VM Bios Access problem

[vmwaredude1]

Hi,

I need to access the BIOS of my VM. But the problem is - the screen goes very very fast and I am not able to press the F2(I guess) key.

Is there a way through which, I can slow down that scree ?

Thanks

[TomHowarth]

This is the way I do it, open a VIC to the vm machine or VC and open the console screen for the VM in question. press the reset button and then quickly click the black screen to give the machine focus, then press F2 for all your life. this works 90% of the time not perfect but it does for me.

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Kind Regards

Tom,

[oreeh]

A CPU limit helps as well

[vmwaredude1]

I dont rember where but, I read this - We can change the setting so that, it can give us ample time to get into BIOS.

[oreeh]

The BIOS boot delay parameter doesn't work in ESX.

It works with WS 6.0.1/6.0.2 and Fuison 1.x, I'm not sure about Server 2.0 and Player 2.0

[admin]

Server 2.0 and Player 2.0 include bios.bootDelay and bios.forceSetupOnce options.

I believe ESX 3i will contain this fix as well.

[Schorschi]

Use the CPU throttling trick... on very latest servers, the console never accepts a keystroke before you are past the bios boot. VMware should be shot in the head for how stupid this issue is. Sometimes I think VMware design/development team is on drug. I already suspect the Quality Assurance team has found the development team's hidden cache of mind alternating substances. VMware... Just Kidding! Well, mostly.

[Rob_Bohmann1]

HA! I have experienced this like everyone else. Not many times do customers tell their vendors to slow things down a bit....

[admin]

See above. CPU throttling is not the way to fix this. You just need to add bios.forceSetupOnce or bios.bootDelay = into your config file. I believe we're going to expose this in the UI before release (actually I think it's already in the VI Client UI somewhere).

[TomHowarth]

Is this also for ESX, if so this is a very good peice of info

Kind Regards

Tom,

[oreeh]

ESX 3.0.x - no

[TomHowarth]

I meant to say if this is for 3.5 it is good news

Kind Regards

Tom,

[Schorschi]

LOL! Now... VMware backwards compatible with a feature, that makes sense? LIKE NEVER.

[jubalkessler]

I've been going absolutely crazy trying to get the BIOS to appear and allow me to change the boot order so that I can boot from a CD.

I'm running Virtual Infrastructure Client version 2.0.1, which connects to an ESX 3.0.2. (I apologize, I don't know what "3i" means in relation to my stated versions.)

I've tried both bios.bootDelay and bios.forceSetupOnce to no avail. As soon as (as in "immediately", before any quick-twitch reflex to hit F2 or whatever can kick in) I start the VM, I'm booting from the HDD, which is not what I want.

Please help me out by clarifying:

- how I can solve my immediate problem

- if I need to use a later VI client, please specify the version range (e.g. 3.5 or greater) necessary to do the trick

- if I need to use a later ESX server version, I'm screwed, because I don't control the server. HELP!

(an extremely frustrated sysadmin who wishes this problem had been solved by VMware LONG AGO)

[srbush]

In VC 2.5 & ESX 3.5 (not sure if this applies to prior versions), in VC select the VM and then edit setting, in the Options tab select boot options, there you can set a boot delay (can allow you time to get ready to hit F2 or Del), but for a one time setting check the box entitled "The next time the VM boots force BIOS setup screen".

[wila]

When your VM starts booting from the HDD, just hit reset quickly (dont use that stupid mouse but use <alt>) and then you have enough time to get into the bios screen. Here it is sometimes easier to hit Escape as F2 after doing that you can either select the boot preference OR setup.

--

Wil

[dramatik2]

Incase anyone is still looking for info on this and encounters this thread,

Try adding:

bios.bootDelay = "60000"

to your .vmx file for the virtual machine.

This will add a 60 second (60000 ms) delay during startup.