How to gain access to CMOS/BIOS when F2 key does not make SETUP run?

Try this. Right out of the manual. The reset button is the little pin hole next to the power. Will need a paper clip that is straightened.

Entering the BIOS Setup
BIOS (Basic Input and Output System) stores system hardware
settings that are needed for system startup in the PC.
In normal circumstances, the default BIOS settings apply to most
conditions to ensure optimal performance. Do not change the
default BIOS settings except in the following circumstances:
An error message appears on the screen during the system
bootup and requests you to run the BIOS Setup.
You have installed a new system component that requires further
BIOS settings or update.
WARNING!
Inappropriate BIOS settings may result to instability
or boot failure. We strongly recommend that you change the BIOS
settings only with the help of a trained service personnel.
Quickly enter the BIOS
Windows8 boot time is quite fast, so we developed the following
three ways for you to quickly access the BIOS:
Before booting up the system, insert a straightened paper clip
into the BIOS Reset key.
BIOS Reset key
Press the power button for at least four seconds to shut down
your PC, then press the power button again to turn your PC back
on, and press F2 during POSt.
When your PC is off, disconnect the power cord from your PC's
power connector. Reconnect the power cord and press the
power button to turn on your PC. Press F2 during POST.

Unplug the machine, remove the CMOS battery, wait a 15 minutes
, replace CMOS battery, reboot, open BIOS, Set time ONLY. Save and reboot. That begs the question, Why change the BIOS setup?

Keep trying until the keyboard is ID'ed. Unplug, remove battery, plug in, reboot. Is there a reset button?

Restart your computer
During the boot process you will see on the screen to press a certain key to enter setup usually the Delete or F2 key
this will vary depending on your computer and operating system

Press and hold that key during the boot up process to enter BIOS using the arrow keys load failsafe defaults or load optimized defaults press escape then press f10 to save to cmos to restart

Bios setting are saved in cmos batteries
make cmos battery has charge and is not loose
cmos battery images
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=cmos+battery+images&qpvt=cmos+battery+images&FORM=IGRE

hope this helps

The CMOS setup has gotten corrupted. This may have happened if the 3 Volt coin battery on the motherboard is low. If your date and time is wrong, that is a clue the battery needs to be replaced.

If you have a voltmeter, check the voltage on the coin battery. It should be 3V. If it's much less that that, it must be replaced.

Whether or not the battery is bad, you will still have to enter SETUP when you boot the computer after replacing the battery. At boot, it usually displays what key to press to enter setup (DELETE, F2, etc. )

There are several menu screens which you must ensure are correct, according to the hardware installed on your computer.

If this is too daunting, take it to a computer repair place, and they can do it for you.

Good luck!

I believed this can be resolve by clean the cmos battery. you need to remove the cmos batery from the laptop then power it on then immediately turn it off. then put the battery back to the laptop then power it on keep tapping on f2 to enter setup. please follow the instructions from the link to remove the cmos battery http://tinyurl.com/yb3mhyg

Got to BIOS by pressing F2,check or any floppy setting and disable it even in boot order setup.This will solve your problem otherwise replace the lithium CMOS battery.

As you have reset the BIOS setting to it's default setting.Floppy drive is enable by default whether your system have a physical floppy drive or not.

POST errors can be difficult to diagnose.

If you have a speaker attached, listen for a sequence of short and long beeps, and pauses between. Record the sequence, this is a code that tells what the POST diagnostic is.

Other start up BIOS keys are F2, F6, F8, F10 and F12; when I don't know which one it is, I just hit all of them.
Whether it's stated or not, you can usually hit these keys during the memory count, (The second Self Test after video)

If the Memory Count dosn't finish and the BIOS open, then perhaps a dammaged memory chip is the cause. Try Rearranging the chips, or removing all but one of them and try the boot sequence.

This may not be a solution but further info can be gained by trying these.

This machine is one of the first "legacy free" models which means there are no BIOS options to change. All settings and resources must be assigned by the OS.
For details, please check the "legacy free" FAQ on MS Knowledge base.
If you are trying to access the BIOS to change boot order so that you can boot from a CD, hold down the 'c' key during POST/boot. This will case your laptop to boot from CD-ROM.

This is likely your CMOS battery dying on you and resetting your computer's date. Hitting F2 I belive it is will allow you to access your bios and on the second page you can see your date. It will likely be Jan 1st, 1988. Use your number keys to adjust the date and use your tab key to move between month, day, year, ect.

This is a temporary fix however and you will have to do this often until you have your CMOS battery replaced. I have a Travelmate that has the same problem.