Windows XP Prof. update removes option for access to BIOS.

[#1]

Yes, quite right Oldjim but

Quote from: colintivy

This has happened after a batch of updates recently came along which appear to modify a lot of eye candy amongst other things.

updates do not modify the look of your desktop unless a graphics update goes wrong and changes the screen resolution.  And what happens before Windows starts to load is not under the control of Windows.  So I strongly suspect that Colintivy has more clues available than he has yet written about.

[#2]

The lack of BIOS screen is probably more related to the new graphics card, which likely has multiple outputs, maybe the one that isn't connected would be showing the BIOS screen, and the one that is connected only gets activated later when Windows loads the graphics driver. Or as it's a PCI graphics card, I would not expect it to automatically disable the built in graphics - a BIOS might have an option to disable the onboard graphics (if it doesn't do it automatically), or an "Init Display First" setting to choose which will be the primary graphics card.
Maybe try connecting the monitor to the onboard graphics output to get to the BIOS?

[#3]

How about disconnecting the hard disk?

[#4]

Quote from: colintivy

I have recently become aware that my old Dell OptiPlex GX 110 desktop no longer flashes up the Dell logo and the option to access the BIOS set-up using F2 ................

This is a boot problem and nothing to do with Windows. Updates to Windows do NOT address functions reserved in the BIOS.
Either the machine is in sleep mode, or the BIOS has been corrupted and needs resetting!
I am running a Dell with 2 monitors and both display the Dell splash screen and all BIOS messages!
Some of the suggestions here just beggar belief! 

[#5]

I am sorry that I created a red herring by my assertion that some M$ updates might have had some effect. It was the sudden disappearance of the initial screen occurred in the morning following an evening shutdown which was delayed by the installation of the updates which duly completed. I will persue the BIOS corruption theory and see where that gets me. The machine is still running the original graphics system, the new card is in place but not actually used, this has been the case for some some time without any problem.

[#6]

There's nothing wrong with the BIOS, it's not corrupt.
The BIOS output is probably being displayed on the PCI graphics card assuming the "Primary Video Controller" BIOS setting is set to Auto.
[quote author="Optiplex GX110 User's Guide"]Primary Video Controller determines which video controller to use when the system boots. When Auto is selected, the system uses a video
expansion card, if one is installed, or the onboard video controller if a video expansion card is not installed. When Onboard is selected, the
system uses the onboard video controller even if a video expansion card is installed.

[#7]

I agree that there seems no corruption of the BIOS function in that all the machine's activities after Windows gets going are OK. I cannot enter the BIOS settings because of the lack of the missing display. So I wonder what route the running up goes along without the preliminary display and where I can find It. All the references talk about resetting a password (which seems to have been bypassed or set to blank here) & only putting the BIOS back to factory state which would not seem to be needed either.

[#8]

Plug the monitor into a different graphics connector! If it's currently plugged into the onboard graphics output, switch off the computer, then plug the monitor into a socket on the graphics card.

[#9]

Don't you guys read my posts?
I'm running a Dell with two monitors - they both display boot up messages including the splash screen. Have you got a Dell with two monitors?

Quote

The machine is still running the original graphics system, the new card is in place but not actually used, this has been the case for some some time without any problem.

[#10]

I have been guilty of a serious misconception. I have finally extracted the new graphics card from the machine and everything has returned to normal, I do not know how this was not obvious when it was first installed.
I have now set the Video to On-board and everything works as before. Part of the original Dell information recommended me to check that video buffer is set to 8 MB, where do I find that?

[#11]

Good news - thanks for reporting back as it's always handy to remember for next time

[#12]

Quote from: NedLudd

Have you got a Dell with two monitors?

Have you got a Dell that dates from about the year 2000, that you've recently added a PCI (not PCIe) graphics card to?

[#13]

Update from me,
The Dell is around that date and I have the new card installed PCI.
The first check should have been your idea (#22) of me putting the monitor on to the Geeforce card which would have revealed all and I would then been able to change the BIOS selection to On-board with ease and most of this thread would not have arisen. As a side effect, the new card got to displaying the Windows logo but then stopped dead. I guess that could be due to a lack of a driver which was reported when I tried to install the video disk that came with the card although the card was specifically labelled for XP. I will look at that later.
Thanks to all the worried brows that this has generated.

[#14]

Are you sure you need a driver disk ?
Every GeForce card that I remember sticking into Windows PCs (as an upgrade to the on-board graphics), as far as I remember loaded some default video driver with a low screen resolution, and then doing a reboot and a "Windows Update" advanced scan would highlight the latest Nvidia driver to install in the hardware driver section. Job done.

[#15]

Alternatively are the drivers available on the Nvidia support site ? - http://www.nvidia.co.uk/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-uk