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BIOS Basics

What the BIOS is

Section titled “What the BIOS is”

The BIOS (also called UEFI on modern machines) is the motherboard’s built-in configuration utility. It runs before Windows starts and controls low-level hardware settings: which drive to boot from, how fast the memory runs, whether Secure Boot is enforced, and so on.

For a Renderboxes workstation, we’ve already tuned these settings at the workshop. They’re set up for best performance and stability with the exact hardware you ordered.

When you might need to enter the BIOS

Section titled “When you might need to enter the BIOS”

Legitimate reasons to open BIOS on a Renderboxes machine:

  • Changing boot order temporarily — e.g., to boot from a USB stick for a clean Windows install or a recovery tool
  • Reviewing hardware status — temperatures, fan RPMs, installed memory and drives, to share with support while troubleshooting
  • Enabling or disabling Secure Boot for installing certain Linux distributions or dual-boot setups
  • A specific support instruction from Renderboxes — we’ll tell you exactly what to change if we need you to

If you don’t see your reason on that list, there’s a good chance you don’t need to be in the BIOS. When in doubt, contact servicedesk@renderboxes.com first.

How to enter the BIOS

Section titled “How to enter the BIOS”

With your workstation powered off:

  1. Press the power button to turn it on.
  2. Immediately press Delete repeatedly while the Renderboxes or motherboard logo is on screen.
  3. You should land on the BIOS setup screen — usually a graphical interface with tabs along the top or side.

If Delete doesn’t work, try F2 the next time. Most Renderboxes workstations use Delete, but a handful of motherboards use F2 instead.

If you miss the window (you’ll know — Windows starts loading), let the machine boot normally and restart to try again.

Exiting without saving

Section titled “Exiting without saving”

If you’ve opened the BIOS by accident or want to back out without changing anything, look for “Exit Without Saving” or “Discard Changes and Exit” — usually on the Exit tab or via a function key shown at the bottom of the screen. This is always safe to do.

If you’ve changed something and the machine won’t boot

Section titled “If you’ve changed something and the machine won’t boot”

Don’t panic. Most BIOS changes can be reverted by loading defaults:

  1. Power off, wait 10 seconds, power on.
  2. Enter the BIOS (as above).
  3. Look for “Load Optimised Defaults” or “Load Setup Defaults” — often available on the Exit tab or via a function key (often F5 or F9).
  4. Save and exit.

This returns the BIOS to its factory defaults, which will get the machine booting again. You may lose the Renderboxes-configured performance settings in the process — contact support and we’ll talk you through reapplying them.

Still stuck?

Section titled “Still stuck?”

Open a support ticket with your serial number and a description of what happened. BIOS issues are covered by your warranty’s technical support element.