching, radio (WiFi), and some mysterious symbols are the normal function of the keys.
- There are anomalies, for example speaker silencing is flakey.

[dr_st]

- shutting down, the light in the power button does not go out until several seconds after the display goes blank. So you have to wait for light to go out (it flashes just before).

It is normal for the display to turn off before the entire laptop does. This has been the standard behavior at least since Vista.

- Function key commands are accessed by pressing F1 and the key you want, commands like audio, display brightness, display switching, radio (WiFi), and some mysterious symbols are the normal function of the keys.

This is determined by a BIOS setting.

[keithsketchley]

Function keys are labelled with the FN functions in blue on lower half (matching blue of Fn key) whereas the functions like brightness are on the upper half in white.

There may be other keyboards.

[keithsketchley]

And the !! thing runs a looong disk check on cold startup unless you notice and stop it.

Dunno the meaning of that with an M.2 SSD.

So for now I have to get used to watching boot, which is very fast.
(Not like a job I had where my SOP was to get the computer booting then go get a cup of coffee.
We always turned the computers off when leaving for the day, for security reasons.
Even then good practice was to ensure it turned off - on a couple or three occasions over the years I've had one not as it hung up on something.
In one case !! McAfee had found a Word macro malware in a file from a person using a NASA server for committee work. I hadn't seen that because shutdown scroll past was fairly fast and I didn't pay attention, until something caused shutdown to hang.)

[Brad]

Have you tried holding down the shift key and then shutting down?

In W10 that will turn off the rapid start feature on next start and allow access to boot functions. I notice on ThinkPads running W10 that on shutdown the power light will flash just before turn off. Then on next startup no matter what you do you cannot access boot functions.

Brad