You'll really need the correct setup disk. You could try to find someone that has a PC from the same line that either has the disk already or can make one, since the setup program, once installed, can be used to make the needed disks.

Another option is to search for a copy of the old Compaq archive. Maybe using the Wayback Machine.

Gfrost wrote on 2024-12-15, 17:58:

Hi, everyone, […]
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Hi, everyone,

I'm in need of assistance with my Compaq Presario 4120. I can't access the BIOS despite trying all possible key combinations.

I've read that some old Compaqs require special service partitions, so I checked with fdisk, but there’s no such thing on the drive.

Thanks to Google and this forum, I learned that older Compaqs often relied on special setup utilities stored on floppy disks. Unfortunately, the .img files I found online (presumably meant for Deskpros) don’t seem to work with my Presario. They boot up fine, but all I can do is view system specs. The actual setup is blocked with an error message like, "This utility is for a different type of Compaq PC."

Is there anything else I can try to access the BIOS?

Thank you in advance!

F10 should give you access to SETUP during power on / reboot, but if that's not working try creating the floppy-based version using the attached ...

devius wrote on 2024-12-15, 22:13:

You'll really need the correct setup disk. You could try to find someone that has a PC from the same line that either has the disk already or can make one, since the setup program, once installed, can be used to make the needed disks.

Another option is to search for a copy of the old Compaq archive. Maybe using the Wayback Machine.

Yesterday it dawned on stupid me to search for Presario 4100, not 4120. So I got this https://archive.org/details/CompaqQuickRestoreNA02901Q3 This archive has one setup disk and two DIAG disks, one of which worked (the second one doesn't start for some reason)). So I got what you can see in the photos which is pretty underwhelming. Is this the best one can get from Compaq's BIOS? It's not like I was going to overclock the machine but I was expecting something more solid.

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2024-12-16, 06:53:

F10 should give you access to SETUP during power on / reboot, but if that's not working try creating the floppy-based version us […]
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Gfrost wrote on 2024-12-15, 17:58:

Hi, everyone, […]
Show full quote

Hi, everyone,

I'm in need of assistance with my Compaq Presario 4120. I can't access the BIOS despite trying all possible key combinations.

I've read that some old Compaqs require special service partitions, so I checked with fdisk, but there’s no such thing on the drive.

Thanks to Google and this forum, I learned that older Compaqs often relied on special setup utilities stored on floppy disks. Unfortunately, the .img files I found online (presumably meant for Deskpros) don’t seem to work with my Presario. They boot up fine, but all I can do is view system specs. The actual setup is blocked with an error message like, "This utility is for a different type of Compaq PC."

Is there anything else I can try to access the BIOS?

Thank you in advance!

F10 should give you access to SETUP during power on / reboot, but if that's not working try creating the floppy-based version using the attached ...

The attachment sp2141.txt is no longer available

The attachment SP2141.exe is no longer available

Thank you very much, going to try it anyway.

That is it, but I don't know why you're disappointed since that looks awesome to me 😆 I know there aren't many options, but most OEM PCs are like that, and this one looks very unique with its Windows 3.1 like style.

In the mean time I managed to find a copy of the SoftPAQ archive: https://ftp.zx.net.nz/pub/archive/ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/